Criminal Affairs

Chapter 5

Okay, guys," I said to the Midtown team after the Federales had left. "Before I de-commission myself, why don't I take you guys to dinner on the SBI's tab?"

"I'm going to have dinner with a friend." Cindy said. "You guys go on ahead."

"Tell her 'hello' for me." I said, knowing who Cindy's friend was. Teresa Croyle, being in the Midtown Police Internal Affairs Department, would not be able to associate with the rest of Molly's team, per protocol. Teresa really shouldn't even be talking to Molly, but they risked it from time to time. Of course nobody would have a problem with Cindy and Teresa talking... and if they did, it would be most very good for that 'nobody' to choose not to have the guts to say anything...

At dinner, I insisted that since I was paying for it, I wanted everyone to drop ranks, at least with me, and talk like normal people. That made Sgt. Masters uncomfortable, but it lightened the conversation. Then Masters lamented that they didn't even get the warrant to bring in Vicki Oldeeds as a material witness.

"Don't blame yourself." I said. "The Feds shut that down very quickly. They wanted this case solely in their hands."

"Don, I want to say something." Cav Moynahan said. "You, and Detect- er, Molly, too, are exactly what the SBI Reserve is supposed to be about, and I've already sent Deputy Director Conlan and Governor Jared my most glowing report of your helping us. I'm glad you didn't come in here bowling us over. Those bastards on the regular SBI... God! what assholes. We're almost at the point we don't talk to them anymore."

"We're already past that." I replied. "As is the City."

"True enough. Anyway, I'd like you to give us any advice you can on how we can make our operations better. I'm sure all my guys understand that any such advice is to help, not to criticize."

"I do have one question: do you guys go to one ADA for warrants, or do you have to just try to grab any of a number of them?"

"We have one guy that is our regular for this precinct." Wes Masters said.

"Get to know that guy, personally, and a lot better." I said. "Then when you call him up or email him, he'll want to get the job done for you as quickly as he can. I don't know how good he is, and if he's not good, go shopping for a new ADA to befriend. But make it where a simple email or phone call will get that warrant process started right away. Other than that, you may be different from us in some respects, but you're fine, as far as I'm concerned."

---

After dinner, Molly and I went back to her apartment.

"Molly," I said, "I've got to get back home, I need to leave now. This dead guy is going to be an issue up there."

"I understand." Molly said.

I called Cindy. "Cindy, I've got to go home now. Can you come with me, or do you want to stay down here and hitch a ride with someone later?"

"I'll stay." said Cindy, her voice a bit blurry already. "Teresa and I are downing shots and shooting the shit."

"Alright, see you at home." I said. I hung up then gave Molly a passionate kiss goodbye. "I'll see you soon." I said. "We'll have a new house to move into."

"Out with the old, in with the new... which is same as the old." Molly joked.

---

It was late when I got home to the Mountain Nest. Laura and my mother were there, and somewhat to my surprise, Jack Muscone was also there.

"Honey, are you okay?" I asked as my wife and I hugged each other tightly. I could tell that it was a lot more emotional for her than she was wanting to let on.


"I will be." Laura said. "It's just... just so shocking. Such a young man, full of life."

"Son, I'll be going downstairs, and to bed." my mother said. "Carole's asleep, and there's hot water for green tea if any of you want some." We said our goodnights and my mom left.

"So, Jack," I said, sitting down by Laura on the sofa as he sat down in the easy chair to the side, "tell me about Les Craig."

"Good guy, good agent." Jack said. "He's young, but rising fast. He was on my Missing Person's team for a couple of years, then got a promotion."

"He's working with this Director Corrigan of the CIA?" I asked. My peripheral vision caught the looks on Laura's face as well as Jack's; a look of disgust. So they hated the man, too, I thought to myself.

"No." said Jack. "Les is assigned to Southport, overlooking the river and rail shipping going on down there. He came up to Midtown simply because Corrigan asked him to, to give some jurisdictional presence."

"So where does Mike fit into all this?" I asked.

"I'm- I was his handler, though he doesn't- didn't directly work for me." Laura said, near tears. "He was a good kid, but a bit young. Training since he was sixteen, and really promising, but he needed more time, I thought. They sent him into the Oldeeds organization anyway, and he'd been inside for well over a year. He was never supposed to get heavy into anything and to walk out the minute there was any problem..." Laura struggled to regain her emotions. I hugged her and held her in my arms.

"He was keeping my team in the loop on Vicki Oldeeds, too." said Jack Muscone. I knew that there was much more to it, and another reason for Jack Muscone's presence here, but I decided to stay silent for now.

"Well, guys, I'll head on out now." Jack said. "I'm staying at our FBI apartment here in town. I'll come by and see you tomorrow, Don."

"Thanks for coming by, Jack." Laura said, hugging him. He shook hands with me and left.

"Any clues to what happened in Midtown?" Laura asked me as we sat down again.

"Well, he came up here, and he might have been spotted by someone who told Vicki Oldeeds." I said. "I suspect that he was totally ambushed, shot dead, and dumped before he even realized he was in trouble."

"That's what hurts." Laura said. "He came up, visited his friends for real, then came by my office and gave his report. Oh God, if someone saw him coming to see me and put it together..."

"Keep your eyes peeled." I said. "They may be watching your office, or there might be a mole in there somewhere."

"That's all I f*****g need." Laura said. "Now I'm not sure who to trust."

"So what did Mike tell you while you were f*****g his brains out, if you don't mind my asking." I said.

