JUSTICE REBORN (A Charlie Taylor Novel Book 1)

by Ivan Bering

  Charlie unsure about the Chief, still couldn’t believe the Chief had bailed him out of the basketball game incident and then promoted him. Before he could reply, the Judge entered and immediately went to the front of the room, and his demeanor told everyone: let’s go, no preliminaries, no warm up topics.

  The Judge’s assistant, Ann, occupied her spot at the front table; she saw Charlie waving a negative, she understood not to use the ‘emergency door’ as departure portal. All support staff in attendance.

  “I’ll start by declaring this a Condition Confidential and note all recording has been suspended for the entire meeting. We have a situation which threatens to destroy Justice Reborn and all the advances we have made. I’m, of course, referring to the Dr. Max Armstrong case.

  What happened is theoretically not possible. Dr. Max and his accuser young Sally Grovernor have been processed through both an S1 and an S2 interrogation; we used our best technical staff with Dr. Kate observing the sessions and reviewing the results after each interrogation. The results are extraordinary. Both people tell different stories: one describing an underage seduction and the other a story of unfilled lust but no unwarranted action, the result a young woman spurned and angry.

  The point: both stories told under the influence of our drugs in a controlled setting appear to be true. The fundamental question: how is Dr. Max controlling the results? We know if he finds it interesting or a challenge, this genius is capable of almost anything.”

  Around the table people shifted in their chairs, shared disapproving looks with colleagues, shaking their heads in disbelief, and muttered curses. All understood the implications of what they were hearing, an absolute disaster. Doug Brewster commented.

  “Judge, I think Max set this up to flash the entire the world: see the genius. Once safe under a not guilty verdict or plea bargain, he will confess and tell us how to fix the system and get back on track. The bastard is all ego and needs constant attention. The more outlandish the press coverage, the more he glows. This is a setup.”

  “Doug, I don’t dispute your character analysis, but this seems too high a risk and too wild even for him. Are you saying he had sex with an underage girl to prove a point? This doesn’t make sense. He can’t be that irresponsible. Chief you want to add something?’

  The angry Chief blurted. “Judge, I know Doug’s comments appear to be at the far end of the solutions but consider some facts. We know Max lusted for this girl for some time. I think he did know her date of birth. My point is all he had to do was keep his pants on for a week and then go after her, his relationship with Dr. Grovernor no longer an issue.

  I think the girl wanted him. Why the hell doesn’t he wait a few days? This makes me support Doug’s theory. I think Max planned this, but am not sure what the hell his motive is or what his overall plan is but I’m sure the glorification of Max is part of it.”

  The Judge sympathized with their frustration. “I’m going to have to cut this off and give you the rest of the news. I told Dr. Grovernor if he wishes to prove the charges, his only choice is to proceed to an S3 brain scan. Instead, he and his daughter have withdrawn the charges and are prepared to drop the incident.

  This leaves us with a question as to the efficacy of S1 and S2 Interrogations. If these Interrogations are not absolute or are capable of being manipulated, then Justice Reborn is finished and previous guilty cases are in question. At this point I thought the situation couldn’t get any worse. But I was wrong.”

  The Judge stopped, dropped his head, not utterly defeated but close to the edge. He looked up, in Kate’s direction. “Dr. Kate will you please inform the Board about the most recent development.”

  Emma was shocked at Kate’s appearance. Her hair was unwashed, her clothes were the same ones she was wearing for the last two days, and the circles around her eyes were almost black. She spoke softly with a hoarse voice; the room strained to hear her. This woman struggled through each escalation of the case. She clenched her hands together to control the trembling.

  “When I told Dr. Max all charges had been dropped, he wanted to know why. I told him about the results and that Sally would not go through an S3 Interrogation. He was furious. Although speechless for a few minutes, he soon started ranting, I won’t play the recordings for you…… it boils down to his one decision.

  Dr. Max demands he be put under the S3 brain scan to clear his name. He knows the risks but insists we can use a 30-minute clock to stop the interrogation, to ensure it doesn’t become a prolonged session.”

  Kate continued to stumble with the explanation and the Judge intervened.

  “Allow me to continue. Our problem is we can’t refuse Dr. Max. He’s been accused, and it’s his right. This causes our Sector a couple of major problems: first, can he beat an S3 interrogation and utterly dismantle the remainder our system?”

  “Second, even if we keep the interrogation under 45 minutes, there is no guarantee he will not suffer brain damage. We, then, become known as the Sector, who destroyed a Nobel Peace Prize winner, a man the President considers a national treasure.”

  The Judge stopped and gave everyone a chance to catch up; Charlie had a hard time suppressing a groan but only mumbled a few silent profanities.

  “We can’t stop him. I’ve been able to delay his S3 interrogation with excuses about our work on Death Row and the associated constraints on staff and equipment. Dr. Max has to wait. This means we still have a small window to try and find out how he beat the S1 and S2 interrogations.

  Dr. Kate is working with a scientist from Japan. All other resources have been contacted, but many of the experts are friends of Dr. Max and reluctant to come forward.

