The Babymaker Ch. 02

"Cindy came in to work, right after you guys left." Teresa said. "She came by my office on the way to hers, and said that if we need any more records from the gym, for me to ask her and she'll get them and give them to me."

"Good." I said. "Okay, let me fill you in on what happened this morning." I did so, with Julia and Teddy adding their observations.

"So Carl is a babymaker." Teresa said. "And Danielle Linder wouldn't admit she paid him?"

"You know," Teddy said, "her husband was right. She's a drop-dead gorgeous woman. She doesn't need to pay anyone."

Teresa said "I would counter that with my knowledge of Carl, which the Iron Crowbar might agree with. Despite their age differences, Carl and Wanda were very much in love with each other. If what we think is going on is going on, then I can see him asking to be paid to inseminate her, no matter how beautiful she is."

"I do agree with that." I said. "And let me add this: I noticed Lamar trying to run interference for Danielle on that, and then she figured it out and just outright denied it, realizing we'd never be able to make it stick. She denied it because it's not illegal for her to have illicit sex with a man other than her husband, especially since they didn't cross any State lines. But if she admitted she paid him, then she's admitted to a crime... male prostitution, solicitation, illicit purposes, and so on."

Julia said "Sir, how could she be sure we didn't have her paying Carl on tape? She was asked about it only after she denied paying Carl."

I said "She's not dumb, is why. I'm sure she figured it out very quickly that we knew she'd had sex with Carl because we had a tape of it. So she figured out Carl taped their coupling. And Carl was not a dumbass, either. He definitely knew he was taping the sex, and probably made sure the money exchange did not occur on camera. So Danielle figured out the odds, and when we started talking about it, she stopped her husband from making a mistake, and just came out and denied it."

We turned to other topics (rumors and innuendo) for the rest of lunch. As we finished, I said "Teddy, when we get back, you go ask Commander Ross for the daily Town Fitness Centers sign-in data. I imagine she'll make no fuss giving it to you, but if she does, call me and I'll do something about it. Julia, I'm going to need you and Commander Croyle to come with me. We're going to get some information about the most important piece of data we have..."

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

1:30pm, Wednesday, September 30th. Julia, Teresa, and I entered the office of Laura Fredricson, Ph.D, M.D., via her assistant Laurie's anteroom station. I observed that Laurie was very down, and looked as if she had a cold... or had been crying. Hmmm.

"Hello, Darling." Laura said from behind her desk as we came in. "Hello, Teresa, Julia."

Just then, Callie Carrington came out of the back room behind Laura's desk, with Betsy in her arms. Betsy smiled brightly when she saw me, then said "Hi Uncle Don!" loudly and reached out for me. I sat down in the chair in front of Laura's desk, putting the package I'd brought in on the floor beside me.

"Hey, Betsy." I said as I took her. She wrapped her little arms around me in a hug, and I hugged her back. "How are you?"

"Good." said Betsy. "But I don't want to take a nap. I'm not sleepy." I'd heard that before... from Carole, when she was Betsy's age.

"Someone is going through her 'terrible twos'." Callie said.

Betsy looked around, then said "Where's Bowser?" She rarely saw me except at home, and Bowser was always there, I surmised.

"He's at home." I said. "He and Buddy are guarding the house."

"Oh." said Betsy. "Why aren't you at home?"

"Uh, I'm working." I said. "Like your mom and Aunt Teresa."

"Which mom?" Betsy asked.

"Uhh, Cindy." I said, then looked over at Callie and Laura.

"Why don't I have a daddy, like you are Carole's daddy?" Betsy asked. I was now thoroughly shocked. So were Laura and Callie.

"Er, why don't you give Aunt Teresa a big hug, okay?" I said. "I need to talk to Aunt Laura and Mama Callie."

"Okay." Betsy said, letting Teresa take her from me. As Teresa turned to introduce Betsy to Julia, I picked up the bag from the floor.

"May I use your desk?" I asked Laura, though already putting the bag down.

"Sure." Laura said. "What is that?" she asked as I took the gym bag out of the evidence bag sheathing it.

"Do either of you recognize this bag?" I asked Laura and Callie.

Laura examined the bag and immediately saw the button at the end of the strap that attached the strap to the bag. "Camera?" she asked. I nodded, and she said as she looked inside and saw the small wire. "Recording device attached to it?"

"Yes." I said. "Small device, looks like a WiFi modem. It's at Headquarters, in evidence."

