by Jae
"Docket number 79608, the People versus Garett Ballard," the bailiff called out, interrupting their conversation. "The charges are three counts rape in the first degree, three counts possession of stolen property, one count unlawful possession of a firearm, one count resisting arrest, and two counts of assaulting a public safety officer."
Kade is going after him with both barrels. Aiden smiled. The search of Ballard's apartment had brought to light not only a Glock 17 but also various bracelets, key-ring pendants, and pins with symbols of lesbianism that Ballard had taken away from his victims as trophies.
"Victor D'Aquino for the Defense, Your Honor," the defense attorney announced.
Kade stood when an officer led Ballard in front of the judge. "Kadence Matheson, representing the People."
"Is the defendant ready to enter a plea?" Judge Stenton asked.
Ballard's lawyer nodded. "Yes. Not guilty on all counts, Your Honor."
The judge turned toward Kade. "Recommendations on bail, Ms. Matheson?"
"Your Honor, the People request remand," Kade said with a stern expression. "The defendant has no significant ties to the community, and we just learned that he has the financial means to flee the jurisdiction of this court. The risk of flight is blatant."
"If it pleases the court, we ask that the defendant be released on his own recognizance," Victor D'Aquino objected. "My client has no prior criminal convictions; he's lived in the area for the last six years and holds down a steady job. He's not a flight risk."
"A job which provides him with continuing access to his victims," Kade pointed out.
The defense attorney raised his index finger. "Alleged victims. Your Honor, my client has a spotless record, not even a traffic ticket!"
"Your client isn't charged with a parking offense!" Kade countered. "The defendant has brutally raped and beaten at least three women."
"My client is a first time offender. Remand is ridiculous."
Judge Stenton nodded. "Hold your horses, Mr. D'Aquino. While I'm loath to order remand on all cases other than homicides, I must agree with Ms. Matheson that the defendant does pose a flight risk. Bail is set at two hundred thousand dollars, payable in cash or bond." He raised his gavel.
"Your Honor," Kade interjected, "the People request no contact as a condition of bail."
Stenton looked down at his files. "So ordered. Mr. Ballard, you cannot have any form of contact with Ms. Riggs, Ms. Matthews, or Ms. Kinsley. That includes in person, by phone, by letter, or through a third party. In addition, for the duration of this trial, you will no longer be an employee of the Rainbows club. If you violate this order, I'll be very happy to revoke your bail. Is that understood?"
While an almost bored looking Gary Ballard just shrugged, his lawyer answered for him, "Yes, Your Honor."
"Next case." The gavel banged, and the court clerk began to read out the next charges.
Aiden slipped from the room and waited outside until Kade had shouldered her briefcase.
"Sorry," Kade said when she caught up with the detective, "I had a feeling Stenton would deny remand. At least we've gotten him away from the club, so he can't scout for new victims there."
Aiden suppressed a sigh. She wasn't looking forward to telling Dawn that her rapist had been set free for the time being. "Good thinking on the no-contact order," she tried to console the DDA. Not that it'll do us any good. A man who brutally attacks and rapes defenseless women is not very likely to be impressed with a simple court order. Hmm. Maybe I can get the lieutenant to assign a protective detail to Dawn and the others.
"Ms. Matheson?" Victor D'Aquino, the defense attorney, called from behind them. "One minute of your time, please. I'd like to discuss a deal."
Aiden watched as Kade stepped away from her and began to talk to Ballard's lawyer. A deal? Kade, no! No deal for this bastard!
"I'm not interested in a plea bargain, Mr. D'Aquino."
Yes! Aiden resisted the sudden urge to stick out her tongue at the defense attorney.
"Come on, Counselor, spare the taxpayers the expense of a trial, yourself the public humiliation of a loss, and the alleged victims the cross-exam. It's a he said/she said on the rapes, and you know I'll take them apart on the stand," D'Aquino threatened. "You've got no eyewitnesses, no prior record, and no confession. You've got nothing."
Aiden felt her throat constrict at the thought of Dawn being mercilessly questioned on the witness stand, having to relive the rape again and again. Maybe a deal isn't such a bad idea after all.
"I wouldn't call DNA evidence 'nothing,' Mr. D'Aquino," Kade said coolly.
The defense attorney shrugged. "My client admits he had sexual relations with Ms. Kinsley – it was consensual. So, how about a deal?"
Consensual? Yeah, right. Lying bastard! Aiden changed her opinion on a deal again.
"You want a deal, Mr. D'Aquino? Here's a deal for you: he pleads to the rapes and the assault, and I'll drop the other charges," Kade offered.
"That's laughable, Ms. Matheson. The other charges are mere misdemeanors. Take the felonies off the table," D'Aquino demanded.
