3 comments/ 15576 views/ 4 favorites Teresa's Christmas Story By: WifeWatchman This story is a vignette meant to stand on its own as a story, though based upon characters in my ongoing police drama series." This story contains graphic scenes, language and actions that might be extremely offensive to some people. These scenes, words and actions are used only for the literary purposes of this story. The author does not condone driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, nor criminal activity, and any depictions of any of these in this story should not be construed as acceptance of the above. Feedback and constructive criticism is very much appreciated, and I encourage feedback for ideas. Part 1 - The Christmas Eve Party The multicolored lights gave the room a festive glow as we gathered on the Saturday before Christmas at my mom's home, the one formerly owned by Laura and then Melina, which my mom had begun calling "the Mountain Nest." My mother was hosting, helped by her young friend and secret lover, the young stud known as The Leader. Laura and I were helping to host. All of my detectives were here: Cindy Ross, Angela Harlan and Hugh Hewitt as a couple, Martin Nash and FBI Agent Sandra Speer as a couple, Tanya Perlman and Pete Feeley as a couple. The Chief and his wife were there as well as Captain Malone and his wife. Most of the Vice detectives were there, the only exception being Steven Ikea. Britt Morgan, SBI Agents Ted Crenshaw and Carter Fischer with their dates, and Jack Muscone were also in attendance. Of course my mom was hosting, helped by her young friend and secret lover, the young stud known as The Leader. The new SWAT team's member also were present, many of them war buddies of Hugh Hewitt. Most of the big news centered around the diamond ring on Tanya Perlman's finger; Pete Feeley had summoned the gumption to ask her to marry him... and to the stunned surprise of a large number of people, Tanya had accepted. I wondered how that was going to turn out. Tanya had one hell of a libido; and while Pete was a good guy and decent looking, he would not be mistaken for stud material. However, there was a slight pall over the evening, a certain foreboding... Teresa Cunt was here, under duress and upon my and Captain Malone's direct orders to attend. She stayed apart from everyone, occasionally looking out the windows that overlooked the Town in the valley below. The highlight of the evening was supposed to be a Secret Santa gift opening amongst the detectives. The FBI agents had also brought some gifts to each other to open at the same time. As it neared the time to start, Cindy went to get Teresa... and things got heated fast. "I don't get it, what the hell is with you?" Cindy was asking, almost screaming. The two women often argued, but it was normally friendly, but this time Teresa was having none of it. "None of your god-damned business!" Teresa said. "Just leave me the fuck alone!" And this was how she treated her friends. Cindy Ross was a pretty woman in her late twenties with platinum blonde hair. She was a rugged Canadian woman with dual Canada/US citizenship. She had been a participant in those "Miss Physical America" contests, and had been built to a muscular level that many male bodybuilders would envy to be. After retiring and joining the Police Force, she had stopped the bodybuilding in favor of mixed martial arts, but still was well toned. Teresa's face was usually scowling but she was attractive, with dark-blonde or very light brown hair that framed her face nicely. It was her body that was magnificent; nice large breasts, a lovely hourglass shape, a firm, mouthwatering, heart-shaped ass, and legs and feet that could be a magazine model's. Despite Cindy's sheer strength and power, it was my wife Laura who more effectively moved Teresa, by using persuasion. "Come with me, my dear." Laura said, guiding Teresa back into the main room where we all were. "It won't be too much longer for you." Teresa allowed herself to be persuaded, though her eyes were still dark and full of anger. "I just don't get her." Cindy said, exasperated, and I could tell that she cared for Teresa far more than their arguing would suggest. "Patience, my friend." I said, a line I'd said to Detective Ross many, many times. "The truth shall come out. Tonight." I thought back to how this all got started, nearly two weeks ago... Part 2 - The Problem "I just can't do anything for her anymore." Captain Malone said, his voice full of exasperation. It was Wednesday afternoon, exactly two weeks before Christmas. I was sitting in the Chief's office with the Chief and Captain Malone. We were trying to solve