She had her phone out but didn’t move. Luke watched her. Something was up with the man, but what? They could be wrong in their suspicions.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Waiting. I want to see what he does. Someone or something else is in there.”
Luke nodded. “I can use my pocket knife and cut the screen door to get in.”
Alexis raised her head, eyes widening, and seemed to consider it for a moment. “No, not yet.” Both stopped as some other noise came from inside. “Was that a scream? Muffled?”
“Or cut off. Call 911.” He yanked the knife from his pocket. Its two and a half inch blade would do what was needed.
The door at the side banged open and the scruffy-haired man ran out. He held a backpack in one hand like a weapon and ran straight for them. Luke stepped out to meet him. The man’s eyes flicked to the blade in Luke’s hand, and he swerved and headed for the car.
“Hey!” Luke yelled.
Alexis grabbed his arm. “Let him go, Luke. He could have a gun with him or one in the car.”
His muscles tightened, and Alexis’ fingers sunk into his arm.
“No. Jessica is more important.”
Luke hesitated. It had been six years since he’d faced combat – six years that dissolved like they were yesterday. Adrenalin surged through him.
The car door slammed. The engine started. The Ford swerved their way, and they both jumped backward. Luke grabbed for the carport’s support pole and righted himself. The car squealed into a U-turn and accelerated down the street.
Alexis’ voice came from behind him. He glanced around just as she ran for the trailer’s open door. He straightened and limped after her.
As he stepped inside, he folded the knife and slipped it into his pocket. The trailer had a mixture of smells. None good, but one he knew he could identify.
“Jessica!” Alexis yelled. “Jessica!”
From the end of the hallway came a muffled cry. A bureau covered a bedroom door. Next to it an ottoman lay on its side.
Alexis grabbed the bureau, but Luke shoved her aside. He put a hand on each side, rocked it back and forth and shimmied it out of the way.
Before he’d cleared the doorway, Alexis pushed past him into the room. Her voice rose with the girl’s name then dropped into what sounded like a curse. He moved around the bureau, but Alexis stepped in front of him.
“Wait outside.” Her voice roughened with command.
His one glimpse had given him more information than he needed. He whirled, grabbed his phone, and punched 911. The man had left the girl naked, bruised and bloodied. His hands shook as he waited for the operator.
Chapter 7
By the time they arrived back at the college, night had saturated the ground with dew, and the moon had risen then dropped in the sky. Alexis put her head back against the truck’s seat. Exhaustion traveled through every nerve and muscle in her body, and her head ached.
Luke stopped the truck next to her car, the only one in the staff parking lot. The electric poles scattered yellow light into Luke’s truck and across her Jaguar. Alexis didn’t move, not because she didn’t want to, but because she had to wait for her legs and arms to respond to her mental “Get out.”
In the semi-darkness, he turned her way. “So, this is your world.”
Hearing the harshness in his tone and not sure of his meaning, she said nothing.
“You have my sympathy – and admiration.” His tone softened. “Your world is not pretty.”
She rolled her head back and forth. “Cops and robbers, only mine are victims and abusers. Yes. It’s what I do – or did until a few months ago.”
“Why?”
“I hate the violence perpetrated against women and children.”
His silence indicated he thought she had more to say, but she remained quiet. Pain formed a dark remembrance in the corner of her mind. He’d asked earlier if she had chased down other victims whose cases she was working. She’d answered yes; perhaps now he saw the reason why.
Luke shifted his hands on the steering wheel. “‘Vengeance is mine,’ says the Lord; but I would gladly wreak vengeance on the man who did this.”
“Then you know how I feel.”
“Yes, but you get to.”
“Sometimes.” She knew the frustration, the anger of not being able to help. When he hit the steering wheel, it didn’t surprise her.
“How do you cope with that?”
“What? Not winning a case?”
“Yes.”
“Not well.”
The silence stretched again before he added, “Jessica was glad you were there – when the police arrived, and in the ambulance, and again at the hospital.”
“I wanted to be there. The assault is only heightened by the investigative procedures.”
“I’m beginning to understand that. At least the first officer on the scene seemed professional and caring.”
“Yes, and he called in female backup. And talked to her about the Order of Protection against Leland, if they find him. Whether they will, I don’t know. Her mom didn’t know too many of his friends or even where his family lives.” She shifted in the seat. “That detective was a different story.”
“I noticed.”
In the dark cab, she couldn’t see his face, but the tautness of his voice made her own frustration ease.
She’d wanted to slap the man. Hard. “Men like that, who act like the victim caused the rape, do more than almost anything else to keep victims from reporting. It’s hard enough to be violated like that without fending off sneers and questions that tear at who you are. If Jessica hadn’t asked me to stay during the questioning – plus the fact that both you and I could give evidence to her claim – his attitude and questions might have humiliated her more.”
Surprisingly, Jessica had answered his questions with poise and dignity. She’d kept a rein on her emotions until the man left. Alexis had reached out as the door closed and enfolded Jessica in her arms and let her cry.
“Tell me more about the rape test kit.”
