Whirlwind: Where are our Children ( A Serial Novel) Episode 9 of 9

by Gary Sapp

lifted his bald head from his notes. “But before you waste a perfectly good stamp or courier you may wish to hear me out first.”

  “Your Honor,” The Prosecutor’s victorious expression had melted away. “I don’t understand. The Grand Jury has spoken—“

  “Counselors, you have done your job, the jury had done theirs based upon the evidence that was presented in front of them.” He said patiently. “I’ll respectfully remind both of you that I am the one who is solely responsible for the sentencing portion of this hearing. In other words, you two would be wise to shut up if you will, sit down if you might, and let me do my job.”

  “Yes, sir,” Both lawyers managed to sound magnanimous.

  “I have taken into account all of the sworn written, recorded and spoken testimony in this case. I also was given confidential, detailed bureau information about the doctor’s tireless efforts in bringing perpetrators of one of the greatest civil fiasco’s I’ve witnessed in my life.”

  “Your Honor,” The Prosecutor overstated the obvious. “This is highly irregular,”

  The Judge nodded once.

  “You are damned right it is. The key point here is whether it is lawful or not? I can site you enough case law to keep you up well your bedtime every night this week going through it if you like.” And when no one dared to respond the Judge continued. “I’ve heard directly from the newly appointed Director of the FBI, Nicholas Sheridan, Special Agent Tabitha Blue, noted author Thomas Pepper and retired Hostage Negotiator Justin Ryan who seemed to have a soft spot for the Doctor. I also have letters from former patients, colleagues, teachers, parents of five of Atlanta’s missing children who were recovered and Mrs. Fredrick’s entire third grade class at Brown Elementary School. You spoke to those kids over there, Dr. Hicks Dupree?”

  “Yes, your honor,” Angel bit back a smile. “I’ve spoken there once week for the last six months about the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse.”

  The Judge sat back in his chair, bit on the frame of his eyeglasses and Seth heard his voice take on a more serious tone.

  “Those who have testified on your behalf come from different backgrounds and beliefs and motivations yet they all share one constant opinion: They all believe that this sad chapter in our country’s history would have not been brought to a close in the timespan it had without your assistance. You put yourself through a considerable amount of personal as well as professional peril to help find those children before…” The Judge let the last word fade into the oblivion that it deserved. “The Deputy Director went as far as to say that he has confidential information, sensitive to continuing investigations that this madness would have escalated to an unfathomable level without this woman’s intervention that concluded with putting a stop to Joseph Champion; a man who has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt as the mastermind behind the assassination of a President of the United States. Adolphus Sweet is not a man who I voted for, but as an officer in service to a nation as well was a man who I had a deep respect for.”

  Angel’s lawyer said, “My client acknowledges Mr. Sheridan’s area of expertise in these matters, Judge.

  “As well she should, Counselor,” The Judge sat erect and directed his full attention on Angel. Seth felt himself tense. “Doctor, are you an alcoholic?”

  “Yes, sir, I am.”

  The Judge scribbled on a legal pad.

  “I realize that you have been receiving treatment for your addiction. I will say that I am not pleased with your progress. So I am assigning you to one of the finer drug and alcoholic rehabilitation center in this country for the next 90 days. You should not expect your recovery to be simple, Doctor. And I want you to keep in mind that his is an offer that you cannot refuse.”

  Angel nodded.

  The Judge leaned over his bench and made an ominous face that dared anyone in the courtroom to challenge his final ruling.

  “I am suspending any jail time as long as you complete the program as I’ve instructed. But before you celebrate to loudly there is this: I am stripping you of all your medical licenses for practicing clinical or any other type psychology. When you exit your treatment you will need to seek out a new profession as a means to continue to be self-supporting.”

  “Of course, your Honor,” Angel looked as if she’d swallowed a whole lot of somethings that were sour. “Thank you for giving me a second chance.”

  “This is so ordered,” The Judge slammed the gavel down one last time. “We are done with our business here, court is adjourned.”

  When they reached the hallway outside the courtroom, Seth watched Angel and her lawyer as they met with the mass of media that descended on the two women like flies on an open buffet.

