by Ryan Garner
Caspar pulled a high standing stool up alongside of John and sat next to him holding a clipboard and a pen in his hands.
“Now Officer Lawrence, I'm going to ask you some questions...” He said.
….
John was questioned about the kind of shoes he was wearing, the color of his shirt, where he was originally from, and who the current president was. He had “lied” when he was supposed to and had told the truth when he was asked in order to assist with calibrating the TVT device. Caspar had completed the preliminary investigative questions and was now getting into the actual inquiry.
“Officer Lawrence...” Caspar said in his winy and inquisitive voice. “Can you tell us your version of the events from the day in question?” John glanced over at him and then towards Sergeant Blackshear, then at Jennifer.
“Please try not to move Officer Lawrence...” Blackshear stated. “You may inadvertently hamper the scanning of the TVT and I will not be able to obtain a proper reading of your frontal cortex.” John fought the urge to roll his eyes before he began speaking.
“I was headed west on Market Street near Covil Avenue at around 8:30 PM when a Ford Explorer swerved into my lane of travel and almost collided with my patrol vehicle.” Given his nervousness and the situation John was speaking more informatively than he normally did even though he knew that being cooperative was not going to help him.
He continued, “I dropped in behind the vehicle and after notifying communications of my intended vehicle stop I ran the tag and pulled the Explorer over.”
Caspar nodded his head. “And then what happened Officer Lawrence?” he asked in a “knowing” tone.
“I approached the vehicle and spoke with the driver and asked for his driver's license and registration.” John responded.
“And the driver was a Mr. Peter Jansen?” Caspar asked as he glanced down at his clipboard.
“Yes, I believe so.” John responded at which point Caspar immediately looked up raising an eyebrow. John again fought the urge to roll his eyes even though his heart was pounding and he felt his body surging with adrenaline.
“Yes, the driver was Peter Jansen.” he clarified for Caspar.
“And then what happened?”
“I spoke briefly to Mr. Jansen, informed him of why I had stopped his vehicle, and then went back to my patrol car.” John said.
“And did you notice anything unusual about Mr. Jansen, the occupants, or the vehicle?”
“No I did not.” John responded. This was technically true. John personally did not think there was anything unusual about a middle class family driving home late in the evening from what he assumed was a church service. And given this assumption, finding a Bible in their car was even less unusual. However, he was glad that he had taken the time to turn off the microphone of the Mobile Video Recorder located in his patrol car just before the end of his encounter. He just hoped that IAU had not taken note of it and also that his own mind would not betray him to the fMRI device given this omission.
Caspar momentarily looked over at Blackshear who quietly continued to study the display screen of the Truth Verification Test. When his partner did not signal anything suspicious he moved on.
“And what did you do after that?”
“I went back to my patrol car, ran Mr. Jansen's information; didn't find anything out of the ordinary so I issued him a verbal warning and moved on.”
Out of the corner of his eye John observed Jennifer angrily cross her arms and begin to display a look of annoyance at John's failure to mentioning the Bible.
“What made you issue the verbal warning?” Caspar asked.
John thought for a moment then shrugged his shoulders, “Seemed like the right thing to do at the time. I didn't see anything serious on Jansen's criminal history in CJLEADS and I believed him when he told me that what he had done had been an accident due to inattention.”
Caspar leaned back slightly, “From what I've heard about you Officer Lawrence, you're not one who normally issues verbal warnings.” John was offended by this comment. In cases of infractions and misdemeanors (domestic disputes & DWI’s excluded) the law gave him the right to choose when to issue a verbal warning, a written warning, write a citation, or make a full custody arrest. By state law the only one entitled to overrule him on this decision was the District Attorney even though he knew all too well that many times certain supervisors “believed” this same authority fell to them as well. There had been several situations with one lieutenant in particular when he had been told it would “behoove” him to drop or request a dismissal of charges of specific individuals. After a brief moment of thought John responded.
“I guess that depends on who you ask, Mr. Jansen was not the first person I've ever given a verbal warning to, nor do I expect him to be the last.”
Caspar crinkled his forehead at John's pointed response and Jennifer again fidgeted while waiting for the “real” question to be asked. There was a momentary lull in the conversation when the only sound came from the droning hum of the fMRI. Had it not been for the seriousness of the situation John might have actually enjoyed this little game of mental chess he and the IAU lieutenant were playing. However, as John knew, this was far from a game.
Finally, Caspar asked the question that everyone in the room including John knew was coming, “Did you notice any religious material inside of the vehicle?”
It was pointless to lie since IAU already had all the answers. Hell, Jennifer had probably given them everything they needed after she had the Jansen's vehicle torn apart in search of anything else it might have contained.
After, another pause John answered, “Yes, I did.”
“What did you see?”
“I believe it was a Bible…”
“And when did you first notice it?” Caspar asked.
“After my initial approach when I was walking back to my patrol car.”
Caspar jotted down a few notes before continuing, “And you chose not to do anything about this?”
“Correct...”
