Chasing Justice

by Danielle Stewart

  It took nearly an hour to get everything set perfectly. As she walked back to her car she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. She pulled it out and was relieved to see it was Bobby.

  “He’s heading that way now. Do you have everything set up?” There was no time for cordial greetings or casual chitchat. This was crunch time, and only vital communication of facts would work.

  “Everything’s set up. I’m heading back to my car now to make sure the cameras are working. I should know in a few minutes,” she said, happy to hear Bobby’s voice.

  “I’ll meet you at your car. I’m assuming Christian is trying to get there before the judge. He has a duffle bag with him, but I’m not sure what’s in it or what he has planned.” Bobby spoke quickly, and Piper could tell his anxiety was significantly higher than hers. She felt she had come to terms with the fact that Christian would kill the judge. But she knew Bobby was still searching for a solution, still holding out for an alternative. “I have an idea,” Bobby added, stopping Piper in her tracks. She was afraid this would happen. “I need to run it by Michael. I’m going to give him a call and then fill you in as soon as I can. Send me a message when you know the cameras are operational.” She heard the line disconnect and felt a knot in her stomach. She reconsidered the last thing Jules had said to her. Would Bobby really jeopardize his own life to avoid the bloodshed of criminals tonight? Were his ideals more of a liability than she had considered?

  Piper sat tapping the steering wheel of her car, looking restlessly in her rearview mirror hoping to see Bobby either pulling up behind her or walking her way. In the fifteen minutes since they had spoken on the phone she had determined the cameras and microphones were working properly. She had watched Christian enter the side door of the mill and come into view of the cameras. He was moving some boxes and an old office chair around. She had tried twice to call Bobby, but she assumed he was still on the other line with Michael because he was not answering his phone.

  Finally, she saw Bobby hustling up the street toward her car, his phone still to his ear. He pulled open her car door and flopped down into the passenger seat, bringing with him a gust of cold air. She wanted to interrogate him, scold him, and hold him all at once. Instead, she listened to the phone conversation as it continued.

  “Yes, Michael, I think this could work.” Bobby grabbed Piper’s hand and squeezed it as a sign of excitement over the newly hashed plan.

  “Bobby, wait,” Piper heard Michael say on the other end of the line. “There’s something I need to tell you first.”

  “Holy Shit,” Bobby said, pointing at the screen televising the scene unfolding in the mill. “The judge is here. Whatever you have to tell me can wait. I’ve got to get in there.” He hung up the phone and reached for the car door to leave.

  “What are you doing? You can’t go in there yet. That’s not what we discussed!” Piper grabbed the sleeve of Bobby’s jacket trying to pull him toward her.

  “Michael and I think we’ve worked something out, but I have to get in there before Christian does anything, otherwise it’s too late. I need you to trust me.” He pulled her hand from his sleeve and held it, begging her with his eyes.

  “No. I mean, I do trust you, but I think your judgment is clouded.” The judge and Christian had begun talking, and the sound drew Piper’s attention to the screen long enough for Bobby to hop out of the car.

  “If anything happens to me, call the police. No matter what, stay in the car. Please trust me.” He half closed the door and then pulled it back open and stuck his head in. “I think I might love you, Piper.” He pulled his head back, closed the door, and ran toward the mill.

  She held her breath, unable for a moment to process anything. Not the sudden changes to the plan, not the proclamation of maybe love, or the thought of something happening to Bobby that would warrant a call to the police. She turned her attention to the scene unfolding on the screen in front of her. She saw Christian sidle up to the judge and plunge something into his unsuspecting fat neck. The judge put his hand to his neck and looked puzzled before falling limp into Christian’s waiting arms. Christian dragged his portly body toward a chair in the corner of the room and dropped him down onto it. She saw him pull a gun from his waistband and hold the barrel to the judge’s forehead. Then she saw light from an opening door stream in and heard Bobby’s familiar voice call out.

  “Christian, stop.” He put his hands up showing he had no weapon and moved farther into the room but not any closer to Christian.

  Christian swung around and aimed the gun at Bobby who instinctively went to reach for his weapon. At the last second, Bobby seemed to remember he wasn’t here for a shoot-out, but for a negotiation, and purposefully lifted his empty hands again Piper felt her heart momentarily stop as she saw the large black gun pointing at the man who might love her.

  “I’m here to save your life. I need you to hear me out. Can you put the gun down for a minute and let me talk to you?” Bobby kept his hands raised and voice steady. He hadn’t had enough time to think through all his talking points, and now staring down the barrel of a gun, it seemed as though a little more preparation would have been beneficial.

  “I’m not sure who you are, but there are only two people in this room whose lives are in danger, and I’m not one of them,” Christian barked, clearly rattled by Bobby’s sudden appearance.

  “My name is Bobby, and I’m a cop. I’m not here to arrest you though. I’m here to help you. Lower your gun and give me a chance to explain. Please.” Christian lowered his gun slightly, but gave no indication he’d be holstering it or handing it over. Bobby continued, “I know what this man has done, who he is, and I don’t blame you for wanting to kill him. I have a plan that ensures he pays for his crimes and keeps you from spending the rest of your life in jail.” Piper was as anxious to be let in on this plan as Christian was to, perhaps quite literally, shoot it down.

