Author's Notes: Hi, readers. I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Here is a gift in the form of chapter thirty-two of "Ride the Wind II: Justice Unbound." I didn't mean to take almost three weeks to get out. I had a bad case of writer's block. Andros, Ashley, Zhane, and Karone will return in the next one. I feel it is time for them to come back as it has been a while since they appeared last. Stay tuned for chapter thirty-three.

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Chapter 32: Revealing the Truth

Randolph poured more coffee into his mug an hour later. He returned the kettle to the coffeemaker. He took a long sip and nodded in approval. He smacked his lips as he went over to the stool and sat down while letting out a light grunt. He laid his coffee on the counter with a contented sigh. He looked at the seventh page in the album.

He focused his attention on a picture of Willy and Isabella surfacing together with Max and Nikki bowing behind them at the bottom of the page. Mike and Slick spyhopped in the background along with Granny, Samish, Moby, and Notch. He grabbed his coffee and sipped more of it. He put it down before letting out a small yawn.

He chuckled to himself. He couldn't wait to tell Jesse, Nadine, Nancy, and Elvis about the results of the DNA test. He knew they would be thrilled to know Lilli and Isabella were the same orca, especially Jesse. He understood the young man would be eager to let Brenda know about it, but he had no intention of letting him do that since it was likely she was overseeing Lilli's medical examination.

Randolph snapped out of his thoughts when he heard approaching footsteps. He looked over his shoulder to see Jesse, Nadine, Nancy, and Elvis coming into the kitchen. He observed the quartet coming to his side. He propped his head up with his elbow as he smiled at them. Elvis put his hands behind his back while digging the heel of his black sneaker into the floor.

"It is about time you four got up," Randolph teased.

"Actually, all four of us have been up for a while, Randolph," Jesse replied and emitted a soft snort.

"Oh, really?" Randolph said in surprise.

"Yep," Nadine said, nodding rapidly. "We decided it was time to come down and see you."

"And throw a pancake in your face!" Nancy squealed in delight.

"Rascal," Randolph mumbled.

"I heard that!" Nancy yelled in mock annoyance. "Watch who you call a rascal."

"You're right," Randolph said and looked toward Elvis with a smirk. "I recall Elvis being a big rascal when he was young. He still is to a certain extent."

"Give me a break. Jesse was a bigger rascal than I was," Elvis commented, looking at Jesse.

"Hey!" Jesse yelled, pretending to look offended.

"It's the truth, bro," Elvis said, turning his nose upward. "Get used to it."

Jesse waved his brother off, getting a laugh from him. He stretched his arms above his head. He placed them at his sides. He scratched the upper parts of his legs.

"Nadine, Nancy, Elvis, and I are heading to the Clausen Sports and Fishing Store to get breakfast sandwiches. Would you like one?" Jesse wondered.

"Sure," Randolph said eagerly. "I would love one."

Jesse laughed. "Great."

Nadine cleared her throat. "We'll be back in a little bit."

Jesse, Nadine, Nancy, and Elvis started to head for the front door. Randolph cleared his throat, causing them to stop in their tracks. They turned around to face him as he stood up and went to them.

"Before you four head out the door, there is something I need to tell you," Randolph said.

"What is it, Uncle Randolph?" Nadine asked in much curiosity.

"I got a call from Annette an hour ago. She gave me the DNA results on Lilli and Isabella's blood samples," Randolph said.

"That's good, Randolph," Jesse commented happily.

Elvis blew softly. "I was thinking we wouldn't get them until this afternoon."

"I did too," Randolph admitted with a nod.

"I don't know how to tell you this, but Lilli and Isabella—" Randolph said as he grew unsure about continuing.

Jesse became concerned. "What? What are you trying to say?"

"The orcas' DNA profiles—" Randolph started and swallowed hard. "They are—"

"Come on, Randolph," Elvis said with some impatience. He placed his hands on his sides. "You can tell us."

Randolph became confident. "The orcas' DNA profiles are a perfect match. They are the same orca."

Jesse, Nadine, Nancy, and Elvis sighed in much relief. They were glad to know the truth. This was especially true for Jesse, who wanted this to be true more than anyone else did. The young man knew the Southern Resident orcas better than most people did.

"That jerk nabbed an orca from the wild illegally twice," Randolph hissed in anger.

"There is no way Dial is getting away with it this time," Jesse said, his voice showing much determination. "I want to call Brenda and tell her right now. I would like to ask her about helping us bust him."

