Gods and Crowbars Ch. 01

Once I sat down, Jack Muscone picked Carole up and had her stand on my legs, and I gave my daughter the promised biiiiig hug. Then I gave Jim a hug in the same manner.

That left two outstanding dogs sitting on the floor, side by side, watching me. I slapped my thighs and said "Come on, guys!", and an instant later I had a lap full of canine love. I petted the dogs for a long moment, then they got on back down.

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

After lunch, Laura took the kids upstairs for naps, then came back down and sat with me and Jack. I'd had him check for bugs in the room, and he found none. Laura then did her own sweep with her own device, which was more powerful than mine.

"So," I said, "is this about the StatePowerCorp blackout?" I asked.

"You heard the news report?" Jack asked.

"I woke up last night while the power was out, too." I said. "It was kind of... eerie."

"Yes, it was that way all over Town." said Laura. "What happened, Jack? Are those Media reports true?"

"We've leaked to the Press that it was possibly a cyber-attack." said Muscone. "But it was actually sabotage of a much worse and more frightening order. Let me explain:

Muscone began: "The substation takes in power and splits it, some going to Nextdoor County to serve the Lake Reservoir area, and the rest serving this Town & County. There are three other substations where the power begins being stepped down to be sent into our homes. This big substation is automated, but is monitored. It's not as computerized as one would think... a person has to press a button at the monitoring station to make something happen, and it cannot be changed with malicious software."

"Not even the readouts?" I asked.

"That's another thing." said Muscone. "They're hardwired from the days when the phone lines were landlines and not computerized. In other words, the systems there are old enough they can't be cyber-attacked like more modern technology can. In addition, they have some physical protections against lightning strikes, and they've never had an overload at that particular station from a lightning strike."

Muscone went on: "So what happened is that the monitoring station got an alarm that lightning had hit the substation and shut it down, and that power was down all over the County. They attempted to re-route power through Nextdoor County and back into this County, and that overloaded the lines, as twice as much power was now flowing in than should've been."

"So as they go to see what happened and they can't find the problem." said Muscone. "There was no lightning strike, and the substation shut down when the power came in from the wrong direction and overloaded the system. So it was human error, officially."

Muscone then got to the point: "But what we're finding, that we're not telling the Public, is that someone had come into the monitoring station and infected the system. You know how arsonists can plant trip boxes to cause fires? This was something like that, but it sent out false signals when activated. Problem is, the devices we found had 'self-destruct' mechanisms that brought an electrical overcharge into the device to completely fry the electronics. Our best guys are working on it, but we don't know if we'll get anything to show us who the perps are."

"Interesting." I said. "So when the system is fixed, add some security that could find those shunts, do periodic eyeball checks of all systems, and so on."

"They're going to do that," said Muscone, "though this is the State Government, so it may not happen with the speed you and I would like. The question we have, and the Department of Homeland Security has, is who did this... and more importantly, why?"

I nodded, halfway in a reverie. "I'm sure you're checking all StatePowerCorp employees to see if any are moles that could've planted those devices?"

"Yes, and so far all are clean." said Muscone. "I might add that nearly all of them have worked at the Nuclear Power Plant downriver, and underwent some pretty tough background checks. But they also have contractors for things like custodial work, routine system maintenance. We're getting those names, too. So... any ideas?"

"What do you think, Laura?" I asked my wife. "Heard anything like this before? CIA ever do this to some foreign country's less advanced electrical systems?"

Laura smiled. "If they did, I'd not be at liberty to discuss it, of course. But if I were betting, I'd put my money on one of these contractors getting in and putting in the shunts."

"What about you, Jack?" I asked. "What do you and the FBI think?"

"Homeland Security thinks it might be a test, a dry run, so to speak," said Muscone, "to see how effectively our older power systems can be taken down. My boss and I think it's not a coincidence that it happened here, in this County, whether it's a dry run or for some other purpose."

"I'm going to send Cindy a text." I said. "I'm going to ask her to get with the Hospital as well as their Security, and see if anything suspicious happened at the time the power went out." I suited my deed to my words, and typed out and sent the text.

"You think someone was after you, Darling?" asked Laura.

"I've had some weird dreams," I said. "so I've been sleeping pretty lightly. I woke up last night, and I think I woke up right when the power went out. I had this feeling that I was in imminent danger, but... no one showed up. Maybe I'm just getting paranoid."

