the Dirty Dozen - Chapter 57

   Homicide got his reinforcements first. Three more guys just like him, and their job was to try to punch holes in his theories, and to agree with his assessments of everything if they had no other choice. They all arrived in one unmarked state police cruiser. Three more cruisers were in tow, not far behind them. A dozen state police, out of uniform, to try to help control the scene. The 12 helpers had been pulled off of highway duty to help out, and had already strung police tape everywhere the first homicide detective explained his scene extended to.

   They taped off the entire parking lot and then some. Looking up at the cabin, they followed the left woods line. Followed the upper wood line. They had to tape into the woods line off to the right, to encompass the two guys handcuffed to the tree they had found. The dozen helpers patrolled those tape lines, staying in constant motion. No one wanted to be responsible for anyone getting past their area that they were responsible for.

   The last couple hours before nightfall, homicide and his three extra investigators started out at the disabled cars, after first reading the manifesto and watching the videos and pictures of the DC crew staking out the town.

   "All right. Before we start, who wants to give me any shit about claiming the woman acted alone."

   "It's a little hard to believe, but, anything's possible. You showed us the residue. She took a bath in gunshot residue. That's not a couple shots to finish a few off."

   "So did the three survivors, so did the dead cops in the pileup. Residue says everybody was in the fight. That much is obvious."

   "Question. Why can't it make more sense, numbers wise? The cops, they're all up for two days, on coke and now heroin. They're not thinking straight. Why can't they start shooting at each other, then the woman just mops up and takes credit for it all."

   "Well, for one thing. What are the cops arguing about? They all got together and made the trip. It was a group activity. Any problems about coming? Would have been arguments in DC. Arguments on the road somewhere."

   "Hate to agree, but, she makes the pictures and videos. Documenting them all working together. I don't see any arguing. I just see sixteen off duty cops on stake out. Taking snorts of coke to stay up a couple days."

   "You said you tested the chief, the whole force, the witnesses that found the scene, even all the local bikers."

   "Sure did. The woman, and the cops. Took a bath in gunshot residue. No one else."

   "All right, the cars arrive. I don't think anyone is going to try to walk the idea, that one of them disabled all their own cars, are they?"

   "No. Late at night, it would be easy to cut four lower radiator hoses. It would be easier for someone else to have cut them, but…"

   "I thought of that. Wouldn't that person be helping then? You sign on to help this woman… then… you just cut hoses and run off? If I was her, I'd be like gee, thanks for all the fucking help."

   "Okay then. How quick can someone run down here?"

   "I've done it a couple times. Seconds, if you're moving quick."

   "These sixteen cops, they don't notice anyone coming up on them?"

   "Why would they. Let's say we're here to do this. Wouldn't we stand around talking, planning a little? If someone was waiting, it would be easy to get down here. Hell, they would be up and back the way they came, before anything started. These guys wouldn't be running up. They would be… moving slow. Quiet. Take their time. They got all night, you know."

   "Doing a nice big blast of coke, don't forget that. These were party cowboys. You gotta get yer woo hoo on, to get the nerve up to go kill one girl."

   "Yeah. Don't forget the nightcap, to settle your nerves, too. This took a couple minutes. She could of had plenty of time."

   "Or? This was planned. She knows she's waiting on cars already, she's seen the cars. The videos? She could be waiting, behind the bar. With everyone getting their courage up, no one would notice one person hiding behind the bar in the shadows."

   "Yeah. That makes more sense. Then? She just hightails it back up. That wood line? Is close. They're walking slow, she jogs up. Can she get into the cabin quiet, not noticed?"

   "Yes. You'll see that when we're up there."

   "Okay, so, did she wait down here, or… come down and back up?"

   "I don't see where it matters."

   "Me neither. But… I think it makes more sense to be waiting. She knows they're in cars, there's no other approach. Cars? Have to park here and the guys have to walk. There's no other way this happens."

   "Not to mention? I know I'd want to hear them talking. I'd want to make damn sure they weren't here for anything legit."

   "Okay, we mostly vote she was waiting down here, but, we agree it doesn't really matter."

   "All right. They leave their wallets. Cell phones. Badges. Scanner. Drugs… all in the cars. Nothing but clothes on their backs, and guns and ammo."

   "They head straight up to that cabin. They don't separate? Send teams out to move in?"

