The Blue Executions

by George Norris

  Santoro looked over to Dempsey. “Pat you’re going to have to tell us what we missed. How did you come on board and solve this in a matter of hours?”

  Dempsey threw his hands in the air. “It wasn’t me who solved it.” He pointed to Galvin. “Tommy did.”

  Galvin was just as surprised by the revelation as anybody else in the room was. “Uncle Pat, I…”

  Dempsey put a hand out to silent Galvin before he continued. “I just started today. I haven’t even had the opportunity to review the case yet Chief. I asked Tommy to take a ride with me to Applicant.”

  He shrugged he shoulders sheepishly before continuing. “With the Academy class starting in a few weeks, I had a bunch of cases that I needed to close out—there were six if I’m not mistaken. The photos of the candidates were paper clipped to the front of the cases. Anyway Tommy was sitting right next to me; looking over the cases with me. Then all of the sudden, he asks to see Underhill’s entire folder. Upon thumbing through it, he told me the Blue Executioner, in his letters to the newspaper, interlocked his l’s the same exact way that Underhill did in his signature. Then he looked back at Underhill’s picture and sure enough, Tommy unequivocally recognized him from the day of the District Attorney’s murder.”

  “Six case folders?” questioned Santoro.

  “Yes…six,” replied Dempsey.

  Santoro looked over to Courtney nodding his head but directed his comment at Dempsey. “The exact number needed by law for a photo array.”

  Dempsey narrowed his eyes just a bit, pretending to ponder the implications. “Wow, what do you know about that?”

  There was not a man in the room that believed Dempsey’s story but there was also not a man in the room who would challenge it. The case was down, the identification was on solid legal ground and would stand up in a court of law to any legal challenge and the department had a new hero—Detective Tommy Galvin.

  Galvin remained silent as he watched his uncle masterfully manipulate the system. This is a big win for the department as well as both chiefs. They get a cop killer off the street and make a big statement for both of their careers only months before a new mayor is to be elected. And on top of that, they take a cop who was in the public eye in a negative manner and turn him into a hero. The only problem was that Galvin was uncomfortable taking the credit for Dempsey’s work.

  Galvin began, “Chief, I can’t take credit for this, I only…”

  Courtney gave Galvin a pat on the shoulder, a clear indication to him to remain silent. “Detective Galvin, you are a true team player, I get that…but you did a great job and will be rewarded as such.”

  Dempsey redirected the conversation. “While we were getting patched up at the hospital did we execute the search warrant yet, Chief?”

  Santoro answered. “Our guys are there with Crime Scene right now Pat. So far we’ve recovered the Colt .38 caliber revolver.” Santoro glanced at Courtney, “As I’m sure you noticed the barrel had been sawed off which explained the lack of ballistic fingerprints.”

  Courtney shot back a look to Santoro. Galvin didn’t know what it was but there was a point to be made there, he was sure of that.

  Santoro continued, “The letter looks like a perfect match to the other sent by the Blue Executioner. We are having a handwriting expert analyze it now. We also seized a box of cop killer ammo along with a journal and scrapbook detailing his killings and plans to kill other cops.”

  Santoro looked Galvin in the eyes. “He was dead set on killing you, Tommy.”

  Although Galvin knew as much, hearing it spoken sent a chill down his spine. “Yeah, I got that impression Chief.”

  “Has the press gotten wind of this yet?” Dempsey inquired.

  Courtney shook his head. “No, and I probably have you guys to thank for that as well. Had you not gone to the hospital on your own or even put anything over the air about this, the press would be all over it. As soon as they hear a police officer has been shot, they know they have a lead story and would undoubtedly want to know the circumstances surrounding the shooting. Using the landline kept it all under wraps until we decide to tell them. I’m thinking a six o’clock press conference should do it; I’ll have to see if the Police Commissioner agrees. By then we should have all of the answers we need. We even have a team at Riker’s Island interviewing Charles Wahl to see if he knew Underhill in any way. If we could find motive for Underhill to have framed Wahl, it also takes some of the egg off of our faces.”

