Justice For All

By Jaye and Sonia

Author’s notes: The lyrics at the end are from "Is This the Way" by the Party Boys. This fic is for Esme, Cammy and Sarah who were brave enough to comment on our last joint effort. Feedback is not only appreciated it is also welcomed.

Disclaimer: What can we say? To Hal McElroy and all the team at Southern Star - Thanks for creating such wonderful characters that make writing fan fic such a joy and we always return whatever and whoever we borrow.

~*~*~*~

This wasn't going to take long.

In some ways that was a Godsend. They weren't going to have to relive and rehash the events of that night. But in other ways it seemed as if the whole devastating incident would be quickly filed somewhere in the
"dealt with" basket.

Rachel's life was worth more than that.

A whole *lot* more than that.

Denton had given them a full confession and a guilty plea. There would be no debates, no having to prove his guilt. It was all there.

Neatly packaged.

One detective dead.
One person a murderer.
All it needed was the ribbon.

Actually, yes, ribbon. That funny red cloth tape all legal files were tied with.
But if Jack had his way - it would be rope.

****

Jeff took his seat near the Crown Prosecutor and nodded briefly at Da Silva, who looked as if being here was just an excuse to get out of the office for the day.

He often wondered how Da Silva could have remained so detached and what would he have done if it was an officer from homicide instead of Sydney Water Police Detective Senior Constable Rachel Goldstein.

Sitting in the back row of the courtroom, it would have been easy to pretend this was just another murder trial. The pathetic figure of the accused. They always looked pathetic when they had been caught.

But this one was different.
At least three quarters of the gallery here had a badge tucked away in their pocket. And they were here to see some sort of justice. Although revenge would have been sweeter.
Much sweeter.

Today Graham Denton would be sentenced for the murder of Detective Senior Constable Rachel Goldstein..

For Jeff, Helen and Jack in particular, the pain had not ended with Denton’s confession in the interview room at the station. Although, Jeff thought if he and Da Silva had left Mick to his own devices with Denton that day, things could have been different.

As different as David Goldstein’s life had become the moment Denton picked up that shard of glass in the power station.

Taking his place in the witness box the other day and reading David’s victim impact statement onto the record had been one of the hardest things Jeff had to do since becoming an officer of the NSW Police Service.

David had obviously taken a great deal of care when writing this. Jonathon hadn't seen the point but even he had turned up briefly the day before. Jeff had noticed him slip quietly into the back of the courtroom and after staying for ten or so minutes, leave again.

Jeff took a mouthful of water from the glass sitting beside him and cleared his throat before beginning.
He read from David's neatly written words.

".I was told I should write about what it is like not having my Mum anymore. I don't like to think about it because it makes me feel sad and I cry. But Grandpa says that I might feel better after writing it down. But I don't think I will.

"I miss my Mum. At night when I go to sleep I hope that I will wake up and she is alive again. She died at night time and when I woke up I was told she had died."

Jeff remembered that night so clearly. The chaos, sirens, lights, police everywhere, Jack. Jack had given him Rachel's gun and badge before leaving with her. The sticky feeling of Rachel's blood on his hands, it still made him shudder to think about it. He had been the one to go and see Felix Friedman, to tell him. tell David.

"Chief Inspector?" queried Justice Brennan.

Jeff jolted back to the present. Damn, he wanted to get this done without a fuss.

"Sorry," he offered before continuing back to David's words.

"I don't like mornings much anymore. Mornings used to be good because Mum used to pick me up for my special days with her in the morning. We would do whatever I wanted. I liked being with Mum. She smiled heaps and laughed a lot. She would tell me jokes. I liked her jokes. She was really funny. Sometimes we would spend the whole day out doing stuff and sometimes we would just stay at her place and watch TV or
videos together or play computer games. Mum was really good at Tomb Raider but she always let me win."

Reading David's words made Jeff's heart ache for the boy and looking up at the officers in the courtroom, he could see it was having the same effect on them. He saw Tayler Johnson leave the room quickly while he had been reading. It was obviously too much for her. Sykes followed quickly behind her, assumingly to make sure she was okay. They stuck together this crew, like a family, even though Tayler had moved on from the Water Police. They were all one big family. And Rachel had been part of it.

"My mum loved me. And I know she always wanted to spend more time with me but she couldn't because she was a detective and had to work. She told me once that it was her job to catch all the bad people. I
guess she must have missed one. That would have made her mad and it makes me mad too. I don't know why there are bad people and why the have to hurt and kill people. It isn't fair. I love my Mum and I want
her to come back even though I know she can't, but I still want her to. I love her and miss her and I don't feel better about writing this so that is all I want to say."

"And it is signed 'David Goldstein'." stated Jeff looking across at the man they were all pinning their hopes on to give them some justice.

"Yes thank you Chief Inspector," he said. "You may step down."

The clerk of the court’s measured tones asking them all to rise dragged Jeff to the present day. There was no turning back now.

His Honour Justice Brennan entered the courtroom. Everyone rose and bowed in his direction. Everyone sat and listened as he began to pass sentence on Graham Denton.

Phrases like "opportunistic crime" and "prior good character" zapped through Jeff’s brain like out of control ball bearings in a pinball machine.

