Woman in Love Ch. 03

"Oh my God!" gasped Lisa Monroe. "A real nuke? Here?"

"Yes." I said. "Fortunately my divorce some years ago was amicable, and my ex-wife helped me stop that party from ending with a bang." That generated some laughs. Melina shrugged her shoulders.

"Here's the complete story." I said. "Two of the perps that hijacked the nuke and stole it were Trent Ridge and Quint Starr. We believe they were involved in the murder of LCDR Thomas Waring." (Author's note: 'Four Square'.) "Quint was killed in the Todd Burke hostage crisis at BOW Enterprises, which also took the life of Lieutenant Irwin." (Author's note: 'A Death In The Family', Ch. 02-03.)

The room got even quieter at the mention of our fallen fellow Officer. After a pause, I went on: "Trent Ridge was captured, but escaped, and I have reason to believe that he was aided and abetted by reporter Amber Harris in that escape. Ridge officially remains at large, but we've come across information, whose source I'm not at liberty to share, that suggested he's dead." (Author's note: 'A Death In The Family', Ch. 04; 'Power of Love', Ch. 02-03.)

Your Iron Crowbar: "Trent and Quint were part of a Navy SEAL Team in Iraq and likely other places. Their team was disbanded after allegations that they committed war crimes, including raping wives and daughters while the husbands and brothers were forced to watch, then executing everyone. They dispersed to different parts of the country after returning home... no formal criminal charges against any of them, by the way."

Your Iron Crowbar: "One of the Navy Officers connected to that team was Lieutenant David Carter. Some of you may remember that we had some issues with MegaTech Industries down in Palmyra County, and he was an integral part of those issues." I did not mention Laura's part of those 'issues'. (Author's note: 'Long Cool Woman'.)

Your Iron Crowbar: "More recently, the members of the Rogue Team began disappearing from their jobs in places like California, and we think elements of them may have been showing up around here more recently. Two of them were William Drew and Mort Springer, who favored me and Jack Muscone with that short plane ride to his wedding. They're dead now, of course." (Author's note: 'Power of Love'.)

"Yayyyy." said Tanya Muscone, just a bit too loudly. Everyone laughed.

I continued: "We think that it's possible this Rogue SEAL Team is working with elements of the Swamp Frogs, including Dr. Robin Isley, now with the NSA, and the deeply corrupt Bob Rovers FBI BAU team. There are four Rogue SEAL Team members left, and two Officers: Carter, Navy Lieutenant Jeff Bayport, and Shaun Stevenson, Parker Cassidy, Gil Cox, and Gary Fenton."

Your Iron Crowbar: "Cox and Fenton ran schools to train what the FBI and Navy CIS calls 'TRP's, which means 'tactical role players'. You know that training Commander Croyle had us do, raiding a house and freeing hostages?" (Author's note; 'Red Squad', Ch. 01.) "Fenton and Cox's school were similar, though more advanced."

Your Iron Crowbar: "Stevenson and Cassidy were DEA Agents in California, and were thought to have gone undercover before it was realized they'd just vanished... deserted. All four of these men are in the wind, as are their two Lieutenants."

Tim Jenkins said "So you think these two guys playing the shadows in that video are part of that Rogue SEAL Team?"

"I think it's a real possibility." I said. "Sophisticated clothing, gear, and weaponry. Excellent training in both movements and accurate shooting. The Feds had an idea that they might be in this area, too."

Chief Moynahan said "So my questionnnn is why are these really high-level assets here? And taking down a bunch of low-life drug pushers?"

"Are those guys, the four perps that were shot up, even of interest to us Feds?" asked Karina White. "Were they agitators of these riots with Federal connections?"

"No ma'am." said Dwight Stevens. "But Jacquez Wilson has been on the DEA's radar for a while, and he is increasingly coming onto the FBI's radar as a potentially violent protester for black-related issues. Toddler and his crew were part of Wilson's drug trade operations."

"In other words," asked Tim Jenkins, "if the Swamp Frogs control this Rogue Team, or are working with them, why would they bring in a couple of human howitzer cannons to blow away these four local losers?"

"No reason that I can think of." I replied. "We need more data."

"I have a different question, sir." said Julia Rodriguez. "From the video, it looked like the people in that car, one of which very likely was Jacquez Wilson himself, were going to shoot and kill Toddler's team. Why would he want to kill his own people?"

