Injustice For All

by Robin Caroll

  Soon.

  There were just times that Rafe truly loved his job. This was one of them.

  He leaned against the back wall of the Peabody Hotel in downtown Little Rock, blending in with the crowd. Good turnout. Every local media outlet was represented on the front row from the podium, microphones and cameras at the ready.

  This day had been a long time coming. Well, a week and a half since returning from Hopewell felt like a long time, but they’d needed every hour to conclude all the research and gather all the evidence. Now they had everything. Even Hartlock’s signed confession.

  Rafe checked his watch, then glanced across the room to see Alphonse Jackson looming. Opposite Jackson, on the other side of the room, Nick Hagar grinned. Rafe returned the smile.

  Applause thundered, nearly rattling the ornately curtained windows as the favored candidate for Arkansas governor took the stage. A preelection convention. A last bid to get free media exposure. A last chance to snatch a few votes from anyone still left undecided.

  A prime opportunity for the FBI.

  The expected future governor began speaking into the booming microphone. Showtime!

  Rafe paid no attention to the man’s words as he wove his way through the crowd. He caught the motions of both Jackson and Hagar in his peripheral vision. They were all moving in for the kill.

  Reaching to his belt under his jacket, Rafe pulled out his handcuffs and had them ready. He made it to the stage.

  A large security officer stopped Rafe with a hand to his chest. Rafe smiled and badged the man, who had no choice but to let him through. Rafe climbed the stairs and crossed the stage, Jackson and Hagar blocking the exits.

  The man stopped speaking and wore a look of pure confusion. It almost made Rafe laugh. Instead, he withdrew his handcuffs and spoke at an angle that the microphone could pick up his words.

  “Jonathan Busch, you’re under arrest for the murder of Judge Daniel Tate, conspiracy, witness tampering, and terrorist activity.”

  His reading of the rest of the Miranda rights was lost in the clicking of cameras, murmuring of the crowd, and the clanking of the scales of justice coming into balance.

  Remington sat on the end of the pier, the breeze pushing over the bayou. The paper danced in her hand. With unexpectedly trembling fingers, she unfolded the letter and read . . .

  Dear Hayden,

  You don’t know me, but I’m your father, and I’ve loved you from the moment I knew about you. I never had the chance to know you, not face-to-face, but I’ve watched you grow into a strong, faithful man. You are kind, gentle, merciful, and wise. I take no credit for any of these admirable traits. Your mother and her husband loved you and taught you well.

  You are my son, but I’ve only been able to love you from afar. Oh, how I wish I could have raised you, but your mother insisted otherwise and I felt obligated to respect her choices. But know that I loved you very much and wanted to be a part of your life. Also, please don’t think I’ve missed out on the honor and pleasure of being a parent. While the reason was tragic and heartbreaking, circumstances (or perhaps fate?) allowed me to raise my goddaughter, Remington Wyatt.

  Now, since I’ve passed on, I’m certain she will come looking for you when she finds these documents. Of that, I’m positive. (Once you meet her and get to know her, you’ll understand.) My hope is the two of you will hit it off upon meeting and will grow to love one another as you should have had the chance while growing up. You need to understand some things about her, son.

  She’s smart and funny and generous. Her goodness makes her glow from the inside out. She comes across as tough as nails, and she is that, but she’s also pensive and considerate, warm and giving. You won’t find a better woman anywhere in the world. Matter-of-fact, she reminds me a lot of your mother.

  Remington will be upset when she meets you, as I never told her about you. Your mother asked me not to, and I would grant Ardith anything. So Remington will be hurt and feel betrayed. You owe me nothing, Hayden, but I beg of you, please, don’t judge her too harshly. She’s had to endure a lot of tragedy in her life, and she was raised by this single old curmudgeon.

  While you are my son—my flesh and blood, and I love you, Remington has been my heart. She has brightened my life by walking into a room. Lifted my spirit with her smile. Touched my soul with a hug. Every ounce of goodness I ever possessed was gained from her. Each honorable and good thing I ever did was because of her. She made me a better judge . . . a better man . . . a better person just by being with her.

  So I ask you to take the time to get to know her. I guarantee you’ll come to love her as I did. And when you do, will you please share with her how much being in her life meant to me? That I can’t imagine what my life would have been like without her bright light in my world? That every single day of my life, she blessed me in ways I can’t even begin to describe?

  But most of all, I’m without a shadow of a doubt positive her father would have been as proud of her as I’ve always been. If nothing else, please grant this dead man’s request and let her know that.

  I love you, Hayden . . . and wish I could’ve gotten to know you better. My prayer is that you and Remington will make things right in your generation that Ardith and I messed up in ours.

  Your father,

  Daniel Tate

  Epilogue

  It’s no surprise that he pled out.” Rafe handed her the rest of the pages on the prior bad acts of Jonathan Busch. “Hard to imagine a man playing for our team throwing the game.” He shook his head. “He’ll stay in prison for the rest of his life.”