“What?” She drew her mind back. “Oh, the kit is used to collect forensic or physical evidence from the victim – an hours-long examination, as you just discovered. They collect hair and fibers from clothing and the victim. Also, body fluids such as saliva and semen. All of it can help in identifying the rapist. You can imagine what kind of exam they do to collect those. It’s horrible to be raped, then questioned by law enforcement, and finally to have to go through such a physical and emotional ordeal at the hospital.” She stared out the window. “It’s no wonder the vast majority of rapes go unreported.”
“You stuck by her the whole time and had them call the rape crisis counselors. Jessica and her mother have a lot to thank you for.”
She waved her hand, dismissing his comment. “Jessica will need the counseling now and in the months to come. I hope she takes advantage of it.”
“If you were licensed to practice here, would you take Jessica’s case?”
She hesitated. Wasn’t that her whole reason for leaving Atlanta? Leaving her job? To put this all behind her? She’d come here looking for a new life, not more of the same.
“I can’t practice here. That’s the reality.”
He said nothing, and she looked away.
“Where do we go from here?”
“To see that scumbag put away?”
“Yes.”
She rolled her shoulders forward, rolled her head side to side again. How could she run from this? Running from herself was one thing, running when it involved someone else was another.
“I’ll do whatever I can.”
“I knew you would. Jessica will need you. She’ll need someone who knows the ins and outs of this.”
“What I know is this – and since you’re a man this is a prickly subject – but men are scumbags. I admit to meeting a few good ones, but by and large…”
“By and large what you see are scumbags.”
“Well, if what you see and hear is what we saw today, I understand your sentiments.”
“Thank you.”
After a moment, he said, “After what Jessica told us about her mom, Dawn surprised me.”
“Encouraging Jessica to make the complaint?”
“Yes.”
“A mother bear acting to an attack on her cub. Let’s see if she stays with that after the first of her anger disappears.”
“You think she could change her mind?” His voice ratcheted up a notch.
“It’s happens. Other moms have changed their minds. Victims have, too. Dawn kicked Leland out Friday night when Jessica told her she was pregnant, and I’m sure neither of them expected him to show back up again. If the girl had gone to her friend’s instead of feeling like she had to tell her mother right away…” Regret filled her heart, and Alexis folded her hands in her lap. “If I had gone over there after my first class…”
“I wondered if you were going there. Don’t. You have nothing to feel guilty about. You know who the perpetrator is here. Keep your eyes on him. The man knew their routine, when she’d be home alone.”
“My guess is he watched from down the street and waited to see when Jessica’s mom left.”
“I wonder why he hung around from morning until evening. You’d think…” He stopped.
Alexis knew he didn’t want to put words to the thoughts in his mind. She’d wanted the same many times.
“I think he was waiting for Dawn to come back from work.” She cleared her throat. “He wanted revenge on them both.”
“Just for throwing him out?”
“For that and all that it meant.” Alexis tightened her voice. “I’m sure he has a sexual relationship with Dawn – and a free place to stay. Add to that food and probably money Dawn gave him. He’s most likely tried to get Dawn on drugs.”
“The place smelled like weed – like marijuana.”
She nodded. “Since it’s legal in more and more states, most people are dropping their wariness of it. A shame, especially since it can be laced with other things. He’s probably her supplier if she’s using and that is another hook he has in her.”
She threw open the door and climbed down, standing for a moment, staring at the ground. Taking a deep breath of cold air, she raised her head. Beyond her, dawn showed in the silvered outline of the dark mountains.
“Alexis?”
She glanced into the lit cab. “Yeah?”
“Are you okay?”
“What?”
“Are you okay?” He lifted one side of his mouth. “I can’t do anything about the fact that I’m a man, but I’ve been told that I’m a good listener.”
“No.” She said it quick. He was a man. She appreciated all he’d said and done today, but could she talk with him about her feelings? No.
She opened the car’s door, leaned over, and set her purse on the passenger seat. “Thank you for the offer, though. I…I do appreciate it.” She slid into the seat, making sure he knew she wouldn’t change her mind.
“Okay. What’s your number?”
“What?”
“Your phone number. I’ll plug it into my phone, call you, and you’ll have mine. If something else comes up, give me a call. I’d like to be kept in the loop, if possible.”
“Oh, I…” She hesitated. Come on. Just give it to him. When she told him, he punched it in and a few seconds later, she heard her phone give its lilting ring.
Okay, he had it; and she had his. Not that she’d use it. “Thanks.”
Luke nodded and started the truck’s engine. “See you in a few hours.”
She clipped the seatbelt, pushed the start button, and flipped on the lights. A few hours? Ah, work. She watched as his truck headed for the exit.
With her hand on the wheel, she hesitated. What would it feel like to trust again?
Her boss in Atlanta, Tim Bradley, had earned it if anyone had, but even in five years, she’d only let her guard down twice. Both times had to do with cases she should have won, wanted with all her heart to win, but had lost because the victims wouldn’t testify. Fear and humiliation had won instead, and the last victim, Jennifer Johnson, had died later at the hand of her abuser. When she got the news, Alexis could not contain her anger nor her tears.
