Frank Mooney shouted, “I will not sit here and be called a liar. I plead the Fifth on any and all remaining questions you animals might have. If you’ll excuse me, I have a country to run for your benefit. Let’s go.”
His lawyer grabbed his briefcase, gave Whitney a scowling look and followed the Vice President out the door.
“Well, it’s a really bad thing that he thinks he can still get away with it. However, it’s a good thing that everyone else realizes the game is over. I’m in awe of his brazen attempt to blame the President. Not one other person even said the President was involved on the original deals.”
Trent said, “From dealing with organized crime, most of them think they are going to get away with it until the gavel comes slamming down. I thought we brought some pretty hard facts to get him to own up to his misdeeds. He’s the scariest kind of criminal out there, constantly thinking he’s the victim and everyone else is out to get him.”
“All these people are pretty bad, but Frank Mooney takes the cake. Even Raymund Ellerbee finally admitted to all his wrongdoings and stepped down as Chief of the Bureau. For a while there, I thought he was the worst, until our Vice President emerged covered in slime. How long is the rest of this going to take?”
Trent answered, “Hard to say on either side of this. From the criminal side it will take a while to get the high court ready for the case. From the political side, these guys will slowly start dropping like flies. They’ll come up with excuses like they want to spend more time with their families or for medical conditions, but they all know their time is up.”
“We circle back to this. How long can you walk around knowing you’re a fraudster? I’m sure some will hold on as long as they can like our Vice President. I really think that clown thinks he is going to inherit the Presidency. It’s going to go way down the line.”
Trent said, “It looks like the Admiral of Defense is going to end up being our supreme leader. He’s fourth in line, but he is the first one that is clean and would take over as President.”
“Strange times we are living in. Now we can really start to make hard plans about our honeymoon. We can actually set a real date for it. I wonder what our next case is going to bring?”
Trent answered, “I still have a vested interest in seeing how this one shakes out. I want to wait to see what he is going to do. I really hope he doesn’t pardon those traitors, but my level of hope on that is pretty low.”
15
Whitney and Trent pushed their way through the overcrowded press hall of the President. They made it to their seats and waited for the statement from the President of Adoxia. Alan Gergen emerged from the blue curtain behind the podium. A nervous-looking President adjusted the microphone as everyone quieted down.
The President looked around the room and took a deep breath. “Ladies and gentlemen, citizens of Adoxia, a country can only be as strong as its laws and leaders. Those two elements forge a cohesive bond and are the reason this country is great. Unfortunately, there can be times when the bond can be broken. I won’t go into great detail right now, but that strong bond has been broken. I stand before you today as a man who let the pressure of being President force me to look the other way on matters I knew to be improper.”
Alan Gergen started coughing and took a drink of water. “I have no excuse for my behavior and the citizens of Adoxia deserve better than this. I swore an oath to this country and the people that I would uphold the laws of our great land. I have failed you as citizens and as a united country. I will finish out the work day, but effective as of six o’clock today, I will be stepping down as President of Adoxia. It pains me to have to do this, but this step is what’s best for our great country.”
The President paused and looked at Whitney with a hollow smile. “I won’t go into any detail of my actions here today as they are part of an ongoing investigation. A President always reserves his right to pardon whoever he deems to deserve the honor. I can pardon anyone for any reason I see fit.”
Are you kidding me? You’re going to pardon the whole lot of them, huh? That’s why you aren’t stepping down until later today. I thought you might be a good one. Wrong again.
The President continued, “I had to look my son in the eye recently and tell him some very uncomfortable things. I told him this not realizing that I was giving my son a lesson in accountability. That was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do, but it showed me that everyone needs to be held accountable for their actions. I’m sure everyone knows about the looming scandal involving the Bull Party.”
Come on, hold all those people accountable. Don’t let them off the hook.
Alan Gergen had sweat collecting and trickling from the tip of his chin. His shaking hand adjusted the microphone again. “As of right now, sixty-one people have been indicted. I could use my pardon power on each and every one of these people as a pre-emptive pardon before guilt. I’ve given this thought and realized, how could I face my son and try to enforce the principle of accountability if I let all these people go? Therefore, in my final few hours as President of Adoxia, I will not be exercising my presidential pardon powers on anyone involved in this mess.”
I knew you could do it.
She pinched Trent’s thigh and smiled at him. This was exactly what they wanted the President to do.
Alan Gergen continued, “In normal circumstances, the Vice President would immediately be sworn in; however, these aren’t normal circumstances. A person can be under investigation before they take the office of the Presidency after winning an election, but that doesn’t hold true if that person is inheriting the office. Any person under federal investigation is ineligible to be President. Therefore, I will be taking the rest of the day to figure out who is going to be your next President.”
A collective gasp went over the crowd, followed by quiet murmuring. Whitney watched a defeated President drop his head at the podium in disgrace.
