The Ensigns of Detection Ch. 05

The chronological order of my stories is now listed in WifeWatchman's biography.

Feedback and constructive criticism is very much appreciated, and I encourage feedback for ideas.

This story contains graphic scenes, language and actions that might be extremely offensive to some people. These scenes, words and actions are used only for the literary purposes of this story. The author does not condone murder, racial language, violence, rape or violence against women, and any depictions of any of these in this story should not be construed as acceptance of the above.

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Part 19 - Party Favors

"Whoa..." said Cindy as she sat on the sofa after dinner. Everyone else at the dinner was sitting around, chatting about things. It was still Tuesday evening, November 24th.

"You okay?" Teresa asked.

"Yeah... yeah." Cindy said. "I just... I just felt this... very powerful vibe..."

"What's it about?" asked Teresa.

"It's like... I felt Don's presence at the party he was going to tonight... and it was like a 'Eureka!' moment he was having..." said Cindy.

"Want to call him?" Teresa asked.

"No, I didn't get the sense he was in trouble," Cindy said, "like that night of the fire at the Cabin. I'll ask him about it at work tomorrow..."

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

My mind was reeling, and I struggled to regain control as we moved along the reception line. As Laura and I were greeted by the Wellmans, Sally Wellman was very flirtatious with me, and I had to make an effort to return it. Dr. Wellman greeted Laura as a close friend, and he had long since given up the 'I am the great University president and you are not' attitude with me, and was friendly enough. Of course I knew Edward R. Steele as the Town & County Councilman that he was. He introduced me to his wife, whose eyes lit up at the mention of my name. And she had very perceptive eyes, I could tell.

"So you are the young man who saved my daughter." Professor Stephanie Steele said to me as we shook hands. "I am ever so grateful to you."

"I'm glad I was able to be of service." I said.

"I would like to talk with you after we finish greeting the guests." she said. I agreed.

There were a number of people greeting Laura, nearly all of them fellow members of Academia. This was one of those receptions where there were very few people for me to talk with, so I played the role of the husband of the loveliest woman in the room. After a few moments, my mother and Chief Moynahan came up.

"Well, son," said my mother, "I thought you would notice that Mrs. Steele is not Selena's birth mother, but I did not expect to see the intensity of your reaction."

"Really, Mom?" I asked, shocked. "You haven't realized what that fully means?" My mother began thinking about it, and of course it only took a moment for her to realize the truth.

"Ahhhh," she said, "I see what you mean, son. The reason the Black Widow targeted Selena. But... I'm not seeing the entire picture. You must know something that I don't."

"We'll have to compare notes later on." I said. "Although I'm sure Elsie Gringer will get you up to speed once you're on the right path to begin with..." Elsie Gringer was the Town Gossip, and her social column in the newspaper, and of course online in these modern times, was required and essential reading for anyone wanting to keep up with the social scene. I might add that she was an essential source, and sometimes go-between, with her niece, the KXTC reporter Bettina Wurtzburg.

"Ahhhhh... yes." said my mother, beginning to see the light. "By the way, did you see who Elsie's date tonight is?"

I looked around the room, finally spotting Elsie as she went up to an older man. The shock of white hair was unmistakeable, and I would indeed be dull not to recognize my uncle, Dr. P. Harvey Eckhart, founder and great leader of 'The Vision' self-help seminar empire.

"You can go greet him, son." said my mother, with some degree of asperity. "I'll introduce your new boss to the right people."

I asked Laura to come with me, and we went over to Dr. Eckhart and Elsie Gringer. We exchanged greetings, and Dr. Eckhart's greeting for me was very warm, as if I were family... oh, wait...

Laura and Elsie began chatting, both realizing that Dr. Eckhart and I wanted to talk alone. As we stepped aside for privacy, the founder and great leader of 'The Vision self-help empire said "Ah, it's good to see you, young Donald. I'm glad to see you've been keeping well."

"And you, Uncle Harvey." I said. "What brings you to an event like this?"

"Ah, I've made a few small endowments to the University," said Eckhart, "and so Dr. Wellman was kind enough to invite me, though I don't know if he appreciated where my money went."

"And you want me to ask where that money went, so I'm asking." I said, drawing a laugh from him.

"Yes, my young nephew, you are most perceptive." said Eckhart. "One of my gifts was to your wife's Psychology School, in her name. You are indeed a fortunate man to have such a wife."

