JUSTICE REBORN (A Charlie Taylor Novel Book 1)

by Ivan Bering

  Sam makes some noise. “Stupid, stupid…..this is hard to believe. You son of a bitch. You had more than a couple of glasses.”

  “Just wait. I’m getting to the good part. She had on one of those very loose blouses that are cut so low it’s more like a halter top, and my hand goes right under, and I have a handful of bare breast. The proverbial crap hits the fan. She starts screaming and swearing, and because she is jumping all over I can’t get my damn hand out. If I just yank, I’m afraid I’ll tear the blouse or flip the breast out.

  Of course, the one who was sleeping is now up, and I find out her favorite word is ‘pervert’. And this in combination with ‘fucking pervert’ is what she is yelling. Next, she picks up the barrel of popcorn, and you know how you throw a pail of water to empty it? Well, that’s how she empties the barrel, and I have popcorn all over me.”

  My attitude seems rather flippant to Sam, but I’m far from calm or casual. For the last number of months, the Chief has had me riding a desk in Records and has forbidden me to even come up to the detective floor. The homicide squad has been warned not to discuss the serial killers with me, the ostracism an embarrassment for my old crew and me.

  Now this bloody basketball blond is in the queue. If any charges result, it will be difficult to keep out of the news, meaning I’m either fired or it would be many years before I return to Homicide. Have I reached the end of the line? I should have moved forward, but I keep slipping, living in a different world, oblivious to even the extreme environmental temperatures.

  Sam is groaning. “God…goddamn it ….damn it.”

  “People are standing. A couple of teenagers are cheering, laughing, and one of them provides the wolf whistle. The damn blond keeps prancing with me caught in her bra, a reluctant partner to this embarrassing dance. I use my free hand to wipe the popcorn from my face, thinking maybe clear vision will help. Finally to the rescue…… Monk stands up and holds the woman’s shoulder, forces her to sit in her chair and pulls my hand out; he gestures and we slide away.”

  “Didn’t anyone try and stop you?’

  “Get serious. Monk is huge and not in a good mood. No one was going to challenge us, and we almost made it. But I had to visit the bathroom. And when we came out the security people were waiting. I explained it all as a stupid accident, and we got lucky. The head of security was one of the Monk’s parishioners. He smiled and told us to wait until he has a chance to talk to the blonde one more time. Maybe she might be willing to let it go.”

  I pause because the rest is not the best part of the evening.

  “Dumb shit! Come on Charlie, don’t leave me in mid- air. What happened? Were you cleared? Or, were you arrested?”

  It’s hard to go over this again, but I have to tell him. “I thought we were in the clear, but when the security guy returned he didn’t look happy, and I guessed this was going to the next level. He told us she wouldn’t let it drop and wants to press charges.”

  “What’s her concern?”

  “She doesn’t think it was an accident because she claims, while my hand was on her breast I kept squeezing and stroking.”

  CHAPTER 7: CHARLIE’S LOG: The REST

  It’s known as the Mamma Mia case, and I’m the prime suspect.

  It turns out the blond at the pool is an Italian tourist. So as soon as the woman surfaced, the Chief took charge and immediately enforced a blackout. Nothing was to get out. Nothing. The last thing he wanted was a front page splash with one of his men charged with assaulting a tourist.

  Of course, not many vessels are 100% air tight and enough leaked that speculation roared around the station. Some smart ass decided that when a strange hand slipped onto her bare breast the Italian woman probably screamed. “Mamma Mia!” By placing the emphasis on different syllables of the two words, it became a day’s entertainment for the station staff. Thank god I am still downstairs in Records, away from the main crowd.

  I understand why the Chief may have placated the tourist and smoothed over the incident. But what I don’t understand is: why he hasn’t ripped me apart?

  I have to think about something else and return to Doug Brewster’s Web site. Back to where I was when Monk wanted to stop; he said he was bored, but I think he hates the death sentence and avoids talking about it. Doug Brewster’s site is complete and well designed. As the Head of the Legal Division, it appears he supports Justice Reborn but I think he’d flip in a microsecond if it would buy him one more rung up the ladder. If I was the Judge, I would always keep this guy in front of me. Anyway here is some more of the site:

  Armstrong’s scientific innovations allowed a dramatic paradigm shift, and the associated legislation was passed in record time. The media hailed the new system as Justice Reborn and the tag became part of a worldwide vocabulary. The basics included:

  • The system no longer had prosecutors, defense lawyers or juries.

  • A judge was assigned a designated territory (a Sector) to administer.is staff consisted of four Divisions: Legal, Investigative, Prisons and Forensic.

  • The focus was on uncovering the actual sequence of events associated with each crime; motives and underlying circumstances surrounding the incident were not to obscure the fact that there was a victim. Technology allowed an infallible review of a crime, culpability no longer a debate.

  • Prison time was a thing of the past; penalties for noncapital crimes were the 30 to 60 days of reorientation at facilities known as Farms.

  • Repeat offenders were under close scrutiny and penalties escalated with each incident.

  • The death penalty was reinstated, encompassing repeat offenders with the three and four strike legislation in effect.