  Dempsey shook his head.

  After Courtney nodded to Ray Santoro, Santoro stood up and offered each of the men his hand signaling the meeting was over. “I’d like to thank you both for the fine work you’ve done.”

  Courtney was quick to echo the sentiment. “Yes gentlemen, great job. Make sure to have yourselves available around six for the press conference. We won’t let the press ask you any questions but let’s let them see the faces of the men who closed the case out; especially you Tommy. Let’s let them get a look at the bandage and see what a dangerous job our cops do out there on a daily basis. Maybe even have you seated in a wheelchair for effect.”

  Galvin agreed. As the men made their way towards the door, “Pat would you mind if I had a word with you?”

  Galvin wondered what it was the Chief of Department wanted but knew that it was not his business. Courtney then looked to Santoro, “would you mind Ray?”

  Galvin and Santoro walked out of the Chief of Department’s office together, leaving Dempsey behind. Galvin didn’t say a word, instead focused on the mountains of paperwork that he knew was ahead of his for the remainder of the day and night.

  *

  “Have a seat Pat.”

  Dempsey pulled up the chair which he abandoned only moments earlier. He wondered where this was going. Would Courtney be challenging Dempsey’s version of events or would they be addressing their past?

  “First off, I wanted to personally thank you. I love the angle you gave us…and believe me making Galvin the hero works for all of us. Of course, we all know it was you who solved the case. And I want to thank you for that as well.”

  Courtney picked up the picture of his daughter from the desk. He stared down at it, as he spoke. “You know Pat, sometimes when we put our emotions ahead of the facts, our judgments get clouded. I love my daughter with every ounce of my soul but she wasn’t cut out to be a cop. Up until this very moment, I never realized that…or maybe I just never wanted to admit it.”

  Courtney raised his eyes, meeting Dempsey’s. “You spoke the truth and I penalized you horribly for it. I don’t know what else I can really say to you other than I am sorry.”

  Dempsey looked back in Courtney’s eyes. They were soft and apologetic. He really means it. This was a humbled man and Dempsey was certain few other in the department had ever seen this side of notoriously grumpy Chief of Department.

  Dempsey nodded at Courtney as he picked up the picture of the chief’s daughter and examined it. “I hear Kristen is doing very well for herself at the law firm, Chief.”

  “Yes, she is.”

  “I’m happy to hear that. I really am.” Setting the picture back on the desk, Dempsey added, “She’s too pretty to be a cop anyway.”

  Courtney smiled. “At least now she has other lawyers chasing after her instead of other cops.”

  The two men shared a laugh before Courtney carried on. “Pat what can I do for you. Where would you like me to have you transferred? Name your command.”

  Dempsey didn’t even have to think about his response. “Chief, I’m fine where I am. I’ll probably be retiring by the end of the year anyway. If you want to do something for me, then give Tommy the bump to second grade the next time you promote detectives. With him having solved the Blue Executions, nobody could question whether or not he deserves it. Also, he scored really high on the Sergeant’s test. He should be in the first few groups of promotions. Having been a second grader at the time of promotion, he’ll go right to top pay as a sergeant. If
you could also give him his choice of commands when he does get promoted, I’d appreciate that.”

  Courtney stood up and held out his hand. “Done. And thank you again, not only for solving the case but also for being the gentlemen that I wasn’t.”

  Dempsey gave Courtney a firm handshake. “Take care of Tommy and all is forgiven Chief. Can I buy you a cup of coffee before the press conference?”

  Courtney shook his head. “Thanks for the offer Pat but I have one more fence to mend before then.”

  *

  Wanted New York man gunned down in Philly

  John Pantangelo clasped his hands behind his head and sat as far back as the black leather chair would allow. He silently read the article to himself. Sitting forward in his chair, he put a hand on Brian McGregor’s shoulder. “Brian let’s read the top together.”

