The Four Boxes of Liberty Ch. 06

"How early are you talking?" asked Cindy.

"What do you think is best?" Miriam replied.

"They can come as early as you want." I said. "I can have my Captain of Detectives or myself call them straight to the crime scene as we begin our investigation."

"That would be very good, at least for complex or high-visibility cases." Miriam said. "If it merits your interests, Commander Troy, then bring my guys in?"

Cindy smiled. "Except that every case interests Commander Troy, even petty thefts and shoplifting cases." she said. I nodded vigorously in agreement. Then Cindy said "My answer would be that Captain Perlman and Commander Troy have good instincts, and would know when to call and on which cases." I again nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Do you have any questions of me?" asked Walters.

"I'm curious who you're going to keep and who you're going to hire as ADAs." said Cindy.

The D.A.-elect nodded, then said "I know that Paulina and Franklin are staying on in their respective positions of working with MCD and Vice, as they have for some time. I do want them to cross-train some, but Franklin is too good with drug cases to let him get away from that."

Miriam continued: "I'd wanted to hire Jenna Stiles, but my biggest problem is that Savannah Fineman lost the Solicitor's race to Ted Mason. Mason is a jerk like Krasney; he's going to be a disaster. But Savannah's a great lawyer, and she's been my right-and woman for some time now. So I'm bringing her in as a ADA."

"You could get rid of Dwayne Gregory, and bring Stiles in." suggested Cindy.

"Gregory has his uses." said Walters. "But to your point, if I can convince Mason to take him, that would open up a place for Stiles."

Cindy nodded, then looked hard over at me. Maybe she had the vibe of what I was thinking: that Miriam Walters was not going to be hiring Jenna Stiles as a Town & County Assistant District Attorney.

"Before I go," said Miriam, "can I speak to Commander Troy for a moment?"

"Come to my office." I said. We went to my office, where I had Miriam sit down in a hot chair. She politely refused offers of coffee or water, and I sat down behind my desk.

"I just wanted to thank you, Don." Miriam said. "You encouraged me to run for D.A., and supported me after Paulina left the race. It worked out well, at least for me."

"I'm glad you're keeping Paulina on." I said. "She's the best ADA you'll ever have. Of course I might be biased in that opinion..." Miriam barely cracked a smile at my joke; she was even more humorless than Teresa Croyle.

"Yes, she is excellent------"

The door burst open without anyone knocking. Cindy Ross practically stumbled into the office. "Don! There's an accident outside! Police car involved!"

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

The fire was visible from the gated parking lot, and from the window of my office. It was on Riverside Drive, south of Police Headquarters and the turnoff to the Fairgrounds.

Miriam Walters had come with me in my Police SUV. I was wearing my kevlar-lined trenchcoat and carry my red crowbar. As I came up and got out of the vehicle, the blue lightbar blazing along with the other Police cruisers at the scene, I observed the scene.

Patrolman Johnson was lying on the sidewalk, being tended to by other Officers. His Patrol cruiser had hit a car head-on, and now both cars were engulfed in flames further down the road. Both occupants of the other car were roasting in Hell as well as on Riverside Drive right now, i.e. they were dead.

Officers had the road blocked to the south and to the north, directing cars to turn at the nearest intersections. I made a mental note to commend Captain Croyle and the Uniformed Officers leadership for the excellent training that made the Officers's actions look routine.

"Johnson, you okay?" I asked as I knelt down next to him and Corporal Hicks, who was tending him.

"Yes sir." said Johnson.

"What happened?"

"Up at City Hall," said Johnson, "someone was pulling out of the parking garage and turning right (north) onto Riverside... some car coming south swerved over the line and tried to hit him. He swerved onto the sidewalk and this car clipped him on the back fender. They were about to get out of the car when I drove up from the north side. They got back in their car and took off, going south."

"I was pursuing and calling it in," said Johnson, when another Patrol car came north to block them off. The guy did a one-eighty and I hit the brakes to stop right in front of him. We hit, but not hard at all. Next thing I know, there was an explosion, and fire all over the place. I was getting out of my seatbelt and opening the door when someone yanked it open and grabbed me and dragged me up here."

"That was Rudistan, sir." said Hicks. "After Johnson told him about the car at City Hall, he went there to check that out while I checked Johnson out for injuries. The only thing that seems hurt is his pride... and his wallet after seeing what his car looks like now." Hicks was grinning at that, as it was extremely likely that the car damage would be indemnified.

