Who Watches The Watchers Ch. 02

"We're Federal Agents." Lindsey Black said. "And we'll go where we damn well please. Your Officers are violating Federal law by brandishing firearms at Federal Agents. Either stand down, or we'll have the entire TCPD shut down and every Officer arrested and charged with Federal felony crimes."

"Ah, Federal Agents, eh?" said Lt. Micah Rudistan with great joviality as he stood next to Teresa. "So you think you are important people, eh?"

"We're Federal Agents." said Karl Coleman. "That makes us more important than you local dirtbags."

Some chatter started among the insulted, offended Police Officers. And then it suddenly got totally quiet, totally still. Black and Coleman realized that someone had come in from the lobby and was standing behind them. They turned and found their exit blocked... by the Iron Crowbar.

"The importance of those Federal badges you carry... is greatly overstated." I said levelly. "We do not care about your opinion of yourselves. You are not welcome here, and we will keep custody of Pitts and protect him from you."

"We'll see about that!" Lindsey Black said. "We're going to get a Federal warrant, and take him out of this County------"

She stopped when the woman came around from behind me. The woman had a regal bearing and a powerful aura about her.

"Don't bother." the woman said. "I am United States Senator Lorraine McGill, and I have already been to see Judge K.M. Landis. He overturned the attempt by Judge Ruth B. Taney to put Pitts in your hands, citing the existential danger to Agent Pitts if you were allowed to have custody of him for even one minute."

Senator McGill extended a document and said "Take this to Robin Isley and Brendan Chapel. It gives protective custody of Agent Kevin Pitts to the TCPD and the SBI Inspector. And like Hospital Board Member Croyle just said... you are now trespassing. Oh, and tell Brendan Chapel that he will getting called to testify before the United States Senate about his actions."

"This is not the last of this." Lindsey Black snarled, not taking the document. She brushed past Senator McGill. Karl Coleman was going to bump me as he went past, but I anticipated him, and got right in his way.

"You want to play alpha-male games with me, asshole?" I snarled. "Bring it on. In spite of your opinion of yourself, I am not afraid of Federal Agents."

"You should be." said Lindsey Black behind me. Funny thing, though... as I turned to face her (and smash her face with my crowbar), she hastily went for the exit, followed by Karl Coleman.

"Thank you, Senator." I said to Senator McGill. "You may have prevented a bloodbath tonight."

"Believe me, Commander," said Senator McGill, "the bloodbath in Washington has just started."

"Yezzz, thank you, Senator." said Chief Moynahan. "So what's next?"

"Let me get the Officers deployed." I said. I thanked all the Officers for doing their jobs professionally and very well, and told Teresa to deploy them to protect Pitts. I also gave a very clear order that if Lindsey Black or Karl Coleman returned, they were to be shot dead as trespassers exercising the intent to murder a patient of the Hospital...

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

3:30am, Tuesday, February 23d. Dr. Cordell and Dr. Morgan came to the waiting area. "Pitts is in recovery." said Dr. Cordell. "He'll be transferred to one of the ICU rooms that will accommodate the TCPD protection you've assigned."

"How is he?" I asked.

"He'll live, and he should recover fully." said Dr. Morgan. "He's in very good shape, like you were when you subjected to that... stuff. So he was able to endure it. He's sedated, and if he shows improvement over the next 24 hours, we'll start bringing him out of it."

I said "I don't want to do anything to hurt him or set him back, but we really need to interview him on camera as soon as possible. His statement may save lives, and once it's out and the cat's out of the bag, the danger to him should be reduced."

"I understand, Commander." said Dr. Cordell. "But you know how we doctors are about caution and the patient's wellness. We'll do what we can to get him able to talk to you as quickly as possible..."

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

"Sooooo, Mis-ter Crowbarrrrr," drawled the Chief, "what's next for us?"

"Did my SBI SUV make it back?" I asked.

"Yes sir." said Teresa. "It's in the south parking lot."

"Good." I said. "We need to go back to The City, find Coldiron Masters, and get him to safety... protective custody, in its own way."

We left the Hospital. Teresa left Tanya in charge of the Officers at the Hospital, though we all knew Rudistan was in actual tactical command. Teresa, the Chief, Molly, and I got into my black SBI SUV and got on the road to The City.

"Both the Chief and I tried calling Coldiron." said Molly. "He's not answering. His phone is pinging from his apartment in The City. It looks like he bolted."

