Falsely Accused Ch. 06

Moments later, the Security man was carefully checking her small purse for any cameras, recorders, or transmitters. There were none, and her cell phone was shut off, as it was expected to be. Once it was determined that her clothes, jewelry, and high heel pumps were also not serving as transmitters, she was allowed to leave.

Fools, she thought to herself as she headed to the rendezvous point to meet her contact. The technology in her purse, that fed a cellphone that looked to be shut off but wasn't, was the very best the Central Intelligence Agency had to offer... and like Marie and Cherie Ward were sisters, Racquel was the older sister of Professor Laura Fredricson's gorgeous blonde assistant Laurie...

Part 27 - Left Bleeding on the Battlefield

"This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Fox Two News!" shouted the lovely redheaded reporterette at 7:00am, Wednesday, September 13th, from in front of City Hall. "Fox Two News has learned that Police Deputy Chief Della Harlow has opted for early retirement instead of disciplinary charges that would've seen her demoted and possibly transferred!"

Bettina: "Chief Sean Moynahan has announced that he is restructuring the leadership of his Police Force. Commander Don Troy remains Police Commander and overall second-in-command of the Force, and most of the Captains will remain at their current positions for the time being. Chief Moynahan stated that the Deputy Chief position will not be filled until next year at the earliest, and that he, the Chief, will personally oversee Administrative operations for the time being."

Bettina: "In other news, Fox Two News has learned that State Attorney Jenna Stiles is considering another run for District Attorney against Gil Krasney, and Solicitor Miriam Walters is likewise considering a run at D.A. Both Loran T. Michaels and Della Harlow are considering campaigns for Sheriff against Daniel Allgood, who has yet to comment on his plans to run again. And Mayor Larry Vaughan, the People's Choice, has announced that he will not run again for Mayor, but is being courted as a Republican challenger to U.S. Congressman Gerald A. Condor of our 1st District, who is a Democrat."

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

"The American system versus the Canadian and British parliamentary system." said Cindy in MCD as we watched Bettina's broadcast. "The Election Day for Parliament is not set in stone nor the Constitution..."

"The British don't even have a written Constitution." I said. "They are the only country in the world that can get away with that and remain a Free People."

"God save the Queen." said Cindy. "Anyway, the American system is great... but we have set dates for Elections... and because of that, it seems that the political cycle never ends."

"And as long as we have people throwing money at the politicians," said Teresa with considerable cynicism, "we will have political cycles."

"That's true on the national level." said Joanne. "And the State. But on the local level?"

"Just wait until you see the Mayor's race start up." I said.

"What are you running for, Commander?" Theo Washington asked me, flashing his 'movie star handsome' grin. He was trying to start 'trouble' for the ol' Police Commander.

"The potty." I said as I headed for the back door. "I gotta get this coffee out of me before I leave for Midtown... Ross, Croyle, try to keep the Police Force out of trouble while I'm gone, okay? Send Rudistan to his room if you have to." Rudistan rolled with it, grinning as everyone laughed...

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

Chief Griswold was riding shotgun in my Police SUV as we drove towards Midtown. "So what's this about, Crowbar?" he asked.

"All of the others that Luskin accused are taking her to Court." I said. "That leaves one person left: Quint Danielson. I'm trying to get some Justice for him."

We arrived at the State Capitol, where I was allowed to park in the area for Law Enforcement vehicles. Going in, we were ushered into the Governor's Office. Chief Griswold had made the appointment on my behalf.

A few minutes later, the Governor came in. I was shocked by his appearance. He had lost weight, and looked gaunt. His face was haggard, and he looked exhausted as he shook hands with us.

"Governor," I said, "are you letting the Press get to you?"

"I could tell you that I'm not as young as you, Commander." said Jared. "But it's not that. It's not the Press, either; they're just pieces of shit. What is killing me is how it's affecting my wife. She can't stand seeing me attacked like this, and it kills me to see her in so much pain."

"You don't have to take this shit, you know." growled Griswold.

"She won't let me resign, either." Jared said. "And she's right... we walk away now, and the Press will say it's because every lie they've told about me is true. And it will be a fatal loss for the good people of this State, the Grassroots that we're fighting for." I nodded.

