Judge Roy Clemens was clearly shook up. He was breathing in short gasps and Walter was hoping it was not due to anger but rather a painful realization of the truth. His forehead turned glossy and would soon turn into a river of sweat. Walter knew he was close to getting his search warrant. The last thing he expected to hear was what the Judge said to Gordy.
“I’ll need a moment with the Sheriff. Will you wait for him out in the hall please?”
Walter knew that Gordy was getting worse and so reached into his uniform pocket and handed him the keys to the car.
“Wait for me in the car. I don’t see this taking too long.”
When Gordy was gone and the office clear to speak freely, Roy looked solemnly at Walter and said,
“Look Walter, I can’t authorize your entry into that place. All I got is a second hand story from some circus freak.”
Although Roy was not finished, Walter snapped,
“Three kids Roy! I don’t give a rat’s ass for what’s really going on up there but I’ll tell you right now, search warrant or not, I’m getting those kids out of there.”
Roy was just as adamant,
“No you are not.”
The war of words was in full battle mod and Walter defiantly sneered,
“Watch me?”
“If you even go near that place I’ll pull rank and dismiss you from the force and pull your pension.”
Walter was not expecting such strong opposition. He sat back and collected his thoughts. With the staring contest in full battle formation Walter could think of only one counter move.
“You know what’s really going on up there, don’t you?”
Roy didn’t want to admit it but a slow nod gave him away. Walter shot back,
“Then why are you protecting them? They are torturing three innocent children for Christ sake!”
Roy reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a half bottle of rye whisky. A shot glass was filled to the brim and in one quick motion was poured down the hatch. Glossy eyes looked deep into Walter’s and an angry voice spoke loud and clear.
“Don’t be a fool Walter. You have no idea of the extent of the operation up there. Yes, your accusation and that poor man’s testimony are true. The Factory has nothing to do with weather research. The security guards are mercenaries working for a private financial institution sanctioned by the government.”
Walter was still steadfast and strongly insisted,
“Sign the damn papers Roy.”
Roy blew up and with spittle spewing yelled back at him.
“You idiot! That pig-headed stubbornness of yours will ruin everything! This is bigger than three kids and that man.”
Quick to recognize that the Judge’s anger was weakening his resolve, Walter demanded,
“Talk to me Roy. What’s really going on up there?”
Frustration opened Roy’s mouth.
“It’s big Walter. Stay away from that place. What you are threatening to do is dangerous. Think of your pension and your wife Edith.”
Judge Roy Clemens might have intended what he said as a warning to stay away but Walter heard it as a threat to his wife. He calmly stood, unsnapped his holster, and slowly pulled out his firearm. Roy sat straight up. It was gently placed on the desk, barrel pointing at the Judge. Nervous to the point of stuttering, Roy asked,
“What are you doing? Are you going to shot me now?”
Walter calmly sat back down and said,
“Threatening a Judge? I’m glad you understand the situation.”
Then in a tone that could only be construed as a stern warning, he added,
“Mention my wife’s name once more and I’ll put a bullet in your ugly face.”
Hoping that it would alleviate the situation, Roy stammered out,
“That’s threatening a Judge, a Federal offence.”
Undeterred, Walter kept it up.
“Go ahead, mention her name again.”
Feeling the pressure of defeat, Roy looked at the pistol, then up to Walter, and said,
“Okay, put the gun away and we’ll talk.”
Walter gently shook his head and calmly said,
“Nah. I like looking at it. It looks good right there.”
Frustration poured another shot of whiskey and after a quick swallow, Roy’s loose lips sank the ship.
“It’s called Autonomous Financial Collaboration. The government wants the results of those experiments but can’t let the public know what’s really going on up there. I don’t exactly know what that is but if what I heard from you and that freak is anywhere near the truth then it’s something the government does not want the public to know they are involved with. If it’s true that it involves experimentation with kids, obviously the Government cannot fund such a heinous project. They told me it’s a billion dollar operation and way too costly to pull from a secret Black Budget so they brought in private money as a buffer. I understand the people financing the operation are called the International Investment Council.”
After another swallow for courage, Roy tried to sound sincere.
“Stay away from there Walter. You and ---,”
Realizing that he was going to say ‘Edith’, he stopped in mid-sentence.
“Well, you know what I’m saying.”
A stern glare crossed the desk and Walter asked,
“How much of a bribe are you getting for this protection Roy? Is it worth the lives of three kids?”
All Roy could think to say was,
“If you go up there Walter, you will be a criminal.”
Walter quickly shot back,
“Looks like we are both criminals then don’t it? The long arm of the law seeks justice but just as long are the tentacles of crime.”
Walter was now fuming and yelled,
“The Government and now the law are aiding and abetting illegal activity all for the sake of profit and power. I will not be a party to this. I am the Sheriff of Twin Rivers. My responsibility to the people is to protect and serve. By that oath it also means to protect innocent children.”