"He has burner phonnnes that he can call us with." Moynahan said. "But so far, nothing."

"Do either of you have burners he could call?" I asked. "He won't call your regular phones. He's realized that the Swamp Frogs are monitoring them."

"That's true." said Molly. "Don, seriously... is it really that bad? How can the Feds get warrants to monitor our phones? How can they arrest Coldiron without real evidence against him?"

I replied "They won't get warrants. They'll call the monitoring a (air quotes) 'training exercise'. And Molly, no less than the Director of National Intelligence himself, Brendan Chapel, is backing up the Swamp Frogs on this. Robin Isley is with the National Security Agency, and she's his front-woman on scene."

"Damn, that is a lot of powerful people we're up against." muttered Chief Moynahan. "I wish we had some power on our side."

"We do, sir." I said. "We have Senators McGill and Nunn on our side. They and other allies are about to open cans of Congressional whoop-ass on the Swamp Frogs in Washington. And we have Laura on our side; even though she's retired, she is still a forced to be reckoned with. And then we have... well, I won't say any more."

No, I thought to myself, it might be best if I just don't mention Melina Troy Allgood, and the formidable team she'd put together in the last few months...

Part 9 - By The Dawn's Early Light

*DING!*

Phyllis Troy awoke with a start. She looked up to see that the 'Fasten Seat Belt' light had been turned on. Looking out the window, she saw the clouds outside were light gray instead of the dark clouds of the evening before.

She looked at her wristwatch was shocked to see it was 5:45am. She looked forward and saw that the attendant was still asleep in her chair, sitting awkwardly as if she were rendered unconscious. Clarissa was also asleep, though breathing normally. The pilot was doing pilot things, and flying the aircraft. He looked back and saw that Phyllis was awake, and picked up the mike and spoke on the intercom.

"We will be landing in just a few minutes." the pilot said. "Please fasten your seatbelts as we begin our descent and final approach."

His voice had roused the attendant. She stretched and then looked around, seemingly startled... and then looking worried as she checked her own timepiece. Clarissa also began moving around, and then opened her eyes. "Where are we?" she asked, seemingly disoriented.

"We're about to land." Phyllis said. As she spoke, she felt the plane begin its descent.

Clarissa blinked and then struggled to bring herself into an upright position. "Something is not right. We are not where we are supposed to be." As the plane descended beneath the clouds, Phyllis looked out the windows. She did not see the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, nor any lakes nor bayous. Instead she saw flat farmland. And then she heard the radio in the cockpit.

"Unidentified aircraft, this is Town & County Control. Identify yourself."

The pilot had suddenly looked shocked. He looked at his instruments, back at the women in the cabin, and then said into the radio: "This is BOW Enterprises Two-Niner on approach. Who did you say you were?"

"BOW Two-Niner, this is Town & County Airport, T-C-A." said the radio. "What is your flight plan and destination?"

The pilot looked over his instruments and said "Pon! Pon! Pon! This is BOW Enterprises Two-Niner. My instruments are showing that I am almost out of fuel. Request vectors for emergency landing."

After being given the vectors, the Tower said "You are clear to land on Runway Niner."

The pilot brought the plane in. It was a smooth landing, but the plane seemed to roll for a long time, until it was almost at the very end of the runway. It stopped, then taxied towards the Tower, which was the Terminal Building.

"Oh my goodness." Phyllis said. "We're not in Louisiana. This is Town & County Airport."

After the plane was parked, the pilot came out the cockpit. "Ladies," he said, "I have no idea how this happened. I was awake the entire time, and the autopilot kept us on the heading for LCH, Lake Charles Regional Airport. But when we descended to land, we were west of TCA, Town & County Regional Airport."

"You're sure you were awake the whole time?" Phyllis asked.

"Yes ma'am." the youngish pilot said. Phyllis sensed through his tremendous agitation that he was telling the truth... at least he thought he was.

"Well, we're here." Clarissa said. "And perhaps it is fortuitous in that I am here to tell Teresa what we learned in her childhood town."

"Yes, that's true." Phyllis said, feeling more disoriented. They descended from the plane onto the tarmac. A man in a suit came out of the Terminal waiting room.

"Everyone, my name is Darryl Green. I'm with the Federal Aviation Administration." said Darryl Green of the FAA. "I'm going to need to interview all of you."

"May I ask why, Mr. Green?" said Clarissa Belvedere Esterson, her matriarchal presence asserting itself.

