The Saga Continues Ch. 05

Cindy nodded. "Not that that means anything." she said. "I talked to Don last night, who has been in constant touch with Jack Muscone. The FBI Washington office doesn't understand how the San Francisco office 'lost' Fox for any length of time. The San Francisco office is pushing back, saying they're going to handle it 'internally'. And no official OPR has been started at any level in any office about it."

"You're upset about this." said Mary Raytheon, observing Cindy.

"Yes ma'am, I am." said Cindy. "I quit being an FBI Consultant because Dana Fox had one of my Officer's father beaten nearly to death over perceived leaks of information about a corporation believed to be manipulating food control, a corporation that may have murdered a man. And the FBI is not only doing nothing about this bozo, they don't even keep track of him... and here he is, persecuting my girlfriend and her legitimate company..." Cindy stopped only because she was out of breath.

"I understand, Captain, I really do." said Raytheon. "I've let the FBI know that this incident has harmed our relationship with them, as well. We've had a couple of recent incidents with them, and while I don't blame them for the Fox situation, as it appears his were rogue actions, it does let us put the heat on them, the FBI, a bit more. Maybe they'll see the need to clean up their act."

"I hope so." said Cindy, not expecting such cleaning up to occur. "Anyway, I really appreciate you and your team's help on this, and I know Commander Troy is grateful, as well."

"I have seen in the quality of Lt. Michaels and Detective Rose just how good Commander Troy's Officers are." said Mary. "And that extends to you, Captain."

"Thank you, ma'am." said Cindy.

"I have a question." said Claire Michaels, having just come into the office. "How did it go with that kid Commander Troy rescued?"

"Oh, that." Cindy said, her face turning soft. "We took him to the Fire Station to be reunited with his dad. It was a... well, it was a really special moment. And let me tell you something else Commander Troy did. We had an old World War 2 veteran, a Mr. Davis, who had a friend named 'Strait' in the War. Strait's grand-nephew is Deputy Sheriff in the county next to mine, good kid if a little goofy. He knew his great-uncle had died in Korea, and his family had moved east. Well, when Mr. Davis died, Commander Troy found Strait's uncle's family and flew them in for the funeral. First time Deputy Strait had ever met his family."

"Awwwww, that's so awesome." said Claire.

"Yes, very impressive." said Cmdr. Raytheon.

After more Police consultation and conversations, Cindy made her goodbyes with her new friends of the LAPD, and headed back to Culver City.

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

"Come on in." I said as Jack Muscone appeared at my office door. "Have a seat."

"Thanks." said Muscone, sitting down in one of the new, more comfortable hot chairs. These had armrests and cushions, and were more comfortable than the old ones. Even Cindy might choose one of them over the sofa, but I digress.

"I came by to give you an update on Fox." said Jack. "He told his superiors in San Francisco that he'd gotten a tip on Callie's company being a human trafficking outlet. He showed some paperwork where he documented that, and it's thin but acceptable. He then said he began an operation in secret because he was afraid of leaks or moles, and was going to tell the LA FBI office about it once he had more information."

"Sounds like a big load." I said. "So they accepted that?"

"He's being reprimanded for not informing his immediate superiors." said Jack. "And he's been told to stay away from LA and from Callie's company completely."

I peered at Jack until he became uncomfortable. Finally, he said "What?"

"Jack," I said, getting comfortable in my chair, the girdle not helping my back pain, "let me ask this: have they started an OPR on Fox for this?"

Jack's beady black eyes winced just a bit. "No. And I'll just say it... they're not going to."

"Look, I'm asking this friend to friend, and before Cindy gets back home." I said. "Why aren't they looking into this? At the very least there should be an OPR on it. It cannot be a coincidence that Fox targeted Cindy's partner's company, which has never had problems of any kind before. He's not in his assigned city, he doesn't follow protocols, he doesn't get approval, he was lying to the LAPD, damaging the FBI's relationship with them, such as it is. And not even a cursory examination of this? Why not?"

Jack nodded, as if knowing this moment was going to come. "Friend to friend, then. Don, I have had nothing but sheer admiration for what you have done these last few years. So many times I've thought you were crazy about something, from Westboro to Les Craig, to George Aurus and that Federal facility... and then it turns out you were not only right, but way more right than anyone knew, depths of corruption weeded out like I've never seen."