"Graham Denton, you are hereby sentenced to nineteen years…" Mr Brennan’s words hit Jeff’s heart like a lightning bolt.

From the back of the courtroom, Jeff could hear Tayler’s shocked gasp and Jack’s murmured "it’s not enough, not bloody enough".

The full press gallery filed from its perch in the courtroom before the radio reporters broke into a dead run outside the room so they could file their stories for the next bulletin.

Jeff thought about the hard time cop killers traditionally received in jail and realised thoughts of the bleak future Denton faced did nothing to lessen his own hurts.

They all stood. Denton was led away and Justice Brennan left the courtroom. Jeff turned his head and could see Gavin and Tommy trying to comfort Tayler. He noticed Felix Friedman standing near the doorway.

Jeff didn't know he had been there. He hadn't ventured into the court for any of the previous days. But he
had obviously felt the need to hear the sentencing. Felix nodded in Jeff's direction before leaving.

His face emotionless.

"That's it then," started Jack, his face too seemed blank. There was a void between what the heart was telling him and the information the brain was having difficulty processing. "It's all over. Everyone back to their jobs as if nothing bloody happened."

"Jack." said Jeff placing his hand on Jacks shoulder. "You know she will never be forgotten. Never. Not by any of us. But you have to stop beating yourself around the head with this. This is closure, it has to be. Rachel wouldn't want you, want any of us for that matter, to keep torturing ourselves."

Jack looked at Jeff, he seemed to be back in the present. The blank expression had gone. Perhaps he had heard his words thought Jeff.

"You have to let go Jack," he continued, "or you will end up a basket-case. Now come on, let's all get out of here and go and get a drink."

Jeff and Jack filed out of the courtroom, closely followed by the other members from the Sydney Water Police and Tayler Johnson who had endured the trial outcome. Outside on the steps of the majestic building they were met by bright sunshine, such a contrast from the way there were all feeling inside.

And then they were inundated with cameras and microphones in their faces. The media frenzy. Death always made good reading. A tragic death teamed with the fact that it was a serving member of the NSW Police Service was compelling reading and always seemed to lead news bulletins. After today, the story was finished for them. But not for Rachel's friends.

"Chief Inspector," said one reporter, "were you pleased with the outcome today?"

Hell, what sort of question was that he thought. Pleased?

Jeff took a breath. A rare opportunity to speak from his heart. That was what he needed to do. To try and make himself a little less pained inside. He looked at Jack. He had to do this, and he had to get it right.

For all of them.

"Rachel Goldstein was a good mother, detective, loyal friend and part of the extended family at the Sydney Water Police," he started.

"Her death, her death has left a tremendous hole in the lives of everyone. We are all the richer for knowing her, but have been robbed by the sudden and senseless waste of her life. I don't think the magnitude of losing Rachel Goldstein can ever be measured. And. I have no further comment."

As Jeff walked down the court house steps, he looked across at Jack. The look on Jack's face told him that he had truly spoken for all of his 'family'.

~*~*~*~

Police Academy, Goulburn, NSW

She heard a brief snatch of the radio news bulletin while rushing between lectures for the Senior Emergency Management Course.

Helen Blakemore had desperately wanted to be sitting in the courtroom when Denton was sentenced but in some ways it was a good thing she was 200 kilometres down the Hume Highway.

Her ability to contain her emotions would have been severely tested within the confines of a courtroom.

She ran from the main block of Police Academy buildings across to the chapel that sat alone on the hillside. The rose garden with its eternal flame and memorial to fallen officers was certainly tranquil but it was just too public.

The white semi circular building sat on the side of the hill looking out on some of the Southern Tablelands nicest countryside. The arms of the semi circular building extended outwards, its walls the home of a roll of honour to all those officers who died in the line of duty.

Helen paused before entering the building and greeting the chaplain who was on his way out. Father Pat had been there to comfort so many after a mate had died on the job. He had heard the radio news bulletins as well.

"Helen, I heard that Graham Denton was sentenced today, so, if you need to talk just put a message on my pager."

"Thanks Pat and if I need an ear to chew on I’ll let you know."

So many names, too many names, on the chapel walls but only one she wanted to find.

Helen stopped to run her finger across the names of a couple of highway patrol officers from her class whom she had remained friends with. They had died in separate motorcycle crashes. She missed Tony and Keith terribly – they had been as married to the job as she still was and, along with Rachel, they often understood when no one else did. They had laughed a lot and cried a little at those times when the job threatened to overwhelm them. Tony and Keith were truly beautiful, caring blokes.

Emotions that ebbed and flowed beneath the surface of Helen’s heart swelled to the surface. She took a couple of deep breaths to try and calm herself but it did no good. The tears still flowed.

Then she found Rachel, one of the next to last names on the wall, added just after David Carty, Peter Forsyth and Keith.

"Hey Rachel, it’s over. Denton got 19 years. Why did we all get life?"

~*~*~*~

Is this the way to say goodbye to a friend

I can’t believe this end

After all that we’ve been through

No matter what we ever do

I’ll spend my whole life

I’ll be thinking of you

The End