“Get away from me you skanky ho! You touch me again I’ll kick your ass so hard you’ll have to clear your throat to fart!”
I followed the sound of the voice and spotted Mary in a cell surrounded by a dozen degenerates.
I could see the relief on her face when she saw me. “Mr. Walt! Thank God! Get me outta here before I kill one of these bitches!”
Unfortunately, I knew it wasn’t going to be that easy.
“Calm down, Mary. Just tell me what happened.”
“I was just sittin’ in my living room watching Oprah when I heard a banging on my front door. I looked out and saw a half dozen guys wearing helmets and vests and carrying big rifles. I asked the man what they wanted but he didn’t even answer me. He just kicked in my door. Before I knew it, they had me in handcuffs and brung me down here. I didn’t do nothing wrong, Mr. Walt. You know I didn’t.”
One of the crack whores that had been listening put her hand on Mary’s shoulder. “Yeah, yeah, that’s what they all say.”
Mary’s elbow shot back and buried itself in the woman’s stomach. “I told you not to touch me!”
The woman doubled over and hit the floor like a sack of dog food.
“Get me out of here, Mr. Walt,” she pleaded.
“I can’t just unlock the door, Mary. There are rules --- procedures. I’ll do what I can. In the meantime, please don’t maim anyone. It’ll only make things worse.”
“I’ll try --- but please --- HURRY!”
I checked with the intake officer and found the name of the arresting officer, Frank Dutton. I asked around and found Dutton in the break room.
“Officer Dutton. I’m Walt Williams. I understand that you were in charge of the Three Trails bust.”
“Yeah, so what.”
I could see that this wasn’t starting on a positive note.
“Well, actually, I own the Three Trails and the woman you brought in, Mary Murphy, is a friend of mine.”
“Hell fire,” he retorted, “maybe we should be arresting you too. That Murphy woman --- she’s a real piece of work.”
I was really confused. “What could Mary have possibly done? I don’t understand.”
“You heard Sergeant Winkler this morning. We’ve had dozens of places under surveillance for the past few months. We’ve got your gal on tape buying hydroponic lights.”
That, of course, was a surprise. I had no idea why Mary would make such a purchase.
“Since when is buying ‘grow lights’ a crime?”
Dutton gave me a disdainful look. “You know the answer to that as well as I do. It’s not the buying of the lights --- it’s what you do with them. We followed your friend and discovered that she lived in that flophouse over on Linwood. That dump has quite a reputation. You’ve got quite a group of unsavory characters bunking there.”
“I’m not quite sure what you’re implying, but ‘poor’ and ‘down on your luck’ don’t necessarily translate into ‘unsavory’.”
“Yeah, well, we checked the records and found that you had a guy in one of the sleeping rooms making bombs and --- .”*
“Hey,” I interrupted, “I was the one that found him and it helped to uncover a group of religious fanatics.”
“Oh, really? What about that drive-by shooting a few months ago?”**
“We were able to bust a street gang because of that.”
******************************************
*http://booksbybob.com/lady-justice-and-the-avenging-angels_336.html
** http://booksbybob.com/lady-justice-and-the-assassin_395.html
“Whatever. Anyway, when we checked Murphy’s record, we discovered that she had offed a guy right on the front sidewalk.”
“All the charges against her were dropped,” I replied indignantly. “It was ruled a justified shooting based on the ‘stand your ground’ law. He had threatened to kill her with a knife, for heaven’s sakes!”
“I hear what you’re saying,” he replied with a weary shrug, “but look at it from my point of view. Your gal bought equipment that could be used to grow pot, she lives in a building that has a rap sheet as long as your arm and she obviously has a propensity for violent behavior. We had no choice but to raid the place.”
“So I’m guessing that you’re not going to help me.”
“Can’t,” he replied. “It’s up to a judge to sort this thing out.”
“Thanks a lot,” I replied, huffing out of the break room.
I was on my way back to the holding cell to give Mary the bad news when I came face to face with Suzanne Romero.
Romero was the attorney that had gotten Mary acquitted after she had shot the intruder. She was a first-rate lawyer that had proven, over the years, to be a real thorn in the side of the police department and the prosecuting attorney’s office. She was a champion of human rights and every prosecutor knew that if they didn’t have an airtight case or that the cops had cut some corners, her client would walk.
Given the fact that dozens of people had been caught up in the drug sweep, I wasn’t surprised to see her at the precinct.
“Walt, good to see you. I suppose you were part of this three-ring circus.”
“Unfortunately, yes, and so was someone else you know, Mary Murphy.”
I gave her a quick rundown of what I had discovered up to that point.
“Is there any way you can get her out of here? I’m afraid that if she has to spend the night in that cell, she’ll kill someone and then we’ll have another murder charge to deal with.”
“I’ll see what I can do, Walt. This place is chaos this morning but maybe I can pull a few strings and get her arraigned right away. Then she can post bail and we won’t have to worry about another homicide.”
Somehow, Suzanne pulled a rabbit out of her hat and by four o’clock, a distraught but relieved Mary Murphy was released on a $1,500 bond.
With dozens of new cases dumped on the court’s docket, the judge scheduled the trial two days later.
