The Department: Wicked, Scandalous, Plotted Damnation

By Heiress De Subroza

The Department by Heiress De Subroza

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 12, 2015
• ISBN: 9781634176828

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Copyright © 2015 Heiress De Subroza

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING, INC.

New York, NY

First originally published by Page Publishing, Inc. 2015

ISBN 978-1-63417-681-1 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-63417-682-8 (digital)

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Printed in the United States of America

Are you aware of the dark, hidden tactics employed by the higher echelon of law enforcement, tactics such as deception, discrimination, betrayal, and outright scandal? As this tale of calculated ruination unfolds, the true realization of these tactics will manifest before your very eyes.

This story is astounding! I am going to tell you how a female chief, a male captain, and a female lieutenant (three persons of notable rank) banded together to destroy a secretary—a powerless, naive (at the time) secretary who obviously was a paper tiger in their sight.

I am also going to tell you how the secretary, due to the circumstance and its duration, went through a total metamorphosis: she went from bewildered to ballistic, castigated to cavalier, delicate to dangerous, impressionable to impenetrable, travestied to triumphant, unnerved to undefeated, and victimized to victorious.

How do I know that the secretary was affected? I happen to know because I am the secretary, and I have a story to tell—and I don’t mind telling it with righteous indignation! Enough time has passed since this nightmare took place: this story will jar the memory of some and set the story straight, but it is probably also a revelation to many.

So fasten your seat belt and get ready for a wild ride. We are going to hell and back! By the way, I am Debra—Debra Wayland. As we travel together through this dark, treacherous maze of backfiring schemes and shocking subversions, you will be able to see, as I discovered, that friendship is a gift truly to be cherished. You will also be able to see (a disappointing reality) that I discovered who my true friends were and were not. A very dear and beloved friend of mine passed away in October of 1998. He was a man of great integrity, an inspiration to many, who had possessed powerful political influence. He was a great leader and a fair and just person—a person whose mission was truly to attend to the needs of the people he served. I speak of my departed comrade Sheriff Sherman Blake of the La Seraph County Sheriff’s Department.

I kept quiet about the conspiracy against me; the timing was not right. The issue was politically devastating and way too explosive. Sheriff Blake eventually found out about it, naturally the perpetrators were aware of it, and I made it shockingly clear (to the sheriff via certified mail) that the attempted game of deceit and destruction against me had been tried on the wrong person!

To have gone public as a victim of conspiracy would have politically injured the sheriff. He was running for reelection, and my plight, had it been exposed, would have harmed him.

What was done to me was ugly, brutal, and diabolically malicious. By the time the sheriff found out about it, the wheels of conspiracy were already in full motion. Slanderous paperwork had already been generated; contrived investigations had been launched. After months of experiencing excruciating psychological torture, the sinister plot to destroy me finally came to fruition. It was a great endeavor—the plan was calculatingly wicked. I guess they thought they could really get away with it—just utterly destroy me. I must admit, they did give it their best shot, but they erred. Where they made their major mistake can be summed up in one word: underestimation!

They lied about me, tried to smear my name and ruin my reputation. What did they have to lose, those handsomely paid buffoons?

Well, there is such a thing as payback: you do reap what you sow in this life. The pit they dug for me is the one they fell into themselves. What they gained from their putrid blunder was vast disrespect.

Now there is a new sheriff in town—Leon D. Bakavich—a very handsome, attentive, and brilliant gentleman, I might add. He, like his predecessor, Sheriff Blake, is also a man of great integrity and has an innate moral goodness unlike any other man I have ever known.

I came from money, not old money, but affluence, nevertheless. My parents met each other and got married when they were both in medical school. I married at a very early age. After I left my husband, I went to work for the La Seraph County Sheriff’s Department—the largest and greatest Sheriff’s Department in the entire world.

My first assignment started in January 1986 at the Altamesa Sheriff’s Station. Jacqui Casella, the supervisor who hired me, and Fay Lewison, a coworker, are two very special women whom I still consider as friends this very day.