  But Remington had stopped listening. Her breathing became labored. Her attention was stuck on the page Rafe had just handed her.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “This can’t be right.”

  “What?” He sat beside her. “What can’t be right?”

  She pointed to the last paragraph. “This says two drug users alleged Busch hired them to kill the defense attorney of the factory his family filed a wrongful-death suit against.”

  “Maybe yes, maybe no. That was more than twenty years ago. Guess that was one of his first crimes. Personal, since it was his brother who died from mesothelioma. Busch has done much worse since then.”

  “Rafe, look at the name.”

  “Wesson Wyatt.” He looked at her. “I don’t recognize the name.”

  Tears burned her eyes. “That’s my father. We thought he was shot in a drive-by.” She dropped her gaze back to the paper. “Busch had him killed because Daddy won the case.”

  Fresh grief hit her from nowhere. Sobs choked her until she released their fury. Rafe’s arms wrapped around her as she cried. She balled the fabric of his shirt in her fist.

  The pain ebbed slowly as Rafe held her in his strong, warm embrace. At least now she knew the truth of what had happened to her father. His killer would spend the rest of his life in prison. It wouldn’t bring her father back, but it really did help ease the ache she’d carried around for over two decades.

  All cried out, she looked up at Rafe. “I’m sorry. It’s just . . .” She shrugged, not even knowing what to say.

  With his thumb, he wiped away her tears. Her skin blazed where he touched. Her breath froze in her chest.

  Never breaking eye contact, Rafe took possession of her mouth with his own.

  Remington’s limbs went limp. She leaned into the kiss, into Rafe, and let his most gentle embrace ease her residual grief and pain. The kiss was soft and sweet, with just a hint of underlying passion, and over way too soon for her liking.

  Rafe smiled and pulled farther back. He swept her bottom lip with his thumb while he chewed his own bottom lip. “We’re going to take this slow.”

  She smiled back, still struggling to regain control of her erratic breathing. “Are we now?”

&n
bsp; He nodded. “Oh, yes ma’am. We’re going to take it very slow.” He swept a feathery kiss over her lips. “And savor every moment.”

  Dear Reader:

  I’ve so enjoyed sharing this first book of the Justice Seekers with you. The story idea came to me as I sat in a federal courtroom for months listening to trials. As I listened and watched, I noticed how in every profession, even those within the justice system, there were good and bad people. After witnessing a rather extremely difficult cross-examination, I asked myself what would make someone turn away from a core belief. At that point, the premise for Injustice For All was born, and I couldn’t rest until I wrote the story. At one time or another, we all feel like we’ve been treated unjustly. Whether it’s perceived or accurate, each of us have walked down such an emotional road. This is the place I dug into to write this story.

  While researching for this book, my own faith was tested many times over. Getting to know Rafe and Remington/Bella and their multiple flaws was great fun for me, even as I worked on the issue of forgiveness myself. So many, many times I’ve felt I was unworthy of God’s forgiveness, so I was able to write Rafe’s angst from my own heart. Part of Remington’s spiritual journey was also mine. I thank you for letting me share it with you and hope the message challenges you to examine your own core beliefs. After reading this book, if you’ve felt led to give your life to Christ, please contact me immediately so I may send you a special gift.

  I hope you’ve enjoyed traveling through this story with me and will return to learn more about Riley, Rafe’s stubborn little sister.

  As a reader myself, I love hearing from other readers. Please visit me at www.robincaroll.com and drop me a line, or write to me at PO Box 242091, Little Rock, AR, 72223. I invite you to join my newsletter group and sign my guestbook. I look forward to hearing from you.

  Blessings,

  Robin Caroll

  Discussion Questions

  1. Rafe was willing to sacrifice his career for his best friend and goddaughter. Has someone ever made a personal sacrifice for you? Describe how it made you feel.

  2. Remington turned from her faith after the death of her father. Have you ever experienced a time when you were tempted to ignore your faith? Describe how you reconciled yourself.

  3. Because she was scared, Remington ran. How do you handle fear? What does Scripture tell us about fear? (See Psalm 27:1 and Isaiah 41:10.)

  4. Remington re-created herself to stay alive. Have you ever wished you could? Describe why or why not.

  5. Rafe felt like he had to “earn” God’s forgiveness for perceived past sins. What does Scripture teach us about God’s forgiveness? (See Matthew 6:14, Acts 2:38, and Colossians 3:13.)

  6. Hayden felt betrayed by Bella, his best friend. Have you ever felt betrayed by a friend? Describe how you felt and how you handled the situation.

  7. Rafe carried the burden of guilt for having been in love with his best friend’s wife. Do you believe who you love is a choice? Discuss your answer.

  8. Hayden was very quick to judge both his mother and his sister. Do you think he was justified? Why or why not? (See Matthew 7:1 and Luke 6:37.)

  9. At first Bella didn’t trust Rafe because of her past experiences. Have you ever had to overcome an issue with trust because of past experiences? How did you deal with the emotions? Discuss any Scripture that offered you peace during this time.

  10. Which character did you most relate to and why? The least?