“Yes, your honor, one more. The prosecution calls Rosa Alverez to the stand.”
The judge looked at his watch and realizing that this final witness was going to take a lot of time, declared, “One moment counselor. Due to the lateness of the hour, we will resume testimony tomorrow morning.”
He banged his gavel. “Court dismissed!”
As Hector Cruz was being led out of the courtroom, he paused in front of Rosa Alverez, raised his arm toward her and pointed his fingers like a gun. He drew back his thumb and as it snapped forward, you could see him mouth the word, ‘Bang!’
Poor Rosa was visibly shaken and I didn’t blame her.
It was going to be another long day.
Ox and I had been in the courtroom all day and we had drawn guard duty at the safe house for the night shift.
More overtime.
I had six hours to get home, grab a bite to eat and get a few hours sleep before reporting to the safe house at midnight.
As I drove to the safe house, I reviewed the day’s trial.
It was quite obvious that the prosecution’s entire case rested on Rosa’s testimony.
Once she was on the stand, a ‘guilty’ verdict was a slam-dunk, but it was nine long hours until that would happen and a lot could transpire in nine hours.
Three other trials had come down to this and three times Cruz had walked away.
Rosa Alverez had to be protected and Ox and I had to do it.
Ed Jacobs had followed the case from the beginning.
When he had seen the photos of the bodies of Manuel and Mario Gonzales and met Rosa Alverez, he wanted more than anything to see that Hector Cruz got what was coming to him.
He had wracked his brain trying to find a way to get to Cruz, but security was tighter than ever before.
After the Brannigan fiasco, the department wasn’t about to lose another prisoner.
He had taken his turn at guarding the safe house and although there had been no problems, the place was far from impenetrable.
Ed had been sitting in the back of the courtroom during the day’s trial and he had seen Cruz point his finger-gun at Rosa.
Ed had seen no fear in Cruz’s eyes and it was if he knew that the woman would not be there to testify against him the next day.
If he could not get to Cruz, the next best thing was to make sure that Rosa was alive to put the bastard in jail.
He gathered his gear and headed to the safe house.
He dressed as warm as he could, knowing that he would spend the night patrolling the perimeter of the house.
After dark, it was easy to conceal himself in the shadows.
The evening had been quiet and just before midnight, he saw Ox and Walt arrive to begin their shift.
He watched as the taillights of the cruiser from the earlier shift disappeared into the night.
He fought to stay awake and alert, but the cold and long hours were taking their toll.
Then, just before sunrise, he saw headlights coming toward the house.
He looked at his watch. It was time for the shift change.
Just a few more hours and they would be home free.
But where was Cruz? Why hadn’t he made a move?
The headlights suddenly stopped. Why would they stop?
Quietly, he made his way toward the cruiser, but just before he reached it, the cruiser came around the corner.
He ducked behind a tree and watched as the car drove by.
Something was wrong! He didn’t know the officers in the cruiser. The captain had been rotating the same men, trying to keep Rosa comfortable with familiar faces.
He raced to where he had seen the cruiser stop and quickly searched the ditch along the side of the road.
There, to his horror, he found the bodies of the two officers who were to take the next shift.
Cruz was making his move.
He hoped that he wasn’t too late.
Drawing his gun, he raced toward the safe house.
As he turned the corner, he saw Walt open the door and invite the imposters inside.
“Just a couple of hours to go,” I said as Rosa emerged from her room.
Ox and I had not slept at all and Rosa had slept fitfully.
“Why don’t you grab some breakfast?” Ox asked. “The next shift will be here soon and they’ll be taking you to the courthouse.”
Just then we saw the reflection of headlights turning into the driveway.
Ox peeked out of the window. “It’s the cruiser.”
I was tired and hungry, but mostly I was relieved when Ox made that announcement. The pressure had been almost unbearable. The last thing we wanted was for Rosa to be hurt on our watch.
We heard the car doors shut and a minute later there was a tap on the door.
I took a quick look through the peephole in the door and saw two uniformed officers. They had turned and were looking down the driveway. I only saw their backs.
I slipped off the chain lock, flipped the deadbolt and opened the door.
“Come on --- .”
Before the words were out of my mouth, two guys that I had never seen before burst into the room with guns drawn.
One of the men had his gun trained on me and the other was pointing at Ox.
“Let’s get those guns on the floor nice and slow,” the bigger one said.
I looked at Ox, but we both knew that they had us cold.
We pulled our guns with two fingers and tossed them on the floor.
“Now kick them over here.”
We complied.
“Hands behind your head.”
When our fingers were locked behind our heads, he motioned to the other guy.
“Get the girl.”
The man looked in the bedroom and not finding her there moved to the kitchen.
We heard a ‘thunk’ and the sounds of a struggle. It sounded like Rosa was putting up a fight.
Then we heard a slap and a sharp scream and a moment later the man drug Rosa out by the arm.
