Vengeance Is Mine

This story is part of an ongoing series.

The chronological order of my stories is 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, racism, 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.

***

Author's special note: This story is written for the

2022 "Hammered: an Ode to Mickey Spillane" Author Challenge

. It is based upon the characters in my Iron Crowbar series. It is recommended that you read my story 'Send In The Clowns', for which this story is the sequel.

For the entire George Aurus saga, read 'Black Velvet' and 'Power' for his original crime spree; 'Shipping And Handling', Ch. 01 for the first escape and Ch.04-05 for turning himself in; and 'Red Squad', Ch. 04 for news of his second escape.

Part 1 - Prologue

"Vengeance is Mine, and retribution. In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them."

------Deuteronomy 32:35, (New American Standard).

5:30am, Friday, April 9th. The streetlamps cast eerily glowing orbs of light in the fog that shrouded the Town as I drove along College Street towards Town & County Police Headquarters. The landscape in the darkest hour before dawn matched my mood that dark mysteries and sinister forces awaited me but retreated to the shadows as I drove steadily forward.

I parked in my spot and went into Police Headquarters, trading the soft, diffuse light of the outside night for the harsh fluorescent ceiling lights of the hallways and offices of the modern office building. I spoke briefly with the Duty Desk Officer at the Employee's Entrance, then went to the front lobby's Duty Desk. The duty logs confirmed the Desk Sergeant's report of two convenience store robberies and a three-car accident on the Bypass. Caused by a drunk driver, as usual... but he'd fled the scene, and had yet to be found.

After going to my office and starting a pot of coffee brewing, I went down the back hall and the passageway to the Intel Center. The RFID reader in my ID allowed me to put in the six digit code to enter the room.

It was dark inside, with the

blinkenlights

of the computers and electronic equipment the only illumination. When my eyes adjusted to the dim light, I saw the only occupant of the room sitting at a computer station, studying the monitor in front of him. It was Terry Halston, who was very good at mining information, and even better at driving Police drones.

Halston had been a decorated Army Ranger in Afghanistan. His PTSD had prevented him from getting other jobs, and was preventing him from being able to qualify with a gun and carry a service weapon. Still, I scooped him up and put him to work, and was grateful to have found him; he was a valuable member of our Intelligence Team.

Lucky. Lucky Iron Crowbar, I thought to myself.

Yes, that's me, Police Commander Donald Troy, the Iron Crowbar. I carry a caliber.40 S&W Beretta 96 Border Marshal service weapon, and a very famous red crowbar. The crowbar packs a wallop. The slugs from my firearm make even better arguments when I need to make them.

"Good morning, Ranger Halston." I said. "What time did you get in?"

"4:35am, sir." said Halston. On 'Ranger Time', he was. It was a rare weekday that I would come in early and not find him already at work.

"Anything new?" I asked.

"No sir." said Halston. "No sightings of George Aurus in the Tri-State area, nor anywhere at all in our State."

George Aurus was the Black Velvet Killer, whom I had captured years before. He'd recently sent a video showing him murdering an Insurance Agent that had cut off coverage of a desperate mother, which resulted in the death of her young daughter. (

Author's note: 'Beethoven Virus', Ch. 02, for the most recent murder.

)

Halton continued: "You'd think it would not be that hard to spot a 4'2" man that is increasingly wheelchair-bound. And he's on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list. But... nothing. Anywhere."

I said "He's been a survivor on the streets for years. He's savvy and streetwise. But yeah, if he hasn't been seen

at all

, then he must be getting help somewhere. Someone is sheltering him, bringing him food. If he's even around here, of course."

After a moment, I said "Anything else to report?"

Halston said "No sir. I got camera footage of the two convenience store holdups. Three perps, plus one driving the getaway car. Black full-head masks, like ninja masks with just slits for the eyes. Black jackets, black pants, black gloves, no markings on any of them. Can't tell what ethnicity they are, either. Getaway car for the first one is a dark gray Toyota Camry, and the second is a lighter gray Toyota Corolla."

"Two different teams." I said, more to myself than Halston.

"Not sure, sir." Halston said. "There have been four other holdups in this County over the last three weeks. In those cases, the Camry and Corolla appear to be the same vehicles, but the car tags are different, and in all cases the tags are reported as stolen. And during those three weeks, Buford to our south and Lexington further south have had one and three holdups, respectively. Camry, Corolla, same cars, different tags every time. And the three robbers are the same height and general body type, so it may be the same guys just changing out cars."

