The Blue Wall Of Silence

by Paul Snyder

  “Tom.” Julie demanded. “What are you talking about?”

  “Listen, everyone, my name is Tom Clayton,” Tom folded his hands together in a comfortable gesture. “Jim Temple knows Jennifer has been using me to file false police reports against Meghan, including false sex crimes. Jim also knows Jennifer has been committing local and federal crimes against Meghan and this community, crimes intending to produce physical and psychological trauma in Meghan, and millions of dollars in Meghan and this community's damages. I wanted Jim would stop it, but he didn’t stop it. He just let it happen.”

  Jim cocked his head to one side. “Good work, Tom.”

  “My community service is done,” Tom replied with an adventurous smile. “This is pure pleasure.”

  “From the State Attorney General’s office to the local police, they will put you in prison,” Jim lifted his head, straining to be loud enough for all to hear. “They will plant evidence on you without a second thought. Turning lies into truth is their forte. Deceiving the public is their lawyer’s talent. A media gag order in the interest of public safety is in place so that no television or newspapers can report on anything. Everyone’s been reassigned to new cases. Only a rookie with no bars to lose would be stupid enough to poke around in this.” Jim spoke with a lower and softer tone. “It’s shut up and smile time at the police department. And for you too. So, please, just let me do my job.”

  “The police are evil.” Julie slammed a fist against the palm of her other hand. “They’re going back to their old Tammany Hall playbook, using violence to force us to fight, then entrapping us in frame-ups. These are the most outrageous of things. I am the only one sounding the alarm. It hurts me that you don’t see that. You have to fight evil with evil to win.”

  “Listen, Julie, you can kill people who kill, and you can kill people who lie,” Temple’s musings were interpreted by all who listened. “You can erase humanity, human beings, just like you can erase chalk off a chalkboard, just like the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. was erased. But you can’t erase a murder or a lie. Murders and lies live forever in history as evidence used to imprison those who commit murders and lies. Your only hope to live free in the world, your only hope to go back to living the way you did before last night’s police misconduct is for you to know that evil can’t fight evil, nor can evil drive out evil.”

  “Evil can’t drive out evil?”

  Temple nodded back at her before speaking. “Only light can drive out evil.” Julie looked back at him. “It’s like hate cannot drive out hate. What drives out hate, Julie?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Love drives out hate,” Jim answered, turning his face away from her to Snickers. “Listen, you’re children of light and love.”

  Snickers jumped on Jim and licked his face. “Tom, please take Snickers and Julie for a walk down by the water and cool off.”

  Jim reached down and picked at a hot dog, fresh off the grill. “Please, you guys.” Jim addressed everyone gathered around the fire pit. “Please, let me handle this. I promise with transparency, with time, and with the right kind of justice, I know I will end this in the right way.”

  24

  Meghan knew where Rick Weber lived on Naples Island. But there was a mist of rain in the air with sporadic showers, her white Honda Civic went to her parents, and her Bugatti, plus Dan’s Lamborghini, were totaled. Public transportation was not an option. Rick Weber was a violent killer, and she had to arrive at his house, unseen, without any witnesses, and strapped with her pistol.

  With today’s weather and being on foot, it was best if she went tomorrow. In the shade of a covered walkway, she waited for Julie to pick her up in a white truck Dan rented to work on the park.

  A group of young girls wearing Christmas dresses jumped up and down. They were laughing with glowing eyes, squealing loudly, while holding bags filled with holiday gifts. Their mom struggled to answer a cell phone while carrying gift-wrapped boxes decorated with candy canes and snowflakes.

  Will arriving at Rick Weber’s house be like going to my own funeral? I’ll die in a bloody gunfight. I’ll be like a baby seal crushed in the jaws of a great white shark. The baby seal’s big red eyes are crying. The shark’s jaws are grinding me to death like the bullets from a gun. I’m sick. I wish I’d never seen this gun. When Julie arrived, she slid into the front seat of the truck. It was warm in the cab as they drove home.

  “Take it easy,” Julie leaned her head back and gazed into her eyes.

  “Why?” She turned to Julie with a sad, vacant expression. “Why?” Meghan wanted to be left alone. “How can anything you say help me.”

