Death of the Ayn Rand Scholar by Gray Cavender (classic literature list txt) 📕

Charnell stayed on the phone with Jillian until Officer Benn arrived. By that time, the clerk had peaked his head up from behind the counter, and came out to be with Jillian. His name was Debajon, and he owned the store…he’d also called 9-11. Officer Benn arrived first…the other black and white rolled-up about a minute later.

B I N G…The oven timer beeped…loud, a little metallic, but not unpleasant…interrupting Jillian’s remembrance. She opened the oven door, glanced inside, thought a second, then cancelled Bake, turned on Broil, and again set the timer. She wanted the vegies on top to be crisp. She uncorked the pinot and had a glass while waiting for her pizza. And returned to her thoughts.

The pattern Jillian had seen in the data was that Clay Neely had shifted targets: he’d stopped robbing liquor stores and started robbing high end wine shops. The reason was simple: ‘the take.’ His liquor store robberies were netting him about $700 per crime; the wine shops were netting more than twice that. As she’d looked at these data, Jillian thought about her graduate Justice Theory class where they’d read Jeremy Bentham, the British thinker from the late 1700s. His Utilitarian theory—she even remembered his term, ‘hedonistic calculus’—explained Neely’s actions…a rational economic decision…and, unfortunately for him, one that also led to accurate predictions. After her last round of models, Jillian did a google search and identified three wine shops in Tempe that he had not robbed, yet. They were the ’possibles’ for that Friday night. He chose the one near the movie theater…and she was there.

Sgt. Gruber’s intel was right and wrong: ultimately, it did ID a robber, just not the liquor store guy…not Clay Neely. Sgt. Gruber was nearing retirement and wanted one last collar so he could go out a winner.

Clay Neely’s hip was broken, which is why he didn’t get up after Jillian’s second throw.

Two days later, Jillian found herself in Chief McCaslin’s office…Lt. Timms was there, too. Jillian felt bad that Linda had to come in from maternity leave. She also steeled herself…thinking there was a good chance that she’d be fired.

Linda Timms first words after they convened, were “Jillian, what on earth were you thinking? Clay Neely, who by the way is claiming ‘police brutality,’ has a fairly nasty criminal record...he’s an armed robber…you could have been killed.” She paused, waiting for an answer…this was not a rhetorical question.

Jillian had, of course, thought about what she would say, and she said it. “I work here…this is my job. I believe in what the team’s doing…it works. It works,” she repeated, and leaned toward Lt. Timms for emphasis. “And, really, I didn’t know what to do. I know it was stupid that I went to that wine shop…I just wanted to see for myself if the models were right. As to why I got out of the car and confronted that guy…I honestly have no idea. I didn’t even know I was doing it until…there he was. I’m sorry, I really am…and please, don’t blame this on the team…no one knew that I was going there.”

Chief McCaslin spoke for the first time. “Yes, we know…we’ve already spoken with Tim Hughes, and he agreed that you did this on your own.” As she said this, she gave Jillian ‘the eye.’ “He also told us that you tried to go through the proper channels, but Sgt. Gruber wouldn’t listen. Still, this was really foolhardy Ms. Warne.”

“I know. I’m sorry if I’ve gotten us in trouble…is this guy going to sue us?”

The Chief laughed, “Who knows? Maybe. I think that any law suit may be weakened by the fact that he’d just committed an armed robbery and also pulled a gun on you. And that wine shop owner over there thinks you’re a hero. He’s offered to be a character witness…I don’t know why, maybe too many TV lawyer shows.” She paused, and glanced at a report on her desk. “Says here you used judo to subdue Mr. Neely…is that correct?”

“Yes, Chief, I’ve been taking judo for…well, since before I started working here.”

The Chief said, “May I ask why?”

“So, I was getting ready to start the job here and starting graduate school, too, and I was feeling very stressed…I wanted some sort of exercise program. There were a lot of options…I did some homework, and judo seemed like a good way to go. It’s good exercise, but it’s also great mentally…I get into a different zone…it takes my mind off things.”

“I see. OK, Ms. Warne. That’s all for now. Lt. Timms and I have to confer about…well, what to do about this…situation.”

Jillian nodded and started to rise.

The Chief said, “At the risk of encouraging this sort of behavior—which I do not—I guess I should thank you…for capturing a dangerous criminal.”

Jillian nodded again, gave a slight smile, and left the office.

Three months later, Jillian Warne entered The Arizona Law Enforcement Academy for a 20-week course. Between the meeting in the Chief’s office and The Academy, though, a lot happened. Most immediately, she received wonderful support as well as a lot of teasing from everyone in The Research Division. The support included many individual conversations and also drinks at Postinos, hosted by her friends on intelligence-led policing team. They gave her a Jackie Chan video and a card—signed by everyone, including Lt. Timms—that invoked the old Kung Fu TV show. Inside the card, the old master was talking to the young novice about his progress in the martial art: the word, ‘Grasshopper’ was crossed out and ‘Jillian’ had been written in, in a kind of calligraphy.

Other kudos came from the civilian employees and many of the officers in the building, some in uniform and some detectives. A time or two as she approached a clump of people, someone would whisper and everyone would look at Jillian while trying not to appear to be looking at her. One guy—Jillian didn’t know him, but had seen him a