   "Why would they? They're expecting one girl, maybe a close friend staying over for milk and cookies. Thing has no real windows or other doors, that they can see or know about. They figure this many guys, now they got her trapped."

   "Yeah. Remember… they already fucked it up once. Down in DC. That's why there's so many, they can't afford to fuck this up one more time."

   "Okay. So, we're all in agreement, more or less, with the basic opening plot. Yes?"

   Everyone agreed.

   "Okay. So, at some point… we have to start moving up. As we can see, there's a mowed path straight up."

   "Tall wet grass. Take the straight line. We'd see if they split up, this tall wet field shows it like crazy. No… they walk up together."

   "Okay, so, let's walk up. It's middle of the night. Bar's closed. We're confident. Cocaine confident. Heroin calm. We have the numbers on our side, we can't lose."

   They walked up in a small pack, looking around.

   "We make it to here. Anyone figure these bodies crawled here in a pile to die? No, I figure this is where they stood. People crawl away to try to live, they don't crawl into a pile, in front of the problem."

   "I don't see any drag marks. I see bodies, and guns in their hands or near them. And there's a clearance sale on slightly used brass. Fucking place is covered in empty brass."

   "Any of these bodies been moved?"

   "Chief says he didn't approach. He's from Chicago, thank god, he knew to stay the fuck back. Let us come in and do our thing."

   "You said, you got the playing cards. You put these badges on them to ID them."

   "I documented the ever loving shit out of every move. Someone put the death card on them."

   "Shooter claims it in the manifesto. You said, you got prints coming back, all the girl."

   "I'm just waiting on ballistics to work the scene, I'm waiting on some pills to get pulled outta these assholes. I'm betting, they're all going to come from the same gun."

   "I admit it. If there was a group of guys up here, prancing around in the dark? We'd have lines all through this tall wet grass."

   "We got bodies in the cabin. You sure they're the first to go? Maybe they charge in, after the fireworks, then they meet their maker."

   "Possible. I find it unlikely. Why don't you guys, spot check lividity? You can see no one was dropped here, but I already know that. Let me go in ahead of you, then send someone into the cabin. I want to show you my theory. Okay?"

   After a while, the lead homicide guy called out.

   "Okay. It's quiet. Send someone in, you know, check it out. See if she's here. Come on, I won't bite."

   One walked in. He didn't get far, and he felt fingers on the back of his skull.

   "Now look down at your feet…"

   Bodies.

   "Bang!"

   "You just heard a single shot… one or two more come up to check it out. It's quiet. You figure she's been popped."

   "Bang! Bang!"

   "No one was expecting their buddy to be up on the little home made landing over the door."

   "Tell me, this isn't what this loft is for. It might not be, but, you come up here and look out and tell me, this isn't the perfect spot, to attempt this crazy shit…"

   Two of them climbed up either ladder to the platform, and looked out. They were looking right at their buddies still outside.

   "Now. What do cops do? The fireworks started. What do cops do? We all seen that shit a million times…"

   "Mag dump."

   "One door, that's it. Where you gonna shoot, in the dark, by the time you figure out you're actually taking fire from a waitress, huh?"

   "Door. Cement building."

   "And? I get to be out of the line of fire up here. Perfect view, perfect lines to shoot at. The group out there? Does another mag dump. At the door again, there's nothing else to shoot at! Me? Up here? It's just easier to pop more of you. The longer you guys stand there, firing like idiots, at a door that ain't gonna hit shit? The more of you I can get…"

   "Eventually? They hit the ground. They're not that stupid."

   "Yeah. Be careful not to step in the goo… there's a back door to this little Alamo… go on, go out and follow the cut grass, see where you end up… you're gonna fucking love this one…"

   "Hey. Bed's a decoy. Pillows and blankets…"

   "Yeah. Bait. To pop a couple guys coming in. Before the main fireworks even start. Honestly? A shot or two? Wouldn't rattle the group when a guy comes in to check it out."

   He yelled out to the guy that went out the back, and around the cut grass lane provided.

   "Where you end up at?"

   "Shit. I'm perfect, to finish off the guys left."

   "I got brass all over inside here."

   Everyone reassembled at the pile of dead assholes.

   "Survivors? She got thirteen of them, right fucking here. They just kept mag dumping, kept getting popped."

   "Car guy…"

   "Makes a break for it. Makes it. He abandoned the cut path, he goes down the tall grass. Hauling ass. Falling, rolling, jumping back up. Wouldn't you?"

