Justice Ch. 05: And Justice For All

The jury was quite impressed with the young black man and the arguments made by the prosecution. By the time it was over, no one on the defense, including Barton and Cynthia, could look Derek in the eye. They came back with guilty verdicts on all charges. The judge sentenced them both harshly, but recognized that Cynthia was also one of Barton's victims. They were led out of the courtroom and sent to prison.

Derek's divorce was a slam dunk after the trial, and Acme quickly settled with him for a very large, but undisclosed sum of money. The company found itself besieged by lawsuits and government action and was eventually forced to close.

Many other executives and managers found themselves facing charges as well. Jan Stein, Cynthia's mentor on the EST, saw the writing on the wall early on and decided this would be a good time to find employment elsewhere, using her contacts in the entertainment industry.

"Well, now that you've won, what are you going to do with all that money?" Derek's mother asked when the lawsuit was finally settled.

"The first thing I'm going to do is take my saintly mother to dinner," Derek said with a smile. She had been his rock during this time and he felt that he owed her. "Then I'm going to university." Her eyes lit up at that.

"Wonderful," she said. "And what do you intend to study, besides the young ladies?"

"I think I'd like to study the law," he said. She nodded her head.

"The law! I'm impressed. You have a good head and the heart of a lion," she said. "I think you'll do just fine. Tell me, son, have you learned anything from all this?"

"Actually, mum, I have," he said. She looked at him, surprised at his new-found confidence and tone.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Something a friend recently told me," he said. "No man in the wrong can ever stand up to a bloke in the right who keeps on coming." She nodded her head as she mulled his words. Then she broke out in a smile and her eyes twinkled.

"I like that," she said. "And I agree. Wholeheartedly. I'd like to meet this wise friend of yours."

"Maybe one day you can," he said. "Care to join me for dinner?" he asked, offering her his arm.

"Of course," she said, smiling as she took his arm. "I'm famished."

Fade to black...

...

Notes:

To the best of my knowledge, there is no such place as Hard Rock, Texas, so please do not waste time Googling it.

William Carney was the first African-American to receive the Medal of Honor. After the assault on Fort Wagner in 1863, he was promoted to Sergeant for his bravery and received the medal in 1900. He died in 1908 at Boston City Hospital. I exercised a bit of artistic license regarding his family ties to Derek Smith.

William Jesse "Bill" McDonald is known as one of the "four great" Texas Ranger Captains. He died of pneumonia in January 1918. Written on his tombstone is this: "No man in the wrong can stand up against a fellow that's in the right and keeps on a-comin'."

John and Houston Smith are from my "Houston" series. The incident they referred to is told in "Houston: The Girl Of His Dreams."

The previous incident with Acme is told in "Justice Ch. 02: Ghost Riders."