The Family Vlad
Chapter 21
Abstract: The life and times of chief Vlad are about to take a dramatic turn. His meeting with Judge Kurtz yields the fact that he is partially responsible for the injuries suffered by his wife, Vicky. Kurtz makes it plain that nothing between them can be resolved until the ultimate fate of both his daughter and Vlad's wife can be accurately determined. He strongly encourages Vlad to take a new position, far from his home, which he has arranged with an old friend. The chief makes a visit and meets his new master, a man similar to Kurtz, but perhaps even more powerful. Life in the new place will not be alien to Vlad and so he does some exploring. He encounters the head of the county jail, one of his officers it turns out, and the sparks fly immediately. He witnesses how she runs her jail and is impressed almost against his will by her methods of handling trouble makers. It is very apparent that Vlad is looking forward to his new position and all the challenges and opportunities it will bring.
Normally Vlad feared no man regardless of his position or authority. However today he had a very uneasy feeling as he settled down in the comfortable leather chair in judge Kurtz's study and prepared to hear what the man had to say. The judge was approaching seventy but his mind was still as sharp and well honed as it had been when he started out in his career as a jurist some forty years ago. He and his brother had done very well for themselves in this small town whose location had a strategic value that the brothers appreciated when they first settled here and began their careers. This huge farm or ranch was but one symbol of their wealth and power. The judge wasted little time in formalities, getting to the heart of the matter immediately.
"You and my daughter were supposed to have straightened things out between yourselves by now. I've sat still for more excuses and delays than I should have, but that's my fault for having too much faith in you and my daughter. I must take much of the blame for placing your wife in her current position. However even in this matter you played an indirect but major part despite your ignorance of the background that led to her precarious situation. To be blunt it is touch and go when it comes to your wife surviving all the injuries that accrued when she was tortured by my crippled housekeeper and her mentally impaired daughter. You, chief Vlad, were directly responsible for the conditionof both Twan and Tai."
It was Vlad's turn to go on the offense and he attacked furiously. 'What the hell are you talking about? Who the hell are these people? I never heard of them! Now you're telling me that I made them nearly kill my wife. You think I'm sitting here and listening to these lies. This is nothing but a damned coverup to let you off the hook and leave me hanging just in case something happens to that bitch you call a daughter. This isn't going to work old man, you hear me, it isn't going to work!" By the time he was done yelling, Vlad was on his feet and towering over the old judge who looked up at him with a cold stare that showed no evidence of fear.
"Sit down chief and let me finish my story before you make a bigger fool of yourself than you have to date. Everything I've said is true and can be proved in or out of a court of law. I'd prefer the latter condition, but if you insist on pushing things we will have to go to court and you my friend will find yourself friendless and behind bars for a very long time if not permanently, depending upon what happens to my daughter. Now I want you to shut up and hear me out. Then we'll discuss our mutual options. Perhaps we can come to some type of settlement before this matter esculates to beyond the confines of this room." Vlad stood still for a moment, his fists clenched, the muscles of his face taut with strain and anger. Then he abruptly turned and almost threw himself down into the chair to stare fixedly at the judge as he continued his story.
"Perhaps you've already forgotten the wave of shall we say, paperless travelers that passed through the county a number of years ago. Among them were Twan and her daughter, Tai, who at the time was a little shy of her thirteenth birthday according to what her mother said later. However she also told your compatriot, Norwood, that the daughter was eleven, so who is to say? It seems they ran afoul of you and your deputies and paid a rather heavy price for that encounter. Twan was crippled by you personally, at least that's what she claims. She also claims that her daughter was raped by your deputies to the point that she became pregnant."
"Had it not been for the intercession of Dr.Norwood, your current partner in crime, it is doubtful if I would have ever became involved with them. However it did occur and as part of an arrangement to hush up what you and your deputies had done to the two, I hired Twan to work at the ranch. A year later after Norwood discovered Tai was not eleven as he originally thought, she too joined her mother at my ranch. I presume you are aware of the coroner's tastes when it comes to very young girls. Until the arrival of your wife to my place, life here was serene for all concerned. However Twan overreacted to her presence and unfortunately nearly killed your wife as an act of revenge on you my dear Chief of Police. So here you and I are, bound together by a set of circumstances that is like a huge web. I don't know about you Vlad, but I do not intend to be eaten by the spider."
