I didn’t know when I started the column that it would be such a help to the Centerville Police Department. CPD is a pretty fancy term for three people: Inspector Samuels, one deputy, and the City Council member who oversees the police, Linda Amberton. She glories in the title “Chief,” as if she knew anything about crime solving. Well, now she knows a lot more.

As a matter of fact, “Chief” Linda Amberton was the one who brought the latest case to Inspector Samuels. She came in quietly—a rarity for her—eased herself into his private office, looked both ways, and then told her story. As Inspector Samuels told me over coffee not long afterward, she told him she had been the victim of a blackmail attempt.

“My hat’s off to her,” Samuels said. “Not many people would have the courage to do what she did. Most would just pay up and hope it went away.”