The Unbelievable Mr Brownstone Omnibus

by Michael Anderle

  Good to have people who actually believe in me here.

  Lieutenant Hall sat beside Tyler near the front, a frown on her face. James didn’t know if that was a good thing, given that the state’s lawyer was calling her up to testify. She’d hated his guts for so long, it was hard for him to trust that she wouldn’t take this chance to screw with him.

  And hell, the mere presence of the information broker made his stomach tighten.

  Why the fuck would Tyler come to my hearing? Since when does he care about this shit? Or did he give the government evidence against me? Maybe he thinks that if he can fuck up my adoption, it’ll be revenge or some shit like that. If I find out he helped them, I’m gonna tear that bar apart.

  A large contingent of Oricerans were interspersed in the crowd, mostly dwarves, Light Elves, and Wood Elves, which made sense, given that they represented some of the larger local communities. James didn’t recognize most of them, but he did recognize the Los Angeles consul, Yev.

  Fuck Tyler. Why is that consulate guy here? Does this have something to do with Alison being half-Oriceran? The lawyer didn’t say shit about the Oricerans caring much, except the ones who wanted to help me. Is he here to help?

  James frowned and took a seat at a front table with Alison and his lawyer. Shay wasn’t testifying or a party to the hearing, so she took a seat in the gallery right behind James. Cold looks from Shay and James had a reporter giving up his seat and scurrying out of the room.

  The judge, a stern-looking older black man with salt-and-pepper hair, banged his gavel to call the hearing into session. “We’re here today to discuss the adoption of one Alison Anderson by James Brownstone. Let me be clear what this hearing is, and is not. This is solely to determine the suitability of James Brownstone as a guardian for this girl as part of his adoption request. This isn’t a criminal trial, and Mr. Brownstone is not a defendant. I’m aware of the high-profile nature of this case, but that doesn’t matter. This is a courtroom, and the laws of the State of California will be duly applied.”

  A murmur swept through the crowd but died under the withering look of the judge.

  The state’s lawyer, Davis, stood up and adjusted his tie, a vulpine smile on his face. “I’d like to start with our first ten exhibits, Your Honor.”

  Fucking asshole. Why do you look so happy? At least have the decency to look like they forced you to do it.

  The smug Davis smiled and stopped the current video. He pointed toward the frozen explosion on the large LCD screen hanging in the corner of the room. A few Harriken leaping away from the explosion were clear in the video, along with glass, metal, and wood debris from the impact of James’ opening assault on the Harriken building.

  “Your Honor, as you can see, I want this record to reflect that Mr. Brownstone used a military-grade weapon to blow the building open during his raid on the Harriken.”

  “Duly noted.” The judge looked at James’ lawyer. “And your comments on this, Mr. Silverberg?”

  James’ lawyer cleared his throat. “To remind the court, and as I noted in the statements we previously submitted to the court, Mr. Brownstone acknowledges using those weapons during that encounter. He’s a class-six bounty hunter, and has the appropriate licenses for all types of weapons that have been documented in all these exhibits.” He nodded toward the screen. “And I’d like to draw the court’s attention to the fact that a dozen police officers are also visible in the frame, and many more were present on site. This wasn’t some surreptitious nighttime assault, but a sanctioned organizational dead-or-alive bounty conducted with the full knowledge and cooperation of the LAPD.”

  The judge scribbled down a few notes. “Duly noted.”

  Davis rolled his eyes and looked away.

  Keep being smug, asshole. It’s just my life and my kid’s you’re trying to ruin.

  A few minutes of back and forth discussion passed before a new clip was played. In the latest clip, King Pyro crashed through a bank window, and James followed. Their vicious brawl continued until James finished him off by smashing the man’s head into the asphalt and permanently ending the man’s threat.

  Several people in the gallery winced and gasped at the violence on display.

  James didn’t flinch. He didn’t care about killing King Pyro. That guy was a murdering asshole, and he’d threatened his family. He’d gotten what was coming to him.

