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Brady brooded and planned. He chose not to stop off and check what the current state of play was with the Green Towns and their views on Brady Mahone. He felt as if he was in the zone and making big decisions about his future. I feel like I could live forever at this rate, but what’s the point if I didn’t have anything to do?
He was in auto-pilot mode as he headed back to McFarland. He was aware of his poor personal hygiene. I stink real bad. He laughed alone as the car moved serenely on the near-deserted Highway - even after all these years he still couldn’t get used to that - It’s another good reason not to visit anyone. I don’t want people to think that Brady Mahone has let himself go. He decided that the first thing on his embryonic to-do list was to shower, shave and maybe use his Foster Daddy’s hair-clippers and trim his hair. He remembered that he had missed an appointment to meet Judge Jefferson a while back. It’s not the same as when I used to meet Professor Chu - I used to look forward to that. He was good to me. He made me feel real good about myself.
He stopped off at the East McFarland bus stop and left a brief note. There wasn’t an apology. She just gotta accept that sometimes Brady Mahone is busy, y’know, indisposed. He was proud of this latest addition to his vocabulary.
Hi Judge
Castaic won’t be long until it turns Green.
I’ll be here tomorrow at 6pm - if ya wants to see me.
Brady.
He went home. Even though he was hungry and thirsty, Brady cleaned himself thoroughly, first. Then he made himself a big meal and drank heavily. Brady gave a lot of thought into what he wanted out of life, especially if he planned to stick around for the long term. He wandered onto the porch. He looked outside, and he saw the Lopez family, in the near distance. He then caught a hint of green at the extremes of his vision. He didn’t need to check it out. He had been away for more than seven days, the GreenShell™ had enveloped itself over the Mahone Ranch. He thought of himself as a kind of honorary Green, he wasn’t concerned about his home being visited by Operation Clean-up teams. He was emotionally troubled by the thought that the Lopez family couldn’t visit his house, barn or bunker ever again. He wondered if they had noticed yet. The idea brought him down, but he needed to plan. He shook his head vigorously, trying to eject the negativity away. Fuck ‘em. I’ve done my bit for them. He considered that he was lying to himself. Lucian had saved his life.
He headed back inside and poured a hot black coffee in the vain attempt to sober up. It took a while before the anger subsided about how the Lopez family had dishonoured him, unfairly. He began to feel more positive as he became distracted by his mind adding to his plans for the future. He knew he was entering a dream-like state when his background thoughts over the last few weeks had completed their tasks and were about to present him with their conclusions. What do I want? What would make Brady Mahone happy and contented again? His inner-mind responded, ‘So, you have been happy at some point in your life - do you admit it?’ He knocked back a large whiskey. I hate to admit it, but the happiest I ever felt was after the Revolution. I was kinda legit most of the time. I felt respected and needed. I provided, and people listened to me. And I really liked being rich in this world - that felt real good. He had his roadmap out of the blues, he just had to confirm his route. He had to identify his destination, his mode of transport, and what he was going to do when he got there. He needed purpose and reason, the things that kept Brady Mahone moving forward. He considered this with a positive mental attitude - a problem-solving catchphrase for Brady Mahone. He never knew where this came from, he felt as if it had always been there - something he was born with.
I want my business back...I want to expand my business...I want to sleep with that Rhea. She’s my kinda woman, and she’s kinda cute for a Green. Brady put on some music he liked from the forties. It was a stripped-down industrial metal. It was tough, and not that electronic synthesiser crap - as he described it, Brady thought that was music for wimps. I want to see Boulder Creek. I want to find where that Bodhi Sattva hangs out. Maybe Brady Mahone could show him a thing or two to shake that smug bastard up.
He went to the jewellery box in his bedroom. He picked up the Sattva Systems™ ring he had found from his haul at Libby Kane’s home. It was part of Bodhi Sattva’s secret stash. He had it affixed to a chain and he hung it around his neck. It was the first time he had done that for more than a decade. Ten years gone. He then picked up the Tiberius Black File. If I find him, this could really fuck him up, or the people around him.