"It ain't paranoia when they really are out to get you." said Jack. "At least that's what Tanya says Chief Griswold would always say." I laughed.

"Yes, and I'm just having Cindy check just to eliminate the possibility." I said. "The duty logs reported no incidents last night, before, during, or after the power outage. Not even any traffic accidents from streetlights going out."

"And how do you know what the duty logs say?" asked Laura, "when you're supposed to be taking it easy?"

"Dear, reading duty logs is taking it easy." I replied. I got a withering look from my wife in retaliatory response.. the equivalent of a crowbar being waved in my general direction.

"To answer your question, Jack," I said, "I am not sure what the motive behind the sabotage was. I don't think it was just a dry run... we'll be on the lookout now, and they've shot their wad with last night's attempt, as well as clued us in to what they can do."

"Unless they're going to do their next run somewhere else." said Laura.

"That's Iron Crowbar thinking, there." I said. "See Jack? She's brilliant as well as beautiful, and that's why I married her... and for her legs, of course." Laura smiled and gave me a very hot, seductive look with her eyes.

"I think I'll go back to the Federal Building while you two get a room." said Jack...

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

"Thank you for seeing me today, ma'am." said TCPD Detective Joanne Warner as she came into the office of State Crime Lab Director Tanya Perlman.

"No problem at all." said Tanya. "So you're looking at the Rutledge cold case."

"Yes ma'am." said Joanne. "Captain Ross is having us review cold cases, and this one sparked my interest because this class will have another reunion soon."

"That's true." said Tanya. "So, what did you want to know about it?"

Joanne replied "I read your case notes, which were very detailed and made me realize I need to do better about that myself. My first question is if you can give me any idea of your suspicions, or any information you did not put into your report."

"Well," said Tanya, who was looking over the file Joanne had given her, "one big mistake I made was putting my hopes and faith in finding the murder weapon in the area. We never found it. I always had my suspicions that the husband, Jimmy Amberton, committed the crime, but Chief Griswold, who was then a Captain, pointed out that it could just as easily be Jennifer Amberton. By the way, have you found out anything beyond what we did?"

Joanne told Tanya about the financing situation with Jason Rutledge, and Jimmy Amberton's vasectomy. Tanya's eyes sparkled.

"Ahhhhh," Tanya said, "another rooster in the henhouse! So Jason impregnated Jennifer, set up that trust fund for the baby... probably to keep his ex-wife from getting the money."

"That's what I was thinking, ma'am." said Joanne. "But all that does is further confuse the issue. Now Jennifer has a clear financial motive, while Jimmy still has the cuckold motive."

"Tell you what." said Tanya. "I am starving. Let's go to lunch at the Cattleman's Club. I'll call Chief Griswold and see if he can join us."

"That would be great, ma'am!" Joanne gushed.

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

"Yeah, that was a weird case." said Griswold. "I should've paid more attention to it, but they had just merged and were putting me in the Chief's chair. I thought Ms. Perlman here did a very good job with it, but there was just not enough to show us who the perp was. Too much 'reasonable doubt'. I might add that I had to snap back some Officers for browbeating young Amberton... and their intimidation tactics not only made him take the Fifth from that point on, the abuse probably would've gotten the charges tossed."

"After this much time, sir," said Tanya, "if Joanne can nail the perp, that past abuse won't matter so much."

"Maybe not." growled Griswold. "So, Ms. Warner, how are you going to proceed?"

"Just like your book says to, Chief." said Joanne. "And as part of that, I need to look at the evidence, which means I'll have to dig it out of storage. There was some cardboard and plastic found in the area, in bits and pieces. I want to examine that."

"I remember that, now that you mention it." said Tanya. "The strange thing about that is that the cardboard pieces were soaking wet, even though it hadn't rained for days and the field was dry."

"That wasn't in the Crime Lab analysis report." said Joanne. "That the cardboard was wet, that is."

"That was before the Iron Crowbar got ahold of the Crime Lab." said Griswold.

"In fairness, Chief," said Tanya, "they didn't have the equipment they do now, and there was a lot of political--- er, 'stuff' going on that really hurt their performance. They were good people, and tried hard."

"True enough." said Griswold. "And like I said, I was distracted, as well."

They finished their lunch as they talked about a few other details of the case. Tanya and the Chief both mentioned how some of the people at the reunion really tried to push the narrative that Jimmy Amberton was the culprit.

