The Equal Rights Amendment states that the rights guaranteed by the Constitution apply equally to all persons regardless of their sex. After the 19th Amendment affirming women’s right to vote was ratified in 1920, suffragist leader Alice Paul introduced the ERA in 1923 as the next step in bringing "equal justice under law" to all citizens.
In 1972, the ERA was finally passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification. In ten years, the ERA had been ratified by thirty-five states, three short of the thirty-eight required to put it into the Constitution.
Missouri was one of the states that had not ratified the amendment. Although it had been ratified in the Missouri House of Representatives, it had never passed muster in the Senate.
Senator Wright had always championed the ERA and was once again bringing the amendment before the Missouri Senate for ratification.
Jan learned that the ‘meet and greet’ after the senator’s speech was not restricted to the press. It was open to anyone supporting the passage of the amendment.
Excited, she picked up the phone. “Derek, I’ve just been given the assignment of my life and I’d like you to go with me.”
“I hope you’re talking about the Keith Urban concert. If you are, I’m in!”
“No, silly. This is much more important. Senator Wright is speaking at Bartle Hall, and afterward we can meet her in person. I actually get to interview her for the paper.”
Swell, he thought. An evening with a women’s libber!
A long silence.
“Sure, babe. That sounds great. Can anyone come?”
“I can bring guests if that’s what you mean. Why do you ask?”
“I dunno, I thought maybe I’d invite someone to tag along --- you know, someone to pal around with while you’re doing your interview.”
“Sounds great. How about Walt and Maggie? I really enjoyed visiting with Maggie at Kennedy’s cook out.”
She actually had an ulterior motive. She wanted to be sure Walt hadn’t seen her at Newton’s apartment.
“Walt? Really? He’s been a real pain in my ass lately.”
“Oh come on. You guys worked together five years. It would be good for both of you to spend some time outside of work.”
“Okay, I’ll give him a call.”
After hanging up, Derek gave a big sigh. An evening with Walt Williams listening to some old gal rambling on about women’s rights --- but Jan’s so darn cute. I guess it’s worth it.
“Walt, Blaylock here.”
“Derek, is there a break in the Black Widow case?”
“No, I’m calling about something else. Senator Wright has a gig at Bartle Hall. Something about the Equal Rights Amendment. Jan gets to interview her for the Star. I thought you and Maggie might like to go with us.”
A long pause.
“Why in heaven’s name would I want to do that? Nothing personal, but that sounds like something about one notch above having a colonoscopy.”
“Because you owe me! That’s why! Do you know how many reports I’ve had to file in the last few weeks trying to explain why your wrinkled old butt is showing up at every Black Widow crime scene? Besides, Jan and Maggie hit it off at the cook out. This is her idea. Trust me --- you weren’t my first choice.”
“Wow! With all that sweet talk, how could I refuse?”
“Who was that, Sweetie,” Maggie asked as I hung up the phone.
“Derek Blaylock, and I have to admit I’m a bit perplexed.”
“How so?”
“He actually invited us to go somewhere with him and Jan. Five years on the force and we never even went out for a cup of coffee.”
“Where are they going?”
“Some senator is giving a speech at Bartle Hall and ---.”
“Senator Wright?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
Maggie clapped her hands. “Oh, goody! I was wanting to hear her presentation, but I didn’t think I’d be able to drag you out the door. The Women’s Council of Realtors are big supporters of Senator Wright and the ERA. It will be so much fun!”
Swell!
It was highly unusual to be called into the supervisor’s office in the middle of the morning.
Wonder what’s up? Jeff Greenberg thought as he made his way past the rows of cubicles to the boss’s big corner office.
“Miss Harper? You sent for me?”
“Jeff,” his supervisor said, looking up from a sheaf of papers. “Have a seat.”
He sat uneasily, not knowing what to expect.
“Jeff, I have some bad news. Upper management has decided to make some changes. It’s an internal thing. I’m going to have to let you go.”
“But --- I don’t understand. Hasn’t my work been satisfactory?”
“Barely adequate I’m afraid,” she replied. “We’re constantly trying to upgrade our staff and management believes that we have found the right person to get the production we need from your position.”
“The right person? Who?”
“That’s not important. My job is to make your termination as smooth as possible. You will be given a very generous severance package that should tide you over until you can find something else.”
“When will this take effect?”
“Immediately. As soon as you clean out your desk, security will escort you to the purser’s office to pick up your check.”
“So that’s it? Three years with this company and I’m out the door just like that?”
“I’m so sorry, Jeff. Good luck.”
As he was cleaning out his desk, he overheard the conversation from the adjoining cubicle.
“I heard Jeff’s leaving. Is that true?”
“It is. Marcy Matson, his replacement, will start tomorrow.”
So there it was. He had been passed over for promotion after promotion with women getting the coveted positions, and now he had been fired by a female supervisor, and his replacement was a woman!