"He must've thought they betrayed him in some way." replied Lt. Rudistan. "And Jacquez Wilson is very well known for the tremendous discipline within his organization. The punishment for any transgression is death."

"That's it!" I whispered, just a bit too loudly. Everyone looked over to see me slumping back into my chair, in a semi-reverie. I blinked my eyes and saw everyone staring at me.

"Sorry." I said. "I just realized something, and I think I know what happened. See if this theory fits the data: there is a hole in the fence between the Quick Stop and the skating rink. Let's just theorize that Toddler and his crew were gathering to meet Jacquez Wilson. They'd go down and through that hole, then behind or into the skating rink building. I suspect they believed they would meet Jacquez Wilson back there... and he would blow away Jesus Freak."

"How do you know that?" asked Cindy.

"I don't know it." I said. "What I do know, and some of you in here know, is that there may have been cash payments to Sergeant McCombs and Officer Hatch, by them securing cash that was in the car when McCombs pulled over and arrested Toddler's crew. My Confidential Informant for that... was Jesus Freak."

"Ohhhhh." whispered Teresa, just a bit too loudly. But no one seemed to notice.

"Yep." I said. "He said that McCombs secured two McDonald's bags of money, and that they had made a deal to let themselves get arrested so that that money could be 'laundered' to McCombs. They were supposed to have the charges dropped, or get a plea deal... but then Hatch planted the gun, and Savannah Fineman apparently prefers to lose an election and see the Town & County burn in riots rather than drop those charges."

"Ohhhhhhh." said the Chief. "Lots of things are making sense now."

"Not everything." said Cindy Ross. "Keep talking, Red Crowbar.

Your Red Crowbar: "My thesis is that Mr. Handsome realized that Jesus Freak talked to me, and went running to Jacquez Wilson, hoping to get a reward for snitching on the snitch. Wilson may have had Toddler set up a meeting, ostensibly for a drug trade."

Your Iron Crowbar: "But it was a trap... and Mr. Handsome knew it! He makes a point to buy a beer inside, then goes to throw it away... right as Jacquez Wilson's Impala is coming up. It was timed, and Mr. Handsome knew exactly what time Wilson would be there... ergo, his delay in the store. He thought he'd hide behind the dumpster while the others got shot."

Your Iron Crowbar: "But that did not happen. He was blown away at point-blank range through the fence, as were all three of the others instead of just Jesus Freak. So now, my 'snitch' theory vanishes into thin air, and we are left with... all four people arrested by McCombs and Hatch being left dead on the pavement."

"Good Lord." muttered Our Sheriff.

Your Iron Crowbar: "So we have two 'separate but equal' cases here, to coin a phrase. One of them is Jacquez Wilson. The other is that someone sent those two professional mercenaries to do what they do best. Why? To cover up the payments to McCombs for McCombs attempting to gin up that racial issue by murdering that innocent black man. But there is one other option to consider... that another asset was being protected, and by someone at the local level."

"Why is it that things are never simple where the Iron Crowbar is concerned?" asked Dwight Stevens. Some chuckled, taking his comment lightly, but he also got some dark looks from those that thought it was a shot at me... including me.

"Thank God we have the Iron Crowbar." Sheriff Griswold growled with some feeling in his voice. "He makes the complicated simple."

"So where do we go from here?" asked EAD Owen Lange. "Do I need to bring in more Federal assets? Are these guys trying to gin up race riots?"

"I'm not sure, sir." I said. "But I do know this: the Media is going to hear that this was drug deal gone bad, and some of the perps were gunned down as a result..."

Part 17 - Weaponizing the News

"This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Channel Two News!" shouted the redheaded MILF reporterette at 7:00am, Friday, May 22nd, from the rooftop of the building at Riverside and College, with Police Headquarters in the distant background. "The TCPD ignores black concerns in the wake of a mass murder shooting!"

Bettina began: "Four young black men were shot to death behind the Quick Stop at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Riverside Drive, and black leaders are outraged that the Town & County Mayor and the Police are not doing more to solve the crime. Roll tape."

Tape rolled, showing Eldrick X. Weaver shouting to an unseen audience: "Illegitimate Mayor Daniel Allgood doesn't care about four black men being shot down like dogs! If they had been white, Allgood would've run to your Media microphones demanding the Police catch the killers, but since they're black, he doesn't care!"

