Redemption

by Phil M. Williams

  Once Michelle had the sheets in the wash and the machine running, she went back upstairs to help Frank clean the mattress and to make the bed. Frank paced in the hallway with clenched fists and a clenched jaw, holding a Ziploc bag with what appeared to be underwear inside.

  “What’s wrong?” Michelle asked.

  Franks stopped pacing and pivoted to Michelle. “Your mother found dried blood in Becky’s underwear.”

  Michelle glanced at the Ziploc bag, holding the bloody underwear, her face etched with concern. “What happened? Did she hurt herself?”

  Frank spoke through gritted teeth, his lower jaw jutting forward. “Becky said that a man hurt her privates.”

  Michelle was stunned and slack-jawed. “What man?”

  Frank gestured to his shut bedroom door. “That’s what your mother’s trying to find out.”

  “Jesus. Is that what she said exactly? A man hurt her privates?”

  Frank shook his head. “She said, ‘A man hurt my pee-pee part.’”

  “What are we going to do?”

  Ruth exited the bedroom, her eyes puffy from crying. “She won’t tell me. She keeps saying she doesn’t know.”

  “We need to call the police.” Frank addressed Michelle, “Call your sister. Tell her to come over immediately.”

  Chapter 10: Doth Protest Too Much

  Susie and Cody made it to the house before the police. They smelled like smoke and alcohol from the bar and still wore the same clothes Michelle had seen them in earlier that night. Becky was asleep in Frank and Ruth’s freshly made bed. Jason rose and dressed, after hearing about the alleged sexual assault. Everyone sat at the dining room table, waiting for the police. The Ziploc bag containing Becky’s bloody underwear was now the centerpiece.

  Ruth had placed a dish towel over the bag. “I can’t look at that anymore,” she had said.

  “Who has she been around?” Frank asked Susie.

  “Nobody really,” Susie replied, her eyes puffy.

  “That’s not good enough. We need to know every male who she’s been in contact with over the last week.”

  Susie looked at Jason. “She was with him.”

  Everyone at the table turned their attention to Jason.

  Jason showed his palms and spoke rapidly. “I never touched her. I would never do that. Never.”

  Susie’s lips curled into a sneer. “I didn’t say you did. I said you were with her, which you were. Several times. Alone.”

  “Don’t do that,” Michelle said to her sister. “Dad and Mom were alone with her. I bet you and Cody too. Do we start suspecting you guys?”

  Susie glared at Michelle. “We didn’t immediately start professing our innocence.”

  “Who else has she been alone with?” Frank asked.

  “I don’t know. Teachers. Counselors at the after-school program.” Susie tapped her lips, thinking. “Danny gave her a ride home from school twice last week, but she seemed perfectly happy when she came home, excited about riding in a police car.”

  Susie and Becky lived in a condo within walking distance of Loganville Elementary School.

  “Do you think you would’ve noticed the blood on her underwear?” Frank asked Susie.

  “What difference does it make?” Susie replied.

  Frank leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “If you didn’t notice it, then who knows when this happened? The blood’s dry.”

  “I think I would’ve noticed it, but I don’t know. Becky dresses herself.”

  Frank raised his eyebrows. “Does she change her underwear every day?”

  “Probably.”

  “Probably?”

  “I told you. She dresses herself.” Susie huffed. “Jesus, you’re acting like this is my fault.”

  A hard knock came from the front door. Everyone knew it was the police. Normal people didn’t knock like that. Frank went to the front door. He spoke to the officers for a few minutes, their words inaudible from the dining room. Frank led the officers into the dining room. Two muscled Loganville Township Police Officers flanked a petite blonde detective, wearing a pantsuit and flats. The detective wore latex gloves and held a plastic evidence bag, information already scrawled on the label. One of the officers was Danny Gibbs.

  Frank gestured to the female detective. “This is Detective Wells.”

  “Hello,” Wells said.

  Everyone at the table nodded or said hello.

  “Where is the underwear?”

