REVIEWS
Lady Justice and the Vigilante gets double thumbs up!
The 7th novel in the Walt Williams Mystery Comedy series is well written with a tight plot, complete with several sub-plots that keep you wondering how author Robert Thornhill is going to bring the tale to a satisfactory conclusion.
It also provides an opportunity to ponder the ethics of vigilantism in our seemingly crime ridden world.
Where is the line that separates protection of the victim and protection of the individual's rights when accused of a crime?
The ensemble of characters we have grown to love is still present in this adventure, with Mary, the no-nonsense manager of Williams' Three Trails Hotel, becoming both a victim of a crime and a defendant in the same one.
There are the zany moments of the humor we have grown to expect from Thornhill, but there is also a more serious concern with society's moral issues that have become the focus of the story lines in his last few novels.
The added depth promotes these recent offerings from being just easy-read "cozy mysteries" to a more complex form of modern literature.
Can the Scales of Justice be balanced? Should they be?
Christina Fullerton Jones, Independence, Mo.
In Lady Justice and the Vigilante, Robert Thornhill has once again written another page turning installment in the Lady Justice series.
In Lady Justice and the Vigilante, the city of Kansas City is once again at the mercy of some unsavory characters that cause one man to take matters into his own hands as the criminals keep getting away with their crimes.
He becomes known as the vigilante and helps dispose of these criminals in his own manner.
While the reader comes to understand what has driven this man to this point, we are also faced with the dilemma of while he is ridding the town of criminals who have caused pain to many people, is he doing the right thing?
According to the law he isn't, but in his heart, he believes that what he's doing is right.
Lady Justice and the Vigilante is another well-written novel by Mr. Thornhill.
If you have read any of the previous novels you will not be disappointed with this latest installment. Even if you haven’t had the chance to read any of the other Lady Justice novels you will still find this novel hard to put down.
I recommend this novel to any reader who enjoys crime stories and mysteries.
Michelle Castillo, Article Write Up
Walt Williams and his gang are back.
It seems a citizen is taking the law into his own hands and criminals are suddenly found murdered.
The public seems to be split on cheering on this vigilante or wanting him brought to justice.
Adding to this, one of Walt's friends finds themselves in trouble trying to defend both home and self.
Soon Walt is on the search for the Vigilante, while trying to help his friend out of a legal bind.
Will Walt and the Gang get to solve this crime or will the vigilante prevail?
Robert Thornhill knows how to spin a suspenseful thought-provoking tale, with lovable characters, a bit of comedy and a lot of controversy and leaves you wondering what truly is right and what is wrong.
Everyone has an opinion and Mr. Thornhill really makes the reader think what would he do if he were in that situation.
Fantastic read.
Sheri Wilkinson, Princeton, IL.
LADY JUSTICE
AND
THE VIGILANTE
A WALT WILLIAMS
MYSTERY/COMEDY NOVEL
ROBERT THORNHILL
Lady Justice and the Vigilante
Copyright February, 2012 by Robert Thornhill
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way, by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author except as provided by USA copyright law.
This novel is a work of fiction. Names, incidents, and entities included in the story are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, events and entities is entirely coincidental.
Published in the United States of America
Cover design by Peg Thornhill
1. Fiction, Humorous
2. Fiction, Mystery & Detective, General
PROLOGUE
"In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense." - U.S. Constitution 6th Amendment
In the Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson had written that “all men...are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights...[and] to secure these rights, governments are instituted.
"When a government protects the rights of its people and provides an adequate remedy for those whose rights have been violated, then that government is providing equal justice for all.
"Justice requires an opportunity and a place to complain of an injury as well as the machinery to provide a remedy. For the accused, justice requires the opportunity to hear and understand the charge, cross-examine those who are making the charge, have a fair and speedy trial, and have an opportunity to repair the wrong if found guilty.”
The notion of equal justice under the law was one of the fundamental principles of our founding fathers.
Our entire legal system is based on finding a balance between two, often opposing ideologies.
On the one hand, our system provides for the prosecution and punishment of those who break the law.
On the other hand, the same system provides those accused, a means to prove their innocence and equally as important, it provides protection for those who have been falsely accused.
Lady Justice, the symbol of our judicial system is depicted wearing a blindfold and holding a balance scale.
In a perfect world, the scales stay balanced. The guilty are prosecuted, found guilty and punished and the innocent are set free.
But it is not a perfect world.
English jurist, William Blackstone wrote, “Better that ten guilty persons escape than one innocent suffer.”