a real crisis on our hands: what to do about Detective Teresa Croyle, a.k.a. "Teresa Cunt." For reasons no one could quite understand, she responded to a car crash where the perp was well over the legal alcohol limit. With Christmas right around the corner, there were many parties going on. The Police Force set up DUI checkpoints (the only time of year we really did so), but this guy had run past our checkpoint and a few streets later plowed into a vehicle containing a family of four. When Teresa got to the crime scene, the guy was arrogantly saying he couldn't be arrested, because he was a State Senator's son. He did not seem to care that he had just killed three people in the car crash, two of them being children, literally saying that they didn't matter because he, the perp, was a Senator's son. Teresa had gone off on him and beaten the living shit out of the guy, sans crowbar or any other weapon, before anyone could stop her... and none of the other police officers there really wanted to stop her. But now the guy was now threatening to sue the Police Department, and his father was making waves about bringing the State in to make a criminal investigation against her. I had nothing but empathy for Teresa Croyle, but with all of the political pressure being brought down on her, I couldn't see anything we could do for her. "I don't care what she did to him, we are prosecuting that bastard to the fullest extent of the Law." I said. "I'm with you on that, Don, and so is Paulina Patterson." said the Chief. "But Krasney is wavering. This loser's name is Dean Allen; his father is the State Senator, Nathan Allen." "I hope your contacts are better than mine about wanting to oppose Allen on this. He's really pushing for his son to get off." Captain Malone said. "What about the Press? How are they covering it?" I asked. "Bettina Wurtzburg ran with the story, and also wouldn't shut down after the pressure came down on the TV station. They finally had to force her to go on vacation when Senator Allen contacted the FCC to begin investigating the station. The bastard is really pushing hard to save his son's neck." Chief Griswold said. "Wow." I said, then fell into a 'brown study' as the Captain and Chief talked about Teresa. "She's on desk duty now, pending an investigation." Malone said. "But I've already personally gotten calls from three Town & County Council members, Malinda Adams, Kelly Carnes, and J.P. Goldman. They're asking why she hasn't been suspended without pay and criminally charged yet. I don't know why Goldman called, but I can hold them off only for so long. When, not if but when they start pressing, there's not much I can do." I have to say this much about Captain Malone, despite my dislike of him: he has done a very good job of bringing along some officers that otherwise would not have had a chance, and making something out of them. For all Ikea's faults and arrogance, he'd learned well from his Captain and made many drug busts, as well as gleaning information from suspects. And Teresa Croyle was so hated and not wanted by everyone that she'd been in danger of being fired just a few years before, but Captain Malone had taken her under his wing and made her into one of the best Detectives on the Force, her bitchiness notwithstanding. And now Malone was struggling to save his Detective, when letting her be thrown to the wolves would've been the easy and politically expedient thing to do. "I would imagine State Senator Allen, the DUI punk's father, has been talking to Goldman." I said. "I'm just at the end of my rope on this." said Captain Malone, "I don't understand the 'why' of it. I've tried to leave Croyle alone about it, but then shit keeps cropping up. Croyle has undergone multiple psychological evaluations. She passes every one of them, easily. Most of the time, she's just fine, but then something sets her off and she goes off on someone, like she did with this Allen punk." "Doesn't she volunteer for duty every Christmas?" I asked. "Yes." said Malone, looking surprised at the question. "She's not religious, so she works so others can be off duty." "And they are DUI perps?" I asked. "Come to think of it, yes they are." Malone said. "And Christmas is the only time of year that she gets this way and starts beating up perps?" "Yeah, now that you mention it, you're right about that, too." Malone said. "Though I have to watch her in August, too, she gets moody a couple of weeks before school starts."