Kade held his gaze. "I could charge your client with a hate crime since he selected his victims based on their sexual orientation. That would add another five years to his sentence."
Victor D'Aquino hesitated. "Sexual misconduct, he does six months."
"Sexual misconduct? You mean he's admitting he did something wrong? No deal, Mr. D'Aquino. Garett Ballard is a menace to this city, and I'm going to put him behind bars. See you in court." Kade strode away without another word.
Aiden grinned and watched Kade stride away. I think that was the Kade Matheson version of "Kiss my ass"!
"Hey, Aiden!" Ray climbed the stairs to the court building just as Aiden walked out the front entrance. "Arraignment over already? How'd it go?"
"Stenton was handling arraignments today," Aiden answered.
They began to make their way back to the Justice Center, walking the two blocks side by side. "Damn. That means Ballard's out on bail, doesn't it?"
Aiden nodded. "Afraid so. The judge issued a no-contact order, but we all know that this won't impress a law-abiding citizen like Mr. Ballard."
Ray stopped for a moment and studied her. "You're worried about Dawn, huh?"
"I'm worried about all of them," Aiden emphasized, "Ms. Matthews and Ms. Riggs, too."
Ray smiled. "Don't bother to hide it. I know that you worry about Dawn most of all."
"She's the one who's most endangered since she's not only his most recent victim but the only one who could indisputably ID him and the only one we have any DNA on," Aiden told Ray, and herself, in an attempt to make her worries sound professional and logical. "If Ballard can prevent her from testifying and we have to rely on the others, the case will be pretty shaky."
"So, what are we gonna do?"
Aiden smiled at him, grateful for the support the simple "we" showed. "Maybe we can get the lieutenant to detail a few uniforms or two detectives to watch Dawn's building at night."
* * *
"Forget it, you two," Astrid Swenson said with vigor. The stocky blonde leaned back in her desk chair and looked at her detectives with a steely expression.
Ray had already expected this answer, but his partner didn't seem ready to give up.
Aiden stepped closer to Swenson's desk. "But Lieutenant, Ms. Kinsley –"
"I know that she would sleep better at night if she had a unit at her front door; we all would, but I can't spare the people," the lieutenant said. "Most of my people are already doing maximum overtime – including you."
"If we could just put one unit on her for a few nights..." Aiden tried again.
Lieutenant Swenson shook her head. "Ms. Kinsley is in no concrete danger. Ballard didn't threaten her in any way. He doesn't even know her new address." She looked between her two detectives and then fixed her gaze on Aiden. "Is there something going on here that I'm not aware of? What's so special about this case when you have t
hree dozen others waiting for you? Ms. Kinsley isn't a friend of yours or something, is she?"
Aiden's shoulders drooped. "No, not really," she mumbled.
That's not a lie, Ray thought, but it sure as hell isn't the truth either.
Swenson seemed to sense it, too. The gaze of her blue-gray eyes drilled through Aiden.
Sometimes, Ray was equally astonished and impressed that their lieutenant always knew what went on in her squad room even when she spent most of her time in her own office.
"Aiden, I don't want anything to compromise this case. There can be no conflicts of interest," Swenson warned. "I like for my detectives to show some zeal and compassion for the victims, but you can't hurt your credibility by becoming too emotionally involved."
I know that, Aiden knows that, but at this point, does she really have a choice? Ray wondered. If she tries to distance herself from Dawn, it would rob Dawn of what little safety she has at the moment. She would be insecure, confused, maybe even angry. It could affect her testimony and hurt the case as badly as any further involvement Aiden has with her.
"I met Ms. Kinsley, and while I'm sure she would make a good friend," Swenson continued, making Ray wonder if she suspected the true nature of Aiden's interest in Dawn Kinsley, "there are plenty of other fish in the sea."
Yes, there are, Ray thought. Problem is, it's this little goldfish that she likes, not some other scaly creature.
Aiden pressed her lips together. "Come on, Ray, let's go back to work. There are three dozen other cases waiting."
* * *
"Want me to call her?" Ray offered.
Aiden looked away from the phone on her desk. She knew exactly whom her partner meant. "Nice of you to offer, but I think I'll do it myself."
"Okay." Ray wandered off in the direction of the coffee machine to give Aiden some privacy.
Aiden glanced at her watch. She should be back from having lunch with her mother, and it's still two hours until self-defense class starts. She grabbed the phone and then stopped and shook her head at herself when she became aware of the fact that she already knew Dawn's daily routine by heart. Shoving the unwelcome revelation back into the deepest recesses of her mind, she dialed Dawn's new home number. "Hey, Dawn, it's –"
"I know your voice by now, Detective," Dawn interrupted. Aiden imagined, from the sound of her voice, that Dawn was smiling. "How are you?"
