Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

I’m Lieutenant Deviled Yeggs.  I work homicide in the big city of Tracy.  Working for me are my old partners: Detective Sgt. Jim Wednesday and Detective Poached Yeggs, my nephew who is slowly becoming a good detective.

But maybe the best detective is my daughter, Sophia.  I am recording this report, because this will lead to adult assets doing more investigations, which is also included following Sophie’s report.  This started with my daughter, Sophia Yeggs, but we had a meeting at the Gargoyle House before this became an official police matter.  Sophia would report and then Paddy would report with some follow-up work.  But then we would take over.

In attendance was D.A. Randolph Edmund Jennings, Captain Hart, Tuesday Wednesday, Georges Evident, Poached Yeggs, Paddy McCreary and his wife Hannah, and Sophia and me.  The D.A. wanted us to not proceed until we had an airtight case.  At the moment, we had bits and pieces of airtight cases.  We needed to tie things together.  In most cases, we would hold out until we had a connection to organized crime, and even then, as high up as we could get, but this was a case of selling drugs to children.  This report starts with this meeting which was a couple of weeks ago.

Sophia started her report by thanking everyone for being there and it was wonderful how Paddy had fixed up this old house.  “Dad, I see your eyes rolling, but I was trying to be polite.  Now down to business.  Over a year ago, I was bruised up by Billy Bulbous.  I had to fight him while Samuel Farquharson and Menzie MacDougall fought his henchman.  Or was it the other way around?  Weird how I forget who I fought.  Yeah, now I remember.  Billy bruised me where my bra covers, but then Dan stepped between us while Billy went after Menzie.  But Billy and his gang are in prison, one got a light sentence by finally telling everything he knew.  (NOTE: Here is the LINK.)  But with one of the main arteries to get drugs into the schools in prison, I started wondering who would fill the void.  Since I am on the Flintheart High School Softball team, winning the state championship the last two years.”  I cleared my throat.  “Sorry, Dad, I will avoid bragging.  But during the season, we play a couple of teams from far away, but the bulk of our season is near home.  I asked my Dad if I could ask around.  I was limited to asking people from all the teams that we played, especially the teams from Doyle County, Stout County, and Tracy.  My question was, ‘What do you know about drugs exchanging hands in school?’  No investigation.  I told them that loose lips sink ships, and we might be able to piece together who the new school suppliers are since Billy Bulbous was out of the picture.  I said that I would catch up with them during football season.”

Sophia shrugged, “That was about all Dad would let me do under the circumstances.  To be honest, we thought we might get nothing.  The people who are my friends in the other schools are athletes.  They don’t do drugs, and they don’t hang around those that do.  Marguerite Justice may see every opposing batter as her worst enemy, but that is what makes her a good pitcher.  But I like to talk to the players on the other team.  When I go to college, they may be teammates.  And what I got when I started talking to them made no sense at first, but then, since I love solving puzzles, the pieces started to fit.  Everything pointed to bikers.  Bikers by name or reputation or guys in leather jackets.  Then I got a couple of people with a slip of the tongue that was passed along, saying that after they went to the county line, they would know more.  The only hard evidence that I turned in was when Central Baptist came to Flintheart.  I was thinking of going to their side after halftime to casually talk to my contact, but she called me.  All she said was, ‘Meet me, understand?’  She said it three times and hung up.  She had said ‘understand’ with emphasis.  It did not take long to figure out she meant ‘under the stands.’  At Flintheart, the visitor stands have restrooms underneath the stands, but there is a large space that is just the support structure for the stands.  It did not take me long to find her and as I walked up, she put her finger to her mouth for me to be quiet.  She pointed at two boys not far away.  I caught money exchanging hands and a small zip lock bag.  I know that it would not be evidence unless it could be determined as a drug, but I took a misdirected selfie of the two of us, really taking the photo of the two guys.  Then, the transaction was over and with our luck, the pusher walked up toward us.  My friend yanked me toward her, and we kissed, a long romantic kiss.  The biker said that we should get a room or something.  He was disappointed that I liked girls, but if I was interested in switch hitting, he would leave me something in my purse.”

Georges smiled, “She found a phone number for a burner phone on a slip of paper.  And a tiny bag attached.  We tested it and it was cocaine, nowhere near pure stuff, but enough for a good buzz.  He was dropping a free sample probably to get lucky in bed.  But it was a stupid move.  We can’t trace the phone very well, but with drugs exchanging hands, we got a warrant.  We have some idea of where this guy is some of the time.  Burner phones are not totally untraceable.  With school yearbooks, we know who it is from Sophia’s photograph.”