“You do know that due to recent events there is an executive order directly from the president stating that all law enforcement officers are to detain, identify, and search all individuals and their vehicles found in possession of any religious material.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Would you like to explain why you didn't then?”
John thought briefly for a moment, there was a multitude of answers he'd like to give, starting with quoting the constitution, not that it mattered anymore, however he tried to formulate a more applicable response.
“Well for starters, Mr. Jansen and his family did not seem suspicious in any way. We have become inundated with even more calls for service as of late, and I felt that wasting time searching a peaceful family's vehicle while 911 calls went unanswered would have been a waste of department time and resources.”
“Oh...” Caspar responded, he actually sounded surprised at the response. John nearly laughed as he was almost equally surprised at his own answer. He hadn't actually planned it out, but it sounded good enough. He then heard Jennifer snort in aggravation. Her unhappy reaction didn’t surprise John much; even before she had become an NGP Officer she had made her feelings towards Christians and organized religion in general unmistakably clear. The president’s executive order was practically tailor made for her. Her interruption immediately resulted in a look from both Blackshear and Caspar. John now couldn't help, but push his luck given the opportunity he had just been given.
“Secondly...” he added, “I'm not quite sure where this whole situation dealing with the search of people and their property based on evidence of religious material stands both ethically or with the possibility of opening the department up for some sort of lawsuit...I mean Wilmington could get sued!” John fought the urge to smirk as he threw the “lawsuit” excuse back at IAU. After all, for years the department had beat officers over the head with that particular line as a way to tell them why they “shou
ldn't or should” do something. He also knew that deep down many, many other officers, IAU included questioned the ethical stance behind searching vehicles based solely on an individual’s possession of religious material.
Caspar looked genuinely surprised, as if no supervisor within the department had ever expected a subordinate to bring up a potential lawsuit as a reason why they chose to act the way they had, or in John's case not act. Jennifer immediately and very obviously rolled her eyes and head while letting out an annoyed sigh.
In the grand scheme of things, John had not done what he was “supposed” to do. However, given that he had not lied about it and the reasons he had given in his defense appeared to be viewed by the IAU investigators as at least logical. John was becoming more comfortable with the outcome of this investigation. Would he receive some sort of disciplinary action? Probably… However, that was not something he wasn’t already accustomed to. The department was stretched so thin at this point it would be more damaging to fire him for a seemingly “minor” infraction then to merely slap him on the wrist and tell him not to do it again. Then again, would he conduct himself in the same manner again? That particular question he surmised was better left answered until another day, if ever.
“Is there anything else you'd like to tell us Officer Lawrence?” Caspar asked breaking John's train of thought.
“No, I don't believe so.”
“Very well...I just have a few follow up questions.” John nodded his head.
“Please keep still.” Blackshear said.
“Sorry...”
“Do you certify that all your responses during this investigation have been true to the best of your knowledge?”
“Yes, I do.”
“You are of course now under direct orders not to discuss this situation with anyone until it has been fully investigated and you are notified of the outcome by the Internal Affairs Unit.” John watched as Jennifer stared him down with frustration.
“Okay...”
“Lastly, I am required to ask all officers taking a Truth Verification Test if you are currently aware of any department members, both sworn or civilian that are currently involved in any sort of criminal or unethical behavior? Whether it be acts of violence, theft, moral turpitude, involvement with any sort of terrorist cells, anti-government organizations, militia groups, or anything that could potentially been construed as improper conduct or activity?”
John immediately felt his heart sink into his stomach as a nauseating feeling suddenly came over him.
Karina... He thought as a horrifying realization took shape.
Sergeant Blackshear immediately looked up from the fMRI display panel and John saw Jennifer's eyes instantly perk up as a devious smile made its way across her red painted and moist lips. The droning hum of the TVT consumed the room for the brief moment as everyone waited for John's response.
After pausing for a few more seconds Caspar spoke in a more direct tone of voice, “Officer Lawrence...please answer the question.”
CHAPTER 14
Nasir Malik Zahir Kamil marched down the concrete pier's walkway shifting his eyes back and forth as he moved. He wore sandals, khaki pants, a white polo shirt, and dark sunglasses. Kamil took note of the people playing and enjoying the beautiful sandy beach surrounding Johnnie Mercer's Pier just as the sun was setting behind them on the other side of Wrightsville Beach. More specifically he took note of the women.
American female… he thought to himself…such whores. They preen and prep themselves in elegant fashions and practically scream to the world stories of their allegedly chaste morality and then seconds later in an ultimate display of hypocrisy prostitute themselves virtually naked on the beach for all mankind to see.
Had this been his native land of Iran they would have all been executed for their shameful display of sexuality and independence. One day when his work was completed women; especially harlots such as these would beg for and in the end count themselves lucky to even be considered as concubines for devout Muslim men such as himself. Or maybe the new ruling authority would simply cast them aside as part of the “ethnic cleansing” process. Females in his home country had been executed for far less infractions then walking along a beach in a string bikini; actually if a woman had conducted herself in such a manner in his country she would have been fortunate to make it to trial alive. Faithful Muslim men like him would simply rape and torture such a disgusting animal until they were either done with her, or she was dead, whichever came first. In any instance, what happened to these creatures did not matter to him. They would all eventually belong to men dedicated to Allah or be dead. Either outcome suited him perfectly fine.