Chief Vlad was silent, his mind absorbing all he had just heard. It was coming back to him; now he sort of remembered something about a couple of those foreigners getting in the way of progress and being taught a lesson as an example of what would happen to any of the others moving through if they slowed down or dared to think of settling in the county. Those had been stressful times; he was having trouble from some of the business types and one of his major investments had begun to go South on him. Vicky as usual was being a pain in the ass and the kids were beginning to drift away from him as they gravitated more and more to Tom Kurtz, their mother's employer.
Judge Kurtz's voice penetrated the fog that surrounded Vlad as he remembered more and more of what had taken place so many years ago. The chief felt as if he had nodded off to sleep, so deep was his concentration on dredging up that portion of his past. He blinked a few times and focused on the old judge seated opposite him. "It's going to take many months for the physical and perhaps mental issues associated with your wife's and my daughter's respective traumas to be completely understood. Then it may take even more time for the therapy to do its work. That is if the doctors manage to come up with an approach that will heal them to the point that they can function somewhat normally. Only then can you and I sit down and completely resolve this matter to our mutual satisfaction." Vlad blinked and thought of the jurist's words. He had no way to argue against what he had heard. However, what was to happen during this time that might be more than half a year? It was almost as if Kurtz had read his mind.
"Chief Vlad, I have taken the liberty of contacting an old friend who is the chief judicial officer in a county located in another state. One close, but not too close to this one. Like our little county, he and his police department pretty much control all the important aspects of what it takes to keep the economy prospering and protecting against those interested in changing the ways in which the county functions. I must confess that his county has far more resources at his disposal than my brother and I have here, but that is what it is."
"As it so happens, his Chief of Police has a family emergency that he must tend to , thus leaving his department without adequate leadership. If this were something like a few weeks, his absence could be tolerated, but it will likely take at least six months for him to adequately resolve the problem that he faces. I have suggested to my old friend that you would make a most excellent interim chief based on your experience and demonstrated skills in upholding the law in our county. He is most interested and would like to speak to you in person to assess whether you and he could harmoniously work together in keeping his county safe and immune to those forces that would act to change a system that has functioned successfully for as long as our's has. I think it would be in your best interests, as well as mine, if you took this temporary assignment."
Vlad was silent for a minute or so, not showing any sign that he had even heard what the judge had told him. Then he looked up into the jurist's eyes and stared for a moment or two, making Kurtz a little uncomfortable with his gaze. "What about my children? Who will take care of them? Who are you thinking about appointing in my absence?" Judge Kurtz listened and then nodded his head.
"I am pleased with these particular questions. It shows the proper priority, family first, then one's profession. I am delighted to see that you have once more proved yourself to be something more than the brute that people continually claim you to be. I have always known that beneath that rigid exterior there was some semblance of humanity, not much fortunately, but enough for you to function effectively as my Chief of Police and raise a family at the same time."
"Let me answer your questions unequivocally. My brother Tom, will be responsible for the well being of your children. He will provide his home as their shelter, and his cook will be delighted to cook for more than one person, something she has bitterly complained about for years. You eldest will receive a stipend sufficient to take care of the incidental expenses that are required to assure that children have a degree of freedom from the tyranny of adults. I will be personally accountable for seeing that no harm falls to your children in the advent that my brother is incapacitated and unable to carry out his obligations. All the money that is due to your wife for her work at Kurtz Enterprises studio will be held in an escrow account to be overseen by me. I trust that answers your first question." All Vlad could do was nod his head.
"I had hoped that my daughter would ultimately replace you as Chief of Police, but that will never be, based on her condition and the doctor's prognosis at this time. Until your return, Lt. Rizzo will hold the position as a temporary appointment. Your associate, Dr. Norwood, will remain in his current capacity; there will be no retaliation for his role in causing my daughter's condition. If this selection doesn't cause you too many problems, then I would suggest that you plan on meeting Judge Thompson in his office the day after tomorrow. I have taken the liberty of having arrangements made by the local travel agency. I hope you and the judge hit it off, and you can satisfy his needs. I'll be most interested to see how your interview turns out." The judge stood up and held out his hand to the chief. Vlad rose and shook the judge's hand almost mechanically before taking his leave. There was much to do before his flight the next evening.