He wanted to let this thought sink in, so he went for a walk around his grounds in the fresh night air. He looked at his Distor™. I really want to get to a million Greenbacks. I want to be a Greenback millionaire. He stroked his Hearse. It sure is the most boring car design ever, but it’s been real reliable. I love you, honey. He was drunk, and yet he had hit the sweet spot in his drinking where he felt high on positivity. Brady knowing precisely what he wanted and needed, seemed to clear the fog of loneliness. He then laughed as he looked at his Hearse again. I want me one of those FusionPlanes™. I’m gonna get me my own private jet.
––––––––
IT TOOK HIM MOST OF the next day to get over his hangover, but Brady felt it was worth it. He deemed it a price worth paying to blast the negative thoughts and self-pity he had been harbouring over the last few weeks. In keeping with this newfound self-worth, he decided to dress up smartly to meet with Judge Jefferson this evening. He also filled up his car with more discarded clothing from the Greens, which he had stored in his barn.
He took the short trip in his Hearse and arrived simultaneously as Judge Audre Jefferson and another man. She had arrived in the horse and carriage. As Brady pulled up in his Hearse, Audre was being helped out of the carriage. She said, ‘Hello Brady. This is Norbert, he is my friend and is a tremendous help to me.’ Brady stuck out his hand, and Norbert shook it firmly. Brady noted the strength and assumed Norbert worked out to keep fit. He also noticed his frayed suit was clean and pressed, and his worn-out shoes were still polished. Brady could smell soap. He smells of discipline. Brady looked into the deep blue eyes of Officer Norbert Stillman, and he didn’t catch a glimpse of fear or concern. He quickly helped Officer Norbert fill-up the carriage with the donated clothes, before getting down to business with the Judge.
Norbert helped Audre to the seat in the bus shelter. He then retrieved a binder from the carriage and Audre took it from him and placed it on her lap. Brady moved to sit alongside her. She said, ‘I’m pleased you could make it today. I’ve completed putting my case together against Sattva Systems™ and the State of California.’ She laughed, ‘Not that it means anything, but it’s always good to know the truth, and history needs it recorded, even if history may only live on in the mind of Brady Mahone.’ She looked at him kindly, ‘Brady Mahone, for reasons I still cannot fathom, history as chosen you to bear witness to what happened here. Soon, you will be the only man alive, who knows the truth about how this all came to pass.’
‘I’m nothing special. I’m just a guy who puts one foot in front of the other and keeps moving forward.’
She removed her wrinkled black hand from the binder she was clutching and rubbed Brady’s cheek, ‘You are still so young, and you have many years of life ahead of you. Who can tell how far you will travel in that time, taking your one step at a time - and forever moving forwards? You could go a long way, Mr Mahone.’ She slowly moved her hand away from his face and returned it to the binder. ‘I could have returned all the files you gave me, but I wasn’t sure you would turn up today. In this binder, I have summarised my findings down to a couple of hundred pages. I have resisted the urge to use the legalese, which was so prevalent in my profession. I would be happy to tell you the potted headlines - that’s if you have the time to listen?’
‘Yes. It would be useful to know about these people. I have plans to meet with this Bodhi Sattva one day. You could say I’ve got a business proposition to put to him.’
‘If you ever did meet him, then I would strongly advise you to listen carefully, especially if he gives you his word on a deal.’
Brady looked at her, he trusted her judgment, ‘What do you mean?’
‘He gave his word on so many business transactions before the crash. What he said and delivered was the literal truth. He didn’t lie, he didn’t renege on his promises, but he knew what was going to happen, and he made his words snake around this omission.’
Brady thought deeply before asking, ‘If he said he would give me a million dollars, would I end up having it?’
‘If that was all he said, then yes - that would be his word. But if he gave a million dollars for a service, or for the completion of a task, or a business deal, then don’t be surprised if he has made you do something with entirely unforeseen consequences. You will then re-examine his words and see the plan was there all along.’ She watched Brady cup his chin with his hand as if trying to work out this puzzle. She added, ‘The problem for you is that this was the way he dealt with what we now call the Trads - I think colloquially he would have been called a double-dealing-four-flusher.’ Brady laughed at hearing Audre using this term. She looked at him as if she were trying to find a definitive answer from his appearance. She noticed some scratches and abrasions on Brady which were healing over from his recent exertions in Castaic. She said, ‘However, with his Green friends, he gave these people his word, and he delivered unto them precisely what he promised, and in the spirit of which it was promised - of this I am sure. Of vital importance to you Brady, is that if you ever do meet, or confront this man, is knowing how he views you. Would Bodhi Sattva believe he is dealing with Brady Mahone the Trad, or Brady Mahone the Green? Who are you, Brady Mahone?’