  • Criminal investigations revolved around three levels of drug controlled interrogations. The progressive levels of examination were known as Stage 1, Stage 2 and Stage 3 Protocol Interrogations, now S1, S2, and S3.

  • The system was based on the fact these interrogation techniques made it possible to know exactly what happened, guilt or innocence no longer in doubt.

  Since the entire planet was living with a doomsday forecast, the execution of a few unrepentant citizens did not seem to be an outlandish prospect. The executions were like the human sacrifice of an ancient culture and seemed to alleviate tensions and frustrations.

  If it was impossible to control the environment, at least society could manage its institutions. The revised legal system was now a prominent and integral segment of the zeitgeist of our times.

  Most of the western world is in the process of adopting the new justice model. The USA has an established infrastructure and Justice Reborn is operational. England, Canada, and Germany are close behind, developing the legislation to make this a feasible system for their countries, with universities scrambling to enhance their science and medical programs. The training of staff is a hurdle to overcome, the new science complex, and the new legal paradigm a challenge. The learning curve is steep, with no room for errors. Date: January 15, 2021.

  Let me add a few more details. The Judge and his team of four Divisions met weekly to assess progress in the implementation of Justice Reborn, review crime statistics, discuss any unforeseen developments, and revise strategy, if necessary. The Divisions are:

  LEGAL: is mainly staffed by the original prosecutor’s office.

  INVESTIGATIVE: is a revamped police department with all the standard units.

  FORENSIC: is technical demanding with a number of medical doctors, physicists, etc.

  PRISONS: The challenge is the operation of two parallel systems: old and new.

  Some working details. Once suspects are identified they have little choice but to cooperate. The Investigative and Legal Divisions only require a minimum justification to initiate an interrogation; interestingly, this drug-induced grilling regularly uncovers more than the original charge, not a desired outcome for the accused. It’s in the suspect’s best interests to confess early and avoid an S1.

  At this point White Rock Pris
on, in Sector 13, is the first prison to execute their death row inmates using S3. The execution of 155 inmates in a matter of weeks was a shock even to our demanding public. The news media, for once, stayed off the soap box and basically just reported the events as they occurred.

  A second advance team is assembling at Fort Green Prison, debriefing staff, installing equipment, getting prisoners ready. With the S3, there will be no doubt about the prisoner’s guilt and the execution can proceed or if innocent, the inmate released.

  Oh, I forgot to expand on the dangers associated with an S3; if the scanning exceeds 45 minutes, there is always some degree of permanent brain injury. The damage becomes particularly relevant if the accused is found to be innocent.

  Mamma Mia……………. can you believe this mess?

  ####

  “Kiss my ass!”

  Harry studied his facial expression in the mirror and thought he should be smiling when he delivered the line. Earlier in the week he’d read: John Wayne Gacy, the famous serial killer, the Clown Killer from Chicago, had screamed these last words. He’d shouted at his guards who were forcing him into the lethal injection room. Harry thought this was the way to go out. If he was arrested, he would scream it at the reporters: more headlines for a star, a killer, the way to go out.

  On a daily basis, he practiced his delivery. Now with a sneer, rather than a smile, he tried again. “Kiss my ass!” That was it. Perfect. “Kiss my ass!”

  CHAPTER 8: THE BLACK ANGEL ARRIVEs

  “You killed 155 men in 45 days?”

  Pat’s response was measured. “Warden, as you know, Justice Reborn requires all prisons to be decommissioned within 12 months. And one of the first steps is clearing death row by either carrying out the original sentence or freeing the prisoner. Hence, it would be more accurate to state: we executed 125 convicts by carrying out the court imposed sentence. The only nuance of this process was the additional 30 prisoners who had previous capital crimes uncovered, and they were dealt with under Amendment 33-2.”

  Five people occupied all the chairs in a large conference room on the top floor of the administration building. A small east window filtered in the early morning sun and faint noises sifted in from the exercise yard below, overall a drab morning. Seated at the head of the table, the Warden acted as chairman. He wore a baseball cap, an old cotton athletic windbreaker with a time-worn crest, the entire ensemble inappropriate for the meeting, the most intense in the history of Fort Green prison.

  Labeled as old fashioned, too soft, avuncular, and known in the yard as ‘Uncle Willie’, the Warden had failed to keep himself or his staff current. He generally ignored technological advances and the new legislation which appeared to be changing weekly. There was little doubt the Warden, an anomaly among prison administrators, was not a fan of the new approach, Justice Reborn. But before he could retire his prison had been selected as the second to clear a death row unit.

  “Warden, it appears I proceeded too quickly under the assumption everyone was fully aware of what has taken place. Let me start again.”

  They were huddled around a large rectangular table. Pat, the speaker, although not condescending, was certainly not impressed with the Warden and his senior staff, and she decided to revert to basics.

  “To repeat my name is Pat Holdner, and I’m the advance person for Sector 14. My job is to ensure you and your staff understand the details and roles in this first step of Prison Decommissioning; this means clearing death row. During the next 24 hours, members of my team will begin arriving at various times throughout the day.

