Sugar and Spice Ch. 01

Me: "But the Government has the money to have BigPharmaCorp or someone else make them a batch or two of L-sugars, and the L-sugar could be used to trace the path drugs were taking, from a little bit in otherwise pure bricks, to the sugar being part of the cutting agent. Soooo, Mr. Stevens, have we stumbled onto a DEA operation?"

"Yes, you have." said Dwight Stevens. "And I appreciate you coming to me about this first. And kudos to your Crime Lab for catching it; most crime labs wouldn't be looking for this."

Muscone said "Dwight, tell him the details of it, before he goes off finding out for himself."

"Okay." said Dwight. "Here's the full story, Don, and I know you have the clearance, so just verbally agree before this here witness Mr. Muscone that you won't talk out of turn about it."

"Scout's Honor." I said, making the Boy Scout sign with my right hand. I'm an Eagle Scout; I can do that and mean it.

Dwight Stevens started: "Good enough. The project is called 'Operation CHICAGO SPICE', because Chicago has the L-Train, and someone got cute about the name. It's exactly as you said: we had the idea to put some L-sugars into drug shipments into the United States. We had people in Mexico that could put L-glucose in their shipments over the border, and some people in Miami adding other, more complex sugars into their incoming shipments."

Stevens: "It was kind of like the 'Fast & Furious' operation with guns, but we didn't provide drugs, just added the L-sugars at the sources. All this was, was to trace the path of the drugs. Unlike radioactive particles, which could be detected, the sugars were untraceable unless one really knew what to look for. We weren't really trying to make busts, at least not originally. "

Stevens: "The project began four years ago, and I was vetted for it and put on the team almost three years ago. And in the early going, the project went very well. We were able to trace some major pipelines into the USA, and where the drugs were going. We learned a lot about the operations the cartels set up and how they ran their businesses."

Stevens: "Of course, one problem would be that eventually the sugars would branch out, like tree branches or blood vessels, and there would be so many traces around that the information would become less and less useful. And we also had to use different chemicals, as we can't tell one batch of dextrose from another if it was from two different sources. But we got good information for a good while.'

Stevens: "The party stopped a few months ago, when we we found this huge batch of pure heroin with L-glucose in St. Louis, then another one in Kansas City. We looked for where those batches came from, and they didn't match up with any previous known batches we'd marked with the L-sugars. So we thought we might have a whole new pipeline. But then someone figured out that this was a whole new batch of L-sugar, and not part of the original project."

Stevens: "So, we figured that someone else had independently had the same idea we had, and inadvertently stepped on our toes by running their operation. But it was 'no joy' on finding out who had done that. And then we realized that someone might've found out about our program, and put these batches out to fuck up our whole project... which succeeded. We were going to wind it down anyway, but that made us go ahead and wrap it up even faster."

I nodded. "Will what we found help you in any way?" I asked.

Stevens said "Sure. It's a data point, if nothing else. I'll send it to the analysts, and they'll run it against the existing data."

I said "I'd appreciate it if you could share any findings about this with us. The Block House Boyz are finished as an organization, but I'd love to know where they were getting their China White and their fentanyl from, and maybe this would help."

Stevens said "Sure, I'll send whatever we find to you. I can tell you what you probably know already, that since Marcie Harper's operation was taken down," (Author's note: 'Schoolhouse Rock'.) "most of the drugs come up the River to Midtown from Southport, then by whatever means up the highways to here. The City also has pipelines into it, but most of the product stays there, to meet the needs of the City's addicts."

"Why does the River traffic stop at Midtown?" Jack Muscone asked.

Stevens said "The River is navigable up to the northwestern edge of Midtown. The State Line River is very navigable up to Randolph Heights, which is across the State Line River from Benning County in this State, and then river shipping suddenly can't go further north."

I said "A professor with the University's Geology Department was telling me about the meteor strike that formed Lake Reservoir, and he also told me that there was a major fault line that ran through Midtown and roughly northwest across the State west of us. About 400,000 years ago that fault line moved, a lot. If the San Andreas fault moved as much, the professor said, San Francisco and Los Angeles would be utterly destroyed."

Jack emitted a low whistle. "Wow, that must've re-routed some rivers." he said.

