I was content to spend the night with Chase in my arms, I had not expected anything else. When we woke at four simultaneously, he was in the mood to play. Of course I obliged him but had to jostle him a bit after. We needed to get up and dressed and watch our brothers. A reminder of that was all Chase needed to clear his head.
"Good morning Dad, how is the new job?" I asked.
"It's going to be intense for a while, I have a meeting scheduled with internal affairs this morning at their office. I want to enlist their help to make sure we've done most of the house cleaning we need to do."
"I see, Jeff mentioned that the guy before you was a disaster area, he probably had a few willing underlings that might cause you trouble right?"
"Damn, you are a smart kid. I could use a few men with your sense of things. It can't be taught, you're either born with it or not," Dad praised.
Mom walked in and demanded hugs and kisses from Chase and me, and we complied.
"Can I see the new badge, Dad?"
Dad pulled out his ID wallet and showed me the new Badge and ID. It was very well made, a seven pointer with the state seal in the center and his rank and number on shiny pads below that. The rest was polished gold and silver with elaborate enamel work. It was impressive and much more ornate than his old one in California.
I handed it back and gave him a big hug. "It's a nice badge Dad, it sounds like you have a lot of work ahead. I'll help Mom all I can, here. You just watch out for blindsides."
"I will, Son, it should settle down after a couple of weeks, unless things go deeper than they appear."
I kissed his cheek and he returned it and hugged me.
"Are you ready to go, Hon," Mom asked.
"Let's go, Minnie, bye boys, have a good time, I'll see you soon," Dad called out and was out the front door with Mom trailing in his wake.
I noticed that Chase had dozed off on the couch. I pulled off his shoes and put his feet up and covered him with one of the many blankets that Mom keeps in a chest under the window. I walked upstairs and looked in on John and Carter, they were cuddled up like puppies. I brushed my teeth, combed my hair and rinsed my mouth with an enamel builder.
I returned downstairs and went to the kitchen to begin breakfast. I made sure we had all my ingredients and started the oatmeal. I heated pecan rolls in the oven and made cocoa enough for all.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to conk out on you, I guess I was still kind of tired, "Chase told me.
"I'll bet you haven't had a lot of sleep in the past few nights so don't worry about it. We'll go do something when Mom gets back and get you active so you can sleep tonight on your regular schedule," I planned.
"Gee thanks Dad," Chase grinned. "Yeah, I think it will help. Let me get the bowls, spoons, nuts and stuff, then I'll go wake the monsters."
John and Carter were just leaving the bathroom when Chase walked in. "Morning guys, Jem has breakfast nearly ready. You're going to love it. It's the best oatmeal I've ever had,"
The little guys cheered and Chase supervised as they swapped sleepers for play clothes.
Carter and John loved the oatmeal with the embellishments that I had incorporated.
"Outside or inside, guys, where do you want to play?" I asked.
Their little heads nearly touched as they decided, "Outside please, can you take the cover off the sandbox please? John asked sweetly.
"You got it, buddy, we'll rake it too, just to check that there's nothing there that shouldn't be. Just remember the rules, don't leave the yard unless one of us is with you. If anyone comes into the yard get inside, Okay?"
"Okay, we'll be careful," they promised in Unison.
I peeked out a bit later and they were still building earthworks with toy trucks and then smashing them and starting over.
I began noodling away on the Steinway and fifteen minutes later Carter and John were both at the bench telling me about a man going upstairs to Art's apartment.
I asked Chase to watch them and went to see who it might be, I quickly realized from the truck in the driveway that it was the contractor that Art hired to redo the bathroom.
"Good morning, I'm Etienne can I help you with anything?"
"Oh hi son, I'm Alex, I'm doing some renovations up here but I have a key and I'm all squared away. I was here doing demo yesterday and I'll be doing rough plumbing today. Tomorrow I'll have a guy come in and pour a new shower pan and then I can finish framing the shower enclosure. I'll have an electrician in after that and then the tile guy and after that it's just hanging fixtures and finish plumbing."
It sounds like a lot of work but you seem to know what you're doing. I'll tell the little guys they can go back to the sandbox. It's just a rule we have."
"Sounds like a good rule. You can't be too careful with the little ones, sorry if I scared them."
"They didn't seem scared, just following the rules." I left Alex to go about his work and allowed John and Carter to return to the sandbox.
Mom returned and told us we could go about our day, she thanked us for watching the little guys.
I nudged Chase who was dozing in a chair with a book in his lap.
