Weekend Freewrite - 10/5/2019- Single Prompt: A creature of absolute convictions

“Oooooooh, did you see how that poor man walked up on Captain Lee talking mess this morning and got his face melted off?” (see the "Law and Order" freewrite)

“Yes, I saw it – poor fellow just didn't do it right.”

The latter voice was Officer Janet Burton, a tall, beautiful policewoman with a penchant for good police work and big office shenanigans. Her influence had increased with the fall of so many corrupt men in the department, and she and her friends were profiting handily in the voids created.

Officer Burton had sized up Captain Henry Fitzhugh Lee as best she understood him – not well, because they rarely interacted, and she had been on leave in the week when the Gilligan House Burning took place. She had heard a few things, of course, but she had not talked with anyone who had first-hand knowledge. Her idea was to appeal to Captain Lee's Southern gentleman proclivities, and the fact that so manly and yet lonely a man had to be susceptible to feminine wiles. Officer Burton found Captain Lee very attractive, and looked forward to the challenge of getting to enjoy him in every way...

Fortunately for her, her scheming was overheard by the woman who truly loved Captain Lee: Mrs. Magdalena Thornton, who just happened to be present when Officer Burton was discussing getting Captain Lee, the most influential division head at headquarters, to wink and nod at one of her plans.

“Please don't bother,” Mrs. Thornton said. “Please, please, please stop all of that mess.”

“Who are you?” Officer Burton said.

“I'm Ms. Thornton, from the commissioner's office – his secretary.”

“This doesn't concern you, Ms. Secretary.”

“It does if you value your career and your life,” Mrs. Thornton said. “You saw what went on this morning?”

“She's got a point,” said the other policewoman. “Captain Lee gave that poor man both barrels.”

“No, he didn't,” Mrs. Thornton said. “Commissioner Thomas tried to corrupt Captain Lee – a creature of absolute convictions – and Commissioner Thomas got both barrels to his whole reputation and his face blown clear off for real for resisting Captain Lee's effort to apprehend him.”

“Oh, right,” Officer Burton said. “Is that what went down?”

“Yeah, Janet,” said the other officer. “That's exactly what happened. Captain Lee had some county backup on that and Commissioner Thomas started shooting at the backup and left his back door unlocked. Captain Lee got right up on him for that personal touch, at point-blank range.”

“That's why I'm warning you: cut it all out, Officer Burton,” Mrs. Thornton said. “If Captain Lee gives you both barrels, literally or figuratively, it's the same: you won't get back up again. He has absolutely no toleration for corruption. Clean it all up – and whatever you do, don't put your games in his way before you get that done. He will remain a perfectly polite Southern gentleman and destroy your career and everything around you if you try your mess on him – please cut it all out, while you still can!”