The President continued, “My team and I will make certain, the incoming President will not be distracted on his mission as a servant for the citizens of Adoxia by being under federal investigation. One final note, I know most of you are somewhat familiar with Presidential privilege and how it buffers a sitting President from facing any criminal legal jeopardy. Whatever I’ve done that is deemed to be criminal, I need to be held accountable. I am waiving my Presidential privilege to anything that happened during my tenure to show my son what being responsible for your acts really means.” Alan Gergen was nearly in tears by the end of the speech.
The President of Adoxia looked around the room turned suddenly and tried to get through the curtain. He couldn’t find the open area and struggled with the fabric until someone emerged from the other side and helped the President get through.
Trent looked at Whitney and said, “That had everything we wanted. Not only did he not pardon himself or his buddies, but he made sure we wouldn’t have to suffer Frank Mooney as President, even if it would only be for one day.”
“I think that was very honorable of him to do all that. He’ll always be the President that didn’t even survive his first year in office, but his legacy could have been a lot worse. Plus, this will be the last thing from his Presidential biography, so hopefully it won’t get overlooked.”
Trent said, “He’s going to be looked at a whole lot better than the Vice President will.”
They left the hall and went back to their house. As they pulled up in the driveway, Whitney noticed someone sitting on their front steps. Darominius was in human form and looked at the couple with a jagged-tooth smile.
“What are you doing here?”
Darominius yawned and said, “I’m bored. Helping humanity does have some downtime. It appears this case is almost at its end.”
Trent said, “With a lot of help from you, of course. I’m still wondering what’s going to be next.”
The dragon shifter said, “The next case will come to you. There’s no need to search around for it. I’ve been told you two will
be busy for about the next decade in this world and beyond.”
“Wait, we’re going to go into outer space. I’m not sure I’m suited for outer space.”
Darominius laughed. “Oh, Whitney Powers, you have no idea what lies ahead of you. You’ll leave this world and travel further than humans believe is possible right now. In fact, you already have.”
“I’m confused about so much right now. I still don’t really know anything about you. Were you born a human or dragon?”
The golden dragon shifter played with his long silver whiskers and said, “I was born a dragon more than one thousand years ago. The species thrived and I lived amongst thousands and thousands of fellow dragons. We were always noble in our actions and tried to help as many people or animals as we could. We decided to split up into smaller packs and went off into different directions.”
Whitney noticed he looked sad and his golden lips trembled as he continued, “It was around this same time that dragons got the horrible reputation they are still known for today. We were looked at as the scariest of animals and humans reacted accordingly. No matter how many centuries I’ve been around, one thing about human nature holds true, people attack things they don’t understand and fear. That’s always the first instinct.”
Whitney felt bad for her friend and she had to fight back the tears.
Darominius said, “Had we remained together, nobody would have ever attacked us. Splitting up made us vulnerable to the humans. We forged on as long as we could until we were almost extinct. My parents were also well versed in magic.”
“Holy smokes, a dragon that knows magic,” Trent remarked.
Darominius continued, “If only that would have saved them. They taught me about elemental magic. I inherently harnessed the element of fire from birth. You’ve seen me use air to take you back in time. The spirits of the Originals rest within the earth, and rise up to help the desperate. That just leaves water. This element is tricky because it doesn’t mean water in a literal sense.”
The dragon shifter thought for a moment before continuing. “This means water in the sense of fluidity. The Originals gave me the power of fluidity. That power helped me transform from a dragon into a human. I didn’t realize it when my parents forced me to learn this, but it was their way of saving me.”
Darominius let a fear tears fall down his golden cheeks. “The final days for the dragons soon followed. My parents could have learned how to harness the magic properties of water before me. They could have saved themselves. I’ll never forget when my father looked at me and said, ‘You are the final dragon. You need to disguise yourself as a human until the time comes when you can resurrect the dragons’.”
Whitney went over and put a sympathetic hand on Darominius’ strong shoulder. She could feel his emotions as he continued, “As you can see, I’ve never been able to fulfill that prophecy. I could never find a female dragon and I’ve spent most of my years in human form.”
“That’s not your fault. You help humans out all the time now though.”
Darominius said, “Probably due to my oversized heart. I was lucky to find the people of Soro Exxo on a good will mission to earth.”
Trent asked, “Where is Soro Exxo?”
Darominius smiled and said, “Some might say, it’s just behind a bookshelf. Both of you have visited before and you will certainly visit again.”
“I guess I never asked what the name of the place was when I visited. So you just randomly came across them and started helping out the people of earth?”
Darominius said, “Essentially, yes. You see, earth is vastly behind all the other planets. Earth is like a testing ground for allowing beings to exercise free will. However, this planet is thousands of years behind from a technological standpoint.”
“Well then how are we supposed to keep up with obviously more advanced beings in space?”
“Sorry, I’ll have to explain this in more detail at a later time. I am receiving a message that someone is in trouble,” Darominius explained as he got up.