He was seething as he picked up the cardboard box with all that was left of his job. If a beefy security officer hadn’t been standing by, he might have given everyone something to remember him by.
After picking up his check, he headed to the parking garage which he would exit for the last time.
As he pulled onto the street, he noticed a billboard with Senator Wright’s smiling face, reminding everyone of her upcoming visit to promote the Equal Rights Amendment.
“Equal rights, my ass!” he muttered for the second time that day. “What about my rights?”
As he headed home, a plan began to unfold in his mind.
We decided to make an evening of it. I figured if I had to sit through a boring speech at least I’d get a good meal out of it.
After we ordered, Jan gave Maggie a wink. “Walt, Derek tells me you’ve been hanging out with that Black Widow woman. How does your wife feel about that?”
“Trust me,” I replied, “it’s not my idea. The last time we crossed paths she shot me in the ass with a taser then wrapped me in duct tape like an Egyptian mummy.”
“Wow! That must have been awful!”
“The worst part was laying there helpless and needing to pee.”
“Walt!” Maggie scolded, “we’re at dinner!”
Jan pressed on. “I hear her last victim was a child pornographer. How do you feel about that?”
I had to think about that one. “I saw the images on his computer and they were absolutely disgusting. The man was obviously a predator and should have been behind bars, but that can’t happen now because the Widow anointed herself judge, jury, and executioner. I certainly don’t condone what any of her victims were doing, but vigilante justice isn’t the answer. Just ask Derek what would happen if everyone decided to blow away people who offended them.”
“Okay, you two,” Maggie interrupted, “no more shop talk. You get enough of that morbid stuff every day. Let’s enjoy the evening.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Derek said, raising his glass. “No more talk about the Bla
ck Widow and scumbags.”
Bartle Hall was packed.
I figured every woman in town would be supporting the senator, so I was surprised to see women carrying placards with a big X through the ERA.
“What’s that all about?” I asked.
“Some conservative women oppose the Amendment,” Jan replied. “They claim it would be a disadvantage to housewives and make women subject to the military draft.”
I hadn’t thought about that. I suppose there are two sides to every question.
As we were making our way to our seats, a young man approached.
“Hi Jan. I figured I’d see you here.”
“Hi, Phillip. What are you doing here?”
He pointed to the name badge on his jacket. “My company is catering the after party. I’ll actually be serving the senator and her guests.”
“Congratulations! We’ll see you there.”
We found our seats and moments later the senator took the stage to thunderous applause.
She didn’t waste any time getting to the nitty-gritty of her speech.
“For years, we’ve been told that it’s a man’s world and that’s certainly been the case. In 1920 we were finally given the right to vote, and yet, after all these years women are still second-class citizens.
“Full time working women make eighty cents for every dollar earned by men for the same job. No more! It’s time for a change!”
The crowd stood and roared their support.
“Did you know that commercial airline cockpits are designed to meet the typical specifications of men, and that 70% of women cannot meet safety standards in the same space. Is it any wonder then, that 97% of commercial airline pilots are men?
“Did you know that until recently, crash test dummies were 100% male forms, and the lack of female models resulted in years of disproportionately high female mortality?
“Did you know that the newest artificial hearts can save 86% of men but only 20% of women, and yet heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States?”
The senator went on for another twenty minutes citing fact after fact that supported the notion that men and women aren’t on an even playing field.
She concluded with a call to action.
“If you want to close the gender gap, you can’t sit idly by hoping something will change. You must step up to the plate. I’ll be introducing the Equal Rights Amendment into the senate during the next legislative session. Call your senator and tell him or her it’s time to give the women of our great nation their equal rights! Thank you!”
The crowd rose in unison, clapping and cheering as she left the stage.
Jan was absolutely giddy.
“Do you see why that woman is my hero? I can’t wait to meet her in person.”
Without further ado, we pushed our way through the crowd to the reception room where the senator would be entertaining the press and invited guests.
Jeff Greenberg sat in the back of the room listening to the senator spew the garbage from her bully pulpit.
“Disgusting!” he muttered, leaving the auditorium as she was concluding her remarks. “No wonder the country is in such a mess. Women are abandoning the home, leaving their children with nannies, and flooding the workplace taking jobs that rightfully are a man’s.”
As he circled the block to the dock at the back of the building where the catering company was unloading the food and beverages that would be served at the after party, only one thought was on his mind. If you want to kill a snake, you cut off its head!
The kitchen was a beehive of activity. Caterers were preparing the hors d'oeuvres and beverages.
Jeff spotted a young man loading a cart. “Excuse me, could you direct me to the men’s room?”
“Sure, just go down this hall and --- oh heck, it’s kind of confusing. Follow me.”
Jeff followed the man and when they were alone in the corridor he struck him with the pistol he had brought to the event.
After removing the man’s jacket, he bound his hands and feet with plastic ties and placed tape across his mouth. Satisfied that he would be incapacitated long enough, he pulled him into a janitor’s closet.
