Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here is chapter thirty-eight of "Ride the Wind II: Justice Unbound." I didn't mean to take three weeks to get it out. I had a bad case of writer's block. This chapter has some Andros/Ashley and Zhane/Karone. It also features appearances by J-Pod orcas. I am so glad to have finally brought them back. It's been a while in coming, but it was worth it. I decided to change Brenda's vehicle to a truck. I felt it would be better for her. All chapters mentioning her vehicle have been changed. Stay tuned for chapter thirty-nine.

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Chapter 38: Plan Talk/No Help/Discovery

Brenda drove her truck through the neighborhood nearby an hour later. She eyed two girls skating down the sidewalk. She listened to their laughter. She focused her attention on the road. She saw the stop sign coming into view. She brought the truck to a stop. She watched a car go past her. She drove straight and clicked her tongue twice.

Brenda moved her hands to the stop of the steering wheel. She was looking forward to discussing the plan to bust Dial for his crime. She wanted to see him and Harry pay for it so badly that she could taste it. She hoped to be a witness at their trial. That was if they would be tried together. If that didn't happen, then she was content with being a witness at both of their trials.

Brenda spotted the Hanks rental house on her right. She drove past the mailbox and moved her truck over the curb. She turned off the engine and undid her seatbelt. She grabbed her purse from the passenger seat before exiting the truck. She went to the front door and rang the doorbell. She heard the door unlock and saw it open, revealing Randolph.

"Hey, Brenda," Randolph greeted warmly.

"Hi, Randolph," Brenda answered and smiled. "It's good to see you."

Randolph stepped aside. "Come on in."

Brenda walked inside, seeing Jesse, Nadine, Nancy, Elvis, Glen, Annie, Missy, Andros, Ashley, Zhane, and Karone. She stopped close to them. Everyone was still sitting in the same seats. Randolph closed the door, locking it. He came to her side.

"Nadine, Nancy, Glen, Annie, Missy, Elvis, Andros, Ashley, Zhane, Karone, this is Brenda Taylor. She is Isabella's trainer. Brenda, this is Nadine Clausen, Nancy, Elvis, Glen, Annie, Missy Greenwood, Andros Parker, Ashley Hammond, Zhane Hardy, and Karone Parker," Randolph introduced.

"It's nice to meet you all," Brenda said, nodding at the entire group.

"You are very brave to help us gather evidence against Dial," Ashley complimented.

"Not too many employees are willing to do that," Andros added.

"Dial and Harry need to pay for taking Isabella's freedom away from her," Brenda said in determination.

"I like your determination," Glen said, chuckling. "It reminds me of two women in my family."

"You know who they are," Annie teased.

"Yep," Missy agreed.

Randolph headed into the kitchen. He returned with a stool and placed it next to Brenda. He went over to his armchair, seating himself. She put her purse on the floor before sitting down.

"So, how are we going to gather evidence against Dial?" Brenda wondered in much curiosity.

"We were thinking you could wear a wiretap and record a conversation with him. We hope you could catch him confessing his crime," Randolph explained.

"I like that idea, but it is possible he could realize he is being recorded," Brenda pointed out truthfully.

Jesse nodded in agreement. "That is true, but it needs to be done."

"Maybe I could tell Dial that I heard rumors Lilli was caught from the wild illegally. He could joke about it. Then he could admit he did it," Brenda suggested.

"That is a great idea!" Elvis blurted out in delight.

"It sure is!" Nadine cheered.

"Yeah!" Nancy squealed.

"Dial has always been known for having a big mouth," Jesse said bluntly. "He won't stop talking until you tell him to."

Zhane huffed. "Unfortunately."

Brenda stroked her chin before giving it a scratch. She ran her fingers through her hair three times. She rubbed her neck before laying her hands in her lap. She blew in a sharp manner.

"We need to tell the police about what is going on and show them the evidence we have gathered so far," Brenda said seriously.