He had stuck his gun in his pants and was holding her with one hand and a knot on his head with the other.
“The little bitch whacked me with a pan.”
“Then you can have the first turn at her after we eliminate these two.”
The big guy pointed his gun at me and pulled back the hammer.
“Adios, cop.”
I braced myself for the inevitable, but before he could pull the trigger, the door burst open and a figure came flying across the room.
The gunman turned toward the intruder and took the full impact of the charge.
They both went down and as they hit the floor, I heard the report as the gun discharged and I saw the body of the intruder convulse as the slug from the big Glock ripped through his body.
Ox wasted no time getting to the guy holding Rosa whose gun was still tucked into the waistband of his pants and I pounced on the guy on the floor who was desperately trying to roll the limp body off his chest.
After both men were cuffed, I finished rolling the body of the man who had saved our lives onto his back.
I found myself staring into the glazed eyes of Ed Jacobs.
He was still breathing --- barely.
I gathered him into my arms and his eyelids fluttered.
“Ed! What are you doing here?”
I had to lean close to hear his rasping words.
“Cruz --- I knew he would be coming --- figured you might need some backup.”
“Ed, you saved all of us. Hang in there, Buddy!”
I felt his body quiver.
“We’re --- we’re gonna get --- the bastard --- aren’t ----------- we?”
A long sigh escaped his lips and his body went limp.
“Yeah, Ed, we’re going to get him.”
I wept as my newest recruit lay dead in my arms.
EPILOGUE
A stunned Hector Cruz sat in shock when Rosa Alverez walked into the courtroom.
Her testimony led to
the conviction of a criminal who had eluded punishment for years.
Cruz is currently housed on death row in the Potosi Correctional Center awaiting execution.
All this was made possible by the heroic actions of Ed Jacobs.
Ed, along with the other two officers slain that day, were given a funeral honoring the fallen heroes.
Ed was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously.
As I stood in the cold, listening to the strains of the bagpipes as they played Amazing Grace, my thoughts were on how our lives hang in the balance every day.
If Ed had been just ten seconds later, it would have been me in that flag draped casket and my new bride would be grieving at my graveside.
As I looked back over the events of the past few months, I couldn’t help but play the ‘what if’ game.
What if we had never volunteered to help at the Salvation Army soup kitchen?
We would never have met Ed.
What if that punk had not tried to cut Mary and Ed had not come to her rescue?
Ed would never have been asked to be a cop.
What if Ed had never become a cop?
I looked again at the casket poised over the gaping hole in the ground --- that would be me.
As the bugler’s last notes of Taps faded away, I couldn’t help but wonder what forces were at work that help Lady Justice keep those delicate scales in balance.
Mysteriously, the vigilante killings ceased as abruptly as they had begun.
Some speculated that he had moved on to another city, while others believed that he had made his point and was quietly watching until he was needed again, but no one knew for sure.
There were indeed positive results from his presence in our city.
After Bernhard Goetz rallied the citizens of New York as the ‘Subway Vigilante’, the crime rate diminished significantly.
The same phenomena occurred in Kansas City. Incidents of violent crime dropped to almost half of what they had been before his arrival.
His proponents were quick to point out that the only persons who died at his hand were hardened criminals, some of whom had slipped through the fingers of the law.
His champions said that while our justice system was plodding and often ineffectual, his was swift and sure.
Plato wrote in The Republic, that the best form of government is a benevolent dictatorship.
While it may certainly be the most efficient in a perfect world, ours is certainly not a perfect world and history reminds us that men who hold the power of life and death in their hands rarely, if ever, use that power for the greater good.
It is certainly a frightening notion to think that any single individual could arbitrarily assume the mantle of judge, jury and executioner and wield that power with impunity.
Suzanne Romero, who was often cursed and vilified for defending the criminal element, taught me a valuable lesson.
Unless our constitutional rights and basic freedoms are guaranteed for every man, it could be just a matter of time before they are not available to any man.
Protecting those rights and our system of justice is the responsibility of every citizen, but there are some who take that responsibility a step further.
My name is Walt Williams and that’s why I’m a cop.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Award-winning author, Robert Thornhill, began writing at the age of sixty-six and in four short years has penned fifteen novels in the Lady Justice mystery/comedy series, the seven volume Rainbow Road series of chapter books for children, a cookbook and a mini-autobiography.
Lady Justice and the Sting, Lady Justice and Dr. Death, Lady Justice and the Vigilante, Lady Justice and the Candidate, Lady Justice and the Book Club Murders and Lady Justice and the Cruise Ship Murders won the Pinnacle Award for the best new mystery novels of Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Summer 2012, Fall 2012, Spring of 2013 and Summer 2013 from the National Association of Book Entrepreneurs.
Many of Walt’s adventures in the Lady Justice series are anecdotal and based on Robert’s real life.
