One hundred and four
Marty returned to the lobby and greeted the others. "Anyone miss me?" he asked cheerfully.
"Oh? Were you gone?" Wally shot back.
"Don't listen to him, Marty," Margo said.
"Wally said the case was solved," Kali commented, happily.
"Yes. I've got to wait for the 'official' word from Stetson. He should be along any time now," Wally replied, slipping his arm around Kali.
"Wally, I'd like to see you for a minute," Chief Gunderson said, approaching the small group in the lobby.
"Sure, Chief," Wally replied. "I'll be right back, guys," he said, heading for the Chief's office.
"Wally, I'd just like to ask you a few questions about what has transpired tonight between you and Officer Randall," the Chief explained.
Wally nodded and followed the Chief into his office.
The Chief turned to the dispatcher. "I want to see Sergeant Stetson and Officer Randall in my office right away," he added.
"Yes, sir," the dispatcher responded.
One hundred and five
It wasn't long before Sergeant Stetson and Officer Randall joined Wally and the Chief.
"Please have a seat, gentlemen. This won't take long. I'm sure you are as anxious to wrap this up as I am. It's been a long day," the Chief began.
Officer Randall shot Wally a smug look. Clearly, he expected to come out of all this some kind of hero.
"I want you all to know, I've read the reports and am fully aware of all the details pertaining to tonight's robberies," the Chief began. "While you may not be aware of all the details pertaining to this case, sufficient evidence has been collected to bring this case to a close. The reason I have called you all to my office is that I feel the need to clarify a few things that relate to the procedures and attitudes; specifically the procedures and attitudes that the three of you have displayed concerning the robbery at the florist shop and the attempted robbery at the gas station."
"First, let me begin by addressing certain complaints and accusations brought forth by Officer Randall. As we are all aware, allegations against anyone is a serious matter, not to be taken lightly. Though this isn't a court hearing, I believe the rules of law apply here as well as in the court; meaning, firstly, a man is innocent until proven guilty; second, every man has the right to face his accuser, and lastly, the accused has the right to defend himself."
The Police Chief paused and looked directly at Officer Randall. "Officer Randall, do you wish to proceed with your complaints against Mr. West and Sergeant Stetson?" he asked. Wally noticed that the Chief seemed reluctant to continue, however, catching the smug look on Randall's face, the Chief continued. "Please state your complaints or charges."
Officer Randall rose from his seat and stood with his arms folded across his chest. "My complaint is that West, here, has managed to convince everyone here that he is some kind of hero, when in fact, he is nothing but a common thief, robber, kidnapper, and drunk. He hides behind his association with the Police Department and is trying to pin two robberies on two unfortunate teenaged boys."
Chief Gunderson interrupted, "Randall, what evidence do you have to support your claims?"
"Evidence?" Randall asked, looking surprised. "It's all in the reports, sir."
"Fine. Is there more on Mr. West?" Gunderson asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Uh… no. I believe the reports speak for themselves."
"Randall, what is your complaint in regard to Sergeant Stetson?" Gunderson asked.
"My complaint with Sergeant Stetson is that he refuses to take proper action. He is letting Wally West get away. West is guilty as sin and Sergeant Stetson is ignoring the evidence," Randall grumbled.
"Is that all?" Gunderson asked, growing impatient.
"Sir?" Randall asked, looking confused.
"Officer Randall, you are complaining that Sergeant Stetson is failing to follow proper police procedure? Perhaps you are insinuating that he is acting with extreme bias or partiality?"
"Well, yes sir. He is ignoring the evidence. West is a friend and he refuses to charge him because of it," Randall explained, sneering at West.
"Let us hear what the evidence says," Gunderson said glancing at papers scattered across his desk. "Randall, I have a ticket you wrote against West for driving without a license. Your report states that you suspected him of driving under the influence; however, breathalyzer results confirm that there was no alcohol level in his blood. Your report states that he passed all coordination tests as well. So, clearly, West was not drunk, as you claim."
Randall sat back down in his seat.
