 |
|
…continued from Episode #921.
As the uproar increases,
Wayne
whisks Zack off to the jail to protect him from the frenzied crowd
and to ask him some questions. Unfortunately Zack’s answers are
less than satisfactory and not entirely forthcoming. He is, quite
simply, a drifter, and as such he has no way of backing up who he
is or where he comes from. He does admit to being at the school
on the day of the explosion, but he won’t say why he was there.
There is already talk of putting him on trial.
Monica is dismayed, and sets to work getting Zack the best
representation she can, i.e. Mike and Gloria. They are both
certain that there is no case against Zack, and that even if it
goes to trial, they should have no trouble getting a change of
venue. They are both, however, wrong. The prosecuting attorney,
Jones, is tough as nails and as twisted as a screw. He is also,
according to Monica, the devil. Not only does he succeed in
bringing the case to trial, but he also eloquently rebuffs all of
the defense team’s motions for dismissal. He then proceeds to
bring a barrage of witnesses to bear against Zack.
The townspeople testify that when Zack arrived in town, little
things belonging to the children began to go missing. Soon after
that, Jones calls an expert witness to testify that serial killers
habitually collect tokens from the scenes of their crimes. When
he gets Zack on the stand, he gets him to admit taking the items
and to being in any number of towns when accidents claimed the
lives of children. Gloria and Mike try their hardest to win over
the court-members, but in the end, Zack is found guilty and given
the maximum sentence for his crimes.
It is after the trial though that Monica makes the most progress.
She helps the townsfolk to remember who they were and what they
lost. She reminds them that it wasn’t until Zack arrived that
they began to fall back into the rhythms of their old lives. When
she guides them back to the church and back to the pastor who had
let them all slip away, they realize the terrible mistake that
they have made.
Back in the jail, Monica apologizes to Zack for not helping him in
time. But she lets him know that she’s an angel and that she will
forgo any future assignments and promotions in order to stay by
his side and protect him. She will have to start almost
immediately, as Zack is scheduled for transfer the next day. But
when she arrives the next morning, Zack’s cell is empty. Everyone
is surprised, though the townspeople make it clear that they will
not be pursuing him. Especially after they learn from Joey, that
it was he who set the boiler on its deadly course, tricked by the
devil into turning the heat up to warm some orphaned kittens.
Monica, perplexed, moves on to meet Tess back in the desert, but
it is there that she finds Zack once again.
He thanks her for her service and devotion, and allows her to
recognize him for who he truly is, her Lord, God. She will be
promoted. Monica bids farewell to Gloria, Andrew, and Tess and drives
off in the Cadillac, a goodbye present from Tess.
|