“But I have so many other questions.”
Darominius said, “Just as I saved you two outside the Rose Ridge Club, another couple requires assistance. Until another time, my lady and good sir.”
He bowed and walked into the back yard. Whitney still didn’t get the water reference completely as she watched him transpose into a dragon.
Trent watched Darominius take off and turned to Whitney. “I got a whole new understanding of that guy now. Well, Mrs. Merrick, looks like another in the books for the good guys and gals.”
“With all this taken care of, we can finally set a date for the honeymoon. I say tomorrow.”
Trent laughed. “I would love to second that, I really would, but we have to stay for Frank Mooney’s trial. We’ll probably be called to testify for his obstruction of justice charges. I think we both know he’s going to clog up the courts for as long as possible.”
“You’re right. I don’t want to wait around here for all that, but we don’t really have a choice. How long is this going to take?”
16
Four Months Later…
Whitney and Trent sat in the back row of the Federal Court Room and awaited the sentencing of the Vice President of Adoxia. He had been found guilty of over twenty charges and was looking at a hefty sentence. Raymund Ellerbee, the former Chief of the Bureau had just received 25 years in jail, so Whitney assumed that Frank Mooney would get much more than that.
The former Vice President came into the room with a smug look on his face. Whitney thought that he still didn’t understand the gravity of his actions. He sat down next to his lawyer and waited with the rest of the court room.
The Judge was announced and she sat down and grabbed the gavel. Whitney faded out and started thinking about her awaiting honeymoon retreat. She couldn’t wait to get some sand in between her toes and sip on a frosty cocktail. Then she thought about how much her life had changed in the past few years.
She had gone from thinking she was going to die alone to being married to one of the greatest men in the world. The help from the spirit world had given her the confidence that she could accomplish anything. Whitney had taken down the main gangster in Pennsburgh and foiled the biggest abuse of government power in the history of her country.
Her heart swelled with pride and she loved that she had been able to enjoy the ride with her one and only. She looked over at Trent and realized she had fallen into the perfect life. She listened to the judge again.
The Honorable Clarette Beadling announced, “Not only have you participated in the most heinous of acts this country has ever seen, but you masterminded the entire escapade. Even after the initial crimes, you used your power to obstruct justice and keep these crimes hidden. You even stooped as low as to blackmail our President so that you could make arms deals with terrorist nations. Needless to say these types of actions are unprecedented.”
Whitney looked at the side of the Vice President’s red face. She wondered if he had started to understand that this wasn’t a joke yet.
The Judge continued, “When faced with unprecedented crimes, we must search deep into our understanding of the law to come to a conclusion for a penalty. I believe you know by now that your accomplices received some very stiff sentences. Unfortunately for you, your actions were far worse than those of your associates. You still face the charge of treason in the concurrent government case, which, if you are found guilty of, will carry a possible death sentence. It is my judgment that the defendant be sentenced to no less than 50 years in jail without the possibility of parole.”
The Vice President’s head sank and he let out a groan. Whitney had almost forgotten about the treason charge that seemed to be the real problem for Frank Mooney.
The Judge slammed down the gavel for the final time and the bailiffs led the former Vice President of Adoxia out of the room.
Trent turned to her. “There it is. I’d say it was worth the wait. The government case is going to t
ake much longer and we need to get to the airport. Turtle Island is calling our names right now.”
The happy couple walked through the sea of people to get to their car.
“I can hear it. This worked out perfectly. All the really bad guys got heavy sentences they didn’t seem to think were headed their way and Alan Gergen got pardoned.”
Trent nodded. “I agree. That added a nice touch to everything. It was amazing to see him as a witness compared to the rest of that lying bunch. He still did some rotten stuff, but he owned up to it and was willing to take responsibility for his actions. It was almost like the other guys didn’t understand how dirty their actions were.”
They got in the car and speeded toward the airport.
“We should have had Darominius take us to the Turtle Island. We could have avoided the traffic and the wait for the plane.”
Trent said, “I wonder what’s going to come next? We’ve already solved some landmark cases in Adoxia history, and that was just our first two. I guess we might be good at this.”
“Darominius said we might travel to different planets and go back in time again. I can’t wait to see what comes next.”
Trent said, “Well, we’ve already kind of traveled to another planet. Remember when we went through that wormhole-type thing. That seemed like a different planet to me.”
“I guess that’s true. He didn’t seem to imply that was going to be the place. Who knows, maybe we should just concentrate on our honeymoon.”
Trent asked, “What should we do first? They got scuba diving, visiting a rain forest, cliff jumping, deep sea tours and of course, sipping drinks on the sand pebbles.”
“That last one sounds pretty luxurious right now. Honk the horn to get that guy out of the way.”
Trent smiled, “Relax, we’ll get there. And besides, that’s probably a woman driving like that.”
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