I replied "And more. It created waterfalls at the fault line, which is why Midtown was settled and populated, and there's a waterfall at Randolph Heights. It also damaged the land that is now Benning County, making it virtually unusable for growing crops. But ships can't climb the waterfalls, and the rivers above the fault line aren't navigable, anyway."

"Fascinating stuff." said Jack Muscone. "But back to the lines in the here and now: drug lines. I agree with Don that this might be an opportunity to learn about how drugs are being distributed through the State, and especially up to our children here at the University. Who are the DEA's people in Southport?"

"Juan Alberto Morales is our team leader down there." said Dwight Stevens. "Good Agent, and a good guy."

I said "Jack, this might be something we can have Tim Jenkins work with me on, as well."

"How's he doing since he was wounded?" Dwight Stevens asked. (Author's note: 'Woman In Love', Ch. 03-04.)

"Physically, he's just about fully recovered." Jack Muscone said. "He's agreed to stay with the FBI, and he's on our equivalent of desk duty down in Southport again. And I agree, Don, this would be something he could work on with us, if Dwight and the DEA agree."

"Absolutely." said Stevens.

"And here's something Jenkins can work on." I said. "One reason I called you when I saw the Crime Lab report, is because the cutting agents the Block House Boyz were using had a lot of L-sugar in it. I can see where the pre-cut pure China White had some of the L-sugar from your previous operation, but for them to have fresh sugar with the L-sugar in it? That's new and different.. and a starting point for us to look into."

"I see what you're saying." said Muscone. "What did the Block House Boyz know, and when did they know it?..."

Part 3 - Cajun Country

The heat and humidity of the Louisiana summer hit them like a blast wave as they disembarked from the aircraft at Lake Charles Airport. "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto." Todd quipped. He was wearing a suit and tie, and was paying the price for that choice of clothing now.

"I'm about to melt like the Wicked Witch." Teresa replied. She was wearing a green dress, which was much cooler than Todd's suit. "Let's go get our luggage."

After retrieving their luggage from Baggage Claim, they headed to the main entrance, and the parking lots beyond. As always, Teresa was looking around warily. Suddenly, she pulled Todd back behind a column near the entrance.

"Whaa?" Todd gasped, surprised. "What is it?" Teresa pointed for him to look through the glass of the entrance foyer, and he saw what she had seen. Outside the entrance/exit to the building, several people were holding placards with names. One young man was holding one with the name 'Burke' on it.

Teresa said "You said you rented a car, right?"

Todd said "Yes. Did your family send a car anyway?"


Teresa said "Even if they did... I told them that my husband was coming with me, but I never told them your last name. They only know my name, 'Croyle'!"

"We could get Airport Security to check the guy out." said Todd. "Or do the Iron Crowbar thing, and walk into the trap."

"Do you see me carrying a crowbar?" Teresa replied. "And now you know why I don't. Yeah, let's get security--- oh, wait."

She was seeing the back of a dark-haired man come up to the young man. She could not see the man's face, nor anything but the long, black hair of the back of the head of the woman that was with him. They began walking in the other direction, giving Teresa no chance to see their faces.

"False alarm." Teresa said. "There's another Burke in the Bayou, I guess. Coincidences do exist."

"You can always have one coincidence." said Todd as they went out toward the rental car area. "I wonder who that 'Burke' is, though he's probably not related to me."

"I dunno." Teresa said. "As prolific as your father was with women around the country, maybe he left you a brother here in Cajun Country. His hair color was the same as yours."

"Yeah, it was..." Todd said thoughtfully.

"Like uncle, like nephew." Teresa said with as much of a grin as anyone was going to get from her. "Reverie time."

"Naah." Todd said. "Maybe just me being as paranoid as you usually are. I just had a fleeting thought that that was the brother I do know about... Benny Black."

"Hmph!" Teresa said. "So who was the black-haired beauty with him?" Todd merely shrugged his shoulders in response...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As they drove east-by-southeast out of the populated areas, unerringly guided by the Siri program in Todd's iPhone, Teresa watched the landscape. "We are definitely on the bayou now." she said.

"Yeah." Todd said. "It's awesome, isn't it?"

"Gives me a new meaning, really the old meaning, for the word 'diversity'." Teresa replied.

Todd chuckled. "So tell me again who we're going to meet?" he asked.