"They kept talking about how he was sitting alone, then wasn't there." said Tanya. "But no one could say they saw him anywhere else, much less at the practice field or walking to or away from it. They couldn't say that about anyone else, either, so take that for whatever you will."

"You're right." said Chief Griswold. "Some of those 'in crowd' people really detested Jimmy Amberton. But some of the other nerds, people who were in the Band in High School and such, were a bit more in his defense, saying he was at the bar the whole time and never went to the practice fields."

Tanya insisted on paying the pill, saying she could get it comped by the State, as the conversation had indeed been about Crime-Lab-related things.

As they got outside, they saw a man behind Tanya's van. Tanya immediately recognized the man.

"Hey, that's Ferrell!" Tanya exclaimed. "YOU! STOP! Joanne, go get him!"

Joanne sprinted after Ferrell, but he had immediately started running hard to a car nearby whose engine was running and the passenger side door left open. Ferrell all but dove into the car as it sped up with a screech of tires and sped off..."

Part 5 - The Dog in the Daytime

"So that's it." said Tanya. "We called Captain Ross down, and she had the Fire Department send a team to check for bombs, and a Police dog sniffed around also, while Myron checked for electronic devices. Nothing was found."

Tanya, Cindy, Joanne, and Chief Griswold were sitting in the den of the Mountain Nest, in a semi-circle around me in the rocking chair. A brace and the 'girdle' was holding me up, but I was feeling no pain as I concentrated hard on the story being told me.

"We got a partial of the license plate of the car." said Griswold. "Myron is running that, also."

"So what was Ferrell doing near your van?" I asked, mostly to myself. I got out my cellphone and sent a text. "This text is to my mom, telling her to be careful and watch for Ferrell. If he wishes to do you harm, Tanya, he might want to do my mom harm, as well."

"I'm shocked he would come into Town at all." Cindy said. "He was recognized by Tanya; he could be recognized by any Police Officer."


"Yes, exactly." I said. "For him to be here bespeaks something big possibly happening. I hope those slugs don't think me just coming out of surgery is a license for them to try any mischief. Hell, Ferrell is lucky Tanya didn't take off after him and mow him down with those machine guns in her wheelchair."

"I wish I did have something like that in my wheelchair." said Tanya. "And yes, so I could've blown that bastard away on sight."

"You think that's why he came back, Crowbar?" growled Chief Griswold. "Thinks he can come in while you're incapacitated?"

"Bad mistake on his part if he did think that." I replied. "But it also means---"

"Grrrrrrrrrr!"

That noise came from the throat of the redoubtable Bowser. He had come down from upstairs, where Carole was. When Tanya had moved her electric wheelchair, Bowser had started growling.

"Bowser!" I called out. "What's the matter, boy? Come here!" I patted my thighs and Bowser ran over and jumped up on them. He then turned to face everyone else warily.

"Cindy," I said. "Let Bowser sniff Tanya, to show him she's a friend." Cindy came over and picked up Bowser and took him over to Tanya. He sniffed at her and wagged his tail, and seemed okay when Cindy put him in Tanya's lap. Tanya petted the dog for a moment, and Bowser seemed to have no issues. Then he looked over the side at the wheelchair, and began another half-growl. Cindy quickly picked up Bowser and handed him back to me.

"What's the matter, Bowser?" I asked. "You like Tanya, but not her wheelchair?" Bowser looked warily over in Tanya's direction.

"Okay, Bowser, go back upstairs. Go find Carole!" I said. Upon hearing his Mistress's name, Bowser jumped out of my lap and onto the floor, and bounded out of the room and up the stairs.

"What was that all about?" Griswold asked.

"I dunno." I said. "But Bowser did not like the sound of your wheelchair. Maybe Thatcher and Westboro had some sort of machine that sounded like that when they were torturing Bowser and the other dogs, some to death."

"Another mystery for the Iron Crowbar to solve." said Tanya...

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

After everyone had left, Laura came downstairs.

"I heard some of what you were talking about." my wife said as she sat down on the sofa against the wall, which was next to the rocking chair. "Do you think Ferrell's re-emergence has to do with your injury?"

"Maybe." I said. "But the idea that keeps coming up in my mind is that Ferrell is back in Town right after the electric substation was sabotaged...

To be continued.