   "Car's disabled, though…"

   "Right. You let him go, he ain't getting far. Hell, the manifesto, gives us cars, faces, and plates. Says to pick the driver up."

   "Holy shit. You still got the guys handcuffed to the tree…"

   "Yeah. Look around, you can see they rolled around in the grass. We can follow it around. Little game of hide and seek in the grass. Manifesto? Says she whacked one over the head, and jumped on the other one from behind, choked him out, and I quote… until he pissed his pants."

   "Okay. Question. Why leave three alive? Why not shoot these two? Why disable them and handcuff them to the tree? Then… fuck it, why not go kill the last one in the car. Short walk, you know he's near the car."

   "Manifesto? Says she ran out of ammo. When you start counting all the empty brass around? That's easy to see. She can't believe she's winning. They're crawling and running. Go finish them off. You don't wanna go through all this again, a third time, do you? This is the girl's second rodeo."

   "Follow me… here's the game of hide and seek…"

   "I took a picture of another death card. She posted a sign, so we knew where to find the guys handcuffed. To, that tree right over there. That's why this section of woods is taped off."

   "Okay. It all fits. I'll give you that, but, you trying to sell it that one little girl, choked out a DC cop, all coked up, until he went out?"

   "Descriptions of the little girl? She's as big or bigger, than some of you guys here, right now. This girl? Played triple A ball. Everyone says, she's like 6'3" in her heels. Everyone says, she's cute, but, jogs and works out a lot. If you hit on her man in front of her, and won't take her polite suggestion to knock it off? She doesn't scratch a girl's eyes out… all reports say… she will close the girl's eye, like a man would."

   "Well…"

   "She played sports. She's a big girl. She's on adrenaline… cocaine energy? Running the fuck out, when things get hairy. They're bolting and running. She mops up."

   "This is the girl, that hung around with bikers?"

   "This is not some scooter skank, boys. She's a tank. A national tank. This is a national enforcer's ex girlfriend. All reports say, these guys don't smack her on the ass. They shake her hand like a man. Call the lab? They joked with me, was I sure I got a girl's palm prints? Hands are big."

   "Then, even the bikers respect her. The bikers don't have a problem with her citizen boyfriend?"

   "Why would they. He already shot one cop, down in DC. I'm sure they bought him pitchers of beer."

   "Yeah. He protected their property. Their national property… she's like royalty to them."

   "I guess, I'm starting to buy this one. What are her movements, prior?"

   "The DC cops try to sneak in her apartment, in DC, zero dark thirty. Boyfriend is over for coffee late all night. Boyfriend gets her out, and comes back to confront the burglar. Burglar? Yells police, pops a badge in one hand, and shoots him in the shoulder with the other hand. Boyfriend? Drilled him fourteen times. You can ask IA about that one. He? Was sent up here, to keep her out of the line of fire, until the trial. She's the star witness for IA. Before you ask? Safe houses were compromised. Cops were perpetrators."

   "So, she was living in a cabin, on that work site you mentioned."

   "Chief's friend. Bunch of guys are building a gun range. Boyfriend? Works for the FBI. Consultant."

   "Why isn't the boyfriend up here?"

   "He was. She gets this cabin, and starts sleeping here. Behind the biker bar? Protection. He goes home to get his laptop, falls asleep. She doesn't call him. She already knows what's coming this time… she made the pictures and the videos…"

   "She planned on dying. She wants him to live…"

   "Yeah. She's been talking funny, about how he's supposed to take care of their cat, and he gets her little bit of money she had put back."

   "She made her will out, basically."

   "You read the PS, though. Problem. She lived through it. She's barricaded in that bar. Armed. Scared and nervous of anything with a badge. And? As you can see… a little dangerous."

   "Okay. She… plans all this. Gun range boys helped her, whatever. Why is she scared to come out?"

   "She's from DC! Down there? They arrest you for self defense! The FBI? An agent tried to kill her already! I got videos we can watch now, while they cart the bodies out… you can see her putting three FBI wives in the emergency room. You can see? The DC cops answering the call, laughing at her. DC? Just came to snuff her out! Who the fuck is she going to trust? She's a biker girl! She's from DC! She doesn't understand self defense, or… castle doctrine. She figures, she's gonna get the gas chamber. We're lucky she hasn't popped herself yet."

   "How do we get her out of there? End this farce."

