"You too, Justice Strauss," Klaus called, urging the judge to hop along."

Justice Strauss looked in misery. "No, she said tearfully, "I won't go. It's not right."

"What else can we do?" Sunny asked.

Go to the authorities... but Justice Strauss knew in her heart this was futile. V.F.D. was dead, even if some of it's members weren't. There were almost certainly more villains in powerful positions searching for the Baudelaire's as they spoke, although, on the other hand, many of them were now dead as well. If somehow they made it out of the building alive, not even her word would be enough to save the children from persecution. Ever since that idiot banker took them away from her, Justice Strauss had been following them in a effort to liberate them. It was now clear this was a impossibility.

Nor could she help them hide. It was know obvious that literally everything was connected to the schism, the origin of which she still knew nothing of. It slightly scared her to think that these two organizations controlled so much from behind the scenes. Well, maybe not anymore, but in the past.

But there was one thing she might be able to do; save the Baudelaire's from there own self-destruction. That required her to betray her principles in the short-term. She would not allow these magnificent children to become reluctant henchmen of Count Olaf. And that meant hopping along. You were never supposed to leave the scene of the crime. Ever. Yet leaving them to Olaf's clutches seemed far, far worse of an option. It was the ultimate Hobson's choice-die or become a accomplice to a villian to save children.

Pragmatist, a word which here means "doing things you don't like in hope of a best option," was the sort of person needed to be done to save the Baudelaire's. Justice Strauss had never been much of a pragmatist, but fires have a tendency to change people's minds about philosophy.

"Very well, I have no choice," Justice Strauss muttered grimly as she climbed aboard the boat.

"About time you wised up and entered the winning side," Count Olaf crowed.

"I'm not doing this for you," Justice Strauss snapped, "I'm being a pragmatist make sure the Baudelaire's aren't alone."

Count Olaf opened his mouth to respond, but she would never learn what the terrible man intended to say. The clock thrice rang, Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! The Hotel Denouement collapsed beneath them, and the boat tumbled off the roof. Justice Strauss shut her eyes and tried to block out the screams.

She hoped her pragmatic choice was worth her previous values.