  Pantangelo read aloud, “Police in Philadelphia have confirmed the identity of a man gunned down by police after an armed robbery of an armored car shortly before noon, yesterday. The man, identified by police as Malik El-Khaleel, was wanted here in New York. NYPD officials say that El-Khaleel was a central figure in a riot which sparked racial tension between African Americans and the New York City Police Department in July. The brazen day time robbery on West Dauphin Street in the North Philadelphia section of the city left El-Khaleel and accomplice dead and one police officer wounded. El_Khaleel, who was a member of the infamous New Black Panther Party was armed with a Mac-10 machine pistol at the time of his death.”

  “Brian, the article itself is fine, but when you pitched it to me, I expected you to dress it up a bit more.” Pantangelo put a hand to his face, rubbing his chin. “The problem I have with it is that we have a member of the New Black Panther party killed by the police. Neither the fact that he was killed by the police, nor the fact that he was a Black Panther, is in the headline. These are the facts that make this story sexy. You don’t have to wait for the lede to mention these facts. Wanted men get killed all of the time; you need to include one or both of these facts into your headline if you don’t want the story to get spiked altogether. Maybe if you and Doris even work together on this, I can put it out front; it’s a pretty slow news day so far. You can do the reporting on this story and Doris can revisit the racial aspect; going back to the Baisley Houses and getting comments from some of the residents who were there at the protest on the day of the riot. Together maybe you guys can write through the story and come up with something worthy of fronting. It can’t hurt either of your Pulitzer chances to get that incident back in the news so close to the Pulitzer luncheon.”

  McGregor nodded in agreement just as the phone rang.

  “John Pantangelo, can I help you?”

  Pantangelo tapped McGregor on the shoulder. He placed his hand over the mouthpiece and whispered, “It’s Chief Courtney.”

  McGregor was at least as surprised as Pantangelo seemed to be. He listened to the side of the conversation that he could hear.

  “Yes, as a matter of fact he’s sitting right next to me.”

  After a brief pause, “Okay we’ll see you in about an hour then.”

  Pantangelo set the receiver back on the base and gave McGregor a quizzical look. “It may not be the slow news day that I thought it was.”

  McGregor willfully took the bait. “Why what was that about?” motioning towards the phone.

  Pantangelo went on to explain, “Chief Courtney asked that you and I meet him in his office as soon as possible. He said he had a huge breaking story and would be calling a six pm press conference.”

  Pantangelo stood up, retrieving his suit jacket from a hanger on the back of his office door. He put the jacket on very methodically, seeming to deliberate as he did so. “The interesting part is that he said he wants to give you an exclusive. He said he owes it to you. He’ll give you time to post it on our web page so you can break the story, as long as you are willing to say it came from an unidentified police source.”

  McGregor was excited at the opportunity. In his gut, he knew what this meant. They got the right guy this time. McGregor was quick to follow suit and adorned his own jacket.

  “There was one more thing,” added Pantangelo. “Courtney also said you’d be familiar with the arresting officer.”

  Tommy Galvin, thought McGregor as they left the building heading for One Police Plaza.

  *

  Chief Courtney dialed the extension for the Deputy Commissioner of Public Information’s office. He had to play this just right. The cards seemed to have aligned in his favor and he needed to keep it that way. Turning Detective Tommy Galvin into a hero and making him the face of the department for a little while, and at the same time closing out the highest profiled case in years, was sure to play in his favor—regardless of who wins the election. Getting Brian McGregor, such a highly profiled columnist, back on his side would also be a potentially huge ally to have.

  “This is Chief Courtney. I want you to schedule a six o’clock news conference. Contact every network, local and national and every newspaper and radio station we have a contact for. Tell them this will be a huge story that they will not want to miss but do not, I repeat, do not give them any indication it has to do with the Blue Executioner case. If they ask, you tell them that you’re unaware what the press conference is about. Is that understood?”