"So when you beat the living shit out of Dana Fox," Jack continued, "I believed you and I backed you. I saw that Laura and Melina weren't kidding either; they wanted Fox's blood, too. My team also believed you, and still does. Having said that, there are a lot, and I mean a lot, of FBI Agents that do not know you, have heard about you but have not seen your work, and a good number of them are not on your side. Many of them want you arrested and imprisoned for assaulting Dana Fox. Some of them have said they will kill you if they get the chance."

"Adding to it," said Muscone, "is that some don't believe Fox was behind the Milton beating. They're incensed that the FBI was blamed for that assault. It's not a matter of thinking Milton was really a whistleblower or a traitor, but simply that they don't believe that Fox, and therefore the FBI, had anything to do with that. Now you gave us enough to believe it, but the Winters information is being suppressed. He's overseas, and he's the CIA's problem right now."

"So the point is that some of these Agents believe Fox is right and you were and are wrong, and they are influential with some of the brass in Washington." Muscone went on. "The Deputy Director loved you to death and went to bat for you a ton of times, but he's retired now. The EAD likes you a lot, and has so far been on your side, but he's not influential with everyone."

"In fact, the FBI Offices in Washington, D.C. have become politicized," went on Muscone, "and have been getting that way and getting worse for several years now. As politics in the Nation have become more divided and more strident, so has the FBI and CIA in Washington. I'm scared to death that one day things are going to be so bad in Washington that it's going to become apparent that the FBI has become corrupted at the highest levels, and that trust in my beloved Bureau will be destroyed, that the American People will not look upon us as stalwart defenders of America, but as traitors to it."

I nodded, and Jack went on: "So yes, everyone knows Dana Fox was targeting your Captain's girlfriend's business, and that he was doing it out of spite and personal hatred. But they're not going to do anything about it because it's just too hot to handle. So no OPR, no investigation. They're going to slap his wrist a little hard, and then they're going to let it go."

I nodded sadly. "So... where do we go from here?"

Jack said "I'm going to do what I've always done when artillery is being fired over my head from both sides... I'm going to put my nose to the grindstone, work the cases that come my way, and do everything I can to protect my team from being used as political punching bags. And hopefully I'll have the greatest crime-fighting mind of this era to consult with while I'm doing it."

"I dunno, my mother's not doing much consulting these days." I said.

"She has a great mind." Jack said. "She does not have the greatest crime-fighting mind, though. That would be you."

"Butter me up, butter me up." I replied. "So, I'm in danger of being shot by FBI Agents now? That's all I need."

"I think after this latest crap move by Fox," Muscone said, "your stock is making a comeback. It's not like Fox is winning any friends here. In time, this too shall pass..."

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

6:40pm Los Angeles time, Thursday, Nov. 16th. Cindy had a surprise for Callie's company's stars and staff: she catered a steak-and-salad dinner for them. It was a huge feast, and it was very good. There was no food wasted; all of it was consumed by hungry porn stars and office staff members.

"Naah, y'all should have no more problems." said Callie as they talked over dinner. "The LAPD took care of the slug who was watching us, and our Protection Boys are aware of the issues and are watching out for any residual issues."

"Even so," said Annemarie, "we've scheduled a road trip to shoot some scenes in the Mountain West States, then we'll break for the Holidays. Only the warehouse staff will be here."

"I heard a rumor: are you really going to retire, Callie?" asked Felicia Foxworthy.

Callie looked like she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "Maybe from the acting part of it." she said after a pause. "Maybe I'll just work behind the scenes, write some romantic scripts for you guys to shoot, get Darren to teach me some of his great camerawork..."

"You're our best-selling asset." said Bobby Steed, who was beginning to feel the effect of the wine and beers he'd been consuming. And for The Stallion to feel the effects required a lot of consumption.

"The Company is going to be fine." said Callie. "You ladies are doing very well, we'll be getting in more hot new stars, and demand for porn content is not going to go away any time soon."

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

"What a day."

Callie Carrington said the words as she and Cindy snuggled together on the sofa of the greatroom, the light of the moon and the streetlamps filtering in through the windows. They were drinking Scotch and Sodas, listening to very soft jazz music, and mellowing out.

"I think they were a little bit happy to see me go." Cindy said as she sipped her drink.

