Maddy's a Baddy

by David J. Wighton

  "What about what he did to his sisters when they were growing up?"

  "He was a minor when these incidents happened. Besides, there is no proof."

  "The murder of his own daughter."

  "No proof. Slider, the driver, has already shown that he won't say anything incriminating, and even if he did, it's still one man's word against another."

  "The prosecutor?"

  "We might be able to convict him on some graft within city hall, but not if he has hidden his money well. We know that he was involved in all of the murders committed in the cellblock, but there's no proof."

  "The people helping in the trials? Mavis and Snoozer."

  "Both have disappeared. We can't find them. We didn't try very hard. It's still one person's word against another. "

  "Hank, you can't let him get away with this."

  "Tell us what to do then, Yolanda. Everybody, tell us how to catch them. Jock and I are at a dead end. And neither the judge nor the prosecutor has done anything that would allow the Raging Gardeners to become involved because they have no jurisdiction. If we can get the two of them to trial, it will be in front of an Ontario judge for crimes they committed in Ontario."

  "What about asking for people who know something about the judge to step forward?" Dreamer was able to say something because Yolanda's steam engine had almost run out of water.

  "Did you see that in one of your dreams?"

  "No, Yolanda," Dreamer said. "I have no dreams at all about the judge or the prosecutor or anything about trials. But why not ask for help? Perhaps somebody out there knows something that we don't know?"

  That was the only useable idea that came out of the meeting.

  # # # # # # # #

  We can't convict the judge or the prosecutor? Winnie and Marie were on their way back to Ontario Friday evening. Winnie was mind-messaging with William on the way.

  Not unless we receive some help from the public. Your mom asked where you were. I said you were working on an assignment that Jock gave you.

  Is she mad at me?

  Not after I said you were on Wilizy business. She wanted to know if you had any bright ideas.

  I haven't been too involved in the planning for this operation so I don't know much about the judge or the prosecutor.

  Did you find the little girl?

  Yeah. She's a slave at Safe Haven ranch # 4. She's wearing a dog collar.

  No chance of saving the little girl?

  I don't see how. We can't change what happened in the past.

  # # # # # # # #

  News Release, Friday, April 26, 10:00 p.m.

  From Brigadier-General Jock MacLatchie

  Officer in charge of Martial Law in Toronto.

  To all Toronto Citizens

  The expeditionary forces from the B.C. and Saskatchewan governments have established defensive positions within the city and are actively searching for the foreign forces that were responsible for the fires and explosions that occurred in the early morning of April 26. We are now asking Toronto citizens for their help in our search for one of Toronto's leading citizens.

  Judge Foster Lewis has gone missing from his home and office and we have reason to believe that the forces that attacked Toronto have kidnapped him. If anybody has seen Judge Lewis in the last several days, please contact me. Also, if any citizen has any idea why anybody would want to harm or abduct Judge Lewis, please contact me.

  I can be reached at Maple Loaf Gardens.

  Back to the Table of Contents

  Chapter 38

  Saturday, April 27th was the day the Browns would be interrogated. By Saturday morning, TG had updated all of the Browns' files with information obtained from their co-workers. Reese thought that they were guilty of some crimes, perhaps by taking a bribe. However, they had some streaks of good. Reese had cautioned his dad that he could only read the basic colour of each person. He hadn't learned how to read the variations – when colours were entwined, for example. All he could say for sure was that the Browns needed to be asked a lot of questions.

  Winnie added a recommendation. The interrogators should ask them direct questions about their knowledge of the judge and the prosecutor. This way, if they knew something that might incriminate either of them but lied, she'd see the lie and the Wilizy could go after it.

  For the time being, the Wilizy would keep the Browns who had been interrogated and found guilty in the cellblock in the basement of City Hall. This way they couldn't talk with the Blacks who were still in Maple Loaf Gardens. Saskatchewan would be responsible for guarding and feeding the Browns in the cells.