Brady Mahone roared with laughter, ‘It sounds like a joke we used to make about the prison shrinks after the tell me about your childhood, we would ask - Who am I? What am I? What am I doing here? Then I would say - Twenty years with time off for good behaviour.’
Audre was disappointed with Brady’s attitude. It reminded her of the man she used to pass sentence on, and maybe he hadn’t evolved as much as she had hoped. He saw this and knew he had regressed to an older version of himself - like an old dialect returning after years away from home. He said, ‘Sorry, Judge. I hear you. I’m a Trad who got lucky - is all.’
‘Then be careful, his promises will have hidden depths and ulterior motives.’
He nodded, but Audre smiled. She said, ‘Now you must let me tell you what I have discovered. This would have been the case of a lifetime, and I would have loved to have discussed it with all my old friends and colleagues. This case would have had me making press conferences, TV appearances. And I would undoubtedly have been promoted. However, you are my only audience, and I can’t wait to tell you.’
Brady smiled, ‘For once in my life, Judge - I can’t wait to hear you hand down your verdict.’
She licked her lips and unclenched her stiff fingers around the binder and passed it to Brady. She said, ‘Sattva Systems™ had a global reach, but I will tell you about what happened in California. But what happened here was replicated across the planet, the only thing that made California special was its links to Silicon Valley.’
‘Ok.’
‘I won’t go into all the technical stuff about Nano-technology’s research and development, Intense Renewable Energy and FusionPower™.’
‘Thanks. I don’t fancy going back to science class.’
‘If ever you did want to know, there’s a chapter on it in the binder.’ She looked at Norbert, who was feeding the horse with a couple of apples. ‘The major felonies revolved around the corruption of key politicians. Here it was the Governor of California. He bankrolled her campaigns. She used to be an influencer on social media. Do you remember those?’
Officer Norbert interrupted them, ‘I’ll just take a ride to the pasture to let him have some grass.’ She nodded, and he rode away.
Brady said, ‘Vaguely. Not really my bag. They used to have millions of followers who would be obsessed with taking pictures of themselves all the time.’
‘Close enough. Anyway, Genesis Garcia had over one-hundred million followers who admired her radical Democrat credentials and her fire-brand rhetoric when it came to the environment. Her ideals matched those of the Kane family. To cut a long story short, she paved the way for Sattva Systems™ to raise billions of dollars, and she ensured the passage of everything they desired to expand the company. She was the Governor of California, but she hated what big business and big tech had done to the planet, she even despised those of her own constituents who disrespected the environment, so she effectively went to work for Sattva Systems™.’ She knew she had to deliver this information in bitesize chunks as she knew Brady’s attention would drift. ‘Were you a Republican or a Democrat back then?’
‘Neither. They both sent Brady Mahone to jail. What about you, Judge?’
‘I was a Republican. I believed in law and order.’
‘That kinda makes sense. I get it so far. A corrupt politician with a funny name is in the pocket of the Mob.’
‘Yes, in essence. The information you supplied had transcripts of secret emails, invoices demonstrating corruption and fraudulent transactions - that kind of thing.’
Brady said, ‘It’s good to know, but it don’t help me much.’
‘I know. But it’s important to me that I passed this knowledge on before I leave this world. I couldn’t countenance this dying with me. I have told the folks here in East McFarland, but I think we both know that our time here ain’t long.’ She said this like an old blues musician was uttering it.
Brady nodded. ‘I got it, Judge.’ He tapped his temple, ‘It’s in here.’ He then tapped the binder, ‘And here.’
She said, ‘I do have another investigation here, which I have most of the answers for. And that concerns the disappearance and death of John Kane.’