And Edgar Silas was shown, yelling "Police Commander Donald Troy isn't doing a damn thing to solve the murders of four black men! If they were white, he'd be working on it and solving it. But since they're black, he doesn't turn his lily-white hands to bring justice for the victims! He won't comment to the Press, and he just ignores our pleas to meet with him about these contentious issues!"

Back to Bettina live: "Mr. Silas won the nomination in the race to succeed Reginald B.F. Lewis on the Town & County Council, and Mr. Weaver is running for Mayor again after having the Mayoral election stolen from him by Daniel Allgood in the last election. Neither Mayor Allgood nor Commander Donald Troy would respond to KXTC's repeated requests for comment on these important issues."

Bettina: "And now let's go to our reporter Amber Harris, for more on deeply unpopular Governor Val Jared's horrific actions. Amber!"

"That's right, Bettina!" shouted the athletic blonde from that same rooftop, but with the State Office Building on the other side of Courthouse Square in her background. "Governor Val Jared unleashed the dogs of the State National Guard against peaceful protesters in Midtown last night. National Guard troops and Midtown Police used tear gas and sheer physical violence to arrest peaceful black citizens in the Inner Midtown district."

Amber: "Governor Jared said yesterday that he will send the National Guard into The City over the weekend if the City Mayor and Council do not begin fully supporting the City Police and allow the Police to do their jobs and stop the riots. City Mayor Lucian Phelps filed a lawsuit in both Federal and State Court to prevent the Governor from implementing his plans, saying, and I quote, 'Jared is a racist that only wants to kill blacks, rather than working to understand their frustrations with the brutality of white Police against them. We will vigorously oppose National Guardsmen and State Troopers invading our City, and I cannot guarantee the safety of the Guard or State Patrol in the City if they do invade our borders', close quote. Back to you, Bettina!"

Bettina: "Thank you, Amber! And now let's go to trusted reporter Lester Holder with an important interview. Lester!"

"That's right, Bettina!" said Lester Holder. "I'm here with Jacquez Wilson, a spokesman for black causes in the Town & County area." With Holder was the mean-looking Jacquez Wilson, wearing a black 'Black Voices Raised' t-shirt. Some kind of heavy cloth tarp was behind them, cutting off the view of wherever they were.

"Mr. Wilson," said Penis Holder, "four black men were gunned down, and the Mayor and Police are doing nothing to solve the crime. Is this racism by the Police and the Mayor?"

"All white Pigs are racist, and are guilty of the brutality of white Police against People of Color." stated Jacquez Wilson. "The white Pigs leave murdered black men to rot on the pavement, while crushing peaceful demonstrations by blacks."

"What can blacks do to have their voices heard, Mr. Wilson?" Penis Holder softly lobbed.

"The day is coming," said Jacquez Wilson as a manifesto to the camera, "for blacks to raise their voices in unison and their fists in rebellion against the brutality and oppression of the Pigs and their White Nationalist masters! We are coming for you, Pigs! We are coming for you and your crowbar, Iron Cracker! You're too gutless to face me one-on-one, you won't come in here and arrest me. You're just a coward, Troy!"

Holder: "What do you think of Donald Troy having a halfbreed child with a black woman?"

"Those mistakes will be erased, and soon." warned Jacquez Wilson. "But make no mistake... the white Pigs will be the first to pay for their brutality against People of Color..."

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

"They know." I said as we drank coffee in the Chief's Conference Room. "They know what really happened. Bettina knows. Amber knows."

"How do you know they knowwwww?" asked the Chief.

"Because, sir," I replied, "we put out yesterday that we were investigating the crime as a drug deal gone bad, or perhaps a pro hit. But KXTC did not say one word about any of that."

"Are they trying to goad us into revealing what we know?" Teresa Croyle asked.

"No." I said. "They don't care about any of that. It's clear, at least to me, that KXTC worked all day yesterday on that narrative that Police are doing nothing, the Mayor is doing nothing, that we're being racists and not solving the case because the victims were black. Totally agenda-driven Fake News filth."

"Where was Holderrrrr doing that interview with Jacquez Wilsonnnnn?" asked Chief Moynahan.

"My guess is at the Block House." I said. "They put that sheet up so we couldn't see what else was in there, but the chairs they were sitting on looked like pool hall high chairs."

"Interviewing Wilson like that seems almost an affront in and of itself." said Tanya. "Like they're goading us to go arrest him."

Sheriff Griswold replied "Or setting something up with him creating some kind of racial issue, and them covering it." I nodded most very vigorously in agreement.