"Only Bobby Steed." said Callie. "Bobby Breeze likes you, Celia loves you, Annemarie and Chris like you. Steed wanted to fuck you but couldn't get into your pants... and you would beat the shit out of him if he tried... and he doesn't think very fast. He sees you as a cop first, too."

"I think all of them always had that in the back of their minds." said Cindy. "And then when the shit with Fox started hitting the fan, they got uncomfortable that they were getting attention, and saw it as me bringing it down on them."

"Mmmm, I dunno." Callie said, not wanting to admit that Cindy was pretty much right.

"And I think they're blaming me that you're considering retirement." Cindy said.

"I won't deny that... well, that they're worried about me retiring." Callie said. "And they may well be right. I'm considering selling the company, selling this condo, and just staying with you. My life is with you. I can let this all go."

"Awww..." Cindy said, then turned and kissed Callie on the cheek. "I won't deny that I would love it if you did that. But don't sell this condo. We can come out here for vacation getaways, or if we ever need to be in this area on business. This is a great place. If you sell it, let me buy it from you."

Callie grinned her beautiful grin. "All right, I won't sell it to anyone but you. And you're right, it will be fun to come out and party every once in a while."

"So do you really want to sell the company?" asked Cindy. "Not trying to talk you out of it or into it, but you've got a thing going with it. Might not be a bad idea to keep it going."

"I've been thinking about it for a while." Callie said. "It's a long distance, and while I've got good people working for me, if they go, or if anything happens, then I've gotta fix it... and then there's all the crappola of dealing with things..."

"You could sell shares, bring in some people in part ownership." Cindy suggested.

"This isn't like your gym." said Callie. "The only people that can really buy in are outsiders. Maybe another big name porn star, but they have their own going concerns. I could have CallieCarrington.com, but that requires full-time work and attention.. and I'd rather have less of that, not more."

Cindy nodded. Callie got up to get more drinks, and Cindy laid down on the sofa. When Callie came back, she lay down and nestled into Cindy, then pulled Cindy's arms over her.

"Ahhhh..." Callie said, "just let me wrap myself in you like a blanket, and feel warm and protected and without a care in the world for just a few minutes." Cindy hugged Callie to her.

Moments later, Cindy realized that Callie was asleep. She had just heard Callie essentially commit to her, Cindy, and to their relationship. It was now in her face, and she contemplated what the best answer for her and for Callie was. She listened to the music as she finished off her drink, then she relaxed and fell asl---

Part 28 - Where The Heart Is

It was dark as the plane landed at City Airport at 8:30pm, Friday, November 17th. Callie and Cindy were among the many passengers that deplaned from the large jet, which would continue on to New York City.

As they got to Baggage Claim, they were surprised to see a familiar face waiting for them. It was Teresa Croyle. "I drove the Black Beauty over to pick you up." said Teresa.

"You get one guess who asked her to do that." Cindy said to Callie as she hugged Teresa. "So, how did you like the Black Beauty?"

"Drives well, especially at over 120 mph." said Teresa. "I didn't get to try all the toys in it, though."

"And let's hope we never have to." said Cindy. "Oh, here's our bags." They collected their stuff and Teresa led them out of the airport building and to the dark-green-colored O65 Imperial Crown in the vast parking lot.

Cindy took the wheel for the drive home, and Callie had Teresa take the shotgun seat so that she (Callie) could stretch out in back. "So, is Headquarters still standing?" Cindy asked Teresa as they got onto the highway.

"Yes." said Teresa. "Commander Troy talked to the MCD Detectives today. I think he's about to have a breakthrough in the cold case and is going to begin getting warrants for some searches. Vice corralled one shipment of drugs going into the industrial district, and then got the one coming in behind it, meant for T-Square's clubs. Mary Milton realized the first shipment was a distraction, and she and Christopher Purvis were able to dig out where the second one was coming to."

"Great!" said Cindy. "T-Square is going to have to work harder if he wants to fool Mary any of the time."

"Other than that, it's been quiet." said Teresa. "You picked a good week to go on vacation and get some quiet rest." That caused a burst of laughter from the backseat, as Callie was greatly amused.

"Yeah, it was hardly the quietest of weeks in LA." said Cindy.

"Yeah, Commander Troy was pissed about Dana Fox showing up." said Teresa.

