Chapter 4 The Northwest Sea
Musical theme; Angel of a Morning by Juice Newton
Will looked into the pantry, and there was nothing there. He walked down to the convenience store on the corner. A robber was pointing a gun at the girl who usually worked nights, a little blonde with short hair. Will grabbed the gun with his right hand, and brought the robber’s arm down. He brought his knee up, and dislocated the robber’s elbow. He took the robber by the hair and smashed his face into the counter. He put the robber’s gun in the back pocket of his overalls. The robber struggled, and Will smashed his face into the counter again. “I’ll fucking kill you, you son of a bitch motherfucker!”
“I give up.”
“Call 911. Robbery suspect in custody. He has a dislocated elbow, needs medical care.”
The clerk made the call.
Suddenly the store was full of police. “This is your suspect, guys. I will let go of him when you tell me to. Fingers off the triggers, please.”
“Release him and hold your hands up.”
Will did so. An officer came and cuffed the robber.
One of them took the gun out of Will’s pocket.
“Take it easy with him, guys. He is one of us. That’s a veteran Marine officer and Military policeman.” there.”
The uniforms stepped back. “Captain William Charles Ames, USMC, I presume. I am the Codfish, Melvin Alan Wright. Mel to you, Sir.”
“You don’t need the ‘Sir’, Detective Chief.”
“Uh, maybe until I get a silver star.”
“It’s just a ribbon and a little piece of metal.”
“The fuck it is. Can I buy you breakfast, Captain?”
“Sure, Chief Mel.”
They got in Mel’s car and drove to a pancake place. They went in and got some coffee, Will with his usual ¾” of milk.
“There might be some question about your use of force.”
“I’m not a cop.”
“True. I don’t have a problem with it, but.”
“You’re making a suggestion?”
The waitress appeared. “We’ll have the big breakfast.”
She left.
“That was my suggestion.”
“Out with it?”
“You’re going to upset the powers that be. The case is not really prosecutable, but they could try it on.”
“Charge me with excessive force? I could have killed him and it would be justifiable.”
“Preaching to the choir. You may have crossed the Rubicon. The little voices are starting to say ‘Will for DA’. You would carry the department. Yeah, you’re a defense lawyer, but they think you’re tough but fair. You would shred the bad cops, but we don’t have many, so they are not a bloc. The women like you. You’re an old fashioned gentleman. A treat a lady like a lady guy. The rank and file looks at you as an MP and an infantry leader; a man’s man. A no shit about it hard guy, which you are. If Doug lets you get charged with excessive force, he’s asking you to take his job, which I would like to see. I think you’d stand up to any motherfucker, any time, anywhere, and do the right thing. I know you’d be nice to a lot of petty offenders, and I don’t give a shit. I want a DA who will go balls to the wall against the robbers, rapists, murderers, and such. I don’t care about your permissive attitudes about drugs. I want a DA who will do in the people who hurt people. People are what matters, Will.”
“Now you preach to the choir.”
“Do it.”
“I don’t have money.”
“Ralph Cunningham does.”
“Why would he want me to be DA?”
“Sarah Cunningham bring back any bad memories?”
“Oh. That’s a never forget it.”
“You would prosecute Leon Parries?”
“With proof I would.”
“Would you ask for death?”
“I’m not real hot on death, but for what was done to Sarah Cunningham, give me the shotgun.”
“I will tell Ralph. Just what you said.”
Will went back to the office, returned some calls and did a lot of paperwork. There was a knock on the door. “Hello.”
It was Chrissie. “I saw the lights on.”
“Come in.”
“If I was a robber…”
He held up a 3” Stainless Smith .357. “I would have blown you away.” He put it away.
“It can’t be too real fun to live with that level of paranoia.”
“It isn’t. But it’s just the way it is.”
“I was wondering if you wanted to go to dinner. Not starting a fire fight.”
“I would like to.”
“I hope you mean dinner.”
“I want to get out of this suit, and I don’t have a back room. So you won’t be offended?”
“No.”
He took off the suit, and put on a pair of overalls. He put the .357 in an Uncle Mike’s holster on his right hip.