Laura nodded. "Looks like something that was CIA issue at least ten, fifteen years ago. I would never use it; it's too easily detected. It was probably made for some kind of use around unsuspecting people that aren't familiar with spycraft at all."

"Callie, do you recognize this?" I asked. Callie turned her attention away from Betsy, Teresa, and Julia, and stepped over to Laura's desk.

"Uhh, that looks a lot like the bag I got for Cindy." Callie said.

"Did she tell you why she asked for it?" I asked.

"She said Wanda was having issues at the gym with male staff harassing female customers, so they wanted a hidden camera they could sit at different places that would look innocuous. And in a gym, this would do the trick."

"That's true." Laura said. "But that gym has cameras all over the place. Cameras that work, and work well."

"True," I said, "but not in the locker rooms, changing rooms, bathrooms and the like. This could be carried in there. Callie, when did Cindy ask you to get this for her?"

"Gosh, months ago." Callie said. "Right around the time Tanya and Jack got married?"

I nodded, then said: "Okay, I hate to do this, but I need to get your statement, Callie, which will be an affidavit. It does mean you'll be snitching on Cindy, and as her spouse you have the right to refuse to do that."

Laura said "Before you make a statement, let's talk about it." Callie nodded her agreement with Laura on that.

"Okay, ladies," I said to Julia and Teresa as Betsy reached out for me again and I took her in my arms. "Why don't you two take this back to my vehicle under two-man control, and I'll say goodbye to Betsy."

"Sure." said Julia. "Nice to see you again, ladies. Bye, Betsy."

"Bye bye." Betsy said, waving as my Officers left with the sheathed bag.

Once they were outside, Teresa saw Julia's look. "You see it too, don't you?"

"Yes ma'am." Julia said. "Betsy could almost be Carole's twin."

"Say no more about it. Ever." Teresa said.

"Yes ma'am." said Julia, realizing that Teresa had just confirmed her observations and the obvious deduction...

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

Back at Headquarters, I dismissed Julia to MCD. "You're with me, Teresa." I said. "We're going to interview Cindy, and you need to record it on your Police iPhone."

"Wilco, sir." said Teresa, taking out her Police iPhone.

As we came into the anteroom and I stepped towards Cindy's office, her assistant Lauren Wilcox said "Sir, she's in a meeting."

"I'll join it then." I said. "This is important." I grabbed the door handle to open it, and it didn't budge.

The door was locked.

"I'm sorry, sir." Lauren said. "Let me buzz her."

"No, don't." I said, then turned to Teresa and said: "Well, Commander Croyle, she has locked us out. How dare she?"

"Gonna pry it open with your crowbar?" Teresa asked hopefully, a little too hopefully.

"Nahh, I got a better idea." I said, taking out my keys from my pocket. The Master Key unlocked the door. It is good to be the Police Commander.

Opening the door, I saw that Cindy and Captain Damien Thompson were talking. "Whaa?!' Cindy gasped.

"Sorry to interrupt." I said as Teresa closed the door behind us. "But this is big."

"If you'll excuse me, ma'am." said Cpt. Thompson.

"Hold on one second." Cindy said. "Don, we're discussing the aftermath of that dirty hit piece by that fat boy Pat Stelling this morning. Damien?"

"Sir, ma'am," said Captain Thompson to me and Tanya, "we're ignoring Press calls. But we're getting calls from people that are demanding to know if they're being investigated by the Police because they're customers of Town Fitness Centers. We've also been served ten 'cease and desist' orders by attorneys of ten of those clients."

"Are they Court-ordered 'cease and desist' orders?" I asked.

"No sir, they're just the lawyers's standard legal form."

"Okay." I said. "Teresa, when we're done here, I want you to get the names of those clients that called to complain or had their lawyers contact us. We'll start with the 'cease and desist'ers, to redirect their suppositions about attempting to order the Town & County Police to not do our jobs. Have Officers go and bring those people in, and we will vigorously interrogate them."

Me: "The Officers should tell them that they can contact their lawyers when they get to the Station, and if the lawyers are there, give them a ride with their clients... that's billable hours for the lawyers, by the way. If anyone resists coming, the Officers should place them under arrest, bring them in, run them through full booking for resisting arrest and obstructing a Police investigation, and we'll start digging really, really deep."

"Yes sir." Teresa said with alacrity.

"Captain Thompson, will you excuse us, and go start compiling that list of names for Commander Croyle?" I said. Thompson looked at Cindy, who just nodded. He got up and exited the office.

"Squeaking wheels get the grease?" Cindy said.