He then stabbed his finger at the judge and added,
“No matter the cost to me, I will rescue those children.”
Eyes of stone glared at Walter and drunk words slurred,
“Stay away from there. It’s bigger than all of us. That’s my final word on this Walter. Now get out of my office.”
On his way out, Walter had the last word.
“It’s not over, not by a long shot.”
Now alone in his office, Roy picked up the phone and punched in a long series of numbers. Almost immediately he heard Otto Schmidt demanding,
“What is it?”
Roy earned his bribe when telling Otto everything that transpired. He then added,
“I blocked his attempt this time but he is a determined man. Be careful. The risk to your investment has been moved to very high.”
Otto calmly said,
“Thank you. I will deposit the agreed amount into your account.”
Otto then hung up and made a call to their investment bank. The marginal profit enterprise had now lost all of its appeal. The order was to freeze all financial dealings with them.
Roy sat at his desk and spoiled immaculate hair by running frustrated fingers through it. Realizing what he had done, a comb quickly appeared to mend the tangled mess. Judge Roy Clemens was a distinguished looking man, at least on the outside.
Out in the main hall and walking toward the door, Walter passed the front desk and saw two security guards intently listening to a panicked receptionist. He didn’t stop but did hear in passing,
“No, I’m telling you he was practically invisible. I swear it was real.”
Walter smiled and continued to the parking lot and his car. He got in and saw the keys were already in the ignition but Gordy was nowhere in sight. Fearing that his most important witness and evidence had fled, he looked in the back seat. He was not there either. Upon closer inspection of the passenger seat he
saw a pressure indentation as well as a slight indent against the back of the seat. Not knowing if Gordy could hear him in that stage, he started the car and said,
“I’ll tell you what I told the Judge. It ain’t over by a long shot.”
Chapter 52
The long drive to Gordy Jackson’s house was in silence. Walter was running scenarios though his head rejecting some but reaping other ways of getting into the Factory. By the time he had reached the Jackson driveway he had a pretty good idea what he was going to do. An invisible hand opened the passenger door and Gordy stepped out. When the passenger door slammed shut and there was no more indentation in the seat, Walter put the car in reverse, backed out of the driveway, and aimed for the precinct.
When he stepped into the reception area, Edith looked up and smiled at her returning husband. However, when seeing his gritty expression, her smile dropped faster than a barrel over Niagara Falls. She had seen that look before and knew something was immensely wrong. With eyes aimed at the back room he marched past the ‘report board’ and Edith knew better than to call him back to move his peg over.
In the precinct, Dean Richards was filling out a report regarding a domestic disturbance at an apartment complex over on Willington Ave. Deputy Derek Larson had been called to the Riverside Hotel to investigate a body found in the back alley. Isaac had wisely kept his mouth shut about being involved with that incident until talking to Walter. Grant Lloyd was sitting at his desk pretending to be busy but in fact alert eyes and ears were gleaning pertinent information to report back to the Factory.
As Walter stormed past the desks, making his way to his office, he looked at Isaac and indicated for him follow. Grant’s spying eyes followed both men into the office. Sitting across from Walter, Isaac understood why he was called in and started explaining right away. He described everything that happened at the hotel as he saw it. Walter then asked,
“Has homicide identified the body yet?”
“No sir but I recognized him from Mr. Crow’s video. He was at the house talking to the man identified as Demetri Warric, the so-called CEO of the weather research facility. He was also the same man Deputy Grant Lloyd seemed friendly with on the same video.”
Walter seemed to go into thought and Isaac did not know what he had said to cause such a deep reflection. Isaac added.
“I don’t know how they knew Ruth Albright and the kids were at the Riverside Hotel but, ---”
There was no satisfaction in Walter’s interruption.
“I do and will explain it later.”
Walter then nodded his approval of the events at the hotel and commented,
“So the noose tightens around the neck of the Factory. That greatly adds to the validity of what I have planned. From what I have learned from Judge Clemens, we will have difficulty getting an Arrest Warrant for Rick Calhoun on charges of suspicion of murder and attempted murder of a police officer, you.”
Isaac agreed and added,
“I can throw in a few additional charges like breaking into a hotel room.”
Isaac was surprised to hear,
“Yes, but hold off on that. I want the whole precinct ready and armed for a raid on the Factory in five hours. Tell the two day patrol deputies, Derek Larson and Dean Richards that I am authorizing their overtime.”
He then looked hard at Isaac and asked a solemn question.
“If I authorize an unlawful raid on the Factory, how will that legally affect you and the careers of my deputies?”
“It will not affect me or them at all. We are duty bound to follow orders. If you order all of us to join you on a raid, we have to assume that you have all the necessary approvals to do so.”
