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Subject: Kathy by Morgan (M/F) Chapter 12a
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To:  story-submit@qz.little-neck.ny.us
From: morg105829@aol.com
Subj: "Kathy" Book II, Chapter 12a (M/F) (224 lines)
January 17, 1998

Thanks for the (mostly) friendly comments.  This is the fourteenth section of
a book that runs 26 chapters.  It is about half a chapter; it is divided
purely in the interests of an upload.  It should be attached to 12b as a
single chapter.

Readers are most strongly urged to read Kathy from the beginning.  It will
make no sense otherwise.  I hope to have the balance of the book posted within
a week or so.

Comments (of any kind) will be appreciated.  Contact me at morg105829@aol.com.
Although this is substantially more tame than many postings on A.S.S.M., the
usual disclaimers apply.  Permission is granted to repost, but only on non-
commercial sites.  Please inform me if you do so.

"Kathy"

(c) 1991, 1998 by Morgan.

Book II

Chapter 12a

It was eleven o'clock on September 1 and Kathy was sitting upright in a chair
facing Peter Mahoney across his desk.  While Peter glared at her as he talked
on the phone, she was a picture of alert innocence, exactly what one would
expect of the newest member of the District Attorney's staff.  Peter looked
away from Kathy as he spoke.  'My God,' he thought, 'this girl could excite
passion in a plaster saint!'  As noises continued from the end of the phone,
he glanced in Kathy's direction.  She was sitting across from him with her
hands folded in her lap.  Her dress appeared to be the same one she had worn
when they met before.  It was as neat and conservative as one could wish, the
sort of thing featured for the bright female professional on the way up.  She
wore no jewelry of any kind except a watch.  He had noticed earlier that it
was a woman's gold Rolex.  'Clearly,' he thought, 'this girl doesn't need
money or she wouldn't be giving up about eighty grand a year to work for me.'
He reflected on her Rolex.  He decided that it was typical of Kathy:
beautiful, expensive, and under stated.  He also realized that it was a highly
functional timepiece: accurate, shockproof and water proof, with a very
legible face.

With all of that, why was she so disturbing?  The person on the other end of
the phone was the mayor.  Kathy had just returned to the office.  She had been
patiently standing at the office door that morning waiting for someone to come
to let her in.  Mahoney prided himself on opening the office, and yet here it
was, the Friday before the Labor Day weekend, and this lovely girl is standing
at the door waiting for him to open up.  He sent her off to Personnel to
complete the forms beloved of bureaucrats everywhere.  He had blown his stack
when he found out that Kathy had been in the day before to complete the
paperwork but had been told that she wasn't an employee until the next day.
Earlier, the personnel director had called to complain.  He was angry because
Kathy was starting the day before the Labor Day weekend.  He wanted to stop
the processing and change the start date to the fifth so Kathy would not be
paid for the weekend.  Peter smiled to himself remembering the call.  He hoped
the bureaucrat had a ruptured eardrum.  He delighted in telling the director
that Kathy had turned down a $100,000 job to come to work for him at
seventeen-five.  A couple of bucks wouldn't break the bank, particularly since
he had just learned that Kathy stood number one on the Common wealth of
Virginia bar exam.

The bar exam was the reason for the mayor's call.  His phone had been ringing
off the hook all morning.  The mayor must have been at least the fifteenth
caller.  The results of the test had been released late the previous
afternoon.  Rarely do bar-exam results make news, but this time they did.  The
listing at the top read Katherine J. Smith, District Attorney's Office,
Norfolk.  Routinely, the top scorer would be affiliated with one of the
state's top law firms, or a national firm's Washington office inside the
Beltway.  An assistant DA heading the list was obviously a "man bites dog"
sort of story.  He had quickly reviewed Kathy's background for the mayor and
was accepting his congratulations on his recruiting coup.  The mayor's last
words were, "I don't know how you did it Peter, but persuading her to join
your office has to be the greatest thing you've ever done.  I've always told
people that you could talk the birds out of the trees, but now even I believe
it.  Give her my best wishes, will you?"  Peter had not told the mayor that
Kathy had found him.  He hung up the phone and turned to face her.

"That was the mayor.  He asked me to extend his congratulations on your bar
exam, and welcome you.  So, welcome.  You have been on the payroll less than
three hours, and already you're turning this office upside down.  The
Virginian & Pilot is sending over a photographer for a picture.  He'll be here
in a few minutes.

"Kathy Smith, you are a very interesting person.  I still don't know why you
joined this office.  I do know that you impress people.  While you were at
personnel, the director of the police pistol range called and asked if you
could serve as his women's pistol instructor.  It seems that you shot out the
lights over there, erasing every mark in their book.  Incidentally, he wants
to send you to the FBI facility at Quantico for competition.  It seems you are
unerring in separating the good guys from the bad guys.  You only gun the
baddies apparently, and with lethal effect every time.  So much for being
scared by firearms."

