Reunion Fever Ch. 01

Everyone cheered, then the Chief drawled "That's wonderful newzzz. I'll stop by later this morrr-ninnng."

"I will, too." growled Sheriff Griswold.

Cindy said "I'm calling Callie. She'll go get Louise, and relieve Dr. Marvin Milton of babysitting duties, and my mom will keep Louise with Betsy."

"Sounds like a plan." I said. After a few more words, I disconnected the call, then told Myron about the arrangements for Betsy, and that everyone was happy to hear the good news. He was standing or pacing, and wouldn't sit down.

"I can't believe it." Myron said, his voice shaky and tears in his eyes. "It's a boy. I have a son."

"And take it from me, there's nothing in the world like being the father of a boy." I said. At that moment, Nurse Jones came in and said that Myron could go meet his new son. Myron bolted down the hallway.

Twenty minutes later, Laura came out. "That was one big baby." she said. "I did an episiotomy on Mary to help her with it, but other than that it was a blissfully normal birth."

"That's good." I said. "Oh, hello Dr. Milton. Congratulations!"

Dr. Marvin Milton, holder of the Sir Isaac Newton Chair of Advanced Mathematics at the University, and Myron Milton's father, had just come in. He shook my proffered hand as he said "Thank you. Everything is good?"

"Yes, it went well." Laura said.

"Oh thank you!" Dr. Milton said. "Thank you for everything, Laura. Thank God you're here for us, and making sure everything is all right." I felt sure he meant by Laura being 'here' that she survived the Hospital bombing some years before. (Author's note: 'Only Time'.)

Just then, Myron appeared. "Dad! He's awesome!" the proud father announced. "He has all his fingers and toes, and he's crying like he should be. And he's huge!"

"That's great!" Marvin Milton said, emotion beginning to seep into his voice. "Congratulations, son!" He and Myron hugged each other, and kept on hugging each other for a long moment, celebrating together this momentous occasion of the continuation of their family line.

"Take me to see him." Marvin said. They went down the hall together.

Laura glanced at me and saw the profound look on my face. "Don? What is it?"

I said. "It's nothing... well, I was just remembering when Jim was born, and my father had already passed away before seeing his grandchildren..." My voice faded.

Laura slid her arm around my waist in a hug. "I understand." After a moment, she said "I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Take me to the University Diner up the street and treat me to breakfast."

"My lady's wish is my command." I said, realizing I was hungry, too...

Part 3 - Preparation of the Objective

"This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Channel Two News!" shouted the redheaded MILF reporterette at 7:00am, Thursday, September 30th. "The Federal Government is taking over the Toyota Gang case!"

After the hard-charging intro music, Bettina began: "Channel Two News has learned that the FBI and DEA are taking control of the case involving a group of criminals known as the Toyota Gang. This gang has operated for months with impunity all over the western half of our State and the eastern part of the State to our west, including our Town & County... and Commander Donald Troy and the TCPD have failed to do a thing about it."

Bettina went through the basics of the Toyota Gang, then said "The FBI and DEA believe that the gang may be involved in drug and arms trafficking, but it is their credible evidence that the gang is crossing State Lines and operating in two States that is being used as their justification to take the case away from Commander Donald Troy."

Bettina: "And now let's go to reporter Pat Stellum for a breaking story about insubordinate University professors. Pat!"

"That's right, Bettina!" said the portly reporter as he came onto the feed, reporting from the sidewalk on the east side of University Avenue, with the School's entrance gate and signature Clock Tower in his background. "Two Biology professors, Doctors Woods and Shelby, were formally notified by the Office of University President Jerry Moore that they are being brought up for termination for cause, for refusing to sign documents declaring their support for the Biology School & Climate Change Center's mission of Climate Justice!"

Stellum: "Dr. Moore ordered all Biology School professors and employees to sign the documentation, and the refusal by those two professors are grounds for termination for cause. They have been suspended pending the hearings to proceed with their firings, and have been locked out of their offices and ordered to not step on the grounds of the University or they will be arrested and charged with trespassing."

Stellum: "Both professors have tenure, so a lengthy process will have to take place to 'show cause' why they should be fired, but legal experts tell Channel Two News that the President has a strong case based on merit, and that it will only be a matter of time and executing the process to have the professors's employment with the School terminated."

