5. Knox

"Ms. Puckett, I'm going to give you a choice," Judge Morgan said. "Which is more than you gave that turtle."

Knox wasn't sure he liked the sound of that, and from the expression on the lawyer's face, he wasn't too thrilled either.

Just over a week had passed since Luna's arrest, and in that time, Knox had learned plenty about the San Gallician justice system. Foreigners were automatically considered flight risks and denied bail, so Luna had spent nine nights in solitary confinement at the island's jail, without make-up or a phone. Jubilee had posted a statement on social media, and Luna's fans around the world were holding vigils while insulting Judge Morgan and swearing they'd never visit San Gallicano, like, ever. The locals Knox had spoken with seemed pretty happy about that.

While the bail policy was harsh, it was also fair—Luna didn't get special treatment for being rich and famous, probably the first time in her life she'd been held accountable for her actions, and it showed. As did Amethyst Puckett, three US lawyers, a rep from Luna's record label, and half of the world's media. Judge Morgan banned the press from the courtroom. When a few hapless reporters tried to complain, he threatened to have them arrested for breaching the peace.

For a case like Luna's, Judge Morgan had explained at the arraignment, the process would be swift. There was no doubt she'd treated the turtle inappropriately, or that she'd carried out the act in San Gallicano, seeing as she'd tagged both herself and the location in her Instagram post. The arguments would be over whether she'd caused the creature undue distress. Luna, of course, claimed the turtle was "super chilled" and "looked kinda smiley." She submitted several more pictures, including one of the poor thing wearing an oversized straw sun hat, in an attempt to prove her point. The prosecutor brought in a turtle expert from the Valentine Cay Turtle Sanctuary who explained that identifying stress in chelonians wasn't easy and the most obvious signs came from their behaviour, but the fact that the turtle had defecated on the beach in the final photo of the series suggested discomfort with the situation. Plus he testified that it was nesting season when the incident took place, and the turtle had most likely been crawling up the beach to lay eggs. Luna's thirst for fame had put an already endangered species further at risk.

This morning, a jury had found her guilty of all charges, and now it was time for the sentencing.

"You can either spend thirty days in jail," the judge continued as gasps echoed around the courtroom, "or you can do thirty days of community service here in San Gallicano. For those who might see that as a soft option, understand that I'd rather see Ms. Puckett give something back to this nation rather than using yet more of our resources. What's it to be, Ms. Puckett?"

"Can't I appeal?"

"On what grounds?"

"Uh…"

Her lawyer spoke up. "Can I confer with my client, Your Honour?"

Judge Morgan glanced at the clock on the wall of the courtroom. "You have two minutes."

Furious whispering ensued, presumably the lawyer telling Luna that having forty million social media followers and a dislike of the legal system wasn't sufficient grounds to appeal. Finally, he addressed the judge.

"My client will undertake the thirty days of community service. If we could agree on an appropriate time for that to?—"

"Tomorrow."

"Could you expand on that, Your Honour?"

"Ms. Puckett will commence her community service tomorrow." His gaze shifted to Luna. "Treat this as a learning experience."

"Your Honour, my client has commitments. She's scheduled to sing at the Blayz Festival in the Bahamas the day after tomorrow, and?—"

"Mr. Thomson, if your client is allowed to choose when she serves her sentence, it's not much of a deterrent, is it? The whole point of a punishment is to be inconvenient."

"This is outrageous!"

The cry came from the public gallery, and Knox didn't have to turn his head to see who was yelling. Only one woman would have the balls, and that woman was Amethyst Puckett. Beside him, Jubilee put her head in her hands.

"Thousands of people are coming to the Bahamas to see my daughter perform, and you want to deprive them over a damn turtle? What kind of banana republic is this?"

"Ms. Puckett senior, if you don't stop this outburst immediately, I'll hold you in contempt. The law in San Gallicano is clear—sea turtles are protected in our waters, and if a visitor flouts the law, they need to understand there will be consequences. That includes your daughter. Do you realise how many tourists have tried to dress marine life in various items of clothing since she posed for that picture?"

The judge had decided to make an example out of her, hadn't he? Her sentence would be talked about as much as the original photo, and he was hoping the publicity would make idiots think twice about messing with endangered species.

"You should learn to show appreciation, mister. Don't you understand how much free publicity she generated for this stupid island?"

"Ms. Puckett! Sometimes, there are more important things in life than money, a lesson you'd do well to learn."

"Well, you'd do well to learn about the celebrity lifestyle. You want my daughter to do community service? In public? She's received death threats, you know. You'd be putting her life in danger."

Luna gasped. "Death threats? What death threats?"

"We didn't want to worry you, sweetie. Why do you think we hired bodyguards?"

"Ohmigosh! Someone's trying to kill me?"