  The interrogation of the Browns would be conducted in the Home dressing room. Six tables were placed in such a way that Winnie could see all six faces. As far as they knew, she was in charge of offering water and/or food. The Wilizy who had been initially chosen for the interviews were Hank, Wanda, Granny, Momaka, Yolanda, and Wolf. TG was substituted for Wolf who wanted to stay with Mac. Melissa suggested that Marie should also be added to the team to provide extra incentive for anybody who was lying or showing reluctance to cooperate. When that happened, Marie would sit next to the Brown, place her hand on his hand, and encourage him to tell the truth. She'd keep her hand there and talk about work camps that she'd be recommending for his incarceration. Marie enjoyed herself immensely and was very good at her role. This was the point at which the Wilizy accepted her into the family without reservation.

  # # # # # # # #

  Meanwhile, Stu and Jock were meeting with General Cameron and Hector Rodrigues, the Chief Justice of the Ontario Supreme Court. Several important decisions came out of that meeting.

  General Cameron would take over the duties of Toronto's police chief and keep his troops visible to Toronto's citizens. When the Whites and Yellows came back to work, he'd put them back into their former positions. If their skills warranted it, he'd promote them to higher ranks that had been held by the Browns and the Blacks. Nobody from those groups could be trusted and they would not be back on the force. General Cameron would conduct a search for qualified people to replace the Browns and Blacks and to bring the police force up to operational speed. He would gradually remove his forces from the city as conditions permitted.

  Brigadier-General MacLatchie would provide security for the trials that would have to follow the interrogations. He would initiate discussions within the city on how Toronto's criminal justice system could be improved. In the meantime, his troops would continue to search for the people who had attacked Toronto.

  The seven justices of the Supreme Court would conduct the trials for the Browns and then later for the Blacks. With the quality of information being generated by the interrogations, nobody in the room expected that process to take much time. They had ample evidence to convict already. They did expect that sentencing would be difficult. Other than a few cells in isolated police stations, Ontario had no functioning prisons. Establishing such a system with personnel to man it would not be possible before these trials were held.

  Stu observed that B.C. had functioning prisons and asked General Cameron if perhaps they might take responsibility for Ontario's soon-to-be-convicts for a short time at least. This would be as a gesture of friendship to Ontario and perhaps a sign of further cooperation to come. All members at the meeting endorsed such a movement. Stu did observe though that B.C. would need a formal agreement from Ontario that gave them the authority to incarcerate and control Ontarians charged with criminal offenses and found guilty of the same. This agreement would have to include clauses that allowed B.C. to put them in prison for crimes they had committed before the B.C. force arrived. Stu would even be willing to write up a draft document.

  They also agreed that a military tribunal would conduct the trials of any Blacks that were accused of capital crimes requiring more than simple jail time. The military tribunal was necessary because martial law was in effect in Toronto at the time. Brigadier-General MacLatchie and General Cameron were ranking officers and
were empowered to conduct such trials. General MacLatchie recommended that a third person be added so that there'd be an odd number of judges. He suggested a former RCMP officer who had also served as a high-ranking officer in the B.C. military. Everybody agreed that Hank would be an excellent choice. Stu suggested that this tribunal should have powers to investigate and punish any crimes that had been committed before military law had been established in Toronto. Since Stu was already drafting a document empowering B.C. to imprison Ontarians, it made sense that he create a similar document for the military tribunal. One major obstacle to convicting the judge and the prosecutor had now been eliminated. It didn't matter when a crime had been committed. If the Wilizy could prove it, a military court could find them guilty.

  As to Toronto? General MacLatchie would arrange for civic elections as soon as possible and would take on the role of Mayor until this could be done.

  # # # # # # # #

  Some interesting tidbits arose out of a subsequent personal meeting between the two generals. General Douglas Cameron had once served under Jock and they knew each other and their families. Both had some catching up to do.

  "How's Mac," General Cameron asked. He had always been a fan.