“Do you carry all the time?”
“Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.”
“Does it get women excited?”
“Not anyone I would want to excite. ‘a gun is just a tool.’”
“’No better and no worse than the man who carries it.’”
“That’s right.”
“I have a carry permit because of being a DA.”
“You have a piece?”
“No.”
They went out the door. “North American Arms makes a nice little revolver in .22 long rifle. Or you could get a little automatic. I’d get a good sized purse, pack a Glock 19 9 mm.”
“I was thinking of carrying a big purse, and an M-79.”
“An M-79 will get people’s attention. You have that 40mm muzzle, it kind of makes the point that you’re serious.”
“Good for bikers and such.”
“Plus you can have a few rocks in your purse, beside the canister. Just in case you want to blow a couple of Harleys off the road at 300 yards.”
“You never know when you might want to.”
They got in her car. “I’m driving, I’m buying. We go where I say we are.”
“Even with me being the guy with the gun.”
“Yes. Us big shots say ‘shoot that guy.’ We don’t do it.”
“A colonel told a friend of mine that. This captain had grabbed up a 16 and shot a V.C. The colonel said if he wanted to shoot people, he could be a sergeant, and if he was a captain, he should order other people to do it.”
“Nonsense?”
“No. Actually right. You do what you need to do, but an officer is there to command.”
“I see.”
They came to a Chinese restaurant. “You like this all right?”
“Oh, for sure.”
They went in. The waitress started to seat them by the window, but Will led her to the back to a booth against the wall with a view to the parking lot. “Can we sit here?”
“Yes.”
They sat, and asked for Tsingtao.
“Back to the wall, Mr. Earp?”
“Yes, please. The thing to have here is the house special.”
“Well then I’ll get it. Rumor has it that you could get charged with assault on that little tussle in the convenience store.”
“You’ve seen the tape?”
“Everyone who is anyone has seen it. The part everyone likes is the second time you bash his face into the counter.”
“Is there audio?”
“There is, and it is being quoted widely. Doug is quietly pissed. He thinks if any action is taken by his office, you will declare for DA.”
“If any action is taken by his office, I will declare for DA.”
“If you were the DA you would be my boss.”
“The guidelines do not apply to a pre-existing relationship. If you kiss me before you run for DA, then it isn’t proscribed conduct.”
“Consider yourself kissed.”
“That does not work that way, Chrissie. You know that.”
The waitress, Carol, brought their dinners.
Chrissie said, “Carol, do you know how to take pictures with a cell phone?”
“Uh, probably.”
“You get the thing you want in the viewfinder, and push the left button. Something is about to happen, and I want you to take a dozen pictures, OK?”
“Sure.”
She got out of her seat, and jumped on Will. She kissed him all over the face and on the neck, and held him by his hair while she kissed him on the lips.
She took her cell phone back, and looked at the pictures. “Nice work, Carol. Thank you.”
She started in on her dinner. “Can I put these on my Facebook page?”
“Sure.”
“Armed, extremely dangerous, and compliant. Women in Uzbekistan will envy me by tonight.” She uploaded the pix. “I’ll have ten thousand friend requests tomorrow. I always grant them. If you were on Facebook, you could be my friend, and you could see my private pictures. One of them is me in a string bikini with my DA badge on it. I think I look pretty good.”
“I imagine you do.”
“I’m having my way with you tonight. You’re compliant. You won’t say no.”
“I won’t.”
“I’m your princess.”
“You are.”
“Tell me about the rights of a princess.”
“Her person is sacred. She has the right to be confident that she will never be pushed, slapped or otherwise misused. Not merely the right not to have those things happen, but the right to know they will not. She does not need to keep tabs on her prince, because it would be unthinkable that he would cheat on her. Nothing on Earth is too good for her. The question is, is it good enough for her. She does what she likes. Her integrity is beyond question. Lying is as much beneath her as a drainage ditch is below the soaring eagle. Her word is not to be questioned. Her conduct is impeccable, and her motives and intentions are not open to question. She is entitled to be protected at any cost. She is entitled to be treated as the princess she is. Forever.”
