Armed and Dangerous

339.

We are given Howard Turkin's last known address, a phone number and a warning. I decide to check in with Julie and have a background check run on him as we point the Escalade southeast in the general direction of Rancho Cordova. Mustang is at the wheel, I shotgun as we exchange notes while Julie does the data crunch on Mr. Turkin. It seems that everyone has had their share of resistance during the rollout of the 'new protocol', spanning the gamut of law enforcement rank and file. As she is relaying a particularly testy conversation The Queen had with a crusty recently transferred (a demotion to desk work) field agent in Madison, she whistles what I take to be a Vaudevillian ode to danger.

"Well oh well," she sings after the intro, "your guy has almost three pages of arrests and prosecutions, quite the rap," she says.

"Can you give me the highlights?"

"Two tours in 'Nam, honorable in '74, and then the usual series of PTSD related minors for possession, public intoxication, assault, a burglary, GTA, failure to disperse, a DV charge, 14 months for a weapons across state lines violation and then a year of sobriety."

"Trouble adjusting back into the real world," I add to slow her momentum.

"Yes, but then he stays off the books until a few years ago when he surfaces at a gun show in Salinas that was busted for being a recruiting event for a neo-Nazi unit looking for Vets with nothing to lose and experience in munitions and explosives. Evidently he jumped in and has been at the forefront of operations ever since, interestingly enough keeping his nose clean in the process."

"Somebody is providing a cash incentive? Do we have IRS data?"

"Just a minute. Hummm, hasn't filed since 2003."

"Mercenary territory. Somebody is bankrolling the operation and he is a beneficiary."

"Can you send me the most recent photo and how about family?"

"Divorced twice, two kids, grown, a girl in North Carolina and a son in Florida, neither with records, nary a blemish, under the names we have anyway."

"OK, thanks, we'll see what we can do with the new protocols, which, by the way, have already made it to the street, congratulations."

"We like to be on the bleeding edge, as you know, thank you. And stay safe out there, this Mr. Turkin looks like he can be a ornery ol' cuss. You know, armed and dangerous."

"Under advisement, that is the same warning we got from the station chief less than an hour ago."

"It's always good advice. Talk soon."