Sugar and Spice Ch. 02

"Ergo," I went on, "I conclude that rogue, Swamp Frog elements of the DEA, or perhaps other agencies, gave Jacquez a sweetheart deal for product and cutting agent. Super low price. In exchange, Jacquez agreed to agitate against the TCPD, maybe not realizing the explosive conclusion that resulted would occur."

I said "And that worked out well for them in soooo many ways. First, if someone took the product from a DEA warehouse and sold it, it's pure profit... so they can offer Jacquez a price so good that he takes it even if he had reservations about it. Second, it got rid of some of the L-sugar... and also contaminated Operation CHICAGO SPICE. Third, it might well have worked to get the US DOJ Civil Rights Division the excuse they needed to hammer the TCPD... making that building explosion all the more fortuitous for us, the TCPD."

Tim Jenkins said "And these rogue Agents used some of the CHICAGO SPICE product and cutting agent to make that deal?"

"So it appears." I said. "What I'm not sure of is just how extensive the 'Infinity Circle' drug gang is. Was it created just for CHICAGO SPICE? For the L-sugar operation? Or is it bigger, and that operation was just a part of it, and just used their logo-marked product for their operations?"

Juan Morales said "I'll ask SAC Muscone and DEA SAC Rutherford Lyndon. I need to let them know, anyway. The 'Infinity Circle' secret is compromised, no matter what else." I nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Another plan that did not work out so well for a lot of the Enemy." said Tanya. Cindy nodded vigorously in agreement.

I said "I have to commend the Swamp Frogs for a good plan in some areas, though others were left to chance and therefore failed. And someone had to have given the Block House Boyz the idea that the Media was behind the betrayal of Jacquez Wilson... and it wasn't me."

"A master manipulator, all the way around." said Tanya. "But who has the brains and the means to do that?"

"Dr. Robin Isley, easily." I said. "But we may be making an assumption in thinking the Master Planner is one of the Swamp Frogs. It could be someone far worse." I then absentmindedly mused: "Far, far worse..."

Part 8 - Funeral? Or Rally of Hatred?

"Not God bless America! God damn America! God damn America!"
--- Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Barak Obama's pastor.

2:00pm, Friday, July 3rd. Bettina Wurtzburg and State Senator Katherine Woodburn, dressed in all black, got out of the black Escalade at MLK Park. Other KXTC employees were arriving in other cars, though not all of them by any stretch of the imagination. And some were working, videoing the impending funeral of Lester Holder.

"Not all that many people here." said Katherine. "So why are they having it outside, in the heat and humidity?"

"Maybe more of the demonstrators they've asked to come will arrive soon." said Bettina. She then nudged her head to her left and said "There's Burt West." Katherine looked over, seeing West talking with Eldrick X. Weaver, Edgar Silas, former State Senator Maxine Watts, Stacey Jacobs, and Bruce Finneran.

"Ah, crap." Katherine said quietly. "It's going to be political. They're going to make a circus out of it." After a pause she said: "You go ahead, and catch a ride with the KXTC people when this is over."

"You're leaving?" Bettina asked, totally shocked.

"You better believe it." Katherine said. "I want to get re-elected." With that, she went back to the Escalade and got in, and it drove off...

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

The crowd was not as large as originally expected, despite the efforts of the political leaders to get the active protesters to the service. The numbers had risen to perhaps three dozen young people in red Antifa shirts and one dozen scraggly-looking white students in green shirts with logos of Climate Change groups.

The Reverend Ralph Warlock, a radical activist as well as pastor of Third Baptist Church, began the funeral: "Brother Lester Holder was a black man and a reporter, making him doubly the target of Cracker cops and Republican politicians. He paid the ultimate price to bring the light of truth of white Police brutality against our People."

"Tomorrow," Rev. Warlock said, "white people and their white nationalist politicians will celebrate a day they call 'Independence Day'. Isn't that rich? That whites have a day when they say they were given their freedom? They celebrate with picnics, and fireworks. Celebrating the creation of a nation born of white privilege and black slavery, with laws created to keep blacks enslaved. That's what they're celebrating."

Warlock: "They celebrate holidays devoted to the mil-i-tar-y, calling upon us to remember their 'sacrifice'. Sacrifice for what? I tell you now that no man can serve two masters! No man can serve God and also be in the military! And that extends to the Po-leece... the Po-leece that murdered Brother Lester and other good black men when we tried to peacefully celebrate a true day of emancipation, Juneteenth!"