“I’m your princess.”
“You are.”
She came around the table at sat next to Will. She nibbled at her dinner.
“You’re taking me home tonight. I’ll move in tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
They went to his house. They set the alarm because she had court in the morning.
* * *
Breakfast was quiet. “Marie, will you help Chrissie move her stuff in? She’ll pay you.”
“Rub my nose in it?”
“Don’t be like that, Marie. I’ve been after Will for five years.”
The phone rang. Will picked up. “Let me put you on speaker then. Let everyone hear.” He turned it on. “This is Marcie Della. The best model I ever worked with”.
“That’s supermodel to you, dude.”
“How do you back that?”
“Elle says it, Cosmo says it, and Sports Illustrated says it.”
“Then you’re a supermodel. Congratulations, Marcie.”
“Supermodel Marcie Della has a contract to be the point chick for Phillipa shoes for even more money than you think.”
“So why is a Louisiana supermodel calling an Oregon criminal defense lawyer?
“She can use any photographer she likes, and she’s calling the best.”
“Shucks, girl. I haven’t shot fashion since the 35 mm. days.”
I’m coming in on a Gulfstream because I’m Imelda Marcos, a Lear can’t even carry all my shoes. Your fees are in the contract, and they are obscene. I’m going to buy some ridiculously overpriced digital cameras for you. You’re going to get a chance to shoot the hottest babe on the planet with the latest technology. There is only one wrong answer you can give me. You try to say that word, and I will put my fingers in my ears. You say the ‘y’ word, and you might even get lucky.”
“I have a girl friend and she is here.”
“Well, you know I was just teasing.”
Chrissie rolled her eyes.
“I’m ready to take ten thousand pictures of the prettiest feet on the planet.”
“I’ll fax the contract to your office, and love you forever. Be ready to leave for New Orleans tomorrow, and maybe Italy next day.”
She hung up.
“That was for real, Marcie Della?”
“Known her since she was posing for Juniors. I shot her when she was ‘back to school’ in the Sunday supplement for $50.”
“That was a long time ago.”
“Don’t say something like that to a model. They seem arrogant, but they are usually very insecure and easily hurt.”
Marie snarled. “You’re so worried about hurting women’s feelings.”
“Marie, don’t start that. You have a place in my home, and in my heart. You’re family to me.”
She looked down.
The phone rang again. Will hit the answer key.
“William Ames?”
“Yes.”
“I’m Clara Hart from Channel 2. Your phone sounds funny.”
“On speaker. Is that all right?”
“Sure. Can I interview you for the 4pm news?”
“Can you give my niece $500 and another $500 to the victim?”
“The responsible media does not pay for stories.”
“Well, let the irresponsible media know they can have an exclusive but not for free.”
“Do you think your story is worth $1,000?”
“Do you think a commercial is worth $100,000?”
“I could talk to my supervisor.”
“I’m sure you could, Ms. Hart. You are well spoken, charming, intelligent, and from a fashion photographer’s point of view, elegant, well dressed and stylish. Speaking to your supervisor should be easy for you.”
“You’re very complimentary, Mr. Ames.”
“I meant what I said, Ma’am.”
“I’m flattered, Mr. Ames. And I like it.”
“It’s only fair to tell you, Ma’am, that my princess is listening to this.”
“I will ask Mr. Anderson.”
“Larry Anderson. Station manager. We are not in the habit of paying for stories, Sir.”
“Some habits are bad. The best I can do is $750 for each of them.”
Hank smiled.
“I’ll see about it.”
“Clara Hart again. You seem to have the touch for making people mad, Mr. Ames.”
“You can call me Will.”
“I really want this interview, Will.”
“Tell Larry we can go a thousand each. Best I can do.”
She was gone for a minute. “The checks are being cut, but I need you here real soon.”
“Within the hour. I have a couple of guests.”
They ran to Will’s house, and he called his friend Sharon. “Can you hold the office down for a few days?”
“What are you doing?”
“Looks like shooting Marcie Della in Italy.”