  The expert from Japan, a yoga guru, has agreed to submit to an S1 interrogation. The intent is to determine if he can control the interrogation. Published research confirms his ability to regulate his heartbeat and some other involuntary body functions. Will he be able to establish a mindset which will allow him to lie and tell stories or will the S1 drugs control him?

  I could go on, but you see the situation and understand why I ask you to ensure your staff gets this message: if Dr. Kate has a request it must be treated as top priority. There are no clocks. This is a 24 hour a day operation, and cost is not a barrier.

  You’re too smart for me to repeat any of this, just make sure your staff understands. But the reasons remain top secret and can’t be revealed at this time. Are there any questions?’

  It was an abrupt ending; no one asked a question. Everyone too stunned? Frightened? Confused? The Judge didn’t wait long.

  “Alright, this meeting is over and let’s hope our next meeting has some answers.” And with that comment he left, and the rest of the team filtered out; no one went over to speak to Kate.

  Charlie, a subdued detective, waited until they all cleared the room. Ann, the Judge’s assistant, had set up another undercover meeting early in the day, Charlie’s instructions were to wait until the others left before proceeding down the hall.

  Ann ushered him into the Judge’s chambers thru a side door; Stephen sat, waiting, sipping a coffee. “Charlie, help yourself. The coffee and tea are on the table. Ann that’ll be fine; I can take it from here. Thanks.” Ann closed the door, and Charlie was alone, again, with one of the most powerful men in Sector 14.

  “I assume you’ve not made any progress on Dr. Max.”

  “No I haven’t and I can’t say I feel comfortable about this assignment, Judge. My science education stopped with Grade 12 chemistry, and you’ve put me up against a whiz kid.”

  “I understand. I want you to go at this problem from an entirely different angle than Kate and her team. Your technical limits will force you to search in different directions. You know we don’t even have a proper understanding as why this all took place. Yes, I know about Max’s past, but the timing of this last incident bothers me. I’m convinced logic and science will not be enough.

  What about our other problem? Ann tells me that you will be r
equisitioning some specialized equipment and resources. She doesn’t understand and is concerned. Can you share with me just what you have planned to catch our recording pirate?”

  This was the conversation Charlie hoped to avoid; his philosophy being: it is easier to beg forgiveness after the fact than to try and get clearance ahead of time. How would the Judge react? He could stop the entire process. “Judge, I wonder if it would be better if you let me proceed and if it doesn’t work, take the lumps?”

  The Judge thought it was time to press. “No, I have to know what you have planned, and how I fit into this operation. I need to hear and I mean all the details.”

  For a few minutes Charlie stumbled, but once warmed up, he explained his approach and the rationale behind it. It didn’t take too long. The Judge always a good listener, meant there was no need to repeat either the rationale or the details. The Judge looked at the detective for a long time.

  “Charlie, remind me never to play poker with you.”

  CHAPTER 37: An Ultimatum

  A sliver of sun flickered on the horizon, an unusual time for a meeting.

  Jake insisted it could not wait, and Stephen accommodated him with this dawn meeting. The Judge waited for his visitor to begin. Jake appeared nervous, an unusual state, because with so many well-placed friends he rarely worried about the Judge’s opinion or assessment of his performance. Nevertheless, Jake started on a shaky tone. “Judge, I promised to inform you of modifications being discussed for the Citizen Team. If there continued to be disagreement, I believe you wanted a chance to address my working group.”

  “Jacob, I hope your group is still open to alternatives. I want to be sure your group is aware of all the legal implications and Sector limitations.”

  “Judge, you know most of this, but there have been some changes; so let me summarize our current situation. Since juries have been dropped from our legal system and the death penalty demanded by society, the Region decided citizens should participate in executions, in other words, become the execution team.

  On each Citizen Team, we have three members of the public; they all push their button on Legal’s command, but only one button releases the fatal dose, and no one knows which button is fatal. We’ve not had a problem, as some pundits thought, filling individual teams; in fact, we have lists of volunteers, some prepared to pay to get named on to a Citizen Team.”

  While Jake searched his material, the Judge was getting impatient. “Then I don’t understand the problem. I know you have been allowing some to be exempt on various grounds. It looks like a smooth operation.”

  “On the surface the process looks solid but it’s after an execution when problems surface. A number of people began suffering from a type of guilt complex. After an execution, some participants complained about depression, problems sleeping and doubts about the role they played. We’ve stopped the news media from playing it up, but with another set of mass executions the complaints may become more strident.

  Our new proposal is: the Citizen Team be provided a large wall mounted monitor. Once the crime scene has been isolated and Legal has certified the situation, the crime scene is to be played out for the Citizen Team, on the big screen, in full color.

  Before the execute command, the Team will witness the crime unfold, watch from start to end. Many of these scenes are extremely gruesome. They’ll see it all and hear it all. Our belief is once they see the victim and all the suffering, it’ll be difficult to feel any sorrow or empathy with a killer, no matter how handsome he is or repentant he appears. I’ve run it past a couple of psychologists and they aren’t 100% convinced but are prepared to support the change during our death row sessions.”

  Jake stopped; he knew the Judge needed time to consider all the implications, “Jacob, I will need some time to think about this change, but I agree. Let’s use this approach at Fort Green but be sure there is a solid follow up. Now there must be something else for you to demand this early meeting.”