Brady braced himself, for an uncomfortable few minutes ahead. He wasn’t guilty in this upcoming interrogation, but he was withholding evidence. He listened as she added the inevitable comments, ‘However, I am missing a few facts which would help me tie-up some loose ends. I have to admit, that it’s a bit of a mystery as to why these key players in an international conspiracy all ended up here in McFarland at one time or another.’ She smiled, but only received a smile in return, it was less defensive than a no comment to the Judge.
She said, ‘Let me tell you how far I got into this investigation. First of all, John Kane’s name has been redacted from every single document. However, his is the only name that fits the situations and timelines from the volume of evidence. I am certain that we have the clues to his disappearance and murder.’ She took a deep breath. ‘John Kane left his Boulder Creek Headquarters on February 14, 2050, at 9:30 am. He told his PA that he was going to visit his ex-wife, Libby Kane in Malibu. Libby was adamant that no visit was arranged, and she had an alibi which checked out. She was a suspect because she had been left out of his will. She kept her home, but she believed her prenup had entitled her to a quarter of Sattva Systems™ wealth...’
Brady thought of her home and daydreamed about extorting that from Bodhi Sattva, while Audre continued to present her findings, Brady added the Malibu home to his wish-list, he wanted Bodhi to have to give him something which he was personally attached to. It would make a great retirement pad, and eventually, it could be my pension. He was then shaken out of his pleasant reverie.
‘...The last sighting of John Kane was in McFarland. He never made it further south than that. You were probably too young to remember, but the FBI combed the area around here for weeks after his disappearance.’
Brady smiled. Pops was a paranoid conspiracy theorist he would have buried him real deep. He said insolently, ‘True dat.’ But this was a clue to Judge Jefferson that she was on the right path. She knew Brady knew more than he was letting on.
She said, ‘There are detailed maps of Sattva Systems™ HQ in Boulder Creek and McFarland and the surrounding lands, as these were the places the FBI carried out their most intensive searches.’
‘The Boulder Creek maps could come in handy.’ He asked, ‘Are the maps in here?’ He tapped the binder.
‘Yes.’ She continued, ‘This is the point where the prime suspect in John Kane’s murder makes an appearance. He was the rather grandly titled, Samuel Beardon the Second. Have you heard of this man?’
‘No. Why should I have?’
She knew he was lying because it was too much of a coincidence that the notes, he had left for her, detailing the events in Encinitas were signed by Tyrone Beardon, and they were written in a highly educated hand. ‘No reason. Only asking.’
Brady tried to ask as if he was only making polite conversation, ‘What’s the deal with this Beardon guy?’
‘The Beardon family had close ties to John Kane and his son, Xavier. John Kane covered the costs of his education. Samuel Beardon the Second received his Doctorate in the Effects of Climate Change. He was a passionate follower of John Kane and a key member of the Sattva Systems™ hierarchy.’
Brady laughed, ‘Doesn’t sound like a killer to me?’
‘I agree, except for Samuel Beardon the Second having a major falling out with John Kane and his son Xavier.’
‘What about?’
‘Samuel Beardon the Second had evidence from fellow professors in his field - people he respected, who claimed that the work Sattva Systems™ had already done with Intense Renewable Energies and FusionPower™ in the millions of New Green communities across the planet had already done enough to improve the effects of climate change on the planet.’
Brady’s interest in this development was piqued, he knew this was crucial to what followed. He focussed intensely on Audre. ‘There wasn’t the need for the Revolution. All of this was unnecessary - and he knew that. I’m betting he told them, but they didn’t want to change their plans. Next, he would threaten them, maybe expose the story to the press - his Father was an Internet Preacher for Sattva Systems™, he would have access to millions...’
She had his interest, and she needed to work with this. ‘That’s about the gist of it. Samuel Beardon the Second had been caught on CCTV in McFarland on the morning of John Kane’s disappearance. He was refused bail by Judge Pilkington in Boulder Creek and remanded - how can I put this politely, Judge Pilkington had a one-eyed view on dealing with black men accused of murdering a white man of high standing in the community.’
Brady said thoughtfully, ‘Xavier Kane or Bodhi Sattva as we now knew him, still had a problem. He needed to shut this guy up - he knew too much - so he had him killed. Bodhi seizes control of the company, Samuel Beardon the Second gets pinned for his Father’s murder, and the Revolution continues as planned.’
