The Guardian

around when he wanted you to know he was there. There had to be a way to track him down. But how, that was the question?
    There were so many abuse cases in the court system; he knew he couldn’t get them all, so the trick was trying to figure out the ones he was going to go after.
    He couldn’t afford the manpower to sit in every court room, listen to every case to determine who was next. Obviously, this vigilante didn’t really have a time schedule. He also knew that this vigilante didn’t have the time or the capability to sit in on every single court case, figuring out who was going to be his next victim. It had been several weeks since the last one. There was no telling when the next one would be. Maybe they would get lucky. But he wasn’t counting on it.

Chapter 25
    It was all over the front page of the Review Journal. There was continual coverage from the local TV channels, 3-5-8 and 13. The news was spreading like wild fire. It was like a sign from God almighty himself. There was a vigilante out there. Everyone knew who he was after. It was no trouble at all for the media to dig up all the dirt on his past two victims.
    Sheriff Jack Youngblood had no leads or no clues. For some reason, there were people defending this person that would take the law into his own hands. He was developing a following. He was a hero to the victims of the predators.
    Word had gone out that the two men had been child abusers. They were sex offenders and child molesters who had recently been in the court system. The system had allowed them to walk away. People wanted to know how this could be happening. Why wasn’t something being done. When would it end? They begged the new vigilante to do more. They prayed for him to get away. They praised him for doing what the legal system could not or would not do.
    The woman, the wife of the last victim found some new strength, a will to stand up and not take it any more. She had gone on TV and was telling reporters about the abuse. How she had lived in fear for the lives of her children and herself. Because of her age, the little girl would not be shown. They explained that the bruises and scars were from her stepfather. Dr. Kreekmore was called in as the expert witness. He was testifying that there were definitely signs of physical and sexual abuse to both children.
    As the camera came in for the close up, the woman sobbed. She explained that it was her fear that prevented her from telling the truth. She begged for forgiveness and understanding from people. It was a sign given to her. It was an act of vengeance and help from the unknown stranger. She would not let anything like this happen to her children ever again. The woman and her kids were in therapy to help them cope with the devastation that they had lived.
    The ambulance had taken her poor excuse of a husband to the hospital. He had been admitted and would be treated for his injuries. His nose and jaw had been severely broken. Most of his teeth were missing. The lips had split where his teeth had broken through. His legs were severally bruised and broken. Four ribs were broken, and the words child molester burned into his forehead. He had severe bruising to his genital area where he had apparently been kicked repeatedly. The wire twisted around his genitals would surely mean the loss of its use for other than basic waste disposal.
    After his release from the hospital he would be charged with sexual assault, child endangerment, child abuse, sodomy and lewdness with a child under the age of 14. He was looking at serious prison time and with any luck, Bubba would show him the true meaning of abuse. His wife and daughter would testify against him. The daughter who was now stronger would not be afraid of the man anymore. She no longer had to worry about him being there when she got home. Along with her testimony the woman would file for divorce and seek monetary rewards for the damages done. The money wouldn’t heal all the wounds. The children would need years of counseling and therapy. But it was a beginning and the reign of terror had ended.
    The really sad thing about this is that nothing would have been done if something drastic hadn’t come of it. It took another violent act to get the people to notice. It was like the busy intersection with no traffic light. Only the stop signs that people complain about repeatedly. Accident after accident and nothing is done. Then one day some poor undeserving person is struck and killed