Chapter 21: Jail
I held my head down to keep the wind out of my eyes. The drone drove fast through the streets. Most people stared or gave us a wide berth. I felt like a leper, everyone wondering what crime I had committed. Other than that my father had been arrested, I knew less than nothing. I didn’t know when he had been arrested, where he was being held or who would represent him. Worse, I knew I was responsible. I had identified the doctored footage, and my dad’s investigation had caused someone to get nervous. Nervous enough to pin the blame on him.
The crowds from the stadium had let out and the drone was constantly steering around groups of people. I leaned back, strapped in, not wanting to hold the back of its cold metal body. The other police drones had remained at the stadium. Lacey had asked if she could come with me but the drone had refused. It was better to meet my dad alone. I felt guilty enough. I didn’t need an audience.
The drone cycled into the center of the city. The Justice Building loomed high in the distance. Part of the bylaws stipulated that no building could be higher than twenty stories. Somehow the Justice Building had been excluded from this bylaw as it looked down on the rest of the city. Within minutes the drone pulled up at the main entrance.
Wordlessly, it pointed to the main doors. I got off and sneered at it. If I hurt its feelings, it didn’t register. The doors opened up for me and I looked for a human attendant. Instead a tiny drone on wheels rolled towards me. I looked at it, waiting for it to speak. Instead a flashing arrow illuminated on it as it signaled me to follow to the right. The drone quickly squealed around a corner and disappeared. As I reached the end of the hall, Lieutenant Vaslor and another officer stood in front of a door.
“Pene! I came as soon as I heard.” He motioned to the other officer. “I’ll take her in.” The officer opened the door as Vaslor and I stepped in.
“Is he okay?” I asked.
“He’s fine.” Vaslor held my hand. “He’s in a holding area waiting to see you.” Ahead of us was a series of cells; most were empty. My legs felt weak and my hands reached out as Vaslor caught me before I could fall.
“Do you think they could find him innocent?” I asked but Vaslor said nothing. His silence spoke volumes.
“Pene?” A voice from behind me spoke. I turned and saw my dad sitting at a table, his hands in his lap. I heard metal scrape behind me as Vaslor put a chair in front of the cell. As I sat down, I heard his footsteps disappear down the hall. The jail was barren — no cameras or drones. I had expected a different setup. I looked up at my dad; his eyes were filled in sorrow.
“Dad, what happened? Why are they accusing you of tampering with the footage? Before they wouldn’t even admit it could happen.” I reached my hands through the cell to hold his.
“I don’t know. I pushed hard and checked with all of the tech staff. No one seems to have been assigned to the court case. I couldn’t find out who had access. My inquiries apparently were overheard by the judges, who weren’t pleased.”
“They weren’t pleased because you were pursuing the truth or because you were making the justice system look bad?”
“Neither, sweetheart. They couldn’t believe my claims, and eventually an investigator was assigned.”
“And?”
“The only person who had individual access was myself. All the techs have it recorded when they access a file. Two work in tandem, so no one is every left alone when scrubbing and editing the footage.”
“Then that system is wrong, Dad. Two techs could be working together or instructed to alter footage. You can’t charge someone just because they had opportunity. You have to have proof!” It felt funny to be lecturing my dad on the legal system.
“But here I am. Opportunity and motive are the keystones of our system. They have proven opportunity and are working on motive.” I let go of his hands and stood up, almost knocking down the chair.
“You have to tell them, Dad! You were checking the footage because of what I saw. I should never have looked at our tablet. I caused all of this!” I yelled and looked for something to throw.
“But you did look, and I looked too. And you were right. Something is wrong. And I’m worried that this case might not be the only one that was altered.”
I sat back down. “What are we going to do?”
“You are going to go home. Grandma will come to live with you until I can work this out. I have friends who will help.”
“Like Lord Morall?”
“Say what you want about him, he’s not the enemy. He called me just before the drones picked me up at home. He prepared me.”
“Dad, he could be the one who did this. Or he knows who did. Let me know where the footage is. I’ll post it to a few websites. Then the truth won’t get buried.” Dad was silent, as if considering my request.
“Sweetheart, I don’t want you involved in this. You have your whole life ahead of you.”
“So do you, Dad!” Then I considered something. “How long will the sentence be if you are found guilty?”
“Pene,” he signed.
“How long?” I asked again.
“Twenty-five years.” He looked down at his feet. If they pronounced him guilty, my dad would age into a grandfather. Who knew what memories he’d lose? I had to stop this. If Dad wasn’t going to help himself, I would have to do it myself.
“Not going to happen, Dad. I’ll get you out of here.”
“No, Pene. You will not. Whatever is happening is not fair. If you get involved, then you could be sentenced too. I’m not going to see both of our lives ruined because of this. Being your dad better count for something. Do you understand me?”
I understood that no one else was going to help him beside me. Our ‘oh so safe’ justice system had already pronounced him guilty. I had to get to Austin. He would know what to do.
“I promise,” I lied. “But I just can’t stand that you are trapped behind these bars. This is worse than the drones watching us.”
Dad stood up and walked to the prison door. It swung open. He walked over and squeezed me. “Don’t worry about me. There is a reason there are no drones in here. Where would I go?” He motioned around the room. “The city has eyes everywhere. No matter where I went, they’d find me. There is no escape.”