The crowd, especially the red-shirted agitators, began cheering and chanting as Warlock finished. The Third Baptist Church Choir sang the civil rights spiritual "Let My People Go", suggesting Holder was a Moses-like figure leading blacks out of slavery. Eldrick X. Weaver came to the podium.

Weaver: "The history of corruption of the Town & County Police, and their institutionalized abuse of power against People of Color is long, deep, and stained with the blood of good black men like Lester Holder. And that white nationalism and abuse of power starts at the very top. The reason Lester Holder is dead, the reason we are here remembering his sacrifice for our causes, is illegitimate Mayor Daniel Allgood!"

Weaver: "Allgood has not only stolen an election he knows in his corrupt racist heart that he lost, he has not only stood by while white Police terrorize and abuse good black people, he has enabled the Police brutality. Because of him, corrupt white racist cops like Donald Troy feel enabled to do whatever they want to blacks, including murdering them, knowing they have their white nationalist illegitimate Mayor to back them up!

Weaver: "That's why this next election is so important! We must crush every Republican, kick all of their racist asses out of office! But most important of all is destroying Daniel Allgood! I know that when I'm Mayor after this election, Allgood will be made to pay for his crimes, especially the crime of protecting that racist white cop Donald Troy!"

Edgar Silas was next: "I agree that the root cause of the racism in this County is Donald Troy! That corrupt 'Uncle Tom' Joseph E. Williams worked with Troy to re-write the County Charter, and destroy the Boards of Inquiry that were all we had to keep Troy's unchecked racism and abuse of People of Color in line! We must elect Bruce Finneran as Inspector General, and me to the Town & County Council, so we can destroy Donald Troy! We'll destroy... Donald Troy! We'll destroy... Donald Troy!"

The agitators, led by an obviously pleased Bruce Finneran, picked up the chant: We'll destroy... Donald Troy! We'll destroy... Donald Troy! We'll destroy... Donald Troy! We'll destroy... Donald Troy!..."

And then came Burt West. He tried to remain calm, but as he spoke, people were reminded of the obsessive hatred of not only Lester Holder, but another reporter: John Hardwood.

Burt West: "Lester Holder was my Media colleague. As a member of the honorable profession of Journalism, Lester was committed and devoted to discovering and exposing the truth, especially about the Police brutality of white cops against People of Color. He endured a severe beating and hospitalization, a crime the Town & County Police under Donald Troy did not even try to solve." (Author's note: 'Iscariot', Ch. 01-02.)

West: "Lester Holder was exposing the Police persecution of Jacquez Wilson, a civil right leader devoted to the cause of justice for blacks. Lester was giving Mr. Wilson a voice in our never-ending war against Donald Troy! And I don't believe for a minute that the Block House just blew up of its own accord. The blood of Lester Holder and the others will forever stain the filthy white hands of the most corrupt cop in this State's history, Donald Troy!" The agitators cheered.

West: "Lester Holder was beaten, and ultimately murdered, because the corrupt, racist Donald Troy could not allow the voice of truth about him to be told! Troy is whining about his racist white cop being beaten and in the Hospital, but he didn't give a damn when my colleague was beaten and put in the Hospital! Troy didn't give a damn about his white cops pulling over blacks for D-W-B, or arresting and charging blacks with crimes committed by whites... but when Lester Holder was exposing Troy's corruption, Lester Holder was assassinated to silence his voice, just as Jasmine Nix was!" (Author's note: 'Sandstorm', Ch. 03-04.)

West: "I call upon you to resist! Resist the corruption of Donald Troy! Resist the corruption of his White Nationalist allies, and his white motorcycle gang that comes in and beats peaceful, innocent black citizens! Tomorrow Troy will be at the starting line of the Triathlon with other White Nationalists... you will know who they are, because they call themselves 'Republicans'! I know the other speakers here are calling for us to boycott the Day of White Independence, but I say you should confront Donald Troy and his fellow racists, and let them know how you feel! Show them your rage! Make them answer when you ask them 'Do black lives matter?'! Don't let 'em off the hook!"