"As far as the florist shop robbery, the owner insists that there were only the two boys present in the shop. Both boys, Jimmy and Johnny Morgan, have confessed to the robbery, and shooting at the florist shop. The bullet matches with the gun retrieved at the gas station..."
"Yes, Chief! Exactly. That was the very same gun that WEST had in his possession, pointed at one of the boys!" Randall shouted, interrupting the Chief.
"Randall, please…" the Chief shot him an annoyed look. "The gun is registered to Henry Morgan of 15 Cobblestone Lane. The boys' father. The boys confess to taking the gun earlier today. They claim that there was no one else involved, and do not know Mr. West."
"They're lying, Chief… Of course they're gonna say that… They're scared, sir…" Randall cut-in.
"Randall, there is no evidence for what you are claiming. The only evidence that links Mr. West to the Florist shop is your own testimony that his car was there. There is no other eye witness or evidence to substantiate that he had anything to do with the robbery at the florist shop."
"But…" Randall stammered.
"I have two complete confessions from the boys. There is no mention of a third party much less Mr. West."
"He was in possession of the gun used at the gas station hold-up…"
"That is correct, but the report states that the attendant didn't see the gun until Mr. West told him to call the police. And even then, the gun was pointed at the boy, not the attendant. No one but you is accusing Mr. West of attempting to rob the gas station. The confession of both boys, it was the boys who intended to rob the station, not Mr. West."
"He was using them as a front…" Randall insisted.
"What evidence do you have to substantiate this, Officer Randall?" The Chief rose from his seat, taking a commanding stance.
Randall remained silent, deep in thought. "I-I… um… I don't have anything sir. Pure conjecture, sir."
"Well, Officer Randall, based on the lack of evidence to support your complaints, I suggest you owe both these men apologies. Furthermore, since the evidence more than supports Mr. West's innocence, not only do I find that Sergeant Stetson acted appropriately by not arresting Mr. West, I find that they both acted more than appropriately. In fact, I am particularly thankful for Mr. West's help in preventing the gas station robbery and apprehending Jimmy Morgan. He put his life on the line and I commend him for that. Thank you Mr. West."
Wally nodded, spying the disgruntled look on Randall's face.
"Sergeant Stetson, your past performance has always been stellar, and the handling of today's case is no exception," the Chief explained.
"Thank you, sir," Stetson replied appreciatively.
"As officers of the law, we are entrusted with an authority that grants us the power to act against those who break laws and disregard the rights of others. It is our duty to uphold the law, seeking the truth. Therefore, a final verdict must only be determined after carefully considering eyewitness testimony and evidence. We must be careful not to abuse the power that comes with this responsibility by making rash conclusions based on insufficient evidence and personal prejudices. Evidence suggests that Officer Randall has done both."
Wally and Sergeant Stetson turned to face Officer Randall. Randall's face drained of color as his jaw dropped.
"I'm sorry Officer Randall, but I find your behavior, though zealous, to be rash and emotionally driven."
"I'm sorry, Chief…" Randall answered looking down. "I'll try to do better next time," he added.
"I appreciate that, Randall, but I'm afraid that your behavior puts the department in a precarious legal position. Perhaps if you had more training in legal procedures…"
"Yes, sir. I'd be happy to…"
"Great. In the mean time, I have decided to re-assign you. You will no longer be on active duty as a patrolman. You will be studying 'Proper Police Procedures' at the Academy part-time. You have good instincts, Randall, so I'm giving you the opportunity to remain on active duty to hone your skills by assisting the Animal Control Officer, Ted Nemitz."
"Dog Catcher? You want me to be a Dog Catcher?" Randall asked incredulously.
"Actually, the title is 'Assistant Dog Catcher'," the Chief answered adamantly. "Do you have any objections?" he asked calmly.
"Uh… no, sir." Randall replied, rising to his feet. "Is that all?" he asked, heading for the door.
"Yes, you're dismissed," the Chief nodded, settling back into his seat.
The door slammed behind Randall as he stormed out of the Chief's office.
Wally took one look at Stetson and burst out laughing.