Vlad arrived ten minutes before his meeting and sat in the anteroom waiting for the judge to see him. He was struck by the attractive young woman who evidently was the jurist's factotum by the manner in which she welcomed him and the way she answered the few phone calls that she received while he waited. Promptly at the time agreed upon, Vlad was ushered into the offices of Judge Henry Thompson. He was greeted by a man in his mid to late sixties with a neatly trimmed white beard, a full head of graying hair and pale blue eyes that peered at him through wire rimmed glasses that made him appear almost scholarly. His voice was deep, almost rumbling, and his handshake was very firm. To Vlad this man exuded power and self confidence, but to look at his surroundings one would have gotten a different opinion. It was decorated tastefully with wooden furniture that was much lighter than what one would expect in a judge's office, muted drapes and a colorful patterned rug that contrasted and at the same time gave the rest of the room an open, almost airy appearance. Perched on the edge of the desk was a rag doll that was so out of place that the chief began to focus on it, much to the delight of the judge.
"That's Vivian, she was my daughter's favorite doll when she was young. My daughter thought Vivian was her protector and when she went off to go into business on the East Coast, she left Vivian to take care of me. That little doll has done a hell of a job I might add. Now let me tell you what I've heard about you and your credentials." The judge reseated himself and asked Vlad if he was interested in anything to drink. He smiled when Vlad asked for some black coffee, claiming it was too early for anything stronger. The chief was rather taken aback by this man who seemed to be able to open him up almost immediately and begin to rummage around beneath his skin to find out his hidden secrets. This was not at all to Vlad's liking.
Vlad's feeling of discomfort rose quickly when the judge casually mentioned the four cases that involved accidental deaths of prisoners while they were in his custody. He went on to mention the number of arrests that Vlad's men made on average in a year, much higher proportionately than what occurred in his jurisdiction. He knew about the prostitution and the favors that Vlad's organization dispensed to various businesses which occasionally needed some police protection of their turf from organizations that were based outside of the county. He knew about Tom Kurtz's pornography business, one of the biggest in the entire South. Vlad just sat there and did not choose to argue with anything that he heard from the judge; it was as he said it was.
Finally the man leaned forward and said, "Vivian used to work quite well, but times have changed and I need someone a bit larger and definitely much more nasty to handle the challenges of today's criminal entrepreneurs, be they the white collar type or the kind you are more familiar with. I have lawyers to take care of the white collar criminals, but sometimes they need to be backed with the kind of muscle that you have demonstrated over the years in your capacity as chief. Naturally the non-white collar element will be your prime focus and I expect you to run a very tight ship from day one. You will be the new kid in town and there are people and organizations that will take your measure which is their right if they wish to stay in business in our little world. By the way the population of this county is two and a half times what yours is, but it still only requires one chief to call the shots for the deputies. I think you are the man , what do you think?"
It took seconds for Vlad to nod his head. The judge was delighted and told Vlad that his assistant, Ms Anita Watson, who was off limits to everyone in the county, would make arrangements for him to be properly housed while he was the acting Chief of Police for the county. If he had any reasonable needs in the area of his personal needs, she would handle those matters; anything else would be done between him and Vlad. This was the kind of arrangement that made Vlad very comfortable.
The first thing he did was to cancel his return flight. He wanted to take a look around at what kind of place he had to police and what type of businesses needed protection by his new organization. He also wanted to take the measure of those who would be reporting directly to him. The largest city in the county was located at the mouth of a river that was used to transport the lumber that came from the pine forests to the north. This city was also a hotbed for illegal, but protected gambling. There were three large casinos disguised as restaurants, as well as a river boat that took the high rollers out to a more secure location where they indulged themselves in their favorite and second favorite vices. There were two thriving brothels also protected by his organization, and a relatively small, illegal prostitution element consisting of semipros and amateurs trying to pick up a fast buck. Vlad found it amusing that his old and new territories had so much in common when it came to the world's oldest profession.
As near as Vlad could tell on such short notice, there did not appear to be any organized crime other than what the judge controlled, at least in the county's largest city which on a good weekend might hold upwards of 25 thousand people, most of them looking to gamble. Suprisingly there was only a sheriff's substation located in the city. Vlad found this curious and decided to check into the station to find out the reason for this situation. As soon as he entered the building he became aware that news of his appointment had already proceeded him. He was immediately welcomed by the station commander, a tall, weathered individual who it turned out had been a military officer who served in Viet Nam, among other places, in his twenty some odd years in the service.
Lt. Dawson acknowledged that he'd heard from Judge Thompson concerning Vlad's acceptance of the temporary appointment. He offered no information on the reasons for the chief's absence, and Vlad chose not to do any poking in that area for the moment. Vlad came away with a feeling of confidence in this individual. His answers to questions were straight forward; there was no hedging or beating around the bush when it came to his replies. When queried about the reason for not locating the sheriff's headquarters in the county's largest city, he smiled and told Vlad that there were other assets worth as much or more than those of this port, and the powers that be had decided to keep the headquarters centralized among all the assets of the county.
