Unresolved Ch. 05

"When are they going to start moving against Bettina for treason?" Teresa wanted to know.

Tanya said "I'm not supposed to say anything----"

"Share the pillow talk, Lady Ironside." I said, making my Angels laugh and the Sheriff's mustaches twitch merrily.

Tanya grinned and said "Well, Jack told me that at first the U.S. Attorney didn't think much would come of the investigation. But then they really did find some stuff about Bettina and Les Craig, and they started getting serious about it. They may not get her for treason, but they might get her for collusion and conspiracy of some kind. So they're taking their time to get it right."

"And Amber?" asked Teresa.

"Her trial is coming up this summer, at least I hope so." I said. "In fact, we're going to have a long, hot summer in the Courthouse. They're expediting Peter Blassingame's trial as much as they can, since he's not getting bail. Ditto that for Susan Dougherty..."

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

10:00am, Tuesday, April 23d. Helena buzzed me to say that I had a visitor, whom I had her show in. It was Alison McFarland. I had her sit down in a 'hot chair'.

"I just came to say goodbye before leaving." said Alison. "I appreciate you letting me help with these cases. Most Police Departments don't really like it when I butt in."

I smiled. "You were a great help to us. Where are you planning to go?"

"I'm not sure." said Alison. "There's a couple of cases in California, and one in Pennsylvania that might be interesting."

"If you're not in a hurry," I said, "I'm hoping you'll stay for the Friday night celebration dinner. And you definitely have to be here on May 1st for the Promotions and Medals Ceremonies. We're going to surprise you with a Certificate of Appreciation. And... well, a whole lot more will be going on that day. Until then, you can stay at The Cabin, or you can stay in the mother-in-law apartment at the Mountain Nest, since my mother isn't in Town, and have dinners with us."

"As long as Carole doesn't try to make me eat her stringbeans." Alison said.

"Oh, you've been forewarned, I perceive." I said. We both chuckled.

"Okay then, I accept." said Alison. "I just hope your Deputy Chief doesn't get upset. I think she's more than ready to see me leave."

"My Deputy Chief can just not worry about it." I said.

Alison smiled. "You really don't fear anything, do you? I know she's one tough... er, person. I heard she said she was going to, and I quote, 'clean your clock' in the Police Boxing Matches. And to be honest... from what I saw of her in the past, I'll be surprised if she doesn't win the tournament."

"Vee shall see." I said. "Vee shall see..."

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

Mayor Daniel Allgood had told the Council that he wanted them to convene in the private Council Chamber at 7:00pm, a half hour before the public meeting of the Council would begin, and that he'd wait for them and delay the start of the public meeting until they all arrived. They all arrived by 7:00pm.

To their surprise, there was one other person in attendance at the meeting. The Sheriff's Department really did have a Deputy designated as the 'Sergeant-At-Arms', who was in charge of the Deputy security for the Courthouse as well as the Council, and he was here tonight.

After everyone was seated, the Mayor took the podium. "Please do not speak at all while I am speaking. I have been in consultations with the City Attorney, the Town & County Solicitor, the Sheriff, and the Police Chief. It is all their opinions that I am within the bounds of my authority to do what I'm about to tell you I'm going to do."

"I will not tolerate the displays of personal hatred and slanderous accusations that went on at this Council meeting last week." said the Mayor. "I will not tolerate accusations of racism, nor racist hate speech. I will not tolerate being called an 'illegitimate' Mayor, nor will I tolerate myself nor anyone else in here being called a racist. I will also not tolerate gender-based personal shots at each other. Anyone making such comments will be removed from the meeting by the Sergeant-At-Arms, who is here with us tonight."

"Are you kidding me----" started Reginald B.F. Lewis, but the Mayor interrupted him.

"Keep your mouth shut while I am speaking, Councilman Lewis," said the Mayor, boring in on Lewis, "or I'll make an example of you right now. I'm done with the crap. We're going to be by the book, that being Robert's Rules of Order and the County Charter. If you people can speak civilly and debate respectfully and properly, you'll have free reign to do so. If you start up with the crap like last week, then I'll drop the hammer on you. It will be 'speak only when spoken to' by me, and any digression from the rules and proper discourse will result in your expulsion from the meeting by the Sergeant-At-Arms. Try to push it, and I'll have you arrested. Defy the Sergeant-At-Arms, and you'll be arrested by the Iron Crowbar, who you will find to be far less forgiving than I am."