"You've endured political attacks before, Governor." I said. "So what is it that is really eating you up?"

"Not much gets past the man, Val." said Griswold.

"Is that why you both came down today?" asked the Governor.

"No." I said. "But since I'm here, why don't you let me help."

"They were going to convene the Legislature to impeach me." said the Governor. "And the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which strongly supports illegal immigration, has been pressuring Republicans whose campaign ads they paid for to agree to convict me in the State Senate. Now I wouldn't even mind that, except for one thing: Graham Collins. Commander, you have no idea how deeply corrupt that man is. You'd rather have Jack Lewis as Governor than him."

"I dunno about that." growled Griswold.

"I do." said Jared. "Collins had money in Pine Valley, through intermediaries and layers of legal entanglements. He was getting kickbacks for developments near the City, the ones that ended up digging up those bodies the Black Velvet killer buried. And he's got his hands in Thomas P. Cook's pockets, too... siphoning off money out of your County, Commander. He's going to primary Senator Richard Nunn, who he despises. And he wants to be Governor as a stepping stone to that."

I took an envelope out of my trenchcoat pocket. "Here's an idea you can try." I said. "At the least, you'll expose the U.S. Chamber for what they truly are." The Governor opened the envelope, read what was on the paper inside, his eyes wide with shock, then put the envelope in his suit pocket.

"So," said the Governor, "what can I do for you?"

"You know about the rape case in my County?" I asked. The Governor nodded. I said "There was one man she got put in prison. He had no prior record, he's a decent guy, and he was framed by her. I'd like for you to pardon him."

"Quint Danielson?" asked the Governor. It was my turn to be surprised.

"Yes sir." I said.

"You're not going to like my answer, Commander." said the Governor. "I cannot do as you ask. I will not pardon him, nor commute his sentence."

"Governor..." I said, "he's a decent man. I checked hard into him, I talked to him in prison. He did not commit that rape; Luskin falsely accused him, too. He deserves a pardon."

"Within the extent of your knowledge of him, you are right." said the Governor. "But there are some things you don't know, and I will not tell you those things. Danielson can ask for a new trial. I can tell you now that he will not get one. He will remain where he is, and you'll have to trust me that it's for his own good."

"I don't see how prison is for his own good, when he did not commit the crime." I said. Then it dawned on me. "What is it, Governor? What is this secret about him? Why was he framed? I know why the others were; he's the only one that does not fit the pattern. What's going on?"

"Like I said," said the Governor, "I won't say. It's not my secret to tell. And it's so damaging that if you do find out what it is... and with your abilities you will find out... then you will understand, and you will agree with me."

I shook my head, then stood up. "Governor," I said severely, "I cannot believe you're going to leave an innocent man bleeding on the battlefield. Good luck to you, sir; you're going to need it." With that, I walked out of the room.

"He doesn't understand." said the Governor. "Grizz, you've got to---"

"Val," said Griswold, also standing up, "you and I have been friends for a long, long time. But Don Troy... well, let me just say that when I was forced to retire, I left my Police Force in the hands of the one man I trusted, much like a father leaves his business to his son. That is what Don Troy means to me. I'd suggest you either trust him with your secret... or face the consequences when he finds out on his own. Good luck, Val. Like Don said, you're going to need it."

And with that, Chief Griswold left the room, and a friendship of decades, in his wake.

Part 28 - Friends and Family Plan

Thursday, September 14th. Laura and I went to Daniel and Melina's home, with Carole and Jim in tow. Carole was very excited to see her cousin Patricia, and little Daniel and Jim found things to do, as well... mostly things that caused 'trouble' for their parents.

There was no hiding the tension among the adults, though. Melina had told Laura (who told me) that Daniel had also not really wanted any fence-mending with me, but was doing it for his wife's sake. Dinner was mostly the women talking about the kids.

After dinner, Daniel and I went onto the back deck, looking over the city from the northeast angle, and lower than The Cabin.

"I know that it was Chief Griswold that asked you to suspend me," I said, speaking first and getting right to the point, "and I understand his reasons why. But I don't agree with him, and you did not have to do it. You, like him, should have trusted me, and should not have done that."