   "Well, SWAT's out. You blow all the doors at once and rush in? She's gonna pop one of them, and they're gonna drop her. Hello? Waco? Ruby Ridge? Would you believe anything if you were barricaded, that came out of the FBI's mouth? Especially given, an FBI agent already tried to kill her the first time? I know I wouldn't buy a word they said."

   "You have no shots fired, on scene. None."

   "Nope. We didn't even know she was in there, until she called 911."

   "How do you know she's even alive then?"

   "Told you, the boyfriend's the only one that's allowed in there. That's the consultant for the FBI. The one that drilled the first assassin cop. She trusts him. That's about it."

   "I guess you got this one. I mean, it's solved itself. We just gotta… polish this turd. It's your scene. What do you think we ought to do?"

   "Show of hands. Who thinks my story-line is… plausible or better."

   All the hands went up, quick or slow, but they went up.

   "All right. Does anyone think self defense is not an option?"

   "That cabin? This whole thing? The video documentary? It's premeditated as fuck…"

   "Yeah… but… it's premeditated self defense."

   "I honestly liked the bikers for this. Or helping out… but without residue? The manifesto nails everything to a T? Fuck. We have no choice but to buy it."

   "My gut says someone helped her. If they weren't up here, they at least gave her ideas…"

   "I could play that tune. I really could… but problem. What do you wanna charge them with? Assuming she'll even burn them. Accessory to self defense? Accessory to helping a woman stay alive, and survive yet another assassination attempt by the cops?"

   "I ain't ashamed to admit… I'm kinda rooting for her."

   "Me too."

   "I say, we hold out, wait on preliminary ballistics, grid search, see what they pull outta those bodies."

   "That? Gives us time to try to sweet talk her out of the bar. We can't kill her, I don't know what else to do."

   "I don't believe this shit. So, the bikers, are the good guys here?"

   "Just this once boys, just this once."

   "I have to play devil's advocate. This took planning. What if she somehow lured the DC cops up here… is that still self defense?"

   "She gave them just enough rope to hang themselves. They stuck their head right in the noose. Out of state hit? No paperwork? Coke and heroin? Dropped the badges? They couldn't have green-lighted themselves any better."

   "Multiple attackers. Armed. She's hiding out in a little cabin out of state. Can't even seriously claim she should have gone to the cops. Who's she going to go to? An FBI agent tried to kill her. DC cops tried to kill her… what good was going to the locals here gonna get her? They can't do anything but what, call DC? That'll just put a spotlight on her to get them to come up and get her…"

   "Shit… she can't even come to the state police up here. What are we gonna do, go down DC? Our jurisdiction ends at the state lines. We would end up calling…"

   "Yeah. DC city force… right back to square one. She'd be painting a target on her back."

   "You said you got video proof, that the FBI wives were trying to jump her. The DC cops came and laughed at her on camera? She tried every legal avenue for help she could…"

   "Yeah. That's how she ended up… a biker girl."

   "For protection. We can't charge her, what do we do. When we get her out of there, assuming we do?"

   "FBI and IA wants her to testify. My plan? This whole shit-storm? Blew in from DC. It's a fucking cesspool down there, ask IA. We're stuck, cleaning up the mess, from DC's sewage overflowed into Pennsylvania sticks. I wanna put her… IA… FBI… her boyfriend… everybody? On a fucking first class plane ticket to DC, and wave bon voyage at the airport. See ya."

   "Or, this was so much fun this time, we could always wait for the next one of these… no, I like your plan. Get this shit back into DC, where it belongs."

   "Speaking of the next time? I don't wanna work that scene."

   "What do you mean?"

   "First rodeo. Down in DC. One dirty cop comes, to kill one girl. Boyfriend caps him, on account of she obviously likes to date altar boys. This? Is the second rodeo. We got a biker waitress pulled off a massacre… the fuck do you even think, the third rodeo will be like? Oh no, boyfriend and his buddies won't be sitting it out… third times the charm. You'll have… hunters that hunt coyotes and wild pigs up here. They sent one… then they sent 16… what do they send next? It's gonna look like a civil war starting."

   "We still think no one helped her up here?"

   "Honestly? Would you come up here, and not bring a rifle? I know I would. I don't see any rifle shots, just handgun holes. This… was all close and personal. That's not how hunters think."