"Yes ma'am." said Green. "BOW Two-Niner filed a flight plan to Lake Charles, Louisiana. However, it arrived here."

"My son lives here, sir." said Phyllis. "Was the detour illegal in some way?"

"Not necessarily, ma'am." said Green, sizing up Phyllis as he spoke. "But this aircraft disappeared from radar over Ouray, Colorado last night, and was reported missing. We thought it had gone down in the Rockies. And we had no radar contact with the aircraft until it was picked up approaching this airport just moments ago..."

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

"So there was an electrical storm out the windows, and then you fell asleep?" Darryl Green said.

"Yes." Phyllis said. "The flight attendant and Clarissa were already asleep."

"What about the pilot?" asked Darryl Green.

"He..." Phyllis said, then paused, causing Green to peer at her. She continued "I couldn't tell from where I was sitting. He was looking forward, and I could not tell if he was awake or asleep. And then I saw the strange lightning, and I fell asleep, too."

Darryl Green said "Is there anything else, anything at all, that you might've seen or heard that was strange?"

"Well, there... no, that had to be a dream." Phyllis said. "You would think I'm an old fool if I told you that."

"Tell me, anyway." said Green. "Sometimes real happenings are assimilated into dreams."

Phyllis said "Okay. Some years ago my grandson's wife, who is Clarissa's niece, adopted a teenage girl who was very ill. The girl died a few months later. After everyone else had passed out, I saw a girl in a flight attendant uniform... not the girl in the other room now, they looked very different... and that girl I was seeing looked exactly like Amy, the girl that had died. She told me we were over Ouray, Colorado. And then I must've gone back to sleep."

Darryl Green said "Yes, that sounds 'out there'... but I've heard far stranger stories. Okay, if there's nothing else..."

"I don't want to get in your way, sir," said Phyllis as she took out her TCPD Auxiliary Detective Badge and showed him, "but I would be grateful if you'd allow me to sit in on the interviews with the others. So I can tell my son what I heard."

"Who is your son?" asked Green.

"He's the Police Commander." Phyllis said. "Don Troy."

"The Don Troy? The Iron Crowbar?" Green asked, his voice barely more than a gasp.

"Why yes, he is." said Phyllis.

"Uh, I guess it will be all right------" stammered Green. Just then he was rescued by the arrival of a youngish, tall, broad-shouldered, good-looking man with black hair.

"Hi Grandma!" Todd said with his trademark grin. "You okay?"

"And you are?" asked Green, a bit harshly.

"Todd Burke, CEO of BOW Enterprises." said Todd, offering his hand. "And the owner of that aircraft that just landed." Green shook Todd's hand perfunctorily. Unperturbed, Todd said "The tower called me when the plane came in. They said it had gone off radar then reappeared, and the pilot landed it with no fuel left in the tanks."

"Something like that." said Green. "We'll need to have the plane examined by the NTSB before it can be flown again."

"And you'll need the Black Boxes, too." Todd said. "My people are ready to help you in any way you need. And after you're done, my own people will follow up with a complete inspection of the aircraft, and an overhaul if needed."

Phyllis said "Todd, Mr. Green is with the FAA, and is interviewing everyone. I'm sitting in, in my capacity with the TCPD. I am as eager to hear the interview of the pilot as Mr. Green is."

"Uh, okay." said Todd, catching on...

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

"I'm telling you, and I'll swear to it in Court." said the youngish redheaded pilot. "I did not fall asleep. I was flying the plane. Yes, it was on autopilot, and never changed its heading. But I was monitoring, and listening to the radio chatter."

"What course did you set for the autopilot?" asked Darryl Green.

"For LCH." said the pilot. "And I never changed it."

"Did you fly through a storm?" Darryl Green asked.

"We flew over it." said the pilot. "It looked pretty bad over Colorado, but we were flying over Arizona and New Mexico, and it wasn't too heavy. I got permission to climb to 32,000 feet, and we did, and it was smooth. We didn't have to deviate from our flight plan at all."

"Who gave you permission to go to Flight Level 3-2-0?" asked Green.

"Albuquerque Control." said the pilot.

Darryl Green looked up and peered hard at the pilot. "Albuquerque has no record of your contacting them nor them you, and they have no record at all of you on their radar nor in their airspace. So what really happened?"

The pilot said "That is what happened! I don't know what else to tell you, except that when we descended from the cloud cover, we were approaching TCA. That's the first time I had any idea at all that something was...different."