Poached said, “And since Sophie is engaged these days, no way is she going to be switch hitting.”

Captain Hart said, “Poached, behave.”

Paddy added, “I picked up on the County Line angle.  I asked around with the businesses.  There is a restaurant along the road that has bikers that are roughly school age meeting at odd times, never a set day, but always about dusk.  There are more bikers than bikes in the parking lot.  So, some are from the County Line or they have a way to hide their bikes.  They always get a corner booth.  They will even wait to get a corner booth.  I showed the photo that Sophie made, and I got a nod from a couple of the wait staff.  One waitress is from Hannah’s old community.”

Hannah said, “I talked with the girl, and she says they are rough, and she is scared to be around them, but they tip well and other than putting their arm around her waist, they have not done anything naughty.  I made the conversation with her sound like Paddy was trying to watch for people that might start a fight.  She shook her head.  She said they only talk about how business is going but they never say what kind of business.  I think she may not understand the language enough.  She knows English and German, but I mean the slang.  Those words are nonsense to her.  That may be why they like her.  She gets them everything they ask for promptly and she is confused as to what they are talking about.  She has never been offered any white powder, and I told her to never accept any.  Just shake her head and walk away.  They get good service, and she does not understand them.  For them, that is a good combination.  I doubt if they would be bold enough to risk slipping her a free sample, but I know the manager, and they watch her when she is in that corner.  They do not trust her with the bikers.”

Paddy nodded, “And I doubt if Hannah would understand either if I had not coached her.  All that her friend, Katie, from the community, knows is that if they touch her inappropriately to tell us.  Nothing about drugs.  The people along the road know that I am a cop.  I think the bikers may have a lookout in case I park in the lot.  Seeing me drive by is nearly a daily thing.”

Georges asked, “Would this girl wear a wire?”

Hannah said, “She lives in the Community.  I will ask her tomorrow.  I can send Jedidiah on an errand if Uncle Erasmus does not mind.  But she will not be willing to undress in front of men.  Maybe she will with Polly and Ruthie.”

I said, “Polly has a new rookie, Francine Mullens.  Ruthie is with Dietrich Koch.  Maybe we can use all three women.  We do not know when they will show up, but we need Katie ready each night.  We will meet back here tomorrow.  I do not think we will need the D.A.  Tuesday can get a couple of her officers.  We all meet here in plain clothes and unmarked vehicles.  If we get lucky, we have Paddy’s Wagon.”

D.A. Jennings nodded, “You know the evidence that we need.  And the person who is in charge of patrol partner assignments must be irony impaired.  Polly had Ruthie Toody and now Francine Mullens.  That is far too close to Gunther Toody and Francis Muldoon.  The old television show, Car 54, Where are You?”

Poached said, “No disrespect, sir, but how old is that show?”

D.A. Jennings growled, “I like the old TV rerun channels, Detective Yeggs.  They are funnier and cleaner than anything they do these days.”

The next day we gathered.  We would do this every night until we got word that the bikers were meeting.  We worked our regular shift.  Polly and Ruthie would coach Katie if she accepted the wire.  Then we would stay at the Gargoyle House until we got the word.  With most of the construction crew off until after the first of the year and Uncle Erasmus catching up on renovations, there were rooms for us to all stay.  The bikers rarely skipped having a meeting with more than a three-day gap.

The next day, Hannah was there with a very lovely girl who was scared to death.  Tuesday got up and put her arms around her.

Hannah said, “Katie has something she wants to say.”

Katie said, “I was told that I would have to wear a wire.  I was told this was just a way of listening into the conversations that I hear at the table.  But these people only have me at their table because they know I do not know what they are saying.  They feel safe with me there.  If they think for a moment that I am telling someone, they might kill me.  I here there is a young girl about my age who is the one who figured out what they are doing.  Now, you just need them to say something that you can use in court.  I do not know the word.”

I suggested, “Incriminate themselves.”

Katie nodded, “I want this girl with me.  I do not feel safe.”

Sophia said, “I am the girl you are talking about, but my picture is in the papers a lot.  They could recognize me.  Besides, a change in the way things are done would throw them off and they would not talk at all.  They might just leave without saying anything.”