"We'll melt it on down and make a crowbar for you, Johnson." I said. "Hicks, get Johnson's full statement on video, then get him to the Hospital... not necessarily in that order. I'm going to City Hall."

Miriam came with me and we drove along the closed street. At the back garage entrance to City Hall, there were several Police cruisers and an expensive gray vehicle that had slammed into the curb of the driveway leading to Riverside Drive; the car's front tires were flat and the back fender was torn off the left side and hanging, and the left rear panel was dented in where the other car had hit it.

"Oh my goodness." I said to Miriam as we stopped. "Look who it is... D.A. Krasney."

Krasney was leaning against a Patrol cruiser when we came up. "What happened, Rudistan?" I asked.

"Hello, Commander!" said Rudistan jovially. "Hello, Ms. Walters. Seems Mr. Krasney here narrowly avoided being the brisket that other car is, right now."

"What happened, Mr. Krasney?" I asked.

"I was just turning right onto the street here, when that car came flying up and swerved over to hit me." said Krasney, still seemingly shocked. "I turned the wheel hard over and hit the gas, and almost made it out of his way. Then he tore down the street with a Police car in pursuit. I was still trying to get my breath back when I heard an explosion. I looked down the street and saw the big smoke ball rising, and a minute later Lt. Rudistan drove up, and then these other Police cars."

"After the near-miss," I said, "did they stop and get out of the car?"

"Uhh, yeah, they may have." said Krasney. "I was still getting my face out of my air bag that deployed, so when I looked up, they were already going down the street with the Police car pursuing."

"You, Mr. Krasney," I said, "are an extremely lucky man. If I don't miss my guess, they were getting out of their car to shoot you dead, but Patrolman Johnson happened to be right on the scene."

"You mean?..." gasped Krasney.

"Yes." I said. "This was attempted murder... the same way two bastards tried to kill Holloway and Parker...

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

11:00am, Friday, November 9th. We were assembled in Classroom 'E'.

"First, the most important thing." I said. "Johnson is fine. Hair singed, but otherwise fine."

"That's good to hearrrr." said Chief Moynahan. "Sooooo, what does the Crime Lab have so farrrr?"

"Like the car in the Holloway-Parker shooting," Tanya Perlman said, "this car was rigged to explode when the front of the car contacted something. In this case, sideswiping Krasney's car didn't set it off, as that was a glancing blow from the corner of the car, but bumping Johnson's patrol car in the front grille, even lightly, set it off."

"Additionally," said Perlman, "both men had firearms, .357 magnum revolvers with .38 Special unjacketed semi-wadcutters cartridges. One of those firearms was dropped by the driver as he got back in his car to outrun Johnson; we've got prints and hope to get an I.D. The other guy... it'll have to be a DNA match; he's pretty much ashes now."

"What did Krasney have to say?" I asked Jerome Davis.

"Nothing, sir." said Davis. "He waved me off when I tried to talk to him at the scene."

"That will not do." I said. "Davis, take two Uniformed Officers and go to City Hall. Mr. Krasney will either cooperate, or he can be arrested as a material witness. Do it on my authority, we'll worry about the warrant when we need to." Davis got up and left.

"Did I just hear that correctly?" asked Miriam Walters.

"About the warrant?" said the Chief. "Yes you did. Get used to that, too. Hot pursuit, making sure that material witness stays alive, yadda yadda yadda. Meanwhile, Captain Perlman, you do need to start asking for that warrant."

"I've texted Paulina already." said Tanya. "If they bring him in, I'll 'trigger' her to go to the Judge."

"I'm sooooo glad Nance is suspended right now." I said. "Maybe he'll stay suspended. Our jobs will be a whole lot easier if he does."

"Why is that?" asked Walters. I explained to her how Judge Nance was a problem judge, and very politically motivated, as well.

"You're getting a baptism by fire, Ms. Walters." said Tanya with her grin and sparkling eyes.

"And I'm not even sworn in yet." said Miriam Walters. "So... Don, you said Krasney was being targeted for murder, and this was not the first time. You think the shot fired at his campaign office was an attempt to kill him?"

"Yes." I said.

"Any idea why someone wants to kill him?" asked Miriam. "Especially now that the Elections are over and he lost?"

