by Laura Acton
Former Master Corporal Bransworth, now an agent for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, was third to be called. He testified to all the darknet discoveries he and Loki found, including the chatter from a terrorist cell about buying a soldier and the Cayman Islands accounts. He laid out the transactions tracking the four million dollars deposited from an account once utilized by Mousa to Pletcher and the subsequent one million transfer to one owned by Plouffe.
He explained how the Army’s system tracked every form created and showed the duplicated orders with minor differences. One set delivered to the master corporal and another one the general. Bransworth also substantiated the payroll submissions noting R and R instead of medical leave reflected Plouffe’s login. In cross-examination, Plouffe put forth the idea that although those transactions might’ve been created using his login, the possibility existed someone else could’ve exploited his code to frame him.
After Bransworth acknowledged there was no way to conclusively identify who created the documents, opened the foreign bank accounts, or initiated the encrypted transmissions, Leroux stood and requested to redirect. Under his re-examination, Bransworth pointed out he traced the IP addresses of many of the communications and several originated from locations which corresponded to Plouffe’s known positions on the given dates and times.
Conan Travis took the stand next. He had already pled guilty, been stripped of rank, and moved to a federal prison to serve fourteen-years for assault per his plea deal. Travis struggled, and his voice reflected fear when Plouffe questioned him. Plouffe did his best to discredit Travis’ words, making him admit all he participated in came from Murphy’s mouth and Travis never actually heard Plouffe give any orders to attack Dan.
The last to testify before Bellerose broke for lunch was former Master Corporal Clinton Johnston, one of the guards who zapped Dan until he was unconscious. He professed Plouffe spoke with him and Tapia and instructed them to prevent Dan’s unit mates from visiting him while he was in the brig awaiting the decision from the review board about the friendly fire incident. On Johnston’s way out, he stopped and saluted the Brodericks, and apologized for his part in tasering Dan.
CFB Edmonton – Officer’s Mess – 1235 Hours
As Dan took the final bite of his double-stacked beefeater sandwich, his phone began buzzing. Quickly swallowing and washing it down with tea, he grinned as he noted Lexa’s number. “Hey, Lexa.”
Lexa’s voice reflected her relief. “Hi, Dan. I realize you are busy, but if you have a moment to talk I want to share some news.”
After glancing at the clock on the far wall, Dan said, “Got about ten minutes before we have to head back to the hearing. What’s up?”
“A stroke of luck today. Jon and I are partnered, and while out patrolling, we spotted a vehicle matching the description of the one which hit Allie. We followed the sedan to its destination and discovered the culprit.”
“Wow, so who hit her?”
Dan’s words caused the guys to stop and glance at him, but they noted wonder, not concern, so resumed their meals and conversations.
“Turns out the driver is a twenty-year-old with a learning disability. Rhett Herring drove away because he panicked. He doesn’t possess a license and got scared he would be caught driving his dad’s car. His mother works days, and his father works the night shift at the mill, so one of them is usually around for Rhett. But unbeknownst to them, for six months now when he wanted to buy fast food, Rhett removed the license plate and took the car.
“Not to decrease the severity of Allie’s injury, but this finding relieves some of the tension. At least we now know it isn’t related to Plouffe, the Blooddrop Crew, or the Cignotti’s.”
“So, what will happen to Rhett?” Dan let out a long breath.
“Bram is going to ask for leniency when Rhett is arraigned. When the young man’s parents found out what happened, they became extremely concerned for Allie. They have taken measures to prevent Rhett from obtaining their keys, bought him a bus pass, and made Rhett write a letter of apology to Allie.”
The klaxon alarm sounded, and Lexa said, “Gotta go. Give me a call tonight if you can.” Lexa hung up before Dan could answer and rushed out of the women’s locker room for the garage.
Dan stared at his cell phone a moment, wishing he was there. Stay safe, Lexa. He put the phone in his pocket and related the news to the others.