"I am willing to go down the police station and try to convince them to help us set up a sting to trap Dial," Jesse said, holding up his hand.

"I am too," Elvis added.

"I'll come as well," Brenda said, smiling as she slipped locks of hair behind her ears.

"Count me in," Andros said in much eagerness.

"Ditto," Ashley commented while giving a thumbs-up.

"I am coming along with you," Zhane said and moved from side to side as he whistled.

"As am I," Karone squeaked in much warmth.

"Anyone else?" Jesse wondered.

Glen, Annie, Nadine, Nancy, and Randolph shook their heads. Andros cupped his chin in his hand. He appeared to be deep in thought. Suddenly, an idea clicked in his head.

"How about Ashley, Zhane, Karone, and I wait outside while Jesse, Elvis, and Brenda attempt to convince the police to help us?" Andros suggested.

"I like that idea," Jesse answered. "You four can come in your rental car. Brenda can come in her truck. Elvis and I can take my van."

"I have the DNA results right here," Randolph said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out two folded pieces of paper. He stood up and approached Brenda, who took them from him. "I think they will help us."

"I think so too," Brenda agreed while slipping the papers into her pocket. She saw him go over to the armchair and sit down. "I hope it doesn't take the USDA too long to get down here once the park is shut down."

Elvis blew softly. "Once they learn the reason for it, I bet they will down here in no time. They would want to examine Isabella and see if she is able to survive in the wild as quickly as possible."

"Jon Milner and his men were arrested for attempting to illegally sell Willy, Luna, and Littlespot to an aquarium. They were convicted and sentenced to ten years in jail. Benrick Oil was taken over by Jon's brother, Oliver. Oliver said he would have never sold the orcas into captivity. He said he would have done everything in his power to get them back to their family," Jesse explained.

"If it hadn't been for Elvis, five orcas wouldn't be alive today," Glen said sadly.

Missy sniffled. "Unfortunately."

"Anyway, would you like to stay for dinner, Brenda?" Randolph suggested. "We are having pizza."

"Sure. I love pizza," Brenda said, nodding fast.

Jesse smirked widely. "Just watch out. I might eat all of the pizza."

Ashley faked screaming. "We are so scared."

Randolph rose to his feet while grunting lightly. He headed into the kitchen while snapping his fingers. Jesse started talking about the time he rode Willy at the Rubbing Rocks.

00000

Andros, Ashley, Zhane, and Karone waited for Jesse, Elvis, and Brenda while sitting in Jesse's van at the back of the Seattle Police Department West Precinct's parking lot an hour-and-a-half later. The first two sat in the driver and passenger seats. The last two sat in the first back seat. Brenda's truck and Andros's red car were parked next to it. The car happened to be Chevrolet. It appeared new with the exception of dirt going along the bottom on the right side. The windshield's upper right-hand corner had bird poop. The hood contained a tiny scratch in the center.

The quartet looked out the windows and observed people walking in and out. They licked their lips before turning back to each other. A northern mockingbird flew in and landed on a branch near the bottom of a tree close to the entrance. It ran its beak through its chest feathers. Zhane ran his hand through his hair before moving his head from side to side to stretch his neck.

"It is ironic Andros and I are police officers, yet we are sitting outside of a police station," Zhane said and made a funny noise.

"No kidding," Andros agreed. "Police officers don't like arresting their own for various crimes, but they have to do it."

"You two have done that several times," Karone pointed out truthfully.

"Yep," Zhane admitted. "One of the officers we arrested had been sexually abusing his own daughter for years. His name was Zeke Munnion. Her name was Jessica. It started when she was eleven. He got her pregnant when she was fifteen, and she told the school about the abuse. We arrested him. He claimed he had the right to rape her because she was his flesh and blood. He was convicted on twenty counts of incestual rape and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole. She was placed in a foster home. Her foster parents were Johnny and Mika Barrons. She gave birth to her son and named him George. They adopted her not long after."