  This team will set up all the equipment required, walk your staff through the process, debrief death row, ensure convicts understand their options and contact the local resources required. For example, bodies are cremated, and if we don’t have sufficient local resources, we have contacts outside the district.”

  Pat thought her presentation sounded like a computer delivery, but if it seemed rather abrupt and cold, it might be the best approach for this group. The prison population had dubbed her the Black Angel because they said she was preparing the way for their trip to heaven or hell.

  “Although the inmates have already been sentenced and some have pending appeals, we are using S3 to confirm their guilt or innocence. White Rock prison, in Sector 13, has completed the process and, as I said, 155 convicts were executed and 10 others found innocent. At White Rock, the death row cells are now empty.

  The only complication to the event was that Amendment 33-2 was passed before White Rock started. This Amendment means when we are proceeding with an S3 Interrogation and encounter a capital crime the prisoner may be executed for that particular crime. Since there is always a Legal presence and all records are archived, the entire process is deemed valid. Under this amendment the execution occurs, even though this was not the original crime that resulted in the court imposed death sentence.

  Another point to remember, at White Rock we were observers and only assisted when Sector 13 requested additional resources. It is now our turn in Sector 14 to process Fort Green’s death row.”

  The Warden was trying to ask a question and simultaneously control his temper. This was not a process he endorsed. “It is correct that 30 inmates were executed under this Amendment?”

  “True but that doesn’t mean they were not guilty of the original crime. It just means another capital crime was encountered first, and it was deemed unnecessary to prolong the process. And, I should point out it doesn’t matter if the offense was committed before the Justice Reborn legislation was passed. There are no time constraints. To repeat: of the 165 convicts on White Rock’s death row, 125 had their original sentence confirmed, that is proven with the S3 interrogation. The other 30 were executed under Amendment 33-2 and 10 were found to be innocent of any crime and released.”

  Jeff Hellson, the Deputy Warden, asked, “Pat, I assume Dr. Kate and her group will be in charge of the interrogations in our prison. Did they get any direct experience at White Rock? And, second, has staff morale become an issue with all those executions?”

  “First question: Dr. Kate and her staff were directly involved and conducted 12 of the interrogations at White Rock. The second question, morale has not been an issue but the workload has been intense, and everyone felt it was best to take a few days off. As well, Forensics wanted time to assess procedures and see if changes should be made.

  I should point out the process didn’t unfold as most planned. At first, the convicts were excited and ready to participate; most were career criminals and many thought they could beat an S3, possibly, in the same way some had confused the lie detector equipment.

  This enthusiasm didn’t last. They soon understood an S3 Interrogation is solid, and they we’re not going to beat the system. Within days a surprising trend surfaced, most prisoners exercised their option to bypass the S3 and proceed directly to the prison’s execution room. It was because of this so many were executed in such a short time and one of the reasons for the need for more resources. I am sure your staff will have to deal with the same issue of many executions in a very short time but …”

  The Warden interrupted. “This seems impossible for my staff to prepare the chambers, contact relatives and...”

  Pat recaptured control. “Don’t worry. As I said, my team will arrive shortly and will provide detailed instructions on all roles and responsibilities; and, I will be responsible for communicating the process and options to all inmates on death row.”

  The Warden, still upset, ignored the answer. “Why did so many go directly to the execution chambers?”

  “An S3 is not painful, but it can be embarrassing. You have to understand the Watchers, who are relatives, a friend or spouse, will be able to see any part of your life. And many different memory streams will be displayed before the crime scene is located.

  And after you have been shouting your innocence for years, your actual history will come as a merciless shock. When it became apparent the memory displays are uncomp
romising images, most of the men decided the best option was to avoid revealing the ruthless segments of their lives. Remember these memory streams are raw unedited data; there is no censure and any segment at any time can surface, from the most savage to the most personal. Most of the convicts would have been showing some rather horrendous warts, and it was not something they wanted a mother or relative to have as their last memory.”

  Uncle Willie wasn’t satisfied. “I need some detail as to how this S3 works?”

  Pat was tired and technology was not her strength, but the request was valid. She started.

  “Memory research and associated debates have been going on for centuries. For example, in the 1940s a neurosurgeon, Dr. Wilder Penfield, was using weak electric currents which stimulated portions of the brain and resulted in amazing recollections from his patients and this type of research never stopped.

  Around 2008, a neurobiologist in Georgia, Joe Tsien, was manipulating levels of the protein alpha-CaMKII to selectively delete memories from mice. And, for years molecular neuroscience has been researching the nanoworld of the brain, studying the signals sent from one cell to another cell…..”

  Again the Warden broke in. “OK…….OK …. those of us around this table are not technically inclined, have no degrees in physics, medicine or whatever, nor are we particularly interested in how the atoms and nerve connections line up. Can you give us a comic-book version of what the hell happens?’’

  Pat understood their frustration. “I think if I continue, I’ll just confuse the situation. Later in the week you’ll all get to see a live recording. This’ll make it much easier to understand the process. But I should explain the Watchers because they will be arriving before any S3 can start.