  This is what it means to go after high-level bounties. Can’t win by beating them at a game of cards.

  Davis sighed. “To me, this looks like premeditated murder or at least a lack of restraint. From the looks of it, Mr. Brownstone had already won, but continued assaulting him up to the point he died.”

  A murmur broke out among several of the cops and bounty hunters sitting in the viewing gallery.

  The judge looked at James’ lawyer and nodded.

  Silverberg shook his head. “Again, I wish to point out the many fine men and women in blue in the video. This dangerous felon, Jordan Adams AKA King Pyro, was not just a bank robber, but a murderer who killed without restraint, including children. I also feel compelled to point out that given dozens of police officers were watching this battle unfold, including a fully-equipped AET team. If they felt Mr. Brownstone had crossed the line, they had ample opportunity to arrest him.

  James grunted. The AET had been close to doing just that. He glanced at Lieutenant Hall. Would she say something like that when she testified?

  Fuck King Pyro. That motherfucker got what he had coming to him, and they expect me to feel bad that I did that? How many girls like Alison did I save by taking the asshole out?

  No, James refused to feel bad for taking out the trash. The only other option was to let it sit, fester, and stink up the entire city.

  16

  The dramatic footage kept coming: highway drone footage of James having a shootout with hitmen, multiple videos of James throwing people through windows or punching, kicking, or shooting them, not to mention so many explosions that Michael Bay should have come out of retirement and sued James for stealing his directing style.

  James scrubbed a hand over his face. When the government played them all close together, it made him look like he was the most dangerous man on the planet.

  Maybe I fucking am, but it doesn’t matter.

  For years, he’d prided himself on this reputation and the power of terror he could wield against criminals and bounties. He’d never anticipated that the same reputation could be turned against him and used to steal his daughter from him.

  Fuck them. Fuck all of them.

  At least his lawyer did a good job of explaining away each clip. The argument was always the same. The police were in full support of James, and given the dangerous nature of the criminals involved, it was unlikely they could have been taken down any other way. It also happened to be true.

  The bounty hunter’s stomach was twisting in on itself when the last video ended, and the government lawyer called Lieutenant Hall to the stand.

  James gritted his teeth. Here it came.

  Oh, shit. She’s gonna rant about that pay-per-view thing and make me look like an irresponsible idiot. Nothing I did ever put that girl at risk, you assholes.

  The clerk finished swearing Lieutenant Hall in, and the government lawyer sauntered over to her.

  Davis shot a grin at James.

  If you’re trying to get me to pound your face in, keep it up, asshole. Maybe Shay can handle you later.

  The lawyer smiled. “Lieutenant Hall, you’re the primary tactical leader of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Anti-Enhanced Threat team, correct?”

  She nodded. “That is correct. I have been for several years.”

  “And you and your team have handled a variety of threats, including dangerous magical threats like the perpetrator of the Farmer’s Market Massacre, Tessa Vansant.”

  “That is also correct.”

  James gripped the table so hard the wood started to crack.

  The governm
ent lawyer adjusted his tie. James didn’t even get what all the showboating was for. The judge had allowed some media inside, but there were no cameras allowed. Maybe he just wanted the reporters to write up how suave he was or something like that.

  “So, as a police officer and an expert in dealing with dangerous high-level threats, often of a magical nature,” the lawyer began, “can you give us your opinion on how James Brownstone has handled these incidents as shown in the videos we’ve submitted into evidence?”

  The lieutenant leaned forward and smiled. “I’d be happy to.”

  James glanced at Alison. She didn’t look frightened. Instead, she was shooting an angry glare at the government lawyer. There was a good chance that it wouldn’t be Daddy Brownstone who lost control if things continued the way they were going.

  Don’t worry, kid. I’m not leaving you, no matter what.

  The cop coughed and cleared her throat. “First of all, I want to congratulate Mr. Brownstone on his restraint. I personally understand how difficult it can be to show restraint in these types of situations.”