"As to the public meetings," said the Mayor in the tense silence of the room, "I have again made consultations with the City Attorney and others, and the consensus is that we do not have to tolerate the antics that have been going on the past few months. People have the First Amendment right to petition the Government for the redress of wrongs, but it does not have to be verbally at Council meetings, wasting our time. If these antics of packing the meetings to whine all night about a third Police precinct continue, I will have the Council Chamber cleared, and persons will have to petition in writing to speak before being allowed in. Any defiance of the proper Rules of Order by anyone, including any Council Member, will be met with expulsion and possibly arrest. Test me at your peril."

Looking around at the shocked faces, the Mayor said "Okay, let's go to the public meeting..."

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

The Mayor began the public meeting with a similar 'reading of the Riot Act' to the packed main audience chamber. When a large number of Deputies and armored Police Officers came into the chamber and lined the back wall, a large number of young persons... mostly black, all wearing red t-shirts with a person holding a pennant, the logo of the Antifa movement... got up and walked out. They would begin chanting outside in the parking lot, but the TCPD Officers warned them that any demonstrations without a permit would be shut down, and the demonstrators arrested.

Everyone realized that this time it was different. The crowd dispersed.

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

After the public meeting was over, the Council convened in the private chamber again.

"Okay," said Mayor Allgood, "that was smooth and orderly public meeting. Let's have a smooth evening here. Old business... the promotions and medals."

"I move to dispense with the reading, and immediately vote." said John Colby.

"I second." said Dagmar Schoen.

"I object." said Reginald B.F. Lewis. "This is a formal complaint of the heavy-handed, hamfisted, tyrannical abuse of power by you, the illegitimate Mayor. We have the right to speak---"

"Sergeant-At-Arms!" yelled Mayor Allgood. "Remove Councilman Lewis!"

The Sergeant-At-Arms was a burly, middle-aged white man, and was wearing a proper Deputy uniform. He went to Councilman Lewis's chair and said "Come with me, sir."

"Go to hell, you goddamned Cracker!" shouted Lewis. The Sergeant-At-Arms reached for Lewis's shoulder.

"Don't touch me, you cracker pig!" snarled Lewis. The Deputy reached for his radio.

"I need backup in the Council chamber." said the Deputy. And he got it: the double doors flew open, and Council Members gasped as Your Iron Crowbar walked in with the meanest look I could possibly put on my face, and brandishing the red crowbar. With me was the Iron Wolf, Captain Teresa Croyle, and I am sorry to say that I simply cannot match her 'Teresa Cunt' look when she chooses to exhibit it... and she was so choosing.

"Is there a problem here, Mr. Mayor?" I asked in a menacing voice.

"He's resisting." said the Sergeant-At-Arms. "He used racist hate-speech language, also."

"Oh really?" I said. "Mr. Lewis, you can either come with me willingly, or I will take you out of her by force."

"Then do it, Cracker." snarled Lewis. I grabbed him by the shoulders of his suit jacket and with sheer power pulled him out of the chair to his feet. He tried to push me off, but made the 'error' of displaying an elbow joint. And I know what to do with those.

*WHAM!*

I shoved Lewis to the ground on his belly, his arm twisted behind him. "Police brutality!" he yelled as I affixed handcuffs to his wrist behind him

"That's not Police brutality." said Teresa as she videotaped the arrest. As I brought Lewis to his feet, she said "If the Iron Crowbar had exercised Police brutality, you would not have been able to get up again... ever."

"Let's go, Lewis." I said, leading him out. "You are under arrest for disorderly conduct, disrupting a County Government meeting, resisting arrest, and assaulting Police Officers. You have the right to remain silent..."

As we left, the rest of the Council looked at Mayor Allgood in total shock. He said simply: "We have a motion on the floor..."

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

I personally took Reginald B.F. Lewis through booking. On the way to the holding cells, he said "Martin Luthor King, Jr. endured jail for civil rights, Cracker. And so will I."

I said "Martin Luthor King, Jr. endured jail for equality for all Citizens, not for racist hatred against Whites like you're exhibiting now. I personally think he'd be ashamed of what you're doing, Mr. Lewis..."

Part 26 - The Decision

"This is Amber Harris, KXTC Channel Two News!" shouted the athletic blonde reporterette from the KXTC anchor desk at 7:00am, Wednesday, April 24th. "In a shocking development, Town & County Councilman Reginald B.F. Lewis was arrested by Police Commander Donald Troy at last night's Council meeting! We now go to trusted political reporter Lester Holder at City Hall. Lester!"

