Red Tape

by Michele Lynn Seigfried

  I pulled out the personnel manual to refresh my memory on the policy for disability leaves of absence. Lorraine strolled into the office an hour late. She looked surprised to see me. “Oh, you’re here,” she said. “Why wouldn’t I be?” I retorted. She stuck her nose in the air and turned to walk out of my office. “Make sure your time sheet reflects that you were late again today,” I said to her. I figured I had nothing left to lose and that I wasn’t coming back to work anyway.

  I finished reading the personnel policy manual when I heard someone ask for me at the window. It was a sheriff’s officer delivering another lawsuit. I signed for the document and chuckled to myself when I saw Bonnie’s name written as the plaintiff. Bonnie was suing for wrongful termination.

  I scanned the court papers and was about to email them to Mr. Betts when Tex arrived in my office. He closed the door behind him.

  “Your father called me and told me what was going on,” he said.

  “Then you also know that this is going to be my last day of work for a while.”

  “Don’t go out on leave just yet. Wait until after tomorrow.”

  “Why would I want to do that?”

  “Trust me; it will be worth your while. There is a staff meeting scheduled for tomorrow morning. You won’t want to miss it.”

  “If you say so,” I said, leery of what he was saying.

  Chapter 16

  The day the FBI agents raided Town Hall for a second time was a day I wouldn’t forget. The date that was to be engraved in my mind was 10/10. All the department heads were in the morning staff meeting with the mayor, when we saw multiple vehicles descending upon the municipal complex. We all rushed to the windows to see what was going on.

  Somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty agents stormed into the building and blocked off each entrance. We all filed out into the hallway and toward the lobby to get a better look. It was surreal. The agents were dressed in black pants and ties. They each wore a blue windbreaker with FBI imprinted in bright yellow on the front and back. They were brandishing badges, weapons, and handcuffs. They rushed over to where we were standing and approached Mayor O’Donnell, who spoke up and said, “I demand to know the meaning of this!”

  “Mayor O’Donnell?” one of the agents asked. She nodded. “You are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you…”

  She interrupted them. “I know my rights. I want my lawyer!” she yelled as they cuffed her and dragged her out.

  Another agent turned to me and asked, “Lorraine Paso?”

  I pointed to Lorraine, who was standing in the doorway to the clerk’s office.

  It was a pleasure watching them handcuff her, drag her out of the building, and shove her into the back of a vehicle.

  A third agent handed me a subpoena for records. I pointed them in the direction of my office and said, “You are welcome to whatever you’d like.” Shortly thereafter, Tex came in and pulled me aside.

  “I suppose you know what’s going on,” I said to him.

  “Yes. I kept telling you to trust me.”

  “Did you know this was going to happen when I was in jail and you told me to trust you?”

  “Yeah, I knew this was going down. I have been working with the FBI for over a year. I just couldn’t tell you any details.”

  “So, what is going on?”

  “Well, the mayor was behind the missing safety paper in your office.”

  “I suspected as much,” I told him.

  “She was trafficking personal identifying information. When they initially raided Town Hall, they already knew that someone on the inside had been involved in issuing fake vital records. They planted bugs around the building in hopes they would get a lead. You led them to O’Donnell with your suspicions.”

  “So, I guess Lorraine was involved, since she was just arrested?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  “I wasn’t sure if she was involved or if she just knew the dirt.”

  “She was the go-between for the people buying certificates. The buyers never knew the mayor was involved.”

  “Who was buying the records?”

  “A variety of people. Illegal aliens. Teenagers wanting to buy alcohol. People involved with identity theft. People collecting insurance money from deaths. There are lots of reasons people purchase fake IDs.”

  “Were they caught?”

  “A few of them were. That’s how the FBI got involved with the investigation in the first place. They discovered some of the fake documents when someone tried to apply for a passport with one. They alerted the Motor Vehicle Commission to be on the lookout for other suspicious documents issued by Sunshine Township. Lorraine had assumed an alias for use with her clients, so even though clients were being arrested for false documents, it took quite a while to figure out who was involved in the issuance. Initially, they covered their tracks very well.”

  Tex continued, “Later on, they caught Officer Williams when he faked someone’s death and claimed the insurance money. He provided them with a death certificate from your office. He rolled on the mayor in order to get himself freed from the charges. The FBI was looking to fry a bigger fish.”

  I was absolutely shocked by this news. I knew he was chummy with the mayor, but I wouldn’t have ever taken him for a criminal. Turned out that Bonnie was right when she said she there was something about him that she didn’t like. And to think I wanted to date him! Between him and my ex, I was terrible at choosing men. It must have been the bad guy thing that I was attracted to. I would have really liked to meet a good guy for a change.

  “I would have never known he was involved. He seemed like a good guy. Why would he do all this?”

  “Looks can be deceiving. He had financial troubles and desperately needed to get his hands on some money.”

  “Why did Lorraine and Mayor O’Donnell do this?”

  “Money? Power? Maybe a combination of both. What typically happens is that people do something criminal for a particular reason, like needing money. Then, when they realize they didn’t get caught, they get a God complex and think they can do whatever they want and not ever get caught.”