  “Please forgive me.”

  “For what!” She lashed out.

  “For wanting evil for evil. For acting like a cop.”

  “But we are like them.” She despaired.

  “I just talked with the FBI and Tom Clayton at our barbeque in your backyard. New York and California, and many other states are defunding the police for a reason. It’s because they are truly trashy people who belong in trash cans. They spend a lot of our taxpayer dollars making laws to put police in trash cans. They’re called prisons. And politicians and the FBI are putting police in prison all the time. We’re too busy every day, too involved in our careers and love lives, to wrap our heads around these social climbers and bottom feeders. We’re unsuspecting like kids or something.”

  “I wish I were a suspecting kid,” Meghan knew that her family and now the police were her fatal flaws. “A kid without parents or cops.”

  25

  Meghan opened the security door and stepped onto the roof of the Ocean View Condominiums. Raging blue sunlight reflected off the ocean around the Seal Beach Pier. She was relaxed and calm and could have stood there for hours, spellbound by the beauty if it weren’t for Julie. Her friend stood beside her, nicely dressed in blue jeans, a white shirt, while holding a camera to take pictures of the park for Dan.

  Earlier, she hoped to return her pistol to her walk-in closet at home. But Julie’s phone rang, interrupting those plans. It was Dan asking them to take pictures of the children's park. Julie shared the details of Tom Clayton’s making false felony sex crime and verbal assault charges against Meghan for his community service with Detective Davis. “Jim Temple promised us justice.” And Meghan learned of a media gag order from a judge, stopping news outlets from reporting on Jennifer’s police misconduct, a violation of a United States Civil Rights Act. “The police hide behind their badges and from the public the truth of civil rights violations and blowing up our cars and damages to the community of Seal Beach.”

  “Jennifer asked me why you broke it off with Andrew.” Meghan searched Julie’s face, wanting answers. “I said because of secrets.”

  “Since you were honest with me about the bank robbery money, I’ve wanted to be honest with you. Andrew broke up with me after he got sick and stayed in bed for weeks.”

  “That’s not Andrew.” Meghan was surprised.

  “When he got better, he stopped fishing and scuba diving, he started surfing and sold all the Los Angeles County properties and only invested in Seal Beach. He bought the black Lamborghini for Dan. He bought your beach house for a company office. He gave us bedrooms in your house, rent-free.” Julie spoke freely. “Anything we wanted, computers, clothes, phones, televisions, anything we wanted he bought for us. But he broke up with me and stayed single until he met you years later.”

  “Why did he change?”

  "Not sure. He got really sick,” Julie tilted her head back and peered at Meghan’s face. “When he got better, he bankrolled us.”

  They took several pictures of the park. After Julie locked the security door, they walked down the stairwell. A moment later, Julie came around to her side in the ground floor lobby. They entered the park and headed toward Dan, with scarcely a word between them.

  The park was a maintenance facility. Andrew bulldozed the building and then planted giant arborvitae and maple trees i
n a big sandpit for a child named Wendy who drew a picture of a park with crayons, asking Andrew to build the playground of her dreams.

  Andrew bought the swing set, park benches, and the rock-climbing wall to help Wendy have a place to play with her sister. Meghan felt honor-bound to help them make their crayon-colored dreams come true.

  Dan Reynolds opened several heavy-duty boxes with a yellow and black box cutter. The boxes contained footholds to the rock-climbing wall. Meghan helped Andrew tighten the footholds to the wall with an L-shaped tool when Julie laughed at countless birds, making nests in the giant arborvitae evergreens. The birds' chirping brought a joyful noise to the park, where a handful of children played and built sandcastles in the sandpit with blue plastic shovels and orange buckets.

  “Look at our park,” Meghan told Julie. “It’s perfect for the birds and the kids.”

  Julie smiled at the toddlers in mermaid dresses, carrying soft baby dolls. “Did you see the way Wendy’s sister was moving sand with her shovel? It’s a perfect place for kids without parents or cops."