The judge banged his gavel. "Ladies, this is a courtroom, not Judge Judy. I'll do the talking."

"You're just jealous of her success," Amethyst snapped. "That women are taking on the patriarchy and?—"

"Enough! Bailiff, take the older Ms. Puckett away to cool off. A period of self-reflection would be beneficial—say, thirty days."

Luna watched on in horror as her mom was dragged kicking and screaming from the courtroom. Literally dragged. Literally kicking and screaming. Luna's support network had gone, and she had no one but lawyers to argue for her now. And they weren't going to risk upsetting Judge Morgan either.

"Now, Ms. Puckett junior. I'm a big believer in selecting a punishment that fits the crime." The judge turned to the public gallery. "Mr. Baptiste, are you still taking volunteers at the sanctuary?"

The turtle expert nodded. He'd stayed to watch the case, probably out of morbid curiosity. Franklin Baptiste was an older man with weathered bronze skin, one of the world's most prominent authorities on sea turtles. According to his testimony, he'd started out working for his family's fishing business on Ilha Grande, then gained a PhD in marine biology from the University of Miami and assisted with various conservation projects before moving back to San Gallicano twenty-seven years ago and setting up the turtle sanctuary. He'd dedicated his life to preserving the creatures ever since.

"Yes, sir, we still take volunteers," he said. "Just had a group cancel, as a matter of fact."

"Then would you be willing to allow Ms. Puckett to take their place?"

"Never short of paths to sweep or pools to clean out."

"Good. Then it's settled. Ms. Puckett, you'll be held in custody tonight and report for duty at the Valentine Cay Turtle Sanctuary tomorrow. Your sentence will begin first thing on Wednesday morning. In light of the alleged death threats, I'll permit your security team to accompany you. I trust that will be acceptable?"

Luna nodded. What else could she do?

"I'm also banning you from posting on any of your social media accounts for the duration of your time on Valentine Cay. For every picture of you I see—and I will be watching—your period of service will be extended by one day. You'll be there to work, not to become a martyr for your cause."

"But…but…"

"I'll also permit your cousin to join the volunteer program, should she so wish. Although she's not on trial, she bears some responsibility as your photographer." He addressed Jubilee. "You might think you're helping, but by enabling Luna to act as she does, you're doing her no favours in the long term." He banged the gavel again. "This case is now over."

Judge Morgan left the courtroom, and the bailiff took Luna away. As Detective Fernandez followed her out, he threw a smug smile in Knox's direction, but there was no need for that. If Knox was honest, he felt that Luna deserved her sentence. The judge had been fair. What she got wasn't so much a punishment as an educational opportunity. A chance to become a better person, although Knox wasn't certain she'd take it.

"Guess we're gonna learn a lot about turtles," Ryder muttered under his breath. "I'll call base, get them to run an assessment on Valentine Cay. Can you deal with Jubilee?"

Knox cut his gaze sideways. Jubilee hadn't moved since Luna left, and he figured she was in shock. People gave her instructions, and she carried them out. She wasn't accustomed to using her own initiative.

"You okay?" he asked.

"What am I meant to do?"

"First, I'd say you need to decide whether you want to spend a month at a turtle sanctuary. If you don't, we'll find a way of getting you home."

"I…I… What do you think I should do?"

"Only you can make that decision." Knox paused. "Why do you work for Luna? You're smart, and you're organised, and you could probably get a job as a PA somewhere else."

What he actually wanted to say was that she seemed to be the one sane person in the asylum. Luna treated her like dirt at times, and he couldn't imagine Amethyst was much easier to deal with.

"I…" She gave a heavy sigh. "It's complicated. I guess… I guess I owe her. When my mom died, Amethyst took me in so I could stay out of the care system, and Luna was a good friend too." Jubilee shrugged. "Bullies saw me as a target, and she was the one who protected me. She wasn't always this way—so demanding, I mean—and she gave me a job with a good salary when I left high school. Do you think it's crazy that I'm still working for her?"

"Loyalty is a good trait to have, but just be careful you don't lose yourself along the way."

"What if she can't cope at the turtle sanctuary? Luna doesn't do well on her own, and she isn't keen on water."

"Isn't keen on water? Then why did she take a vacation on a yacht?"

"Because it makes a great backdrop for her socials. Heck, she's gonna lose her mind if her stats drop."

"So you want to go?"

"I think I should."

The decision wasn't a surprise. Knox suspected that Jubilee didn't do well on her own either. The two cousins had a relationship that both benefited and harmed each of them. In short, the family was a mess, and how could it be anything else with Amethyst Puckett at the helm?

"Then I'll make the transport arrangements. Don't forget to bring bug spray."

Jubilee closed her eyes, appearing to steel herself for what was to come, and at that moment, Knox felt sorry for her. She'd sure lost out in the genetic lottery.