Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here is chapter thirty-six of "Ride the Wind II: Justice Unbound." I didn't mean to take more than a week to get it out. I had a case of writer's block. J-Pod will make an appearance in the next few chapters. I can't wait to do that. Stay tuned for chapter thirty-seven.

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Chapter 36: Lunchtime Phone Conversation

McDonald's was somewhat crowded ten minutes before noon. Brenda was waiting her food at the first of four cash registers. She heard a stomping foot. She spotted an elderly woman ranting at a cashier as she shook a coupon in his face at the third cash register. She looked ahead, feeling her body become tense. She heard an annoyed sigh. She looked over her shoulder at a middle-aged man, who had his attention on the woman and the cashier. He winced when woman threw the coupon down and stormed off.

"Shit. That is the third elderly person I've seen throwing an expired coupon down today. That lady was the rudest of the three," the man mumbled with a roll of his eyes.

"I respect my elders. Unfortunately, some elderly people have such a sense of entitlement," Brenda said, turning toward the woman as she pushed a young man out of the way. She watched her go outside. She shifted her attention back to him. "They think they should be the first ones seated in a restaurant and don't care if other people have been waiting for a lot longer than they have. They think they should be allowed to use expired coupons. They think they should get a free pass for rude and hateful behavior due to their age."

"I find it ridiculous. My own father was rude to a waitress without any reason during a restaurant outing. I reprimanded him for it. An elderly woman told me to quit disrespecting him. I mentioned he was rude to the waitress. However, she said he had a free pass because he was old like her," the man explained with an angry huff. "Something tells me she'd rant at a young person being disrespectful toward others."

"What hypocrisy," Brenda commented.

"You said it," the man agreed while nodding sharply.

"I knew several teen girls who became pregnant by their boyfriends when I was in high school. The boys took responsibility for them by getting jobs. Their parents helped them with their children in any way they could," Brenda explained warmly.

"That's good. Did any of the girls' grandparents demand they marry their boyfriends or give their babies up for adoption? I've had friends whose parents said that to them," the man said.

"That happened to two of them," Brenda admitted and cleared her throat. "Their parents stood up for them. One reconciled with her grandparents when they realized they were out of line and apologized to her. The other one's grandparents refused to apologize, so they never reconciled."

"I see," the man said and frowned a bit. "When teen parents don't have support from their families, they are usually screwed."

"They can use halfway houses to help themselves and their children. Unfortunately, it isn't always enough," Brenda muttered and sighed heavily.

"It sucks, but it is what it is," the man murmured. He spotted a cashier coming with her tray containing food. "Your food is coming."

"Oh, thanks," Brenda said as she turned to the cashier. "It was nice talking to you."

"It was nice talking to you too," the man responded and nodded slowly.

The cashier stopped before the counter while biting his lip. She gave the tray to Brenda, guilt showing on her face.

"I am sorry it took so long," the cashier apologized with a frown.

"It's okay," Brenda assured in much gentleness. "It's lunchtime. It is a busy time of day here and at other restaurants."

The cashier let out an annoyed sigh and shook her head in disbelief. "I know. I hope you enjoy your meal."

Brenda winked at her twice. "I am sure I will. I hope the rest of your day goes very well."

Brenda got a straw and a napkin at the end of the counter. She went to the ketchup dispenser behind the lines. She grabbed four small paper cups and squirted ketchup into each of them. She went to the back of the restaurant and seated herself at a booth. She opened her straw, putting it in her large diet coke. She took a tiny sip.

Brenda removed the wrapper from her hamburger. She heard Bryan Adams's Here I Am playing. She grabbed her IPhone from her pocket. She turned it on, finding Randolph's name and number. She gasped in a soft manner. She wondered if he had gotten the DNA results. She touched it, and the ringtone stopped in the middle of the second play. She placed it to her ear.

"Hello?" Brenda asked.

"Hey, Brenda," Randolph greeted in a warm voice.

"Hey yourself, Randolph," Brenda responded. "How are you doing today?

"I am doing fine," Randolph said happily. "How are you doing today?"

"I am doing fine. Isis, Rudy, and I performed a medical examination on Lilli, Jane, and Izzy this morning. Dial and Harry insisted on observing it," Brenda grumbled in annoyance.

"I remember when Wade observed Willy during a medical examination. He showed no care toward him at all," Randolph commented, hints of anger lining his voice.

"I figured," Brenda murmured. "Many businesspeople are only interested in making lots of money."

Randolph yawned. "Jesse said Dial would never change his ways. He turned out to be right."

Brenda snorted. "Jesse is very smart."

