Who Watches The Watchers Ch. 02

"Like I said," I said, "I'm James Donald... Troy. SBI Reserve Inspector, Town & County Police Commander." I held up my red crowbar as I said "And the guy these reporters know all too well as the Iron Crowbar. Isn't that right, Amber?"

"Fuck you." Amber said simply.

"You're full of shit, Troy." said Liz Chennault. "And I'll have you up on slander charges------"

"Why don't we hear the full story, First Deputy Commissioner?" I said affably. "I'm sure these journalists would like to hear the other side of the story."

"There is only one side to this story, asshole!" Tim Sioban snarled loudly.

"Then you won't mind hearing the SBI Inspector tell you that story." I said as a grin formed on my face. "Inspector Maxwell?"

"Thank you, Commander Troy." said SBI Inspector Brittany M. Maxwell as she came out on stage with several SBI Agents, including Lt. Norm Chow, as her bodyguard. The beautiful raven-haired woman all but forced Liz Chennault to relinquish the bank of microphones.

"First, to answer your question, Mr. Sioban," Britt said, "DEA Agent Kevin Pitts was indeed kidnapped yesterday morning. He was rescued after undergoing torture by other Federal Agents. He was life-flighted to University Hospital, where two of the best trauma doctors in the Nation treated him for his injuries. He is now recovering, and will be making a full statement very soon."

Britt: "Second, yes, Captain Wes Masters did contact me about corruption in the City Police Department. We embedded State Agents within I.A. and the Narcotics Bureau, and we have substantial evidence that the drug ring, which does exist, was actually run by First Deputy Commissioner Liz Chennault and Bureau Chief Ken Z. Adams. We're in the process of obtaining our own warrants, and will be arresting a lot of dirty, rogue cops very soon."

She turned to the CPD brass Officers to her side and said: "First Deputy Chennault, Chief Adams... don't leave town!" Then she turned to the Press and said "What are your questions?"

You should not be surprised to hear that the majority of the reporters turned their backs on Inspector Maxwell and began walking away. Only the Fox-affiliated reporters remained, and they were trying to ask Chennault questions about the truth of what they'd just heard. But Chennault was walking away from them in disgust.

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

It was fortunate that the Auditorium Room was on the ground floor. Britt Maxwell and I were being escorted out of that room, and on out of CPD Headquarters, by her SBI bodyguards, Teresa Croyle, City Police Detectives Tony Long, E.J. Jefferson, Robin Ventura, and Sapper Warren, as well as some uniformed CPD Officers.

"Well done, Mr. James Donald." Britt Maxwell said with a beautiful smile as we walked out.

"Right back at ya, Inspector Maxwell." I replied.

"That was awesome." Teresa said. "But a lot of people didn't hear it. KSB and KXTC were the only non-Fox feeds, and they cut the feeds when you started asking Chennault that question."

"So they believe." I said cryptically. Teresa's head whirled around to look up at me, and I permitted my eyes to glance over and down to hers as a smile formed on my face.

"Ohhhh, SNAP!" Teresa exclaimed. "You're UP to something!"

"Up to no good, as usual." I replied. "I'm getting a little bit sick and tired of the Swamp Frogs continuing to treat me like I'm an Agency of the Weak-Minded..."

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

"What the hell were you DOING?" Bettina yelled at the Chief Engineer in the KXTC Studios control room. "Why didn't you cut the goddamn feed?"

"I did cut it!" the engineer yelled back, fury on his face. "In fact, I totally cut the power to the antenna! I shut off the exciter, all the amplifiers, everything! We weren't even putting out a signal!"

"Well, someone was." said State Senator Katherine Woodburn as she entered the room. 
"The whole press conference was shown to anyone watching Channel Two. In fairness to all of you, KSB also shut down their feed, but their signal was overridden by someone, and the entire northeastern part of the State, including The City, saw the whole thing. And Midtown and Southport were piggybacking KSB's feed, but someone overrode their signals, too."

"Who has the power to do that?" Bettina asked, feeling sick to her stomach.

"I don't know." Katherine said, not saying out loud that she had her suspicions. "What I do know... is that the entire State saw Inspector Maxwell's narrative. We violated one of Saul Alinsky's most basic rules: we lost control of the narrative. Bettina, let's go to your office."

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

Bettina poured cups of coffee for both of them and then sat down behind her desk as Katherine sat in front of the desk and crossed her shapely legs, making Bettina feel envious as always, though her legs weren't bad, either.