"That is not a good idea, Jesse. It is likely Brenda is overseeing Isabella's medical examination right now," Randolph said seriously.

"I understand that, but she needs to know. The sooner she does, the better the chance we have of getting Isabella back to the wild," Jesse said, sighing heavily.

"I want Isabella to go home as much as you do, Jess, but we can't risk Dial overhearing Brenda talk to any of us about the DNA results. He will fire her. Then we will lose our chance of getting him arrested," Randolph explained.

"Randolph's right, bro," Elvis agreed.

"We have to be patient," Nadine added. "Isabella is depending on us to get her out of that place."

Jesse let out another heavy sigh. Though he ached to call Brenda and tell her the truth, he understood the need to take things slowly. He hoped Isabella would be all right until they got the evidence that they needed to bust Dial for his crime. He felt sick to his stomach to know that businessman stole ten months of freedom from her. He knew she would never get them back.

"Okay. I won't call Brenda," Jesse relented.

"Thank you, Jesse," Randolph said, his voice showing relief. "By the way, I plan to call Brenda and tell her myself. I hope she will be on her lunch break when I do."

"Lunchtime is between eleven o'clock and one-thirty for most people here," Jesse pointed out matter-of-factly. "Something tells me her lunchtime starts at noon. It will probably last for thirty minutes."

Randolph snorted. "I agree."

"Daddy, where will you and Uncle Randolph meet Ms. Taylor to talk about helping you get Mr. Dial?" Nancy wondered.

"I have no idea," Jesse admitted with a nervous laugh. He scratched the back of his neck. "Do you have any ideas, Randolph?"

"I was thinking we could ask her to come over here and talk," Randolph suggested.

Jesse nodded rapidly. "I say that is the perfect place for our conversation."

"Me too," Elvis said.

"Me three," Nadine blurted out in delight.

Nancy squealed in joy. "Me four."

Jesse couldn't help but laugh. Randolph went over to his coffee and picked it up. He sipped a bit of it and put it down. He returned to the others before running his hand over his face.

"We can't forget that Isabella has never been completely alone like her father was. She bonded with Jane and Izzy," Randolph said honestly.

"I will give Dial a few points for giving Isabella companions," Jesse commented and gritted his teeth. "Still, it makes me angry that he took away ten months of her freedom."

"We are just as angry at this situation as you are, Jess," Elvis said.

"Yeah!" Nancy yelled and curled her hands into fists. "Mr. Dial needs to have his butt kicked into jail." She let out a loud huff. "I want Daddy to be the one to give him the boot to his butt."

"I would love to do that, honey," Jesse said, putting his hands on his sides. He stood up tall and proud. "I hope your mother, your uncle, and Randolph can help me."

"We'd love to, Jesse," Elvis said with much pride.

"We could pay the corrections officer to paddle Dial until his butt is red," Nadine added with a snicker.

Jesse, Elvis, Nancy, and Randolph nodded eagerly. They and Nadine believed Dial deserved the harshest punishment for what he did. They hoped he would have no chance of parole.

"Something tells me that Isabella realized she needed to do what humans told her if she were to survive. She bonded with Brenda, Jane, and Izzy. She became a performer," Jesse suggested.

"It appeared that Isabella enjoyed performing for the public. At the same time, she missed her family," Nadine said, a frown forming on her face.

Nancy became curious. "Daddy, do you think Isabella will miss her trainer and her dolphin companions after she goes home?"

"I have little doubt she will," Jesse admitted gently. He emitted a heavy sigh and swallowed hard. "We have to be really careful when it comes to busting Dial for his crime." He bit his lip before blowing hard. "He is very smart."

Elvis emitted a loud huff. "To be a businessperson, you need high intelligence. Dial figured that capturing Isabella and displaying her in his park would generate revenue. He didn't care if it was illegal. He wanted to profit off her."

"That's right," Randolph answered, shaking his head in disbelief. He cleared his throat. "Anyway, why don't you four go to Clausen Sports and Fishing Store and get those breakfast sandwiches? I will call Andros and let him know about the DNA results."

"Okay," Jesse said, giving him a thumbs-up. "We will see you later."

Randolph winked at the quartet. "See you in a little bit."

Randolph returned to his coffee as Jesse, Nadine, Nancy, and Elvis headed for the front door. He listened to it opening and closing. He heard the first van's door open and close, followed by the engine starting and going out of the driveway. He grabbed his coffee and proceeded to drink more of it.