Moonlight Shadow Ch. 03

"Okay." I said, knowing Laura was staying to do Police psychology evaluations.

"Rooood-i-stan." said Carole, reading his nameplate.

"Hey, Carole." Rudistan said jovially. "Are you going to be a Police Officer with us today?"

"Not yet." said Carole. "But one day I will be!" Rudistan grinned in shock as much as amusement. I just shook my head.

"Must be the vibes in this office." I said. "Rudistan, I'm going to need your help..."

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

We went outside, along with Cindy and Teresa. Sure enough the Press was watching from the nearby streets. I did not like the vibe I was having now.

"Okay, Micah." I said. "Escort my mom and Carol back home. Any Press try to fu-- er, mess with them at all, light 'em up."

"Roger that, sir." Rudistan said. I watched as Police cruisers went before and after my mom's car. I made sure to stroll down the parking lot towards the front gate, tapping my crowbar in my hand as my eyes affixed upon various Press Corps personnel. They got the message, and my family arrived home without incident.

Part 14 - Oh, yeah. Murder case.

"All right." I said as we assembled in Classroom 'E' at 10:00am. The MCD Detectives (Warner, Parker, Washington, and Davis), Captain Ross, Supervisor Myron Milton, J.R. Barnes, myself, and Chief Moynahan were present. Also present were FBI Special Agent in Charge Jack Muscone, and Special Agent Sandra Speer.

Yeah, we took care of business first. Sandra showed us pictures of her daughter Greta and we 'ooh'ed and 'aah'ed. I tried hard to hide it, but I felt some sadness that I was missing so much of Greta growing up...

But I had other things to do right now. I said "Barnes, start us off. And if you go over old ground as well as new, it's no problem."

"Thank you, sir." said Barnes. "We've got a lot more evidence in from the State Crime Lab. James Cialis was struck six times by nine millimeter bullets. Two were recovered; the rest went clean through him even thought they were supposedly expanding bullets. Ballistics show that the 9mmP Kimber pistol we recovered at the Cialis house was not the pistol that was used; the rifling is completely different. We believe the shots were fired at a distance of four feet or less."

"How are you getting that?" Cindy asked.

"Ma'am," said Barnes, "let me answer that with a question: who is the best, most accurate shooter in the TCPD?"

"Detective Warner." said Cindy. I nodded vigorously in agreement.

"I agree, ma'am." said Barnes. "We asked Detective Warner to come to the outdoor firing range just north of the Fire Department range. She fired her magazine in rapid succession at a target drawn to specs of an average human body from 15 ft. away. Because of the rapid succession, she sprayed the rounds in a circle 14 inches in diameter."

"That's still damn good shooting." said Jack Muscone.

"Yes sir, it is." said Barnes. "And she's the TCPD's best. Everyone else who tested for us did worse. Not badly, but not as well. My point to all this, everyone, is that whoever shot James Cialis was just about as good. Very experienced, well-trained shooter. Six shots into the chest and upper abdomen. As to four feet away, we made a general assumption that standard, off-the-shelf 9mmP ammunition was used, and to penetrate that deeply into the body, and some going through, even with expanding bullets, the perp had to be that close."

"Not to disparage you, J.R.," said Cindy, "but I have some issues with that."

"Me too, ma'am." said Jerome Davis.

"What are those issues?" I asked.

"For starters, sir," said Jerome, "I can't speak for other people, but if you're shooting me from that short a distance, I'm going to use my supreme dying moment to lunge for you... and at that distance I'd probably tackle you or bump you. No evidence at the scene suggests James Cialis... a trained CIA agent... was able to do that, nor did he attempt to."

"Excellent!" I said. "Blue crowbar for Detective Davis!" I turned to Cindy. "And you?"

"Same thing, sir." said Cindy. "I also think that if someone else had been that close, Mr. Cialis would've made marks upon the soft dirt of the ground, either of standing, or moving around sideways, or something. He didn't do that."

"Hmmmmm..." I said contemplatively, "I can agree with that. So, J.R., what do you think of my Detectives' arguments?"

"I don't know what to say, sir," said J.R., "except that we did the math, to coin a phrase. And our computer models agreed with us."

"Based upon inputted parameters." I said.

"Of course, sir." said J.R. "But the computers are pretty good."

