The Hot Wife Photos Ch. 04

Opening the tablet, I went to the videos, which were not protected. As I played them, I could see that it was Emma and a man in her lavender-walled bedroom. The camera was obviously hidden. Another video would show from another camera, secreted in the A/C vent. And what they showed... was solid gold.

I've got you, I thought to myself. I've got you now.

I recognized the man, who I already knew was my arch-enemy, the Consultant of Crime. He and Emma were rutting hotly on the bed. There were also photos of him, naked on a bed in a hotel room.

I uploaded the contents of the tablet to an encrypted evidence server. The only people with access to it were myself, Cindy, and Tanya Perlman, and Chief Griswold knew the passwords if something happened to the three of us.

As I took the tablet to the Evidence Rooms downstairs and secreted it and the affidavit in a locked safe whose combination was known again only to me, Cindy, Tanya and Chief Griswold, I thought with some amusement... and a great deal of macho pride... that my cock and balls were bigger than his...

Part 18 - Epilogue

"I saw the whole frickin' thing!" Captain Cindy Ross gasped. "He had me get the Crime Lab to document the dust under the clock and the clean spot on the mantle! And yet it just went clean over my head! Zoommmm!" She made a motion over her head.

It was Wednesday, September 30th. Cindy was sitting in a chair in the Vice Room, wearing a standard-issue dark blue Police uniform, with pants and short sleeves as the warm temperatures had not yet given way to Autumn cooling, and Captain's bars on the shoulder epaulets.

Lt. Teresa Croyle was sitting in a nearby chair, wearing a light blue uniform shirt with dark blue pants, and dark blue soft shoulderboards denoting her Lieutenant rank. Sitting at her desk was Detective Julie Newton, in a civilian blouse and skirt, and black high heels. They were the only ones in the room at the moment.

"No shame in that." said Teresa. "No one else got it, either. And the logic held, giving him a different perspective on everything that happened afterwards, including Chris Washburn's innocence."

Julie Newton said "Captain, you saw everything. Lt. Perlman saw everything, and Theo and Joanne saw everything. Yet no one else came to those conclusions. Maybe the Commander didn't just observe and deduce it."

"Wha?" Teresa said with a scowl.

"What do you mean?" Cindy asked Julie.

"The Commander knew Sean friend's Ryan." Julie said. "Maybe he knew Sean already. Maybe the Commander knew something, learned something from his friends that we never knew."

"How do you know the Commander knows Ryan?" Teresa asked.

"It's common knowledge." said Cindy. "Ryan forged the Commander's red crowbars, both of them, at Town High School."

"Oh yeah." Teresa replied. "I'd forgotten about that. But so what?"

Julie said "I'm just wondering if the Commander knew something instead of just observing it. It's much easier if he already knows the solution before he even goes to investigate, like seeing the jigsaw puzzle picture before putting it together. It was just a thought I had. As you said, everyone else saw, but no one could've put those puzzle pieces together like that."

"I might agree with you," replied Cindy as she got up, "if I hadn't been watching him for what, three years now? solving cases with that kind of brilliance. Okay, I'm going to get back to work. Newton, let us know if and when you find more on a connection between 'T-Square' and Domingo Shipping."

"Yes ma'am." said Julie as she turned to her computer screen and keyboard. Cindy walked out, followed by Teresa.

"That was crazy talk." said Cindy as they walked down the hall.

"You know," Teresa said, "she has a point. Don is definitely good, but sometimes I wonder if he has knowledge of things that we don't."

"Naah." Cindy said, knowing that she herself knew more than most. "He's just that good. With him, I have seen enough to know that I have seen too much."

"He sees way too much." Teresa said. "He sees this Shadow Man in everything that happens. But... I cannot complain about the results.

"True enough." replied Cindy. "Oh, by the way... tomorrow is little Pete Feeley's birthday, and Tanya wants us to come to her place and have a party for him. Want to go shopping with me for a gift?"

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

Meanwhile...

I was in the Chief's office, having briefed him on the wrap-up of the Cassie Sanderson/Emma Washburn case, making sure to express my professional happiness with Detective Joanne Cummings's good work and progress as a Detective.

"There's one thing before you go, Don." said Chief Bennett. "The Study Group isn't going to move quickly, but you and I both know the politics of all this. They're not going to waste the time and money without taking some kind of action to justify themselves to the taxpayers."

"They can really justify themselves by solving the Fire Department and EMS issues." I replied.

"Don," said Bennett, "I know you and Commander Singer of the Fire Department are friends, and she was an EMT and takes up their cause, but allow me to give you some unsolicited but friendly advice: don't wade into the cesspool of pure shit that is the Fire Department/EMS situation. That is one thing that is not going to change in this County, no matter what. You could've run for Sheriff and won the job, and you still wouldn't be able to fix that."

"Hmmm, interesting." I said, more to myself than to the Chief.

"What's that?"

"Oh!... nothing." I said. "Just an idle thought. Is there anything else, Chief?"

"Yes." said the Chief. "What I was about to say about the Study Group: I don't know exactly what they will do, and you were probably right that ultimately nothing will substantially change. But you need to start thinking of how to best handle things when Detectives are assigned to Precincts. Your core in there might stay, but others from the Uniform ranks might be made Detectives and assigned to Precincts. Get ready for that."

We'll see about that! I thought to myself. I said out loud. "Okay, Chief. Anything else?"

"No, you can go." he said. I got up and headed to the door, but then turned back as if having been struck by a thought.

"Oh, by the way, Chief..." I said, "speaking of the Study Group: I think I need to clear up something with them, or perhaps you can do it for me: it's possible that someone thinks that if the Detectives are dispersed, then the Captain of Detectives will become redundant and obsolete. But it's the name that is the misnomer; the Captain of Detectives is actually in charge of the MCD and Vice Divisions, as well as the Data Group, not just the people. And no matter where the Detectives are, there will always be an MCD Division and a Vice Division to which they'll be assigned, and always under the Captain of Detectives."

"If you'll pass that message on, Chief," I said, "I'd appreciate it. Oh, and if you'd like to discuss the Study Group some more over a glass of Scotch, feel free to come by my place. If you'll excuse me, sir..." With that, I turned and left, leaving a Police Chief behind me that realized he was not dealing with an Agency of the Weak Minded.

The message had been understood: I'm overmatched, Chief Bennett thought to himself as he stared at the closed door the Commander had just left through. I am in over my head. He is too much for me.

With that, he picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Yes, let's have lunch." he said in answer to the greeting on the phone. "Let's talk about your proposal..."

Finis