Tim had talked with and comforted her like the fatherly, family man he was. But Tim also knew the courts, the victims, and the perpetrators. And he knew justice and Alexis’ thirst for it. He’d comforted and encouraged and talked her into forging on. Losses came, but so did wins – and this abuser was now a murderer. They both wanted to see justice done, and they’d done it. That particular perpetrator now awaited sentencing. She’d given her notice as soon as the guilty verdict was returned.
She moved her head back against the Jaguar’s seat, inhaling the leather scent, pressing her shoulders into its coolness. Exhaustion eased up from her stomach into her arms and shoulders. She put the car into drive and crossed the parking lot. Her heart gave a quick jolt when Luke’s truck lights came on near the exit.
He’d waited for her.
***
The early light of morning sifted between the tree’s remaining leaves and painted the living room floor. Luke’s pacing stopped. He swung to face the window and stared past the huge tree to the mountains beyond. He inhaled, filled his lungs, and held it for a second or two before exhaling, and pulled control from the depths of his soul.
The animals needed tending, and there was work to do before he left for class. He’d get no sleep, but he couldn’t force himself back out the door, yet.
Focusing on the mountains stirred questions he’d faced before. God had made them. No matter when he looked out, they were always there. Steady, strong, immoveable.
He rubbed a hand down his face. The picture of Jessica on the stretcher as they wheeled her to the ambulance crowded his mind. Her bruised face, the matted hair. Alexis had found a bathrobe for her, shielding her from the curious eyes of the neighbors. She’d sent him a long look before climbing into the ambulance with the girl.
Lord, you made the mountains, couldn’t you do a better job with humanity?
He whirled from the window, grabbing the water bottle he’d set on the end table. It crushed in his hand. Water squirted and flooded his fingers, running onto the floor.
Scripture coursed through his mind.
The gift of choice. He set the water bottle back on the table and closed his eyes. They’d played out this scenario once before – he and God – six years ago. People chose which way they wanted to go. They chose God or not. He’d had no problem choosing to fight what he saw as evil. But what would he choose after a bomb exploded killing and maiming those he cared for? He’d chosen God again, chosen to believe that the God he served was good and worthy to be praised even when he could not understand why things happened as they did.
After that decision, God had led him here, to Appalachian Christian College. Whoever thought the warrior would find such satisfaction in teaching, in directing lives? God had given him a place of influence with these young adults, and he respected that, prized it even.
But tonight something different had touched his life.
You aren’t going to show me this just to let me sit and do nothing about it, are you? You’ve called Alexis. I see that, even if she’s run from the calling right now. You haven’t let her get away. He ran a hand down his face again, directed his focus to the mountains again.
She’s fragile, isn’t she? Under that gruff self-sufficiency is something young and vulnerable. Help her, Lord. Protect her. Help Jessica, too. Bring her comfort tonight and in the days to come. And show me what you want me to do.
***
Alexis grabbed a piece of chocolate from the desk drawer beside her and popped the whole thing into her mouth before eyeing the stack of essays again.
Luke had hung close at the hospital last night. His concern for Jessica impressed her. He had her brother’s capacity
for care. She smiled, and perhaps, his capacity for anger. Anger could be a good thing. When Luke snapped at an inappropriate question the investigating detective asked, the detective knew he had both of them watching out for Jessica. Alexis had appreciated Luke’s support. And he’d waited for her to leave last night. More protection.
The pile of essays blurred, and her mind returned to an idea stirring inside her. Both she and Dawn feared that Leland might return. They needed a safe house, but no beds were available. Alexis had checked, and since she wouldn’t be the attorney on this case, she could offer a place to stay. She’d wanted to do that in the past and couldn’t, but now? Would it work? Would they accept her offer?
She glanced at her watch. Jessica would be released from the hospital sometime around 7:00 PM. Just under the twenty-four-hour mark for the hospital and the insurance. In less than two hours, she needed to make a decision.
A movement startled her, and she raised her head.
Luke stood just inside the door. “How’re you holding up?”
“I’m fine.”
“Would you tell me if you weren’t?” He held up a hand before she could say anything. “No need to answer. I’ll change the subject. How’s Jessica?”
“Her mom answered when I called. Jessica is doing well according to her. They’ll be getting out soon.”
His lower lip moved as if he wanted to say something, but he only nodded. “They’re having a concert before the game tonight. You going?”
Alexis blinked, trying to hopscotch her mind to the new topic. She looked at the books and papers scattered across her desk. “I have too much to do. Grading is harder than teaching and takes longer.”
Luke pushed away from the door. “Exactly why you need a break. Especially after yesterday.”
“And what about you?”
“Same as you. After trying to grade the essays I assigned, I wished I’d never assigned them.” He glanced at her desk. “Even if I do all mine online. I decided I needed a break. Come on. It starts in a few minutes. I heard they have pizza and hotdogs.”
“Oh, yummy.”
He smiled, his eyes warming; and her stomach did a strange little flip.
“If you’re as tired as you looked a moment ago, you’re making bad judgments on those papers, anyway.”
Looking for Justice: Christian Contemporary Romance with Suspense (Dangerous Series Book 4) Page 6