Justice

JUSTICE JUSTICE A Sean O’Brien Novel by Tom Lowe K Kingsbridge Entertainment ALSO BY TOM LOWE This book is a work of fiction. All characters, incidents, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to any person, living or dead, is merely coincidental. JUSTICE (A Sean O’Brien Novel) Copyright © 2023 by Tom Lowe. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, photocopying, Internet, recording or otherwise without the written permission from the author and publisher. Please do not participate or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. JUSTICE is published in the United States of America by Kingsbridge Entertainment, Orlando, FL. Library of Congress Cataloging in—Publication Data - Lowe, Tom. ISBN: 9798395198532 JUSTICE (A Sean O’Brien Novel #16) by Tom Lowe – ebook and paperback editions, May, 2023 JUSTICE is published and distributed worldwide in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook editions. Cover design by Damonza. Formatting and conversion services by Ebook Launch. JUSTICE by Tom Lowe ? Copyright first edition – May 31, 2023. Published in the U.S.A. by Kingsbridge Entertainment. All rights reserved. Acknowledgments Publishing a book is a team effort. That’s why I like to publicly thank the team behind my novels. My wife, Keri, is the very first reader and editor. She reads the first draft and manages to see what the story can become. Thank you for your continued support and keen insight. To Helen Ristuccia-Christensen. I’m amazed that you made time to beta read this book while on a holiday vacation. Thank you. I’m very grateful for your commitment, time, and incredible skills. The talented people who turn the manuscript into a book are at Ebook Launch. Their company creates the ebook and the print editions. My deep thanks to John who comes through time after time. To the artists and designers with Damonza. I aways hope my books are as good as the covers you design. Thanks for creating covers that match the stories so well. To the memory of my father, Thomas Lowe, Sr. You fought the hard fight in World War II. When it ended and you came home, the nation and world were in a better place. And now to you, the reader. You make all this—the storytelling, come full circle. Thank you for reading and supporting my work. I hope you enjoy JUSTICE. -Tom “If we are to keep our democracy, remember this commandant - thou shalt not ration justice.” - Sophocles To Austin Morse. Contents ALSO BY TOM LOWE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN EIGHT NINE TEN ELEVEN TWELVE THIRTEEN FOURTEEN FIFTEEN SIXTEEN SEVENTEEN EIGHTEEN NINETEEN TWENTY TWENTY-ONE TWENTY-TWO TWENTY-THREE TWENTY-FOUR TWENTY-FIVE TWENTY-SIX TWENTY-SEVEN TWENTY-EIGHT TWENTY-NINE THIRTY THIRTY-ONE THIRTY-TWO THIRTY-THREE THIRTY-FOUR THIRTY-FIVE THIRTY-SIX THIRTY-SEVEN THIRTY-EIGHT THIRTY-NINE FORTY FORTY-ONE FORTY-TWO FORTY-THREE FORTY-FOUR FORTY-FIVE FORTY-SIX FORTY-SEVEN FORTY-EIGHT FORTY-NINE FIFTY FIFTY-ONE FIFTY-TWO FIFTY-THREE FIFTY-FOUR FIFTY-FIVE FIFTY-SIX FIFTY-SEVEN FIFTY-EIGHT FIFTY-NINE SIXTY SIXTY-ONE SIXTY-TWO SIXTY-THREE SIXTY-FOUR SIXTY-FIVE SIXTY-SIX SIXTY-SEVEN SIXTY-EIGHT SIXTY-NINE SEVENTY SEVENTY-ONE SEVENTY-TWO SEVENTY-THREE SEVENTY-FOUR SEVENTY-FIVE SEVENTY-SIX SEVENTY-SEVEN SEVENTY-EIGHT SEVENTY-NINE EIGHTY EIGHTY-ONE EIGHTY-TWO EIGHTY-THREE EIGHTY-FOUR EIGHTY-FIVE EIGHTY-SIX EIGHTY-SEVEN EIGHTY-EIGHT EIGHTY-NINE NINETY NINETY-ONE NINETY-TWO NINETY-THREE NINETY-FOUR NINETY-FIVE NINETY-SIX NINETY-SEVEN NINETY-EIGHT NINETY-NINE ONE Nuremberg, Germany 1946 The courtroom was packed because the spectators came to see monsters on trial. But the twenty-two defendants, all men, didn’t look like monsters. They were dressed in tailored suits and ties. Most were middle-aged. Some even appeared to be genteel and refined, as if they were thoughtful university professors with decades of tenure. Looks can be very deceiving. Their hair was combed. Ties in square knots, shoulders back. However, their body language and mannerisms spoke volumes. They were indifferent. Some defiant. Arms crossed, faces smug. Some were amused, like they were going to watch clowns perform. Others looked bored. But that would soon change, as the American prosecutor was about to open the Nuremberg trials in the aftermath of World War II. Robert Jackson, a U.S. Supreme Court justice, on leave from his duties at the high court to open the international trials, stood at the podium. He was one of a dozen prosecutors from the U.S., France, Russia, and Great Britain. All the defendants were facing charges ranging from war crimes to mass murder or selective genocide to crimes against humanity and the conspiracy to deport civilians to be exterminated. The men were members of the Nazi Party in Germany before and after World War II. Robert Jackson knew his opening statement would set the tone for the trials. And he knew the way he laid out the prosecution would be studied for decades to come. He had to get it right—to articulate criminal charges against elitist men who had operated the largest and most heinous genocide in world history to date. He approached the podium wearing a black suit and bifocals. His dark hair was combed straight back. He wasn’t a tall man, but he had a powerful voice that resonated across Nuremberg’s Palace of Justice. The defendants, all wearing headphones, listened to a German-speaking interpreter in a far corner translate Jackson’s words. He set one of the files on the podium, looked across the courtroom to the judges, and nodded. “The privilege of opening the first trial in history against the peace of the world imposes a grave responsibility. The wrongs, which we seek to condemn and punish, have been so calculated, malignant, and devastating that civilization cannot tolerate this being ignored because it cannot survive it being repeated.” The twenty-two defendants exchanged glances. Some smirked. Others moved slightly in their chairs, as if they were beginning to get uncomfortable. The prosecutors from the other three nations took notes as Jackson spoke. These defendants would be the first to be tried. Others would follow. Jackson wanted to set a precedent. “What makes this inquest significant is that these prisoners represent sinister influences that will lurk in