Page 18 of Booked for Kidnapping

“The government accepted adoption fees for the infants, and a rather clever lawyer managed to twist it so the government is being charged with child trafficking. Here’s something interesting.” Bradley turned the screen and pointed at the date.

The court had opened on the case three months prior to the first killing. “Oh, that is interesting. Where is that case now? It’s been years.”

“I just found this case this morning, so I haven’t read the entire transcription. I was planning on reading through the court transcriptions rather than read an overview. I want a better feel for how the case actually played out. I don’t trust the media.”

Neither did I. “The government sold the babies of women in the military? Seriously?”

“Under the guise of giving them up for adoption, yes.” Bradley sighed. “I had no idea things had gotten this bad, Janette. I won’t even try to lie. I’d think about killing politicians, too, if they had anything to do with legalizing child trafficking.”

“Did the victims have anything to do with such rules in the military? Who decides how the military functions for things like this? Is it all internal to the military?”

“The Department of Defense is responsible for the rules, and they hold ultimate responsibility for the child trafficking accusations. In turn, the Secretary of Defense is responsible for the political elements of the Department. So, we would have to check for the relationship of the Secretary of Defense and the victims.”

Scratching my head, I turned my attention to the internet, pulling down who held the position of Secretary of Defense during the murders and prior, discovering President Castillo had opted against changing the Secretary of Defense following his election, nominating the same man, one Ashford Olette, to handle the role, making him an oddity in the position, having served a president on both sides of the aisle.

All things considered, I found the situation to be exceptionally fishy. “Hey, Bradley?”

“I’m now growing to be afraid whenever you ask me a question like that.”

“Why didn’t President Castillo change the Secretary of Defense when he was elected?”

“He thought the guy was doing a good job and saw no need to break what wasn’t broken.”

“Doesn’t that imply this is a joint effort? If the Secretary of Defense helps manage the Department of Defense, there’s no way Olette didn’t know they were selling the babies of military women. This only started going to trial halfway through Castillo’s presidency. Doesn’t that mean this started during the prior president’s term?”

“And Castillo is considered to be a fairly progressive conservative, while President Thorn was a more conservative progressive.” Bradley checked something on his computer. “This makes me think both of them were closer in general thought than I’d believed. Conservatives voted for Castillo because he’s conservative, the same reason Thorn’s following voted for him. I don’t think either of them won because of actual issues.”

“When I voted, I voted for whoever sounds like the lesser asshole,” I confessed.

“That is a sane and sensible thing, but we need to remember that people, in large groups, are neither sane nor sensible.”

“So, what you’re saying, is that it’s possible this monstrosity is being actively supported by both primary parties?” I hoped the answer was no but feared reality would be a far crueler thing.

The bill would need support from both sides to pass, and that we worried it would, told me a frightening story of political corruption doomed to cost a ridiculous number of lives. It didn’t matter if it was under the banner of genetic purity or population control.

Murder was murder was murder, and no one, politician or otherwise, should have been willing to support murder. History told me a different story, about the millions executed for the crime of being the wrong nationality or believing the wrong thing.

The United States of America should have been above that, but the truth stared me in the face.

My home was a far cry from being a strong moral compass for others to follow.

For the first time in my life, I wanted to exsanguinate every single asshole responsible for the theft and sale of babies stolen from serving women.

“When I wanted to be part of this cell, nobody had warned me just how hard doing the right thing could possibly be, Bradley.”

“I understand. I feel the same way. It seemed like a great idea at the time, trying to find the truth and bring justice, but now I wonder who we’re finding justice for. Who is the real criminal here? Do we do more harm finding the killers of these politicians?”

“No, we need to find and stop these assassins because our democratic process should not be founded on murder. Assassinations destroy democracy.”

“So does slavery.”

I grimaced. “It bothers me to think that when the United States was formed, it was founded on the backs of slaves, and even now, our country is trying to return to such a shameful heritage. Worse, I don’t even know what we can do about it at this stage. It’s like we need a third party, one that is genuinely moderate and possessing of something resembling morality, of which neither current primary party has even a scrap of. I mean, look at the contracting system. It’s not a far step from slavery.”

“That had crossed my mind,” he admitted. “Is it slavery if all parties are willing?”

I leaned back and considered the question. “Where’s the line? I guess it depends on if we view me as being a slave.”

“No.” Bradley let out his breath in a huff. “If you wanted out of the contract, I’d let you out. I want to be selfish and say I wouldn’t, but in reality, if you wanted to be released from your contract, I’d release you. Of course, I’d be pushing harder for a more immediate signing of marriage documentation if that were the case. That said, right now, the safest position for both of us is to make use of the loopholes inherently in the system.”