The chronological order of my stories is now listed in WifeWatchman's biography.
Feedback and
constructive
criticism is very much appreciated, and I encourage feedback for ideas.
This story contains graphic scenes, language and actions that might be extremely offensive to some people. These scenes, words and actions are used only for the literary purposes of this story. The author does not condone murder, racial language, violence, rape or violence against women, and any depictions of any of these in this story should not be construed as acceptance of the above.
Part 12 - Flash Bang
"It's not what you think." said Brett Snow.
"I think it's you looking for Jeremy's cellphone, so you can break a huge story about the local Alternative Theater play having explicit, hardcore sex." said Phyllis.
"Okay, then it
is
what you think." replied Snow. "But I had nothing to do with Jeremy getting hurt."
"And why should we believe that?" asked Lt. Perlman sharply as she wheeled herself up to Phyllis and Brett. "What I see is you holding a cell phone you believe to be be his, after an unauthorized and illegal search while trespassing in this theater, and with us knowing for a fact that
you
, Mr. Snow, accompanied Jeremy back to this Theater Building after he came to you at the Student Newspaper offices, and very shortly before he was found fatally injured."
"First things first." said Phyllis. "Officer Tarleton, please make sure this man has no weapons or anything that can harm us or himself." Tarleton did so, thoroughly frisking Snow before forcing him to sit down.
"So, Mr. Snow," said Phyllis, "the floor is open. I would suggest you begin talking, and quickly. What happened that night?"
Snow recounted how Jeremy had come to his offices, told him about the hardcore sex at the play practice, and that he, Jeremy, had filmed some of it and then had hidden his cellphone.
"So you came in the building through the window before Jeremy did?" asked Phyllis.
"Yes." said Snow. "I was going to let him in. I'm taller than he is; it was easier for me to get through the window and to the floor without making noise. I also didn't tell him, but I didn't want him to get his cellphone without me observing it. I didn't want him changing his mind."
"So you opened the door to let him in, and
*poof!*
he was gone." said Phyllis. "Why didn't you look for the cellphone?... oh, you don't have to answer, I can tell you: you came on outside and the door locked behind you. You then saw Jeremy at the far end of the building, already having been attacked. You panicked and you ran back to your offices, is that not right?"
"Yes, that's right." said Snow.
"You're lying." said Tanya. "You could not have done that. Jeremy cried out when he was hit, and two Campus Police officers were already coming up to see what happened. You
did
go through the window back into the Theater Building, hid, and when the Campus Police came you came out behind them and said you were with the newspaper, and asked what was going on."
"You're damn lucky you weren't seen and arrested." said Phyllis. "If you had been, I doubt I could've saved you from being charged
and convicted
of the attack on Jeremy. But you can now redeem yourself greatly, Mr. Snow. Tell me this: you were watching the crime scene being investigated. What happened then?"
"More Campus Police came, including the 'big guy', Lt. Hanson." said Snow. "Then some SBI guys came and they started arguing about jurisdiction. All of the Campus Police left, and one of them whispered to me to come with them if I didn't want to get in trouble. So I went with them, and they later told me that the SBI guy was the head of the SBI's NTF, and was a really bad man."
"No doubt about that." said Tanya. "But you're pretty damn spineless for a wannabee-journalist. I can guarantee you that Bettina Wurtzburg would never, ever, have left that crime scene without being physically carried off."
"She has a crew protecting her." said Brett Snow. "I didn't. I also was able to get some information from the Crime Lab techs. And as this Detective just said, I was hip-deep in
kim-shee
if anyone realized that I had been at the Theater when Jeremy was attacked." Tanya remained unimpressed at Snow's lack of courage.
"Okay, Officer Tarleton," said Phyllis, "after taking Lt. Perlman back upstairs, you can take Mr. Snow here down to Campus Headquarters and get a statement from him. Mr. Snow, I'd suggest you not leave this County, or you could be facing some trespassing and evidence tampering charges."
After Tarleton took Snow off to the Campus Police station, Phyllis and Tanya were headed north towards the Crime Lab Building, Phyllis walking as Tanya drove her wheelchair along. Phyllis was introspective.
"So you don't think he's the killer?" asked Tanya.
