Under the Microscope

Chapter 11

Crawford POV

Crawford walked into the old auditorium to find the puppy, Zacharia, barking joyfully as he entered. Crawford also found who he was looking for, Zach. The whole room smelled of burnt pork steak and bourbon. Zach was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling like a zombie.

"Did you sleep at all, Zach?" asked Crawford, as he stood over his young asset/apprentice.

"No, I've just been thinking how screwed up my life is." said Zach, stoically, "I didn't even realize how long I've been day dreaming."

"Clearly." said Crawford, "I need you to get up, I need to speak to you."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." said Crawford. Zach slowly sat up, Crawford could see him get dizzy, "I wanted to talk about your fight with Eric Patterson."

"Do the cops want to question me about that too?" said Zach.

"They wanted to," said Crawford, "they wanted to send you to juvie for assault and battery. The boy is still in the hospital."

"But...?" said Zach, "Why aren't I there."

"This is going to come as much a huge surprise to you as it was to everyone," said Crawford, "everyone else but me, that is. Ryan Phillips and the rest of his band actually went all the way up to his dad, Commissioner Bob Phillips and vouched on your behalf. They said Eric and Stacey provoked you.

"Why weren't you surprised?" said Zach.

"I'm not most people," said Crawford, "it takes a great deal to surprise me. You've managed to do so several times already, but you're the exception that proves the rule. Keep in mind though, he probably did this for some ulterior motive."."

"What ever happened with that meeting you and Alice were supposed to have with Mayor Granger and the other government people?" asked Zach, curious, "I've been so wrapped up in my own shit that I haven't been able to ask. Of course, if its part of the whole spy secret stuff, than you don't have to tell me, but since you brought up Ryan's dad, I figure it doesn't hurt to ask."

"That's funny you mention that," said Crawford, "we never did meet with him or the governor for that matter. When we tried to schedule one, we were turned down and at first, I though Commissioner Phillips convinced him what he told the press. And as a result, Superintendent Daniels didn't want to see us either. That you're a danger to the town, blah blah blah and by protecting you, Zach, Alice and I, and consequently the agencies we work for, are spear heading the prevention of any potential terrorist threat. However, after talking with Sheriff Calloway, the interim Sheriff's Deputy Ralph Miller and other inside sources in the mayor's office, informed us that the mayor has been MIA since shortly before the attack on your house, and that Phillip's has really been the one running things. No one knows where he really is because Phillips has convinced the Fleming populace at large that the Mayor is in the Bahamas. People believed him since he's Granger's second-in-command and he always spoke for the mayor even when he was around unless it was very important. Phillips' revelation that the mayor's vacationing while crime is at an all-time high in this city, which is saying a great deal, got people angry with the Mayor and created a huge skyrocketing of Phillips' public opinion. He's got the city, and indirectly the State of New York under his thumb."

"Do you know what really happened to Mayor Granger?" asked Zach.

"Well, I don't really need to be the Microscope to figure out he's not really in the Bahama's." said Crawford, "But I was told that the FPD and others have covertly hired a Private Investigator to take care of it, right under the Police Commissioner's nose who's too busy with his group of confidants, working on their smear campaign against you. You know he's posted videos on You Tube and got interviews on network talk-shows? It won't be long before he becomes the biggest international nuisance since Machmoud Achmadinijad."