  “There’s no justice for a man like this other than a bullet in his brain, and even that doesn’t seem like enough,” Christian shouted, raising his gun, pointing it in the direction of the judge again.

  “I know you think that, but there are dozens of other people—children—involved here and they deserve to see him pay for his crimes. They don’t want him to just disappear, his body never to be seen again. If you pull that trigger now you’ll be doing him a favor. When all of this comes out he’s going to pray for death. I have a way to make sure he’s held accountable and get you and your family a fresh start.” Bobby signaled for Christian to lower his weapon again and tried to draw his attention away from the judge.

  “I’m no rat. If that’s what you’re about to propose you can stop right there. I come from a long line of people who pride themselves on loyalty.” Christian’s eyes and gun were still fixed on the judge and Bobby knew he was running out of time. The judge was still motionless, but Bobby could see he was breathing. Whatever sedative Christian had injected into the judge’s neck was certainly doing its job.

  “You know when everything comes out about this guy, you won’t be called a rat, you’ll be a hero. There are certain lines you don’t cross and even your crew would agree he’s a monster. The people he’s hurt deserve to see him pay, in the public eye. All I’m asking is you hear me out.” Bobby felt the tightness in his chest fade slightly as Christian once again lowered his gun and turned toward him.

  Bobby continued, “You know if I was to bring any evidence in against him, either me or the people I love would be dead before it ever came to light, and the evidence would be destroyed. You know exactly who is involved with the judge and you can give the evidence to people who you know don’t have a relationship with him. I know you took a box from the judge’s house, and I know it holds more than enough to ruin him, but you’re the only one who can navigate the corruption and ensure it gets to the right people.”

  Christian’s mind was spinning. This was supposed to be a quick and clean kill and now it was falling apart. This kid just didn’t unde
rstand how things worked, so he’d thought he better set him straight. “They’ll retry cases, and most of my guys won’t stand a chance without having a judge in their corner. You might be right, they wouldn’t stand for what this guy does to kids, but they wouldn’t be willing to go to jail over it. They’d kill me.” Christian’s voice wasn’t as harsh anymore. He wasn’t barking and shouting, he seemed to be hoping for another solution.

  “I know. That’s why I’ve had a prosecutor friend of mine write up terms that would get you full immunity as well as relocation. You could take your money and your son and start a new life somewhere. I know you think this town is your legacy, the life your father led is all you’re meant for, but this is the opportunity to give your son a whole new legacy.” Bobby knew if this argument didn’t sway him, if starting over wasn’t appealing, then he was completely out of options and had no idea where to go from here.

  Christian’s eyes danced around the room as he thought over the proposal. He bit his lip and furrowed his brow, and Bobby took the hesitation as a positive sign—at least he wasn’t immediately opposed to the idea.

  He was so tired of this life, this chaos he was living. What this kid was proposing was something he had thought about every day since his son was born. This was the first time it lay before him, his for the taking. “I want my brother to come, too. If he’s not included in the deal, then I’m not interested.” Christian’s stare was intensely boring holes through Bobby.

  “Your brother has some serious problems. He tried to hurt someone I care about very much. You can’t expect, with good conscience, we introduce him to a new community with no criminal record. He’s a danger to women.” Bobby wanted to tell Christian what his wonderful brother Sean had done to Piper but he didn’t imagine it would do much to change his mind.

  “It’s the three of us or no dice. If I leave and give you the evidence you need about the judge, then dozens of cases will be retried. My friends and my enemies will all be facing possible jail time, and they’ll no longer be able to buy their way out of it. If I leave my brother behind he’ll be dead within a week. I know he’s got some issues, and I’ll get him some help. He needs to get out of here, get away from all this bullshit he thinks is our destiny.” Christian’s face suddenly softened, the sternness melting away and replaced with weariness. His eyes begged for compassion as he quietly uttered, “He’s my little brother.”

  All of this was so counterintuitive to Bobby. There were good guys and bad guys, but now, standing here in front of someone he didn’t think was capable of sincerity, he realized he might be wrong about the world. Maybe being a criminal didn’t mean you didn’t love your family. He’d never understood how someone could wake up every morning and break the law, but he knew what it meant to love someone enough to want to protect him. He never wanted to find common ground with a man like Christian, but that’s what seemed to be happening. He cleared his throat and gritted his teeth and spoke in a tone, letting Christian know he was serious.

  “If he goes with you, he registers as a sex offender under his new identity. He gets counseling, and I will personally come out there and hunt him down if he so much as grabs a woman’s ass without her permission. He doesn’t deserve a free pass as far as I’m concerned, but we’ve got the potential here to make a much larger impact.” Bobby shook his head, disappointed with himself and the situation. Why did it always have to come down to compromising yourself to get things done?