  Christopher Prince seized the opportunity to escape the courtroom with as little fanfare as his new found position as a House in Chains new One. He and Seth made eye contact. Seth had been struggling with bouts of memory loss, but his pent up disdain for this man during the earliest hours of 411 had not. How could I have been such a fool? How could he have hated such a good and honorable and loyal man as this one?

  Seth wanted to say something to Chris but he didn’t want to let a poor choice of words or a misunderstood meaning get in the way.

  Yet, it was the other man who made an offer to the Gray Man instead.

  Chris stuck out his hand—and Dr. Seth Dupree shook it and held it there for a long time.

  “Good luck to you, Doctor,” Chris said, “He looked over his shoulder at his childhood friend and flashed some type of pushing motion with his hands that Seth quickly gathered as a signal that only the two of them would understand. “You’re going to need every last ounce of it. I love your wife like the sister I never had. Siblings have a caring and forgiveness for one another that no other relationship can endure. I don’t know if you can fully understand that.”

  “That is where you are wrong, Chris,” The Gray Man found himself saying. “I can understand it. And yet, our relationship as husband and wife has nothing to do with luck as you mentioned before—none of this does.”

  And then Christopher Prince disappeared out of a side door.

  Five minutes later, Angel hopped into his arms and kissed him open mouthed. She was smiling from ear to ear with her lips in full bloom. She had cried along the route between leaving the courtroom, talking to the reporters and limping over to where he was.

  “I’ll be going away for a while, Seth,” She looked like a new woman. She looked as if the burdens of this world had been lifted off of her shoulders. She couldn’t have been more wrong. “I will be back again. We’ll be back. We can start over again.”

  “Start over, huh?”

  “Of, course,” Angel’s smile waned a little. “Look, Seth, I’m sorry about you having to be embarrassed about hearing my sorry history in front of strangers like that. It isn’t fair that you had to be subjected to all my drinking, my infidelities…all of my personal demons once again.”

  “I’m not concerned about what was said back there, Angel,” Seth said cautiously, “Some of those incidents were from a long time ago. What I am concerned with is the here and now. I’m disappointed in the fact that you haven’t changed my love. I don’t think that you ever will. What everyone has seen on display in an essence is who you are, Angel.”

  Angel cocked a brow in confusion.

  “I don’t understand what you mean by that, Seth,” She said in a low tone. Seth dried one of her tears. “Seth, I’ve been totally honest with you about everything. Look, Seth, I’m sure that you’ll find this corny, but I feel cleansed by this entire experience. I’m going to kick this drinking thing.”

  “No you’re not, Angel,” Seth said without anger. “You’re not going to stop the drinking or the sleeping around. Especially now, that they’ve taken what little there was of your career from you. You have nothing left. And with nothing left to lose you are bound to get worse than you already are. Everyday more of who you really are will raise to the surface. I can’t live with this any longer. I c
an’t live with you and what you are anymore. I’m sorry. You can’t come home again.”

  Angel stood there and glared into his gray eyes for a very long time.

  “You know,” Angel’s lips parted into a serviceable O. “Somehow…you know…Memphis…Brad.”

  “Yes,” Seth owed her that much left. “I know because I planted him in that airport and into your life.”

  “Why?”

  “I know you, Angel,” He said. “I know what turns you on. You made it easy.”

  “Seth, you are a son of a bitch. You actually set me up.”

  “I did.”

  Angel made some type of movement with her mouth.

  “Look, Seth, I can’t be angry with you. Why would I ever be angry with you? Yet, if you set me up you know that I didn’t have intercourse with him.” Seth frowned at her proclamation as weak as it was. “Alright, Seth, we had drinks—we had a lot of drinks, but I didn’t have sex with him. It never went beyond drinking and talking, even when he pushed. I did that much, Seth. I at least overcame that temptation.”

  “No,” Seth heard his voice fall to a dangerously low decibel that he’d never heard in it before. “No you didn’t overcome temptation at all.”

  “Look, Seth, I don’t know what Brad or whatever his name was told you—“

  “You don’t get it do you, Angel,” Seth had to do something with his hands to keep from grabbing her here in this courthouse. He was