"I could not agree more." I said.

"The other endowments went to the Sir Isaac Newton Chair of Advanced Mathematics, and therefore to the father of your excellent officer Milton." Eckhart said. "And lastly, an endowment to the Physics and Philosophy Schools jointly, to endow scholarships for any student who will major in those disciplines together."

"Ah, the John Galt Scholarship for Physics and Philosophy." I said, smiling.

"Not much gets by you, my young friend." said Eckhart. "But let me ask you this, young Donald: when I arrived, I felt an incredibly strong mental vibration, and I realized it was coming from you. I am curious to what caused that mental energy from you."

"Must've been your arrival, Doctor." I said jokingly. "Seriously, I didn't realize I'd done that. But I realized that I am about to solve an important aspect... of an old case."

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

"Ladies and gentlemen," said Dr. Wellman to his assembled audience, "I appreciate all of you coming tonight. Let us have an early toast to the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, and keep in our thoughts all of the things we are thankful for. For myself, I am thankful to all of you who have chosen to teach our young minds at this University, and to those of you whose generosity have made this University and its wonderful facilities possible for the teaching of those young minds. Therefore... to Thanksgiving!" We all toasted and drank of the excellent champagne.

"Before I present our guest of honor tonight, I'd like to introduce to you our new Town & County Police Chief, Sean Moynahan." announced Dr. Wellman. He had Chief Moynahan step forward. The applause was polite at best; most here in Academia were not fans nor friends of the Police.

"And we are here," said Dr. Wellman, "to welcome home our Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Dr. Stephanie Steele. Stephanie, please come up." Dr. Steele came up, escorted by her husband.

"We have a special announcement tonight." said Dr. Wellman. "Her husband and I are seeking ways to keep her here at home, and so I am pleased to announce that the Wargrave Trust has endowed the Copernicus Chair of Physics and Astronomy with a large special grant. Tonight, I'm announcing that the Copernicus Chair, and the full Professorship that goes with it, is awarded to Dr. Stephanie Steele!"

There was loud applause for that, though I realized there was a tinge of hypocrisy and jealousy from many of the professors here, who would kill for such an endowment. I was glad my wife had no need to feel such jealousy.

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

Later, just before we were getting ready to make our goodbyes and leave, Edward and Stephanie Steele came up to Laura and myself.

"We did not get much of an opportunity to talk with you," said Stephanie, "especially about all you did for Selena."

"Well, you've had a busy evening." I said. "And congratulations on the Copernicus Chair. That's a great honor."

"Ah, you're very kind." Stephanie said. "I heard that you were already aware of it, even though it was a total surprise to nearly everyone here."

"Not much gets by my husband." Laura said. Edward Steele chuckled.

"Actually my mother is the knowledgeable one in this case." I said. "But I do try to keep abreast of the tactical situation at all times."

"Yes," said Stephanie, who turned her light brown eyes fully upon me, 'which is why Edward and I would like to invite the two of you to a dinner party, maybe next week after all the Thanksgiving celebrations are out of the way? Perhaps next Tuesday night? I'm sure the Commander has made... observations, tonight, and we would like to explain them."

"That would be very good." I said, realizing that this perceptive woman would know that I'd observed that she was extremely likely not Selena's birth mother. "Next Tuesday would be very good, as I'll be busy with Police Department matters going into the next weekend's Policeman's Ball. You'll both be invited to that, of course."

"Oh, I look forward to it." said Stephanie.

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

"If I didn't know better," Laura said as we arrived home, "I'd think you set up that Copernicus Chair for Dr. Steele yourself."

"And what makes you know better?" I said with a grin. Laura whirled to face me.

"You did set it up!" she said. "But how?"

"Oh, that was easy." I said. "My uncle Harvey, who gave a little bit of money to your Chair, I might add, gave a bit to the Wargrave Trust, with the 'suggestion' they endow the Copernicus Chair for Dr. Steele. And dominoes fell from there."

"So, why?" asked Laura.

I smiled again, this time more cryptically. "Because I need all the friends I can get, in as many places as I can get, for when the time an insidiously Evil presence makes his final, desperate move against me."

"Well, enough of that." said Laura, coming up to me and wrapping her arms around me. "A desperate woman is about to make her move to get you into bed, for an insidiously delicious night of sexual pleasure."