 "Think there's something in that, Crowbar?" asked the Chief. "Yes." I said. "And we have got to find out the reason behind her issues." It was clear to the Chief that I was trying to think of something even as I was talking to them. "I don't know if that will save her, though." said the Chief. "We are really, really behind the eight-ball on this one. What you and Captain Malone don't know is that I not only got calls from those three Councilmen and -women, I've been contacted by the Mayor, our Internal Affairs, and the SBI. State Senator Allen has contacted all of them, and he is making as big a stink of this as he possibly can." said the Chief. "In addition," the Chief continued, his voice grave, "the mayor informed me that the DUI suspect Dean Allen has retained the law firm of Chase, Lynch & Berry." "Oh Jesus." said Captain Malone. I knew how he felt. The Chase, Lynch & Berry law firm's legal beagles were the worst ambulance-chasers in the State, but worse was that they loved to take cases against the Police Department, often doing them pro bono for clients that accused us of abusing them. They even offered the lawyer Sommes, who had committed treason against the United States, free legal representation if only he would sue me for using my iron crowbar on him. Sommes instead cut a deal with the Feds to avoid the death penalty for treason; he was now in their custody and well away from the friendly confines of my County. And when when the Chief and I began publicly, meaning in the Media, discussing how Chase, Lynch & Berry wanted to help traitors, they shut up for a while. But now they would be back on this punk Dean Allen's behalf, and I'm sure they were considering it to be a very merry Christmas. "How long do I have, Chief?" I asked. The Chief stood up. "You have through the weekend, Crowbar. I'm going to have to suspend her Monday morning." "Yes sir." I said, also getting up. "I better get my ass moving then." Part 3 - The Search For The Real Teresa Croyle "What do you mean you have nothing, Myron?" I asked. We were sitting in my little I.T. office in the University Campus Police headquarters. I did not want Myron doing his computer researches where Internal Affairs could sneak a peak. Myron Milton was a youngish, really nerdy-looking guy, and he was a sheer genius with computers and data acquisition. The raise and Christmas bonuses I'd gotten him, as well as his Goth girlfriend Mary, also a computer genius, were the main reasons the FBI and CIA could not persuade him to leave us and provide his considerable talents to them. "I'm tryin' to tell ya." Myron said. "Teresa's married name is 'Croyle'. She got married a year after graduating school, divorced about three years later, came here soon after that. All of her police applications and records simply have her as 'Teresa Croyle', not even putting down a middle initial. And I don't know her maiden name, so I don't even know where to start looking for records at her school." "That's what I have to get: her maiden name. What about her marriage license?" I said, "What about her DMV records when she changed the name after she got married?" "I don't know where she got her marriage license; it likely was just paper and not computer-recorded, either. I tried the DMV route... either she applied for a new license without using a name change as a reason, or..." "Or?" I said. "Or she's using a false name." Myron said, his face a mask of worry. "Shit, we're trying to help her and we may end up fucking her over even worse." I said. "Well, I don't know--" I stopped, having a 'reverie' moment as I went into deep thought. Myron waited patiently, having seen this look from me before. Awaking from my thoughts, I got up."Myron, stay here until I call and release you." I said. "I'm going to go check with a confidential source in the Psychology Department on something." "Tell your wife hello for me." Myron said, knowing who my confidential source was. -------------------------- I may have been a little presumptuous in barging in on my wife in her office at the University. Fortunately, Laura was alone in the room, but she still looked at me a bit darkly. "In a hurry?" she said acerbically. "I'm sorry." I said, knowing I'd screwed up, but coming on inside anyway. "Let me guess: Teresa Cunt." Laura said as she pointed at the chair in front of her desk as an invitation for me to sit down. "I see you've added mind reading to your considerable talents." I said. "Not really." Laura replied. "I heard about her beating up that piece of crap Dean Allen. I failed the punk out of my psychology class some years ago and his Senator daddy tried to have me fired. He got pushed back hard on that, and not just by the School, but he's not a forgiving man." "Yeah, he's pulling every string he's got on this one... trying to distract from the fact that his son slaughtered