  Once it had been acknowledged, Courtney hung up the telephone. He took out a pad and pen from his desk drawer, making a note to promote Tommy Galvin to second grade detective at next month’s promotion ceremony. He placed the pad back in the drawer and summoned Galvin into his office.

  Galvin entered the office moments later. “Yes Chief.”

  Courtney offered a smile. “Have a seat.”

  He did.

  “Tommy, that truly was some great police work that you and Dempsey did out there. I want to congratulate you again. You’re familiar with Brian McGregor, I understand?”

  After Galvin affirmed, Courtney continued. “I promised him an exclusive on this case. He’s on his way over here to interview you. Obviously don’t give him too much but make the story juicy enough for him to feel satisfied when he leaves.”

  “Yes Chief. No problem.”

  Courtney was a bit uncomfortable. He leaned forward across the large desk that separated the two men and in his best fatherly voice, “Tommy, here’s the only problem. The District Attorney who was killed...”

  Courtney could see Galvin’s face begin to grow red. Santoro had been right. “Nobody knows why Underhill targeted her. Let’s keep it that way. It’s better for everyone, you included.”

  Galvin agreed without ever speaking a word. “Tommy, next month if the budget allows, there will promotions. I plan on bumping you to second grade.”

  “Thank you Chief, I’d really appreciate that.”

  “Don’t thank me—you earned it. I also understand that you are only a few hundred names away on the Sergeant’s list. Where do you want to go when you get promoted? Pick any precinct in the city. Stay there for six months and then I will get you to any detail in the job that you want, from Harbor to the Joint Terrorist Task Force. You just name it.”

  “Wow, I don’t know what to say. I guess I’d like to go to the 103rd Precinct when I get promoted. Can I get back to you at a later date about where I want to go afterwards?”

  “Sure you can, take your time and make the decision that’s best for you. Now go and get ready for that reporter.”

  As Galvin left the office, Courtney opened his desk drawer and added Tommy Galvin to 103 Precinct upon promotion to Sergeant to his list of things to remember.

  ##########################

  Chapter 22

  “Now clean it up asshole!”

  Michael Underhill hated Riker’s Island; he particularly hated when the day shift started. Every morning that Captain Tatum was working, he would come into Underhill’s cell and throw the few possessions that Underhill had to the ground. The ritual had started when Underhill was still in gener
al population. During a routine cell search, the guards made their usual mess—Underhill hated a mess. He made sure to complain to the supervisor in charge, Captain Tatum, regarding the mess the officer’s had made. He was sure that Tatum sympathized with him. He had spoken in such a soft, reassuring voice. Underhill felt so much better after he explained to Tatum that a mess actually pained him.

  Underhill continued thinking back to that day as it had been one of the worst days of his life. Not only did he find out that the brother of one of his victim’s—Police Officer Christopher Tatum—was a supervisor at the prison, but it was the day he received what was the first of far too many beatings. When the guards began to make the mess, Underhill tried to stop them. They beat him about the torso and legs, not leaving many visible marks. They explained it away as Underhill becoming aggressive during the search.

  The beatings at the hands of the other inmates were far less discreet. Underhill had been in the infirmary five times since he arrived on the island only a few months back. Black eyes, a fractured nose and two missing teeth were the price he had paid for telling the other inmates that he worked with the police. The curious thing to Underhill was how the guards seemed to let it happen.

  There was one time when he was sure that he saw Captain Tatum walking with the two men just before the assault began. Underhill decided Captain Tatum was as evil as his brother had been; clearly the malevolence was inherent in his genes.

  Underhill decided when he was released; he would begin an investigation into this Tatum as well.

  Still, Underhill learned to stay clear of Tatum. He would just clean up the mess this morning as he did every morning when Tatum made his visits. Underhill looked forward to Sundays and Mondays—Tatum’s days off. Those days were mess free.

  Underhill crawled on his hands and knees picking up today’s mess. Just as he reached the toilet paper, Tatum spit on the ground in front of Underhill before walking out of the cell. “Back to gen-pop for you tomorrow, shithead.”