"To be totally honest," said Daniel, "I didn't need a whole lot of persuasion. I don't know if you're aware of just how tense things were, among the people I have to deal with on a regular basis. I know you acted for your family, but if I had not have suspended you, things would've ratcheted up even more."

"I don't agree." I said. "They still ginned up a riot after I was suspended, trying to take down Teresa, too. They saw their actions had worked once, and tried to do it again. If you'd held the line, they would've hesitated, and then lost."

"Maybe. Anyway, you were right about Luskin." said Daniel. "If Moynahan hadn't have intervened on your behalf, you might still be suspended and waiting for a Board of Inquiry... but he did act, and it's all in the past now."

"No, it's not." I said. "The FBI, or Jack's team to be precise, arrested Luskin. But the people behind the whole plot are still out there, and planning their next move. And there's still the situation of me not knowing if I'm going to be able to continue to do my job, with you looking over my shoulder like you're doing."

"Do your job properly, and there's no problem." said Daniel.

"I was doing it properly... and still got suspended without pay before a Board of Inquiry had even convened." I replied. "And that's all on you, Daniel."

"So what do you want me to do?" Daniel asked, seeing that he was going to lose any battle on these issues. "Resign as Sheriff?"

"No." I said. "Finish out your term."

"What, are you going to run against me?" asked Daniel.

"What if I do?" I asked, my eyes boring into Daniel's. I saw his surprise, then his thoughtfulness.

"If you do," he said, "do me the favor of telling me beforehand. I won't run against you. We might split the vote, then Michaels or, God forbid, Harlow might win. If you want the job that badly, I'll stand aside."

"What will you do?" I asked.

"I don't know." said Daniel. "Find a Police Force somewhere. City I.A. needs a lot of help."

"Oh, you don't want to leave here, and neither does Melina." I said. "And Carole loves Patricia. No, Daniel, you love being a politician, and that is what you should do. Oh, and by the way, I have no desire to be Sheriff; I am happy doing what I am doing, and I'm doing the most good where I am. No, I'm not running for Sheriff... and you won't be, either. You are going to be 'Mayor Allgood' in a little over a year. The best people in their proper places, I always say."

"And Sheriff? Your boss's boss? Got a plan for that?" asked Daniel.

I chuckled. "Don't you know by now that I have a plan for everything?"

Part 29 - Clan of the Crowbar

On Thursday afternoon, I had gone into Teresa's office, having her sit back down as she stood up.

"What are you doing Saturday evening?" I asked.

"I think Todd and I are staying in with the kids." Teresa said.

"Good." I said. Then I said more formally "I would like for you to be my guest at a chanoyu, the Japanese Tea Ceremony." I extended her a scroll, which was the formal invitation.

"Why... thank you, sir." said Teresa. "I'd love that. Where and when?"

"The Buddhist Center on Campus." I said. "They have a chashitsu, a tea house."

"I'd be honored, sir." said Teresa. "I'll let Todd know..."

"He already knows." I said. "I called him to make sure you were free for the evening. You, I asked; him, I just told." Teresa laughed at that.

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

On Saturday afternoon, I arrived at the Buddhist Center, where I was shown the tea garden, a mostly open space, and the tea house, which was a small one-room chamber with a small kitchen in back. It would be perfect for the ceremonies.

I had been studying the tea ceremony with Takaki Misaki's daughter Mariko, with the Buddhist monks of the Buddhist Center here on Campus, and I'd read the manuals and practiced. Now was not the time to dishonor myself by failing in the rituals.

The first part of the ritual was cleanliness. I began cleaning the front area, raking down the garden stones, cleaning the steps and the tea house by hand. Once finished, I used the Center's bath facilities to clean up and get dressed. I was wearing a black kimono with a red sash, and a red overmantle and vest, whose front sashes tucked into the belt.

There was one addition. I had created an insignia for my clan, which had been required after Takaki Misaki had given me the Crowbar Katana and it's companion short sword. I had taken six long, thin, red diamonds that came together in the center, not quite touching, in a flower pattern that formed a hexagon-like symbol. The background was black, and the edges and circle surrounding the six diamonds was gold. The background behind the entire insignia, if needed, was red,.