I figured that it might be a good idea to keep Mary under wraps until the trial was over, so I took her to our apartment, knowing Maggie would be okay with a temporary houseguest.
Naturally, Maggie couldn’t wait to hear the whole story.
Mary was eager to unload and shared every graphic detail which she embellished with numerous expletives.
“So Mary,” I asked, “did you really buy those grow lights like they said?”
“I sure did,” she replied, “and I did it because of what you done for me.”
Now I was confused. “What exactly was that?”
“Remember --- a while back --- you and Maggie brung me big basket of tomatoes?”
I nodded.
“Well, they was absolutely delicious. I loved every bite and decided that I wanted to grow some of my own, but it’s too late to plant anything outside, so I started reading up on how to grow stuff inside. We got that big old basement downstairs and it ain’t doing nothing but sitting there, so I decided to make myself a garden. I bought those lights and some plants and they was doing real good. Then, all of a sudden, these goons with guns show up at my door and the next thing I know I’m in a cell full of crack hos.”
After hearing Mary’s story, I was relieved, but I couldn’t help wondering why weird things keep happening to the people I love.
When we arrived at Judge Stanton’s courtroom, the place was packed.
I was surprised to see Earl, Morty, Sol and Stacy whom I had previously met in the captain’s office.
After placing Mary in Suzanne Romero’s capable hands, I made my way to where they were seated.
“Good morning. I’m surprised to see you all here, especially you, Stacy. I thought you were heading back to California.”
“I was,” she replied, “but when I heard about Mary’s arrest I figured that I should probably hang around. If we get this TV thing off the ground, Mary Murphy’s character will be a prominent part of the story line. It would be a real downer if she turned
out to be a drug dealer instead of a hero.”
“I see your point,” I replied, “but as you’ll soon see, you don’t have anything to worry about.”
“Have you given more thought to our proposal?” Earl asked eagerly. “We’d really like for you to be on board with this.”
I knew that I was committed whether I wanted to be or not, but I wanted them to sweat just a bit longer.”
“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it. I’ll let you know.”
At that moment, the bailiff announced Judge Stanton. Mary was about to have her day in court --- for the second time.
The prosecution had only one witness, Frank Dutton. He related how Mary had been observed buying the hydroponic lights and how they had followed her to the Three Trails. I slunk down in my seat as he ticked off the numerous violations of the law that had transpired at my flophouse. He was about to bring up Mary’s previous arrest, but Romero objected and the prosecutor didn’t press the issue.
Finally, he asked. “Officer Dutton, based on your years of service in the Drug Enforcement Unit, did you believe that you had probable cause to execute a search warrant on the premises.”
“Yes, sir, I did,” he replied.
“No further questions, Judge.”
It was quite obvious that Suzanne was going to rip their case apart and what had just occurred was a blatant attempt to cover their asses to avoid a counter lawsuit for unlawful arrest.
“Your witness, Ms. Romero,” the judge intoned.
“Officer Dutton,” she said, approaching the witness stand, “Were you present when the premises were searched?”
“Yes,”
“Did you find the hydroponic lights that Ms. Murphy had purchased?”
“Yes.”
“Please tell us what you found growing under those lights.”
Dutton slumped in his chair and mumbled, “Tomatoes.”
“I’m sorry, Officer. Could you speak a little louder so the court can hear? What did you find growing in the basement of the Three Trails Hotel?”
“Tomatoes! I found tomatoes!”
“And did you find evidence of drugs or drug paraphernalia anywhere on the premises?”
“No, we didn’t.”
“So what would you conclude as a result of your search?”
Dutton was becoming indignant. “Look counselor, I know what you’re trying to do here. Okay, so we made a mistake in this one instance, but that sweep two days ago took dozens of dope heads off the streets of Kansas City. A sweep like this is like a tuna boat fishing with a big net. Mostly the net is going to be filled with tuna, but once in a while a dolphin or a sea turtle is going to get tangled up. We don’t like it, but it happens.”
“So just too bad for the dolphin,” Romero said bitterly. “Judge, we ask you to dismiss this case with prejudice for lack of evidence.”
“So ordered,” the judge said, banging his gavel. “Case dismissed!”
In the back of the courtroom, I heard Earl let out a whoop. His TV show had been saved.
“Order in my court!” the judge bellowed, banging his gavel again.
As Officer Dutton passed by the defense table, I heard Mary whisper, “Asshole!”
I thought Mary and Suzanne would be ready to leave, but they remained seated.
The judge had noticed too.
“I dismissed the case, Ms. Romero. Is there something else?”
I’d like a moment to address the court,” she replied.
The judge looked at his watch. “Make it quick, Ms. Romero. I have a very full docket today.”
“Thank you Judge. I totally understand Officer Dutton’s tuna and dolphin analogy. Unfortunately, the poor dolphin, and in this case, Mary Murphy, are just written off as collateral damage --- acceptable sacrifice for the greater good.”
“Please get to the point,” Ms. Romero, the judge said, looking at his watch again.
