Chasing Justice

by Danielle Stewart

  Michael ignored Bobby’s demand and pushed on. “No one said any of this was going to easy. We can’t all curl up in a ball and cry when we realize how damn hard this is going to be. You planted the pictures, got the cameras up, all without getting caught. That seems like a victory to me.” Michael knew Bobby was going to be the compassionate shoulder for Piper to cry on, and someone had to be the voice of reality.

  Piper winced at the sharp edge of Michael’s voice. She wasn’t a crier—this wasn’t at all like her—but as hard as she had tried she couldn’t contain her sadness. She cleared her throat and stared away from both of them as she spoke. “The judge is using his charity to blackmail boys into keeping quiet about sexual abuse. When I went to put the pictures in his office I found a bunch of sick photographs and documents. They were from Legal Buddies, all with notes from the judge detailing his disgusting manipulation.” Piper choked back tears, and her voice shook with emotion. “Michael, there were dozens of pictures of different boys in that box. I saw dates going back over ten years. If you had seen the pictures, the look in their eyes, you’d be feeling the same way.”

  “I see that stuff every day, Piper. It’s hard, but you need to pull yourself together and we need to decide if this changes anything.” Michael was unwavering in his lack of empathy. There was no time for that, no time for tears. If Piper wanted to play in the real world she’d need to act accordingly.

  “Why are you being such an ass, Michael? If this was Jules you’d be bending over backward making sure she was all right.” Bobby stood, feeling the only way to get Michael to listen would be to stare him straight in the eye.

  Michael countered quickly. “Jules isn’t trying to be some superhero. All I’m saying is, if this is what Piper wants, then she needs to shake it off. If something like this is going to rattle her, do you really think she’s going to be fine when the judge turns up with a bullet in his brain? I know she’s a tough kid, but we can’t have any of this right now.” Michael gestured at Piper’s frazzled hair and puffy eyes.

  “You’re a real jerk sometimes, Michael. You think you know what’s best for everyone.” Bobby’s voice grew from a frustrated tone to an aggressive shout.

  “He’s right,” Piper cut in, standing to join the two men before a fight started. They towered over her, but she was certain she could break them apart if need be. She put her hand delicately on his chest, encouraging him to back down. “All this does is reaffirm what we’re doing. The judge is worse than we thought he was. We keep going as planned and we make sure he can’t hurt anyone else.” She wanted to tuck herself under Bobby’s warm arm and bury her face in his chest, but she knew Michael needed to see her stand there, cheeks dry, lip not quivering, and continue with what needed to be done. “We watch the cameras this weekend and make sure the judge doesn’t realize anything’s going on. Then I call Christian on Monday morning when the judge’s wife is out and get him over there.” Piper cleared her throat and stood a little taller. “I’ll take the first shift watching the cameras. You guys go kiss and make up.”

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Monday had finally arrived. The weekend was uneventful, and the pictures had remained right where she had planted them. Piper sat in her car in Betty’s driveway. She slouched down to avoid the penetrating stares from Bobby and Michael who were camped out on the porch. They had badgered her for hours about what the call to Christian should or shouldn’t involve. When she’d finally had enough, she took the burn phone and retreated to her car, locking the doors.

  She hadn’t mapped out the entire conversation with Christian, but she knew what had to be said. More importantly, she knew how she needed to say it. Yes, she was nervous and rather than masking it, she planned to utilize it. Anyone calling Christian and expecting blind trust had better sound authentic. Coming across as calculated and unemotional would give him the idea this was all a setup.

  She dialed the number she had scrawled into her notebook and drew in a deep, shaky breath. The phone rang twice, and then a man’s voice came on the line.

  “Hello,” he answered, with an air of annoyance, probably at the fact that the number was coming across as anonymous on his caller ID.

  “Is this Christian Donavan?” Piper asked, starting off almost imperceptibly quiet and then letting her voice grow.

  “Yes it is, but listen, I already know who I’m voting for, I’ve found Jesus, and my kid is probably already selling whatever your kid is. I’m a busy guy, and I’m not interested.” The man paused waiting for the textbook overcoming objections rebuttal every new sales person was taught.