"It was good s*x, too. I recorded it so you could watch." Laura said. "Afterwards, he said the Oldeeds' people were on the move, that something was going on, but they were being tight-lipped and he wasn't overhearing nearly as much as he used to."

"Sounds like they got suspicious of him." I said. "They may have had someone follow him up here, and when he went into your building, they just assumed he was a mole and murdered him first and asked questions later. That... yeah, that's the likely course of events..."

I went into a reverie for a moment, then as I came out, I said "So he said the Oldeeds Gang is on the move? Hmmmm... Well, that'll keep. You must be exhausted, honey. Let's go on up to bed."

"Good idea." Laura said. "I'm glad you came on home; I need you to hold me tonight."

"That's why I came back..."

---

"So you found the mole in your gang." Senator Nathan Allen said to his guest as he poured himself a large bourbon. "You want a drink?"

"No thank you." said Vicki Oldeeds. They were in Allen's private study in his home.

"Well, give me a little credit." Allen said. "I saw that Mike kid and called your security man immediately."

"Pul-eeze, Senator." Vicki said. "First of all: yes, you called my security man... but it wasn't you that actually saw Mike entering the University's Psychology Building, which is infested with CIA operatives. Someone else told us that. Second, your call to my security man has probably been spotted by the CIA and FBI who took the case over from the local Midtown hicks. And if they can trace Mike's killing to me, they won't come trying to arrest me and put me on trial. They'll take revenge, their way. You didn't help yourself or anyone else calling my security man like that."

"Aw, it'll blow over." Allen said, taking a large swig of his drink. "They don't have anything to touch you with, at least I hope not. You did avoid all the cameras, didn't you?"

"Of course." the beautiful blonde trophy wife said, lying through her teeth. "Though one of the idiots forgot to erase the tape of Mike coming into the front entrance. That's a typical 'Nathan Allen' bonehead move."

"Now just a minute, young lady!" Allen said. "There's no need to be making insults like that. I've been around a long time, and in the State Senate a long time. I'm not an i***t, and I have been extremely helpful to Jonas and now to you."

"That's why I came by, Senator." Vicki Oldeeds said, knowing her personal bodyguard was just outside the door, and that she was armed herself. "I came to tell you that we will not be moving forward with you in our arrangements. We've made other plans."

"What? Aw, c'mon." said Allen. "Sure you don't want a drink?" he asked as he poured himself another large one, trying to hide his growing frustration... and fear.

"You've made a lot of mistakes lately, Senator. You're slipping." Vicky said. "First was getting emotionally involved and going after that b***h cop who beat up your son. If you'd let that go, then quietly handled your son's vehicular homicide case, you wouldn't be doing so badly in the polls. Second-"

"Look, that was family." said Allen. "That b***h f****d up my boy."

"Second, Senator," said Vicki, not bothering to acknowledge the half-drunk Nathan Allen, "your emotional response in attacking the Iron Crowbar's family brought down the Black Badge gang and damn near tore out the heart of everything we were setting up in this County! I was hoping to piggyback on that, get my people in here. Now, because of you, my efforts to re-route Jonas's empire is in danger, the CIA and FBI are all over us like white on rice, and we're having to rebuild from the ruins where before we were starting to make some headway. If Malone doesn't win the Sheriff race, we're done, at least in this State, and if he does win, our negotiations with him are set back... thanks to you, Nathan Allen."

"Look," said Allen, trying and barely succeeding in controlling his fury at being cut down by this b***h in his own home, "I've got some serious connections, and I can still get you in this County if you want it. And if you want the Iron Crowbar's head on a platter, like that of John The Baptist, I'll deliver that, too."

"It's unreasonable sentences like that last one that caused us to decide to go forward without you, Senator." the lovely blonde said. She was growing weary, both mentally and physically, it had been a traumatic past 30 hours for her. "Guess who was in Midtown today, working with the locals on the murder? The Iron Crowbar. He's already on top of us, and if it wasn't for the CIA and FBI coming in and taking the case for themselves, I might already be under arrest and getting r***d in his jail cells. Okay... I've got to meet my plane at the County Airport and get the hell out of here. So long, Senator."

"I'm telling you, I can make it all good." said Nathan Allen, trying to hold Vicki Oldeeds, and hold the rapidly-shredding deal in place. "I was a friend to your husband for many years. No matter who wins the Sheriff and D.A. elections, I'll have my networks and my people. But I'm telling you, young lady... don't burn your bridges. It's much better to have Senator Nathan Allen as a friend, than as an antagonist. By the time you learn that, the train will have done run, to coin a phrase."

Vicky laughed out loud. "Senator, you weren't a friend to my husband, you were a client. He took your money and gave you girls to f**k. Any connections you had, he was laying others elsewhere, pun not intended. He didn't need you!"

"And I have not forgotten, Senator..." Vicki said venomously, beginning to rant, "I have not forgotten that he had to come down to this County last year to try to arrange a deal with Malone... a deal you were to have secured by the time he got here. And because you failed, Senator, my husband had to come here and he was shot dead in front of me. Senator... you want to talk about burning bridges? You've burned a lot of them already... and quite frankly, you're lucky to be alive. Goodbye, Senator."

Vicki Oldeeds strode out the door with a great deal of what she considered dignity, leaving Senator Nathan Allen feeling very alone... and very scared. All of his deals, all of his connections were dropping, and he was even facing electoral defeat without a serious rigging of the Election.