I transferred to Judicial Services West Bureau, then to the East La Seraph Sheriff’s Station. While working at East La Seraph Sheriff’s Station, I was asked to report to Sheriff’s Headquarters downtown to fill in for a secretary who was on vacation. In so doing, I met a very charming commander—Buford Wayland. He was a true aristocrat of noble character. He was from the old school, very urbane and polished. It was quite refreshing to see a gentleman with such finesse in the law enforcement arena: he was licensed to kill if necessary, but also very refined. What an exceptional blend of characteristics. He was a true credit to the department, and his friendship proved to be very beneficial. It was he who recommended me for the job at Chestnut Station, my next assignment.

While assigned to Chestnut Station, I learned that a secretary V position was available in the Office of the Undersheriff. The contact person to call regarding the job was Lieutenant Garry da Vinci, an old friend I knew from Altamesa Station. He was the first lieutenant I had ever met on the department and was surprisingly congenial. Our relationship was amicable, and his career path was of interest to me. I thought highly of him and felt that one day he would become one of the department’s executives.

I gave Lieutenant da Vinci a call and expressed my interest in the position. He told me that there were too many other secretaries ahead of me on the promotional list for that job, but he knew of another job I might want that offered a great chance to get exposure. The job entailed being secretary to Lieutenant Mikhail Seidenberg of the Le Seraph Sheriff’s Organization, who also answered directly to the undersheriff. I spoke with my supervisor, Deborah Romo, a true professional and valued friend, about my interest in the position and told her that I had a pending interview. She told me that she knew Lieutenant Seidenberg because he had formerly been assigned to Chestnut Station. She spoke with him on my behalf and gave me a good recommendation. Then I transferred to the La Seraph Sheriff’s Organization Foundation in May of 1991. This is where I met Lieutenant Mikhail Seidenberg, a gentleman of distinction, a sweetheart who, later on, turned Judas and became my main betrayer.

When I first started working for Mikhail, we got along very well together, tremendously well. On the La Seraph County Sheriff’s Department, only directors, captains, and persons of higher rank have secretaries. Mikhail was in a specialized unit and answered directly to the undersheriff. Because of the unique needs associated with his job, Mikhail requested and was granted a secretary—me, Debra Wayland. I also worked along with Sergeant Doreen Thigsten, the liaison officer, and Marge Kellogg, the administrative assistant. Although he was a lieutenant, Mikhail held the title of executive officer.

Working at the foundation was a sweet assignment. I was given the opportunity to meet key players in the highest positions on the department, and I got a lot of exposure. The board members whom we served were affluent and powerful. It was while working at the foundation that I personally met Sheriff Sherman Blake at an evening affair that was held at the Johannes Club, an exclusive, private club to which one of the board members held a membership. We, the members of the Sheriff’s Department, attended the function as invited guests. It was a private affair where the board members met with the higher echelon of the department in an effort to mingle and become better acquainted. The concerted effort was a huge success.

Quite a few months later, I received a phone call from Sergeant Don Jonstonavich, another old friend. We used to work together at Altamesa Station. He made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. He asked me if I would be interested in transferring to his unit of assignment (Judicial Services East Bureau), promoting to the position of secretary V, and working directly for Captain Al Mathers. Without a split second’s hesitation, I instantly said, You sweetheart! Of course I want the job. Thanks for thinking of me, and please schedule me for an interview. I interviewed with Captain Mathers and Lieutenant Jim Mossberg; they offered me the job, and I ecstatically accepted. It was also at this assignment that I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Sheriff Leon D. Bakavich; he was then at the rank of chief.

Shortly thereafter, Sergeant Johnstonavich transferred to the Dyad Towers, a new jail facility that was just getting underway in its construction. Sergeant Johnstonavich was replaced by Sergeant Terry Gonyea, and he was assisted by Operations Deputy Dale Oltman—two more sweethearts. Once again I was part of a dynamic team. Unfortunately, we lost our team leader, Captain Mathers, due to his transfer during the civil unrest of the 1992 La Seraph riots. Captain Mathers was replaced temporarily by Captain John Phillippian, who was succeeded by Captain Hugh C. McDonnellyn, another brilliant, caring, and equitable gentleman. He retired from the department at the inception of the merger between the La Seraph County Sheriff’s Department and the La Seraph County Marshal’s Department.