"So why did you come up this morning?" Bettina asked. "You obviously left before that presser exploded in our faces."

"True." said Katherine. "I didn't have any meetings planned for today in Midtown, so I came up here to meet with donors. But with all that has been happening in The City, I'll have to leave in a few minutes and go back to Midtown."

Bettina said "So you really have no idea of what could have overridden or piggybacked our signals like that?"

Katherine said "Let's keep this totally off the record and between ourselves. The only entity that I know of that could do that... is the Military. And that means the internecine war between what Don Troy calls the 'Swamp Frogs' and the God-cursed 'Guardians of Justice' is still raging at the Federal level."

She shook her head sadly and said "It truly is amazing what the Iron Crowbar was able to get done."

Bettina said "It's likely not him. The Military, the Feds... he doesn't have that kind of power."


Katherine looked at Bettina as if the older redheaded woman had lost her marbles. Then she sipped her coffee and said "If you say so."

To change the subject, Bettina asked "So what's happening in Midtown?"

"Not a damn thing." Katherine said. "And this is off the record and just between you and me, for now. I've met with Cerone and Molinari, with Corey Coons, and with Elijah McKinney and Tasheeka Harris. The Black Caucus knows they're going to lose on the defund the Police issue. I told them that a strong SBI-NTF that can lord it over the local jurisdictions would be a powerful weapon to help People of Color against corrupt white Police. McKinney swallowed it hook, line, and sinker, and he's on board. But Tasheeka remains bitterly opposed. She's just dug in. She's not practical at all."

Katherine: "And that goddamned Mitt-Romney-wannabee, Wilson Hammonds, just will not shut his goddamned mouth about Illegals. Nina Cortez, who is an ally of Tasheeka Harris, has tried to tell Hammonds that he'll get what he wants if he lets the issue quietly slide by, but he just won't shut up. I'm not sure what his true goal is in being so vocal about it, but he's killing any chances of getting a Budget passed."

Bettina: "What about your own goals? For a strong SBI? And out of curiosity... if you could name an SBI Director right now, who would it be?"

Katherine said "Robert Gaston. He's the Deputy Director for the Southport region. He worked well with Jack Lewis, and Gaston would love to wield SBI power over the local slug LEOs. Lieutenant Bob Bohrmann would be good, too."

Bettina said "Think you'll get what you want after this City Police fiasco?"

Katherine said "We'll see. I'm more interested in finding out how our signal was overrun. Tell you what, let's go have lunch before I have to get back on the road to Midtown..."

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

3:00pm, Tuesday, February 23d. I was sitting in the Chief's Conference Room with Chief Moynahan, Lt. Commander Teresa Croyle, SBI Inspector Britt Maxwell, and City Police Captain Wes 'Coldiron' Masters.

"We almost ran out of fuel," said Chief Moynahan, "but the Cobra is safely back at County Airport, being serviced. That was a wonderful idea you had, to extract him that way and prevent the Feds from getting him."

"I anticipated something like that would happen." I said. "Though I halfway expected your vehicle to be the one that was waylaid, Coldiron."

"And it might have been," said Masters, "but I didn't use my GPS nor Siri to get to the meeting spot with Walker."

"What I did not anticipate," I said, "was that they would try to charge you with Walker's murder. But you say several City Police Officers were there before you?"

"A couple, anyway." said Masters. "One is in the Narcotics Bureau, though, so he might not be of much help if his unit is corrupted or if he himself is."

"What did he look like?" I asked.

"Tall, very black hair, like your wife's or your nephew's. Kind of a sinister face." said Coldiron.

"No, no one by that description is on my suspect list. So he may be good." I said, a bit cryptically. "But I suspect the evidence will show you were not the first at the scene, which is very good."

"But Don," said Britt Maxwell, "he was going to meet Walker at that spot. The Swamp Frogs will use that, at least to get an arrest warrant, or an indictment."

"Who asked for that meeting?" I asked.

Masters said "Walker did. Look, I think he was the mole in I.A. And I can't prove it, but with everything going to hell in a handbasket, I think their idea was to kill or kidnap me, and then go through their blame game post-mortem, with me unable to defend myself."

"That's very possible." I said. "And you do need to get an attorney, a very good one, and be ready to fight them if they find and arrest you. But it would be a most very good idea if they don't find you-------"

*KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!*

The door opened to reveal my lovely wife, Dr. Laura Fredricson, and a tall, handsome man with brown hair and a military bearing. He was also wearing a field military uniform, making the military bearing more obvious.