“The point is, your honor, that this collateral damage is becoming more frequent. Just a month ago a similar case was filed in the Johnson County District Court. This case involved an entire family including a seven year-old girl and a thirteen year-old boy. As with Ms. Murphy, officers raided their home in the early hours of the morning. After a thorough search of the premises, they found six plants, three tomato, a melon and two butternut squash. I can only imagine the horror those children felt as their parents were held at gunpoint and men with assault rifles and wearing body armor ransacked their house. This is Kansas City, not Nazi Germany.”
The courtroom was deathly silent.
“Exactly what would you have me do, Ms. Romero?” the judge asked.
“You’ve already done it, your honor. You’ve given me the opportunity to say publicly what many of the citizens of our country fear --- that our rights and freedoms are slowly being taken away. We now know that the government has been secretly monitoring our phone conversations, emails and Internet activity. We know that citizens protesting the government’s actions have been targeted by the IRS and this case today is just another example of the government’s intrusion into the sanctity and privacy of our homes. Thank you, Judge. I won’t take any more of the court’s time.”
Suzanne Romero got what she wanted.
Mary Murphy’s obscure little case and Suzanne’s remarks were plastered on the front page of the next morning’s Kansas City Star.
As I read the article, I was torn in two directions.
On the one hand, I could see the results of the good work done by Rocky Winkler and his drug squad. Kansas City was definitely a much better place with the scumbag we had arrested and dozens of others like him in lock up.
On the other hand, I remembered seeing the anguish in Mary’s eyes as she looked at me through the bars of her cell. She had been put through hell for something as simple as growing a few tomato plants.
It’s a very fine line that Lady Justice has to walk that separates our personal freedoms from what’s best for the country.
I don’t know how she does it.
I remembered Spock’s words, “Logic dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”
That certainly seems to make sense --- unless you’re one of the few!
CHAPTER 11
I wasn’t a bit surprised when the captain called me into his office after squad meeting.
I figured that after seeing Earl and his cohorts at the trial the day before, they would be pressing me for an answer.
Sure enough, Earl, Morty, Sol and Stacy were all there to greet me with bright, smiley faces.
Earl didn’t beat around the bush. “Walt, I know you’ve just been through a few rough days, but we wanted to meet with you one more time before we took Stacy to the airport. After hearing yesterday’s verdict that Mary is a law-abiding citizen rather than a felon, the only thing stopping us from pushing ahead is you. Like I said yesterday, we’d love to have your support on this.”
The room grew quiet as everyone awaited my answer.
I knew that the answer that I was about to give would change my life in ways that I couldn’t begin to imagine, but I didn’t see any way out of it.
“I’ve talked to my friends and family and all of them seem to be pretty excited, so I’ve decided to not be the only party-pooper in the crowd, BUT --- there are conditions.”
“Sure, Walt,” Earl replied. “Anything reasonable. What did you have in mind?”
“First and most important, many of our cases were solved with the aid of my confidential informants on the street. Their lives could be in danger if it was discovered that they were working with the cops. We have to keep their names out of it. Second, I’ve seen a lot of cop shows. Some are very good but others are really dark --- lots of profanity --- ugly stuff. I want no part of that. I don’t want to be ashamed when the show comes on the air.”
“I think that I can ease your mind, Walt,” Stacy said. “The reason that we want you on board is because the story is about you. You were the one that lived it. In f
act, as part of the package, we want you to be our technical consultant. We will have professional screenwriters developing the scripts for the shows, but we need you to make sure that what they’ve written is accurate. We’d really like you to review every script. That way you’ll have a say in what eventually gets broadcast.”
I looked at the captain.
“I think we can pull Walt off the street long enough for him to give you a hand.”
Earl jumped to his feet and grabbed my hand. “Great! Then it’s settled! I’m so excited. In fact, I’m so happy, I’d like to give the department a little token of my appreciation.”
He handed the captain an envelope.
“What’s this?” he asked taking the envelope.
“That,” Earl said proudly, “is the Dragonflyer X8, a UAV, an unmanned aerial vehicle, a drone. Police departments all over the country are using the things. It’s electric powered so it’s quiet. It can hover over a crime scene and send still photos or videos. Thought maybe the department could use one.”
“I --- I don’t know what to say. Thank you so much. We’ve looked into these so I know they don’t come cheap.”
“Thirty-two grand for that one --- but hey --- it’s only money. If Walt and Ox hadn’t saved my hide the other night, I might not be here to spend it anyway. It’s the least I can do. It should be here in a few days. Well, we’d better skedaddle. Stacy has a plane to catch.”
As I watched the four of them walk out the door, something told me that I’d be seeing a lot more of those two old codgers that had somehow wormed their way into my life.
Earl was ecstatic as the four of them wound their way north on I-29 to the Kansas City International Airport.
“I knew he’d come around!” he said, pumping his fist in the air. “I just knew it! Looks like we’re all set to get this TV thing off the ground. Now I’m ready to launch into my next project.”
Morty and Sol exchanged wary glances. This was the first time they’d heard Earl mention a new project.
“Morty, remember a few weeks ago, before we hit it big --- we were sitting there watching a TV show where some degenerate was belting out the pitiful stuff they’re calling music today?”
Lady Justice and the Lottery Page 8