"I think he knows something that someone wants to make sure he does not tell anyone else." I said. "As to what that is... well, he needs to come talk to us about it. And he's going to. Either to my Detective or to me, here at the Station."

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

"He wouldn't talk." said Davis in my office, thirty minutes later. "He demanded we get a warrant before forcing him to come to the Station, and I said he was coming anyway. We did have to put him in handcuffs and make him come in, but he didn't physically resist arrest."

"Darn." I said. "Where is he now?"

"In Interrogation Alpha." said Davis.

"Bring him to my office."

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

"I'm still D.A. for a month and a half." snarled Krasney as he was brought into my office. "And I will spend every minute of that time roasting you on a spit for this."

"Have a seat, Krasney." I said. "Detective Davis, Mr. Krasney will either sit down by himself, or you can 'help' him." Krasney saw that I meant it, and he sat down in a 'hot chair'.

"You can go." I said to Davis and the Uniformed Officers. They retreated, closing the door.

"And why shouldn't I just walk out of here now?" snarled Krasney.

"You can." I said. "But you might not live very long if you do. Look, Krasney, I'm not going to fuck around with you much longer. I just put a Purple Order around the neck of one of my Detectives for being wounded in the line of duty... right after you shut off the City Hall cameras. Now we see very similar methods being used to try to kill you... for the second time, I might add. One of my Officers narrowly escaped death by explosion and fire as he pursued the people trying to murder you, and I'm getting tired of Riverside Drive being polluted with burning car parts on account of you."

"Now I have given you every courtesy." I continued, leaning back in my comfortable Command Chair. "I even brought you into my office rather than do this in the Interrogation Room. So, you can start telling me what's going on, or you can... walk out of here. With no Police protection, and with people that want to murder you out there, just waiting for their next chance."

Krasney stared at me, and found that I could win the 'blink' contest, too, if need be. He finally said "Is this room bugged?"

"No." I said. "I ripped the wires out in this office and the Chief's office a long time ago. They don't need to be listening in on personnel decisions." I did not mention that the bug-killer was also on.

"You... you ripped out the wires?" gasped Krasney, stunned.

"I sure did." I said. "And Internal Affairs has most very wisely not said a thing about it. So, what's it going to be?"

"I need immunity. Full immunity." said Krasney. "And I can't give it to myself. Call Gregory."

"I'll call Paulina." I said. "She's much better looking than Gregory is..."

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

Fifteen minutes later, I was sitting with Paulina and Chief Moynahan in his office. I briefed them on everything I knew to this point, mostly for Paulina's benefit.

"My biggest issue," said Paulina, "is that if we give him immunity and his information doesn't lead to anything, what would we have? Him turning off the cameras by itself isn't even a crime."

"That's what he said." I said. "Though he and we all know that with the shooting taking place right at that time, he could easily be prosecuted and convicted for aiding and abetting attempted murder. I am personally pretty convinced that he had no idea that was about to happen, and I just want a name from him."

"That might not be enough to convict that person." said Paulina. "If he tells you that it was, say, Della Harlow, then how are you going to prove her guilt in Court to a Jury?"

"My point is to get the name of the person we need to be looking at." I said. "Then we begin investigating to find the evidence on that person, or make that person tell us who was behind them, and so on and so forth. And of course, in the interests of magnanimous fairness... it may not have been Harlow or Tunnin."

"Who, then?" asked a very surprised Chief Moynahan.

"Eldrick Weaver." I said. "He would've benefitted from Tunnin's accusation against Daniel Allgood. And from what I'm seeing of him before and after this Election, he's a much dirtier dealer than I originally thought he was. Another suspect, or group of them, is Jay Swenson and Ken Eidex of the CFPA. They might've been paid by someone to kill Holloway in a revenge move."

"Why would Krasney listen to them?" asked Paulina. "And act on their request or orders?"

"I dunno, I just mentioned them to round out the picture." I said. "Certainly Harlow is the prime suspect, but Weaver is truly a close second."

"All right." said Paulina. "I'll take it to Judge Watts, just to keep our ducks in a row. If he approves it, I'll give Krasney the immunity."

Part 31 - Revelations

Jack Muscone took Chief Griswold and me to lunch while Paulina was going to Judge Watts. You get one guess where we ate, and what Muscone ordered; if you did not say 'the Cop Bar' and 'double cheeseburgers', you have not been paying attention, so sorry.