  Jake stood up and handed the Judge a video package.

  “A few days I was insulted in a public place by Charlie Taylor. This’s a copy of the event as captured by the security camera in the lobby. You'll be able to see and hear most of the incident. In addition, my package includes the sworn statements of my assistant and two security guards who were in the vicinity when this all took place. I know the Chief thinks he needs this character, but his behavior doesn’t warrant the promotion. In fact, I don’t see how you can avoid demoting him down to the lowest rank. I recommend you demand his resignation.”

  Although surprised, the Judge maintained his composure, but his succinct reply sounded inadequate. “Leave it with me, and I’ll give it my immediate attention.”

  “Stephen, I know where I stand in your assessment, and I also know you’re one of Charlie’s supporters, but I want to make this very clear. I came to you first, because I want to ensure that this complaint didn’t get side tracked by some legal process. If you aren’t prepared to bury Charlie, I will take this matter all the way up the chain. This isn’t a threat; it’s a fact.

  I want you to understand if you’re going to stand by this guy, you’d better be prepared to go all the way because his behavior will bury you as well. I look forward to our next conversation.”

  The Judge watched Jake leave. The video package and witness statements remained on his desk. He could not begin to guess the contents, but apparently it contained an ugly scene, a bizarre insult with three independent witnesses and a public confrontation. Jake would not relent. Would a demotion off the Board be enough to satisfy him? Probably not. Would he press for a complete resignation off the force?

  There may not be anything he could do to save Charlie.

  CHAPTER 38: Charlie’s Log: Analysis

  There is some pink in the sky but no sun, too damn early. I’ve been up most of the night with this cloak-and-dagger assignment from the Judge.

  Max says he held a naked teenager but then refused to have sex with her; the teenager says he ravaged her. Both underwent the S1 and an S2 interrogation, and both passed the examinations. Impossible. Now I have to find out how Dr. Max beat the system; the one he created. And I have to do this without any outside help, not even inform Dr. Kate, who is also desperately trying to solve the mystery.

  I’m not sure I understand the need for all the secrecy, but I think the secret recording of the Board meetings has the Judge spooked. The net result: even if I find an answer, in the end the Chief will be furious because of the bypass, and Emma will be upset because her favorite, Dr. Kate, was undermined by a homicide detective. An obvious no-win.

  I have every document associated with the case, paper, and electronic files. I printed a lot of the material; for some reason it reads differently in the hard copy format; also it gives me a chance to spread sheets on the floor and rearrange the sequence of events. The place is a mess, and I have achieved nothing. No further ahead than when I started.

  Jesus, I don’t understand why the Judge gave me this assignment. Christ, I’m not a technical guru, and Max a genius plus. How the hell did he manage it without Kate and her assistant noticing any irregularities? Dr. Kate, at times, looks like she’s lost her focus. Is she trying too hard to please Stephen?

  She had some guy from Japan, another yoga expert, participate in a test of the S1 interrogation. He attempted to beat the S1 interrogation, using his yoga meditation skills, and failed; the drug cocktail overwhelmed the concentration trance he was trying to maintain.

  Wes called last night and told me the two west coast cities finally released their list and personal details concerning former employees. We’d asked for any police personnel who’d been fired or resigned in the last 24 months, after working with a leading edge forensic team, a violent Hybrid. The list is rather short, and Wes is ready to establish his top three candidates, for once we may have a substantial lead. I wish I could treat the homicide cases as my priority, either one.

  I return to my documents and use a highlig
hter to assist in keying in on the critical segments. I walk around the mess, picking up papers at random; after a quick read I put one down and pick up another; in short order the confusion has compounded. As I walk around the house, I go over the original complaint and try to see if I can read anything into Dr. Grovenor’s comments. Next stop, I watch his daughter go through her interrogations, last observe Dr. Max as he goes through his S1 and S2 interrogations.

  Sally is a beautiful woman; I understand why Max refuses to call her a girl and also understand why he broke the rules. But Jesus, he’s a good liar, his performance solid.

  I’m sick of the coffee, but I don’t want to stop. I’ve been up most of the night because the Judge tells me Kate is not succeeding– meaning he needs answers from me.

  I’m exhausted. Time to rest my head on the kitchen table. I just need a few minutes of rest before the sun rises.

  ***

  My awareness comes back in stages; I’m now on the floor and smell bacon frying; I’m sure I started with my head on the kitchen table. I’m very stiff and sore; then I hear a laugh which I recognize.

  “Come on, it is time to get up. It’s a good thing I know how you like your eggs. I’ll do breakfast, but you’ll have to clean up the papers.”

  I smile and am happy to see my brother. “Hi Sam, I see you still think you know how to cook.” Although I smile at him, I’m in an extreme state. The Judge is depending on me and I want to repay his confidence; I hear he has been my reliable supporter, but this project appears beyond me.

  Sam dishes out the eggs, bacon, and toast, and we tear into the food. I didn’t realize how hungry I was. Damn, it’s 7:00 am.

  “Christ, another day and no damn progress.”