  “It’s right here,” Frank said, reaching for the dish towel.

  “Don’t touch it,” Wells replied, holding up her hand.

  Frank retracted his hand, a scowl on his face. “I know what I’m doing.”

  “Please let me handle this, Mr. Murphy.”

  Frank flashed his palms.

  Wells removed the dish towel, then placed the Ziploc bag and underwear inside the plastic evidence bag, sealing it tight. She handed it to the officer standing next to Danny, and he took it outside, presumably to the detective’s car.

  “Where’s Becky?” Wells asked.

  “She’s sleeping in my bed,” Ruth replied.

  “Okay. We’ll have to wake her up and take her to the hospital for an exam.” Wells surveyed the people seated around the kitchen table. “Which one of you is Becky’s mother?”

  Susie raised her hand. “I am.”

  “What’s your full name?”

  “Susan Murphy.”

  Wells nodded to Susie. “Ms. Murphy, you’ll come to the hospital with me and Becky.” She glanced around the table. “I would like the rest of you to go to the police station with Officer Gibbs to be interviewed. This is not mandatory, but, since all of you obviously care about Becky, I would be surprised and dismayed if anyone refused.”

  “Nobody has anything to hide,” Frank said, interjecting, still standing near Danny.

  “Great.” Wells stared at Jason for a split second, then said, “Within the next few hours, we’ll have crime scene investigators here.”

  The officer who had gone outside, reentered the house, and marched back to the dining room.

  “I don’t want anyone going into the basement until they’ve finished their work.” Wells gestured to the officer. “Officer Harris will guard the scene until it’s been processed.”

  Michelle wondered why they were so concerned about the basement. Do they think she was abused there? Then it hit her like a bolt of lightning. Jason was in the basement, with Becky, … alone.

  Chapter 11: Suspicious

  Michelle sat in the waiting room of the Loganville Township Police Station alongside her parents. Detectives were separately interviewing Jason and Cody. Frank stood from his plastic chair and walked to the nearby vending machines.

  Michelle turned to her mother and whispered, “Why are they checking the basement? What did Dad tell the detective?”

  Ruth turned to her daughter, not whispering. “I assume your father told them the truth.”

  Frank returned with a cup of coffee. He must’ve heard their conversation because he said, “Jason was alone with Becky in the basement several times over the past two days.”

  “Twice,” Michelle replied, glaring. “Not several times. Two times. I don’t appreciate you and Susie throwing Jason under the bus. He didn’t do anything.”

  Frank stirred his coffee. “If he didn’t do anything, he has nothing to worry about.”

  ***

  “What did they ask you?” Michelle asked, sitting in the front passenger seat of her BMW in the parking lot of the Loganville Township Police Station.

  Jason rested his head on the steering wheel. “They think I did it.”

  Michelle arched her eyebrows. “The police said that?”

  Jason sat up and took a deep breath. He turned toward Michelle. “Not exactly. They were very suspicious. They asked me about what Becky and I did in the basement, which is fine, but then they started asking me if I touched her. When I said no, they kept asking.” He mimicked the male
detective. “Are you sure you didn’t brush against her? Was it an accident? You can tell us. I bet you’d like to get it off your chest. If you talk now, things will be much easier for you.” Jason shook his head. “It was an hour of that bullshit. They were trying to get me to confess. It was stupid of me to talk to them without an attorney.”

  Chapter 12: From Bad to Worse

  “I don’t think I should go in.” Jason parked the BMW in the hospital parking garage.

  Michelle reached over and grabbed his hand. “If you don’t go in, it’ll look bad.”

  “It already looks bad. You saw the way Susie was looking at me at your parents’ house. The cops are looking at the basement, where I was alone with Becky.” He swallowed hard. “I have a really bad feeling about this. Your dad already doesn’t like me—”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Really? Come on, Michelle. He tolerates me. He actually likes Danny. That’s another thing. I really don’t like it that your ex-boyfriend is part of the investigation. He’s already biased against me.”