"Hmm, interesting." I said. "Anything on that car crash on the Bypass?"

"Yes sir." said Halston. "The driver that caused the crash fled the scene, but we have his car tag and we've identified him and put out an APB. If we don't find him in time, then the alcohol blood test might be below the 0.08 threshold. But I got some good footage of the guy swerving between lanes before the crash, which should be enough to show he was DUI."

"Okay, good." I said. "Keep up the good work. Let me know if anything pops up, especially on Aurus."

I went back to my office and started going through emails and the duty logs, then stopped as I realized I was distracted. What Halston had said was resonating through my head... how

could

it be that Aurus had so completely disappeared? Where was he? Did he flee the State, and this region? That would be the logical thing to do. Or was he still in the area, drawn to something like a moth to a flame?...

Part 2 - Media Matters

"This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Channel Two News!" shouted the redheaded MILF reporterette at 7:00am, Friday, April 9th. "TCPD Commander Donald Troy comes under heavy criticism for his failure to find and arrest George Aurus, the Black Velvet Killer!"

After the hard-charging intro music, Bettina began: "George Aurus remains at large after sending out a video of himself murdering BigBenefitInsurance junior executive David Becerra Palmer at the former King & Ebenezer meat packing plant west of Town last weekend. Mr. Palmer's body was found at the King & Ebenezer facility, showing signs of having been subjected to significant torture before expiring. Channel Two News has learned that David Palmer was also wrapped in black velvet when his body was found."

Bettina: "George Aurus earned notoriety in the State as the Black Velvet Killer, who tortured his victims and raped his female victims, then left their bodies wrapped in black velvet. Aurus was captured by Police Commander Donald Troy, but has escaped maximum security prisons twice."

Bettina: "Sources tell Channel Two News that Aurus was also behind the attempted theft of the 'Lost Greuze' painting at the University Museum three weeks ago, and that he is still a threat to steal the Statue of Artemis, which was moved to the University Museum from the Pottsville Museum earlier this week, over the vociferous objections of the State House Majority Leader, Republican Wilson Hammonds of Pottsville."

Bettina: "Leader Hammonds has warned that the Statue of Artemis is in danger of being stolen, as the security at the University Museum is not as good as the security at the Pottsville Museum that safely housed the Statue of Artemis for years. He has called for the return of the Statue to Pottsville, quote, 'before George Aurus steals it from right under Don Troy's nose', close quote."

Bettina: "And BigBenefitInsurance CEO Jeff Woolsey, to whom the video of his employee's murder was sent, had this to say. Roll tape."

Tape rolled, showing Woolsey surrounded by reporters and saying angrily into their microphones: "My disappointment with the response of the FBI and local law enforcement to the murder of my employee by George Aurus cannot be overstated. I simply don't understand the lackadaisical attitude of the Federal Agents that should be busting their asses on this case!"

Woolsey: "And I am especially disgusted with the performance of TCPD Commander Donald Troy. He's supposed to be some great Detective? Then why hasn't he solved this? And he goes around carrying that red crowbar like he's something special, but I don't see anything special about his lack of action while the Black Velvet Killer remains free, and a danger to the Public! Donald Troy is an incompetent fool! And his County Sheriff and Police Department are just as incompetent!"

Back to Bettina live: "Commander Donald Troy has not responded to repeated requests for comment by KXTC. Now let's go to

trusted

political reporter Carl Lemay for an important national story. Carl!"

"

That's right

, Bettina!" said the handsome black reporter in his well-fitting, expensive suit, from the roof of the building at Riverside and College, with the Federal Building across Courthouse Square as his backdrop. "Channel Two News and our colleagues of the State News Networks have learned that Dr. Susan Cameron Price has been tapped to replace Brendan Chapel as the Director of National Intelligence. Dr. Price is an experienced veteran of security and political jobs, having served with the National Security Agency as well as the US Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division."

Lemay: "Mr. Chapel unexpectedly resigned from his DNI position last weekend, and he gave no explanation for his sudden departure. Sources speaking on condition of anonymity, because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the matter, say that Mr. Chapel was becoming burned out by his years of service to the Nation and the extremely demanding pressures of the job. Back to you, Bettina!"

