H.O.L.T Blue 3/?
Date: Tuesday, January 16, 2001

sue hantak <hantaks@mtco.com>

(Part 3)

The smaller man was obviously the mastermind behind it all. He bellowed, "What do you mean you've made a deal?" You fool! Your greed is going to ruin this! I told you to dump the shit, and plant the empty bags on some unsuspecting junkie so no one could ever discover the switch. You're weren't suppose to set up a buy."

"Relax,... relax....I'm getting a beer, you want one? No one is on to us, and even that low octane crap you refilled the bags with will bring us a nice piece of change."

The uniformed man disappeared into the kitchen. Driscoll removed his glasses and wiped the lens clean, plotting <He had to be eliminated. I can't afford his stupidity> Staging a drug deal gone bad could serve two purposes, cleaning up the loose end named Officer Simpson and having the missing evidence found in his possession would end the investigation. He reached into his lab coat and put on a pair of latex gloves. He took the service weapon from the holster hanging over the chair. When his partner in crime came through the kitchen doorway, he fired several times into his chest. He then scattered the powdery contents of the bags, left them in plain view and overturned some furniture before leaving.

The following morning, as Remington and Laura were getting dressed, they replayed the bullet-proof vest discussion from the day before. Remington pleaded, "But didn't you say last night that you were going to be riding in a cruiser today with Jarvis?"

Laura's dentist would be pleased by the annoyed fury that fueled her brushing habits in the midst of an argument. She gave him an exasperated look in the reflection of the mirror before she spit, then spat, "He's simply walking me through the evidence trail." Laura bent down to rinse then added, "To the lab." She swished some mouthwash and continued. "To the courthouse and back." Laura reached behind him for a towel, "It's not like we're actually on patrol or anything."

"Laura, I know you're not a cop, Jarvis knows you're not a cop, but the wackos out there, who don't think too highly of the LAPD, don't know you're not a cop."

Laura continued to get dressed, doing her best to ignore him. She checked herself in the mirror in the entry before leaving.

Remington came up from behind her, "Humor me." he held it up, unfastened one of the velcro sides and stood behind her as if he were offering to help her with her coat.

"NO," Laura refused. She turned and took it from him. She set it aside on the credenza where it covered Mr. Steele's wallet and keys. "I'm going to wait downstairs for Jarvis. Remember, I need you and Mildred to go through the paperwork I left at the office."

Remington shook his head in frustration wondering for the zillionth time why she has to always be so damned stubborn. He reached below the vest, grabbing his wallet and keys before leaving the apartment as well.

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Remington pulled into the parking lot of Century Towers. He stopped just short of the striped gates. Reaching into his wallet, he retrieved his parking pass and inserted it, waiting for the gate to raise. When it didn't respond in the standard amount of time, he tried again. Then again. Knowing a few tricks when it came to security, he then unfastened his collar stay and inserted that into the uncooperative mechanism. It further amused him to be able to keep in practice, even if he was breaking in to go to work, of all things. He tripped the sensor with ease and the gate welcomed him in. Mildred was already at her desk well into the task assigned by Miss Holt. He knock twice on the side of her desk, "Morning... morning."

"Hiya chief, did she put it on this morning?"

"No. Once again, it is safely protecting a piece of furniture at home from any stray bullets."

"You said it yourself, she's one feisty piece of baggage."

"Don't remind me, Miss Krebs, don't remind me." He took a few steps towards his office before turning again to Mildred, "Oh, can you do me a favor? My parking pass wouldn't work this morning, could you call building security and get me a new one?"

"Sure thing, boss and I should be through all of this by lunch." She motioned to the printouts she was working on.

He tugged on his ear devising a plan, "So... tell me... Is there anything pressing on my schedule today?"

"Just a few things on your desk that need your signature," Mildred responded with a shrug.

"I see..... I see," Remington tried to appear nonchalant, but Mildred knew what he had in mind.

"Why don't you take my car," Mildred reached into her purse. "Miss Holt will see you from a mile away in the Auburn." She tossed him the keys. He caught them flashing a grateful smile back to her.

Meanwhile in the squad car, Jarvis was explaining the procedures and security measures regarding the handling of evidence. "Evidence is cataloged with a notation in the file, then sealed. Each piece gets bagged, tagged with a case number and sealed. We crimp a button- size sensor tag to each bag then it gets stored in the evidence room. The evidence room is available to anyone with proper credentials from the police department and DA's office. It works alot like a safety deposit box, Miss Holt. You see, if they want to review the evidence, an officer can retrieve it take it to the workroom provided. If they want to remove it from the lock-up it has to be signed in and out through the clerk on duty."

"What's to stop someone from just walking out the door with items tucked here or there?"

"First of all, no one is allowed into the property room with any kind of handbag, duffel or briefcase. Secondly, the sensor tags would activate an alarm if someone walked through the door with anything concealed. Evidence can only be removed by the clerk who logs everything in and out. There is a video camera overseeing his desk at all times."

Laura checked the copy of the case file she held in her hands, "What was so special about this case? The missing evidence was eight, twelve ounce bags of cocaine. That's only a little over five pounds. Hardly the largest bust the department ever had."

"According to narcotics, it was a unique cocaine, chemically. More pure, more potent than what is usually trafficked by the smaller dealers. This stuff would only be handled by major players When they arrested Sedona, they were hoping it would lead to bigger fish."

The crackle of the radio interrupted them, "Detective Jarvis, please respond to 1088 East Church Ave. Officer DOA at the scene."

Detective Jarvis picked up the transmitter, "Jarvis, 1088 East Church Ave, on my way."

End Part 3

To Part 4

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