  I asked him, “What did that have to do with me? Why did they have me falsely arrested? Did they know I suspected them?”

  “Lorraine Paso was blackmailing Mayor O’Donnell. Lorraine wanted a cushy job in the town and was threatening to expose the mayor if she didn’t get one. The mayor feared you could be on to her, since you knew about the missing paper. She surmised you would figure it out eventually, so you were a good candidate to remove to make space for Lorraine. Basically, they wanted you out of the way for a while. Plus, they knew if they were charged with a crime, that you wouldn’t make a credible witness against them since you had an arrest record for theft yourself.”

  “Assholes! Oops, sorry, I just couldn’t contain myself there for a minute,” I said.

  “Was it the mayor who tried to have me killed?”

  “Officer Williams admitted that after arresting you didn’t keep you out of their way, the mayor had decided to get rid of you permanently. He rigged the elevator to crash in exchange for a large payment from Mayor O’Donnell. When that plan didn’t work, she apparently hired another couple of goons to take you out.”

  “Did you find the goons?”

  “There are two suspects in custody regarding what happened to you this week, both with the car incident and the attempted break-in at your house. It’s only a matter of time before they substantiate Williams’ story.”

  I was thankful that the mayor’s plan was foiled and I was still alive. I felt some satisfaction in knowing she would be going to jail for a very, very long time. I felt disgusted that Officer Williams was getting off scot-free, but I knew karma would take care of him in the end. At minimum, he would lose his job.

  Tex went on to tell me the rest of the details. Back in March, Officer Williams was the one who had set the courtroom on fire. He had hope
d the building would burn to the ground, so that there was no evidence of the safety paper missing. He hadn’t counted on anyone noticing the fire until it was too late.

  Once Williams told that story, he offered up the rest of the details in exchange for immunity. He and the mayor had orchestrated the robbery at the clerk’s office. This was to cast doubt that they had taken the paper, hoping it would appear that an intruder took it. They messed up the HVAC system to try to destroy the paper so it would be assumed the paper had to be discarded instead of missing.

  Tex said, “According to Williams, when the mayor knew you were about to contact the state registrar, she tampered with the computer server and cut the phone lines in hopes of postponing your correspondence with him until the goons she hired could get rid of him.”

  “That’s insane,” I said. “Did they think the state registrar was the only person who worked in that office and that I would have no one else to contact if they killed him?”

  “I guess she was desperate to cover her tracks. The mayor also concocted the bedbug story to try to create a defense for herself.”

  “How would that be a defense?” I asked. “The paper was already missing when the exterminators came to the building.”

  “She is going to try to put the idea of reasonable doubt into the minds of the jurors by showing evidence that multiple people were frequently in your office. That multiple people had the access and the ability to take the paper.”

  “That’s a stretch.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  I was sickened by the fact that I had blamed Mr. Triggers in my head for all the sabotage around the building. I would have sworn up and down that it was he who had caused the mayhem. He seemed nuts and Mayor O’Donnell and Officer Williams both seemed normal. I felt appalled that I was tricked into thinking the two of them were good people for a while. My first impressions of them both were incredibly wrong. I guess my impression of Mr. Triggers was off the mark as well. I should have known early on that the mayor was involved by the way she kept asking me about the safety paper. I should have learned to trust my instincts more than my brain.

  “Why did they make the decision to arrest them today?” I asked Tex.

  “Partly because they finally had enough evidence. Partly because they knew your life was in danger. Possibly because the mayor was up for election this year and some politician didn’t want her reelected.”

  “So what kind of punishment will they get?”

  “If they are found guilty, jail time and hefty fines for issuing over 50 false records. Attempted murder carries a large sentence.”

  “I hope the judge throws the book at them. I was certainly fooled by them, I used to think the mayor and Officer Williams were good people, I guess I am a horrible judge of character.”

  “It’s not you, Chelsey, they had us all fooled at one time.”

  Chapter 17

  After a nice long reprieve, Robert Triggers showed up at the window first thing in the morning. Oh, just wonderful, I thought. I had gotten through a terrible ordeal and made it out alive and I thought it would be easy going from that point on. I decided to be nicer to him, even though he was a pest. I had him pegged all wrong and I felt the need to give him the benefit of the doubt. I told myself he was just a resident looking for a solution to his problem and he was passionate about getting something accomplished. He hadn’t been in my office in two months. I could certainly be pleasant to him.

  “Hey idiot. You said that plans for my road didn’t exist,” he promptly announced.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Triggers, let me pull out my files; this is going back a while.”

  I found the records request form asking for the plans, which was submitted by Mr. Triggers back in August. This jogged my memory. I denied the request on the basis that no records existed.

  “I have your request here, Mr. Triggers. I recall that I did try to locate the plans, but your street was built so long ago, I did not have any luck.”

  “Who told you the plans don’t exist? You’re too stupid to figure that out yourself. Someone is out to get me and I want to know who.”