"Mr. West…" Chief Gunderson warned.
Sergeant Stetson covered his mouth and looked away, trying to suppress his own laughter.
"I'm sorry Chief, it's just that Randall has been riding me…"
"Understood, but try to control yourself," the Chief replied with the smallest hint of a smile on his face.
One hundred and six
"What's that you've got there, Kali?" Marty asked, peering at the scrap of paper she had been scribbling on for the past hour.
"Oh… nothing," she said, smiling to herself.
"That means it's something," Marty said moving closer to get a good look.
"No. It's personal." Kali answered, quickly covering her paper.
"Oh… It's probably some gushy love note to Wally," Marty commented to Margo.
"No…" Kali objected. "If you really MUST know… it's… a poem."
"A poem? Can I see?" Margo asked.
"Well… okay," Kali answered, handing the slip of paper to Margo.
"Face to Face?" Margo asked, curiously. "Does this have something to do with your family motto?"
"There are no secrets… when you're face to face," Marty recited.
"It reads like a song…" Margo commented.
"You wrote a song for Wally?" Marty asked, grabbing the paper and reading the poem.
"I suppose it could be a song, but I only wrote it as a poem. Do you like it?" Kali asked.
"How sweet! Kali wrote a poem for Wally's birthday!" Margo said, poking Marty in the arm. "Isn't that romantic?"
"Uh-huh." Marty replied, reading the poem.
"Wally's birthday?" Kali asked, confused. "When is Wally's birthday?" she asked.
"It's today, Kal, I thought you knew. I guess not…" Margo replied. "Maybe we can all go out for a late night birthday celebration?"
"I don't know…" Marty responded. "I think they wanted to be alone," he added, unfolding his newspaper and returning to the still unfinished crossword puzzle. "Does anyone know a four-letter word for 'drop a line'?"
"No… I think that would be all right. After all, it would be nice to do something special for Wally's birthday," Kali replied. "Where would be a good place to go?"
"What?" Margo asked, turning to see what Marty was doing.
"I've been working on this crossword puzzle and the only clue left is a four-letter word for 'drop a line'. Do you know what it is?" Marty asked, tapping the paper with his pencil.
"No," Margo answered, turning her attention back to Kali. "Not many restaurants are open this time of night," Margo answered.
"There must be something open… maybe a doughnut shop?" Kali suggested.
"Four-letter word for 'drop a line'. Hmmmm…" Marty muttered.
"Doughnut shop? Margo repeated thoughtfully.
"Hmmm…. 'drop a line'… 'drop a line'…"
"How about that place near the hospital?" Kali suggested. "I think they're open 24 hours."
"Hmmm… four-letter word. What could it be?"
"What restaurant? You mean that steak and seafood place? I think they close at 10 o'clock," Margo answered.
"What kind of moron writes a crossword puzzle with an impossible clue like that? Who could possibly get this one? I bet they made this up and there IS NO answer!"
"Marty." Margo said, narrowing her eyes.
"What?" Marty looked up from his paper and shrugged his shoulders. "What?"
"Never mind."
"No, Margo… I'm talking about that breakfast place… they say the serve the bottomless pancake dish… You know, it's the one with that commercial with the starving man rescued from years of living on an uncharted island," Kali explained.
"Oh yes! I know which one you mean! I can't think of the name of the place, but yes I do think they're open 24 hours," Margo agreed.
"Island? How can a man be starving if he lived for years on an island? He survived because he had food and thus was not starved… or he would have died from starvation long ago! That makes no sense! Certainly he would have an endless supply of fish to survive on!" Marty argued.
"FISH!" Kali shouted.
"What?" Margo and Marty said in unison.
"The answer to your question! A four-letter word for 'drop a line' is FISH!" Kali said proudly.
"Hey! I think you're right!" Marty answered excitedly. He scribbled the answer in the empty boxes. "Yes! That's it! HOOREY!" Marty jumped up excitedly and did his little 'success' dance.
"Very nice," Margo said with amusement.
Kali nodded. "So, to the bottomless pancake place we go."