  “I’m not a solicitor, Mr. Donavan. I’m very sorry to bother you, but I can assure you that this is important. It’s about your son, Chris. I have some information that I think you need to know.” Piper let her voice crack; she let the quietness of her tone reflect how terrified she was.

  “What the hell is this, some kind of prank? If it is I’ll tell you right now it isn’t funny, and you’ll regret this phone call. Tell me who this is.” Christian’s tone immediately grew fierce as he spoke through pursed lips.

  “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you who I am. I know who you are and what you do for a living, and I don’t want to get mixed up in any of that. I’m an ordinary person who stumbled upon something about your son being in danger. I thought about minding my own business, but I don’t want any more children to be hurt.” She jumped at the shock of Christian’s voice cutting in.

  “You don’t know shit about what I do for a living, and you certainly don’t have any business talking about my son. This better not be bullshit. You’ve got thirty seconds to spit it out or I’m hanging up the phone, and if you think a blocked phone number can protect you, you’re wrong.” Christian’s voice was now raised to a shout, and Piper could feel the phone shaking in her hand. This reaction had validated Christian’s love for his son and his response to protect him.

  “Please don’t be upset with me. I’m trying to do the right thing here. You do business with a judge. If you go to his house, in his office above his bookshelf there is a loose board hiding some terrible secrets, secrets that pertain to your son. Please take this seriously. I know I’ve given you no reason to trust me, but for your son’s sake, please go see for yourself.” Piper pulled the phone from her ear, and disconnected, feeling a wave of nausea come over her. She had considered staying on the line long enough to get some kind of confirmation from Christian, but she didn’t want to open herself up to any further questioning by him. The dramatic end to the conversation would have perhaps created an even greater sense of urgency.

  She tucked the phone back into her bag and was climbing out of the car as Bobby and Michael approached. She knew there would be a barrage of questions, and she didn’t want to participate.

  “It’s done,” she said in a matter-of-fact way. “I’m sure he’s heading over there now. Have we confirmed the judge’s wife is gone for the morning?” She brushed past both of them and headed back toward the house. Betty and Jules had called in sick today at Michael’s urging, wanting to keep them close.

  “Yes,” Michael said, jogging behind her trying to catch up. “She had a call with her girlfriend this morning about getting coffee and going jewelry shopping. We heard her leave twenty minutes ago.”

  “What a charmed life. Jewelry shopping, it only costs a few thousand dollars and your soul,” Piper said as she turned the monitor of the laptop toward her and stared at the screen. She was convinced Christian would be there soon.

  “We don’t know that the judge’s wife knows any of this. She could be as in the dark as the rest of the community,” Bobby said, taking a seat next to Piper.

  “You’re not married to a man for that long without knowing what horrible things he’s capable of. She’s probably as sick and twisted as he is. I’m sure she covers for him all the time, hides his secrets.” Piper knew Bobby could see she was drawing the connection between her mother and the judge’s wife. Their eyes met and she shook her h
ead. “Never mind, it doesn’t matter anyway.”

  Thirty minutes passed and there was no sign of Christian at the judge’s house. Doubt began to creep into Piper’s mind about the effectiveness of her call. It didn’t help that Bobby and Michael seemed to be thinking the same thing.

  “Did you tell him to get over there this morning?” Michael asked. “Did he say where he was coming from? For all we know he could be out of town.”

  “Shut up, Michael, he’s coming. I could hear it in his voice, he took it seriously and he’s going to show up.” Piper stood up and walked away from the laptop, hoping the old adage, a watched pot never boils, might be true.

  “He may have been completely worried, but if he’s not in town then he couldn’t get to the judge’s house even if he wanted to. You should have asked.” Michael stopped talking at the sight of Bobby waving his hands for them to be quiet. Michael assumed it was another attempt to shield Piper from the harsh reality he was doling out.

  “Someone’s there,” Bobby said, turning up the volume on the computer. “I heard the door open.” Piper sat back down and crossed her fingers in a childish attempt at bringing them all some luck.