Captain McDonnellyn was an exceptional gentleman, very exceptional, and it was my pleasure to have assisted him. He will always have a special place in my heart. With the merger in full manifestation, I became very athletic: I got bounced all around the department just like a rubber ball. I finally got an assignment at Judicial Services Central Bureau and worked for another marvelous Captain—Danny Cammeron. It was at this assignment that I had the opportunity to meet Chief Bob Manning, the former marshal of La Seraph County.

Since I had already been a part of the Sheriff’s Department and Captain Cammeron had been part of the Marshal’s Department, I didn’t know how the captain would receive me as being his assigned secretary. I was most pleasantly surprised by his acceptance. To be quite candid, I was surprised to see the genuine camaraderie shared by all members of the former Marshal’s Department. I imagine the superlative alliance they shared was due to their former moderate workforce, incommensurable to the acrimonious behavior I’d witnessed and been a victim of by familiar and affiliate members of bureaucracy.

It was while I worked for Captain Cammeron that I met Lieutenant Troy Pewitt, a suave, handsome gentleman who later, because of our mere association, also became a victim in the tangled web of deception. We had become friends. I had seen his name on an Intend to Promote list, which stated that in the near future, Sheriff Blake intended to promote him to the rank of captain.

I mentioned the list to Captain Cammeron, and he said, Why don’t you give Troy a call and congratulate him? I remembered thinking that Captain Cammeron’s request seemed a bit different, like it was somewhat personal, but I figured that the former Marshal’s Department personnel must have been very friendly and looked out for each other.

With that thought in mind, I called Lieutenant Pewitt and said, Hey, congratulations! I saw your name in print on the ‘Intend to Promote’ list for captain. When the time comes and you need a secretary, give me a call.

Lieutenant Pewitt replied, "Oh, I will be giving you a call, Debra, but when I do, it definitely won’t be because I want you as my secretary!"

Whoa, I softly said to myself; handsome, single, and available—this will work! I pictured that charming milk chocolate hunk of sweetness in my mind and had a sugar rush!

Troy had made it known to me that his interest was of a personal nature, and I certainly had no objection. He promoted to the rank of captain a short time later. He became very engrossed with his new responsibilities and really didn’t have the time to cultivate a personal relationship. We went our separate ways.

Ten months after being assigned to Judicial Services Central Bureau, I was ordered to work a temporary assignment for Commanders Patrick Hollenbeck and Clyde Gatson; they needed a secretary. To say that I was pleased by their decision to ask for me because they had confidence in my abilities was in immense understatement. I was delighted but at the same time a bit perplexed.

I called my old friend Lieutenant Mikhail Seidenberg (we worked together at the foundation) and asked him for his opinion and advice regarding the situation. He had become an acting captain and was assigned to the Crime Lab. I said, Hey, Mikhail, can a captain’s secretary work for two commanders? I’ve never heard of this sort of arrangement before. Maybe the former Marshal’s Department did things differently. Anyway, I’ve been ordered to do so. It’s a temporary assignment, but the exposure is too good to be true.

Mikhail’s reply was, Go for it! The experience you’ll gain and the exposure you’ll receive can only help you later on.

Accepting Mikhail’s sanction on the situation and cognizant of his tenure with the department, I embarked upon my new journey with confidence and ease.

When the assignment ended, I went to work at the Judicial Services West Bureau for Captain Steven Davis, a childhood prankster who grew up to become a strikingly handsome, winsome gentleman with the sweetest personality. Although working with him was an absolute pleasure, my nightmare with the department began at that assignment. In addition to Captain Davis, I worked with an operations sergeant named Bob Pettigrew. We seemed to have a pretty good working relationship until one day when he made a slightly inappropriate comment. He explained a new procedure to me that was to become one of my collateral duties. He said that I would be responsible for furnishing certain information to the officers of the court and that I would have to provide this information over the telephone whenever they called.

That didn’t seem to be a problem to me, and