"Thank you, Amber!" said Lester Holder from just outside the front doors of City Hall. Though the cameras didn't show it, KXTC security were keeping people well away from him. "The racism of Mayor Daniel Allgood and Police Commander Donald Troy continues to dishonor our Town & County as the Council's only black Member, Reginald B.F. Lewis, was arrested at the executive session of the Council meeting, silencing his voice on behalf of the minorities he represents!"

Holder: "Illegitimate Mayor Daniel Allgood ordered Mr. Lewis removed from the Council meeting after Mr. Lewis demanded to speak in protest of the Mayor's totalitarian dictatorship of the public Council meeting, where black citizens were not allowed to speak. Mayor Allgood then called in Commander Donald Troy, who used violent physical force to subdue Mr. Lewis. Assisting Troy was Captain Teresa Croyle, who we all remember once beat up a citizen at a DUI checkpoint."

The television went to a split-screen with Amber, who said "Lester, why did Commander Troy arrest Mr. Lewis?"

"Because Troy is a racist!" Holder all but yelled. "He hates blacks and uses the Power of Police to assault blacks and silence their voices. And we all know he fathered a halfbreed child out of wedlock. Donald Troy is just a despicable, evil man, who needs to find out what it means to be arrested, beaten up, and jailed like what he did to Mr. Reginald Lewis..."

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

"He's goading you." said Chief Moynahan. "Let it goooooo, Commander."

"The rest of it, I don't care about." I said. "But what he's saying about my daughter is inexcusable, and I will not forgive it, nor let it go."

"He's right, Chief." said Cindy, and strongly. "Tasha is my blood kin, too. What Holder is saying about her cannot, and will not, be forgiven."

"He is trying to goad you, both of you, either of you, into attacking him." said Moynahan. "This is KXTC's attempt to get back at you for rightfully putting their reporters in prizzzonnnnnn. So don't rise to the bait, Commander... and Commander."

I turned to face the Chief. "I'm not going to touch him, Chief. And neither is Commander Ross."

The Chief peered back at me. "What are you thinking in that red head of yours, Commanderrrr?"

"Deuteronomy, sir." I said. "Specifically, Deuteronomy 32:35."

"Har! I love it." growled Sheriff Griswold. He then got up. "We have the video evidence of the arrest, showing Lewis attacking you and you taking him down... more gently than I would have, for damn sure. Sit tight, Crowbar, and let me handle the media and publicity for all this..."

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

The video of the arrest was played on KFXU, as well as the Officer-cam coverage the Sergeant-At-Arms had on his person. Both clearly showed Reginald B.F. Lewis physically resisting arrest and using racist hate speech in his comments to the LEOs.

Meredith Peller said "As you can see, the Sergeant-At-Arms and Commander Troy were professional in their actions, and the takedown executed by Commander Troy was a proper response to Lewis's actions."

"And very restrained compared to what could've been done, if you ask me." said Catrina Pierce.

Then the KXTC rant of Lester Holder about Tasha Troy-Patterson was shown. "The racist hate speech of both Reginald B.F. Lewis and Lester Holder is embarrassing." said Catrina.

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

"We are willing to drop the charges against Mr. Lewis," said ADA Franklin Washington, "if he makes a public apology for his actions and his reprehensible speech, which I as a black man found disturbing and uncalled for."

"Yezzzz." said Judge Rodney K. Watts, who was also black. "That display last night did not do anyone of any ethnicity any good, Mr. Lewis. As an elected Council Member, you should be representing your constituents with grace and decorum. So, will we be seeing a public apology on the newscasts today?"

"Yes, Your Honor." said Lewis's attorney.

And Reginald B.F. Lewis did go outside and, flanked by the Rev. Joseph E. Williams and ADA Franklin Washington, spoke before the cameras and publicly apologized for his actions.

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

"And there you have it." said Bettina Wurtzburg after the press conference. "Town Councilman Reginald B.F. Lewis apologized for his actions, and ADA Franklin Washington announced that no further charges against Mr. Lewis would be pursued. We have with us the Reverend Joseph E. Williams, who is a member of the Charter Commission. Reverend, would you say Commander Troy's actions were over the top in violently arresting Mr. Lewis?"