  The remark touched a sore spot with Meghan. I’m a sneaky little tramp who bumps uglies with married men? My panties are in a bunch. What right did my parents have to tell the police about my sex life… Her parents and the police undermined her ability to have a happy, fulfilling life. And Meghan would never let it happen again. She wanted to believe it had never happened. It hurt her so much. But it did happen, and she would never let them exploit a weakness in her again. There were a lot of good things on the horizon with Andrew and without parents and cops.

  They spent the next hour in small talk, carefully avoiding the pain of the past. Julie was unaware Megan was strapped with a Smith Wesson handgun. For good reason, Meghan kept the whole story behind Bob’s Sports to herself.

  Andrew needed more tamper-resistant hex screws. When they were ready to leave for the hardware store, Andrew asked to speak with Megan alone, in private. While Dan and Julie waited at the picnic table on the park's far side, Andrew tenderly kissed Meghan goodbye.

  They’d been talking about having children. He looked calm and confident, and she wanted to raise a family with him. “We’ll have children soon?” Andrew signed to her that he wanted to have children with her. It was a perfect time. And he kissed her again, and then Dan and Julie followed Andrew to the white rental truck.

  Meghan smiled at the children’s park in front of her. It’s like kindergarten at recess. Some kids have blond hair… others brown, and some black. I love the girls' pink and blue dresses… the boys’ blue jean overalls, colorful t-shirts. The kids adore their playground, sprinting through the sand, smiling, laughing with their tiny arms flying like crazy.

  Wendy greeted Meghan with a warm smile, her cheeks the color of sunset on the ocean. “Hi, Meghan.” She stood straight and tugged at Meghan’s pant leg with a small hand. “I’ll help build the park.”

  “You can help with the tools.” Meghan smiled. “I’m helping Philip hold the tools until Andrew returns from the store, but you can help us too.”

  “I will.” Wendy leaned slightly toward Meghan, tilting her face up. “There’s a police car.”

  Meghan faced the street and found the police car empty. “They’re not here for me.” With a shaky voice, Meghan told Wendy, “go ahead and help Philip. There must be a police incident somewhere, involving someone else, but not me.”

  Wendy smiled and went to help Philip. More children gathered to play and sing in the afternoon sun. Moments later, Wendy returned and placed a hammer in Meghan’s hand. “Philip wants it in the truck when Andrew returns from the store.”

  “Thank you.”

  Wendy sat next to Meghan on the park bench. They had become best friends. Wendy was quiet, grinning, happy to watch the other children play hide and seek in the park, and then she turned, looked up to Meghan. “That lady sitting on the picnic table was in the police car.”

  Meghan’s eyes flashed to the park’s far side. Jennifer was shouting into a walkie-talkie. Jennifer’s really pissed. That gun’s still strapped to my leg. I’m so screwed. “Stay here. I’m going to talk with her. Okay, Wendy.” Wendy nodded, and Meghan left, keeping one eye on the children playing on the swing set as she dragged her feet through the sand. “How are you, Jennifer?” Meghan asked as though she were happy to see her.

  After a long moment, Jennifer replied. “I’m taking your statement on the bank robbery loot you spent at Marina Grocery.”

  “Do we have to do this now?” Meghan overplayed the concern in her voice. After hearing from Julie about Tom Clayton’s manufacturing of false sex crimes and felony verbal assault charges, Meghan was ready for lawyers and lawsuits, not a pleasant visit with the police.

  “Everyone’s waiting for you at the police station.” A second police cruiser rolled to a stop on the street. “Concealment of electronic devices is prohibited.”

  “I have nothing to hide.”

  “I have a metal detector in the police car,” Jennifer raised her chin with a cold stare in the police car’s direction. “And if I find you’ve lied to me, I’ll put you in jail.”

  Meghan grinned at the confession. “I was going to the restroom in the manager’s office in the lobby.” Meghan started for the condos. “I’ll be right back.”

  Jennifer’s gaze narrowed. “Thinking of ditching something you have strapped to your leg.”

  How could she know about the gun? Meghan walked for the entrance to the condos. The door to the manager’s office was wide open in the lobby. Meghan recalled seeing a soap opera playing on the television in the living room.