She kissed my mouth, hard. Unable to resist, I let her have her way with me...

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

You would not believe the pillow talk that occurs in the Troy bedroom. As Laura and I cuddled in post-coital bliss, I said "Honey, there's something I need to let you know about... involving your profession. Are you aware of what's going on between BigPharmaCorp and the CIA's Directorate of Science and Technology?"

"Of course." Laura said. "And yes, I'm aware that your investigation has been touching upon it. We've taken the necessary precautions, and are prepared to throw your suspects under the bus, if need be."

"Good." I said. "Because 'under the bus' is exactly where this son of a bitch belongs..."

Part 20 - Through The Finish Line

Wednesday, November 25th. Do I even need to say who we started our day with on TV? Why, the lovely Bettina, of course!

"This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Channel Two News! The Town & County Police are working hard to wrap up their investigations of two recent deaths in the County before the Thanksgiving holiday. A Coroner's Inquest pertaining to the death of Dr. Laramie Wilkins will take place today, and the Police expect new developments to occur in the murder of Michael Campbell Fulton, whose body was found near the railroad tracks on the other side of the River."

Bettina continued: "This weekend also marks the big rivalry game between the University Bulldogs and their arch-rival State Tech Engineers. The game will be played at State Tech, which is located south of the City and north of Eastphalia. However, this game is secondary in national importance to the big game of the Wildcats playing their arch-rival State U. Purple Hawks. The Wildcats are ranked Number 1 in the Nation, and two wins are all they need to put them in the National Championship game in January!"

"So, Commander," said Martin Nash, needling me in his 'understated' way, "who are you rooting for?"

"The Wildcats, of course." I said.

"What about between the Bulldogs and Engineers?" Nash persisted.

"Bulldogs." I said. "I remember what happened to Nick Eastwood last year."

Teddy Parker said "Commander, do you think they're going to remember that on the field, and make it ugly?" For some reason, everyone was looking at me with abnormal intensity.

"I don't know." I said. "If the Bulldogs are real men and not a bunch of wimps, they'll make sure the deliberate hit on Eastwood is... properly addressed."

"You don't believe in forgiveness, do you Commander?" asked Joanne Cummings. She got some looks, as I was a superior officer to her, but I let that go.

"There's forgiveness, Joanne," I said, "and then there's letting someone walk all over you. But to answer your question directly: No. I do not forgive, and I do not forget. For the most part, I'm paid to have that attitude. But beyond that... when someone sets fire to my home with my baby children inside, and when one of my police officers is murdered... no, there is never forgiveness of that, and it is never forgotten in my mind."

Nothing more was said.

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

At 9:00am, the Federal Marshals delivered Lou Stevens to the custody of the Town & County Police Department. He was processed through booking, and a DNA cheek swab taken per a warrant secured the night before. He was placed in Interrogation-1, where his Chase, Lynch & Berry lawyer joined him.

I gave the Duty Desk at Headquarters and the Desks of all the Precincts some instructions of an urgent nature, then went to watch as Nash and Parker went in to interrogate the suspect. It did not start off very well.

"First, per the ruling of the Ninth Circuit Court," said the lawyer, "my client is required to make this statement openly. Go ahead, Mr. Stevens."

"On the advice of my counsel, I invoke my Constitutional Fifth Amendment rights and refuse to answer any of your questions." said Stevens with alacrity.

Wow, I thought to myself, he did not even wait to hear what was going on, nor have his rights read to him. That's interesting, I thought as Martin Nash read Stevens his rights from the card, then asked if Stevens understood. Stevens stared back in silence.

"My client has invoked already." said the legal beagle. "Now we demand he be released immediately, or arrested and charged with a crime."

"Good enough." said Nash. "Mr. Lou Stevens, you are under arrest for suspicion of the murder of Michael Campbell Fulton, a human being. We believe you murdered Fulton in retaliation for him raping your wife eight years ago. We'll be presenting our evidence to the Court at the proper time. My first question is: where were you on the evening of Saturday, November 21st?"

"My client has invoked." said the lawyer. "He is not answering any of your questions."

"You can speak for him, Counselor." said Nash. "Do you want a few minutes to confer with him, get the story straight?" The lawyer stared at Nash for a moment, seeing that Nash was serious.