"Are you up for a ride? It would be fun to see the rest of Alki beach or something else," I suggested.
"Sure, some exercise would be good. Like you said, it might help me sleep better," Chase agreed.
We grabbed water bottles and our helmets, vests and gloves meeting back at Chase's driveway. Traffic was light and we rode along the bike lane all the way to the lighthouse on the point. We walked around for a while and then went looking for lunch.
We found a small cafe deli called Le Fleur de Alsace and I encouraged Chase to try it out. An older woman sat on a stool behind the counter and looked startled when we entered.
In heavily accented English she asked me to wait for her grandson to take our order.
"Bon jour madame, nous attendrons avec plaisir," I told her and her face bloomed to a smile.
She said it wasn't necessary to wait if we spoke French, she would take our order.
"Bon, deux jambon beurre avec emental et beschamel, sil vous plais," I requested.
The lady informed me that they had no emmental and asked if gruyere would be satisfactory. I agreed and she passed the order to a teenage girl behind a window just as a boy our age emerged from a door at the back of a shop. He told her in French that he had finished stacking the pallets and syrup cans. He asked if she needed help taking our order.
She told him briefly of our conversation and he looked surprised.
"Thank you for your patience, my mom usually takes the orders but she went to make a bank deposit. Did you want anything to go along with your meal?"
"Pomme frite?" I asked.
"Yes we have them, one order is pretty large so you can share if that's okay."
"That sounds good, thank you," I replied. I paid for our meal and we decided to sit outside near our bikes with our drinks.
It wasn't long before the boy brought out a tray with our sandwiches and fries.
"I'm Jean-Paul but I usually just go by Paul," the boy said while extending his hand.
"That's Chase, and I'm Etienne, we were just taking a ride around the point and this place looked good."
We shook hands and chatted.
My grandmother was impressed that you could speak French as well as you do. She'll be talking about you for a week. You must have been at some point. She said your accent was Bretagne, she has very good ears.
"Yes, my mother's family has holdings not far from Vannes. Is your family from Alsace?" I asked.
"Grandmother is from Colmar, my father brought us here and my grandmother was brought over later. Mom runs the cafe and Dad works in the city."
"And you get to be unpaid labor during the summer right? Chase asked.
"Not unpaid, not paid a lot. I get plenty of time to mess around on my own or with my friends," he explained.
"That's good," Chase offered.
"Well I need to get some things done; it was nice meeting you guys."
"Same here," I told him
He went inside and we finished our meal. I carried the tray and plates back inside and wished the grandmother well.
"That was cool and the sandwiches were really good, what is Beschamel?" Chase asked.
It's butter, flour and milk with a few spices mixed in and it's much better than mayonnaise. You can use it for so many things it's unbelievable. It's considered a white sauce, some call it a Mother Sauce but it's easy to make and you can put anything in to flavor it," I explained.
"Well it was a great sandwich, what did you call it?"
"Jambon beurre, or ham and butter on a baguette. I just added the cheese and sauce and hoped you would like it."
"Well I did," Chase grinned.
We pedaled back to the house this time we were on the water side of the street and enjoyed the sights, Orcas breeching and apparently playing while the seals stayed on the shingle and rocks.
****
Mike arrived at the office of the internal affairs bureau for a briefing on his own bureau and events that had taken place before he arrived.
"Good morning Captain Mac Gregor, I'm Captain Ike Danziger. The undersheriff has asked us to brief you on the events that made it possible for the department to hire you. Let's have a seat in my office and Lieutenant Lorraines will join us and add any facts I miss."
"Good morning, I prefer to be a bit informal but if you want to be addressed by rank I'll do that. I'm looking for some help cleaning house and I figure your people will be part of that."
"It's Mike isn't it, you can call me Ike and Jean is Lt. Lorraines' first name.
"Most officers don't want to be too chummy with us but within our own group we keep it informal," The captain stated.
I can understand that, so my concern is lieutenants Alvarez and Miller, They don't appear to be contributing much. I was going to have them move to the current bureau headquarters but with what I have in the works I think they'd be a security risk.
"Good morning Captain Mac Gregor I'm Lieutenant Lorraines, Capt. Danziger asked me to join you.
"The captain was just expressing his concerns over Alvarez and Miller," Ike informed the lieutenant.
"Ah I see, have you read him into the investigation sir?"
"Not yet, I believe that we can be completely candid with Mike. I believe his main concern is the integrity of his division and its investigations," Ike answered.