Polly said, “Sophie, you and Hannah aren’t far from the same size.  If you wore her Amish clothing, I could supply some accessories so that you would not be recognized.  I am thinking thick glasses.  Your hair will be hidden in the kapp.  And some false teeth.  In keeping the false teeth from slipping, you might talk with a lisp.  But how can you be there?  You might attract attention if you were a customer every night at the same time.  We are concerned that the reason why they meet where they do is that they have a support group.  We cannot trust anyone who works there.  Katie, are they hiring?”

Katie brightened, “They need a dish washer.  They have a scullery machine, but half the dishes are hand washed.”

Sophia said, “I have filled in at church on those machines.  And I can wash dishes.  What name should I use?”

Hannah suggested, “How about Esther?  With a lisp, it would come out Eshter.”

Captain Hart said, “Polly, get to work.  Eshter can go with Katie tonight.  But if Sophie is in the scullery, she might not be at your beckon call.  Let’s rotate female officers.  We have our new miniature directional microphone.  It looks like an iPod.  Whoever is there can place it on the table, and it looks like they are listening to their tunes.  Polly, you go in tonight.  Ruthie tomorrow.  And Francine the next day.  Francine, you are a rookie.  Trust your training.  Do not approach these guys unless you fear for Katie’s well being.  With any luck, we won’t need anyone else.  That way we have another set of eyes and ears.  And if there is any rough stuff that might put Katie at risk, they can act like a concerned citizen.  Besides, the real business may occur when Katie is getting the food.  Dev, are you okay with Sophie working in the scullery?”

I smiled, “That sounds fine.  In reasonable circumstances, Sophie knows what to do.  And Sophie is naturally curious.  She can ask innocent questions with the cooks in the back.”

Hannah helped Polly and Ruthie, knowing Amish clothing a little better.  After a few minutes, they returned.  One of the girls came up to me and said, “Good evenin’ kind shir.  My namesh Eshter.”

I applauded.  “Polly, you did a great job.  I almost did not recognize my own daughter, but now Eshter here needs to land the job.”

Sophie said, “And Dad, I am alsho hard of hearing.  The glashish have an earwig attached.  I can lishen in too.  And you can tell me what you are about to do.  But I cansh talk to you.”

I repeated, “I think I heard you say that you are going to pretend to be hard of hearing, so if they catch the earwig attached to the glasses, you have a hearing aide.  You can hear everything, but you will not be able to talk to us.”

Sophie smiled a broad smile with some of the ugliest teeth that I have ever seen, but she nodded eagerly.

A few hours later, Katie was on her way back to the Community with her Uncle Erasmus.  And Sophie carefully sat down in the room that the two of us would share.  She took off her kapp and glasses.  She then carefully pulled out her false teeth.

Sophie moaned, “Ouch!  I am glad they are out until tomorrow.  I can talk without a lisp for a while.  Do I go to school and then come back here to change?”

I shook my head.  “Your Mom has worked out a deal with the school.  You will get a few days off as being sick.  Your Mom will collect all your assignments, and you will have to do a lot of catching up next week.  You have no tests this week or reports due, so you can be sick.  I guess since you came back so late, you got the job.”

Sophie nodded, “The restaurant owner did not like the lisp.  She wanted someone who could fill in for a last-minute waitress that calls in sick.  Katie said she could take extra tables if that happens.  I said that I jush wove washing dishish.  I got the job because there were no other applicants, and she needed the help tonight.  Who all do we have staying here?”

I said, “Jim and Tuesday are next door.  She has two deputies that she can trust and love the idea of being in plain clothes for a few days.  They are in the next room, man and woman, unmarried, we’ll see how that works.  Georges is going back and forth, but Poached is across the hall.  Captain Hart and Gisele are next door to Poached.  Gisele is wearing a blonde wig.  Her purple hair might get attention, but she is here just to be with Al mostly.  They’ll go into the office but leave early each day.  Polly and Francine will be back each night, along with Ruthie and Dieter Koch.”

Sophie asked, “Dieter?”

I shrugged, “A nickname.  Dietrich is hard for some of his buddies to say, either that or they make German jokes out of it.  He likes working with Ruthie, but they are in separate rooms.  We are lucky that Uncle Erasmus is this far along.  There were a lot of rooms that are just now available.”

Sophie said, “And Daddy, I have some news.  The boy who mops the floors and takes out the trash says that the owner is somehow connected to the bikers.  He brought it up.  I did not even have to ask.  None of the cooks will say anything.  They don’t want to lose their jobs, but they nodded while the cleaning boy was talking.  I think he told me because he knew I would notice, and the rule was to keep your mouth shut.  I asked if anyone else could not be trusted.  They said to not volunteer any information with the hostess.  They think she dates one of the bikers.  They said I had the best job.  It was hard work, but you stay away from the customers, and the boss does not come near the scullery.  The steam messes up her hairdo.  As far as the other waitresses, Katie I could trust, but they did not know about the others.”