a mother and her two children just before Christmas." I said. "Yes. Also, your Police Chief and one Detective Goodwin of your Internal Affairs called me just a short while ago. They wanted what I had on Teresa, and also were trying to find out what her maiden name was." "What did you tell them?" "That all my information from my police psychological examinations of her were in the files that they should already have obtained, and that I had no clue what her maiden name was, as she never mentioned it and I never asked. I also said that any further information beyond what was in the police files was protected by psychiatrist-client privilege, though I don't think there's much there to protect." Laura replied. "Whew, good." I said. "But there is one thing that you know, because you mentioned it to me before. So I hope you'll break confidence and share with your beloved husband the name of Teresa's husband that was on the letters he sent to you." "Oh... yeah, that's right, I forgot about those." Laura said. "The husband wrote me after hearing about Jack Burke's murder. There was nothing in them that helped me figure out Teresa, though." Laura got up we went downstairs into a basement filing room, which was doubly locked and had a secure alarm known only to Laura, with a sealed envelope in the Campus Police station containing the fail-safe way in should something happen to my wife. "Ah yes, here is the letter." Laura said, handing it to me. --------------------- "Yep, you're right." Myron said to me. I was back in the Campus Police I.T. office with him. I had told Myron to search records as if 'Croyle' were Teresa's maiden name, not married name... her husband's name had been "Easton Windham." Just as Laura had not formally changed her name after marrying me, which made sense what with her published works, research grants and general celebrity, Teresa had never taken her husband's name. "Teresa entered college under the last name 'Croyle' and graduated under that name. Her first drivers license was obtained at age 17, also under the name 'Croyle'. But here's what's interesting: I can't find a birth record, nor any school records, nor any Lexus-Nexus records of a Teresa Croyle in the State that she got the drivers license from." "And before you ask, I abused the privilege and snuck a peak at that State's adoption records from my 'clean' computer there. There is no adoption record that matches Teresa nor the timeframe around her age." Myron said. That computer had software that no respectable computer programmer nor police officer would every be caught with... which was the key, of course, not getting caught. "Excellent work." I said. "Anything else on any other Croyles?" "There was a Jonathan and Beatrice Croyle in the town where Teresa got her first drivers license. But they had no children, and their tax records show no dependent children at any time." "What town was this?" I asked. Myron showed me the screen with the info and I wrote the town's name down. It was a long way from where we were now. "Can I ask you a question, Lieutenant?" Myron asked. When I nodded he continued, "Why not get Cindy Ross or your nephew Todd to just ask her? Cindy's her friend and Todd has been fucking her on occasion." "How did you know Todd has been fucking Teresa?" I asked. "You don't want to know." Myron said. Normally that would work with me, but not this time. "We're talking about my blood kin here, Myron. How did you find out?" "I peeked in on Internal Affairs." Myron admitted. "I got tired of them peeking in on me, and was trying to find out why they were bothering me. That tidbit came up." "Geez, Myron, you're going to get us both fired." I said, grinning as I got up to leave. "I can think of worse fates to befall us." Myron replied. He was right. "To answer your question: I'm sure Teresa would not only not talk to either of them, she'd get upset with them for daring to ask. I've noticed that she seems willing to go down for this rather than fight for herself. She's willing to give up her career to keep whatever secret she's been hiding. "That won't last long when the Iron Crowbar is on her case." Myron said. I smiled and sent him home for the night. -------------------- The roses I brought home to my wife mollified her irritation at me. After feeding the baby and putting her down, we began making out under the mistletoe... without worrying about if a mistletoe was really there. "I've got to leave in the morning." I said. "I'm flying to what we believe is Teresa's hometown. "Think the secret is there?" "Yep. Teresa took the name 'Croyle' around the age of 16 or 17, though she was not formally adopted. I still