He mentioned some manufacturing facilities that paid a considerable amount of protection money to be left alone. There were other business ventures that were near and dear to the judge's heart and they too received plenty of attention to assure that they continued to flourish. Finally there was the interesting concept that all the citizens of the county deserved some form of equal protection from hoodlums and the like who on occasion ventured into this rather pristine area of the state, and usually were quickly rooted out before they could begin to grow and fester.
When Dawson casually mentioned that police headquarters, the main court and the county jail were all colocated, Vlad's eyebrows went up. "It makes handling the criminal element a whole lot easier and cost effective when they are all in the same general area while they're being processed, tried and imprisoned. That by the way is another fairly large business in these parts. A lot of our inmates are farmed out to the local industries as part of their "rehabilitation". It makes for a lot of happy people and keeps the cost of maintaining our prisoners quite a bit lower than the budget allows for. I think they call that a win-win situation." The smile that came with the last sentence told Vlad all he needed to know on that subject. He thanked Dawson and told him he'd be in touch before he went back home to pack up and return for the duration of his appointment.
After an hour's drive Vlad reached the county seat and headed for the court house in hopes of witnessing what passed for justice in this neck of the woods, and perhaps getting a look at Judge Thompson in action. He was not disappointed. Vlad walked in just as a witness was being sworn in. It was a young girl, perhaps fifteen or so and she was wearing a blue jump suit which had the words " Hanscomb County Jail" stamped on the back. There in his black robed glory sat the judge, waiting for the girl to be seated. The prosecutor began questioning her on her association with a man he claimed was her pimp. She proved to be a tough customer, and the judge declared a recess before disappearing into his chambers. As soon as he was gone, a bailiff approached the chief and asked him to come with him because the judge wanted to speak to him privately. Vlad followed the man into the little room located behind the curtain in the courtroom.
Judge Thompson smiled when Vlad entered his chambers. "I am impressed by the way you've gone about casing the joint as they say in the criminal world. Lt. Dawson was most impressed by you which is a good thing, since he was the only other candidate for the position, but I think all those years of killing people for a living in the service has softened him a bit too much for my particular needs. I am honored that you'd pick my little courtroom as your next stop rather than the building where your office will be located. Take my advice and look at the jail, ask for Lt. Karlson. I'm sure the good lieutenant will give the kind of tour of the facility that you will appreciate. Perhaps afterwards you might take a peek at your quarters; they are top notch if I do say so." With that the judge turned and began to check some papers on the small desk that was one of the few pieces of furniture in the room. Vlad took the hint and left. The bailiff gave him directions to the jail and Vlad decided to walk since it was a nice day.
Vlad walked into the reception area and was greeted by a deputy who knew who he was and escorted him to meet his superior, Lt. Karlson. The chief was properly impressed by the communication system that his organization possessed. He just hoped that they were good at other things as well.
"Pleased to meet you chief Vlad, I'm Lieutenant Karlson. The judge has asked me to show you around and answer any questions you may have." Vlad was a big man and used to towering over women. Instead he found himself almost eye to eye with this shapely, buxom, redhead who appeared to be in her mid thirties. He immediately adopted an aggressive posture, the result of his frequent skirmishes with Candi Kurtz. He caught himself about to launch some cutting remark about her uniform, then immediately backed off and enjoyed the view her open blouse was providing. Their eyes met and she gave him a thin-lipped smile of welcome before waving him to follow her. The view from the rear was every bit as interesting as her open blouse.
They walked down a long corridor and entered the main portion of the jail. The first thing that Vlad noticed was there were very few prisoners in those cells, the occupants mostly older men or women. These women were unattractive in almost all cases, some overweight, others with hatchet faces and mean eyes, most on the wrong side of thirty. Lt. Karlson took out her keyring to get them into the next section which she informed him housed the hard cases. There were two rows of solitary confinement cells, solid metal doors with a peep hole and feeding slot. "We currently are entertaining fifteen inmates here, six women and nine men. They will remain here until they convince me and my deputies that they have seen the error of their ways. In my jail they have only one chance to get out; the second trip to this place is for the rest of their sentences. We have at present two men and one woman that fit into that category."
The jailer used still another key to pass through a door that led to a flight of stairs. Vlad followed her swaying hips as they descended to an underground level that featured four doors, two on each side, widely separated. "I call these the exercise rooms. This is where we convince the hard cases that it's a lot smarter to get with the program than spend any significant time being exercised. As luck would have it, one of the permanent members of the solitary confinement wing is being exercised in one room while another new attendee is being introduced to the process in another. We can take a peek through this one way glass."