The Imperial Clan of Japan, that being the Emperor and his family, was the sixteen-petal chrysanthemum, and many people know the Tokugawa symbol, a circle with three leaves growing inward in a triangular shape, with intricate lines between. The Takaki clan symbol was similar, but was four such leaves pointing inward, representing the four points of the compass, the symbol of the Intelligence services. The CIA shield also has a sixteen-point compass, as an example. The Takaki had long been spies and the Intelligence services to Shoguns and to the Imperial Family, and now served the Japanese Nation in that capacity.

The red of my six-petal pattern also represented Iron, and there was some chemical basis for the symbol as well. And of course, the hexagon was part of my heritage from my maternal great-grandparents, remindful of the six-pointed Star of David that is now in the Flag of the State of Israel...

I put a small banner with the Troy Clan symbol on it near the hearth. Banners are vertically long and horizontally thin; larger banners are ten to twelve feet high and two feet or so wide...

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

Sundown, Saturday, September 16th. Teresa Croyle entered the courtyard of the tea garden and walked across to the tea house. She was wearing a black silk kimono with a silk red sash; it was a gift from her host.

She washed her hands at the small pool of water in the stone bowl, seeing the character on the towel next to it: 忠 , which means 'loyalty'. She saw the tall red banners on either side of the tea house, with the gold circle and the red diamond petals radiating from the center, not quite touching, against the black background. An impressive Clan symbol, she thought.

The garden was lit with Chinese hanging candles, which would float like hot air balloons if not tethered down. It was nearly a fairyland of lights and candles.

Entering the tea house through the short door that even she had to crouch down to access, Teresa came into the room and saw me sitting cross-legged in the host's spot in the light of candles, my swords laid to one side. She bowed and I returned it, and she sat at the spot reserved for the first guest.

A formal tea ceremony like this one is preceded by dinner. I had chosen steak and asparagus, which I knew Teresa liked, and which I liked as well. As we ate, I explained the reason for giving her the ceremony.

"In all of this for these last few weeks," I said, "I observed that one personal was totally and unwaveringly loyal to me, and that person was you. I am very grateful to you, and we could not have succeeded without your faith."

"I'm honored." said Teresa. In a chanoyu, host and guests were equal, so she did not have to say 'sir'. "And my loyalty to you has been earned many times over by your loyalty to me. I would not be here without you, and it."

Once the meal was over, I began the formal chanoyu. Taking a porcelain tea cup, that had a bluish tinge to it, I carefully scooped some of the green powdered tea in the silk-wrapped tea caddy into the cup with a wooden spoon. Then I used a larger wooden spoon, a cup on the end of a stick, to take hot water from the pot on the brazier, and added it to the powder, then stirred it with a whisk. I formally offered it to Teresa, who correctly turned the cup in her hands three times, then drank from it in sips.

Then I took the cup that Misaki had given me, the one used in that field after my victory over Raymond Kyle Westboro, and made tea for myself, drinking it formally, knowing that every movement was to be observed and graded and judged.

As I made Teresa's second cup of the green tea, I felt myself going into a 'zone', a seemingly higher place, a place of peace. I had heard and read that cha-masters had sometimes reached this level of inner peace, but I was no master and had not expected to achieve this. I allowed the feeling to wash over me as I offered Teresa her cup of tea, then made and drank my own. In time, a third cup for each of us. Then the chanoyu was over.

"It's all... so beautiful." said Teresa, looking around in almost childlike wonder, and I realized she was in her own zone.

"Yes." I said quietly. "Thank you for being my guest."

"Thank you for being my host." Teresa replied.

"I do have one more thing to ask of you." I said. "You have been loyal to me, and you have been greatly helpful to me, such as going to save Laura despite your recent surgery. Would you accept becoming part of Clan Troy?"

"I..." Teresa said, faltering. She bowed low, to hide the tears that had come to her eyes. "I would be greatly honored. Arigato! Arigato... but... what about my upcoming marriage to Todd?"

"It will be a joining of clans." I said. "Todd formally joined the Takaki some time ago, as did Teddy Franklin and some others. But despite your work with them, you are still your own person. I would be honored if you became a part of my clan."

"I accept, and am greatly honored to be a part of Clan Troy." Teresa said, bowing again.

I tapped a small gong near the small banner. "Laura-san, she has accepted." I said. Laura's voice came from behind the wall, acknowledging my words.