The agitators in the crowd cheered lustily. What they did not notice was that most of the Media reporters that had been sent to cover the funeral were beginning to break their equipment down, pack, and leave. They had the footage they needed, but most of them would not use that footage, nor even report on the funeral, knowing the vicious rhetoric they were hearing might help their enemies, like Sharon Marshall, more than the good of ginning up division and hatred based on race would do them..

Part 9 - The Real Swamp

Meanwhile...

Teresa and Todd were with the entire Belvedere family on a boat traveling slowly along one of the swamps between the Belvedere home and the coast line to the south. The boat had an awning built above it to shield the passengers from the blazing sun, and the tourists were looking over the rails at the tremendous diversity of animal and plant life in the swamp eco-system. Everyone ooh-ed and aah-ed whenever an alligator was spotted, and there were four such creatures sighted during this excursion.

Todd was wearing a white golf/polo shirt, khaki short pants, and high-top tennis shoes. Teresa was wearing a white pullover shirt that she did not tuck in, khaki pants that went just over her knees, and what amounted to work boots. "Your Lara Croft look, eh?" Todd had teased her when he first saw her.

As they'd taken their seats when boarding the boat, Jen Sakai had sat down by Teresa, and had noticed the well-concealed handgun Teresa was carrying. "You're armed?" Jen said quietly. "Aren't you out of jurisdiction?"

"I have a Federal Firearms Permit." Teresa said. "And while I'm not expecting any trouble, I'm always concerned for my husband's safety." And for her own safety, too, though she didn't say that.

"I can understand that." Jen said, then added: "If Colin or Wendy see it, they'll go bananas. They are bitterly anti-gun-rights."

"So they think only Police Officers should have guns?" Teresa asked nonchalantly.

Jen chuckled at the subtle humor; after all, Teresa was a Police Officer. Jen said: "And they want to defund the Police, too. I'm a little surprised they haven't made snarky remarks to you about being a cop."

"I think they're too busy preaching to Todd about Climate Change." said Teresa. "They're either trying to shame him, or they want a donation from him." Jen laughed at that.

Meanwhile, Todd had been 'corralled' by 'Bobby' Edwards, who was wearing a button-down shirt along with long-sleeve khakis and shoes not really meant for outdoor excursions like this.

"So how are you liking Louisiana, so far?" Edwards asked.

"I'm the man who accompanied Teresa Croyle to Louisiana." said Todd. "And I'm enjoying it very much."

Edwards chuckled, then said "Louisiana is a great place for business. We've got a little of everything, here. Oil and gas production; Louisiana is the third-largest producer of petroleum in the United States. and fully one-quarter of the Nation's natural gas is from this State. And with that comes petrochemicals, and a strong overall chemical production industry."

"My uncle would love that, being the chemist that he is." Todd said.

"And your own business has been active in the chemical industry." said Edwards. He continued: "Beyond that, Louisiana has a huge commercial fishing industry, accounting for 25% of the seafood consumed in the United States. In agriculture, we're second in sugar cane and sweet potatoes, and we have high yields of feed grains and soybeans."

"What part of Louisiana are you from?" Todd asked.

"Shreveport, in the northwest corner of the State." said Edwards. "Shreveport was the capitol of Louisiana from 1863-65 during the Civil War, when the filthy Northerners captured Baton Rouge. It's the third-largest city in Louisiana, after Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Barksdale AFB is up there, too."

Todd said "Well, when I'm ready to expand, I'll take a look around here."

"When you do," said Edwards, "you'll find that we're like many places... it's who you know more than anything else. And I can help you get in touch with the right people. Of course, the 'cost of doing business' is part of doing business, and the businesses that work well with our civic leaders are the ones that get business done here."

"I'll keep that in mind." said Todd. He looked over and said "Uh oh, I better go rescue my wife from our Climate knights in shining armor."

"Watch out for them." Robert said in a low voice, with some menace tricking into it. "They may sound like harmless quacks, but they mean to destroy Free Enterprise, and they'll stop at nothing to achieve their goals..."

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

The boat tour included a stop of an antebellum plantation home. It was was a mixture of French and American Southern styles, and had once been a sugar cane plantation.

"They grew sugar cane here, and still do." said Clara Bessemer Edwards, to Teresa, as they followed the tour group around. "My family... er, our family... probably bought a lot of it to make their chocolates and cookies. My father, Edward Bessemer, really prided himself on using local Louisiana sugar to make Bessemer cookies."