Club Ed – Courtroom – 1310 Hours
The afternoon docket started with Warrant Officer Brooke Sanford. As a forensic analyst with the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service, she gave testimony about the bullet recovered during Jhetta’s autopsy and the one removed from Dan’s chest. She revealed the identical serrations on the slugs confirmed they had been fired from the same gun. A test-fire of Merrill’s weapon seized when he was arrested, provided conclusive proof the rifle had been used in the homicide of Jhetta and attempted murder of Dan.
Plouffe didn’t bother going after Sanford, because he felt none of Corporal Merrill’s actions would fall back on him. He had a plan for destroying the weird little corporal’s testimony, Merrill was a paid assassin, and no one could prove he hired him.
When called, William strode to the front, was sworn in, and took a seat. His visage exemplified all one would think of when conjuring an image of an authoritative, intelligent, and honorable general. His clear sapphire eyes connected with each panel member and stopped on Taggart. Well-acquainted with his peer, William understood Taggart possessed a reputation for being unyielding and a stickler for process and procedure.
So hard-nosed, Morris Taggart preferred charges against one of his children for conduct to prejudice of good order and discipline after he caught Corporal Raymond Taggart smoking a joint while on leave. Morris even recommended a demotion to Private and a fine of five hundred dollars.
Rumor had it Morris disowned Raymond for the offense. William didn’t understand how a father could disown a child for something so minor. Murder maybe, one marijuana joint, no way. Turning his eyes to Daniel, he smiled, appreciating his son stayed today to offer his support.
His attention turned to Leroux as he began his questioning. They touched on all the taunting pictures he received, which Leroux employed as a jumping off point to help explain William’s harsh comments to Blain when notified about Daniel’s first injury. The prosecutor moved on to questions they believed Plouffe might try to make a spectacle of to allow William an opportunity to address the issues and explain his actions.
Together they painted the picture of a caring father who did his best to treat Daniel the same as any other soldier and allow the younger Broderick the latitude to move his career in his own direction. This led into a discourse on and explained why William remained unaware of Daniel’s constant deployment, where they illustrated the point with the forged documents indicating Daniel requested to be assigned to additional units on a frequent basis.
Leroux pointed out the requests applied vernacular identical to what Daniel used in his correspondence, much of which was documented in Plouffe’s profile notes on Daniel, including specific phrasing which came from letters he sent to his cousins.
William took a breath and sipped some water when Leroux finished, clamping down on his emotions as Plouffe rose. He wanted in the worst way to strangle the life out of the man who harmed his son in so many ways for six years. It took every ounce of his self-control to maintain his stoic, yet icy countenance.
Plouffe itched to reach under his table and end things now. But at this point, he still had a shot of creating enough doubt, that he chose to play this out. “General Broderick, testimony given by Captain Blain indicates you covered up the fact the unit went absent without leave, is that correct?”
“Not exactly.”
“And what does that mean? It is either yes or no.” Plouffe’s gaze turned to the senior panel member. He recalled the gossip about the by-the-book general. Broderick’s cover-up would work in his favor with Taggart.
“Then why did you punish them?” Plouffe’s anger surged.
“Because they were unaware of my order. Discipline and chain of command must be maintained. Using the authority and discretion of my rank, I dealt with the situation pragmatically and effectively. All six soldiers were vital assets, and I would rather correct their behavior than lose their skills. My course of action was the right one if you check their stellar records.”
He grinned and added, “Or take one glimpse at the numerous honors each of them proudly earned in the service of Queen and country. These men, my son included, demonstrated their dedication to duty on a daily basis.”
His mind raging, Plouffe clenched his fists, wanting to punch the supercilious general. He had not missed the plethora of ribbons they all wore. The Cross of Valour on his toy soldier pissed him off the most, second to the number of Sacrifice Medals which represented how many times he failed to kill William’s son. Gaining control, barely, Plouffe ground out, “No additional questions at this time.”