….
John sat quietly near the top of one of the sand dunes located on the northeasterly edge of Wrightsville Beach. He stared out into the rolling bluish green ocean with deeply blood shot eyes. He had found this relatively secluded spot years ago. It was located at the tip of the island approximately two miles from Johnnie Mercer's Pier. A resort hotel had once occupied the space nearby, but with the virtual collapse of the economy it had gone out of business long ago. Seagulls, sandpipers, and various other ocean going fowl squawked and circled around the established bird sanctuary.
Other than the sounds of the ocean and the birds it was a quiet place that John had found soothing in times of unrest or extreme stress. There seemed to be no better time for seeking that relief then now, but today the peaceful location and beautiful scenery afforded him little comfort. Barefoot and dressed in gray shorts and a t-shirt, he moved his hand to his mouth and took a drag off of the cigarette he had lit just a few seconds earlier. He didn't normally smoke, but today was the exception. Health concerns didn't really seem to matter much today. Hell, nothing seemed to matter much anymore. John felt numb; his emotions locked in a bewildering mix of anger, hatred, and sadness. Ultimately he felt nothing at all. His eyes moved aimlessly as he gazed out at the ocean's waves and off into the far distance where the waterline eventually met the darkening blue horizon. This seemed to be a particularly poignant analogy of the way he felt about his life right now; a vast nothingness that was quickly growing dark.
Thanks to the investigation spearheaded by Jennifer Fields he had been fired and forced to turn in his badge and gun the previous day. He might as well have turned over part of his very own soul. It had been the most gut wrenching experience of his life. If he wasn't a police officer, what was he? That single question remained the predominant query on his mind. Emotionally drained and physically exhausted from lack of sleep, his eyes had glazed over displaying a perfect example of the, “thousand yard stare.” He wasn't drunk, well at least not yet. The idea of drinking and driving repelled him even though it could no longer negatively affect his career as an active duty police officer. Still he chose not to do it. He would undoubtedly drink himself into a stupor once he got home. But, before he embarked on that task, however, he thought that he might receive some comfort from coming to this place; sadly John was wrong.
The final nail in his coffin of despair was the absence of the one person who he could talk to about all the events that had ripped him apart. She seemed to be gone from his life, forever leaving him even more abandoned and alone. The ironic reality of his situation was that merely knowing someone who was involved with Occupy Congress would not necessarily be enough to get an officer fired, especially if he were helpful in assisting with a subsequent investigation. Lying about it or in John’s case refusing to answer any further questions was different. That act was certainly enough to warrant termination. He had put an emphatic stop to the questioning once he was asked if he was, “currently aware of any department members, both sworn or civilian that are currently involved in any sort of criminal or unethical behavior? Whether it be acts of violence, theft, moral turpitude, involvement with any sort of terrorist cells, anti-government organizations, militia groups, or anything that could potentially been construed as improper conduct or activity?”
He knew ther
e was no point in even attempting to lie. The TVT tests were so accurate he would have had to have been some sort of narcissistic, self-absorbed, pathological liar to even stand a chance at defeating the device. John mused that maybe if he had been promoted to a command staff position it might have helped him develop that particular deceptive ability. This cynical thought that drifted through his mind was barely enough to warrant a smirk.
In the end and after a very long and painful pause John chose to at least maintain some sense of his dignity by not even trying to circumvent the test.
“I will not answer that question.” At least they couldn’t call him a liar. Lieutenant Caspar and Sergeant Blackshear had very nearly swallowed their tongues when he had refused to answer any further questions, heck it was their last question, only a fool would screw things up at that point.
Caspar’s shocked and immediate response was to say, “You can’t do that!” From their point of view John supposed that they were used to most officers at least trying to lie when faced with an impossible decision to answer their incriminating questions. It had been a tough call either way for him.
For her part John could see that Jennifer was almost overjoyed. In her eyes, she had finally managed to defeat him, although he hoped that she would not know the reason as to why he refused to answer the final question. He was fully aware that Jennifer knew of his friendship with Karina, but John prayed that he had at least managed to keep the depth of their relationship a mystery to her. With a rather smug look on her face Jennifer had very nearly danced out of the room at the end of the TVT test, more than likely rushing off to plan some other nefarious scheme of hers; though what that may be was unknown to John.
After his Truth Verification Test had been completed John had been forced to wait around for several more hours until his commanding officers, Captain Davis and Major Tyler, along with Chief Stickel could be called in for his official “exit interview.” This was more for protocol than anything else. To put on a good show for everyone the Chief had made sure to be in a crisp uniform fresh from the dry cleaners. After all, in the eyes of an administrator if firing a good officer wasn't something to get dressed up for then nothing was. The meeting had been short and brief. John refused to elaborate on who he was protecting and there was nothing that he really had to say in his defense. This seemed to surprise the chief and the other command officers. Perhaps they were used to officers begging for a second chance?