Most of us would agree with that philosophy if we put ourselves in the shoes of the innocent who had been falsely accused.
But what about the victims of the ten guilty who see their rapist or mugger walk away scott free?
Where is the justice for them?
The organization, Victims And Citizens Against Crime, point out that six million Americans will become victims of violent crime this year.
Jonathan Swift wrote, “Laws are like cobwebs, which may catch small flies, but let wasps and hornets break through.”
It is inevitable that when some criminal upsets the delicate balance of the scales of justice, slips through the loopholes of the legal system and walks away from his crimes with impunity, there will be one who takes to heart the admonition of Edmund Burke.
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
CHAPTER 1
Ed Jacobs sat in the back of the courtroom quietly awaiting the return of the twelve men and women who would decide the fate of twenty-seven year old LeShawn Grimes.
He had been charged with breaking and entering, armed criminal action, grand theft and rape.
On the
night of June 25th, 2011, a masked gunman had gained entry into the home of Ronald and Beth Martin by breaking the glass adjacent to the back door of the home and reaching in to unlock the door.
The intruder had surprised the Martins who were watching TV in the basement family room.
He immediately immobilized Ronald Martin by striking him in the head with his gun.
He bound the Martins’ hands with plastic ties and proceeded to rummage through the house looking for valuables.
The Martins’ seven-year-old daughter, Amanda, who was awakened by her mother's screams, hid under a pile of clothing in the laundry room.
Ronald Martin regained consciousness in time to see the intruder assault his wife before he fled the home.
Upon hearing the intruder leave the house, Amanda ran to the window and watched as the masked gunman drove away in a blue sedan.
Amanda freed her parents who immediately called 911.
Officers were on the scene within minutes and immediately radioed all police cruisers in the area to be on the lookout for a blue sedan.
A dozen blocks away, rookie officer Dwayne Bellows spotted a blue sedan that he pursued with lights and siren blazing.
The sedan pulled to the side of the road and Officer Bellows approached and asked the driver to produce his license and registration and he promptly complied.
Officer Bellows called in the license and was informed that LeShawn Grimes had an arrest record for several misdemeanors, but there were no outstanding warrants.
Officer Bellows asked Grimes where he had been and where he was going. Grimes replied that he had been with friends and was on his way home.
At that point, Grimes demanded to know why he had been stopped and detained and if he had broken any laws.
When the officer responded that he had not observed him breaking any laws, Grimes demanded the return of his license.
At that point, Officer Bellows examined the interior of the car and seeing nothing suspicious, ordered Grimes to open the trunk.
Grimes refused and Officer Bellows pulled the keys from the ignition and opened the trunk where he found a ski mask, plastic ties, assorted valuables that were later identified by the Martins and a snub-nosed revolver.
Officer Bellows drew his weapon, cuffed Grimes and radioed for assistance.
The case should have been a slam-dunk.
Quite the contrary.
Defense attorney Suzanne Romero represented LeShawn Grimes.
Romero had been a thorn in the side of the police department for years. Many a defendant had walked away free as she doggedly rooted out procedural errors in the police department’s investigation.
Everyone from street cop to the chief himself knew that they had better have their ducks in a row if Suzanne Romero was at the defense table.
This case was no exception.
Officer Dwayne Bellows had taken the stand and the prosecutor was about to present all of the incriminating evidence that was found in the trunk of the sedan, when Romero objected.
The basis of the objection was that the search of the trunk was an unlawful search and violated Grimes’ Fourth Amendment rights against unlawful search and seizure.
A pitched battle raged between Romero and the prosecuting attorney, each citing court cases to support their position.
In the end, the winning argument came from Romero citing Justices Brennan, Marshall and Stevens, “In sum then, individuals accosted by police on the basis merely of reasonable suspicion have a right not to be searched, a right to remain silent, and, as a corollary, a right not to be searched if they choose to remain silent.”
The final nail in the prosecutor’s coffin was when she cited Boyd v. United States. “Where property or evidence has been obtained through unconstitutional search and seizure, failure to return the same and to suppress the evidence learned thereby constitutes a reversible error.”
The judge ruled Bellows’ search to be unlawful and suppressed the incriminating evidence found in the trunk --- the fruit of the poisoned tree.
The intruder had worn a ski mask and gloves and left no trace evidence in the house.
Without the contents of the trunk, the prosecution was left with nothing to tie Grimes to the crime but a seven-year-old girl’s testimony that she had seen a blue car drive away.