As Walter nodded and approved of what he wanted to hear, Isaac asked,
“May I assume that you did not get that authorization from Judge Clemens?”
It was a short reply and Isaac knew better than to question it.
“I am not at liberty to confirm or deny that right now.”
He then added,
“But yes, you may assume that.”
“In that case Sir, as far as charges against you are concerned ---,”
“Walter cut him off,
“Yes, I understand my situation and what I am risking. I intend to talk to Edith about it soon.”
Walter then changed the sensitive subject to current events. He asked,
“Where are Ruth Albright and the children now? Did you relocate them?”
Isaac was embarrassed to report,
“Not Mrs. Albright. When I suggested a Safe House she used very colorful language telling me that she had no intention of being pushed all over Twin Rivers just because of some rantallion.”
He then added,
“I don’t even know what that means. I had to look it up. Honest Sir, until then I thought she was just a helpless sweet old lady.”
Walter laughed and asked,
“So what does rantallion mean?”
Embarrassed, Isaac said,
“It’s disgusting. I don’t even want to tell you.”
Having been a victim of Ruth’s colorful language many times before, Walter let it go. He got back on page and said,
“Fine, let her stay there. Contact the hotel security and tell them to be on the alert.”
“Already did sir.”
“Thank you. What did you do with Mrs. Jackson and the kids?”
“Mrs. Jackson said that she would stay with Mrs. Albright. Apparently those two hit it off and Mrs. Albright agreed that it might be nice to have the company. Samantha wanted to go back to that so-called secret treehouse and I thought that might be okay. It is very secure and well hidden. I even had difficulty locating it. Gary wanted to go with her and that’s where they are.”
Walter did not agree with the treehouse location but let it pass. He said,
“Okay, I want you to prepare the men for a strategy meeting. On your way out, tell Grant I want to see him immediately.”
As Isaac got up to leave, Walter said,
“Tell me again Isaac how you thought wearing Kevlar on a boring stakeout mission at the hotel was a useless endeavour.”
Before ordered to do so, Isaac had argued that point with Walter. He thought it was awkward and cumbersome. How could anybody move in those things? With his back to the desk and reaching for the door, Isaac said what Walter wanted to hear.
“Yes sir, you were right sir. Thank you sir, for threatening me with more midnight surveillance if I did not wear it.”
Aside from the flippant tone, Walter smiled. Age and experience had prevailed once again.
Chapter 53
Throughout the course of his many years in service to the good citizens of Twin Rivers, Grant Lloyd had been called into the Sheriff’s office many times. Mostly it was to stand at ease on the carpet to be reprimanded for inappropriate behavior or his annoying habit of thinking his report time was just a suggestion. Despite his many faults, in all those years Walter had no complaint about his performance record. That is, until now. So, when Isaac walked past Grant’s desk and said in passing that the Sheriff wanted to see him, he had no reason to think that it was for any other reason than the same old thing.
That all changed when Grant walked into the office and Walter told him to close the door. Approaching the desk, he stood at ease and swallowed hard. Walter looked up and in a stern voice said,
“Stand at attention.”
It was a slow compliance but a suddenly concerned Grant had no choice but to obey. Walter then solemnly asked,
“How long have you been on the force Deputy Lloyd?”
Deputy Lloyd? If not before, then at least now Grant understood he was in serious trouble. Recognizing that, Grant laid it on thick.
“I have been a loyal servant to the citizens of Twin Rivers for twenty-seven years Sir.”
“Yes you have and that is what confuses me.”
After a slight pause to let that sink in, Walter asked,
“Do you reme
mber twelve years ago when I gave cell phones to everybody on the force and permission to use them for private conversation as along at it was understood that the first priority was for police work?”
Grant nodded and Walter continued,
“Do you remember signing off on certain privacy issues, one being calls from your cell phone. All conversations personal and matters pertaining to police duty would be recorded and kept for one month?”
As Grant nodded, he swallowed hard and Humpty Dumpty suddenly realized that he was sitting on a very high wall and slightly teetering.
Walter added,
“I would like you to keep that in mind for a few minutes.”
Walter then reached for his phone, handed it to Grant and said,
“Just press play. You will notice that the video was taken from across the street.”
Grant slowly eased his ‘attention’ posture and pressed play. Walter ran a continuing commentary on what was happening on the screen.
“There you are talking to who has been identified as Demetri Warric, the boss of whatever is really going on up at the Factory. You told me that he showed you official paperwork and a badge as a member of National Security authorizing their activity at the Albright house. The video shows both of you from beginning to end yet at no time in this whole video does it show you being presented a badge or paperwork. You even shook hands with him. Keep watching and you will notice a very familiar man to this police force come around a corner and talked to you. Do you recognize Rick Calhoun?”
The Factory Page 28