  “You’re jumping to conclusions.”

  Jason broke eye contact and removed his hand from hers. He peered through the windshield at the concrete wall of the parking garage. “I’m going home. If you want to stay, that’s fine, but I’m leaving.”

  They had planned on staying for a few more days.

  “You can’t leave. That’ll look really bad,” Michelle said.

  “I know how it looks.” Jason turned back to Michelle, scowling, his fists clenched. “It doesn’t matter. They are already looking at me. I can’t be around people who think I could do such a thing. I can’t. They can all fuck off.”

  Michelle hung her head and rubbed her eyes. She raised her gaze to Jason again. “I can’t believe this is happening. This is crazy.”

  Jason closed his eyes. When he opened them, a tear slipped down his cheek. “Can we go home? Please.”

  Michelle nodded. “Okay. Let me check on Becky, and then we’ll go. You can wait in the car, if you don’t feel comfortable, but I don’t think my family really thinks it was you—”

  “I’m not going in.”

  “That’s fine. You know what? Maybe it was nobody. Maybe Becky saw something in a movie. Susie lets her watch R-rated movies.”

  Jason shrugged. “I hope so.”

  “I’ll be back.” Michelle leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, then exited the BMW.

  Michelle left the parking garage and entered the hospital. She found her family in the pediatrics waiting room. Ruth and Cody sat in chairs, one chair between them. Cody leafed through an automotive magazine. Ruth stared into space, like a zombie. Frank paced, like a man possessed.

  Michelle approached her father. “What’s going on?”

  “Susie and Becky are still with the doctor,” Frank said, his face twisted into a scowl.

  “I was thinking that it’s possible that nothing happened. Maybe Becky was just repeating something she saw on TV.”

  Frank shook his head, his lower jaw jutting forward. “Susie said the exam showed vaginal trauma.” He took a deep breath, his hands on his hips. “There was penetration, … probably from a finger.”

  Michelle winced. “Oh my God. Did she say who it was?”

  Frank shook his head again, his face red with rage. “No, but that’s not all. Based on what Becky said, she was probably forced to perform oral sex.”

  Tears welled in Michelle’s eyes. She wiped the corners of her eyes and said, “I … I don’t know what to say.”

  “Where’s Jason?”

  “He’s in the car.”

  “Why didn’t he come in?” Frank narrowed his eyes, searching Michelle’s face.

  Michelle sniffled. “He’s feeling a little persecuted at the moment. The police were tough on him.”

  “That’s their job. They’re not concerned about his feelings. They’re concerned about the truth.”

  Michelle pursed her lips. “It’s not just the police. Susie was quick to point the finger at him. So were you.”

  “That’s bullshit. Let me tell you something.” Frank pointed at Michelle. “If Jason did have something to do with this, he better hope the cops get to him before I do.”

  Chapter 13: DNA

  After the hospital, Jason and Michelle had packed up their belongings and drove home to Villanova, Pennsylvania.

  Over the next nine days, Michelle had talked to Ruth three times on the phone. She had said Becky was physically healthy, and she was seeing a child psychologist who specialized in sexual abuse. Michelle had wondered if Becky would ever emotionally recover from the trauma. The police hadn’t made any progress in the case. At least, that’s what Ruth had said. Michelle hadn’t talked to Frank or Susie since Jason and Michelle left Loganville on December 26. She was still pissed that they were pointing the finger at Jason.

  Michelle placed the marinated steaks on the indoor gas grill. She washed her hands. Humming came from the garage door opener. Then the throaty exhaust from Jason’s M3. Michelle went to the side-by-side refrigerator, fishing out lettuce and vegetables for the salad. As she was cutting the tomato, Jason walked into the kitchen, his mouth turned down and his shoulders slumped.

  “Hey, honey. Dinner should be ready in about ten minutes.”

  “I’m not hungry.” He set his briefcase on the counter, along with his keys.