Plouffe stomped to his table, sat, and his hand caressed the gun Nicholls taped underneath. He fought the urge to rip the compact pistol off and kill William as his nemesis smugly stood and strode to the gallery.
Leroux remained standing as he spoke to Judge Bellerose. “As a safety precaution, the following witness will testify via video feed from an undisclosed maximum-security facility.”
He turned to Kenric, and she established the link. When it displayed, the image was grainy, and the sound was not working. Winds came over to assist her in cleaning up the signal, the jammers causing a bit of havoc with the connection. Once the monitor cleared, the members of the court viewed the top half of a man, from mid-chest to head on the screen. Winds and Kenric continued to tweak the system to fix the audio issue.
Dan stared at the man as a vague sense of familiarity niggled at him. He leaned over to his dad. “Who is that?”
William kept his voice soft as he growled, “The man who tried to kill Becca in France. My girl has the worst taste in men.”
Dan’s eyes widened. “That’s Pletcher? He is so much older than Becca.”
Turning to his son, William gave him a quizzical expression. “Haven’t you seen him before?”
“No.”
“Not even on your last op? Pletcher is the one who provided the location for the arms dealers.”
Dan shook his head. “No, but he seems familiar, I’m sure I’ve met him, but I can’t place him.” He sustained his gaze, narrowing in on the green eyes.
When Kenric gave him a thumbs-up, Leroux said, “The prosecution calls Mr. Jorge Pletcher.”
The clerk swore him in, and Pletcher spoke a scarcely audible, “I do.”
Kenric increased the volume, and Leroux requested, “Please state your name and former occupation for the court.”
Pletcher shifted in his chair when he caught sight of Plouffe sitting at the defendant’s table alone. A sense of relief filled him because he was not in the same room. Plouffe would likely attempt to kill him for testifying. He stared straight into his camera. “Jorge Marian Pletcher, formally an operative for Canadian Forces Intelligence Command.”
Dan bolted up out of his seat and yelled, “Traitor!”
Fighting Lions with Steak
33
January 26
Club Ed – Courtroom – 1425 Hours
Pure unadulterated hatred and white-hot fury coursed through Dan. Emotions he held for only a few men on this earth. Those who tortured him mercilessly and brought him to the point he wished for death to escape the ungodly, unending pain and humiliation of the debasement he suffered. Rage uncorked caused his body to shake and his head to pound, as he bellowed, “That bastard is Traitor!”
Reactions to his outburst were swift and varied. Judge Bellerose, loudly and firmly ordered, “Mr. Broderick contain yourself or you will be escorted out,” as the panel, prosecution counsel, Angus, Russ, Duncan, and Hal all turned to stare at Dan.
William and Blaze instantly moved protectively towards Dan. Each laying a steadying hand on his back and shoulder, ready to act if the tremors running through him caused their son to falter.
Mason’s and Winds’ eyes whipped to the monitor, their glares filled with wrath as they viewed one of the animals who participated in the hell Blondie endured for three months. Both wished the traitor was in this room so they could beat the shit out of him before snapping his fucking neck.
Tom and Mike both gaped as they realized they cut a deal with a man whose duplicity ran deeper than they ever suspected. Not only did Pletcher attempt to kill Becca and Yvonne, sell munitions and Dan to terrorist cells, but he was also directly involved in torturing and interrogating Dan.
Plouffe smiled and snickered as he witnessed the color drain from Pletcher’s face. So, he didn’t tell them everything. He didn’t expect to be recognized. This will work in my favor. I can blame him, twist things around to make the panel believe Pletcher targeted me too, setting me up as a scapegoat for his traitorous activities.
Dan drew in a ragged breath, becoming lightheaded as he stared into the green eyes. He swayed but remained upright in the hands of his dad and Blaze. Managing with difficulty to lower his volume and speak civilly, he said, “Your Honour, I apologize for my outburst. Jorge Pletcher is the man I referred to as Traitor during my captivity. He attempted to disguise his identity, but I will never forget his eyes or his voice, sir.”