Teresa started: "My mother's parents were Charles and Clara Belvedere. His father began a confectionary business, which supplied the Army with candies during World War Two that were distributed in the solders's food rations."

Teresa: "The business began floundering after the War, and my grandfather Charles took it over. He made it into a chocolate and cookie company. He also had three daughters: Clarissa, the oldest, who we're going to visit now; Dora Clara, the middle child; and Sarah Lenora, who eloped with an Army Officer that served in combat in Viet Nam."

"Your parents." Todd said.

"The same ones." Teresa said, then continued: "Dora Clara married a man named Edward Bessemer, who had started a cookie company. He not only married my aunt, he merged his company with my grandfather's, and together they created Bessemer cookies, which are still very popular today. Unfortunately, Edward died in a workplace accident. Legend has it that he slipped off a catwalk into a huge vat of flour, and suffocated before they could dig him out."

"Ouch." lamented Todd. "Horrible way to go."

"Yes." said Teresa. "With Edward dead, and Charles Belvedere not having any male sons, and having sons-in-law he either didn't know or didn't like, he sold his company to what is now BigAgraFoods for about $250 million in today's money. Upon his death, the money was divided equally into three trusts for each of his daughters, amounting to about $75 million each."

Teresa: "You know that Sarah had disappeared, so her share was untouched, and by the time we learned that I was the heir to it, it was worth over $120 million, of which I put $100 million in trust for the Hospital, and the remainder in trusts for the boys." (Author's note: 'Centuries', Ch. 03.) Todd nodded.

Teresa went on: "Clarissa, the oldest child, inherited the family home, which we're headed to now. I understand that it's a very stately old plantation home from a long-bygone era. She married a man named Esterson, and has two children: Colin Esterson, and Jen Esterson Sakai. Jen married and subsequently divorced a Japanese man."

"I've heard the name 'Colin Esterson' before." said Todd. "Not sure where, though. Anyhoo, sorry to interrupt; keep going."

Teresa kept going: "Dora Clara died of cancer, leaving behind two daughters. The older daughter, Tessa, had two girls at a young age, and they are now teenagers. Tessa and her husband died in a plane or car crash, I'm not sure which. The younger daughter, also named Clara, is married to a Republican Louisiana State Senator, and they have no kids."

Teresa finished up: "We'll meet Aunt Clarissa and her kids, for sure. I'm not sure if the others are going to be there, or if they will join us over the weekend. I'm sure they'll inundate me with a lot of family history, and they will want to hear mine, so I hope you won't be bored. And I need not say that until we get to know them, we should not share too much about ourselves."

"I agree." said Todd. "Let's not mention to this Jen Sakai that I speak Japanese at all, much less fluently, until Mariko-san and her family have a chance to check her husband out..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Two old oak trees with gnarly trunks stood in front as sentinels. The old home was raised on piles of brick, cement, and wood columns, allowing flood waters to flow underneath, and there were two floors of living space. Porches wrapped around both floors, making the house look bigger than it was.

"Just about what I imagined." said Teresa as they parked in front and got out of the car.

"What did you think would be different?" asked Todd.

"I dunno, I guess I expected moss to be hanging from the trees and the house." Teresa said. "And I guess I thought it would look swampier than it does."

They went to the front door and Teresa rang the doorbell. It was answered by a tall older man in semi-formal attire. 'Ye-ezzz?' he intoned.

"Hi, I'm Teresa Croyle and this is my husband Todd." Teresa said. "We're expected."

"Yezzz. Please come in." said the butler. He led them through the hallway and to a sunlit room in the left rear of the house, and announced "Mr. and Mrs. Croyle, by appointment, madam."

"Thank you, Charles." said a woman past middle age but not all that elderly-looking. "Some lemonade for our guests." she said as she got up out of her chair in the far corner of the room. In the face, she looked a lot like what Teresa might look like in her older age, and one could see they were related. She had once had an hourglass figure like Teresa'a, but she had put on weight, especially around her hips, derriere, and thighs.

She came up to Teresa and Todd, using a cane to assist her in walking. "Ah, Teresa." she said, taking Teresa's hand. "It is so good to finally meet you. You are even lovelier than your photos. And... oh my, what a handsome young man you are! I'm Clarissa Belvedere Esterson."

"I'm Todd Burke, Teresa's husband." said Todd, giving the older woman his most winning smile as he took her hand in a formal 'old school' handshake.