The feed went to a split-screen and Bettina said "Pat, will the professors be retained if they do what they were told, and sign the very reasonable documents in support of the great cause of Climate Justice?"

Stellum: "At this point, Bettina, it's not clear if they would be. However, it may be a moot point. Both professors have made statements saying they will never sign those documents, and that it is criminal of Dr. Moore to demand they sign them. Furthermore, they announced their intent to sue Dr. Moore, Dr. Lionel Carmela, and the University. Additionally, Dr. Clarence P. Chase, Dean of the Law School, announced he will represent them in their lawsuits pro bono. Back to you, Bettina..."

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

"Wow. Just wow." said Lt. Commander Teresa Croyle as she, Sheriff Antonio Griswold, Your Iron Crowbar (Me), Chief Sean Moynahan, Commander Tanya P. Muscone, Assistant District Attorney Paulina Patterson, and Chief Deputy Sheriff Cindy Ross drank coffee as we watched the propaganda-cast in the Chief's Conference Room.

When Teresa said no more, Cindy said "Which part?"

"All of it." Teresa said.

Tanya said "And as a possible tie-in to that report, Jack is bringing a contingent of friendly Federal Agents here at 9:00am for a meeting." FBI Special Agent In Charge Jack Muscone was Tanya's husband.

"I guess that'll be the official notification that they're taking over the case?" I asked.

*CHIME*
*CHIME*

It was the Chief's and Tanya's Police iPhones chiming. Chief Moynahan said "Muscone wants to move the meeting up to 8:00am. I guess they just heard Bettina's verbal diarrhea. I'll text him that it's fine, and you can DVR the Fox Eight News broadcast and post-ponnnne the Angel's Meeting." I nodded in acquiescence.

"To answer your question, Don," Tanya said, "Jack didn't tell me the details, just that they were coming over. So I guess it's to tell us what's going on, and more accurately than Bettina's half-truth, half-fiction garbage."

Cindy said "Anyone know what's going on with the Biology professors?" For some strange reason, everyone looked at me. As I shrugged, Cindy said "Come on, Don, you've got the closest source to the University." She meant my wife.

I replied "And your source is right up there with mine." I meant Cindy's wife, who worked directly for my wife.

That did not stop everyone from looking at me, so I said "Laura hasn't told me anything, and she may not know anything yet. I wouldn't be surprised if the professors weren't notified until the very last minute yesterday."

"So how did they get statements to the Press?" Cindy asked.

I replied "They may have been expecting this and been pre-prepared, but I suspect that Carmela leaked it to Stellum and KXTC, and the Press called the professors and asked for their reaction. That would be par-for-the-course for that sicko Carmela and his fawning sycophant Stellum."

"Paulina," Teresa asked, "can Dr. Moore do that to those professors? Don't they have tenure?"

Paulina replied "I'm not totally expert on that area of the Law, so I'm not sure. They can't just be laid off or terminated on a whim, but they likely can be fired for sufficient cause. The problem is the cause... not signing so-called 'loyalty documents' is mighty thin."

I said "It sounds like they're trying to set up the professors. They know they won't sign, so they call it 'insubordination'. It's damned if they do and damned if they don't, and either way, they are absolutely fucked over. The lawsuit they're going to file is the only recourse available to them, but that will cost them a ton of money."

Me: "Even with Dr. Chase representing them pro bono, their salaries and grant money are cut off with their suspensions. And Dr. Moore has the relatively unlimited resources of our tax dollars funding and fueling his actions against them."

Teresa said: "What bothers me more is this whole 'loyalty documents' thing. That's straight outta Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union. I can't believe such a thing is legal or legit in any way."

Paulina said "You know... that may be exactly what they're doing. They're setting up a test case. If it fails, it fails, but like Don said, they've bled those professors of their money while smearing their reputations, and showing others what happens to anyone who dares to speak out against them. And if it succeeds, it becomes a legal precedent, and the concepts of Free Thinking, Free Speech, and Free Scientific Inquiry will be totally eradicated from our Institutions of Higher Learning."

I added: "Just like what Ayn Rand said happened to Russian universities as the Bolsheviks infected them, ultimately leading to the Communism of the Soviet Union..."

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

7:45am. Captain of Detectives Claire Michaels escorted DEA Supervisory Special Agent Lorena Rose to my office. After Lorena hugged me and then Teresa, we sat down and talked as we drank coffee.

"Sooo," I said, "what's it about?"