"Bettina," said Rev. Williams, "I've come to know Commander Troy on the Charter Commission. He is not a racist. He is a fair man to all citizens, even in the face of horrible things said about his daughter by your KXTC colleague. The Commander's takedown of Mr. Lewis was probably the most restrained way of ending the situation without physically harming Mr. Lewis."

The look on Bettina's face showed her 'disapproval' of those statements, but they were on live, and the damage was done...

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

"I'm shocked." said Tanya Perlman as my Angels and I sat in my office. "Did Rev. Williams really mean that, or is he just trying to de-escalate the situation?"

"I dunno," I said, "but Bettina couldn't keep the shock off her face when he said it."

"I'm surprised Lewis apologized." Cindy said. "Did someone twist his arm? Besides you, Don, when you arrested him?"

"He was in the wrong," said Teresa, "but he could've made a huge racial issue out of it, and you know the Media would do everything they could to gin up race riots over it."

"Well, it's something we'll have to solve at a later time." I said. "The Council approved our choice for MCD Supervisor, and Captain Perlman and I are about to tell Davis and Warner the results before we make the public announcement. So, any bribes of doughnuts to get me to tell you before I kick you out?"

"I already know." Cindy said as she got up. "I wrote the proposals we sent to the Council, remember?"

"And I bribed her with beer and nachos to tell me, and very effectively." said Teresa. "So you're on your own getting doughnuts, sir."

"Get out of my office, both of you." I said, but lovingly and with a grin.

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

Moments later, Captain Perlman and I called Detective Joanne Warner in first. "How's Leo doing?" I asked after having her sit down.

"He's awesome, sir!" Joanne said happily. "He's a really sweet dog, just like his daddy."

I smiled. "How's the pregnancy coming along?"

"Good, sir." said Joanne. "But I'm going to keep working as long as I can."

"Just don't go into labor while on a case." Tanya said with a grin. Joanne nodded.

"The reason we brought you in here," I said, getting to business, "is because the Council passed the bill that includes the promotion to MCD Lieutenant. And I wanted to tell you beforehand, so you'll know." I steeled myself, then said "We're going with Jerome Davis."

Joanne nodded, but could not hide the disappointment on her face. "Did I do anything wrong, sir?" she asked.

"Not at all." I said. "This is not a negative about you in any way. It's just that we have two highly qualified people and only one position for now."

"Was my pregnancy part of the decision?" asked Joanne.

"Lord, no." I said, surprised at the question. "How many of us have babies around here? That wasn't a factor at all."

"What can I do to get the next promotion, if one comes up?" asked Joanne.

"Just keep doing what you're doing." I said. "You're a brilliant Detective, and a very strong member of my MCD team. Just keep up the good work, and let us know if you want to go for any leadership posts that open up. And again, this is not a failure on your part, so don't let it get you down."

"I won't sir." said Joanne. I dismissed her, as it was clear to me she wanted to get on out of there.

After she was gone, Tanya said "Sir, have you ever been rejected or passed over for anything?"

"Not really, not like that." I said. "So no, I can't really relate. I just hope she doesn't take it badly. What about you?"

"I guess I could say when you sent me to the Crime Lab... the first time." said Tanya. "I kept a stiff upper lip about it, but it was a letdown."

"But it worked out." I said. "You would not be my Captain of Detectives today if that hadn't happened." Tanya nodded. I said: "What do you think she'll do?"

"If she weren't pregnant," Tanya said, "I think she'd apply to Quantico and go into the FBI, and Melina would have a job waiting for her. But since she's pregnant... she may find this to be a blessing in disguise..."

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

We called Jerome Davis in. Tanya did her best to keep a sad face, and I tried to look stoic. "Have a seat, Detective Davis." I said solemnly.

"Yes sir." said Davis, sitting down.

"The Council passed our recommendations for promotions last night, in spite of all the 'excitement' you may have heard about." I said, slowly standing up. "And I'm sorry to say..." I said as I came around the desk, "... that you're going to have to spend some money... on new uniforms." I stuck out my hand and said "Congratulations... Lieutenant!"

"Oh wow..." said Jerome, then he stood up and shook my hand. "Thank you, sir!" He turned to Tanya and said "Thank you, ma'am!" as he shook her outstretched hand.

As we sat back down, I said "Here's the real deal: you'll be promoted to Supervisor, then brevetted to Lieutenant, since you're still just a baby-faced kid." We all laughed at that. "Don't announce it yet, though when it leaks and someone asks you, you can tell them the truth about it."