Price of a Soul

John Avalon’s 18-year-old intoxicated daughter smashed into the back of a blue Nissan Sentra while going 110 miles in her 2020, bright yellow Porsche 911 Carrera S on a Saturday night while driving back from Club Starlight. Mom and the five-year-old daughter in the Sentra didn’t make it. Dad was rushed to the hospital in serious condition. John’s daughter escaped the wreckage with a few scratches and bruises. 

“Da-dee!” John’s daughter screamed into the phone after the accident. “My new Porsche was just totaled! Please come now!”

John, already awake because of suffering from insomnia, threw on pants and a shirt and rushed from the house. 

Six months later. 

“Okay, here are the facts. One, your underage daughter was drunk and driving. Two, your daughter was filmed on camera complaining about destroying her car rather than the fact that she just hit another car from behind. Two of those people have died. The male occupant in the car, the father, is stable, but understandably obviously distraught. Third, your daughter was seen trying to flee the scene of a crime and apprehended by a couple of passersby until the police arrived. She was forcibly taken to have her blood drawn since she refused the breathalyzer, but those blood results still showed there was alcohol in her system. As a minor, she’s supposed to have nothing in her system while driving.”

“Shit!” yelled John. “This is a nightmare. My baby girl is scared out of her mind and they won’t accept her into NYU until this legal mess is resolved. You’re the best attorney there is. Is there any way to get the blood results lost?”

“No way!” answered the attorney. “This is too high profile of a case. The blood samples are being handled among the chain of command very carefully.“

“What about the the prosecution? Can they be bought off to drop the case?”

“No,” said the attorney. “The community wants justice. A mother and daughter were killed. You’re a very wealthy family and the people want to see you go down. And the husband has been all over the news breaking down in tears over his family. Your daughter’s being charged with gross vehicular manslaughter. Plus, you already bought her another Porsche. Public sympathy is at all time low regarding your family. This won’t just go away.”

“Shit!” yelled John again! “We need this all to go away as soon as possible. How do we get a trial fast so we can have this bad publicity go away and so my daughter can start NYU?”

“It would be faster to request a bench trial, a trial in which the judge decides the verdict.”

“Okay, do it. We’ll give the judge an early retirement. We just want this over with,” said John. 

“Okay, we do have influence with almost all the judges in this town, so shouldn’t be a problem. How much am I authorized to offer?”

“Whatever it takes!” demanded John. 

One month later 

“We have a problem,” said the attorney into the phone, speaking to John. “The prosecution knows you’re a man of great influence and how big this case is. They’re requesting that a judge from outside the county be brought in.”

“So?” answered John. “I know we have greater pull with the judges here, but we’ll just have to persuade this judge to take our offer or find some dirt on him.”

“That’s the problem,” responded the attorney. “He’s clean. Always does everything by the book. And my sources say he can’t be bought.”

“We’ll see about that,” John said. “Find out where he’s staying. I’ll have a one-on-one chat with him.”

Two nights later, at the Hilton, John was able to get the hotel clerk to give him the room number to the judge’s room after slipping him 500 dollars. 

“Housekeeping!” shouted John through the door and once the door opened and he saw the judge, he pushed himself inside the room. 

“Hey!” yelled the judge, startled, and then surprise turned to anger once he noticed he was standing across from John Avalon. “I know exactly who you are and you have no right to be here! You need to leave - now!” The judge quickly reached into his pocket and made a swift movement. 

“Listen,” John spoke quickly. “I just wanted to formally introduce myself. John Avalon. I wanted to welcome you to town and let you know that if you need anything at all, I’m willing to get it.”

“I know exactly why you’re here and bribes won’t work with me!” the judge roared. 

“Everyone has a price judge,” John said pressing forward. “I can make it so this is the last case you ever preside over again. You’ll have money to retirement, buy a nicer house, go on beautiful vacations every year, buy a couple of your own Porsches.”

“I can’t be bought!” roared the judge again. 

“Name your price,” said John. 

“One billion dollars. Even for one billion dollars, I can’t be bought. My morality and ethics is NOT for sale. I will review the facts of this case and decide accordingly what will happen.”

“I can also make your life very difficult!” shrieked John. 

I know you can make my life difficult,” sighed the judged. I know you’re a man of many means, but I want you to understand a few things. One, I will never be bought. Two, I know you can make life difficult for me and my family. But, just like me, they can’t be bought. I’d rather go down knowing I made the best legal decision I could rather than give up a piece of my ethics because people like you think they can always buy their way out of something. And third, and most importantly,” he said as he pulled out a silver pen, “I have been recording this conversation. “I always keep a recording device on me at all times in case I’m backed into a corner with immoral people like you! Have a good day Mr. Avalon. Once again, I will review and judge this case based on legal facts and evidence. I won’t release this recording unless you force my hand.”

John’s mouth, agape, finally closed and he swallowed. Finally, he said, “I’ll give you everything I have! My daughter is my life and she cannot go to jail!” Tears streamed down his face. He didn’t like feeling like this, helpless and powerless. 

“You forget that the Torres’ also had a daughter and I’m sure she was also their life too,” he finally pushed John out of the door and closed it. 

Some time later, John Avalon’s daughter was found guilty, sentenced to 6 years in prison, and given a $20,000 fine. Handcuffed and led outside the courtroom to go to prison, she cussed out her father for letting this happen.