The jury had been out only a half hour when the bailiff notified the judge that they had reached a verdict.
Ed Jacobs watched Ronald and Beth Martin as the jury filed in.
He lived on the same street as the Martins, about ten houses to the south.
While not close friends, they had lived in the same neighborhood for a dozen years and were more than just casual acquaintances.
He had seen little Amanda grow up and his pantry was loaded with cookies from her various fund raising projects.
Ronald had his arm around his wife holding her close, hoping for the best but expecting the worst.
The courtroom was deathly silent as the judge took the slip of paper with the jury’s verdict from the bailiff.
He turned to the defense table. “Will the defendant please rise.”
Then to the jury, “Mr. Foreman, have you reached a verdict?”
“Yes, Your Honor. We have.
“What say you?”
“In the matter of the State of Missouri vs. LeShawn Grimes, we find the defendant not guilty on all charges.”
The judge turned to Grimes, “Mr. Grimes, you are free to go.”
Grimes let out a whoop and pumped his fists into the air.
As he was leaving, he stopped in front of the Martins.
A malicious grin spread across his face as he blew a kiss and winked at Beth Martin.
Beth buried her face in her husband’s chest and burst into uncontrollable sobbing.
Ronald Martin watched in disbelief as the man who had broken into his home, struck him in the head and violated his wife walked cockily out of the courtroom.
Suzanne Romero gathered her papers and tucked them in her briefcase.
As she passed by the Martins, Ronald lashed out, “How can you defend garbage like that?”
Romero didn’t respond or acknowledge the outburst. Whatever she was feeling was well hidden as she exited the courtroom followed by the disgusted stares of the onlookers.
Ed Jacobs sat in stunned silence as he watched the drama play out before him.
He had expected the not guilty verdict but as he watched the mocking smile and knowing wink of the rapist, he felt something grow inside of him that he had never felt before.
The feeling increased in intensity as he watched his neighbor and friend weeping in the arms of her husband.
He had the urge to scream at the top of his lungs --- a primal scream that would vent his pent-up feelings of frustration and helplessness.
He could feel the blood rushing to his head and he grabbed the seat of the wooden bench to keep from leaping to his feet.
Suddenly it dawned on him that the emotion he was feeling was RAGE --- pure unadulterated RAGE.
He wanted more than anything to grab Grimes around the throat and choke him until he was dead.
He wanted justice --- or was it revenge --- for the pain this animal had inflicted on his friends.
The courtroom began to empty and as he watched the people file out, he saw the pain and frustration in their faces as well, and knowing he was not alone helped him control the fire in his gut.
He composed himself as best he could and made his way to the Martins.
Beth’s sobs had subsided and they simply sat there holding onto each other.
Ed put his hand on Ronald’s shoulder and simply said, “I’m so sorry.”
As Ed Jacobs drove home, he couldn’t shake the vision of LeShawn Grimes pumping his fists in victory.
During the course of the trial, Grimes had shown no remorse and Ed had seen the vacant stare of a man without a soul.
Grimes was a sociopath pure and simple and now he was free to inflict mo
re misery on innocent victims.
The rage he had initially felt had morphed into something more manageable, more controllable.
His rage had become resolve.
Ed Jacobs had always been a man of action.
As a youth fresh out of high school he had signed on as a carpenter’s apprentice and over the course of ten years had learned the construction business from the ground up.
At the relatively young age of twenty-eight, he invested everything he owned into his own construction company.
Through hard work and determination his business prospered.
In 1995, he took another leap of faith and bought a parcel of farmland on the outskirts of Independence, Mo. about ten miles east of Kansas City.
He was counting on the development of the Little Blue Parkway to fuel interest in his new subdivision.
His gamble paid off better than he could ever have suspected.
He rode the wave of the housing boom from 2000 through 2005.
Unlike many of his competitors, he could see the writing on the wall and knew the bubble was about to burst.
In 2007, he cut the price to the bone on his last two speck homes and retired.
For two years, Ed and Martha, his wife of thirty-five years, traveled and enjoyed the fruits of his many years of hard work.
Then suddenly, Martha was taken from him by an unexpected illness and he found himself alone.
Ed and Martha had one son, Ed, Jr.
He was a bright kid and Ed gave him all of the advantages that a successful businessman could provide --- everything that is, but his time.
Ed spent long hours at his construction sites and his weekends were spent meeting deadlines instead of at little league games.
Ed, Jr. went off to college where he met the girl who was to become his wife.
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