Recovering from her shock, Kenric pulled up the eye sketch and placed it side-by-side with the image of Pletcher. The uncanny resemblance of the two was unmistakable. Dan’s description to the artist had captured an identical rendition of Jorge Pletcher’s eyes and brows.
General Taggart gazed at the two golden-haired Brodericks, witnessing how lion-like they appeared as the elder Broderick fiercely supported his son and vice versa the past two days. The hell each of them had been through, the misunderstandings they endured, the lengths each went to in the name of country and family made him feel ashamed of his treatment of his own son.
Leroux wondered how much of Pletcher’s testimony would be discredited now and needed time to regroup. He stood and addressed the judge, “Your Honour, in light of this discovery, I request a recess.”
Noting the distraught countenance of Daniel Broderick, Bellerose agreed to a short break. “Court will adjourn for thirty minutes.” Everyone rose as he did, the five members followed him out as the feed to Pletcher was switched off, and two of Blain’s men escorted Plouffe to his waiting cell.
William encouraged Dan to sit. His son’s colorless face and the beads of sweat on his forehead prompted him to gently guide Daniel’s head down between his knees as he whispered, “Breathe, Son. In, hold, two, three, four, exhale. That’s it, slow and regular.”
His adrenaline ebbing, William took a knee and used one hand to brace himself on a chair. His head bowed and rested against Daniel’s as he breathed in unison with his son until the voices around him caused him to lift his eyes to view Tom, Blaze, and Mike blocking Leroux’s path to Daniel and him.
Gathering himself, he rose and donned his well-worn shields, locking away all emotion, he commanded, “Leroux, I realize you must speak with Daniel, but you will give him a few moments to regroup. Is that clear?”
Before Leroux responded, Bonomi interjected, “We must depose Pletcher again to discover if this revelation will damage the testimony we expected him to provide against Plouffe. If you will excuse us, you may have the room to yourself.” He led the prosecutor from the room with a hand on his bicep as Major Kenric gathered the laptop and hurried after them.
Regaining control yet wiped out by the emotional rush he experienced, Dan sat up and slumped back in the chair. He blew out a long breath, before he said, “Will this ever get any fucking ea
sier?”
Blaze put his hand on Blondie’s neck and massaged lightly. “Wish I could tell you, yes, but I don’t know. What you endured is beyond anything any one of us ever experienced.”
Sitting next to Daniel, William spoke softly, “Son, what you feel is normal. You have well-developed coping mechanisms. Not many could’ve survived and moved on. That said, if the memories are too painful, you do not need to stay on my account. I can deal with Plouffe alone.”
Tom cleared his throat. “Not alone. You have me, and I’ll always stand with you, William.”
“I’m here too. Those rat bastards will pay for their depravity,” Mike stated.
Mason grinned. “You hear that, Sunshine? You’re not the only one with a pride of lions waiting to defend you. Plouffe and Pletcher don’t realize they’re fighting lions with steak and they are gonna be ripped to shreds.”
Dan couldn’t help the little snort at Mason’s analogy. “Lions, huh?”
“Well, you have a golden mane,” Mason said as he tousled Blondie’s hair.
Winds snickered. “Does this make Blondie Simba and the general Mufasa?”
“I hope to hell not. Scar killed Mufasa. I’m not about to let Plouffe do that,” Blaze declared.
William deadpanned, “Plouffe is more like Banzai, the hyena who ends up with cactus in his butt.”
Dan stared at his father who winked at him. A bubble of laughter burst out. He pushed to his feet and glanced around him at all the support. “Sir, I think it would be best if I don’t sit in for Pletcher’s testimony.” He sighed heavily, hating to admit the emotions would overwhelm him if Pletcher moved into torture territory. He was also uncertain if he could restrain himself from lashing out at Plouffe, which would cause a whole host of problems for himself.
“Understood. Are you ready to speak with Leroux?”
