Weekend Freewrite - 11/2/2019 - Single Prompt Option: Callous (and, the Posture of Innocence, day 12)

Over the course of this week, Jetson Black and Captain H.F. Lee have been moving toward each other, met, and exchanged explosive information and come up with what they want to do next -- but much of it depends on what Commissioner Scott decides they can do ... and the situation is tense for Captain Lee, because a lot of his PTSD wraps around what corrupt superiors can do to harm all good aims. Today, Commissioner Scott responds to the information given him about the travesty of justice the Soames Case represents -- and starts giving orders!

(Spoiler alert for those who have read Black, White, and RED All Over: Commissioner Scott pulls it off and WILL survive!)

To get totally caught up on The Posture of Innocence, here are the prologue, day 1, day 2, day 3, day 3.5, day 4, day 4.5, day 5, day 5.5, day 6, day 7, and day 7.5, day 8, day 9, day 9.5, day 10, day 10.5, day 11, and day 11.5!

The phone rang; it was Commissioner Scott.

“I'm having Officer Trent walk your folder back down – this is terrible,” he said to Captain Lee. “I'm not a big supporter of integration, but I'm not callous to the rights of all humans, no matter what colors and cultures they come from – Tom Jones and John Soames, and their families, are victims of a travesty of justice this department is directly responsible for, and we are going to fix it. John Soames is gone, but Tom Jones isn't and the two families aren't– we have to fix all of this. I'll take the heat for it, Captain Lee: you get out there and get these people.”

This was why Commissioner Scott had his seat, comfortably, in his office – he had the respect of Captain Lee, to whom hearing a superior taking a righteous position and empowering him to take righteous action was a positively triggering event … it flooded him with peace and strength.

“Get them both: Ms. DeVille for perjury, former Officer Cadbury for murder. Actually, Ms. DeVille can wait; her callous disrespect for life is worth her wondering what having the shoe on the other foot will be like. But get Officer Cadbury and get him booked in the next two hours, and we'll get another press conference going. That will get the * Lofton County Free Voice* to let up for a while too.

“By all means, get Cadbury, as quickly as you can. I just shudder to think of what I could do with that money this department kept paying him and has paid out for his retirement, knowing he was a murderer. Who knows what else he did in that 25 years – and was paid to do it?”

“It is a good question. I will find out.”

“I know I can count on you, Captain.”

That was the other thing about Commissioner Scott: he was not callous to the general needs of those he commanded. Nor was he callous to the specific needs of a particular man under his command.

“Who are you taking with you to get Cadbury?”

“Anderson.”

“Good choice. If you were truly a field officer, he'd make a good regular partner for you.

“I say this in all seriousness, Captain; out of respect to your background: always take a partner with you, for your own protection. Your record in the Armed Services means that you are a liability in the field because you are going to be open to the charge of PTSD-related excessive force should you do what you are trained to do best – and you have powerful enemies on the force and in the city.

“You need a partner in the field, a witness to what happened, until that whole bodycam thing arrives here – and even afterward. I know you can get Cadbury alone – but you don't need the legal blowback and neither does the department. Never, ever work alone in the field, Captain, for your own protection.”

“Yes, sir. I had no intention of going alone. My assessment of the officers of this force is that only a fool would fail to take necessary precautions in confronting them – they are good at what they do.”

“Although not good enough to deal with you,” Commissioner Scott said. “I know the odds for Cadbury, one-on-one with you – but this isn't Special Forces. I know you are not about to send anyone in your division into danger without you sharing it with them, so I'm not going to force that issue with you and order you to stay behind and let two of your lieutenants go. I'm not going to do that. What I ask in return is that you remember: work with your partner, and work to bring the suspect in alive. We need him alive for 1,000 different reasons. We can't make an example of a dead man. Do you understand me, Captain?”

“Yes, sir, perfectly.”

“Go get him. Get him back alive, in two hours, preferably. Report as soon as you have him.”

“Yes, sir.”

A few minutes later, Captain Lee was out the door, completely energized and even joyful as he went out to see Judge Brown for warrants. A lot of his PTSD had to do with dealing with callous superiors, but Commissioner Scott had lifted the burden!

Day 12.5 is up!