  Michelle set down the serrated knife and approached her husband. “What’s wrong?”

  “Detective Wells showed up at my office today.”

  Michelle inhaled sharply. “What did she want?”

  He grunted. “My DNA.”

  “Your DNA? For what?”

  “I think they want to compare my DNA to a sample from Becky’s exam.”

  Michelle hesitated for a second. “Did you give them a sample?”

  Jason exhaled a tired breath. “I did. She swabbed the inside of my cheek.”

  Michelle smiled. “This is actually really good. They’ll compare your DNA to their sample, and this’ll clear your name.”

  “That’s what Detective Wells said.”

  “Exactly. This is a good thing.”

  “Then why do I feel sick to my stomach?”

  Chapter 14: Objects in Motion

  Eleven fourth-grade gifted students crowded around the ski slope, which was a six-foot long piece of plywood covered in wax paper and propped on Michelle’s desk. Two students held stopwatches at the ready. Michelle leaned over her desk, holding two six-inch-tall aluminum foil skiers at the top of the slope. Popsicle sticks were taped to their feet as skis. A fan was set up at the finish line, blowing air up the slope, causing resistance. The skiers were low and bent forward to reduce wind resistance. The race was the culmination of their lesson on Newton’s laws of motion.

  Michelle said, “Ready. Set. Go.” She let go of the skiers at the same time.

  The aluminum foil skiers raced down the slope, the students cheering. The skier on the right won by a nose. The students with the stopwatches recorded their times for the leaderboard.

  “Great job, you two. Notice that Allison and Jake added foil to the bottom of their skis to reduce friction.” Michelle held up two more skiers. “This is Samantha on the right and Kevin on the left.”

  The classroom telephone rang. Michelle handed the skiers to an adorable little brunette. “Emily will be the starter, while I answer the phone.”

  While the students continued the downhill skiing championship, Michelle answered the phone on the wall. “Hello. This is Michelle Lewis speaking.”

  The students cheered the aluminum foil skiers.

  “This is Tori. I’m so sorry to bother you at work. Jason asked me to call you.” Tori was Jason’s administrative assistant.

  Michelle’s heart pounded. It had been a week since Jason’s DNA had been collected. “What’s wrong?”

  “He was arrested by the Loganville police. Jason told me to tell you to hire an attorney and to meet him in Loganville at the polic
e department.”

  Michelle dropped the receiver on the linoleum.

  Chapter 15: The Defense Attorney

  After notifying her principal of the family emergency—she didn’t go into specifics—Michelle sent her gifted students back to their regular teachers and left school. She drove home in a trance, her mind overloaded with apocalyptic thoughts. As she pulled into her driveway, she slowed the car, her stomach doing cartwheels. Three police cruisers and a van crowded her driveway. One was unmarked. Most of the vehicles were from the Loganville Township Police, but one cruiser was from her local department—the Radnor Township Police. She parked behind a cruiser.

  Are they going to arrest me?

  Michelle exited her car and fast-walked toward the front door, the winter wind biting at her ears and cutting through her slacks. Detective Wells stood with two uniformed police officers, everyone watching Michelle.

  At the bottom of the stoop, Michelle asked, “What is this?”

  Detective Wells stepped toward Michelle and handed her a piece of paper. “We have a search warrant. Open the door, please.”

  Michelle glanced at the search warrant, her heart pounding. She skimmed something about confiscating computers and searching the premises. Michelle stepped up to the stoop, her legs wobbly. At the front door, she fished through her purse for her keys. She dropped her keys on the stoop. One of the officers picked up her keys and handed them to Michelle.

  “Thank you,” Michelle replied, barely above a whisper. With shaky hands, she unlocked the door.

  Before Michelle opened the door, Detective Wells placed her hand on the door and said, “I’m sorry. You have to stay outside while we conduct our search.”

  “How long will that be?”

  “I’m not sure. It’s a pretty big house. At least six hours.”

  “I need the phone, and I need to go on the internet to find an attorney.”