I chuckled, “Leave it up to my little detective.  You got the various bits and pieces, what you called the loose lips sinking ships.  There was no piece that solved the case, but you got a scattering of pieces.  Then you did your codebreaker thing to figure out how the pieces fit.  Then, Paddy confirmed your county line angle.  Georges has not confirmed the drug connection to the Rotten Apples, but a lot is suggestive.  Then, other than the wait staff, you know who you can trust among the employees.  Should the rest of us go back to our day jobs and let you handle this on your own?”

Sophie giggled, “Maybe, but I cannot officially arrest anyone.  And we still do not have hard evidence.”

I smiled, “Sophie, be careful.  If the restaurant owner is involved and the hostess, you will have to watch your back carefully.”

Sophie said, “Other than having a conversation with the waitresses and a couple of busboys, I am sticking to the scullery.  The busboys feed me the dirty dishes; that is natural.  The waitresses are a little tricky, but they sometimes take their breaks in the kitchen.  But since I am so tired, I can go to bed early.  Then I can get up early and take Amish lessons from Hannah.  One of the busboys asked me if I really was Amish.  And I shed, of coursh.  And he just laughed.  I wish he had given me a hint at what I did not do right.  Oh, I put my engagement ring in my purse.  I better put it back on.”

I laughed, “Sophie, you know where it is.  You better leave it there until the case is solved.  But then, you better be wearing it when you see Emmett again.”

Sophie moaned, “Daddy, does absence really make the heart grow fonder?  I miss Em and I kissed him goodbye before we came out here earlier today.”

I smiled, “And that is how it works.  You have a tendency of missing the good things and forgetting the irritating quirks.  Then, you know that it is true love because it starts to hurt until you are back together again.”

Sophie asked, “Like you and Mom?”

I sighed and looked at nothing in particular at the far end of the room.  “It gets a little different when you get older.  We have had decades together.  It still hurts.  And some day, I will look back on tonight and think that I might have gotten less sleep, but going home would have probably been the better move.  But I don’t know about you.  You need your rest.  I am going to read the Bible a while.”

Sophie said, “I think I would only see everything cross-eyed.  Polly’s glasses allow for seeing clearly only if you looked straight ahead.  It got really fuzzy if you looked out your peripheral vision.  But they do look like coke bottle glasses.  Maybe I did nothing wrong, and the busboy was joking about my glasses.  Good night, Daddy.”

She hugged me around the neck and gave me a long kiss on the cheek.  I returned the good night wishes the way I had when she was little.  “Good night.  Sleep tight.  Don’t let the bed bugs bite.  And I love you to the moon and back.”  But that got me to thinking, this was an old house.  Had they cleared out the bed bugs?  No, wait, they had new beds and new mattresses in every room, and our room was freshly renovated.

The biker gang showed up two nights later.  With our luck, Katie’s distant bodyguard was Francine, the rookie, but Francine was seen by us on occasions bouncing her head like she was listening to music with her little directional antennae.  And she had no problem with the first signal.  She started arguing with the waitress about whether there was anyone better at the “A” train than Duke Ellington.  She got sneers, groans, and a couple of people asking “Duke Who?”

But the signal meant that the bikers were in the corner booth, at least they were starting to gather.  At that point, we knew we had to be on our toes.  First, we noticed a guy in a leather jacket who leaned against the side of the building, half lit by the awning’s lighting.  He looked like he was disinterested, vaping, looking up and down county line road on occasion.  If we got the second signal, we had to neutralize him.  We decided that Polly could do her non-death non-grip that she learned from Pauline Niblick.  Anything else and we needed probable cause that he was part of the biker gang.  But if he was just a guy waiting for his ride to go home, all he would be able to say was that he fell asleep about the same time a pretty girl came by and greeted him.

Our plan, once we had Francine’s second signal, was to have Ruthie and one of Stout Counties D.A.R.E. deputies that were volunteering their time.  D.A.R.E. stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education.  When the hostess got the menus and asked whether they wanted a table or a booth, they were to apprehend her as quickly and quietly as possible.  When that happened, Francine would get up and walk like she was going to the rest room, but she would stop next to the doors to the kitchen.  With a cue at the door, the rest of us would rush the front door to make the arrests.