"In the old days, many parents thought they could treat their children however they wanted. Some think this way today," Karone muttered in anger.

"Anyway, some police departments don't care if their officers are corrupt. They are even willing to harass civilians who report officers for crimes they committed," Ashley mumbled with a roll of her eyes.

"It is funny when officers demand everyone to follow the law, yet they think they are exempt from it," Andros said with a scoff.

"We are not," Zhane said bluntly. "We have to follow it just like everyone else does."

"If we break the law, we deserve to be arrested," Andros added.

"That's right," Zhane agreed with a sharp nod. "Of course, we have no intention of breaking the law."

"Nope, nope, nope," Andros said, sitting up tall and proud. "Whoo!"

Andros and Ashley looked out his window. They watched two officers guide a handcuffed suspect through the lot a short distance away. They shifted their attention back to Zhane and Karone.

"I hope Jesse, Elvis, and Brenda are able to convince the police to help us bust Dial for illegally capturing Isabella," Ashley whispered.

"Me too, Ash," Andros agreed as he slipped his arm around her. "Many detectives have no problem setting up stings."

Zhane became thoughtful. "Brenda's idea of telling Dial she heard rumors Lilli was captured illegally from the wild is brilliant. He will likely start bragging he did. He might mention he thought she resembled Willy and could be his daughter, but he didn't care."

"Many people have loose lips. They will brag about doing something over and over, even if they have never done it," Ashley said.

"It is all about getting attention. Some people must have lots of it, or they are never happy," Karone mumbled with a loud huff.

"Veronica is one such person," Zhane said, taking her hand into his. "She wants all eyes on her at all times. When people divert their attention away from her, she throws a fit."

"That woman is over thirty years old and still acts like a little kid," Ashley said, irritation lining her voice. "She will never grow up."

Karone nodded in a sharp manner. "That is so true."

"A bunch of people need to fart on her. She deserves to stink," Andros commented and spoke gibberish.

"She needs a bunch of feet put up her ass as well," Ashley added.

Andros smirked. "I agree."

Ashley giggled. "Great."

"I would gladly pay to see that," Zhane said with much pride.

"I would too," Karone murmured and wiggled her eyebrows.

The sound of the first sliding door opening caught the quartet's attention. They looked toward it as Jesse, Elvis, and Brenda climbed in. Jesse closed it with a slam. They went to the second back seat and sat down. Angry looks were on their faces.

"What happened in there?" Ashley wondered in uncertainty.

"The police refuse to help us. The reason is Dial never authorized Brenda to administer a DNA test and that we don't have any other proof he had committed a crime," Jesse responded bitterly.

"Damn it," Zhane said while shaking his head in disbelief.

Ashley huffed in frustration. "What other proof do they want?"

"They told us to go find it and would talk to us once we did," Elvis said and acted as if he were spitting at the ground.

"That means I can't record Dial confessing to his crime until we get it," Brenda added and clenched her teeth.

"Maybe we could call the USDA and see if they could look into it," Karone suggested hopefully.

Jesse shook his head. "If the police won't help us, then I doubt they will either."

"I guess that means there is nothing we can do," Andros said.

"There may be," Jesse answered and smirked. "I have done it before."

Andros felt his jaw drop. "You mean—"

"Free Isabella," Jesse finished and crossed his arms. "Let's free Isabella."

"Are you nuts, Jesse?" Zhane muttered in shock.

"Hey, it saved Willy," Jesse said, giving a shrug.

"How are you going to do that? Security has been tight at the park since 9/11. Let's not forget it is illegal," Ashley responded in seriousness.

Zhane nodded in agreement. "She's right. You've been lucky to escape charges on various occasions, but luck runs out eventually. You shouldn't forget you have a daughter now. How will she take it with her father being in jail?"