"Yes, they are." I said agreeably. "However... your computers are wrong. Davis and Ross are correct. The perp fired from a further distance away."

There was an audible gasp in the room. "What's your idea on that, Mr. Crowbar?" asked the Chief.

"I'm going to be looking for the proof of that whenever we can get a warrant to search the Cialis house again." I said. "What's the holdup on that, by the way?"

"Gil Krasney sent Dwayne Gregory to the Courthouse to get the warrant." Cindy said. "And Gregory screwed it up so bad that Watts kicked Gregory out of his Courtroom. Then Krasney sent Ted Mason, who is a better ADA. But the judge was Harry Nance, and he seemed set on not giving Mason a damn thing; got super-picky on every little thing, then denied the warrant even though Mason answered every question and met the standard."

"Chief," I said, "we need to call Krasney and light a fire under his fourth point of contact."

"Nooooo doubt about that." said the Chief, getting up. "I'll go do that now. What exactly are we looking for?"

"The murder weapon." I replied. "Okay, J.R., if you have nothing else, you can go." J.R. Barnes followed the Chief out the door.

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

As the meeting went on, Myron gave his financial report, which had nothing new. Then Detective Jerome Davis gave his report.

"His co-workers at the Kroger pharmacy said he was friendly enough, but fairly quiet and kept to himself." said Jerome. "They knew he was married, but he didn't talk about his wife hardly at all. One co-worker said he'd remarked that she had a thing about dressing up in 1940s-style fashions, but other than that he said nothing."

"He was a member of the Rotary Club, and had been in Rotary Clubs in other towns where he lived before." continued Jerome. "Again, he was friendly enough with people, but never talked seriously about himself or his wife, and never developed any real friendships. He was in good shape but had no weight training equipment at home, so he must've been working out somewhere, but none of the gyms had any idea of him. We have some video of him running around the paths at Ronald Reagan Park. And that's all I really have on him, sir."

"Okay." I said. "Myron, I understand you have other business. You can go. Jack?"

As Myron left, Jack Muscone said "First, let me explain the background. As you guys so astutely and quickly found out, James and May Cialis were CIA agents. Well, I guess she still is one as of now. Because of this, the FBI has opened an investigation of this situation. Unlike most places in the country, we know better than to barge in on the Iron Crowbar's turf and take over, and we appreciate you guys letting us work with you."

"Butter us up, butter us up." I said. Everyone chuckled.

"Seriously, we want to work with you, not against you or over you." said Muscone. He then continued: "The FBI Director asked that my team be the FBI's front team for this. And unlike others, I won't try to hide the fact that we're working on the Guardians of Justice case, also. We know May Cialis might've been looking into that, so there's a reasonable connection for us to explore."

Jack continued. "So this is what we've found out, and maybe it'll help you find suspects. Over the last few years, May and James Cialis have been sent to six locations. In every case, a job was found for him in a pharmacy, and any needed paperwork, such as State Pharmacy licenses, were provided. They were always put in homes that were owned by trusts. And in every case, James allegedly had missions involving identifying and rooting out foreign agents or domestics that are called 'subversives'.

"You're not making friends bringing that up." Cindy said, her voice quiet but the undercurrent unmistakable.

"That's why I sent Myron out of the room." I replied. "And let's don't throw out the baby with the bath water; it wasn't Jack's team that went after Dr. Milton and Dr. Eckhart." Cindy was not mollified, but I indicated for Jack to continue anyway.

"I understand the sentiment, but bear with me." said Jack. "In all of these cases, May Cialis was assigned missions related to deeper cyber-security issues, sometimes of a company in the area, sometimes of the same persons James was after. In three of those cases, arrests were made of foreign agents. In one case, an American Citizen was arrested. The last two cases, before the one here, had no arrests. The cases were shut down with no explanation given."

"You said May was looking into companies for cyber-security issues?" I asked. "Any detail you can give us on that?"

Muscone looked at Sandra, who made some whispered comments, then rifled through the papers in front of Jack to find the right ones. After skimming the information, Jack said "Okay, we have some data on that. The second case in the chronological order involved a software services company in Boston. Their clients were banks and financial institutions. We believe Wallace Bedford might've been part of the problem there, in connection with Superior Bloodlines. The Cialises were trying to discover if this company passed financial information, or perhaps money to any foreign countries. From what we now know, those so-called 'foreign countries' might've actually been Superior Bloodlines."