"Please, come in. Do sit down." Clarissa. "And dispensing with formalities, do call me 'Aunt Clarissa', if you like."

"Thank you, ma'am." said Teresa, following the woman into the room, and sitting on the sofa next to the corner chair into which Clarissa plopped down.

"You had a pleasant flight down?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am." said Teresa. "I did want to ask you... you didn't send anyone to pick us up at the airport, did you?'

"Why no." said Clarissa, looking surprised. "You said in your email that your husband had arranged all of your transportation."

"He did." Teresa said. "I just asked because someone had a sign with the name 'Burke' on it. It was probably for someone else with the name 'Burke'."

"Likely." said Clarissa. The butler brought three lemonades. "Please try our lemonade. I hope it's not too sweet."

Teresa tried it. "Mmm, it's just right. Very good." she said truthfully.

"We have 'medicinal' things you can mix with your lemonade, if you like." said Clarissa. "Charles makes an excellent mint julep, as well."

"This is wonderful, just like this." Teresa said, sipping some more of her lemonade.

"The rest of the family will be arriving this afternoon, to meet you." said Clarissa. "And we'll be having dinner. We haven't had a really big family dinner here in quite some time, and I for one am delighted to be adding a newfound member."

Clarissa rang a little bell, then said: "I am sure you have many questions about us, as I have for you, but I am sure you're tired from your trip and want to get some rest. Charles, would you please show Teresa and Todd up to their room and fetch their luggage for them?"

"I've already taken the liberty of taking their luggage to their room, ma'am." said Charles. "If you will please follow me." They followed the butler upstairs to their room. It was not large, but comfortable enough, and ornately decorated. The window faced the backyard, and the view was spectacular as Teresa looked out.

"Oh wow, you can see water back there." Teresa said. "We must be closer to the swamps than it looks from the front."

"Yes, it's neat." Todd said. Then he noticed Teresa going around the room, using her ink-pen bug detector as they talked. The room was not bugged, she finally determined.

"What did you think of your aunt?" Todd asked.

"She seems to be very nice, in that old-school matriarch-of-the-manor Southern style." said Teresa. "But she seemed... a little nervous. What did you think?"

"The nerves may have been meeting a relative that she never knew she had, for the first time." said Todd. "You were a little nervous, too."

"Yeah." Teresa said. "I'm not really tired, but I could definitely use a shower. Care to join me?"

"Don't mind if I do." said Todd with his mischievous grin...

Part 4 - Working The Case

2:00pm, Thursday, July 2nd. FBI Special Agent Tim Jenkins and DEA Special Agent Juan Morales had been flown up in an FBI plane, and were now having a late lunch with Jack Muscone, me, Cindy Ross, and Dwight Stevens in the 'Command Room' at the Cop Bar.

"Yeah, I feel good." said Tim Jenkins when asked. "I'm still taking it easy, though. Right now I'd come in third in a race with this pregnant lady." We all laughed at that.

As we finished our lunches, Dwight Stevens said "I talked with our DEA Special Agent In Charge, Rutherford Lyndon. He says that since Project CHICAGO SPICE is being shut down, he's okay with anyone in the TCPD that already has a security clearance working on it with us. My question is: what exactly is it you want to do, Don?"

"A couple of things." I replied. "We never got a firm grip on where Jacquez Wilson was getting his supply of product from. I'd like to establish that pipeline, maybe shut it down from the source end, but definitely keep anyone else from tapping into it and bringing drugs into my County."

Your Iron Crowbar: "And second... I've got my hackles up a little bit about those big drug shipments being found in St. Louis and Kansas City. And so I want to help you start peeking into some things, to find out where the perps got those supplies."

"You've got a suspicion about something?" asked Jack Muscone.

I said "I'll put it this way: when the TCPD is done with drugs that are in evidence, we take them under at least two-man control to the facility at the State Crime Lab, and they incinerate the stuff. They also use two-man control, and we get official notification back that the materials are destroyed."

I continued: "Most other Police Departments do the same thing, or similar. But there was a situation in Chicago where some enterprising Officers sent notification that the drugs submitted for destruction were indeed burned... and then those drugs ended up on the streets again. The Officers were selling the drugs to a major supplier and enhancing their retirement incomes very nicely."