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

After Clarissa gave her statement, which consisted of telling FAA Agent Darryl Green that she had fallen asleep and not waken up until they were about to land, Todd and Phyllis came up to her.

"Hello, Aunt Clarissa." said Todd. "It's very nice to see you again."

"Likewise, Todd." said Clarissa. "I attempted to call Teresa, but she is not answering her cell phone."

Todd said "She's on Police business. Something really big happened in The City, and she and Don are helping out with it. I do know they flew a life flight helicopter to University Hospital last night, carrying a Federal Agent, and Dr. Cordell got him stabilized."

"Oh my." Phyllis said. "That is very... troubling."

Todd led the women to a BOW Enterprises sedan. "Your luggage is in the trunk, Grandma. Aunt Clarissa, you had no luggage?" he asked.

"No." said Clarissa. "I expected that we would be home... in Louisiana... by this time this morning."

"No problem." Todd said. "Grandma, will you be at the MIL apartment at the Mountain Nest?"

"I suppose so, unless Don would prefer for me to stay at The Cabin." Phyllis said.

Todd said "And you can stay with me and Teresa, Aunt Clarissa, and we'll take you shopping for some clothes."

"That would be very kind of you." Clarissa said. "But please don't trouble yourself on my account."

"It's no trouble, Aunt Clarissa." Todd said. "After all, you're family." That seemed to strike Clarissa as Todd went on: "Why don't we go to the Country Breakfast Diner and get some really good home cooking breakfast foods?..."

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

The eastern horizon began to glow in prelude to the sun's arrival as my SBI SUV reached the outskirts of The City. One of the perks of this vehicle is that it had two Police Band radios. I tuned one of them to the City PD frequency.

*CHIME!*

It was Teresa's Police iPhone. After reading the message, she dialed a number. "Hi Todd... no, I don't have my personal iPhone on me... whaa?... wow, okay... hold on, let me ask."

Teresa said "This is Todd on the line. Apparently my Aunt Clarissa and your mother Phyllis unexpectedly flew into Town & County Airport this morning. Todd wants to know where you want your mom to stay. Aunt Clarissa can stay with us."

"Have them both go to The Cabin." I said. "It'll be safer there."

Teresa relayed the message to Todd, then disconnected. She said "Do you think they're in danger?"

I said "I don't know, but with the Swamp Frogs around, I'm not taking chances. And by the way, put the TCPD on heightened security status... armed and armored at all times, and be watchful of suspicious Federal Government activity, like a lot of cars with US Government car tags, and so on."

Teresa made the text. As we got off the University Highway onto the Interstate, which would take us into the City Center, the radio came alive:

"All units! Officer down! Officer down! Beacham Street at the North River. Be advised that plainclothes Officers are on the scene."

"Ohhh, nooooo." whispered Chief Moynahan. "We may be too late."

"Only one way to find out for sure." I said as I sped up.

"Are you going to use your GPS or Siri to get us to the address?" the Chief asked.

"No sir." I said. "They may be compromised. And Beacham Street is north of where Pitts was abducted, just north of the Railyards."

"My God, have you memorized The City like you have the Town & County?" Teresa asked with a bit of asperity.

"No." I replied untruthfully; I had memorized as much of The City as I could. "But I got real familiar with the North River area during the time of the McGinty case." (Author's note: 'One Night In Bangkok'.)

The area was pretty rough, not unlike Carroll Street. Beacham Street paralleled the Railyards then angled towards the North River. As we approached where the street came up to the river, I saw blue lights flashing.

We came up and parked behind one of the CPD vehicles, and came up to the scene. We saw a silver-gray Honda Accord with the driver side and passenger side windows smashed out, and someone sitting behind the steering wheel... shot dead. CPD Officers were beginning to process the scene.

Standing nearby, wearing a trenchcoat over his CPD Captain's uniform and no hat on his blonde head... was Wes 'Coldiron' Masters.

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

"They're okay, let 'em through." Masters called out to the Officers that initially had stopped us. They let us go over to where he was, several feet from the vehicle.

"What happened here, Coldiron?" asked Chief Moynahan. "Who is this?"

"He's Lieutenant Herbert Walker." said Masters. "He was my second-in-command in Internal Affairs. He was supposed to be meeting me at Joe West Park north of here. He activated his Police Radio distress alert, which transmitted his location to Dispatch, and they sent two units and notified me. We got here and found his body."

"Dayum." I muttered. "Was his cellphone on him when you found him?"