# 15

"Okay guys, I'm detective Lt. Poole Atlanta PD and you are all going to help me secure this crime scene. I want you to stand around in a circle looking out. Nobody comes into this area unless they are a cop or I clear them in. So spread out an stick together," Sarah said it in a loud commanding voice.

It took a little more doing but she got the scene surrounded after just a couple of minutes. What she did was to secure the scene from being trampled over, also kept all of the people who arrived early to remain so that they could be interviewed. Sarah was a good cop, there was no doubt about it. Even Sandberg had to admit that she took command and knew just what to do.

"Now you," she said to Mary, who had recovered a bit. "Get your wits about you the, cops are going to be asking you a lot of questions." She turned to John Sandberg again. "Try to shoot pictures of everyone you see around here till the cops arrive."

A woman dressed in the park ranger green uniform arrived soon after the scene had been secured. The man who was blocking her way seemed to be having strong words with the ranger.

"I'm Detective Lt Poole. I am here on vacation and to make some pictures of the reenactment. This is a crime scene, unless you are going to be investigating the shooting of the park manager you need to stay back."

"Sally, stay back,” the voice came from over Sarah's shoulder. It belonged to Mary the asst park manager. "Go to the office and call the park police main number in DC. Tell them the superintendent has been killed. Have them notify the proper authorities.

The uniformed ranger gave Sarah Lee a very nasty look, but she turned and left the area. Before Sarah could do much of anything the medical team arrived. They couldn't do much of anything until the police came. The local police called the FBI field office. The response from the duty office was that agents were on their way. He demanded that nothing be done until the agents arrived. The officer simply said of course, then began asking people questions.

As a courtesy since Sarah had secured their crime scene they allowed her to listen in on the initial interviews. There would be more in depth ones to follow. As an act of good faith she informed the officer of Berg's photograph. Since Berg had disappeared, Sarah didn't have to listen to the cop’s demands, and Berg's refusal to turn over the camera and card. Yes she knew that he would refuse.

Sarah listened while Mary tried to explain to the local cops where she and Peter had stood in that final second. The best Sarah could tell, Mary had Peter turned about 35 degrees from the direction he had been facing. The only thing of any importance was that she was putting the shooter in a far different place.

"Detective Rush, I think you should check that little rise over there. The best I could tell the shot came from that direction." Sarah said looking directly into Mary's suddenly dry eyes.

"That isn't what this lady says," Rush informed her.

"Well, I think she is a little excited, but why not check both places."

"That makes sense," the detective said looking almost lost.

A couple of the local cops were gone about ten minutes when the FBI showed up. They arrived like a Mafia hit squad. Cars full of agents just descended from all directions. It was very dramatic but totally unnecessary.

"I told you not to do anything until we got here," the agent in charge reminded the local police detective.

"Frankly, we had no idea how long it was going to take you. We did the initial interviews just in case someone got lost. You can have the notes."

"No thanks we will just do then again." The 'do them right' was there, just not said openly.

The FBI agent in charge gave us a look that dismissed us all. "I hate those ass holes," the local detective said. "This is government land and a government employee. This case will be solved only if the government wants it solved."

"Yeah can you say, Vince Foster?" Sarah asked it smiling.

"Yeah that kind of thing. Say Poole you wanna' get a drink?"

"I got some camera things to do, but can I get a rain check for the drink"

"Sure anytime you want. By the way where do I find that man with the camera."

"Try the Pakistan west motel in town,” Sarah suggested. Sarah was not a bigot nor a Clinton hater but she could read people, and the cop standing beside her was both. Ultra right-winger. Some cops were actually moderately liberal, some were moderately conservative, and some stood right of Attila the Hun. Sarah was anti political period. She had stopped voting shortly after her first time.

The only vote she had cast in years was at the point of a gun, not quite but almost. Sarah's father had gone to the old rundown garage in the rear of his small semi rural piece of land. He had spent two days getting his old pickup truck running, and then he drove to the Satellite police station. There he parked his truck and himself until she finished her shift.

It wasn't a vote cast for anyone, he explained. It was a vote cast against a presidential candidate. "You just don't paint all those men, who are dying to keep you free, as baby killers. At least not so you can have a career as a politician. At that point her dad spit in the parking lot. He made sure people heard him and saw just who he was.

One of the things her dad taught her was that if you make a decision, you should have the conviction to stand up to it. If you can't defend how you feel, you better take a second look at why you feel as you do. "A man who will step on his brothers for political gain, is a man ain't fit to be president." It was his only argument period.

No she hadn't seen some of her dad in the bigot cop, what she had seen wasn't even the flip side of her dad's coin. But it had reminded her that there were politicians, like it or not, and that they come at all levels and can be more dangerous than any kid with a Saturday night special.