  “Mr. Triggers, I can assure you, no one is out to get you. I went to the archives myself and looked for the plans. I could not find any.”

  He seemed to get angrier than he already was. “I know you people are out to get me. Almost every time I’m here, you won’t give me what I want!”

  I tried to sound reassuring. After all, I had decided that I was going to be polite to Mr. Triggers, but I’m sure the words came out of my mouth more condescending than anything. “I am certainly not out to get you, Mr. Triggers. I always give you the documents I have and I give you a reason if I’m not able to give you something. In this case, I also double-checked with the planning and zoning secretary, who told me that she could not find any plans for your street. She does not know who you are and is absolutely not out to get you either.”

  Disgruntled, he screamed, “Fine! Whatever! But I’m telling you that the mayor is out to get me. She sends the police after me all the time. They have me arrested for no reason. I spend all of my free time here because I want my dunes! No, no, let me rephrase that, I need the dunes. My house is not going to be protected in a natural disaster. They are ruining my life!”

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Triggers, but I have nothing to do with the dunes or the mayor. I am only the keeper of the records. In addition, the mayor might not even be working here much longer.”

  “Yeah, I read that in the newspapers. I knew that wench was a dishonest, lying bitch. I hate her.”

  Hate is such a strong word. I reserve it for a few special people that I’ve encountered in my life. My ex is one of those people. The mayor is another. I thought, If Triggers only knew my true feelings for the mayor, maybe he wouldn’t view me as the enemy. However, I was too professional to express my opinion to any member of the public who wasn’t in my close circle of friends and family.

  “Is there anything else I can help you with, Mr. Triggers?” I asked.

  “Yes, as a matter of fact there is!” he said as he handed me a long list of records he wanted.

  Mr. Triggers proceeded to look through various records for the next hour, having me fetch different documents on his command. He was trying my patience, but I kept reminding myself to be understanding. He took about fifty pages of copies, then left. I was shocked when he said, “I hope you have a nice day” on his way out. By the tone of his voice, I wasn’t sure if that was sincere or if he was giving me some type of strange warning.

  I went back to my desk to find a message from Mr. Betts, asking me to call him back. I dialed his phone number. “Hi, Colby. It’s Chelsey. I am returning your call.”

  “Howdy, Chelsey. How are you hanging in?”

  “Just fine. Thanks for asking.”

  “Chelsey, I need you to do a favor for me. I need you to draft a resolution for tonight’s agenda for a closed-session discussion about litigation, Triggers versus the Town of Sunshine.”

  “I had almost forgotten that you were in court for that yesterday. I’ll have the resolution ready to pass out tonight.”

  “Great, that would be just wonderful. Just so you know, we won the lawsuit with Mr. Triggers.”

  “Oh, that makes sense. He hadn’t been in the municipal building since he filed his suit and he came in today for more records.”

  “He’s probably looking to appeal.”

  “Thanks for letting me know, Colby.”

  I took a second to breathe and look around when I got off the phone with Colby. Ah, no Lorraine. No Frita O’Donnell. I quietly enjoyed a moment alone, thinking things would go back to normal. But things weren’t normal yet. Bonnie wasn’t here. I wished that council would reinstate her since the mayor and Lorraine were arrested, but I doubted that she would be rehired with her lawsuit pending.

  The council meeting was probably going to be strange without Frita acting as Chair. I predicted there would be complaints from the public about what
had happened and that it would be a stressful meeting. I guessed, technically, until Frita was convicted, she didn’t have to give up the position of mayor. I found it ironic that when I was accused of a crime, they immediately made me give up my position without pay, and so far, there was no talk about the mayor having to give up her position without pay. I wondered if this also meant that Lorraine didn’t have to give up her job either.

  I picked up the phone and dialed Tex. He answered the phone, “Detective Texidoro.”

  “I don’t know if you’ll have the answer, but do you know if Lorraine or Frita are getting out on bail?”

  “It’s doubtful. The judge set bail pretty high. Last I heard, neither of them made bail yet.”

  “Well, if they are able to make bail, do you think they will be coming back to work?”

  “I could see Frita maintaining her innocence until the bitter end.”

  “Do you know when they will go to court?”

  “I haven’t heard anything about a court date. It could take up to six months.”

  “Did you say six months?” I asked. I didn’t like that answer.

  “Yes, six months or more. I really don’t know.”

  “Do you think I should get a restraining order?”

  “You certainly could if you want to.”

  “I’m asking your opinion.”

  “I will call you the second I hear anything about either one of them making bail.”

  “Thanks.”

  I hung up with Tex and marched over to Rodney’s office. I opened his door and said, “I’m here to make sure that there is fair treatment of all employees.”

  He looked at me, confused.

  “I’m talking about the mayor and Lorraine. Since you put me on ‘administrative leave’ without pay when I was arrested—falsely, I might add—then you should be putting those two out on leave without pay as well.”

  “Not a problem with Lorraine. Frita is a different story. I don’t have the power to do that. There are laws.”

  I went back to my office and dialed Mr. Schubert. A woman’s voice answered the phone, “Law office.”