“Oh, the suffering. The girls are going to waste you on overtime.”
“We suffer and we pay.”
“All right, I have it. Nat can do court appearances. Everyone loves that.”
“Yes, why not?”
Chrissie pointed at her watch and waved.
Will put on a suit and took Hank and Marie to the TV station. A small woman in a very nice black pantsuit took them to the elevator. “Nice outfit, Ma’am. Elegant. It’s just right for you.”
She basked. “You used to shoot fashion, Mr. Ames?”
“I’ve let myself get talked into doing it again. Shooting Marcie Della for Phillipa.”
“For real?”
“Yes. She called me and asked.”
“You really shoot supermodels?”
“They weren’t called that when I shot them. Google me.”
She took them to a dressing room, and the makeup people started in on him. Clara Hart came in. “I’m asking about the robbery, the DA election, your ideas about vigilante justice, violence, second amendment, and so on. This is OK?”
“I don’t guarantee to answer.”
“We’re on a short time frame, so don’t leave me with anything I need to edit out. We want about 5 minutes, so we will shoot about 10. If nothing newsworthy happens in the next two hours, we might want the whole 10. Here are the checks. I got no end of crap for paying you. Please please don’t make me look bad on this.”
“Making you look bad is far beyond my capabilities, darling.”
She gave a quick smile and led him to the studio. They were seated.
“Mr. Ames, we hear you were involved in an incident at a convenience store near your home.”
“I was.”
“Can you tell our viewers what happened?”
“Well, I went in, and this girl was there behind the counter, and the robber was pointing a gun at her, and he had his finger inside the trigger guard.”
“Why did you notice that?”
“I’ve been a military policeman, a scout/sniper, and a Marine rifle company commander.”
“Are you proud of your military record?”
“I’m proud of the Marines who served under me.”
“What did you do when you saw the robber point a gun at an innocent person?”
“I took it away from him.”
“You dislocated his elbow?”
“It made him let go.”
“And the face bashing part?”
“He continued to resist.”
“Do you believe in vigilante justice.”
“No. A vigilante would have hung him. I prefer that he receive a fair trial with due process, and if found guilty, that he serve an appropriate sentence for what he did, and why he did it.”
“You are not prepared to give your opinion?”
“A rush to judgment? No.”
“Do you think citizens have a duty to do the kind of thing you did?”
“No. I think we have a duty to oppose evil in every moment of our lives. But taking on an armed robber is beyond what most people know how to do. If you look at the video closely, you might see that he was sort of waving the gun around, and I grabbed it when it was not pointed directly at the victim, because it might have gone off.”
“Don’t try this at home.”
“Professional soldiers and law enforcement officers know how to do it. Someone who does not should only act in the most extreme circumstances.”
“Are you going to run for DA?”
“If the office prosecutes me for this incident, I will. Otherwise, I have not decided. This is an idea other people have come up with, not something I have thought out.”
“Why would it matter?”
“In the Corps, we learned to charge an ambush. You mess with a Marine, and he goes after you. If I can take a moment, Ma’am, to all the Marines out there, not everyone knows what you do, but those of us who do know appreciate you, respect you, and care about you. You are the best of the armed services, and the best of America.”
“If you were DA, what would you change?”
“Not much. We are fortunate in having a good office with a lot of good lawyers in it. There may be a few rotten apples who need to be culled. But basically, it’s running pretty well. If I did run, I would not throw mud on the office wall. I respect the janitors, the secretaries and the lawyers. I respect Doug. He does a good job. I could do better, but I don’t know that I want the trouble. It’s a very difficult job for a man who takes the virtues seriously.”
“What else would you do?”
“Do you know who is going to be the ‘point chick’ for Phillipa?”
“Marcy Della. There must be a few women on the planet who don’t know that.”
“I’ve agreed to shoot her.”
“I hope not with a gun.”
“William Ames goes digital. The most beautiful woman in America is going to show off some really nice shoes, and I’m going to shoot it.”
“Are you going to get me some?”
“Something in a high heeled strappy sandal that is almost too sexy for television?”
She blushed.
“Size seven?”