don't know her maiden name, nor what happened." "Think you can save her if you find out?" "No... but you can, if you know the right questions to ask." Part 3 - Secrets of a Small Town Teresa's hometown was small and picturesque, but beginning to fade. It was early Thursday afternoon, and I had through Sunday to get everything I needed. When I visited the school, they recognized her but did not really want to cooperate with me; I was out of even State jurisdiction. Stymied, I was about to leave the school office, trying to figure out how to get what I needed, when Father Christmas brought me an early present: FBI Special Agent In Charge Jack Muscone entered the office. "Hi Don." Jack said, enjoying the look of shock on my face. "Merry Christmas!" "Jack! What are you doing here?" "Helping you out." Jack Muscone said. He then turned to the principle and showed his badge and ID. "This man is trying to help out one of his police officers, the lady he was asking you about. I'm asking the same questions. I can get a warrant, or I can owe you a favor, which would you prefer?" Teresa's Christmas Story "I can't give you formal records without the warrant." the Principal said. "But I might can give you something better." The Principal called for Mildred, one of the teachers who had been there for forty years and never forgot a student's name nor any mischief a student perpetrated in their time. Indeed, she was more valuable than any paper record could be. We spent 30 instructive minutes with Mildred. At the end of that time, we knew Teresa's name as well as her full story that I needed. As we were leaving the school, I told Jack that there was one thing I still needed to do. "The newspaper office? Why?" Muscone asked. He looked a bit uncomfortable. "I need to get a Christmas present." "A Christmas present? What the--" Muscone said as he got in my rented car with me. As we headed to the newspaper office, I told him what I wanted to find. He seemed relieved, but still uncomfortable. Jack Muscone was not all that great at hiding his inner thoughts and feelings, though very good at reading those of others. Typical of most small-town newspapers, it was very small and most of the stories in its meager pages were about upcoming Christmas pageants, shows and charity drives. "We lost a lot of our microfiche in a fire at the old courthouse building a couple of years ago." the editor of the paper told us. At first I was disappointed, but then had an insight. "Do you keep separate files of your photographs, perhaps the negatives?" "Oh... yes, we might still have some of those in the timeframe you're interested in." The editor allowed us into a room chock-full of filing cabinets and stacked papers, but fortunately everything was fairly well organized and labeled. "August?" Jack inquired as I began looking through photographs. "I thought all this happened around Christmas." "It did." I said, "but something happened in August, also, and I'm hoping there's a record of it. By the way Jack... tell me again why you're here?" "As I said," Jack replied, "I'm just helping you out on this." "And why are you helping me on this?" I asked. He knew what I was driving at. He closed the door to the room and came up to me, speaking softly. "Among other reasons, neither I nor my FBI Agents like that bastard Nathan Allen very much. Your D.A. might or might not know know that Senator Allen would call in favors from those that wanted his political help: he would force them to have their teenage daughters meet the Senator in hotel rooms in order to get their help... or worse, to avoid being crushed by him." "Oh really?" I said. "And Senator Allen's name came up in a recent investigation of a certain murdered tele-evangelist." "Jack, you fill me with interest." I said, looking up at him. "This might be what we need to save Teresa's career. "Just don't step on our investigation." Jack said. "I won't. And I'm really going to owe you one for this. And as part payback... I don't know what the other reason is, that you're doing this for, the real reason... and I won't ask. Ah, here's the photo I was hoping to find." I took out the 10" x 8" black and white photograph and showed it to Jack Muscone. "You know," he said, "my FBI guys can get that colorized for you." We obtained the editor's permission to take the photograph with us for duplication, as there were no negatives of it, promising to send it back by the end of the year, a promise we kept. Oh, what a wonderful Christmas gift this was going to be, I thought to myself. Part 4 - The Loose Ends It was Saturday morning. I looked at the two sofas facing each other in Laura's office. I thought about