Vlad's eyes widened and his heart beat increased significantly at what he saw. Hanging from her thumbs was an emaciated woman, stark naked. It was difficult to guess her age because of her poor physical condition that included a swollen face. Her legs were spread wide and the clamps attached to her toes were anchored by cables to ringbolts in the floor. A male deputy holding a rubber truncheon was pulling her lank blonde hair to rouse her. They could hear his voice quite easily. "You're not fooling me for a second you miserable cunt! I know your limits and we haven't even got close to them yet. Now open your fucking eyes!"
There was no response from the woman.
The deputy grunted and then punched her squarely in the face, splitting her lips open and making her head bounce back and forward from the force of the blow. Then he stepped closer and drove his leather gloved fist into her cunt, bringing a grunt of pain and a small stream of bloody froth from her mouth. He bent down to retrieve his hose and began using it on her swollen tits which looked like two flat tires in shape and color. Vlad looked over to an excited Lt. Karlson who was licking her lips in anticipation of what was to follow. "Keep watching, this is going to be good. He's going to cane her! Vlad recognized a kindred spirit in this tall woman. Perhaps this assignment might prove to be more than just a job. There seemed to be potential for some enjoyment as well.
For the better part of ten minutes they watched the deputy use a three foot length of bamboo on the woman's naked body, moving from back to front and going from her swollen tits to her kneecaps which brought the loudest screams from her. Vlad was impressed by the way the man could make the tip cut into her cunt lips, tearing them to tatters as she shrieked to the heavens praying for her god to allow her to die. The lieutenant observed that this deputy could use the cane for as long as he wanted without drawing blood, if that wasn't his objective. Prisoners often went into deep shock from his canings, but never lost so much as a drop of blood. This woman had almost five more months to serve in solitary before being released from county jail. She was sure that by that time every square inch of her emaciated body would have been opened by the tip of that terrible weapon. Vlad was most impressed. For a moment he was back in his basement using a cane on Candi Kurtz as she hung by her thumbs, her body stripped with dozens upon dozens of bleeding wounds as he slashed her to pieces. Then he realized that his guide was calling his name and asking if he'd seen enough of this room. Vlad nodded dumbly and let himself be escorted to the second exercise room.
He should have guessed that this room contained something completely different, but Vlad's jaw dropped when he took a good look at what was going on. He quickly glanced at his escort and caught her with a wide smile on her face. His eyes narrowed for a second, just long enough for Karlson to understand that her new chief did not like surprises of this nature.
There was a naked man with a rope around his neck that forced him to stand on his toes. His hands appeared to be either tied or cuffed behind his back. His hard cock was pressed up against his lower belly by a swath of Velcro. His red and swollen balls were responding to the weight that hung from his scrotum. A female deputy wearing only a bra above her waist was standing behind him using a rubber hose. Karlson smirked and observed that he'd be pissing blood for a couple of days at least, after her deputy got done drubbing his kidneys.
This one was a new member of the club getting an introduction to the exercise room. They watched as the prisoner grunted and hopped from one foot to the other as he was battered. Now it was Karlson's turn to take a break from reality, based on the almost blank stare she provided. Vlad wondered what kind of a fantasy she was having; he would have been very much surprised if he could have seen it.
The deputy now moved to face her prisoner and Vlad could not help observing that she had quite a body and her face wasn't half bad either. His musings were shattered as she swung the rubber hose, landing it directly on the head of the man's cock, and bringing a scream of mortal agony from him. She wasted little time giving his balls a good taste of the hose and her victim began to vomit. Then she smashed the hose against his stiff cock over and over until he slumped, his full weight now supported by the noose that was slowly strangling him. For a brief moment Vlad was tempted to pound on the window, but the deputy knew what she was doing. She pulled a knife from her back pocket and in one swift motion cut the noose away, allowing the inmate to collapse to the floor. "He'll live, don't worry." Karlson said. Her remark annoyed him, but he held his tongue. There would be plenty of time to take care of her smart mouth once he got settled into his new job.
The following day Vlad boarded the aircraft that would take him back so he could pack up and transfer those items he needed for his new assignment. He also had to see his children and make sure that they knew that he was not deserting them, and that their mother was recovering in a hospital a long way from home. He hoped he was not putting them on by saying that she was going to recover, but that is what he thought, so that is what he would say to them. For all his failings, Vlad still reserved some small part of himself for his offspring.
( To be continued )