Jack went on: "The sixth of the six cases, which was pursued last Spring before the Cialises came here, involved a company in south Florida called Zion Dynamics Technologies. They're Israeli-based, and the CIA was investigating if they were passing technology secrets to Israel. I might add that the man at Langley in charge of that investigation... is now the CIA Director, and his anti-Semitic views are well-known among the Elites in Washington, D.C."

"Technology companies." I said aloud but to myself, going into a reverie. Then I snapped out of it, and said "And that investigation was shut down?"

"Yes, but we don't know why." said Muscone.

"And the other case that was shut down?" I asked.

"Rock Hill, South Carolina." said Jack.

"Just south of Charlotte, North Carolina." I replied. "Rock Hill is where Winthrop College is.

"400 years ago..." said Jack.

"Wow, you do know your geography." said Cindy.

"In this case," I said, "it's because the U.S. Disc Golf Championships are held at Winthrop College every year; and I like disc golf, even if I can't play it anymore with my bad back. For us Police Officers, it's more important that it's near Charlotte... banking capitol of America."

"Yes, that's it." said Jack. "This case was the hardest to get data about. From what I could gather, they were investigating a minor bank officer of the Chemical Bank office in Charlotte, who lived in the Rock Hill area. The data on that man is spotty, and I am wondering if he is now in Witness Protection or was a foreign agent that high-tailed it out of the country. Anyway, two months into it, they shut the operation down and reassigned the Cialises to Florida."

"We'll have to talk more about that in a classified setting." I said quietly to Jack. He nodded.

"Okay," said Jack, "that's really all I have. I need to meet with your LAPD friends that are here about these NS-14 perps."

"They withdrew their extradition request, you know." I said.

"No, I didn't, but that's okay." said Jack. "I just need to coordinate with them about the relationship between these losers and the national NS-14 problem..."

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

Just before noon, Jack, Jerome, Cindy, and I went to the Cop Bar for lunch, and got a table in the back of the back room for relative privacy. Sandra and the LAPD ladies had gone with Laura to my wife's favorite Soup and Salad place for lunch.

Cindy had the Fish & Chips plate, I had the 'Breakfast Burger', and Jack and Jerome had... you guessed it,... double cheeseburgers. The burgers were cooked exceptionally well, and we were all in culinary heaven as we ate.

"Okay," said Jack after we finished, "what did you want to ask in the more private setting?"

"You've heard of a CIA Agent 'Warspear'?" I asked. "Nicknamed 'The Penetrator' for all the women he boasted about penetrating."

"Yeah, we talked about him before." said Muscone. "And his name did come up in connection with May Cialis. The official word is that he was forced out of the CIA for some incident in Europe that blew up, and I'm not talking about recent events in Paris. However, he wasn't 'disavowed', which I personally find rather strange."

"Me, too." I said. "So what's the unofficial word?"

"That he didn't really leave the Company, and is still working for them." said Jack. "And if that's true, then him not being 'disavowed' makes more sense."

"Yes, it does." I said.

"So you think that's the case?" asked Jack, perhaps a shade too quickly.

"Oh, I don't know." I said. "Jerome, did you have people check with the hotels?"

"Yes sir." said Davis. "We took that photo of him you emailed us and went to all the hotels. No one recognized him."

"Or was willing to say they did." I replied. "But he could also be in a safehouse in the area, or just over the County or State Line. I did ask the Nextdoor County Police to check with the Lakeside Inn & Suites, but that was a 'no go' also."

"You think he's involved with this? The murder? Or the Guardians of Justice?" Jack asked.

"I don't know." I said. "But I'm being told from multiple sources, you being one of them just now, that he's connected to May Cialis in some way. And these last two cases of the Cialises, the ones that got shut down, apparently are after 'Warspear' supposedly left the Company. Interesting, don't you think?"

"You always do look at it from a different angle." said Muscone. "But his name, or codename, is coming up way too often. So if he's doing field work with May, maybe he's here, and maybe he's involved in all of this somehow."

"Or..." I said out loud, even as I was going into my own head, "... he's playing his own game with this..."

Part 15 - Politics As Usual

Jack Muscone went back to the Federal Building after lunch. When we got back to Police Headquarters, Helena told me that Chief Griswold had called, and wanted me to call him back.