the lives that had changed on these sofas, the secrets that had been revealed, some privately, some not so much. And in ten minutes, Teresa Croyle and Dr. Laura Fredricson were going to sit on those couches and more lives were going to change. Hopefully for the much, much better. --------------------- On Monday morning, the head of the Internal Affairs division of the Town & County Police, Lieutenant Daniel Allgood, informed the Police Chief, the Police Union, the Mayor & Council, the District Attorney's office and the State Bureau of Investigation that Teresa Croyle was being suspended with half-pay. He further informed them that he was working with new evidence, and that he was taking charge of the investigation and would brook no interference in his work until it was completed. The Police Chief and Police Union president backed up the I.A. head's announcement with all the political power and pull that they could muster, with considerable help from Town & County Councilman John "Jack" Colby and Councilwoman Dagmar Schoen.

 "How long have we bought ourselves?" I asked Chief Griswold. Christmas was just days away. "Through the Holidays." the Chief replied. "Certainly nobody wants to fool with this right now. But after the college national championship football game? Shit's not only going to hit the fan, it's going to splatter all over the damn place." "Well, it's going to go down Christmas Eve." I said. "You're coming to my party?" "I wouldn't miss this one for the world." Part 5 - The Truth Revealed I came out of my thoughts hearing the laughter of the crowd as people opened their Secret Santa presents. Some were gag gifts, some were pretty nice. Teresa was sitting with Laura on one of the sofas, Teresa silently enduring the festivities. After the last presents were opened, I took a gift-wrapped package from under the sofa and handed it to Cindy. She was the only person besides Jack Muscone, Laura, and myself that knew what was inside. I sat back in my chair to their left side. "Merry Christmas, Teresa." Cindy said. "We got something special for you." "But... I didn't get anyone anything." Teresa said. "I know." I said. "But you deserve this one." "I don't believe in Christmas." Teresa said. "I don't deserve any gift." She looked miserable as well as frustrated and angry. She wouldn't take the package. "I'm not going to open it!" "Teresa." Laura said softly, putting her hand on Teresa's, preventing her from getting up. "It's time." "No... noooo." Teresa said, looking at Laura, her face a mask of a cornered, scared rabbit. "It's time for you to tell your story, Teresa." Laura said. Her voice was hypnotic in its effect; my wife was a master not only of gleaning the truth from patients, but directing them to her goal. Cindy was sitting on her knees on the floor in front of Teresa, like a samurai of ancient Japan. "Yes, tell us." she said. The women's eyes locked for a long moment, then Teresa lowered her eyes. "Tell us what happened on that Christmas Eve, dear." Laura said, her voice soothing and coaxing. "I... I was sixteen years old." Teresa said. Once she started, the words flowed. "I had a sister, she was two years older than me. Her name was Alexis." Teresa said. "And your father?" Laura said. "My father... he loved Alexis. Our mom died in childbirth with me, I never knew her. Alexis, she looked like our mom. He always praised everything she did. But he never forgave me for my mom dying when I was born. Nothing I did was ever good enough." Tears were in Teresa's eyes as she spoke, but she held it together. "My sister tried to make up for it. She would tell me when I did good, and helped me with homework and took me shopping when I needed clothes beyond her hand-me-downs, since our father never bought me anything. "Tell them about the race. The race in August." Laura said. "There was a big town festival in August, and there was a two-man race. Alexis wanted me to race as her partner, even though I was just sixteen. So we trained for it, and we actually won the race. The newspaper took our picture with our gold medals, and Alexis was telling everyone how I was the reason we won." "But our father, he wouldn't say a word to me about it. He congratulated Alexis and told her how great she did, but even when she told him that I was the reason we won, he wouldn't say anything to or about me about it." "What happened Christmas Eve, Teresa?" Laura asked. The room was dead silent. Nothing moved. I'm not even sure anyone was breathing. "Alexis usually took me with her to her friends' parties." Teresa said. "But this time she wouldn't let me go. I don't know why, maybe she had a premonition. I remember