"I'm sorry he died before his time." Teresa said. "If he hadn't, maybe you'd still have the company."

"Maybe." said Clara. "My mom always thought the company would've been sold off anyway. My grandfather loved it, and my father loved it... but I think everyone else cared more about the money. Aunt Clarissa, bless her heart, she's a good person... but she didn't lose a minute's sleep having the annuities to live on for the rest of her life. And her kids are rotten to the core, so sorry."

"Maybe the real Louisiana sugar is why Bessemer cookies are the tastiest on the market." Teresa said, to change the subject. "My friend Tanya got married a few months ago, and featured Bessemer cookies at her reception. And everyone was raving about them. I didn't know the family connection then, of course."

"Oh I agree." said Clara. "Local ingredients, especially the sugar, make Bessemer cookies the best. I'm glad BigAgraFoods still purchases Louisiana sugar to make some of the cookies, especially the sugar cookies. The stuff they get from other places may be cheaper, but the cookies they make with that stuff simply aren't as good."

"So why did they change?"

"Same reason Coca-Cola arranged that whole 'New Coke' fiasco." said Clara. "So that when they went back to 'Classic Coke', they weren't using sugar at all, but high-fructose corn syrup. Similar taste but not quite the same... and a heck of a lot cheaper."

Teresa nodded, then said "The only thing I really know about Coca-Cola is that cocaine is a byproduct of making it, and the Federal Government closely supervises the destruction of it. I can only imagine the disaster if some of that stuff was simply 'disappeared' by those Feds, and sold onto the open market..."

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

After the boat tour, the tour group was treated to a Cajun dinner. Part of it was a low country boil, where the ingredients were boiled and then poured onto a table, and everyone helped themselves. Additionally, there was a buffet with other dishes.

"I'll give you newcomers a small warning now." said Clarissa Belvedere Esterson. "It is way past the prime crawfish season, so what they have here was likely frozen, then thawed out and steamed. It's still good, but it's not good, fresh crawfish."

But the jambalaya and gumbo made up for it. And Teresa went back for seconds and thirds of the shrimp and grits. "This stuff is good." she said to Todd as she ate her third helping.

"It's all good. This gumbo is to die for." said Todd as he ate a large bowl of it.

"You should try the spicy gumbo." said Wendy Esterson. "What you're having is very mild, by comparison."

"It's really good for a beginner like me." replied Todd with a grin. "The crawfish pie is good, too, even if it is made from frozen crawfish."

"It's a shame, too." said Colin Esterson. "Robert talks about the commercial fishing industry like it's a good thing, but they're overfishing our waters so badly that they're destroying the eco-system. That, and that oil and gas they're leaking into the waters, which is further damaging our planet."

"I guess I better enjoy the crawfish pie while I can, then." Todd said jovially, a bit too jovially. Colin and Wendy didn't particularly like that comment.

"There will be plenty of fishing for years and years to come." said Robert Edwards as he came up to them with a plate of food from the low country boil table. "Don't let the ridiculous predictions and outright lies of the Left distort your thinking."

"Typical Republican." snarled Wendy Esterson. "Doesn't give a damn about anything but lining his own pockets with the blood money of crony capitalists. Are you a Republican, Mr. Burke?"

"Oh, I don't belong to any political party, Mrs. Esterson." Todd replied lightly. "What I have observed, over time... is that the Establishments of both Parties work hand-in-glove together while pretending to argue about things."

That ended all political commentary for the evening...

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

Back at home, everyone was having drinks on the back patio again. Beatrice and Eugenia's were non-alcoholic. Teresa was having a cigar with her Scotch, neat, again, while Jen Sakai was having a rum and Coke with her cigar. Colin had brought out his Meerschaum pipe, lacking only a deerstalker cap to look like a Sherlock Holmes wannabee.

"Pipe tobacco smoke smells very good, aromatically," said Clarissa as she sat with Teresa, overlooking the back yard, "but it tastes awful. Cigars smell like tobacco, but taste a lot better. I used to enjoy them, until my health declined and I had to give them up."

"I rarely smoke anything, especially in front of our boys at home." Teresa said. "But these cigars really are that good... and so is the Scotch."

"I'm glad you're enjoying them." said Clarissa. "So what are Todd's vices, if any?"

"It used to be women." said Teresa. "But he really slowed his roll on that when he had children to take care of. He's really a very good father."