  "She's married now with two kids. The second was born a week ago."

  "Is she working in the military when she's not bearing children?"

  "She's employed in a private company now; something to do with environmental research, I believe."

  "Doing security for them?"

  "Naturally."

  "I wouldn't think that there'd be much call for that in an environmental company."

  "You'd be surprised."

  ...

  "That aide of yours. Are you robbing the cradle now to find recruits?"

  "He is young, I admit. You know how hard it is to find people willing to serve. Especially when there's no threat of war with Alberta now."

  "We're facing the same situation. I hear your aide stared down a mutineer."

  "He did."

  "I hear he also did that with a uniform that had some very old and outdated insignia. I'm surprised you'd let that go, Jock."

  "It's tough to get the funds we need."

  "So now you rob the cradle and re-issue very old used uniforms. What's so special about this kid?"

  "He's one of the Wilizy boys."

  "Not the one that will take your eye teeth if you let him?"

  "No, that's Wizard. Lucas is the kid that shot down three Alaskan planes all by himself."

  "Does Hank know you're recruiting him?"

  "He's helping me out on that."

  "And Yolanda's reaction?"

  "How's your wife, Douglas?"

  # # # # # # # #

  That Saturday afternoon, Maddy took the little kids down to the lakeside to play in the sand. There were five of them. They weren't little brats – they just liked to run around a lot. This part of the dam site was flat and city fathers had put in a beach next to a safe swimming area years ago. They had also placed picnic tables and a little playground next to the beach. Maddy knew about beaches and not walking too close to the water, so she kept the kiddies away from the water.

  There was a small slide in the playground. She put the kids into a line in front of the steps up to the top. The youngest girl was at the front of the line. Maddy made sure that she got up the steps safely. After she was sitting at the top, Maddy ran around to the bottom of the slide, watched the girl give herself a little push, and then made sure that she had a safe ride to the bottom. Then it was the next kid's turn. The laughs and screams of the kiddies brought unwelcome attention.

  The overalls lady found her by the slide and asked Maddy what she thought she was doing. She didn't wait for an answer. She screamed at her not to go to the beach again because it wasn't safe, slapped her face twice, and left. Maddy touched her cheeks, but didn't cry.

  # # # # # # # #

  Interrogations of the Browns carried over into Sunday, April 28. The day became more interesting when Dr. Sandman came to the Maple Loaf Gardens and asked to speak to General MacLatchie. The general delegated that duty to Stu who slipped Dr. Sandman into the Visitors dressing room and met with him. Two minutes into the conversation, he asked a young stenographer to join them. An hour later, Stu let Dr. Sandman out the exit to the parking lot and reported to Jock.

  "I don't think he can help us. He told me about his entire involvement with the judge, but whatever criminal activity there might have been, he was coerced into it. Winnie sat in on most of the interview. He was telling the truth."

  "How was he coerced?"

  "Dr. Sandman was the doctor who supervised Eldreadth's pregnancy in 2055. She was under his care at the time – a serious case of depression leading to suicidal thoughts. He had placed her in a care facility under constant supervision. Eldreadth recovered with Dr. Sandman's help and she raised Helen as best as she could. By this time, the judge had bought her a mansion to live in – his attempt to provide fatherly love for his daughter, I suppose. Eldreadth told her brother that the baby was his. Foster never disputed it. There had been no other man in Eldreadth's life."

  "Helen never knew that the judge was her father; just that he was an uncle that came by regularly. When Helen began to mature, the judge started coming around to see her, not her mother. He found her a job in a strip joint. At this point, Eldreadth fell back into depression and she had to be hospitalized. The judge took that opportunity to seduce his own daughter under the guise of Families that bathe together stay together. He coerced Sandman to go along with the charade of being Sparkle's suitor by threatening to cut off Eldreadth's money. She had no revenue of any kind; the mansion was not in her name. She had a monthly allowance and that was it. The doctor did not have the means to support Eldreadth's care because the judge owned his clinic building and would evict him. Sandman went along with the ruse so that Eldreadth would be taken care of. However, he made sure that his wife was always at the hotel so that he could disprove any accusations that he had taken advantage of Helen. The doctor's involvement with the three henchpersons was coercion through the same means – threats to throw Eldreadth into the street. He was the doctor who attended Basher's birth too."