being pissed off about it and didn't even tell her goodbye." Tears spilled down Teresa's cheeks. "We got the phone call at ten p.m. Alexis and a friend were driving home, Alexis was in the passenger seat. Some... some drunk son of a bitch crossed the centerline and smashed head-on into them. I found out later that the other girl died on impact, but Alexis didn't. Her body was mangled by what was left of the car, but she didn't die immediately." Quiet groans could be heard in the room, but it became silent again as Teresa continued, her voice barely a thread. "My father and I rushed to the hospital. In a few minutes, a doctor came out and told us that both girls had died. We were sitting there and I was crying and he was crying. I tried to give him a hug to comfort him, but he just looked at me." "I remember his eyes, they were so full of pain, and hate. He just glared at me, and then he said: 'Why couldn't it have been you?'" Another groan went through the room. Cindy was staring at Teresa, tears flowing from her eyes. Others were in tears also, and despite already knowing the story my own vision was a little blurry. Teresa continued. "My father just got up and walked down the hall. I was in total shock and didn't try to follow him. I sat there alone for two hours, and then this policewoman came up to me and asked if I were her sister. She said she was at the scene, and that Alexis was conscious for a moment and she said 'Tell my sister I love her.'. Then she closed her eyes and never regained consciousness." "I asked the policewoman where my father had gone, and she said he'd left the building two hours ago. She gave me a ride home. She had been so helpful to me, and that was the first time I thought about being a policewoman myself." "When we got to my house, there were fire trucks there. My father was sitting in the front yard, with a blanket over his shoulders, tears streaming down his face. The house was on fire; it was completely burned up. My father had come home and set the house on fire, pouring gasoline into my room and Alexis's room and throwing a match." "There was nothing left. Our medals from the race were gone, the scrapbooks, not even a photograph was left. I did not have one thing left to remind me of my sister. I could've forgiven my father for what he said to me, but I didn't forgive him for that. The police stopped me when I attacked him. I wanted to kill him. After that, I just remember crying a lot while that policewoman stayed with me." "My father was committed to Shady Acres-- that's the mental institution there. I never tried to see him again. My mother's sister, who my father hated and I never saw, claimed me and I lived with her and her husband until I went to college. Their last name was 'Croyle', and I just used that name; I don't ever want to be known by my father's name again." Teresa sat there, tears flowing, her eyes staring into space. At that moment, something happened that I would always like to remember: Cindy Ross stood up, pulled Teresa up and hugged her. Everyone just watched as they cried together. I knew that while Teresa had lost one sister, she had a new one tonight. "You're going to make me cry." said Cindy, knowing she was far past that stage. "Here, you have to open this." She handed her the package. Teresa sat back down next to Laura amongst a chorus of encouragement to open her gift. "Oh my God." Teresa said as the paper fell away. Inside were two copies of the photograph I'd obtained, colorized by the FBI and framed. They showed two teenage girls, Teresa and Alexis, happy and smiling, arm in arm as they showed off their medals after winning the race. It was the picture that had been published in the local paper. "How... how did you get this?" Teresa asked, unable to move. "Don't look at me. That's the guy who made this happen." Cindy said, pointing squarely at me. Teresa stood up and I met her halfway for a hug. As I held up the sobbing girl, I said "Remember, Teresa, you have a family now. We're your family, and we'll always have your back." Everyone came up to hug Teresa. People talked in quiet voices. Teresa would start crying every time she saw the pictures of her and her late sister, and she and Cindy sat arm-in-arm for a while as Teresa finally was able to talk about Alexis, no longer needing to keep the secret inside. Part 6 - Epilogue "It's getting cold out here." Laura said, draping a blanket over my shoulders. It was below 30 degrees and I was not wearing a coat over my shirt as I stood on the patio overlooking the vista. Christmas lights intermingled with the regular lights of the Town. "Teresa's asleep in the guest room." Laura said. "I