  “It’s Christian,” Michael said as a man walked into the frame. Piper was surprised by Christian’s appearance. He wasn’t at all how she had pictured him. She had imagined he’d have a round beer belly crammed into a running suit, slicked back hair, and maybe even a thick cigar hanging from his lips. When she conjured up images of the head of a crime family she hadn’t pictured a fit, shaggy haired, normally dressed man. His dark denim jeans, comfortably fitting cotton shirt, and tennis shoes were incredibly misleading. The picture coming through on her computer was grainy, but Piper could tell Christian shared the subtle yet dangerously handsome attributes of his brother Sean. They both had those rebellious eyes and an intentionally unkempt air about them that tended to drive women wild.

  Christian crept skeptically around the office, still not certain if this was a trap. He looked up at the bookshelf and whispered, “Son of a bitch, this better be a joke.”

  The room was still as Piper, Bobby, and Michael all sat in anxious silence waiting for Christian to do something. Finally, he wheeled the office chair over to the bookshelf, as Piper had done a few days earlier. Bobby reached for Piper’s hand. It felt so comforting to have him here with her as a moment she had long anticipated had finally arrived.

  Christian’s phone began ringing in his pocket before he could pull himself up onto the chair. He fished it out and read the caller ID. “Judge,” he said with a devilish smile as he answered the phone, “you have incredible timing. I was just thinking about you.”

  “Holy shit, it’s the judge,” Michael said, slapping his hand to his forehead. “What if he tells him about the call? He could blow this whole thing up right now.”

  “He’s not that stupid,” said Piper. “If he genuinely thinks his son is in danger he’s not going to show his hand to the judge. Sit down.” She pointed to the couch and Michael obeyed.

  Christian stood listening to the judge talk for a minute then finally cut in. “I’m not sure how many times I have to tell you, Judge. I’m not my father. I’m a businessman, not some hired gun to go cleaning up your messes. I’ve made you a lot of money, and you’ve gotten me and my crew out of countless jams, but I’m not your hitman. I don’t go after innocent women because you’re catching some heat from some rookie cop. Isn’t this what your little puppy dog, Rylie, does for you?”

  Christian used his shoulder to hold his phone pressed against his ear and hoisted himself up onto the chair. He felt around at the top of the bookshelf and finally found the loose board and lifted it free. “Holy shit,” he said, pulling the photographs out of the hidden space and flipping through them, finally recognizing one as his son standing outside of his school.

  “You know what, maybe you’re right,” Christian said, clearly trying to compose himself in the face of massive rage. “Maybe I am being shortsighted. Why don’t we meet tonight at the mill and we can talk about some options. Say… seven o’clock?” Christian waited for the judge to reply then abruptly hung up the phone. He dismounted the chair and left the office.

  “Where is he going?” asked Bobby, still in shock over what had just transpired. “He’s not going to leave everything all messed up is he?”

  Before full out panic could overtake the room, Christian reappeared holding a shoebox he had presumably gotten from the judge’s closet. He climbed back onto the chair and filled the shoebox with the contents of the hidden space. When he was done he returned the loose board and the chair to their original positions. He reached in his pocket once more for his phone and dialed a number.

  “Sean,” he said his voice shaking with anger, “go pick up Chris at school, and take him back to your place. Don’t stop anywhere, and don’t screw around. Have a couple of the guys come by and watch the door. I don’t want anyone coming or going besides me. Do you understand?” He waited as Sean replied and then punched his fist into the wall. “Sean, do what I tell you. Call me when you’re back at your place. I’m going to be late tonight.” He hung up his phone and returned it angrily to his pocket. He let out a long line of expletives that made even Michael blush slightly. He left the office and a minute later they heard the front door shut.

  “I’m going to head over that way,” said Bobby. “I think it’s safe to say nothing is going to go down until the meeting tonight, but I’d like to have eyes on Christian until then. Can you track his cell phone and send me the information?” he asked, grabbing his coat and keys and heading for the door.