All that was waiting for Francine to give the next signal.  Her sentence had to include Charlie Barnet and Cherokee.  We were using music that had not been popular for 70-80 years.  None of the wait staff nor the store owner would know what she was talking about.  And none of them would care to know.

But I can share some of the key points.  The store owner was Hildie, probably short for Hildegarde.  And the head of the bikers was Wolf, maybe Wolfgang or Wolfram.  Wolf was Hildie’s nephew.  Hildie lived a block away and the bikers from Tracy parked in Hildie’s backyard and walked to the restaurant.  The others parked in front of the restaurant.

Hildie made a point that night to remind Wolf that Katie was from the Amish Community, and he was to not treat her badly.  They were simple people who lived innocent lives.  As long as she remained innocent, she would be his loyal servant, but he was not to involve her in anything, and he was not to get romantic with her.  Maybe this was due to what Katie had said in our meeting that his hands roamed around her waist, but otherwise he rarely touched her.

The conversation between Wolf and his other bikers was in code for the most part.  Things like “I have a new one for happies.”  That probably means a new customer for uppers, but there was deniability in about everything that they said.  The guy at the front door must be called “Vern”.  We now knew he was a member of the gang.

Then, with everyone present around the table, Wolf ordered steaks for everyone, all medium rare.  Katie took the order to the cook and then returned.  At about the time that the steaks should be ready, Wolf suggested that Katie check on the steaks.  Katie knew not to return without the steaks, and they were not yet plated.

During this gap in time, Wolf announced that their packages were in place.  A couple of the bikers shifted in the corner booth seat.  A back cushion was removed, and the bikers took their package of drugs, enough for a week’s distributions.  Each biker slipped the package into a hidden pouch in their jackets.

Francine tried not to stare, but she had to make sure of what she had seen.  Then she said, “Great!  This is my favorite, Charlie Barnet playing Cherokee!”

When Sophie heard some odd noises in the dining area, she looked over her shoulder.  Hildie had emerged from her office, and she made no effort to conceal the pistol in her hand.  She walked to the swinging doors and looked out.  Sophie circled around behind her past the cooking stations.  She reached for a big butcher knife, but the cook waved his hand and pointed to the fish knife.  She nodded and took the fish knife, smaller, easier to handle, light weight, but able to cut through anything.

By this time, the raiding party had subdued the hostess, put all the waitresses except Katie off, away from the action and being watched.  At the same time, we turned our weapons on the biker gang in the corner.

Hildie saw that she could sneak up behind the police, so she placed her hand on the door.  Sophie placed the fish knife against her neck.

Sophie said, “Don’t do it.  Hold the gun out by the handle with thumb and indexsh finger.  There ish a fish knife at your shroat, and I can filet your neck fashter than the cook can filet a trout.  You’d bleed out before you got to the door.”  Hildie held out the gun and Sophie took it and slipped it into her apron pocket.  Hildie was about to turn and fight Sophie, but Sophie shoved her through the doorway.  Now, Francine saw Hildie stumble through the door off balanced, and she subdued her and put on the cuffs.

Sophie walked in and saw us, but she saw Katie, scared out of her wits, standing next to Wolf, who had his hands up, but one hand was behind Katie’s back.

Sophie put the knife down, and she reached for the gun.  She did not show it, but she held it in her left hand.  She walked dutifully past us, and before I could tell her to stop, she was standing behind Katie.

Wolf said, “Good, two scared Amish girls for hostages.  Cops, you are going to back out from here and let us go or these girls die.”  Wolf’s gaze switched from us to Sophie.  The hand that was hidden started to shift.  Katie yelped.

At that moment, Wolf started screaming in pain.  We heard a sound like a utensil hitting the floor.  We later learned it was a steak knife from their dinner that Katie had just served them.  Then, Sophie pulled out the pistol and slapped Wolf with it on the side of his head a couple of times.  He tried to turn to face her and while he was off balance, she grabbed his shoulder and slammed his head into the table a few times.

Wolf finally whimpered, “Police brutality!”

Sophie said, “What are you talking about?  I’m a junior in high school, dirt ball!”  Now, she did not speak with a lisp.  She had removed her false teeth.

The pusher that went to Central Baptist said, “Hey, you’re the girl that was kissing that girl under the stands at the football game.  Wolf, she’s the queer I slipped the dime bag to.”

Katie and Sophie were next to me, and I hugged them both.  Sophie called me “Daddy.”

Wolf looked at the guy from Central Baptist and growled, “You are an idiot.”