  Davis blinked. “W-what? I want to remind you, Lieutenant Hall, that I’ve reviewed your various case reports and some of your personal notes in regards to these incidents. Many of your reports criticize the level of force used by Mr. Brownstone, along with the level of property damage he inflicted.”

  Lieutenant Hall smiled. “The thing about taking a bunch of incidents and reducing them to a few minutes and a freeze frame here and there is that it removes all the context of the fundamental dangers of the unfolding situation. Quite frankly, that’s dangerous and ignorant.” She sighed and shrugged. “The reality is that during a dangerous tactical situation involving magical forces, you can’t always wait to come up with the right and easy answer. Every person and being who uses magic is unique and represents a challenge to even highly-trained personnel. The only thing that a good bounty hunter or cop should be concerned about is how to minimize the collateral damage to people. Lives are always more important than property.”

  The man’s face reddened, and he looked at the judge. “Your Honor, I think that perhaps Lieutenant Hall should be dismissed. Some of her statements are inconsistent with her previous reports, and she should be held in contempt of court for perjury.”

  The cops in the gallery all grumbled under their breath, and Tyler glared at the government lawyer.

  The judge shook his head. “I’ve reviewed her statements, and I’ll take everything into account when making my final ruling, but nothing she’s saying here is proof of perjury, which I should remind counsel is a serious charge.”

  Lieutenant Hall snorted. “Things only seem different because I was examining them in isolation and didn’t see the larger pattern. I don’t deny anything I reported earlier, but I’m now offering a big-picture overview of how I see Mr. Brownstone’s behavior and conduct as a bounty hunter.”

  Davis marched over to her and tried to loom over her.

  James almost laughed. The woman strapped on armor and faced magical killers and monsters, and some stuffed shirt in a suit thought he could intimidate her? Hell, for that matter, Hall had gotten in James’ face, and he was a lot tougher than any government lawyer.

  “Lieutenant,” the lawyer hissed, “need I remind you of the danger that James Brownstone represents to the community? You’ve personally commented on it several times.”

  The AET officer crossed her arms and stared the lawyer down. “Danger? You know what a danger is? A danger is some crazy-ass witch who marches into a farmer’s market, summons demons, and starts killing people. A danger is a pyromancer who thinks nothing of murdering families.” She shot up, her eyes blazing with anger. “Look through every report I’ve ever written and show me anywhere where I’ve ever claimed Brownstone killed someone other than a criminal. You won’t find a single instance.”

  The judge leveled a stern gaze at Hall. “Sit down, Lieutenant.”

  The cop took a deep breath and sat. “I’m sorry, Your Honor.”

  Davis shook a finger. “Lieutenant, that’s not the point. The man is a menace and a threat to the public order.” The lawyer pointed at Alison. “And there’s no way he should be entrusted with the care of a teenage girl with a difficult past.”

  Alison rolled her eyes.

  Lieutenant Hall barked a laugh. “A threat to public order? A menace? These high-powered assholes don’t care about anything but spreading death. That Tessa Vansant? She was a nutjob who killed people because she was half-convinced they weren’t really alive. King Pyro didn’t give a crap who got in the way. The Harriken were ruthless criminals involved in everything from drugs to human trafficking.” She cut through the air with her hand. “Don’t you get it? This isn’t the world we grew up in. The return of magic has changed everything, and people need to get that through their thick skulls.”

  The lawyer gritted his teeth. “I don’t think that’s re—”

  “Relevant?” The lieutenant shook her head. “It used to be the worst thing a cop might run into was a terrorist or some nutjob who built himself a tank. Now we have people who can fly, teleport, and make fireballs appear with wands or just their hands. We have necromancers who can bring the dead back to life.” She pointed at the lawyer, trembling with anger. “Until twenty years ago, we lived in a world where a normal person with a gun was at the top of the food chain. That world’s gone, and now we’re back to being in the jungle, naked and afraid. You know what I’m going to do if I’m in the jungle naked and afraid? I’m going to go find myself a jaguar and befriend it, and I’ll hide behind that jaguar while it stops all the other hungry animals that want to chomp down on me and the people around me.”