   "Guts are guts. Hunches are hunches. We? Have to go by evidence. We got dirty cops covered in residue, we got a biker waitress covered in residue. Everyone else? Clean as a whistle. Any help she got? Shooting lessons. Prepping the Alamo cabin. I figure, the boyfriend prepped the cabin, in case he had the same problem on date night, he had down in DC. Accessory to self defense? Not any kind of statute I ever heard of."

   "It's your scene. What do you wanna do with the governor's office keeps calling every hour? You wanna tell him what?"

   "DC governor, or Pennsylvania's governor?"

   "I don't think DC has a governor. Ain't they covered by Maryland? I don't even think DC has a state police force, do they?"

   "Oh! That could be half the problem down in DC, in the first place."

   "How's that?"

   "Think. If local cops get dirty up here, what happens? The Pennsylvania state police come in and take care of it. We're like the FBI, we don't have that much of that sort of problem. With no state police to follow up on their misdeeds? That's how this mess even got started."

   "No, I think Maryland state police handle DC. Don't they?"

   "Eh, runs in my mind? DC is a weird animal. It's not a state. More like, an overgrown city. I've heard DC is technically a foreign country, jurisdiction wise."

   "Now, that makes sense. Follow it. DC starts having dirty cop problems. No state police to follow up on the rug sweeping. The FBI? Can't handle what doesn't cross state lines. It goes right back to the city force, to handle their own mess. What's any force do? Lift up the rug and sweep. Every time. As long as it stays in DC."

   "Hmm. It finally jumped out of state lines. The FBI is here. DC can't handle it. The FBI is finally gonna jump their ass."

   "Actually? the FBI already said something about that. He claims, and I quote… he is authorized to tell the governor to go fuck himself."

   "Oh. That's gonna go over real swell. Seriously…"

   "No, he has a point. I don't work for the governor of Pennsylvania, or the mayor of DC, any of you care?"

   "Didn't the mayor of DC, a ways back, get caught with coke, crack, and whores? Just saying… the mayor of DC? Probably did lines with these assholes, and sent them up."

   "Still leaves the governor of Pennsylvania calling the barracks…"

   "I ain't saying it… but… if he wants to yell at the guv? More power to him."

   "So, we agreed? If we get no surprises from ballistics and grids and autopsies… we get her out of there, send everybody back to DC, is that our plan?"

   "I guess so. I'm not comfortable, killing an innocent woman, for dirty DC cops."

   "The girl? Is radioactive. Until that trial is over…"

   "Hey, Mike from the FBI told me from the minute he got on scene… everyone is shitting their pants in DC on this one. Apparently, he's the only guy down there, crazy enough to jump on this one, and try to wrestle it to a conclusion everyone can live with."

   "All right. Let's go down. Watch the steakhouse videos you told us about. See if the FBI is ready to give a preliminary statement to the press. I can't wait to see if he really has the balls to tell the governor of Pennsylvania to go fuck himself, he doesn't work for him."

   "I hope he does. Not the first time he calls the barracks, demanding answers. Fuck him, he has no bearing on law enforcement. If someone is here who can tell him that? More power to him. That part? Is going to be fun…"

   "Yeah. I gotta see this…"

   "I wonder what the bikers are getting up to?"

   "They're less trouble than the media, for now, unless they found some trouble to get into."

   "Meanwhile? DC, is about gonna turn into a lit fart."

   "Fuck DC. It's a shit-hole after dark anyways. You ever been down there?"

   "Yeah. Wife and kiddies wanted to go down. See the pretty monuments. It was fun."

   "How'd that turn out?"

   "Oh. It was a sweet deal. Let me tell you… I'm a state cop, I almost got mugged in monument park. Wife and kids? Wanted pictures, of all the pretty monuments, all lit up at night… you know, like in the history book pictures?"

   "How did that go?"

   "I called the local cops! They said get the fuck out of there, where was my brains at, taking wife and kids to see the monuments after dark. That even the cops won't go in after dark."

   "Why didn't you tell them, you were a state cop on vacation?"

   "I did! Cops threatened to come arrest me, for carrying a gun in DC! I mean, here I am, a state cop… almost got mugged, I called the local cops… all they can say is I'm lucky I'm not under arrest, for getting mugged!"

   "The fuck is even the point of having all the monuments, if you can't go look at them? Christ."

   "Like I said, fuck DC. It's a shit-hole anyways. Take a good look around you, guys. You can't even call the cops to help you…"