"They definitely go to the top of my list of potential subjects." I said. "And to that point, this is going to be a formal interview." As Teresa recorded the event, I read Cindy her considerable American legal rights from the card. "Do you want a Union rep?" I asked.

"I reserve the right to one." said Cindy, "but go ahead."

I put the evidence bag on her desk, then took out the gym bag. "Does this bag look familiar to you?"

Cindy replied "Uh, it looks like the gym bag I got from Callie and gave to Wanda."

"Are you aware of the true nature of this bag?" I asked.

"It has a camera in one of the buttons." Cindy said. "And a recording device inside, unless you took that out."

"We did." I said. "Why did you ask Callie to get this bag for you?"

"Wanda asked me if I could get some kind of bag with a camera in it." Cindy said. "She said she was getting reports of males harassing females in the co-ed area, and she wanted to put a mobile hidden camera in different places to see who might be doing the harassment."

"Were there any formal complaints about sexual harassment?" I asked.

"Not that I can recall." Cindy said. "And Wanda said she was just suspicious of it. So I asked Callie if she could get something from the CIA, and Callie did."

"And when was that?" I asked.

"Last Spring." Cindy said. "It was... right around the time of Tanya's wedding."

I nodded, then asked: "You gave it to Wanda?" Cindy nodded. "Did you ever see her carrying it or placing it around the gym anywhere?" I queried.

"Uhhh, no." Cindy said. "But I'm not at the gym all day every day, especially during the morning and afternoons. So she could've used it and I wouldn't have seen it."

"Okay. Thank you." I said. "Don't mention any of this to Wanda nor Ariel."

"No worries!" Cindy said with alacrity, causing me to peer at her.

"Turn that off." I told Teresa. The Iron Wolf stopped recording. I said to Cindy "Off the record. What's going on?"

Cindy leaned back in her chair and sighed, then said "This morning, after that KXTC hatchet job, Ariel and I had what 'Calvin & Hobbes' would call a 'philosophical discussion' (air quotes). Ariel was screaming that I should've fought the subpoena, and not given you the data, and I told her that we would've lost and it would've looked worse for us. I also made a point to Ariel that I made you get a subpoena only because she demanded it, which made her even more bitter."

Cindy: "I need to apologize to you, Don. You were right: KXTC unloaded on me, on the gym, as hard and as dishonestly as they could. I should have just given you that data without you having to get a subpoena... and I did give Teddy Parker all the daily log data he asked for without consulting Ariel nor Wanda about it." I nodded.

Cindy: "But the damage is done. About an hour ago I found out that fully 50% of our customers have canceled their memberships, in writing as required. We've had threats to sue us if the Police harass us, which my attorney is pushing back hard on. And now, even though you're right to do it, it's going to get around that those who pushed back are just getting more Police attention. I won't be surprised if this wipes out the gym. And I pretty much destroyed my Police career by taking their side vis-a-vis the subpoena... and stopping Julia and Joan from doing their jobs."

"I'm sorry about your gym." I said. "I'm sorrier that Carl was murdered, and that's what I'll be concentrating on while you get ready for the Town Assembly that wants to defund the Police.. Teresa, we need to bring in Ariel and Wanda------"

"The wake is from five to eight p.m." Cindy said. "Can it wait until after that?"

I paused, then said "All right. But I need you to make sure they cooperate and come in."

We left Cindy's office. As Teresa sent the video to the evidence servers, she said "This is really hurting her. She's trying not to show it, but her whole world is coming apart, and she can't do anything about it."

Then she hit me with the bomb as she said: "I've been there. I can relate. My father abandoned me when my sister died; her friends have betrayed her as the Media destroyed her business."

We went into my office. The Iron Wolf said "You want to bring Ariel and Wanda in tonight? It can't wait until tomorrow morning?"

"I'm afraid not." I replied. "We've already wasted a lot of time, and the trail will get cold if we wait too much longer."

"Sounds like you have an idea of who did it." Teresa said.

"No." I said. "But it's like a car's headlights at night... I can't see the whole road, but I'm seeing the next one hundred feet. And that's all I need, one hundred feet at a time, until the whole road is traveled..."

Part 13 - The Wake and The Awakening

6:00pm, Wednesday, September 30th. Laura was wearing a black dress, stockings and pumps, and I was wearing my dark gray suit with a black tie as we got into the line at the Frank Freeman Funeral Home. With us was Carole Troy, wearing a 'nice' black blouse and black pants. She had insisted on coming, though she did not give an explanation of why she wanted to. Laura had wanted to make her stay at home, but I allowed it... I wanted to understand why Carole wanted to attend.