Brenda grabbed a fry and popped it into her mouth. She chewed at a slow yet steady pace. She swallowed with a quiet gulp and smacked her lips.

"So, what's up?" Brenda asked. "I am having lunch at McDonald's right now."

"Well, I have the DNA results," Randolph responded and emitted a soft snort. "I got them this morning."

"Good," Brenda whispered with a nod. "What do the results say?"

"I hate to tell you this, but—" Randolph started.

"What?" Brenda asked, becoming a little tense. "What did they say?"

"The DNA results were a perfect match. Lilli and Isabella are the same orca," Randolph said swiftly.

Brenda let out a quiet yet shocked gasp. She couldn't believe that Dial had illegally captured a wild orca. She wished this was a nightmare and that she would wake up any second. Unfortunately, she knew it was true. She wondered how many attempted captures he had been involved in.

"I wish this wasn't true, but it is. Your boss has committed a crime once again," he said sympathetically.

"I know," she muttered grimly. "I prayed all night that the results would say Lilli and Isabella were two different orcas." She sniffled and shuddered.

"We were prepared to be disappointed ourselves," Randolph admitted. "I let Jesse, Nadine, Nancy, and Elvis know when they got up. They told Nadine's parents when they got breakfast at their store. I informed Glen, Annie, Missy, Dwight, Andros, Ashley, Zhane, and Karone. Jesse, Glen, Annie, Nadine, Elvis, Nancy, Ashley, Zhane, and I were glad to know the truth. Andros, Karone, and Missy felt bad about being skeptical."

"I don't blame them. I feel like a fool. I am working for a criminal," Brenda said in much guilt.

"It's not your fault, Brenda," Randolph assured gently. "Your boss wasn't going to brag about what he did to your face."

Brenda let out a sharp exhale. "There is no doubt Dial would've told Harry about what he did. Harry would've agreed to keep it secret."

"We are dealing with two criminals," Randolph said, his voice showing anger.

"Exactly," Brenda agreed. "I should tell you that Dial and Harry want to bring a new orca to the park. They want to send Jane and Izzy to another park to make room for it. Dial called some aquariums last night about acquiring their orcas. The Rockford Aquarium in Rockford, New Jersey called back. The owner told him he was willing to sell a lone male orca named Ian to him for a hefty price."

Randolph gasped in amazement. "Damn."

Brenda sipped more of her coke. She smacked her lips before propping her head up with her elbow.

"What are you going to do about this situation?" Brenda wondered.

"I don't know how to ask you this, but would you be willing to help us bust Dial?" Randolph asked hopefully.

"I don't know, Randolph," Brenda whispered in much uncertainty. "I find it a bit risky. Dial could find out what I am up to and fire me before I have a chance to gather evidence against him." She sighed heavily.

"Please, Brenda," Randolph pleaded. "Isabella may enjoy performing, but she misses her family. The Southern Resident orcas are losing individuals faster than they can replace them, especially the females. They need her as a potential mother. Nikki has only ten reproductive years remaining. It will be another three to five years before she has another calf. Please, we need your help."

Brenda bit her lip. Though she was still uncertain about helping Randolph, she understood the need to bust her boss and his partner. She knew it meant she would likely have to say goodbye to Isabella, but she felt fortunate to know the truth.

"All right, Randolph. I will help you gather evidence against my boss," Brenda relented.

"Thank you so much," Randolph said in much relief. "You won't regret this."

"I can't discuss how we will gather evidence against Dial and Harry here. One of their friends could overhear me," Brenda said seriously.

"You are right. How does meeting at the Hanks rental house at five-thirty sound?" Randolph asked. "The address is 1445 Hyde Dr."

"That would be a great time," Brenda replied and stroked her chin. "I know where that street is because it's just one down from mine. I will see you then."

He sighed happily. "Great."

"I guess I should call the Seattle Aquarium and see if they can give me a job. I will be out of one once the park is shut down due to Dial and Harry's crime," Brenda muttered sadly.

"I know it's hard, but I guarantee Isabella will thank you for helping her get home," Randolph said. "If you want to, you can come with Jesse and me to her seapen and assist us in watching over her until she is released after her pod passes."

"I'd like that," Brenda replied in much warmth. "Thank you."

"Great," Randolph commented and let out a small yawn. "I will see you later."

She coughed. "You too. Bye."

Brenda heard a click and took her IPhone off her ear. She slipped it back into her pocket. She wondered how the plan to bust Dial would go. She felt tempted to sneak into his office and try finding evidence herself. However, she considered it too risky as he could come in and catch her in the act. She pushed her thoughts out of her head. She grabbed her burger and proceeded to eat it.