  Christian let out an audible sigh of relief. He wasn’t ignorant to what a low-life moron his brother was, but he had an obligation to him. He was blood, and their father had completely failed Sean. It was a miracle he’d survived this long. Christian had personally beaten his brother senseless when he had found out about the horrific crime he had committed and the way he had tossed that girl out of his car like she was trash. He had saved his brother from prison by paying a hefty fee, but he had found other ways to punish him. Christian honestly believed he could save him, if he could only get him out of this town.

  Christian couldn’t believe what he was about to say. He couldn’t believe he was about to sell out everything his father had taught him. When the doubt rose up in his stomach all he had to do was picture his son. There was no denying a new life, somewhere far from all this, would be the best gift he could ever give Chris. He closed his eyes and spoke quietly. “Judge Rosenthal. I won’t meet with anyone else. If you can get her out tonight and get my family and me out of here by morning I’ll give you whatever you want. I’ve got voicemails, loads of communications, and of course that box of filth I took from the judge’s house sitting in my truck. You get Judge Rosenthal, and you’ve got a deal.” Christian approached Bobby resignedly with his hand extended, ready to make a gentleman’s agreement. As Christian and his loaded weapon came closer, it suddenly dawned on Bobby how dangerous this had all been, how close to death he’d been, and how furious Piper would be. At any point Christian could have, and maybe still would, lift his weapon and kill him.

  Bobby took Christian’s hand firmly and shook it. “I need your gun, Christian. You know we’re not going to go sit with a judge while you have a weapon. We’ve both taken some risks here tonight. I need you to take one more.” Bobby extended his hand and gestured toward Christian’s weapon. Christian hesitated and looked over at the judge one last time.

  “I want my kid to have a better life. I don’t want him constantly in the crosshairs. I don’t want him to be afraid of me the way I was of my father. I’ve tried to do things right by him, but at every turn I keep getting myself in deeper. This might be the first risk I take that actually makes him safer.” Christian handed over his gun and wiped away the sweat that had gathered on his forehead. Christian asked, pointing over to the judge, “So what are we going to do with him? The stuff I gave him will keep him out for another eight hours or so.”

  “Do you have anything we can use to tie him up?” Bobby asked, deciding it was better to keep the judge in one spot to limit their liability of him either taking off or seeking retribution.

  “I’m the head of the largest crime family in this state. I carry around rope like normal people carry a pack of gum. I never leave home without it,” Christian said with a wry smile. Bobby wasn’t quite ready to start cracking jokes with Christian, but he had to admit it was a pretty witty response. He bit his lip to hold back a smirk, and Christian patted him on the shoulder. “I get it Officer; I’m still the enemy here. I’m not trying to be best friends, but I have a feeling we’re in for a long night so you might as well warm up to me now.” Bobby and Christian headed outside as Bobby pulled out his cell phone.

  “You can put comedian on your list of career options, since you’ll be in the market for one. With any luck you’ll get relocated somewhere real remote, maybe the Midwest. Can you milk a cow?” Bobby pushed open the door as he heard Christian mumble an expletive or two under his breath. It was clearly just dawning on Christian that he may not be picking his destination the way you would a vacation spot.

  Bobby knew Piper would be bubbling over with questions and probably frustration. But she’d have to wait a little longer to scold him because Michael needed an update first.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  As Bobby drove down the quiet streets of Edenville, he tried to wrap his mind around the evening’s events. He never would have imagined his passenger tonight would be Christian Donavan. He assumed, instead, the man would be handcuffed and riding in the back of his cruiser. He was equally surprised how well Piper had taken the direction he’d given regarding her heading back to Betty’s and waiting for him to call. He had thought, for sure, she’d be furious for the sudden change of plans and her lack of involvement in the next few steps.

  The quick conversation he’d had with her was still spinning around in his head. He had turned the words over and over in his mind trying to make sense of it. When he had sidled up to her car window and waited for her to roll it down, he was shocked by her smile. He’d immediately apologiz
ed but she barely let him finish his sentence. She had beamed gratefully up at him. “Don’t apologize, Bobby. You didn’t just save the judge’s life tonight; you saved mine. I thought I wanted him dead. At first I was so angry that you put yourself in that situation, but when Christian finally lowered his gun and agreed to the terms you’d given him, I felt relieved. I’ve seen so much in my life I thought Christian killing the judge would somehow fix everything, but now I think it would have destroyed me. There you were again, rescuing me from something I didn’t even realize was about to hurt me.” She had leaned out of the car and kissed him, a short peck on the lips, and then she sped off to Betty’s house. As usual, she had completely surprised him.

  Christian’s hands were shaking as he bit his already short fingernails. He wasn’t sure why he felt compelled to speak, but he wanted someone to know this wasn’t the life he had imagined for himself. “I don’t think my son knows who I am yet. I think if we leave tonight and start somewhere fresh, some suburb with a gate and pool, he may actually never have to feel the way I did when I realized the kind of man my father was.” He stared out the window, speaking more to the stars than to Bobby.

  “How old were you when you figured it out?” Bobby asked, genuinely curious about what it must have been like to realize your father was a criminal. He now knew two people who had lived through that. Bobby thought maybe Christian could give him some perspective that would help him understand Piper better.