"Well then, in addition to Miller and Alvarez there are two detectives that we are closely scrutinizing,"
"Let me guess," Mike interrupted. "Bill Harris and Marty Hill?"
"Okay, that's impressive. How did you come by that?" Jean asked.
"Observations relayed to me by others. Paul Enright told me about Hill and Frank told me about Harris. They're a little too chummy with their commanders given their performance.
We are about to go to work on a serial case, five women so far and we have some good directions to look for suspects. I want to be sure that the men I have on deck now are not going to be talking to the press. I figured Hill was one of Alvarez' conspirators because he knew I was coming in before I had arrived. I'm presuming Alvarez told him. Harris and Alvarez acted a lot closer than a Lieutenant and a detective should, I've confirmed Harris' behavior from several sources. As an interim solution we're transferring Hill to custody and Harris to a taskforce in Pierce County, he'll be doing surveillance, Mike explained.
"Well, we're monitoring their cell phones and emails and I think I can safely say that by the end of next week they will no longer be of any impediment to your bureau. I can't give you specifics due to the terms of the warrant but once we are prepared to act we'll inform the Undersheriff and yourself," Jean related.
"How about Enright, is he in the clear or just running for cover?" Mike asked.
"Aside from some poor use of county time Lt. Enright seems to be uninvolved, as you probably know he brought the activities of Alvarez and Miller to our attention. He wasn't the first and we had been watching all three of them. We've had a few bits of questionable behavior reported by other agencies and bureaus. Lt. Alvarez spends quite a bit of time interviewing prisoners in the county jail. He tells the custody division it's for ongoing cases but there is no actual evidence that he's actively investigating anything," Ike added.
"I see, well Hill won't be much of a conduit, even an idiot like him should know that the phone system and internet is monitored at the jail and he won't be able to bring his cell phone into the facility," Mike contributed.
"That's true, it might work to our advantage if he's isolated he might get a little desperate. He'll probably try working on Alvarez to get him reassigned, I hope you will take pains to keep him right where he is," Ike suggested.
"As far as I know there are only two people who can override my orders and they're both onboard. Will you be offering Reyes a cookie to inform on our two friends?" Mike asked.
"We'd rather not, we think their activities are an extension of Reyes operation and as such we think we're building a very good standalone case. I can't say more than that but you get the idea," Ike informed.
"Absolutely, just let me know if something I can do will assist you in any way," Mike replied.
"Thank you very much Mike, we appreciate your cooperation and your attitude," Ike returned.
Half an hour later, Mike was back at the bureau preparing to address his entire staff. He hoped that these men had not been running wild for so long that they couldn't be reeled back in.
Ladies and gentlemen, I'm Mike Mac Gregor and I am pleased to finally meet you all. I like to keep things informal so just call me Mike and I will address each of you by your first names. I will be spending individual time with each of you in the upcoming weeks. I'm sure by now my history is common knowledge so I won't bore you with my qualifications.
I won't blow smoke up your ass either, there's a lot of work to be done before we are back on a solid footing.
So here is what I have planned, beginning immediately you will each report directly either Lt. Foyle or Lt. Enright per the new org chart that was distributed this morning. This is not to undercut the sergeants, but to give them time to prepare their cases for distribution so that they can assist you directly. Once that is accomplished you will report to your assigned sergeant. Lt.'s Alvarez and Miller will be helping the Undersheriff with a special project.
You will be seeing more new faces in the coming weeks. They will be in the form of more clerical support and retirees like Bob here. I'm hoping that the addition of those staff will free up more of your time for actual casework. You will still need to review and enter your own notes. Personally I've found the act of doing that one thing has helped me sort out or even solve cases in the past.
As to the retirees, they will be here to assist you, man the lobby and offer their expertise, I recommend that you make use of their knowledge. Granted some will be more help than others but if you treat them with the respect they've earned you might find that they have a lot to contribute. There will be over two hundred people operating out of this building by the end of the month. There are offices upstairs that aren't currently being used. Many of those will go to clerical support. This will improve over time and we will move to the new facility in the new Public Safety campus as they're calling it which should provide each of you with your own desk.
Some of you have developed a few bad habits as a result of not having access to the command staff to help make decisions or offer support. You've also suffered from lack of support from forensic services, I've spoken to all the support service commanders and they have pledged their support, I will need to know if they aren't living up to the agreement. Those of you who have bad habits need to shed them, they creep in slowly so you might not have even noticed it was happening. The Lieutenants and I are here to help you get the results you are capable of.