"Ah, hello." I said. "Everyone, this is Major Mark Martin of the 3457th Signal Battalion. And you know my wife, Dr. Laura Fredricson." I'd met Mark Martin a few times, and knew that he and Laura knew each other very well... intimately well. (Author's note: 'Going Rogue', Ch. 04; 'Moonlight Shadow' Ch. 01; 'The Nuclear Option', Ch. 01)

"Nice to meet you all." said Martin. Laura said hello, but was clearly not happy to see Britt Maxwell in the room.

"Ahhh, are there dots to connect here?" Teresa asked me as she looked upon Major Martin.

"Yes. Yes there are." I said, knowing what Teresa was talking about.

"Darling," Laura said to me, "can I speak with you for a moment? Privately?"

"As long as 'privately' includes Teresa." I said.

"I would never deprive you of your Angels, Darling." Laura said to me. I wasn't sure if that was good-natured humor or a not-so-good-natured shot, and decided not to figure it out at that moment.

"I hope it includes meeeee, toooooo." drawled the Chief.

"Sure, Chief." said Laura. I saw my eyes drift to the back of Britt's head then look at me. Britt was not invited.

Wes Masters said "Inspector Maxwell, why don't you and I get our stories squared away, if we can use the Main Conference Room?..." Chief Moynahan nodded. Masters and Britt got up and left, Britt and Laura exchanging unfriendly looks at each other.

Laura and Major Martin sat down where Britt and Coldiron had been sitting, to the Chief's right, facing the window, their faces in the light. My wife hated being in that disadvantageous position, and she caught my slight gleam at her. Couch time with Bowser was getting more and more likely for me, I thought to myself...

Laura said "A couple of things. First, Mark has been selected to be promoted 'below the zone' to Lieutenant Colonel."

"Congratulations!" said Chief Moynahan, who had retired from the Army as an O-5 himself.

"Yes, congratulations." I said. "You were promoted to Major below the zone, also. Keep this up, you'll make General Officer in no time flat."

"Thanks, and that is the goal." said MAJ(P) Martin. "But I've got a ways to go to get there."

"We are hopelessly outranked here." I said to Teresa.

"You may be, Captain." said Teresa, referring to my highest Army Reserve rank. "I'm the same rank as Laura... boss of my husband." Everyone chuckled at that.

Laura said "Next, how did you like the Press Conference at City Hall this morning?"

I said "I liked the part where that Police Gazette reporter in the great looking hat asked that tough question."

Laura said "And that made the airwaves, too... despite KSB and KXTC's attempt to cut the feed."

Teresa said "So what was it? A (air quotes) 'military exercise'?"

Mark Martin said "Yes, that's exactly what it was. We were bringing in all the feeds, so we had the Fox raw feed. And we matched the frequencies of KXTC and KSB and broadcast a more powerful signal over theirs. So when they cut their feeds, no one realized it. Anyone watching their channels saw the press conference continue."

"And that was this guy's idea?" Teresa said, pointing her thumb at me.

"Oh, he might've made a suggestion to me when all this started." said Laura. "And Mark here is definitely not a Swamp Frog. He hates what they're doing."

"It was brilliant, all the way arrrouuund." drawled Chief Moynahan. "And it might have saved Coldiron from utter disaster."

"We've got a ways to go on that." I said. "So guys, anything else?"

Laura said "Teresa, why don't you show Mark the new Intel Center? And he can tell you about Signal Corps operations. Mark, Teresa is the daughter of a Medal of Honor recipient, and in my opinion she's just a good a leader as he was." That put the 'inscrutable' look on Teresa's face as she got up and led Major Martin out of the room.

Laura said "I need to limit who I tell this to. Chief, I'm telling you this because of your close relationship with Wes Masters, as well as Molly Evans and Frank Soltis. And Don is right... Wes is in very real danger. The Swamp Frogs are really going after him, and not just over the drug operation and the huge amounts of money it was making."

Laura continued: "My people and I 'interrogated' the perps that were holding Pitts. They were all Federal Agents, and were distributed among several agencies. They were Robin Isley and Brendan Chapel's loyal foot soldiers."

"I am note-ingggg your use of the past tense, there, Doctor." Chief Moynahan astutely said.

"Yes, and correctly so." Laura said. "They broke quickly, and they did not live long after that. All but two of them really didn't know anything. They were assigned their missions because their greatest asset was their unlimited capacity for obedience. The two that were torturing Pitts knew what they were trying to extract...which was the name of the other Agents embedded in the operation."