"Yeah, I need to talk to him." the lawyer said. The room emptied, except for the legal beagle and his client.

In the anteroom, Martin Nash said to Paulina Patterson, who'd joined us, "What do we do now?"

"You're doing great, Martin." Paulina said. "What you're going to do now is basically go in and start accusing Stevens of being in certain places, doing certain things, like we talked about before. Either the lawyer will do his job and answer, or he'll try to shut the whole thing down. If he does that, I'll come in and work him over, then we'll start prepping our case for the Grand Jury."

"Can you read lips, Commander?" asked Parker, seeing me stare inside the window.

"Not very well." I said. "And it's something I have tried to learn. But we can't lip-read any more than we can listen in on a privileged conversation like this, so that's not what I'm doing in the first place. I'm actually thinking about the other case, the Laramie Wilkins murder. Detective Nash is going to nail this bastard to the wall; it's Dr. Wilkins's murderer that I am going to nail to the wall..."

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

While waiting for the lawyer and Stevens to finish their conference, Chad Stevens was brought in, put through booking, and put in Interrogation-2. He'd refused a DNA cheek swab, and as we had been denied a warrant for it (insufficient probable cause), we had to do without on that.

"Martin," I said to Nash, "just one piece of advice: don't mention where the body was found, nor that it was moved out of the apartment."

"Okay, but why not?" Martin asked.

"It'll give the lawyer loopholes." I said. "It's possible that the Stevenses did not move the body from the apartment. We'll burn that bridge later on."

"Yes sir." said Nash. He then went into I-2, with Parker, as Cindy, Paulina and I watched through the looking-glass.

"Hi Chad," said Nash, introducing himself and Parker. "I'd like to ask you some questions about this past weekend." I looked at Chad. He was grown up now, fairly tall... and still a slender runt, maybe 160 pounds at best.

"Where's my lawyer?" asked Chad. "I don't want to answer any questions without a lawyer present."

"You're not a suspect." said Nash. "We're asking you to help us out on something--"


"Am I under arrest?" said Chad, raising his voice.

"No, you're not." said Nash.

"Then I'm free to go?"

"We'd like you to help us first, and answer some questions." said Nash.

"I want an attorney." demanded Chad. "As I've already said, I want an attorney before I answer any questions. Am I under arrest, or am I free to go?"

Nash's even temperament was being tested, and I saw his neck flush red. "So you won't help us?"

"Am I free to go?" replied Chad, becoming an automaton. "Or am I being held against my will?" He looked up, found the video camera, and looked into it and said loudly "I want to leave! Am I free to go?"

"No, you're not free to go." Nash said. "You are now under arrest as a person of interest in the murder of Michael Campbell Fulton." Nash read Chad his rights, then said "There's a phone on the wall where you can call your attorney. Patrolman Hicks, help the suspect with the phone if he needs it." With that, Nash came out of I-2 and into the anteroom.

"Wow, he's really hostile." said Nash. "Didn't even ask what it was about, and became non-cooperative."

"Don't hold that against him." I said firmly. "He only insisted upon his Constitutional rights, which none of us should ever have a problem with."

"I wonder if he used last night to bone up on his Constitutional rights." said Cindy, standing up to me. "I agree with Martin, his actions are not consistent with an innocent man, his Constitutional rights notwithstanding."

"What was he told last night?" I asked.

"That he was being detained on a warrant as a material witness." Paulina said. "Nance wasn't even going to require he be held and was going to revoke the warrant, but I pushed hard that he was a flight risk and that his father was also being detained. Upon hearing that, he told the judge he would stay in the County at the University Hotel and report here in the morning."

"All right," I said, moving back down to Interrogation-1 and looking in the window, where Stevens and his lawyer were still conferring. "Nash, this one is all yours. I'm not even going to watch. I might talk to Chad if he does or says something... unexpected. But otherwise, landing this fish is on you."

"I've got it, sir." Nash said. I smiled at his confidence, despite seeing Paulina and Cindy both exhibit looks of concern. No faith in my Ensigns, I thought sadly. And if the learner didn't learn... the teacher didn't teach.

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

"What?!" said the lawyer into his phone. He hung up, then said to Stevens "Don't say a word. If they try to question you, keep stone-silent and let me know what they did." With that, he got up and bolted out of the room through the 'perp side' door. Patrolman Morton came in and stayed with Stevens, per requirements.