"You saw Isabella in the park on Monday, Zhane. She was so happy to see us. She didn't want us to leave. She had the whole ocean to roam and her family to play with before her capture. Now, she only has a small tank, two dolphin companions, and a few toys," Jesse said, tears stinging at his eyes. "Please, I need your help."

Andros, Ashley, Zhane, and Karone looked at each other with much uncertainty. Jesse heard two clearing throats. He looked at Elvis and Brenda, who had smiles on their faces.

"Count me in, bro," Elvis said.

"The same goes for me. Isabella deserves her freedom," Brenda added proudly.

"Thanks," Jesse said and smiled. "I have a feeling Dial and Harry will slip up at some point."

"They already have," Brenda said with a giggle.

"What do you mean?" Ashley wondered.

"Dial and Harry revealed to me they were greatly downgrading security and that there would no night watch trainers for the time being starting tonight," Brenda whispered while wiggling her eyebrows.

Andros, Ashley, Zhane, and Karone looked at each other. Though they were still uncertain about helping Jesse get Isabella out, they realized she needed to go back to the wild. They wanted her to be back with her family so badly. They turned back to Jesse and breathed deeply.

"I'll help you, Jesse," Ashley said and licked her lips.

"Me too," Andros chimed.

"Me three," Karone said while holding up her hand.

"Me four," Zhane said with a nod.

"Great," Jesse said happily. He rubbed his hands together and snorted. "We can meet at the park at midnight. We can use Brenda's truck to tow Isabella to freedom."

"That sounds good to me," Brenda whispered with much eagerness. "We better get going. I will go see Isabella tonight."

"All right," Jesse answered while nodding.

"It is a good thing Glen, Annie, and Missy went home before we left for the police station. They shouldn't know about this because they would likely try to talk you out of it," Andros whispered.

"Yeah. I suspect Randolph and Nadine would do the same if Elvis and I told them," Jesse agreed. "See you guys later."

"You too, Jesse," Andros said, winking at him. "Bye."

Andros, Ashley, Zhane, Karone, and Brenda got out of the van, allowing Jesse and Elvis to get in their seats. They went to their respective vehicles. Andros and Ashley got in the driver and passenger seats of his car. Zhane and Karone slipped into the back seat. Brenda entered her truck. Everyone buckled up. The drivers started their engines. Brenda pulled out of the parking lot, followed by Andros and Jesse. They headed down the street.

00000

Forty-year-old Jack Lyson stood outside Northwest Adventure Park's aquatic theater in the midevening. He chewed gum somewhat loudly. Jack blew a big bubble in his gum. He popped it and got it back in his mouth by using his tongue. He placed his hands behind his back. He moved his head from side to side to stretch his neck.

He smacked his lips before scratching his neck. He was Caucasian and was rather short for a man. He was lean, but he had a little muscle. His skin was very pale. He had no hair on his head whatsoever. His face didn't have any wrinkles. However, it contained so many pimple scars that someone could draw a picture on it by connecting them.

He heard chattering and couldn't help but smile. He thought it was nice the orca and dolphins had each other to play with. He wondered why Dial and Harry decided to downgrade security and suspend trainer night watch. He found it strange, yet he wasn't about to ask them. Just then, he spotted Brenda coming his way. He could see a bag in her hand.

"Hey, Brenda," Jack greeted.

"Hey yourself, Officer Lyson," Brenda said as she stopped before him. "Anything out of the ordinary?"

"Not at all," Jack admitted and looked at the bag. "You are taking a little present to Lilli, aren't you?"

"Mm-hmm. It is a salmon," Brenda said, laughing warmly. "She loves getting it as a treat."

"I read it takes four chinook salmon to satisfy an adult resident orca," Jack said in amazement. "That is a lot of fish for one whale."

"Lilli is young, so she doesn't need as much fish as an adult orca does," Brenda pointed out honestly. "Has she acted weird in any way?"

"No," Jack said, shaking his head. "I did catch her spitting on Jane and Izzy when I went inside to check on them."