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

After introductions, the KFXU anchorettes began giving the news:

Catrina Pierce: "And in a new poll, Governor Val Jared's favorable rating jumped up a full ten points overnight, to 52% after he called up the National Guard yesterday. In that same poll by Clear Call Polling, respondents are saying that the violence in the City and other areas is not being properly dealt with by Democrat leaders."

Meredith Peller: "The inaction of the Democrat leaders is hurting their political candidates for office. Republican candidate for Governor Sharon Marshall surged five points to take a 55-45% lead over moderate Democrat Hoyt Stenson. In the Lieutenant Governor race, Corey Coons still holds a lead over Ruby Russell, but that lead has been cut in half, to five points."

Catrina Pierce: "And in local news, the Town & County Police are investigating new leads in the shooting of four men in what is believed to be a drug deal gone wrong. Commander Donald Troy gave a statement to KFXU and the Town & County Examiner Online that the car that rushed into the parking lot might not have been the source of the gunfire that killed the four known drug distributors. Police are considering that gunfire might have come from the other end of the Quick Stop, catching the four victims off-guard..."

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

"That'll work." said Tanya Muscone as my Angels and I began our meeting after the broadcast. "It shoves it in KXTC's face in that you gave KFXU a statement, it 'explains' Mr. Handsome's death behind the dumpster, but doesn't give away what we know about these Rogue SEAL perps."

"Yes." I said. "I think KXTC knows what happened, and wants to ambush us on things like no shells being found in the lot, forcing us to either admit what we know about the Rogue Team -or- making us look like idiots that can't read a crime scene properly. Hopefully my statement to their competition will be poking a sharp stick in KXTC's eye, in more ways than one."

Tanya then dropped the bomb: "So how are Tim Jenkins and Callie getting along, working together?" That drew cold fire from the Green Crowbar's ice-blue eyes as she turned to stare daggers at Lady Ironside.

"What?" Tanya said. "Jack assigned them to work together so they could get to know each other better, since they'll be thrown together a lot in the future."

Cindy got up and left without saying a word, and it was my turn to stare daggers at Tanya. "And just who gave Special Agent In Charge Muscone the idea to pair up Jenkins and Carrington?"

"Uh..." said Tanya. A long moment of silence ensued. Seeing that I was not dropping it, and that I was awaiting an answer, she finally said "I thought it might help Cindy."

Teresa was wide-eyed with shock. I was still staring hard at Tanya. "You need to call Jack." I said to Tanya. "You need to get him to pull Jenkins back, and end that plan. It is already a disaster, and is going to end up hurting everyone involved."

"Do it today, Captain, do it today." Teresa said, and we all knew what she meant... that Tanya needed to do it immediately.

"But..." Tanya started, but I stopped that right away.

"There ain't no 'but' about it!" I thundered. "Now, Captain. Go fix that steaming pile of stupid idea before someone steps in it. Move!" Tanya wheeled out, looking angry... at me.

Teresa and I were staring at each other in disbelief. "I guess she meant well." Teresa said.

"The road to Hell is paved with 'I meant well'." I replied. "I just hope she can get to Jack and get it fixed in time."

Part 18 - Paved With Good Intentions

Nope.

Tim Jenkins came into Laura's office, and found only Callie Carrington inside, working at her desk. Laura was not in the room; she was meeting with her graduate students.

He went over to the small safe in the cabinet to get some papers. "Can you open this for me?" he asked. Callie didn't even look up, much less respond; she just continued typing on her laptop.

After a minute, Tim just punched in the code and took all his papers and his laptop out. "How the hell did you know that code?" Callie asked angrily, glaring at Tim.

"I watched you type it in yesterday." said Tim. "And I'm getting tired of waiting for you to open it for me, so I just opened it myself."

"Geez." Callie muttered.

Tim came over and set up, then logged in. "Anything new?" he asked. He received no response. Callie acted as if he wasn't there. "Okay." he said. "We gotta talk about this."

"No we don't." Callie replied curtly. "There's nothing to talk about."

"Yes there is." Tim said, trying to keep anger out of his voice. "You don't have to like me, but we have to work together on this. So will you at least act professionally about this?"

"Are you saying I'm acting unprofessionally?" Callie snarled.

"Yes." Tim replied. "And I'm getting tired of it. Jack assigned me to work with you, so that's what I'm trying to do. Meet me halfway, willya?"