  “Hold it!” Jennifer shouted. “You turn around and come back here. I’ll scan you with the metal detector before you go to the bathroom.” Jennifer called into her walkie talkie. “Bring the metal detector.” Meghan wasn’t stupid. She had every right to ditch her gun. Jennifer was putting her in a tough spot. “Don’t make me chase you into the lobby, Margaret,” Jennifer’s voice was stern, with no sympathy. “You come back here.”

  She was reaching for the door with no plans to stop. For the first time in her life, she wanted to do something really bad, even if it meant going to jail or the hospital. I could get away with this. Jennifer’s not going to shoot me in the back. I could lock myself in the bedroom or bathroom. And if I get shot, I’ll spend a little time in the hospital. But Andrew and our children… the way he looked at me before he left for the store. Andrew’s eyes told her that even if there would be problems, she’d be fine. Andrew will always love me. Even if I go to jail, he’ll care only for me.

  She stopped, then returned to Jennifer. Jennifer’s eyes are cold and blank. I should have told Julie to drive me straight home from Bob’s Sports. This gun would be in my walk-in closet right now. Instead, I’m going to jail because I had to take pictures of a park? I hate parks. I hate swing sets. Doing good things for children is stupid. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and dried her hands on her baggy jeans, near the gun, as Jennifer made a speech, and she struggled to keep fear from invading.

  “Lighten up.” An expression of satisfaction showed in Jennifer’s eyes. “I know what you were doing. You were ditching your gun, so I can’t put you behind bars.” Jennifer straightened herself with dignity. “And to tell you the truth, with all the jail cells, over-crowding, and my current caseload, I kinda don’t want to take you there, myself.” A powerful sense of relief filled Meghan. And, Jennifer’s defenses began to subside. “But being that you’re packing a pistol and an imminent threat to this community, you have to ask yourself one question.” In the distance, a dark figure stepped from a police car on the street. She began to wonder what Jennifer had planned. Jennifer asked her. “You have to ask yourself, why shouldn’t I be locked up with a bunch of freaks and whores who will rip my panties off and kiss me between the legs, a sweet, tender kiss.” She shuddered at the humiliation. Jennifer asked in a whisper, “Well?” Jennifer’s eyes raked boldly over her. “Do you want your cellmates aching for you
r lips to make it feel better?” The two police officers came to her with the metal detector. “You’ll get into a police car without a word, Margaret,” Jennifer insisted. “Don’t complain or make a scene. If you attempt to escape, I’ll take you down.”

  “We’re just going to scan you for devices before we take you to the police station.” The police officer said when he arrived with the metal detector. “No one’s going to hurt you.”

  She looked down at the ground, focusing her thoughts. I don’t believe anyone’s going to rape me. But how can I hold my life together with so many bad things. How will I explain this to Andrew from behind the bars of a jail cell? Something’s tugging on my leg… it’s Wendy’s tiny hand, pulling at my pant leg.

  “Meghan?” Wendy held Dan’s yellow and black box cutter, with the sharp, chrome razor exposed. “I found this in the sand. I told you that I would help you with the tools.”

  “Thank you, dear.” Meghan grabbed the knife.

  “You can’t leave dangerous tools like that around children in a playground. What kind of construction company are you running?" Jennifer complained. “Take that knife to Philip right now.”

  “You take it to him, Jennifer.” I can’t appear anxious to walk away.

  “We can’t scan you while you’re holding that knife.” Jennifer argued. “Take that knife to Philip now, and then come back to me.”

  Don’t smile! I have a feeling about this. Meghan worked hard to suppress her smile and then went away with Wendy. Again, Meghan dragged her footsteps in the soft sand while passing the main group of children playing at the swing set. Meghan patted Wendy on the head. “Thank you.” Meghan praised Wendy. “You’ll never know how are precious you are today.”

  Wendy grinned as Meghan passed behind the rock-climbing wall. She stood there, out of sight from Jennifer, with the sun warming her face. I was important in my family, someone to be trusted. I’m not a criminal. I’m not going to take it any longer. I’m smart. I’m strong. I will not accept this abuse from anyone or anything, ever again. She reached down into her pant leg and grabbed the gun. “Bury the gun in the sand.” Meghan gave the box cutter and the firearm to Philip.