Chasing Justice

Chapter Twenty



“Are you going to tell us what this is all about?” Michael asked in a demanding tone. “Tell me exactly what you saw.” His patience with Piper was wearing thin. She had been sitting in her car crying for twenty minutes, begging to be left alone before finally joining Michael and Bobby in the sitting room at Betty’s house.

“Michael, back off her for a minute. This hasn’t been a very easy day,” Bobby barked at Michael, as he rubbed Piper’s back, supportively encouraging her to take her time.

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.”