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Chapter Seven: Confrontations

It felt good to be a big fish in a small pond, thought Marcus as he organized the papers that were spread over his desk. First day as an intern and Carol got him his own desk sitting in the lobby facing the door.

"You like the view?" asked Salina as she walked by carrying a stack of files. Salina was the latest addition to Carol's staff of assistant district attorneys. She was a tall, black Siamese cat with piecing yellow eyes, much like Marcus's. When she smiled, her razor white teeth were as intimidating as the long, sharp nails on her paws. Not that she herself was personally intimidating; accept maybe for probably an opposing counsel, especially in a town like this. She was after all an Ivey League alumnus of Coolidge University-Raemount's chief rival-as well as Coolidge Law. But Marcus had already taken a liking to Salina; she was nevertheless a friendly face, which was something Marcus had learned to cherish.

Marcus smiled back, "Sure do. It's a nice change from hard wooden chairs in the school library."

Salina shook her head. "It makes me wonder where your tuition goes for Raemount to keep you guys so primitive."

Marcus gave a fake and friendly frown. "Must work out for our football team, considering that the last time you guys were able to bet them was when wooden chairs were state of the art."

Salina laughed, "Well, I got to cabinet these. When you're done I got memo on the Salm case I need you to draft."

Marcus shuffled a stake of papers that he had been organizing. "I'll give you a ring when I'm done."

"Ben showed you how to use the transmission on the phone right?" asked Salina.

"Sure did."

"Great. The sheriff is stopping by to see Carol. Give her a call when he stops in."

Marcus gave his thumb a quick lick before he ran it through the paper he had staked. "I will."

Salina walked back to her office. Marcus chuckled to himself, he wondered if Salina knew that her dress, which was as black as her fur and as slim as her body, made her look partially nude to an un-attentive eye.

She's got to.

No sooner did he look up towards the door did he see the grey Shepkita walking in with Reis following from behind. Joji smiled at Marcus and nodded his head upward.

"Hold on a sec," said Marcus, trying to look the least bit friendly as he picked up the phone and pressed the key for Carol's office on the phone.

"The sheriff is here," Marcus put the phone down. "Go right on in."

Joji smiled, "Thanks kid."

As Joji turned his head towards the hall that led to the offices, he suddenly shot backward. This startled both Marcus and Reis. "Damn!"

Marcus looked over to where Joji had been looking, there stood Salina h in the hallway right outside the doorway of her office. She raised her eyes and said little condescendingly, "That's how I can tell the impulsive ones." She then went back into her office. Joji turned his head back to Marcus with a wide grin.

"Who's that?" he said waving his thumb in the direction of Salina's office. Marcus gave an awkward look. "That's Salina. Salina Dempsey. She's new here."

Joji nodding his head while maintaining his grin. "I figured. I can easily spot a good renovation." Marcus sat back in his chair as Joji straightened out.

"Well back to the grind." As Joji began making his way down the hall, Reis stepped forward. Marcus smiled and stood up. Reis pulled at the ends of Marcus's suit jacket. "Looks good on you."

"Thanks, hon."

"Hey, Reis!" called Joji from down the hall, "Come on, I wanna introduce you."

Reis looked to Marcus again. "I'll be right back." Then Reis started down the hall.

As he and Joji passed Salina's office, Reis caught Joji giving a quick wink to the black cat. When Reis looked to Salina, he saw that she was smiling at him, or maybe she was smiling at Joji, he couldn't tell. Still, Reis smiled back and nodded to her. It was hard not to be the least captivated by her. She was tall, her body was tin and slender, her yellow eyes seemed somewhat hypnotic... Reis quickly pulled his head away, as if he was averting his eyes from the sight of something disturbing. How could that be?

"Quick thing, Reis."

"Huh?"

"Let me do all the talking. Alright?"

Then Joji opened the door that was at the end of the hallway, and the two went in.

Carol was standing at the corner of her desk. She was a thin white rabbit, wearing a black dress suit over a white shirt. The wrinkled bottom of her mouth gave away that she was in her fifties, as well as her worn eyes that stared at Joji that seemed to eat away at the sight him. She then looked over to see Reis in a bewildered glaze.

Joji smiled, "Carol, I want you to meet Reis Northcote. My protégée trainee."

Reis smiled and Carol nodded her head, but she still kept the blank look on his face.

"I was wondering if he could sit in." Carol looked back to Joji, "I guess it's alright" she said sighing.

Joji looked back to Reis and cocked his head toward a chair in the back corner of the room. "Have a seat." Reis complied.

Carol took her seat behind her thick wooden desk as Joji sat down on the chair cross from her.

Joji grinned, "I think it's great that you're bringing on new..."

"-Care to tell me what's going on?"

Joji was taken aback.

"What?"

"This is our fifth murder this year. Which makes it the fifth murder since you became sheriff. And if it's like the others, then it's another cold case."

Joji crossed his arms, straightened his face, and sat up in his chair; but he did not allow the smile initially on his face to wither away. "Carol, I hope you don't think that I'm the kind of person that's going to come in here and give excuses. But if I may say so myself, your office has been low in its prosecutions this year too."

"Don't you come into my office and scold me on how I do my job, Joji. If you brought in a few of the bastards responsible for these killings that have been happening under you watch, maybe this office would be pulling out more prosecutions. You're the one who campaigned on cleaning up this town, and don't forget who made you look serious."

Joji smirked. "Only you, Carol."

"That's right. And don't you forget that we both have a re-election this November..."

"Oh, is that the reason you called me in? Guess we're both afraid of losing the gray rooms we dwell in."