I feel obligated to at least address the corruption issue. My predecessor is under indictment as you know, we have to do our work with his stain on this bureau until we can erase it and be regarded in our own right as a well-organized and dedicated investigation unit. To that end we all need to cooperate with the Internal Affairs bureau. When I was just starting out they were considered the enemy, but I think most of us have recognized that they are a necessary part of any competent law enforcement agency.
Our training budget which has gone mostly unused, has been doubled. Classes on computers and their applications for both criminal activity and investigating crimes will be at the forefront as we proceed.
Let me address one final issue, the Media. Many of you have relationships with reporters and you may be giving small details to them as part of a quid pro quo arrangement. However if you are working on a case that command has sealed, any leaks will be tracked down and the source will be disciplined. Release of sensitive information is covered in your copy of department regs and I expect you all to adhere to that. Right now we're all under a microscope and we need to prove to the Sheriff and the county that we are a professional and competent group of investigators, otherwise you could end up reporting to a Feeb with very little knowledge of how to conduct a local investigation.
I won't ask for questions at the moment, But I will require each of you to email me at least one suggestion or request within the next week. Whether it be resource or procedural in nature or just creature comfort issues, I will give each full consideration and render a decision and you will receive a reply. There's nothing to lose, the worst that can happen is that I say no. But you will have my reasons for that. My email is behind me on the whiteboard, so add it to your phone and email me whenever you need my assistance.
It is my nature to be accessible, however we do have a chain of command. You will see me wandering around in the bays here and you may feel free to approach me then. I have no illusions of grandeur. Please run equipment requests through your sergeant and they will bring it up with the lieutenants. That goes for vehicles as well, I've noted at least four units in the parking area that look like they haven't moved in ages. If they need repair let's get the yards people over and haul them in for repair or exchange. If your issued vehicle is unsafe or not suited to your job we need to know about that also. We'll be taking over the fenced parking lot across the road and there will be guards posted twenty-four seven. You will each receive access cards and a new fuel card system that is usable just about anywhere your job takes you.
So thanks for listening and if you have something to do, go and do it. If you don't we'll find something for you to do," Mike joked.
The assembled detectives rose and applauded, which caught the new captain off guard.
Mike and his two lieutenants walked toward the elevator and Frank asked Bob to accompany them.
They stopped in a small conference room and discussed retirees.
"Bob, I'm going to ask you to help Frank with the interviews with the retirees. Most of them will recognize Frank and you can help address the concerns of potential reserve officers. We want them to be sworn reserves so we can arm them and assign rank. We'll want driving records, performance evals and training histories. We'll be fitting combo lockers with riot guns and M-4's behind the desk. Training and monthly qualification requirements will be followed. I recognize that there may have to be allowances made for medical appointments but the loose work schedule thing will have to go. I want two men behind the desk at all times and a third to roam the building."
"Will the retirees need to buy a sidearm?" Bob asked.
"No, if they have a suitable weapon in the approved caliber and capacity they can use it, otherwise they will be issued a sidearm. And since they will have exposure they will be able to carry full time on and off duty," Mike replied.
"That will free up another detective to work cases if we have the manpower to handle the desk ourselves. I have a list of people who would be an asset and are probably up to here with retirement," Bob supplied.
"That's what we're looking for, Bob, you and Frank can sit down and iron out the requirements," Mike directed.
Back in Mike's office the three command officers sat and began a discussion.
"Well at least nobody laughed , and I wasn't expecting the applause. Nods maybe but not applause."
"That may be due to Herb and Bob singing your praises. The guys all respect them and value their opinion. If you're in with them, then the others will give you the benefit of the doubt," Frank opined.
"I want to get Bob Evans sworn in again asap, so let's get personnel to give his file a quick review. And get it to the Undersheriff for action, Paul why don't you see to that," Mike requested.
"I'll get on it right away Mike," Paul answered.
Okay so, we have the names of the task force and we'll call them all in this afternoon and use the big room. I have a reply from Kitsap and Snohomish and they will each supply a detective to join the taskforce, I would expect Pierce county will follow suit so that's three extra bodies.
I plan to have Herb Talbert lead the taskforce unless I hear credible objections. The guys respect him and he's damn good at his job. I plan to lean on all the sergeants to do less case work and more management and after this taskforce that will apply to Herb also.
"So let's go with what we have so far and get together again an hour before the meeting," Mike directed.
Both lieutenants agreed.