Finding Forever (54 page)

           
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In 1999, Kensington was arrested and charged with violating California Penal Code 288 for allegedly committing lewd acts on a minor under age fourteen. That child molestation case, however, was settled later that same year. Although the court records have been sealed to protect the identity of the minor, a source familiar with the 1999 case tells
Deadline Diaries
that Kensington's legal team pressured the accuser's family to recant their previous claims of child molestation. Adds the source, “With no witness, the D.A. had no choice but to drop the charges.”

           
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In 2002, Kensington was sued for medical negligence in a San Bernardino County civil court. Although the lawsuit was later dropped by the plaintiff,
Deadline Diaries
has obtained the lawsuit and its chilling details, in which Kensington is accused of subjecting a former patient, Ronald Marrin of Palm Desert, to “repeated electroshock therapy” that left him with permanent cognitive disabilities. A source tells
Deadline Diaries
that the case was settled out of court for “over seven figures.”

We were unable to reach Mr. Marrin or Mr. Kensington for comment, but Evan Ryan claims to have undergone a similar electroshock therapy at the hands of Kensington just earlier this year. “He said it was to help me heal, to cure my depression, anxiety, and addictions,” Ryan says. “I fear the same could happen to Taylor.”

Evan Ryan says he chose to come forward to
Deadline Diaries
rather than to law enforcement because he has well-founded suspicions that the wealthy and politically influential Mr. Kensington has several police and other high-ranking officials across the state in his pocket. Although we have yet been unable to corroborate Ryan's corruption claims,
Deadline Diaries
has learned that Kensington has donated more than $7 million dollars, often under the aegis of bogus charities or in the name of his own employees, to various elected officials over the last ten years, including the current chief of Los Angeles police and other officials.

Within the last twenty-four hours,
Deadline Diaries
has contacted L.A. police, the California state Attorney General's office, the FBI, and L.A. and San Bernardino County law enforcement officials asking whether they are aware of any potential illegal activity taking place by Kensington Solutions. None would comment on the record. But a spokesman for the FBI tells
Deadline Diaries,
“We take any and all allegations of illegal activity very seriously and will investigate any legitimate claims vigorously.”

Please keep checking
DeadlineDiaries.com
for the latest updates on this developing story. . . .

—Additional reporting by Holden Lee

“You ungrateful . . .” Peter barked at Evan, his neck muscles tightening like violin strings, his face filling red with rage. “I will—”

Taylor backed away as Peter marched forward.

“Destroy me?” Evan shot back, stepping in front of Taylor. She clutched his hips and hid behind him.

Towering over him, Evan poked Peter in the chest. “You've already destroyed me; you're not hurting her. You little sicko. You. Are. Done!” Evan's pokes turned into violent, two-handed pushes. “You're nothing but a sad, little, evil,
old
man!”

Before Evan could finish him off with a slug, a thundering
thwap-thwap
of whipped air and dust enveloped the cliff top. All eyes shot skyward at a helicopter as a spotlight shone down, tracing a circle on the ground around Peter.

Taylor grabbed Evan's hand and ran toward a convoy of police cruisers and SWAT vans that squealed into the parking lot.

Within seconds, dozens of gun barrels pointed at the thin man in the seersucker suit who had been chasing his dream of forever but now faced a nightmare of an end.

Taylor pulled Evan behind the cavalry of cops and rifle marksmen shouting at the scientist over the roar of the helicopter blades.

Hands up! On your knees!

Peter ignored their orders. He shuffled closer toward the edge, bent over and scooped up as much dust as he could hold in each of his tiny hands. Inching closer to the drop-off, he tossed the dust into the air, watching it dissipate into a swirl of nothingness.

Although an array of red laser sights fixed on his back, no
bullets would be needed. Peter spread his arms to his sides and sprang into a headfirst dive over the cliff, disappearing into the darkness below. His last sound of life was a distant, rocky thud.

This Peter couldn't fly, and he would never find forever.