He picked up his telephone in response to an intercom buzz, and was told the
gentlemen of the press had arrived, so he and Kathy went out to meet them.
The paper had sent over a reporter and photo grapher.  The reporter led off by
asking Kathy what she was going to do to stop crime.  Kathy, ignoring the
snide intent of the question, responded brightly.  "I'm so glad you asked!
District Attorney Mahoney has named me to a special task force to fight
violent crime."  Kathy went on to say that, using a crime-control computer
installed with Federal Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA) money,
they had completed a study of dangerous criminals.  Dangerous criminals were
defined as those with three or more felony convictions or five or more felony
arrests.  A run had been made of the persons matching these criteria in
Tidewater and the computer came up with a listing of 163 persons.  The list
was being distributed to all law enforcement agencies in the area.  Steps were
being taken to prosecute immediately anyone on the list to the fullest extent
of the law with minimum delays in going to trial.

When Kathy started speaking, a passing police reporter heard the phrase,
"special task force", and perked up his ears.  He ran to the phone and made a
few calls.

Peter Mahoney was listening to Kathy's recital in growing amazement.  He was
concentrating on not letting his jaw drop when his secretary ran in with the
news that film crews from the three local television stations were on there
way over.  "Mr. Mahoney, they asked if you could take a break for fifteen
minutes or so to give their crews time to get over here and set up."  Peter
felt circumstances had taken events out of his control.  He glared at Kathy
who returned his glare with a sweet smile.  The photographer took the break as
an opportunity to get pictures of Kathy.

"Kathy," he said, "I would like you to turn a little and put your foot up on
that chair, then hike your skirt up on your thigh.  You seem to have pretty
good legs.  Then unbutton your jacket and turn your body.  Let's see some
chest."  Kathy looked at him with an expression that almost caused Peter
Mahoney to crack up.  It was a cross between what one would expect after
stepping on dog feces on the sidewalk and the response to the suggestion that
she perform a lewd and lascivious act at noon on the sidewalk of the
Harborside Mall.

"I *beg* your pardon," Kathy said disdainfully.  "I am a member of District
Attorney's professional staff.  You may take an appropriate photograph of me,
or, if Mr. Mahoney is willing, of the two of us together."  She looked at
Peter, who nodded.  "As the most junior member of his staff, I would be proud
to stand next to him.  This never would have happened had he not so graciously
invited me to join his staff."  The pictures were duly taken with Peter
smiling proudly at his new recruit.  To some degree or other all DAs are
political, and it never hurts to get your picture in the paper, particularly
under flattering circumstances.

After the picture-taking, the group moved to a small auditorium that had been
commandeered for the impromptu press conference.  In addition to the TV news
crews Kathy saw representatives of other news-gathering organizations also
present.  Meanwhile, Peter had been unable to get Kathy alone to find out what
she had been talking about.  On the other hand, he was impressed with her
aplomb.  She handled the news conference as if she had done nothing else for
years so Peter decided to go along for the ride.  With the news crews ready,
Kathy apologized for not having prepared visuals.  The program was too new and
they had not expected television coverage.  After repeating what she had said
earlier to the single reporter, she elaborated on special arrangements that
were in place to expedite the handling of the listed criminals.  Then she
opened the conference to questions from the floor.

"Miss Smith, when can we get a copy of this special watch list."

"I'm sorry, sir, you cannot.  The list is considered highly confidential.
However, when it is distrib uted, all of the law enforcement agencies will
have a copy.  I think it's fair to say that those on the list know who they
are.  The announcement we wish to make is that Norfolk is going to be a safe
city.  The criminals preying on our citizens -- all the muggers, the robbers,
the rapists, the burglars -- know who they are.  They now face three choices:
go straight, get out of town, or go to prison.  Norfolk is going to be the
safe city we all want it to be!"

The reporters were impressed with the obvious sincerity in Kathy's speech,
even if they were skeptical about its prospects for success.  A reporter
turned to Peter, standing beside Kathy.  "Mr. Mahoney, I'm Jim Smith of WTAR.
Would you please tell us who is going to be in charge of this special unit in
your office?"

"Thanks, Jim, I would be delighted to.  The answer is Katherine Smith, of
course.  I would like to say a few words about Kathy.  She is new to our
staff, as you know.  Officially she only started today, yet I'm sure it's
obvious to you all that she has been doing her homework before reporting
aboard.  She represented this office in the creation of the Dangerous
Criminals list and is fully conversant with the way we intend to operate.  We
are proud to have Kathy with us.  To show the caliber of talent this office
has been able to attract, I would like to acquaint you with her background.
She graduated from Yale University with highest honors after being elected to
Phi Beta Kappa.  She was number one in her class at University of Virginia Law
School, and you all know that she achieved the top grade recorded on the
recent bar exam.  This office recognizes talent.  I am proud to announce that
Katherine Smith is my special assistant in charge of our newly-formed
Dangerous Criminals unit.  I won't repeat Kathy's warning to our criminals.  I
will only add, Amen!"

There were many more questions that Kathy fielded, detailing how the unit
would work.  The crews finally packed up quickly after nearly ninety minutes
of questioning to get back to their studios to edit their tape for the evening
news shows.

