Justice

Free Justice by Jennifer Harlow Page B

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Authors: Jennifer Harlow
behind him.
    “ I have prepared a brief statement, and then I will take questions, ” he begins, voice neutral. “ I’d like to begin by giving my heartfelt condolences to the families of the guards who were injured or killed in last night’s attack. Officers Moore, Dodd, and Dr. John Qwan were trusted and respected members of our community. Moore had several commendations for valor, and Dr. Qwan served in his position for over ten years. What happened to them is a tragedy, and all our thoughts and prayers of our staff are with their loved ones.
    “ There is no excuse for what happened last night. We failed to do our jobs, even though every safeguard was in place and followed to the letter. What happened was a fluke, and we are already taking measures to make sure it does not happen ever again. The prison is cooperating fully with the investigation into this event. Thank you. ”
    Immediately, a cacophony of voices starts. I can barely understand a word until the warden points to someone. The reporter shouts, “ Have the other prisoners been moved from the obviously unsecure area? ”
    First blood drawn. “ I cannot comment on the location of inmates due to security reasons. But let me stress, this was an isolated incident. There hasn’t been an escape in three years, and there will be none from now on. ”
    The reporters clamor until Myers chooses again. “ How do you respond to Grace Pickering’s demand for not only your job, but those of the mayor and commissioner? ”
    “ As of this time, I have no plans to resign. This was an isolated incident , one that will not be repeated as long as I have my post. ”
    “ But someone is to blame, ” another reporter shouts. “ Your so-called safeguards failed in this case. Who’s to say they won’t again? ”
    The top of Myers’ head turns red, and he grips the podium so hard it creaks. He’s lasted longer than I thought he would. It’s sound bite time. “ Look, we have the worst offenders in here. The scum of society. The freaks of nature. We do what we can to keep them in here, but we’re bound by law and nature. They aren’t. What the hell are we supposed to do when we have to mollycoddle them or be sued by you liberals if we don’t? ”
    “ And what do you propose, Warden? ” someone shouts.
    There’s no way in hell I’m letting him answer that. I am, after all, his back-up. You don’t stand by and let someone shoot themselves in the head. The foot maybe. I step up to the podium beside the Warden. “ I’m Det. Joanna Fallon with the Galilee Falls Police Department. I’m sure you have questions regarding this investigation. I’d be happy to answer them. ”
    A few faces fall, but my old pal Veronica Lilley with The Galilee Standard smirks. She’s actually my first cousin, though we both like to keep that under wraps. I feed her information, and she does the same for me. Like me, she’s the tiniest in the crowd, with the same color eyes and skin, but tawny straight hair. Her hand shoots up along with the others but I choose her, as she knew I would.
    “ Do you have any leads on how Alkaline managed to get out of his cell? Are the guards suspects? ”
    “ We are investigating every possible avenue, ” I respond with the stock answer.
    “ And how do you respond to the allegation that Alkaline had an accomplice outside the prison? Any leads to who that is, if it’s true? ” V asks.
    “ It appears as if someone picked up Ryder outside the prison, yes. We are asking anyone with information regarding James Ryder to contact our tip line. Next question. ”
    I field a few more routine questions about the investigation, our suspects, how he escaped, with the usual deflections and vague answers. We might as well be reading from a script. Of course it never remains that easy for long.
    “ The last time, Alkaline was caught by Justice. Is he involved in this investigation? Perhaps leading it? ” the woman from BNN asks.
    “ GFPD is in charge of this

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