gave her a sedative. Cindy's asleep in there, too; she won't leave Teresa alone. Come on in soon, you'll catch your death of cold, as your mother would say." "I will." I said, but she knew I wouldn't be in for a while; that was why she wrapped me in the blanket. Why couldn't it have been you? A few words, spoken in anguish and hatred by a man driven insane... a few words that destroyed what was left of a family. I couldn't get the words out of my head as I stood on the patio deck, looking out over the vista, the sparking lights of Christmas mingled with the normal drops of light of the Town. I thought of my own family... of my father constantly preaching the Gospel to my sister Elizabeth, of her rebellion, of the strife between her and me... I thought of my sister in the hands of that molester, the tele-evangelist Jonas Oldeeds, of her later actions that now had her in the State Women's Prison. Could the past be forgiven? I wondered. It was Christmas, could I start anew with my own sister before it was too late? -------------------------------- The day after Christmas I went first thing to one of the stores downtown, one that sold candy and chocolates. They were having a sale of Christmas candies, and fortunately had a box left of a certain brand. I remembered that my sister Elizabeth liked this brand of candy when she was a teenager. I did not know if she still liked it, but it was worth a shot. I wrapped up the box and Fed-Ex'd it to Elizabeth with a card that said simply "Merry Christmas" and signed my name. I didn't know if there would even be a response, but that didn't matter. And I felt better once the package was on the way. ------------------------------- It was January 31st, nearly noon. Teresa was sitting in front of my desk in my office. The other detectives had just given her her farewell party, complete with gag gifts. Teresa started her new job the next day, February 1st. "Midtown, Internal Affairs." I said. "I don't envy you that. All those frickin' politicians down there..." "I know." Teresa said. "It'll be all right. Cindy's sister Molly put me in for the job, but I was still surprised that they hired me. Were you behind it?" "No, that was Molly, Captain Malone and Daniel Allgood pulling those strings." I said. "I think they also did it to spit in the face of Senator Allen. He's becoming a vastly unpopular man around these parts." "I know." Teresa said. "The guy whose family Dean Allen wiped out is still upset about the charges being reduced. It wasn't worth saving me to let that bastard get away with murder, you know."
 "I know." I said, "and it wasn't my doing. But I told the man who'd lost his family what I'll tell you: the wheels of Justice may turn slowly, but they do turn. Dean Allen has three murders to pay for... and he will." My face may have masked my cold determination. Teresa changed the subject. "The bastard that killed Alexis also pled down." Teresa said, bitterness crossing her face. "He had been a cop, a dirty cop. Then he was killed a few years later but the crime was never solved." "His brother, stepbrother actually, killed him after he caused the death of an FBI agent." I said. "Don't ask how I know, but if you ever find out, just remember that his brother chose Justice over blood." "Wow." Teresa said, then peered at me. "You know, it's a wonder that you're still alive, Don." "What do you mean?" "You've come in here and really stepped on some toes, some powerful toes that don't like you and don't want you cleaning up anything." "That's nothing." I said. "You have no idea. But you be careful, too... Midtown I.A. is going to push your limits. But you only have to be there for a while. You'll be back here in time for the Sheriff Election in November." "I dunno." Teresa said, knowing my words to be true. "Think the good guys will win." "Of course." I said, standing up. Teresa stood up and I hugged her goodbye. She headed out the building to her car as I watched through the office window, a gaggle of detectives escorting her. After a round of hugs, the last being with Cindy Ross, Teresa drove away. A few moments later, Cindy Ross came into my office. I was still looking out the window. "Yeah, I never got to fuck her either." Cindy said as she sat down. She meant it as a joke, but only partially so. She was already feeling lonely at the loss of her friend, I realized. "Oh well, she thinks of you as her big sister, her new big sister." I said. "I know, and I'm fine with that." Cindy said. "I just hate it that she has to leave, now that things with her were getting so much better and she was so much happier. "She'll be back." I said. "It's only a matter of time." Finis