"I don't know." said Phyllis. "He's going to find himself under arrest at the Campus Police Station. I didn't want to try anything in the Theater, as your mobility was limited in there, so Lt. Hanson will arrest him when he gets there. He'll have to accept ankle monitoring to go free. But as to his guilt? I might be wrong, but I'm inclined to believe his innocence."
"Because of the story he wanted to publish? That there was live sex in the play?" Tanya asked.
"That's a lot of it." said Phyllis. "He has no motive to kill Jeremy, except that Jeremy's impending death gives him an even bigger story: 'Live sex in theater play! Boy exposing it murdered!'. But it was a big enough story as it was."
"Are we overlooking the women in the play in all of this?" asked Tanya. "Stella has good reason to want to suppress the story. Pam is close to failing out of school, and this could cause her problems there."
"Do you think either girl could hit Jeremy as hard as he was hit?" asked Phyllis. "Not to mention having the capacity for evil to do it. No, my friend, it's pretty obvious who did do it. Did you not see how he gave himself away?------ Oh my, what's that?"
The soft pops of gunfire could be heard coming from Town, followed by the sharp wails of the sirens of TCPD Police cruisers...
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
**BANG!!**
The concussion of the flash grenade thrown by Callie reverberated down the hallway, and the thick tear gas of her second grenade impeded the men that had been converging on her and Eddy. Grabbing Eddy's hand, Callie pulled him down the hallway towards the metal door.
"Don't go through that one!" she yelled, pulling him to the left as he was about to attack the door. "Over here!" Just down this narrow hallway was another fire escape door. It actually opened. The other one had been rigged to remain locked, and to set off an alarm that would lock the other doors, trapping them inside.
Callie burst out of the building into the alley, followed by Eddy. She ran for what looked like some boxes about 80 feet down the alley just as Jamie Silver's Security perps came bursting out the door and began firing at them with semi-auto pistols!
"DIVE!" yelled Callie, suiting the deed to her word as she scurried behind the boxes. Eddy followed closely as bullets whizzed just inches over his head and back.
More perps poured out of the building from around the side and through other doors. They began running toward the boxes... when suddenly three dozen red dots of laser sights trained upon them glowed brightly on their white shirts.
"POLICE! DROP YOUR WEAPONS AND RAISE YOUR HANDS!" yelled a command over a megaphone. Seeing that they were being encircled and trapped, the perps complied.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Shit." said Jaime Silver, who was inside the building and becoming aware of the situation. "You guys hit the tunnels. Meet at the safehouse. Go!" The security guys all moved quickly to the basement, and to a sewer drain. Going down the ladder, heedless of what the grime was doing to their suits and shirts, they dropped into the tunnels below.
As they went down a tunnel, they found that one of the crossing tunnels was blocked... and then found those bright red laser dots trained on them.
"POLICE!" yelled a voice. "Drop your weapons!"
These were not Westboro's amped-up troops that would fight to the death or die by suicide. Silver's men surrendered.
Part 13 - Wrap-Up
"The good news is: the Police did not fire a single shot." reported Lt. Teresa Croyle. "The bad news is: Jaime Silver got away. No sign of him at all."
We were at County Jail. The perps were being processed, charged with a number of felony crimes. Statements were being taken on videocamera, including Callie's and Eddy's version of what happened. I was in the adjacent 3d Precinct Conference Room with Cindy, and we were furiously typing on our laptops, gathering and collating information.
"It's really good our guys didn't shoot." I said. "Saves us from a huge indemnification issue with Callie and Eddy. How are they, by the way?"
"Callie's excited." said Teresa. "She absolutely loved it. If we gave her a bed, she'd make three porn films within the next ninety minutes." I chuckled out loud at that one, and marveled at Teresa's astuteness in her comment.
Teresa continued: "Eddy's okay, also. No injuries to anyone to report, at least none that have been relayed to me."
"Good." I said. As Teresa turned for the door, I said "Lieutenant Croyle!" She turned back and I said "You did a damn good job tonight. Really excellent. I will be telling the Chief and the Sheriff that it is not possible for me to be any more proud of you than I am right now." Cindy smiled at my words as she vigorously nodded in agreement.
"Thank you, sir." said Teresa. If she was flattered or happy with the praise, she did not show it. "I had a great team working for me."