We were right behind Mrs. Myrtle L. James and just in front of Edward and Stephanie Steele. A moment later we got up to Wanda, who was being attended by Ariel. Laura hugged both women warmly, then introduced Carole.

"I'm very sorry your hus-band died." Carole said politely.

"Ah, that's very sweet of you, Carole." Wanda said as she knelt down and gave Carole a hug. Ariel also gave Carole a hug. Wanda hugged me, though it felt a bit perfunctory. Ariel shook my hand with a bare minimum of politeness.

I picked Carole up so she could sign the book, and she signed 'Carole D Troy'. Laura had signed for me and herself, writing 'Commander and Mrs. Donald Troy'. Old School, that was. Learned manners and formality from 'the Old Mother', she had.

I was holding Carole as we moved to the open casket. Mrs. Myrtle L. James saw that, and asked "Commander, are you sure this is something your daughter should see?"

Carole herself replied, whispering to the old lady: "It's okay, Mrs. James. I've seen bodies before." Mrs. James looked at me in surprise, and I just shrugged. Carole looked upon the mortal remains of Carl Ryder with curious interest, observing many things, then we moved along.

I put Carole down; she was getting wayyyy too big to carry, and my back let me know it. Laura had Carole go with her to introduce her to some of the ladies. I saw Cindy to one side, acting as 'hostess'. She gave me a hug when I came up.

"It got worse." Cindy whispered to me. "That fat stool pigeon Pat Stelling showed up and was just hanging out in front of the gym entrance. He accosted anyone who walked in or out, asking how they felt being investigated by the Police just for being members of the gym."

Cindy: "The receptionist called the Police... 9-1-1, not me... and Hicks and Johnson showed up and told Stellum to leave. Stellum said he had the First Amendment right to be there and interview people, and Hicks told Stellum that if he didn't leave, he and his cameraman would be arrested and their camera impounded. Stellum left... but only after two more Patrols came up and it was six-to-two odds."

I said "That's curious. Do you know Stellum? Have you had a beef with him in the past?"

"No." said Cindy. "I have no idea why he's being such an ass. Tanya suggested that he's new at KXTC, so maybe he's trying to impress Bettina by badgering me."

"Could well be." I said. "Okay, then. My seven-year-old child insisted on coming with us, but darned if I know why." We looked over to see Carole observing everyone and everything that was going on, especially Wanda and Ariel as they greeted people. Carole then realized that Cindy and I were watching her, so she just walked right over to us.

"Hi Aunt Cindy." Carole said. "I'm sorry your friend's husband died."

"That's sweet of you, Carole." Cindy said, kneeling down and hugging Carole warmly. "So why did you want to come here tonight?"

"I'm watching how people act when Daddy's around." Carole said.

"Anyone acting strangely?" Cindy asked.

"Ariel's mad at Daddy." Carole said. "But Wanda acted really strange. She's scared of Daddy, for some reason."

I didn't reply. I was in a 'reverie'. When I came out of it, I saw that I was being closely observed by the future Second Iron Crowbar...

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

8:15pm. Laura had gone home. Carole had insisted on staying with me, which more than irritated her mother.

"Something's going on." I told Laura. "Cindy and I can sense that Carole has some kind of purpose. I'll keep her with me."

"But... you're not going home right away." Laura said. "Are you going to take Carole to the Police Station?" I just nodded. Laura gave up, and told Carole to mind her manners and not cause Daddy any trouble. Carole promised to be on her best behavior.

The line of guests ended, and everyone had left. Cindy went up to Ariel and Wanda, who were about to leave.

"Guys," Cindy said, "you both need to go straight to the Police Station. Don wants to talk to you, and he's not taking 'no' for an answer. So don't give him any trouble, okay?"

"Can't this wait?" Wanda said.

"No." I said as I came up to them, with Hicks and Laurer in uniform right behind me. "It can't wait. There's a killer out there, and your own lives are in danger. These Officers will drive you to Headquarters."

"Are we under arrest?" Ariel snarled, her eyes flashing fire. I could see she was about to start trouble. And the Green Crowbar saw it, too.

"Ariel, please!" Cindy said angrily. "Just go with them!" Ariel engaged her in a 'blink' contest for a moment, then Ariel did the right thing and conceded.

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

At Headquarters, I was surprised to see Carole take her Badge on its necklace out of her pocket and put it around her neck. "I thought I might need this." she said.