Donning the man’s jacket, he turned back to the kitchen, grabbed the cart, and headed to the after party.
Jan watched expectantly as the senator stepped up to the podium to greet her invited guests.
The applause had just died down when she spotted a man entering the room pushing a food cart. She was expecting to see her friend and was disappointed that it was not him. Maybe he would come later, she thought.
Then, as he drew closer, she noticed the name tag. It was Phillip’s tag, but that certainly wasn’t her friend.
She had an uneasy feeling that something was wrong. The uneasy feeling turned to fear when she saw the man reach under the lid of the covered serving tray. Instead of cold cuts, she saw the glint of cold steel.
“GUN!” she shouted, springing from her chair.
I breathed a sigh of relief. The worst was over. Now all that was left was the ‘meet and greet’ after party. At least there would be munchies, according to Jan.
We filed into the reception room and found our seats. Jan, being a representative of the Kansas City Star, had snagged us front row seats.
The senator had just stepped up to the podium when a man entered pushing a food cart. I saw Jan give him the once-over. Then I remembered that her friend was going to be a server at the event.
Jan gave him a second look and I saw her face contort in fear.
Then suddenly, she leaped from her chair. “GUN!” she cried.
She reached the senator just as the report from the gun echoed through the room.
In an instant, Derek was on his feet. He tackled the shooter before he could fire a second round.
Moments later, the man was being dragged away by security.
Everyone had gathered around the podium. The senator was shaken, but unhurt.
Jan laid, eyes wide open, in a pool of her own blood.
“Is --- is?” she whispered.
“Yes, sweetie,” Derek replied, tears streaming down his face. “The senator is safe.”
She smiled weakly as her life ebbed away.
Jan Livingston had given her life to save her hero and the champion of the cause she loved so dearly.
EPILOGUE
The headline in the next morning’s paper told the tragic story of how one of their own had lost her life saving Senator Wright.
A memorial service was planned to honor the sacrifice of this brave young woman
The shooter, Jeffrey Greenberg, was a disgruntled employee who had just lost his job and was replaced by a woman.
Although Greenberg was locked away in the county jail, pundits wondered if the Black Widow would find some way to exact her vengeance on the man who had attacked the champion of the Equal Rights Amendment and killed her protector.
That never happened.
In fact, the Black Widow was never heard from again. She left our city as quickly and as mysteriously as she had come.
Some wondered if she had simply pulled up stakes and moved to another big city. Others thought she might have been overpowered by her latest victim and her body hidden away.
We’ll probably never know for sure, but one thing is certain: she left in her wake the bodies of seven men who were the victims of her vigilante justice when the justice system failed.
To some, she was a hero. To others, she was a cold-blooded killer.
There was no middle ground, and it mirrored exactly what is transpiring in our country today.
It seems that there are more issues dividing people than ever before, and that’s a tragedy.
Abraham Lincoln said that a house divided against itself cannot stand, and when we recite the Pledge of Allegiance we say we are ‘one nation, under God, indivisible,’ and yet people draw lines in the sand and dare others to cross.
So many differences of opinion --- men
and women, Muslims and Christians, Democrats and Republicans, gays and straights, pro-life and pro-choice, black and white, the very rich and the very poor.
We all seek justice and equality, but is it truly justice if the end result is the suffering of another?
No doubt the Black Widow believed her cause was just, and yet what she did violated the very essence of civilized society.
Lady Justice has a daunting task these days, and if justice is to prevail it is incumbent on each of us to seek peaceful solutions to our differences.
My name is Walt Williams and even though I’m just an old goat, I’ll try to do my part.
Like Walt, I hate spiders!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Award-winning author, Robert Thornhill, began writing at the age of sixty-six and in eight short years has penned thirty novels in the Lady Justice mystery/comedy series, the seven volume Rainbow Road series of chapter books for children, a cookbook and a mini-autobiography.
Lady Justice and the Sting, Lady Justice and Dr. Death, Lady Justice and the Vigilante, Lady Justice and the Candidate, Lady Justice and the Book Club Murders, Lady Justice and the Cruise Ship Murders and Lady Justice and the Vet won the Pinnacle Award for the best new mystery novels of Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Summer 2012, Fall 2012, Spring of 2013 and Summer 2014 from the National Association of Book Entrepreneurs.
Many of Walt’s adventures in the Lady Justice series are anecdotal and based on Robert’s real life.
Although Robert holds a master’s in psychology, he has never taken a course in writing and has never learned to type. All 40 of his published books were typed with one finger and a thumb!
His wit and insight come from his varied occupations, including thirty-three years as a real estate broker. He lives with his wife, Peg, in Independence, Missouri.
Visit him on the Web at: http://BooksByBob.com
LADY JUSTICE TAKES A C.R.A.P.
Lady Justice and the Black Widow Page 11