Although Robert holds a master’s in psychology, he has never taken a course in writing and has never learned to type. All 26 of his published books were typed with one finger and a thumb!
His wit and insight come from his varied occupations, including thirty-three years as a real estate broker. He lives with his wife, Peg, in Independence, Missouri.
Visit him on the Web at: http://BooksByBob.com
LADY JUSTICE TAKES A C.R.A.P.
City Retiree Action Patrol
Third Edition
This is where it all began.
See how sixty-five year old Walt Williams became a cop and started the City Retiree Action Patrol.
Meet Maggie, Willie, Mary and the Professor, Walt’s sidekicks in all of the Lady Justice novels.
Laugh out loud as Walt and his band of Senior Scrappers capture the Realtor Rapist and take down the Russian Mob.
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LADY JUSTICE AND THE LOST TAPES
In Lady Justice and the Lost Tapes, Walt and his band of scrappy seniors continue their battle against the forces of evil.
When an entire Eastside Kansas City neighborhood is terrorized by the mob, Walt must go undercover to solve the case.
Later, the amazing discovery of a previously unknown recording session by a deceased rock ‘n’ roll idol stuns the music industry.
http://amzn.to/1cDeiMK
LADY JUSTICE GETS LEI’D
In Lady Justice Gets Lei’d, Walt and Maggie plan a romantic honeymoon on the beautiful Hawaiian islands, but ancient artifacts discovered in a cave in a dormant volcano and a surprising revelation about Maggie’s past, lead our lovers into the hands of Hawaiian zealots.
http://amzn.to/15P6bLg
LADY JUSTICE AND THE AVENGING ANGELS
Lady Justice has unwittingly entered a religious war.
Who better to fight for her than Walt Williams?
The Avenging Angels believe that it’s their job to rain fire and brimstone on Kansas City, their Sodom and Gomorrah.
In this compelling addition to the Lady Justice series, Robert Thornhill brings back all the characters readers have come to love for more hilarity and higher stakes.
You’ll laugh and be on the edge of your seat until the big finish.
Don’t miss Lady Justice and the Avenging Angels!
http://amzn.to/1i2yFDz
LADY JUSTICE AND THE STING
BEST NEW MYSTERY NOVEL ---WINTER 2012
National Association of Book Entrepreneurs
In Lady Justice and the Sting, a holistic physician is murdered and Walt becomes entangled in the high-powered world of pharmaceutical giants and corrupt politicians.
Maggie, Ox Willie, Mary and all your favorite characters are back to help Walt bring the criminals to justice in the most unorthodox ways.
A dead-serious mystery with hilarious twists!
http://amzn.to/1gS4JMA
LADY JUSTICE AND DR. DEATH
Best New Mystery Novel – Fall 2011
North American Bookseller’s Exchange
In Lady Justice and Dr. Death, a series of terminally ill patients are found dead under circumstances that point to a new Dr. Death practicing euthanasia in the Kansas City area.
Walt and his entourage of scrappy seniors are dragged into the ‘right-to-die’ with dignity controversy.
The mystery provides a light-hearted look at this explosive topic and death in general.
You may see end-of-life issues in a whole new light after reading Lady Justice and Dr. Death.
http://amzn.to/H20Erx
LADY JUSTICE AND THE WATCHERS
Suzanne Collins wrote The Hunger Games, Aldous Huxley wrote Brave New World and George Orwell wrote 1984.
All three novels were about dystopian societies of the future.
In Lady Justice and the Watchers, Walt sees the world we live in today through the eyes of a group who call themselves ‘The Watchers’.
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br /> Oscar Levant said that there’s a fine line between genius and insanity.
After reading Lady Justice and the Watchers, you may realize as Walt did that there’s also a fine line separating the life of freedom that we enjoy today and the totalitarian society envisioned in these classic novels.
Quietly and without fanfare, powerful interests have instituted policies that have eroded our privacy, health and individual freedoms.
Is the dystopian society still a thing of the distant future or is it with us now disguised as a wolf in sheep’s clothing?
http://amzn.to/15P5LEE
LADY JUSTICE AND THE CANDIDATE
BEST NEW MYSTERY NOVEL – FALL 2012
National Association of Book Entrepreneurs
Will American politics always be dominated by the two major political parties or are voters longing for an Independent candidate to challenge the establishment?
Everyone thought that the slate of candidates for the presidential election had been set until Benjamin Franklin Foster came on the scene capturing the hearts of American voters with his message of change and reform.
Powerful interests intent on preserving the status quo with their bought-and-paid-for politicians were determined to take Ben Foster out of the race.
The Secret Service comes up with a quirky plan to protect the Candidate and strike a blow for Lady Justice.
Join Walt on the campaign trail for an adventure full of surprises, mystery, intrigue and laughs!
http://amzn.to/19f3XVZ
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