Brenda giggled. "Lilli loves to play around."

"That she does," Jack agreed, a chuckle leaving his mouth.

"Well, I am heading inside to see the ladies," Brenda said, jerking her thumb in the direction of the entrance.

Jack nodded at her. "Have fun."

Brenda went into the theater. She came to the top of the stands while snapping her fingers. She could see Isabella, Jane, and Izzy gathered in the middle of the tank. She heard them chattering to each other. Isabella spit water on Jane and Izzy, whom responded in kind. They repeated their action three times. They proceeded to chatter some more.

Brenda pressed her lips together. She recalled Jesse calling her and telling her Randolph and Nadine weren't pleased when they overheard him and Elvis talking about freeing Isabella just before she left her house. She wasn't surprised they attempted to talk the brothers out of it without having any luck. She understood they didn't like the idea, but she was glad they hoped Jesse and Elvis were successful. She had a feeling someone would rat Dial and Harry out for their crime very soon.

Brenda headed down the stands and approached the edge of the tank. She got on her knees before setting the bag next to her. She put her hands in the water and began ripping it. Isabella swam over to her, but Jane and Izzy stayed right where they were. She chattered excitedly while opening her mouth slightly. Brenda petted her nose.

"Hey, girl," Brenda whispered and kissed the orca's nose. "I am calling you Isabella now. I found out earlier today that your DNA profile matched that of Lilli's. I didn't want to believe it, but I accepted the truth. You were caught from the wild illegally."

Brenda sniffled and wiped a tear from her eye. Isabella came up a little bit and touched her cheek with her nose. Brenda wrapped her arms around her to give her a hug. The orca went back down after her trainer let go of her. She opened her mouth, folding her tongue.

"Andros, Ashley, Zhane, Karone, Jesse, Elvis, and I went to the police in hopes of getting them to help us put Dial away. It didn't work, but don't fear," Brenda said, petting Isabella's nose. "You are going to be okay. Now, how about a little treat?"

Isabella emitted an excited chatter. Brenda opened the bag and reached inside. She pulled out a medium-sized salmon. Isabella's excited chattering grew even louder as Brenda moved it in front of her.

"Open your mouth real wide," Brenda said. She smiled at Isabella's opening her mouth even wider. "That-a-girl."

Brenda tossed the salmon into Isabella's mouth. She observed her swallowing it quickly. Jane and Izzy swam over to her and let out quiet clicks. Their trainer scratched their heads very gently.

"It is good to see you too, girls," Brenda commented and stopped petting the dolphins. "I assure you two that you will also be okay. You will see what I mean later."

Isabella sank beneath the surface as Jane and Izzy swam away from their trainer. She headed over to the tower. She did a spyhop and let out a soft cry. She repeated both actions twice. Brenda heard similar cries. She gazed toward the tower, becoming curious. She stood up and approached the ladder. She climbed it at a steady pace.

Isabella spyhopped, crying out once more. She slipped beneath the surface. Brenda listened to the other cries as she passed the halfway point. She grabbed the step above her and lifted her leg. She pushed upward with a loud grunt. She took hold of the next one before moving her leg up. She grunted while pushing herself up. She finally reached the top after three more steps. She looked toward the bay, gasping in awe at what she saw.

"Whoa," Brenda yelled as she spotted Willy, Nikki, Max, Nessa, and Catspaw spyhopping and singing. She observed Alex, Luna, Ben, Sparkle, and Kyle mimicking their actions close to them. "It's your family. Jesse was right. They've been around here all this time."

Brenda could see Granny, Samish, Shachi, Slick, Alki, and Blackberry coming up to sing. Mike, Rhapsody, Polaris, and Star imitated them. So did Princess Angeline, Tahlequah, Notch, and Moby. Brenda smiled, feeling glad she saw J-Pod hanging out in the bay. She had no doubt their calling to Isabella had happened many times. She decided to watch and listen to them some more.