Lorena said "I'll let SAC Muscone tell you what the meeting and the issues are about. But I wanted to talk to you, sir, because Claire suggested that I ask the question I asked her to you."

"All right." I said.

Lorena said "Dwight Stevens seems to be a good guy, and one of the (air quotes) 'Good Guys', sir. But he says to be wary of you, and I get the feeling he doesn't like you. When I asked what was wrong with you, he says you know too much and before you should, and that you don't share information with others when it would be in everyone's best interest, if not safety, to do so---"

"Oh, is that all?" Teresa said, a bit cattily. A red crowbar was waved in her general direction.

Lorena grinned, then finished: "That doesn't sound like the Iron Crowbar I know, so I wanted to get your side of things. And I need to know if I can trust Dwight or not."

"We-elllll," I said, "I think he's one of the good guys, but most people accept my methods instead of trying to fight them. Did you hear of the Marcie Harper drug bust?" (Author's note: 'Schoolhouse Rock'.)

Lorena's eyes widened as she said "Of course! That was the biggest and best drug bust ever! It's required reading at the California Police Academies, the DEA's academies, and for the LAPD's drug units!"

I said "We-ellll, during that case I managed to save Agent Stevens from making a horrible mistake, but instead of being grateful, he got angry. In fairness, he thought I was trying to take credit for what he thought was going to be his bust. In reality, credit went where due... to a five-year-old Detective who is going to be much, much better than me one day."

Me: "And then we ran into some 'need-to-know' issues during the Captain Masters I.A. case." (Author's note: 'Who Watches The Watchers') "And I'm the one that should be pissed off at him, especially after the way he insulted my Angel, the Iron Wolf." Claire and Lorena looked over at Teresa, who just shrugged her eyebrows as she delivered a rather sarcastic half-smile.

I said "Unless you know something I don't, Lorena, I think you can trust Dwight. But if he wants to keep his head up his fourth point of contact about me and my methods, and keep being a jerk about it when I could be the best friend he ever had? That's his problem."

After another couple of minutes of small talk, I sent Lorena to escort her fellow Federal Agents down the hallway. Claire, Teresa, and I went to the Main Conference Room...

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

8:00am, Thursday, September 30th. Lorena escorted FBI SAC Jack Muscone to the Main Conference Room. With them were DEA Supervisory Special Agents Dwight Stevens, Special Agent Kevin Pitts, and FBI Special Agent Tracy Stone.

In the Main Conference Room were Chief Moynahan, Me, Cindy Ross, Tanya Muscone, Teresa Croyle, and Captain of Detectives Claire Michaels. The Chief was sitting at the near end of the table, me to his left, then Claire, then Cindy. Teresa sat at the seat to the right of the far end, where she could observe as well as defend the rest of us if need be. Tanya was in her wheelchair to the Chief's right. Muscone sat next to her, then Dwight, Lorena, Kevin and Tracy filled in the seats on the near side.

I shook hands with Pitts, saying "You're looking healthy. Fully recovered?"

"Oh yeah, I feel great." said Pitts. "And I'm passing my psycho exams, too. Which doesn't mean much... you have to be psycho to survive in today's politicized DEA." We all laughed.

"Hear hear." replied Jack Muscone as he shook hands with all of us. Dwight Stevens's handshake with me was a bit perfunctory, but he greeted Claire warmly enough.

Once we were settled in our seats, Jack said "I suppose you're wondering why I called this meeting." It was meant at least semi-humorously.

"Gotta be the Toyota Gang." said Claire.

"I hope it's about the Toyota Gang." I said. "If it's anything else, we are way behind the power curve on things."

"Soooo, are you here to tell us the Feds are taking o-verrrr?" asked Chief Moynahan.

Jack Muscone said with a tiny twinkle in his beady black eyes: "You may be surprised to hear that we are not here to tell you that. We, meaning my FBI team and Dwight's DEA team, are not the ones taking it over... if it's being taken over at all."

Claire and Cindy looked shocked. Claire said "Then... then why did Wurtzburg say that crap in her report this morning?"

"They're not sure, either." I said. "Which is why they moved the meeting up an hour."

"Not much gets past you, Commander." said Lorena Rose with a grin.

"How long have you been waiting to say that?" Claire asked her good friend Lorena.

"A long time." replied Lorena as almost everyone chuckled.