Carol leaned forward. Stabbing her eyes into the head of the large Shepkita in front of her.

"I've been this county's district attorney for sixteen years. And I am going to be twenty. And I am going to win with larger percentage then last time, just like the last election and the election before. You, however, won by a less than two percent in an election with high turnout. The one coming up is going to have a much lower turnout and you're up against lifelong resident and respected old time cop. Considering that this guy has good inroad with the older members of your department, you can reasonably expect half of your own department to go for him. If there is anyone how should be worried, it is you Joji. Especially if I decide to do a mea cupla and support Harry, because then this town will run you out of town on a beam."

Reis squeezed the metal arms of his chair; he felt that he could pull them and the legs below them right out from under him. But fearing to make any noticeable noise, he did his best to conceal his rage. Joji leaned back in his chair, crossing his right leg over his left. "But you know you still love me."

Carol did not answer. Joji took the opportunity to implore further. "If you want me to stave off these murder sprees, than you would help me a lot if you were to do the kind of investigations that would be necessary to stab at the root of this weed of violence in this county."

Carol rolled her eyes and shook her head. "How many times do I have to tell you? There is no evidence that there is a massive drug ring in Chemung County."

Joji sat up again, looking the most inflamed since he entered the office. "No evidence? Why is it that we have been busting more kids for dealing in the last few months than ever before? Why is it that we are finding more abandon residences filled with enough equipment to make enough narcotics to fill a pharmacy? Why is it that every person who has been killed this year has been linked to greater drug operations outside this county?"

Carol kept her mouth open, slightly shaking her head, until she had the chance to speak. "You want to talk evidence?" Carol got up from her chair and walked right over to the window next to Reis. She pulled up the shades, making Joji wince at the incoming sunlight. Carol pointed out the window to the refineries that rose out of the horizon.

"All statistics show that when refineries move into a neighborhood like this, crime increases. Drug activity increases. But all you have to support your theories are a bunch of conclusory assertions. And in the meantime, five people... KIDS... are dead!"

Joji sprung out of his chair. "Take a good look at how these kids died. They all reminisce a carefully organized assassination. The one from last night was sniped. This is not just your average turf beef. This isn't a bunch of cities kids who moved into this place with their parents who work at the refineries bringing their bad habits with them. These refineries put this place on the map for big gangs to make new markets because they've been driven out of the big cities."

Carol huffed. "Really? And do you have any proof of this? Or better yet, evidence on which gangs are here?"

Joji grinned, "It all points to the Black Paw."

Carol moved closer to Joji. Reis thought to himself that the two stood against each other like a couple of cowboys facing each other off before drawing their guns like in the old Western movies.

"It's nice that you're bringing in the exiting urban legends from your old stomping ground but paranoia is NOT how law enforcement works in this town! You of all people would know that the Black Paw was busted and destroyed years ago in the same place it began. In your sweet home of New Orleans."

Joji moved back toward Reis, but kept his eyes locked on Carol's. It was as if he was starting to circle her.

"I know more about the Black Paw then anyone could care to ever know. You didn't walk down a street to go to the store or even the playground without looking behind you every five seconds; and for the unlucky, five seconds was too long. I know their handy work. And what Sam and I have been working on only intensifies my fears..."

"-Sam has never told me that..."

"-That's because Sam reports to me! And I'm sure that if you were introduced to Calmonte Lighthorn when you were ten, and knew him until you were eleven, fearing every day that he might come by to visit your dad, you'd remember every inch of him."

Carol looked puzzled, "What does he have to do with this?"

Joji's face sunk, appearing as cold as it had been back on Brier thought Reis.

"Because Reggie identified him being at the Hole a few minutes before the Tobias kid was killed. He was looking for him."

Carol threw her arms up. "For God's sake Joji! I'm starting to think that this job has driven you mad. If you keep this up I may not feel bad about giving you a..."

"HE'S HERE CAROL! And if he could slip past the lawyers in The Big-Easy, than he can slip past you. Unless we catch him in an incriminating act immediately. There's still a chance that he hasn't left yet."

Carol put her hand up, "We're done here."

Joji silenced himself. He looked over to Reis and cocked his head to his right. "Come on Reis. Let's go." Reis stood up, straightened his uniform and walked over to the door. Carol sat back down behind her desk, picked up her pen and preceded to write on the paper in front of her. Joji turned back to face her and smiled, "If it makes you feel any better, I'm increasing our patrols starting next week. It may piss off some of the guys back at the station, but the headaches will only last until we get the new guys in." Joji looked over to Reis.

Carol ignored Joji, continuing to write, but slightly fiercer. Reis opened the door and Joji turned his body, but he still faced Carol. "And if we catch Calmonte, you'll be the first to know, and your welcome into my office to meet him." Still Carol faced the top of her desk, but this time she acknowledged Joji with a slight shake of her head. Joji turned to Reis, and with a wink he said, "Watch this, kid."

Then Joji marched hastily right over to Carol's desk. When he got to the very front of the desk, he exclaimed "Carol!" Carol shot her face up. Before she could respond, Joji grabbed her on both side of her face, pulled her inward, and gave her a lick from her nose to her forehead. Reis shot back in surprise. Carol pushed Joji off and slapped him across his check. "GET THE HELL OUT OF MY OFFICE!"

Joji pushed Reis out the door and down the hall like a playful child trying to get away from what he had let out of the bag through a prank he just pulled. As the two passed Salina's office, Joji gave another wink to Salina, which she only responded to with a quick half smiled.

"I always know how to make an exit," said Joji "...see ya later Love!"