Now Tuesday had a question, “Dev, these idiots have been apprehended on this side of the Stout County line.  If I took them into our jail, it won’t be long before the Leafy Greens find out that a biker gang has been selling drugs that originated with the Rotten Apples.  We probably won’t have to worry about a trial.  Within twenty-four hours, all these idiots will be dead.  Turnip Greens does not like being cut out of those kinds of transactions.”

Wolf said, “Hey, I recognize the Loot from Tracy (meaning me, Lt. Deviled Yeggs).  This is an illegal arrest.  They don’t have jurisdiction here in Stout County.  You have to let us go.”

Tuesday laughed, “I deputized them.”

Wolf snarled, “The only one that can do that is the sheriff.  I know he ain’t done that.”

Tuesday shook her head.  “The sheriff and either of the two undersheriffs.”

One of the other pusher’s said, “Dude!  That’s the Dame with the Name!”

Tuesday nodded, not even flinching at the nickname.  “Tuesday Wednesday, undersheriff of detectives in Stout County, but in spite of being the Dame with the Name, I can make your life a living hell seven days a week, not just on Tuesday and Wednesday.”

I wondered if she had given that line much thought.  She turned to me, “If these boys walk nicely into the middle of the street, you can arrest them on your side of the line.  That way, they are in a more secure jail.”

In the process of walking them to the Tracy side of the line, one broke free and jumped onto one of the awaiting motorcycles, but he did not notice that after we subdued Vern, we had run a cable through the wheels of all the bike tires.  By the time he had gone nowhere and wrecked a few bikes in the process, the D.A.R.E. detectives had tazed him and drug him, unceremoniously to the Tracy side of the line.  One of them said, “If anyone asks, he crawled over here on his own.  We wouldn’t want to split up some friends.”

With Paddy driving them in to be processed and the interviews that would follow, Sophie said, “Katie is not badly cut, but I need to work on my techniques.  I twisted his hand to let go of the knife, but not in time.  When Wolf switched his gaze from Katie to me, the knife nicked her.  Francine has had some EMT training, so Francine has checked it out and bandaged her up.  Katie wants to stay with her Aunt Bonnie in the barn if Barry doesn’t mind.  Someone needs to stay here until the buggy arrives to take Katie home.  They can relay where she is that she is okay, just shaken up.  But, I need some training in pistol whipping the bad guy.  I had emptied the gun, but it would have made a better club if I knew how to swing it.”

I groaned, “We have plenty of people staying here a while.  They have to interview all the witnesses, the few other customers and the staff.  Crime scene will show up and dust the corner booth hiding place for prints.  Then they have to secure the scene.  The owner has a couple of security cameras, and I wonder if she is stupid enough to have a picture of who stowed the drugs behind the seat cushions.  Please, Sophie, do not ask me to teach you anything about pistol whipping.  Police officers and pistol whipping are not words that should be in the same sentence.”

Sophie giggled, “But you just did, Daddy.”

I gave her a big bear hug.  “Yes, Sweetie, I just did.  You can put that in your report when you write it up.  This was your caper from beginning to end.”

Credits

The idea that loose lips sink ships has been around for a long time.  It was a World War II slogan.  The way it works, using my army experience as an example.  One person slips up in a conversation and says that if we went to war, this particular unit would be relocating from point “A” to point “B”.  Then a phone call, that you know is being monitored by microwave signal, carelessly mentions that a member of that unit was going to the point “B” to confirm something with the war plans (not that anyone would be that stupid as to say that – this is an example.)  Then, from other sources, we, the good guys, knew that the enemy had sleeper cells along the road that the person, with his team, would be travelling.  So, now, the sleeper cells could monitor the group of people from that unit and figure out what they were doing along the road.  And to neutralize that unit, they knew which roads needed to be made impassable.  With the Navy, one bit of information and then another can lead to knowing the exact ship that will leave the port at the exact time and where the ship was going.  All from casual, and often careless, conversations.

In so doing, Sophie gathered bits of information from each school and found the common factors that led to some of the drug dealers being identified, but they wanted the entire gang.  And they got the entire gang with enough drugs to charge them with “intent to sell.”  The Central Baptist pusher further incriminated himself by announcing that he recognized Sophie as the girl he gave drugs to.  With witnesses at the schools that could ID each of the pushers, they were not going to get out of jail for some time.

Here is Duke Ellington (piano) playing Take the “A” Train.

Here is Charlie Barnet playing Cherokee.