Bettina: "Thanks, Carl! That was political reporter Carl Lemay with that important story. And now let's go to Jeff Hull for Sports. Jeff!..."

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

"Hmmph!" muttered Lt. Commander Teresa Croyle as she, Sheriff Griswold, Your Iron Crowbar (me), Police Chief Sean Moynahan, and Chief Deputy Sheriff Cindy Ross drank coffee and watched the broadcast in the Chief's Conference Room. "Burned out? Yeah, right. Well... burned out from all his schemes to steal my inheritance, or the Lost Greuze, maybe."

"At least he's not saying the ubiquitous (air quotes) 'to spend more time with family'." said the Chief.

"Does he even have any family?" asked Teresa.

"No." I said. "Well, he's not married and never has been, his parents are deceased, and he was an only child, from what I could find out about him. No children that I know of... though he's been prolific in distributing his sperm to many female staffers and female politicians in Washington, D.C."

"Says the man who has distributed plenty of his own sperm around." replied Cindy Ross witheringly. She was my first cousin, so the banter was not unusual. And I had fathered seven children, one of whom was adopted by Cindy before either of us realized the baby's true parentage.

"Good Lord, what did you put into this coffee this morning, Crowbar?" the Sheriff muttered.

"Not enough caffeine, fer sure, Sheriff." I replied. "Anyhoo, Chapel is gone; he's no longer the DNI. And I cannot overstate just how

good

that is for the country."

"Is this Susan Price going to be any better?" the Sheriff asked.

"I doubt it, Sheriff." I said. "I don't know a lot about her, but I

do

know that she's married to the Executive Vice President of one of the National News Networks. And that means she's working hand-in-glove with

the

greatest threat to our Constitution, the American Mainstream Media."

From Bettina and KXTC's lies and propaganda, to the State News Networks, and up to the national networks known by their letters: CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, NYT, WaPo... the Mainstream Media is biased (in one direction), dishonest, and corrupt... and those adjectives are not redundant. They are a greater fundamental threat to America than the Red Chinese People's Liberation Army is to Taiwan.

Have I mentioned that I

despise

the Press?

"Not that it's my day to babysit her," said Teresa, "but where is Tanya today?" She was referring to Commander Tanya Perlman Muscone, the Deputy Chief, equivalent to me in rank but not quite with regard to our respective positions on the Town & County Police Force: I was the Operations Officer and second-in-command, and she was the Executive Officer, and third.

Chief Moynahan drawled "She's at the Fed-rullll Buillll-ding. They're have a big meeting about Aurus, and she's our liaison to the Feds, since she's married to the FBI Special Agent In Charge, and since yooooo, Mis-ter Crowbarrrr, do not need to be anywhere near the Fed-rullll Agentsss."

"Noooo doubt about that, Chief." I said agreeably. "Do you know what the big pow-wow is about?"

"Aurus, of course." said the Chief. "You saw Jeff Woolsey's remarks to the Press, which Bettina was more than eager to playyyy on her broadcast. That was nothing compared to the hell he's giving the FBI, from Deputy Director Lawrence Lance and EAD Owen Lange to Jack Mus-coannnnnn. And he's been yelling in the ears of U.S. Senator Nunn and our district's U.S. Congressman, Larry P. Vaughan."

"But not U.S. Senator Lorraine McGill?" Teresa asked, before I could say it.

"Noooo, not her." said Chief Moynahan. "I'm not sure whyyyyy, but everyone has suddenly become scared of our State's esss-teeeeemed junior Senator..."

Part 3 - Pushing and Shoving

9:15am, Friday, April 9th. I was sitting at my desk in my office, talking with Teresa, when I heard a familiar sound:

*Whirrrrrrrrrrr*

Deputy Chief Tanya Muscone drove her wheelchair into my office and parked on the dime glued to the floor in front of my desk. Following her was her husband, FBI Special Agent In Charge Jack Muscone.

"Get some coffee for you and your wife, if you want some, then have a seat." I said to Jack. He poured two cups and handed one to Tanya, then sat down in the 'hot chair' in front of my desk that was nearest the door. Teresa was in the 'far side' hot chair, near the wall, and Tanya was parked between them.