  “Wait,” Piper shouted. “I want to come with you.” She had started this entire thing. She certainly wasn’t ready to take a back seat now that it was getting serious.

  “You’ll meet me later. I’m going to hang back and watch to make sure nothing unexpected happens. Get in touch with me if anything comes up.” Bobby hopped down the front steps and jogged to his truck, leaving no time for her to argue. In reality, he had some ideas rolling around in his mind about how to keep Christian from killing the judge while still being able to execute the important parts of the plan. Listening to Christian shirk the judge’s requests to harm Betty and Jules had struck something inside of him. Christian was no saint, certainly a criminal, but he, unlike the judge and Rylie, had drawn a line in the sand when it came to harming innocent people. That meant something.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  The rest of the afternoon seemed to drag for everyone. Piper and Michael paced around Betty’s house waiting for a call from Bobby. Betty and Jules felt the tension flood the house, so they decided to seek higher ground, retreating to their respective rooms upstairs. Bobby, at least, was keeping busy. He spent the afternoon hours tailing Christian who made multiple stops to different properties he owned. He was moving with purpose and incredible focus, not stopping to make small talk or exchange niceties with anyone.

  When Christian finally seemed to settle into his house around four o’clock, Bobby picked up his phone to call Piper.

  “It seems like he might be staying put for a little bit. This would be a good time to go set up the cameras at the mill and park somewhere to test all the equipment. I’ll give you a heads-up once he’s on the move again.” He hated the idea of Piper going to the mill on her own in the middle of the afternoon when she could easily be spotted. He had, however, realized that there was little she thought she couldn’t do, and trying to be the voice of reason or the knight in shining armor wouldn’t get him anywhere.

  “I’ll head over there now.” Piper grabbed the bag full of supplies that she had packed, double checked, and then repacked while waiting for the go ahead from Bobby. As she made her way to the door she heard footsteps tapping down the stairs behind her. Piper turned to see Jules standing there with a look of sadness on her face, her eyes red-rimmed and wet from tears.

  “This is it, isn’t it?” Jules mumbled in a quiet and concerned voice. “I could tell when
Bobby ran out this morning, and now the look on your face says it all. I know you guys don’t want me to be involved in this, and I can respect that. I want you to know that whoever killed my father robbed me and my mother of so many things, and in my eyes they deserve all the pain and punishment in the world. They don’t deserve to live. I’m afraid if it comes down to it Bobby won’t be able to face that, and might end up getting himself killed instead.”

  The tears started to roll again down Jules’s cheeks, and Piper found herself, as usual, completely unprepared to cater to someone else’s emotional needs. She assumed a hug was required, some kind of reassuring gesture that would stop the tears and ease her mind, but as she wracked her brain to find one she felt the pressure of wasted time bearing down on her. Piper had grown so much since meeting these wonderful people, but she still wasn’t confident in her ability to comfort someone.

  She looked past Jules with a flicker of panic in her eye. “Um, Michael… Jules needs you,” she called out, and she turned away, heading again for the door. She knew that in the eyes of normal people she seemed cold-hearted and vacant. If they only understood that empathy and social skills were taught, not innately known, then perhaps they could forgive her ignorance.

  As she tossed the bag into her car and put the key in the ignition she felt a slight weight lift from her chest at the sight of Jules wrapped safely in Michael’s arms in the doorway of the house. At least if she couldn’t give Jules what she needed she could get out of the way and let someone else do it.

  The ride to the mill seemed to take an eternity. She knew she had a lot to do, all while trying not to be noticed. She pulled her car up two blocks from the entrance to the mill and walked casually toward the building, checking frequently to make sure no one was coming or going from its entrance. She quickly made her way to the back of the building where the barrel she had used to force her way in last time stood. She sighed with relief at the sight of the barrel, exactly as she had left it, below the window that she had needlessly broken. She pulled herself up and through the window and dropped, catlike, onto the ground below. Something about this felt easier than last time. Perhaps it was that she knew the layout of the mill or the players involved, or maybe it was that for the first time in her life she didn’t feel alone.