For the Chief to do this through my secretary and not just call or text me on either my Police or personal cellphone was curious. I called him back on my personal cellphone.

"Crowbar!" the old Chief growled, "just wanted to give you a heads-up. The Mental Illness Center, also known as the State Government, is trying to outdo itself. Jared is considering supporting the naming of an Independent State Counsel!"


"In God's name why?" I blurted out.

"He thinks it'll exonerate him." said Griswold. "I can understand that he's done nothing wrong, so he would think that... but these bastards will make up shit if they can't find anything for real. This is a trap, and the Governor is walking into it. And unlike you, Crowbar, he's walking into a trap that will break him down."

"Well, Chief," I said, "what do you want me to do?"

"Just be alert." said Griswold. "Maxine Watts wants to investigate collusion to cover-up the Jasmine Nix murder, and you had some involvement in that investigation. They're also going to investigate whether or not the Governor used intimidation in the case of those two women that made sexual harassment allegations against him, and they're saying you were the instrument of that intimidation."

"Hoo boy." I said. "Okay, sir, thanks for the warning. How's your campaign going, by the way?"

"We're not running ads attacking the Police and Viet Nam Veterans, for damn sure." said Griswold. "Oh, one more thing... I asked the Governor to call you and discuss this Independent Counsel thing with you before making any statements or taking any action. If he calls, talk some sense into the man."

"I'll try, sir." I said. We made our goodbyes and disconnected.

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

And the call came fifteen minutes later. The Governor's secretary called and asked me if I would accept a call from the Governor. Formal, I noticed. I said to put him through, and a moment later Governor Valnius Jared was speaking to me.

"Commander," he said, "I apologize for taking up your valuable time, but we have a situation here. Behind the scenes, they're already laying the groundwork to name an Independent State Counsel, and my people are advising me to go along with it, as opposing it will make me look guilty. What do you think?"

"Sir," I said, "before I answer, can you stop an Independent State Counsel from being named at all?"

"Technically, yes." said the Governor. "The Attorney General makes the formal appointment, but if I object, the Legislature has to override my objection with 60% majorities in both chambers. They would be called into special session automatically if I object."

"Then object, Governor." I said. "And twist whatever arms are needed to stop the appointment. These things are bear traps, sir. These politicians are so corrupt that they'll try to create something against you if there is nothing really there. They'll gin up anything they can. They'll say you colluded with the Russians to get elected. They'll say you fed your dog the wrong brand of dog food. Just don't go down that rabbit hole, Governor."

"But how does that make me look, Commander?"

"It'll make you look like a man who has some common sense, Governor." I replied. "Besides, you're a lame duck Governor. You're not running again. You don't have to worry about appearances, no matter what the frickin' Media says."

"But it could hurt the Party this November..." the Governor tried.

"The same Republican Party that is stabbing you in the back every chance they get?" I asked back. "At least the Democrats stab you in the front. Your so-called friends are just as bad, Governor. Do yourself... and me... a big, big favor, and oppose this witch hunt and lynch mob with everything you've got."

"I'll take that into consideration, Commander." said the Governor. "I appreciate you talking with me. Have a great day." And I was left holding a disconnected telephone line.

He's going to do it, I realized to myself. The bastard is going to let them appoint an Independent State Counsel. I got out my personal cellphone and speed-dialed my attorney, Mike G. Todd...

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

"Fabulous news!" Chief Moynahan said with mock joviality. "We've been invited to the Town & County Council meeting tonight, and to the private executive session."

"Me too?" asked Cindy Ross, who was in the Chief's office with him and me.

"Yes, Captain Ross." said the Chief. "Especially you."

"Do they want helicopter flying lessons?" I quipped.

"Oh, I do suspect that helicopter usage will be brought up tonight." said Chief Moynahan. "By the way, you were on the phone so I told Captain Croyle directly... Judge Nance rejected our renewed request for a warrant, so Krasney went to Folsom. That made Nance furious, but Folsom agreeeeed to hold a hearing in the morning. You'll have to personally attend it, Commander, to convince him to give us the warrant. I told Captain Croyle to continue guarding the premises with a Detail of Uniformed Officerrrrrrs."

"Thanks, Chief." I said. "I'll be there tonight, and tomorrow morning."