When the crews left, Peter motioned Kathy to come into his office.  After she
entered, he closed the door and took his seat behind the desk while Kathy sat
upright in a chair facing him, looking attentive.  "Miss Smith, would you
*kindly* tell me what that was all about?  And, Kathy, for God's sake, no
injured innocence, please."

 Kathy grinned, dropping her pose.  "I thought it went well, didn't you?  I
think we'll get a good play on tonight's news."  She frowned and continued,
"It's a shame it's the Friday before Labor Day.  The audience for tonight's TV
news and tomorrow's papers will be awful.  It's one of the slowest news days
of the year.  Peter, you should have waited and announced it next Tuesday or
Wednesday."  She ducked as Pete hurled an eraser at her head causing it to
miss.  She straightened up quickly and assumed her attentive look as if
nothing had happened.

He looked at her and started to chuckle.  It turned into laughter.  Soon he
was roaring with laughter, leaning back in his chair.  Kathy joined in.  "Slow
news day, indeed.  Young lady, we will get more time on the news tonight than
we've had in the last five years combined.  I'll settle for a slow news day!
Now, young lady, you are going to have to deliver!  Seriously, Kathy, I hope
those numbers were real."

Kathy went into her briefcase, pulled out a file, and pulled her chair around
to Peter's side of the desk.  He sent out for sandwiches as they reviewed the
voluminous data together.  Kathy explained to him how the data were set up,
the definitions used, and the limitations.  She stressed that the key was
felony arrests and convictions.  She pointed out that only a small fraction of
crimes resulted in arrests.

It was after five-thirty when Kathy finished her presentation, "Pete, the key
is the number of arrests against the number of reported crimes.  Either the
guys on the list are the dumbest, unluckiest criminals in this city, or --
much more likely -- we're looking at the tip of the iceberg.  For every
arrest, the guy actually committed ten, twenty or even more crimes.  In
business there is an eighty- twenty rule.  It means that 20 percent of the
customers produce 80 percent of the business.  Is it possible that it applies
to crime, too?  Twenty percent of the criminals commit 80 percent of the
crimes?  I think they do, and I'm going to get them!"

Peter looked at his watch.  "Come on Kathy.  Tonight I really want to see the
Six O'clock News!"  They closed up the office quickly and went to a nearby bar
and entered just as the evening news was coming on the air.  They were
surprised to hear that the Dangerous Criminals Task Force, as the media now
dubbed it, was the evening's lead story.  Kathy was amused at the way she
appeared in the news footage while Peter was impressed.  The station they were
watching had obviously dug deeper.  Although they did not have names, they had
gotten numbers from the police computer that they had used to make graphics
for the show.  They agreed that the station had done an excellent job with its
coverage.

When it was over and the station broke to commercials, they received a shock.
First, the patrons in the bar had been paying close attention to the story.
Second, they recognized Peter and Kathy.  The crowd which was very large for
the Friday before a long weekend started cheering.  They crowded around and
wished Kathy luck.  She heard comments like, "It's about time!"  "It's the
first crime program I've ever heard about that makes sense."  "Kathy, throw
'em in prison and lose the key."

They left the bar and took a booth in the corner.  Peter wiped his forehead
with his handkerchief, put it away and looked at her steadily.  Then he asked
to see her weapon.  Kathy slipped a stainless steel .38 out of her special
purse and passed it to him butt first, making sure to keep it out of the sight
of the other patrons.  Peter examined it carefully.  "What is this?  I can't
ever recall seeing a piece like this before."

"It's a new weapon from Smith & Wesson called the LadySmith.  As you see, it
has a four-inch barrel and stainless steel construction.  I carry it in this
purse I ordered from Texas.  It's designed to keep the gun away from the other
junk I carry.  How do you like my lethal new friend?"

"Kathy, I just hope you never have to use it!  After watching the news film,
though, I'm glad I got that call from the police pistol-range officer.  Kathy,
you're set up as a target, now.  You declared war on the worst of the scum
infesting this city.  And you did it on television, yet.  Remember, young
lady: They're scum and they're vicious.  Kathy, do you remember what I said
when you were in my office in the spring?  They are evil.  I wouldn't be
surprised if at least some of those maggots decide that the best way to end
this war is to gun down its commanding officer.  That's you!"

Kathy realized that Pete wasn't trying to scare her, but was expressing how he
really felt.  She replied, "Pete, I understand, and I appreciate your concern.
I promise I'll be careful.  I won't say something stupid like, 'They can't
touch me.'  I know they can.  So I promise to stay out of trouble as much as I
can."

"Kathy, I believe you.  I sort of expected some show of bravado, I guess, but
you're too smart for that.  You are brave.  Period.  You know something?  I
think this Task Force idea might work.  I am certain, though, win or lose you
are the best person for the job.  Shake on it?"  Peter extended his hand and
was pleasantly surprised at the strength of Kathy's grip.

"Thank you, Peter, for giving me the chance.  I promise I'll do my best."

"Let's go home, Kathy.  It's a long weekend, remember?"

* * *

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