Chapter 43

"How come you're looking at Judge Joshua's cases?" Chloe inquired when she visited King Owl's Underground Headquarters the next morning.

"Because something doesn't feel right about a number of these cases." Robert hated himself for doing this, but he knew he had to because the more he looked into it, the more he understood Nell was correct. There were far too many parallels in these incidents to be accidental or coincidental. He was beginning to suspect that the man who had murdered his father had been framed.

"What exactly do you mean?" Chloe inquired.

"Look over this list of criminals and tell me if anything strikes out to you." Robert replied, and Chloe nodded as she began searching through the files and seeing what Robert was seeing.

"You are correct. Not only are all of these guys from the same group. They are black, Hispanic, Latino, and even Muslim and poor, but their experiences are nearly identical. The sole difference between them is the weapons listed in each case." Chloe stated.

"Yep. Not to mention the other names besides Joshua." Robert stated.

"Detective and Prosecutor Louis County." Chloe remarked, looking up at Robert.

"Stan Josen, the prosecutor. The same guy who claimed to have imprisoned the man who murdered my father "Robert stated.

"You know, after your father was murdered, my father spent no time in looking for the perpetrator. Even when Henry Hound was convicted, it took me and Jacob to persuade him that justice had been done and to quit looking for leads that didn't exist. And it turns out that the entire time, an innocent man could have been suffering for something he didn't commit, while the true perpetrator is still at large." " Chloe stated.

"Don't worry just yet. We still don't know which cases were tampered with." Robert stated.

"I'm simply curious, have you revealed any of this to Nell?" Chloe inquired.

"Jacob needed to speak with him about something. I believe it has something to do with Nichole." Luke stated.

"Who exactly is Nichole?" Chloe inquired.

"You've only been back for a day. Nichole is Maryland's newest psychopath, but while she and Nell have only sparred once, I believe Nichole will finish up as Kid Owl's King Ice." Robert stated, despite knowing that this was already the case. Nichole had already become Kid Owl's biggest foe, just as King Ice had been King Owl's. He understands the urgency with which they must correct this verse.

"Great. It's comforting to know that one thing never changes in Maryland. When an Owl appears, they always have one adversary that stands out from the crowd." Chloe rolled her eyes at that.

"We might use your assistance in taking her down," Robert remarked.

"And you'll get it. I've returned to Maryland for the long haul. My state requires my assistance." Robert grinned as Chloe said.

"What's going on, Jacob? Why were you so anxious to see me?" Nell inquired as he entered Jacob's office at Vulture's headquarters.

"Nichole called me last night using one of the Vulture's secure phones." Jacob stated.

"What? Are you all right?" Nell inquired.

"I'm perfectly fine. But the reason I phoned you was because from the way she spoke, I believe she knows where Ruby and Microsoft X are." Jacob stated.

"That only adds to the urgency of finding her. Even if we don't agree with her replies, she will provide us with them." Jacob agreed with Nell's statement.

"And she's not the only sociopath I intend to imprison." Nell rolled her eyes as Jacob stated this.

"Jacob, seriously. Kid Owl hasn't even been here a week and you're already on the hunt for him." Nell stated.

"Nell, can't you see that he's the source of Nichole's problems? He, like King Owl, drew out all the lunatics in Maryland." Nell couldn't believe what he was hearing from Jacob.

"Do you even hear what you're saying? Do you remember Nichole showing up in Maryland before Kid Owl? In fact, she kidnapped one of your operatives, and if memory serves, he was the one who rescued Caleb." Nell stated.

"He undercuts city officials." Jacob stated.

"Neither the Microsoft Criminal Facility nor the American Government appear to mind. They actually welcome it. Are you simply envious because Kid Owl and, before him, King Owl accomplished a greater job than you?" Nell inquired.

"Until he leaves like the others, and when he does, he'll leave Maryland at the mercy of crazy." Jacob stated.

"Is that what this is all about?" Nell inquired.

"That emblem has previously disappointed the city, and it is only a matter of time before it does so again. The Vultures safeguard America without the assistance of Alien Gods such as Microsoft, Sony, and others. And we don't just vanish when it's convenient for us because we're stressed out." Jacob stated.

"You simply defend those who can afford it. The public prefers the Owl to the Vulture because he protects everyone, not just the wealthy, but also those in need of assistance." Nell stated as he walked away from Jacob, not wanting to engage into this with him again because he knew nothing, no matter how many people he saved, would change his mind about the Owl. He will not let his master's or Microsoft's legacy die in vain.

"A child shouldn't fight a leader's struggle, but someone like him would never grasp intel when it slapped him in the face," Jacob thought to himself as he looked at his phone.