"Seriously," said Dwight Stevens, to regain control of the conversation, and move it along, "we have no real evidence that this gang is moving, distributing, or selling drugs. When we heard that report this morning, we wondered if maybe someone had found that they were moving arms or other contraband, and the ATF was coming in. But it's not drugs, and it's not us trying to take over the case."

Muscone said "And my team and I have been considering that any so-called evidence of multi-State operations are manufactured. In other words, someone drives a suspicious Toyota around in a town in the State west of here, and then boom! they claim Federal jurisdiction."

"But why would someone do that?" asked the Chief skeptically. "If the case is that big a deal, why not just ask us and the SBI to work jointly on it? I'd sure let you in on it if you did."

Dwight Stevens saw the small wince on my face and said "I'm not sure Commander Troy agrees with you on that, Chief."

"I don't dis-agree with my boss on it, either." I said. "I would love to know it if there was more to this gang than a few convenience store holdups. Show me a multi-State operation, show me drugs, alcohol, or arms, especially if they're crossing State lines, and I'll be the first person making phone calls to you." No one was sure if I really meant that, but no one challenged me on it, either.

"So if it's not you guys," said Claire, "then why is Bettina reporting it?"

"And for whose interests?" Tanya added. "They don't report things that definitively, nor report them at all, really, unless it's part of their agenda or interests to do so."

"We don't know." said Jack Muscone. "We're the Mushroom Club today. But I do have an idea. I'd like to bring in a BAU Team. Not the corrupt Rovers team, of course, but a more honest and reliable one, like Aaron Russo's team." (Author's note: 'Cool For The Summer', Ch. 03, for the first appearance of the Russo BAU team.)

"Oh, I remember them." I said witheringly. "Special Agent Luke Morgan called me a racist and threatened to kill me."

"He might get to stay at home, then." said Muscone. "But they're not bad people and they're not a bad group." I bit my tongue at that; the Russo BAU team hand helped Muscone rendition Archie Brody, who later committed suicide over their persecution of him.

"All right, objection number two." I replied. "Exactly why do we need a BAU Team, any BAU Team around here?" And with that question, Jack Muscone knew that I was seeing right through him.

"Like Lorena said," Muscone replied in acknowledgement, "not much gets past you. I know you guys have done some great analytics, and so has the SBI and our guys on my teams in The City and in Southport, so I won't pretend that's the reason to bring Russo's team in. In reality...they'd be looking to see who the moles around here are, the ones leaking to Bettina."

"No need for a full BAU Team for that." I said. "If they're honest, they'll discover what I already know: Lindsey Black and Karl Coleman are in Town."

"Whaa?!" gasped Dwight Stevens and Tracy Stone. Kevin Pitts also looked surprised. Lorena didn't really know who those particular Swamp Frogs were.

"How do you know that?" Stevens thundered, his shock turning to anger. "And why didn't you share that with us?" I felt as much as saw Lorena look knowingly at me, remembering our conversation just a few moments earlier.

"That would make sense, that the Swamp Frogs are here." Muscone replied. But he was not doing a very good acting job, and I knew that he knew more than he was telling as he continued: "But whatever they're doing, they're not talking to us about it. As to the Russo team, I know that the Miltons are a little bit distracted, and please give them our congratulations on their new baby. So the BAU guys might could help, and could see things from a different and outside point of view."

"I understand Mis-ter Crowbarrrr's reasons to be skeptical." Chief Moynahan said, speaking to Jack but in reality talking to me. "But maybe some outside help would be good, especially since this gang is operating all over the western half of this State."

I stopped pretending, and said "So what has Russo's team already told you about the Toyota Gang? When and where do they expect the gang to hit us next?"

Muscone glared at me, then said "They told EAD Owen Lange that, based on their independent analytics, they thought the Toyota Gang was likeliest to hit your County this coming weekend. They compiled a list of six potential targets that the percentages favor being hit."

Claire Michaels said "We did that once before. Figured out the likely places and dates and times. And we were half right; they hit us on August 28th... but not at the stores we thought were likely to get hit. It was as if they had analytics, or had somehow gotten ours and avoided the places we were watching, while hitting others."

Kevin Pitts said "I'm not trying to play the blame game, here, but if you had places staked out, maybe they spotted your vans or cars, and went to other places. After all, you've got that guy they call 'The Teacher' here, willing to sell information about the Police to the highest bidder... and the next highest bidder... and so on."