As we sat in the 'new back room' after placing our orders, Jack said "Don, you know I'm your friend, but I just have to say this: what in the world were you thinking when you let Tanya stay there in Courthouse Square when those rioters were about to attack?"

"She drove up, of her own accord." I said. "I sure wasn't going to send her away in front of all those Police Officers, though."

"I've gotta agree with Crowbar, here, Jack." growled Griswold. "In one way, it was foolhardy. But in another, it was brave, and inspiring, what she did. And... she's a Police Officer."

"I know, I know." said Muscone. "But still... if it were your wife, Don, what would you have done?"

"Been there, done that. T-shirts stained in blood as a result." I said. "And it just goes with the territory that we're in love with brave women that sometimes choose the danger."

"Yes." said Jack. "Well, I'd be a single father of two girls if it wasn't for her. My daughters have become very fond of her, and Pete. And I've been crazy about her for a long time. I just... don't want to see her get hurt."

"I hear you." I said. "By the way, did you ask her why she did that?"

"Yes." said Jack. "And I understood her answer, even though I didn't much like it. So, Sheriff-elect Griswold, congratulations! Ready to be Sheriff?"

"You know," mused Griswold, "I am. When this young whippersnapper all but forced me into running, I wasn't sure. But now that it's happening, I think I'm glad to be out of retirement and making a difference again."

"What happens to you pension, now that you're Sheriff?" asked Muscone.

"Oh, it keeps right on going." said Griswold. "Since the Sheriff position is elected, I keep drawing the Police pension as well as the Sheriff's salary. That wouldn't be the case if I were a Deputy, though."

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

"Judge Watts gave the go-ahead." said Paulina when we got back to Headquarters. "He insisted there be a clause that if our follow-up finds out that Krasney has lied to us, then the immunity deal is revoked, and much crap follows."

"Good." I said. I followed her to the Main Conference Room, where Krasney was waiting with Detective Jerome Davis. I turned on the video recorder, and read Krasney his rights, just to cover the legal loopholes. Then I said "I know that you understand everything that is going on, here. Has Paulina explained the immunity agreement to you?"

"Yes." said Krasney. Paulina nodded (vigorously in agreement).

"Okay." I said. I named the time and date of the Holloway/Parker shooting. "You turned off the City Hall videocameras that covered Riverside Drive and the underground parking garage, is that correct?"

"Yes." said Krasney.

"Who asked you to do that?" I asked.

"Care to guess and tell me, before I tell you?" asked Krasney, trying to sound jovial.

"No." I said levelly. "That would be potential tainting of your testimony. So...who was it?"

"You'll be surprised." said Krasney. "It wasn't Tunnin or Harlow. It was a young girl. Her name is Chandra."

"Congressman Condor's intern?" I asked, trying to keep the incredulity out of my voice.

"Yes, that's the one." said Krasney. "She was with someone else when she came to my office. Young man named Clark."

"State Senator Woodburn's aide." I said.

"The same." said Krasney. "Chandra said that Condor and Woodburn wanted to sneak into City Hall for a secret meeting with someone. Didn't say who it was. I might add that this is not the first time that has happened, though it's the first time they asked me to be the one to kill the cameras."

"Speaking of that," I said, "have you ever cut off the videocameras before?"

"A couple of times, yes." said Krasney. "Once for Woodburn, and once for Thomas Cook."

"Did Chandra say who her boss and State Senator Woodburn were visiting, or why?" I asked.

"No, not to me." said Krasney.

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

After the Duty Desk Sergeant escorted Krasney back to the lobby so Krasney could leave, Paulina and I discussed what we'd just heard.

"It doesn't make a whole lot of sense." said Jerome. "Once Condor and Woodburn come into City Hall, people will see them there."

"My suspicion is that they never intended to come into City Hall." I said. "They might've been meeting someone in the garage. But we also know in this last instance that they never showed up at all."

"You think Krasney was telling the truth?" asked Paulina.

"I think so." I said. "It'll be very easy to check out, and Krasney knows we're going to check it out."

"Why would Condor want to have Holloway killed?" asked Paulina. "He's a Democrat, but he was well ahead of Vaughan all the way, especially after the Caucus voter fraud."

"Don't forget that Woodburn's aide also went to Krasney." I said. "She might be behind it... but the same question applies. She was going to win her race, and why would she take such an enormous risk to have Holloway killed?"

I looked over at Davis. "Jerome," I said, "what are your next action steps?"