  "Does he know about the family and what went on?"

  "He knows everything. Telling Dr. Sandman that sad story was part of Eldreadth's recovery. She'd only talk to him and she insisted that no recordings were made. She was too ashamed. We can't use Sandman's knowledge to reveal anything because what Eldreadth said would be discounted as the ravings of a suicidal maniac. Plus Sandman gave me the information on the condition that it would never become public and that Eldreadth would never be publicly humiliated. That explains why Reese had seen his colour so light."

  "So we have nothing that we can prove in court?"

  "Nothing. But Sandman will allow us to interview Eldreadth at her mansion provided he is present. He doubted very much that she would talk about her childhood."

  "Who'd be best to do that?"

  "Yolanda, perhaps?"

  "Have Marie go instead," Jock suggested. "She has lived through pain. Have Doc go too. We want him there in case she says something that Marie may not realize is important. Tell him to listen to the conversation invisibly if Eldreadth won't let him in the house."

  # # # # # # # #

  For Maddy, Sunday afternoon started out with laughs, but ended differently.

  After lunch, Maddy took some plates and cutlery from the kitchen and went to the picnic area well away from the beach. She had the kiddies sit down at one of the wooden tables and they began to play Picnic. Maddy dished out pretend food with a big wooden spoon and they all pretended to eat it.

  They had just started to eat their pretend ice cream dessert when Overalls Lady found them there. She looked at the top of the picnic table and began screaming at Maddy for taking good plates and cutlery. When she was finished yelling, she grabbed Maddy's left arm and abruptly yanked her off the bench. She whipped Mad
dy's jeans and panties down, pushed her facedown onto the ground, and paddled her bare bottom with the wooden spoon. "Don't be such a bad girl," she warned. Maddy cried during the beating but quit immediately after Overalls Lady had left. She had learned that if you cry, the beatings stop sooner than if you don't cry.

  That Monday evening, Bare Bottom Beater thought about Maddy and how she was behaving. Doing what she wanted to do without asking; taking things that didn't belong to her. Maddy reminded her of another cute little blonde girl that had taken something that didn't belong to her. Birdie's boyfriend. Other girls in the school didn't have a chance when cute blonde girls were on the prowl. Maddy was the same. She had been there one day and all the little kiddies loved her. Bare Bottom Beater wrote a note on the big calendar on the fridge. Send Maddy to Safe Haven Ranch #4 today.

  Maddy was peeking around the corner, watching Bare Bottom Beater write the note. When BBB had gone, Maddy stood in front of the calendar. She had never seen a calendar before. She didn't know what the boxes on the page were for; even if she did, she didn't know what day of the week it was. She did know something more important. She understood what BBB had written

  Maddy opened the knife drawer and pulled out a carving knife. She took that knife and some food into the room where she had a space to sleep on the floor. There was an empty backpack at the bottom of the closet. She put the food into that backpack along with warm clothes, a piece of paper, and a picture. It was too small to hold all of her clothes and the food, so she left her warm boots and extra jeans behind. Maddy placed the knife on the top of the clothes, zippered the pack shut, made herself comfortable on her pad on the floor, and went to sleep.

  Back to the Table of Contents

  Chapter 39

  Monday morning, Maddy woke at sunrise, slipped out of the trailer, and headed south away from the dam. At first, she walked by the lakeside. But one time when she turned around to see if Bare Bottom Beater was chasing her, Maddy saw her own trail of footsteps. She walked into the rough terrain away from the lake and continued to follow the lake south.