No 12942, Friday 22 May 2020, Dr. X

Day 59 of 68 Stay safe at home

(I am maintaining lockdown till 31 May)

RULES FOR POSTING COMMENTS ON FRIDAYS ONLY

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ACROSS
1   Deny arresting American dissenter (8) RECUSANT {REC{US}ANT}
5   Start to admire Dravid say, one with special defence (6) ABATIS {Ad...e}{BAT}{1}{S}

10 Found strength to give up cocaine for good (5) FORGE FOR(-c+g)GE
11 Unstated reversal in plan to go to live in the country (9) RUSTICATE {RUS{TACIT<=}E}
12 Keep cuddling wife after wine for a sensational reaction (5, 4) SHOCK WAVE {S{HOCK}{W}AVE}
13 Clothes stand (3-2) GET-UP [DD]
14 Ridicules many getting sick aboard steamer (6) SCOFFS {S{C}{OFF}S}
15 Times of terrible unrest over citizenship essentially (7) TENURES {UNREST}* over {c...zEn...p}
18 Suckers for old-time therapy? (7) LEECHES [C&DD]

20 Outlaw at townhouse arrested around capital city (6) OTTAWA [T<=]
22 Small compact chip (5) SHARD {S}{HARD}
24 Sponge cake prepared by chefs heartily in department (9) MADELEINE {MADE}{L{chEfs}INE}

25 Charge of care given incorrectly (9) GRIEVANCE*
26 Select good bank (5) GLEAN {G}{LEAN}
27 Graceful maiden starting to bathe in river (6) NIMBLE {NI{M}{Ba..e}LE}
28 Consequences of America infiltrating territories (8) STATUSES {STAT{US}ES}

DOWN
1   Most widespread fires raging at southern border of rainforest (6) RIFEST {FIRES*}{r...sT}
2   Skill in bed essentially increases! Get tablet (9) CARTOUCHE {C{ART}OUCH}{incrEases}

3   What a preacher might do to guess who’s here? (5, 2, 3, 5) SPEAK OF THE DEVIL [DD]
4   They invaded England from heart of France, breaking usual rules (7) NORMANS {NORM{frANce}S}
6   Group perhaps got in trouble about exposing (8, 2, 5)  BRINGING TO LIGHT {B{RING}{GOT+IN}*LIGHT}
7   Characteristic flair backed by sex appeal (5) TRAIT {ART<=}{IT}
8   Model in court facing trial is most unreasonable (8) STEEPEST {S{T}EE}{PEST}
9   Climb a trail (6) ASCENT {A}{SCENT}
16 Unruly behaviour in bank with outcry over money lost in cock-up (9) ROWDINESS {ROW}{DIN}{mESS}
17 Batter close to amazing in game! It shows brilliance (8) FLASHGUN {F{LASH}{a...nG}UN}
19 Ecclesiastical offence is about getting cash after selling benefit essentially (6) SIMONY {IS<=}{MONeY}
20 Scrap in party over chaps interrupting date every so often (7) ODDMENT {OD<=}{Da{MEN}Te}
21 Parties very upset after a little exchange in bar (6) BEANOS {SO<=} after {B{Ex...e}AN}
23 Scumbag is maliciously adopting a type of discrimination (5) AGISM [T]

Reference List
Special = S, Cocaine = C, Good = G, Wife = W, Wine = HOCK, Many = C, Steamer = SS, Small = S, Good = G, Maiden = M, Sex appeal = IT, Model = T, Trial = PEST,  Money = M, Party = DO

Dr RKE's TalePiece

Frank NORMANS, an officer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, stood outside the OTTAWA office of the commissioner Justine Slade. There was a brass CARTOUCHE on the door displaying the escutcheon of the force, the same one on his badge he had proudly worn for 20 years. Normans had GLEANed that he was to be RUSTICATEd to a remote village in Ontario as he was getting on in age and was considered to be not NIMBLE enough for active service in the city. He felt it was a case of AGISM and he was here to present his GRIEVANCE to the commissioner. During his long TENURE in the force, he had played a major role in BRINGING TO LIGHT and then busting a crime syndicate noted for its ROWDINESS. Regular work-out kept him fit and he could make the ASCENT up the STEEPEST of staircases and arrive faster than many a younger colleague taking the elevator. The only thing that could be held against him was a RECUSANT TRAIT but that would surface only when he felt he was absolutely right.

Ms. MADELEINE Scott, secretary of Slade, ushered Normans in to the office.  When Normans was presenting his plaint, to the reluctant chief,  Slade's phone rang all on a sudden. The commissioner heard the person at the other end for some time and exclaimed "SPEAK OF THE DEVIL, Normans is right here before me...uh... sure...OK". He turned to Normans with a beaming smile and said "Normans, you are not going to the country. This metropolis needs you". Normans clicked his boots, gave a crisp salute and left, not knowing what had brought on a sudden change in the commissioner's demeanor.

The person who had called was the commissioner of RCMP from Toronto. They had just arrested the "FLASH GUN bomber", who had sent SHOCK WAVES across Canada. The bomber would pose as a photographer and would trigger explosions with his flash gun. Normans, as the investigating officer had FORGEd together the evidence, quite literally from the SHARDs and had alerted Toronto in time for them to arrest the perpetrator before he was to carry out his dastardly act in a mall. The Toronto commissioner had called Ottawa to thank Normans for his thorough field work and had recommended an elevation of Normans' STATUS in the force. When they met next at a BEANO, Normans thanked Slade and the commissioner said  "Thank Toronto's chief, old boy, he called at the right moment".