  Davis blinked. “A jaguar? This is ridiculous.”

  The cop shook her head. “The world isn’t safe, and it won’t be for a long time. If LA’s a little safer, if we can sleep a little bit easier at night without thinking some crazy demon-summoning witch will murder us when we buy honey at a farmers’ market, it’s because of James Brownstone, and blocking his adoption of that girl would disgust me as a cop, a woman, an American. The government should be ashamed for doing this to him, and should be apologizing to him for putting him through this.”

  Father McCartney started clapping. Sergeant Mack joined him, along with Charlyce and the Camp Brownstone bounty hunters. Soon, almost everyone was clapping, even one guy in the corner who James was pretty sure was a member of the 25K Triad. The lack of clapping among several of the Oricerans, including Consul Yev, was noticeable.

  The judge banged his gavel several times. “Order in the court. Order in the court.”

  The clapping died down, and the lawyer stared at Lieutenant Hall, slack-jawed.

  The judge looked between the two. “Do you have anything else you wanted to ask, counselor?”

  The lawyer shook his head and threw up a hand in disgust. “I’ve no further use for this witness.”

  James blinked several times, unsure what the hell had just happened. Everyone told him that he shouldn’t make a scene, but damned if the AET lieutenant hadn’t done just that.

  The judge banged his gavel. “We’ll take a fifteen minutes recess so everyone can calm down.”

  Several people rose and started to file out.

  James looked at his lawyer. “Was that good or bad? I can’t tell.”

  Silverberg chuckled. “A woman who has reams of notes saying that you’re a dangerous man risked contempt of court to declare as a cop, a woman, and American that you’re a good man. Yeah, that’s good. It’s very damned good.”

  Alison reached over to pat James’ hand. “It’ll be okay, Dad. That government lawyer’s not a nice man. I can see all the greed and ambition in his soul.”

  The lawyer looked at James, and he just shook his head in response. They didn’t need to go into this at court.

  “We just have to keep presenting the other side,” the lawyer offered. “And everything will be fine.”

  A few minutes p
assed with light chatter between Alison, Shay, and James before everyone returned and the judge restarted the hearing.

  The government lawyer had his smug smile back on. He called Sergeant Mack to the stand, and soon the man was sworn in.

  Trey flexed his hands. He’d been clenching his fist and resisting the urge to march over to the smug prick trying to make James look bad and lay him out.

  Fucker. How dare you do the big man like that?

  The lawyer folded his hands behind his back as he glanced back at Trey, Shorty, and the others.

  What now, bitch? You’ve got some character assassination you need to do on us? Bring it, asshole.

  He pointed to Trey. “Do you recognize that man, Sergeant Mack?”

  Sergeant Mack nodded. “Yes. That’s Trey Garfield.”

  “And you recognize the men sitting near him?”

  “Yes. I do. They are associates of his, and have been for some time.”

  The lawyer nodded slowly. “And isn’t it true that these men are all members of a street gang?”

  Sergeant Mack shook his head. “No, sir. That is not correct.”

  The lawyer’s head snapped toward the cop. “Excuse me? May I remind you that you’re under oath, Sergeant.”

  “With the Lord as my witness, I’m not lying.” The cop took a deep breath. “They used to be members of a street gang, but they no longer are. In fact, I know for a fact from an associate of mine, Detective Delroy Washington of the anti-gang taskforce, that Trey Garfield and all his active associates have been removed from the official list of known gang members in Los Angeles County. So, as far as the LAPD is concerned, they aren’t gang members.”

  Davis took a deep breath, a vein bulging in his head. “Be that as it may, they were in fact, until recently, members of a known street gang. So, it wouldn’t be incorrect to say that James Brownstone associates with criminals.”