Judge Carlyle called court to session and the jury took their places.
“I understand that the jury has reached a verdict.”
“Yes, Your Honor.” The white, retired postal worker stood up with the verdict in hand.
“The foreman will hand the Clerk the verdict.”
The foreman handed the paper to the Clerk.
“The Clerk will publish the verdict.”
“We the jury in the above-entitled cause find the defendant, Joshua Banks, guilty of murder in the first degree of James Bennett as charged in Count I of the indictment, and further find him guilty of murder in the first degree of Ronald Bennett, as charged in Count II of the indictment.”
Susan Fredericks raised her arm in a gesture of victory, and glared at Brent.
“What’s happened? What’s going on?” Joshua Banks looked to the left and right, disoriented, as the Bailiff took him into custody
as the game played itself out.
“We’ve lost, Mr. Banks. I’m terribly sorry.”
“Lost? How could we lose? It wasn’t me! It was the demon! The demon!”
The Bailiff led Banks out of the room.
“Tough break, Marks.” Bradley Chernow extended his hand. Brent took it, tentatively.
“You know that justice wasn’t done here.”
Brent looked into Chernow’s eyes. He seemed to be fine with the outcome.
CHAPTER FIFTY TWO
The remainder of Joshua Banks’ ordeal was no surprise, given the guilty verdict. Judge Carlyle denied Brent’s motion for a new trial. She couldn’t risk granting it in an election year. After that, the penalty phase of the trial went forward. The jury’s choices were limited: death, or life without the possibility of parole. The jury chose death. Joshua Banks’ fate would be sealed as soon as the California Supreme Court decided his automatic appeal; a process which would take many years. In the meantime, he would sit on death row.
Banks’ court-appointed counsel filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus in state court, alleging that the prosecution withheld evidence that could have been exculpatory. It also alleged that Brent had provided ineffective assistance as counsel. The Honeymoon Stalker case was reopened when DNA belonging to one of the other victims had been found on the handle of Clairborne’s knife. This closed the book on the other cases, but never caused a ripple in the Banks case. Brent could only hope that this new DNA evidence would make a difference on appeal, and that, when all had been said and done, justice would finally prevail.
EPILOGUE
Brent had vowed not to take on any more criminal cases. The pressure of the Banks case and the shooting of Dusty Clairborne had taken too much out of him. He was disillusioned with the entire justice system and especially critical of his role in it. He wondered if he had screwed up and thought over and over again how he could have done it differently. Maybe it was a mistake to have Banks testify. The unanswered questions loomed over him and tortured him day and night.
After the case, Brent took a long sabbatical. He kept Melinda on at the office, referring cases to other attorneys as they came in, from time to time. Brent spent most of his days sitting on the balcony, reading a book or watching the ebb and flow of the tides, the setting of the sun, and the rising of the moon. Life went on all around him, but he was stuck at this moment in his own life, thinking and pondering all his decisions up to this point. What would Charles Stinson say about all this?
“Brent, Father Brown’s here.” Angela called out to Brent, who was sitting on the balcony having a drink and looking at the harbor.
“Show him in!”
Father Brown hung up his jacket and Brent invited him to sit down on the terrace with him. The sun was sifting through the clouds, its rays streaming through the clouds to Earth.
“It’s beautiful out here.”
“Yes, it is. Can I offer you a drink, Father?”
“Only if you insist.”
Brent poured Father Brown a generous portion of Napa Valley Cabernet.
“I hope this isn’t a habit of yours.”
“Sitting on the balcony in the fresh air, or drinking wine?”
“Neither. Stepping away from the law, is what I meant.”
“The law is unfair, Father.”
“Of course it’s unfair. The law is a creation of man, Brent. Only God is perfect. Man is fallible. Just look at all that is going on in the world now. Our Father in Heaven is probably looking down at us and shaking his holy head right now. But he’s mostly disappointed with you, Brent.”
“With me?”
“Yes. Nobody says that what you do is easy. That’s why not just anyone can do it. You’re the champion of the weak, the oppressed – everyone whom Jesus Christ nurtured and protected.”
“I just can’t do it anymore, Father. It’s too discouraging.”
“What did your mentor, Charles Stinson, always used to say about that?”
“I’ve forgotten, Father. I wish he were here.”
“He is here. Here,” Father Brown said, pointing to Brent’s head. “And here,” pointing to his heart. "What would be his advice to you?”
Brent thought for a moment. What would he be saying if Charles was standing right here, in front of me? Suddenly, he realized what he would say.
“To get back out there and give ‘em hell. Oops, excuse me, Father.”
“That’s right. So you get back in there and give ‘em - well, give ‘em hell, just like he said.”
Father Brown smiled, and the smile did not waiver until Brent acknowledged it with his own weak smile. Father Brown stood up.
“Now that I’ve delivered the message, I think I can go on to the next mission.”
Brent rose and shook his hand. “Me too, Father.”
AFTERWORD
As with all my novels, “Absolute Intolerance” is a story with a higher purpose. In this case, it is an expose on hate and homophobia. According to the FBI National Press Office, as of 2010, 19.3% of hate crimes in the United States were motivated by sexual orientation bias. According to a 2010 Intelligence Report by the Southern Poverty Law Center, LGBT people are far more likely to be the subject of a hate crime than any other minority group in America.
I thought it would be interesting to examine two different types of aberrant behavior and find out what happens when homophobia intersectrs with serial killing, and give the lawyer/protagonist the moral quandary of having to decide whether or not to defend the religious fanatic accused of murdering his former clients.
In the end, if we are to survive as a country, we have to remember that tolerance is the most important concept for peaceful living in our society. Live and let live. Love and let love. It is only by realizing this that we can live in peace together.
Reviews are the mainstay of any author, and are much appreciated. If you scroll past last page in the Kindle version of this book, you will be prompted to leave a review and to share this book with your social networks in a section marked “Before you go.” Also, there are excerpts of some of my other novels in the Brent Marks series. Finally, I love to get email from my readers; even if it is an error that you noticed that perhaps my editors, beta readers, or I did not catch. I want to make sure that my books are as high-quality as possible for my readers.
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Kenneth Eade
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OTHER BOOKS BY KENNETH EADE
Brent Marks Legal Thriller Series
A Patriot’s Act
Predatory Kill
HOA Wire
Unreasonable Force
Killer.com
Absolute Intolerance
Involuntary Spy Espionage Series
An Involuntary Spy
To Russia for Love
Non-fiction
Bless the Bees: The Pending Extinction of our Pollinators and What You Can Do to Stop It
A, Bee, See: Who are our Pollinators and Why are They in Trouble?
Save the Monarch Butterfly
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Author Kenneth Eade, best known for his legal and political thrillers, practiced law for 30 years before publishing his first novel, "An Involuntary Spy." Eade, an up-and-coming author in the legal thriller and courtroom drama genre, has been described by critics as “one of our strongest thriller writers on the scene, and the fact that he draws his stories from the contemporary philosophical landscape is very much to his credit.” Critics have also said that “his novels will remind readers of John Grisham, proving that Kenneth Eade deserves to be on the same lists with the world's greatest thriller authors.”
Says Eade of the comparisons: "John Grisham is famous for saying that sometimes he likes to wrap a good story around an important issue. In all of my novels, the story and the important issues are always present.”
Eade is known to keep in touch with his readers, offering free gifts and discounts to all those who sign up at his web site, www.kennetheade.com.
Times Square Publishing Copyright 2016 Kenneth Eade
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Kenneth Eade, Brent Marks Legal Thriller Series: Box Set Two
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