"Oh, that was nothing." Callie said, grinning wickedly. "We had an earthquake out there... Cindy got laid!"

"Shut the front door!" Teresa exclaimed, peering at Cindy and seeing that it was true "Way to go, girl!"

"Callie..." Cindy said. "you're telling tales out of school."

"To your soul sister, there." said Callie, still grinning. "And she's happy for you, like I am."

"Next round of beers is on me." said Teresa. "And if you actually use the motor in this car, we might get to the Cop Bar in time to have that round..."

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

"This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Fox Two News!" shouted the lovely redheaded reporterette at 7:00am, Monday, November 20th, from in front of City Hall. "Fox Two News has learned that the Town & County Police secured warrants to search a patch of county land and dredge a pond on the property!"

Bettina started: "The operation started yesterday on a piece of land once owned by former County Councilman J.G. McGill and deeded over to the County some years ago. Divers searched a pond on the property and found four firearms that had been thrown into the pond, as well as some containers of chemicals that had been thrown in there."

"When asked if this search was related to the murder of Tammy Cochran between six and twelve years ago," said Bettina, "Police Chief Sean Moynahan had this to say. Roll tape."

Tape rolled, showing Chief Moynahan in the Press Room at Police Headquarters. "Yes, it's related to the cold case. If one of those firearms matches the ballistics of the bullets found where the bodies of Tammy Cochran and her unborn child were found, then we will be making some progress towards a solution to this old case."

"Chief!" shouted John Hardwood, "even if you do find the weapon, is it enough to make an actual case for murder? Won't a good defense lawyer rip Commander Troy's case to shreds?"

"Heh heh heh heh." laughed Moynahan. "When did Commander Troy become D.A.? You've got too much of an obsession with the Iron Crowbar, Mr. Hardwood." That remark stung, and the entire Press Corps in the room knew it. Hardwood did not try to hide the unappeasable hatred that was written on his face.

Back to Bettina live: "Commander Troy has been asked for comment, but has so far not returned our calls. Meanwhile, in State news, SBI-SIS Lieutenant Norm Chow confirmed that the SBI does have the results of the FBI's forensic examination of the booklet alleged to have been signed by Governor Jared, and the signature and inscription were both clearly falsified. While Hillary Braselton has reached a plea deal over her part in these false charge, the SBI-SIS is continuing to investigate who was behind this plot to smear the Governor. State Republicans are not pleased. Roll tape."

"We are not pleased." said Lt. Governor Graham Collins as tape rolled. "We believe the expenditure of manpower and money by Commander Donald Troy after this case has been resolved and these women have apologized and reached plea deals is simply inexcusable. Commander Troy's witch hunt using SBI resources and State tax dollars is an affront to the Citizens of the State, and we are looking into ways to cutting off his funds to investigate further."

Back to Bettina live: "But Lt. Governor Collins's position is by no means unanimous. U.S. Senator Bill Nunn said this. Roll tape."

"I'm wondering why Graham Collins is so frightened of what Inspector Troy is going to find." said Nunn. "We're trying to get to the bottom of this vicious and false attack on the Governor of our State, and the Lt. Governor is doing all he can to stop that investigation... and one has to ask why."

"And in national news," said Bettina, "the deaths of a family of four in Augusta, Georgia are being attributed to serial killer Red Brookstein. Brookstein escaped from prison several months ago, and has killed a number of people since. The FBI has been working on the case but have not caught up to Brookstein yet, and an FBI spokesman in the City confirmed that the FBI is devoting more resources to the capture of this extremely dangerous criminal. And now let's go to Nick Eastwood for Sports. Nick!"

"Thank you, Bettina!" said Nick Eastwood. "This Saturday the undefeated Bulldogs will go up against 2-9 State Tech at 'Historic' Tech Field. It's a non-conference game for these Schools for the first time since before the Conference was formed, but it's expected to have all the rancor this in-State rivalry has had for decades."

Nick continued: "There is already controversy, as State Tech refused to allow our Conference's officials to be used, with State Tech citing bias against them by our Conference that led to State Tech's departure from the Conference. The University retaliated by saying either our Conference's officials or a third-party Conference officials will be required. The Mountain West Conference agreed to provide an officiating crew, thus settling the dispute..."