"So how did the meeting go?" I asked.

"Bad." said Jack Muscone. "Let me preface what happened by saying this: that Jeff Woolsey is a total asshole. He's pulling every string he's got, calling every State Legislator and U.S. Senator and Congress-critter that BigBenefitInsurance has bribed... er, given campaign contributions to. U.S. Senators Nunn and especially McGill have told him to pound sand, as has Governor Marshall. But politicians that have nothing to do with this State are pounding the FBI about the Aurus case on Woolsey's behalf."

Muscone: "EAD Owen Lange and Deputy Director Lawrence Lance patched in via videoconference. They said that our new boss, the new head of the

Intelligence Community

, Susan Price, is taking flak from Woolsey and his paid-for minions... well, she said Woolsey and a lot of politicians... and she needs a big win quickly. So she's pressuring them, and they in turn are pressuring us."

And then it hit me. "What time did that meeting start?" I asked.

"Nine o'clock our time." Jack said. Tanya was peering at me with a little sparkle in her eye.

"And you're here at 9:18." I said, observing the clock on the wall next to the television monitor. "Did the meeting end that quickly?"

"No sir." said Tanya. "Owen Lange asked me where

you

were, and said that he'd called Chief Moynahan and asked him to have you attend the meeting. I told him the Chief had sent me to the meeting as the liaison with the FBI. Lange said, and I quote, 'Why the hell did he do that, when I said we needed Troy here?', close quote."

"What?!" I said angrily. "He disrespected

you

like that?"

Muscone said "Yes, and right in front of me."

Tanya: "Yeah, it pissed me off, too. So I said 'Call Chief Moynahan and ask him. And it looks like I'm not needed here.' So I drove out of there, and here we are."

"And I walked out right behind her." said Muscone.

"Good." I said. "And you should tell Owen Lange to not get into a Boxing Ring with me again." (

Author's note: 'Schools And The Second', Ch. 01.

) "I am going to tear him a new ass and shove my crowbar all the way up it, for that insult to Tanya."

Tanya was Jack's wife, but she was one of my Angels, along with Cindy and Teresa. And an insult like that to any of my Angels would not be excused...

*CHIME!*

It was Jack's iPhone, and he read the text, then said "Oh, good. The meeting pretty much ended after we walked out on it, and 'New Team Lazarus' is on their way over here. I want you to meet them------"

We were stopped by a loud commotion. I heard someone yell "Stop! You can't go in there!" A second later, my lovely assistant Helena French almost burst through my door.

"Sir, the Chief's office!" she said, then got out of the way. I had reached under my desk and gotten my red crowbar from the hooks upon which it normally rested, and I was already up and moving by the time she got the words out.

I hurtled out of my office and anteroom into the hallway, seeing Detectives pouring out of MCD, and the SWAT Team coming down the back hallway. I turned left into the Chief's suite next door. The Chief's assistant Cassie was standing between her desk and the half-open Chief's door, looking totally shocked and flushed. And we all heard the yelling:

"YOU BETTER FIND GEORGE AURUS, GOD DAMN YOU!" I heard a voice yelling. "I AM TIRED OF YOUR LACK OF ACTION AND YOUR EXCUSES!" I practically ran inside, taking in the scene in a split-instant.

Chief Moynahan was standing behind his desk, his face flushed red with total fury. Facing him across the desk was a middle-aged man in an expensive suit. He was Jeff Woolsey, CEO of BigBenefitInsurance, and he was wagging his finger at the Chief as he yelled. Behind Woolsey were his two bodyguards, also wearing suits and ties... and their hand were on their holstered powerful handguns.

As I burst into the room, the bodyguards turned to the door. The one on the right was drawing his weapon as he turned to take me on. He was not fast enough; I was already swinging my crowbar like a baseball bat.

*CLANG!*

Crowbar met steel and fingers, and the gun fell to the ground as the bodyguard screamed in pain. I reversed my swing and went for his head with a backhand swing, getting a glancing blow. He had flung himself back in an attempt to avoid the blow, and he ended up falling to the ground.

The other guard had turned the other way, making his attempt to draw his weapon slower. I took advantage and smashed his hand, and his gun went to the floor. I jabbed the rounded end of my crowbar into his face, connecting with the side of his mouth and nose. He also went down.