Judge Audre Jefferson laughed and said, ‘Fancy a job as an investigator?’
‘Detective Inspector Brady Mahone, at your service, Ma’am.’ He laughed heartily as he mockingly bowed to her. ‘I’m well qualified. I have a unique insight into the criminal mind. These guys are just criminals with more cash - is all.’
She nodded and smiled softly, ‘Brady. I’m going to make a leap here. I have no evidence other than my gut tells me that you are at the heart of this. I don’t know why, or how, but McFarland is a small, inconsequential town in many respects, and yet we have one of the most talked about murder mysteries happen on our doorstep, and then we have you, a local man from the same small town who seems to link all the pieces together.’
‘If this all happened in 2050, then I was only seven or eight-years-old at the time.’
‘I know. I have no jurisdiction over you. I am no threat to you, whatsoever. If you told me the whole truth, I could do nothing with it. Uttering the truth is powerful, it has the power to wash the past shames away. I just want to hear the truth to go to my grave understanding how this all came to pass. I might be able to still help and advise you.’
Brady didn’t want to snitch on anybody. It was a code embedded into his psyche. It went against his sense of honour. ‘I don’t know, Judge. It’s a lot to ask.’
She deduced that even as an uncontrollable wild eight-year-old, Brady could not have murdered a man. He wouldn’t be struggling with his conscience if he had evidence on an old resident of McFarland. It had to have something to do with his parents. With her next piece of evidence, it would lead to his Foster Father, Archie Mahone.
‘In that binder, is where the CIA’s interest comes in. John Kane’s name is judiciously redacted throughout, but they believed he was involved - no - an international human trafficking operation leader. They abducted children from across the globe. They deliberately selected as many child variants of race, sex and creed as possible. They made fortunes on the back of sex trafficking, but even more worryingly than that, the CIA believed that John Kane and Sattva Systems™ were carrying out NanoTech™ experiments on them, and when these were concluded, they worked on the most efficient means to dispose of the bodies, using enzymes and NanoTechnology™ hybrids.’
Brady pulled both hands up to cover his face. ‘What the fuck? This is totally fucked-up.’ He said, ‘John Kane was the leader of a paedophile ring. My Foster Daddy was a member. It was called All Friends Together.’
‘That corroborates the evidence you hold. That was the name of the Californian Chapter - as they liked to call themselves.’
He nodded slightly, ‘John Kane came for me. He wanted me.’ He stopped before stating, ‘My Pops never laid a finger on me. He was always good to me. He loved me - that was why he killed John Kane. He wouldn’t let him take me away. I’ve seen what my Pops could do to a child, it’s utterly disgusting, but he never did that to me. You do, believe me, your honour?’
‘I believe you, Brady Mahone.’ She hugged him weakly, but with as much tenderness as she could muster. ‘The Beardon family have made contact with you.’ It was not a question.
‘Yes. Samuel Beardon the Third, his daughter Alicia and his nephew, Tyrone. They are good people, like you - not like me.’
‘I’m guessing he has been investigating the death of his Father, for the last fifty years. You have the answers he needs. If you could bring yourself to tell him what you have told me, then you would prove yourself to be a very good man indeed. If I had the power of a priest, I would absolve you - I truly would, for such an unselfish act.’
Brady thought about the futility of protecting the past, and the potential healing he had to give in the here and now. ‘If he will ever want to see me again - then I’ll do it. At the moment he thinks I’m some kinda devil or something.’
She smiled, ‘I ain’t a priest, but I am a Judge, and I’m going to give myself the power to pardon you for all your past crimes and misdemeanours - though they are many.’ They both laughed, and Brady felt the burden lift from him. She joked, ‘And if anyone wants to argue with my judgment. You tell them to come and discuss my decision with Judge Audre Jefferson of McFarland.’
He turned to go as he heard the clip-clopping of horse’s hooves as Officer Norbert was returning. She shouted, ‘I’ll make it more official than my word. I’ll have it typed up on official letter-headed stationery - I still have some supplies left. That way you can show them. It will be in the usual place behind the timetable.’