"But Agent Rid-leyyy is one of the Swamp Frogs himself." said the Chief. "He was on stage with them during their press conference."

"She's not talking about him, sir." I said, looking at Laura. "There were several State Agents embedded, also. Terence Johnson was one of them, and Pitts talked to him and Britt pulled him out. But there was another State Agent, who was the SBI's equivalent of our J.J. 'Ice Cube' Perry... he's so deep that not even his fellow State Agents know who he is."

Laura said "And Pitts didn't even know of his existence. Pitts broke, by the way, and there's no shame in that after what they put him through. Not everyone can be the Iron Crowbar."

"Nor should they have to be." I replied. Laura acknowledged that with a raising of her eyebrows and a nod.

Then she said: "Pitts gave them Ridley, not knowing he was playing double agent. He gave them Terence Johnson, too. And he told them he had the goods on Herbert Walker and that Walker was dirty...which probably is why Walker was misled by Siri and found dead at dawn this morning."

Laura finished up: "Pitts had just about everything, and that leads me to hoping that the other State Agent has it all, too. But we have to find him, and nobody knows who he is."

"Ohhh, I think we'll be able to locate him... at the correct time." I said.

"Whaaa?!" gasped Chief Moynahan. "You know who he is?" Laura was also peering hard at me.

"Well, I have an idea." I said. "But I'm not going to expose him like the Feds and the Press exposed J.J. Perry. That'll be up to him, and his handler..."

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

Some minutes later, Laura and I went and found Mark Martin, who was talking with Teresa in her office.

"I owe Mark a dinner." Laura said to me, then said to Mark: "Why don't we go do that now? I'm starved."

"That sounds like a great idea." Martin said. "But I'll change clothes first, if I may."

"By all means." I said. "And y'all have fun." I said as they left. Teresa was peering at me.

"Why do I get the idea they're going to do more than eat dinner?" she asked me.

"And she's going to wear him out." I said. "When she said she was starved, she didn't just mean food. He's one of her... favorites, if you get my drift."

"Ah, that open marriage lifestyle." Teresa said.

"In this case, it may have helped save Coldiron Masters's life." I said.

"But it was your idea." Teresa said. "You anticipated that entire thing. You knew they'd try to cut the feed, and you asked the 3457th Signal Battalion Commander to run an 'exercise'."

"Well, Laura asked him." I said. "But yes, I asked her to ask him."

"My God, Don!" Teresa said, awe in her voice. "Just how far ahead are you seeing?"

"As far as I can, which is not far enough." I said.

"What's next?" Teresa asked.

"For now, we have a Police Department to run." I replied...

Part 11 - Crossing The Line

4:15pm, Tuesday, February 23d. My mother Phyllis Troy and Teresa's aunt Clarissa Belvedere Esterson appeared in the doorway to my office.

"Mom?" I said, then remembered my manners and stood up. "Mrs. Esterson. How are you?"

"We're fine, son." said my mother as she led the way on into my office and helped Clarissa into the near-side hot chair.

"And if you don't start calling me 'Aunt Clarissa' like I told you to, young man," Clarissa said, "I am going to have my niece take your crowbar away from you and spank you with it." I could tell by the twinkle in her eye that she was needling me, and I laughed.

"She's welcome to try." I replied. "But seriously, I'm glad to see both of you, but also very surprised... and it's a very busy time for us right now."

"Yes, son," my mother said, "we heard about the murder of that corrupt City Police Lieutenant, and also about your life flight of that DEA Agent to University Hospital. We do not mean to bother you, but I was hoping we could borrow a conference room. FAA Agent Green has asked to speak to us again."

I said "Uh, why don't you start at the beginning... and should I ask Teresa to come in?"

"No, please do not." said Clarissa. "At least not yet."

"Okay, then." I said. "What's the story?" My mother reiterated the story of their flight, its disappearance off radar only to come out of the clouds near TCA, not LCH.

I said "I think reporters are starting to camp out in the Press Room, and you'd have to go through them to get to the Press Interview Room. So I can make Interrogation C available to you."

A moment later the Duty Desk Sergeant called and said that an FAA Agent Green and NTSB Agent Weller were there to see Mrs. Troy and Mrs. Esterson. I went with the ladies to the lobby.

"I'm Darryl Green with the FAA." said Green. "This is Gary Weller with the NTSB. He'll be taking over the investigation after the initial inquiry."

"I'm Commander Don Troy." I said. "I'm going to have you guys use Interrogation Room C. We do have cameras in there if you'd like us to record the interview."