"Um..." Aiden was thrown off balance by Dawn's friendliness, not prepared for the simple question when all she was thinking about was how she could tell Dawn that her rapist was free again without scaring her to death. "I'm fine," she finally managed to say. "How are you?"
"Hanging in there, telling myself that it'll all be over soon – at least the trial part of it," Dawn answered.
"Yeah... about that, Dawn..." Aiden rubbed the back of her neck. "Ballard was arraigned this morning."
Dawn exhaled. It sounded like a sigh of relief. "Good."
"Not entirely, I'm afraid." Aiden hated to bust her bubble. "There are enough charges to put him away for a long, long time if we win, but we had a little bad luck with the arraignment judge. He set him free on bail."
"He's free?" Dawn repeated. Disbelief colored her voice.
Aiden had to clear her throat. "Yes."
"But he's the right one this time. I'm sure of it. I'll swear on a stack of Bibles that he's the one who raped me."
"I know it's him. No one is doubting your identification," Aiden soothed. "But the judge at arraignment doesn't decide over guilt or innocence, he just makes the decision about bail. Listen, why don't you think about leaving the city until the trial starts?"
There was a moment of silence at the other end of the line. "No. I won't run away. Ballard has already taken away enough of my life; I won't let him interrupt it again."
Aiden could understand that. "Okay, but how about moving in with your mother for a few days?"
"No."
Aiden sighed. "Dawn, we don't have the resources to protect you should he try to find you."
"I suppose I could stay at my mother's for a while, but she won't even be home until the day after tomorrow. She's in Spokane because my grandmother's in the hospital," Dawn said.
"Oh. I'm sorry." Aiden didn't know what to say. She was unaccustomed to family emergencies because it had always been just her mother and her.
"It's nothing too bad," Dawn said. "She'll be back at her beloved poker night in no time."
Aiden had to smile as a picture of an older version of Dawn appeared before her mind's eye. "I don't suppose you'd consider staying with your ex for a few days?" He was a police officer, too, and one that wasn't expected to keep an emotional distance.
"Which one?" Dawn quipped.
"Huh?"
"Which ex?"
Aiden waited a few moments until she was sure she could answer without stuttering. She was curious but didn't want to think about any other men or women with whom Dawn might have been in a relationship. "Your ex-husband. You've only got one of those, haven't you?"
"One's more than enough, thank you very much, and no, I won't stay with him. I still haven't recovered from living under the same roof with him when we were married," Dawn joked. "Don't worry, Detective. I'll be fine on my own."
Aiden had no choice but to give up. It seemed they were evenly matched with regard to their stubbornness. "All right, but promise that you'll call me immediately if you get scared or see something suspicious."
"I will. Thank you."
Aiden said good-bye and hung up.
Ray handed her a cup of coffee. "How is she?"
"Stubborn and trying to be brave, but I think she's pretty scared."
"The chances that he'll find her – if he even tries to – are very slim," Ray tried to comfort her.
Aiden bit her lip. "Any chance at all, even if it's slim, is too much."
* * *
Aiden shivered and wrapped her hands tighter around her cup of coffee. The warmth in her car had begun to dissipate long ago, and she didn't want to call attention to herself by letting the engine run, but at least everything was quiet in Dawn's neighborhood.
When a tall figure appeared at the end of the street, Aiden put the paper cup down and unclipped her holster. She rested her right hand on the gun as the stranger walked toward her.
She couldn't see his face in the darkness, but something about the way he moved seemed familiar to Aiden. She shifted a little so that the steering wheel wouldn't get in the way if she had to draw her gun. Finally, the man stepped under a streetlight, and she could see his face. "Ray!" She let go of her gun and opened the door for him. "What are you doing here?"
Ray strolled up to the car and leaned against the open door. "Same as you, it would seem."
"Let me guess, you were in the neighborhood and decided to enjoy the view at this lovely little street for a while?" Aiden raised an eyebrow at him.
"Actually, I stopped by to remind you of rule number one." Ray rounded the car and slid into the passenger seat, setting a thermos full of coffee down on the dashboard.
Aiden gave him a skeptical look. "And that would be?"
"No surveillance without backup," Ray said seriously. "You're a cop, not a one-woman army."
Aiden looked down at the steering wheel. She knew he was right. "I didn't want to drag you into this. You won't get paid for it, and if the lieutenant ever gets wind of this, she'll probably make us walk the beat and write up parking tickets for the rest of the year."
The chirping sound of Aiden's cell phone interrupted whatever Ray was about to say. Giving him a quick glance, she pulled the cell phone from her belt. "Carlisle."
"Detective? Hi, it's Dawn Kinsley. I'm really sorry to disturb you, but..."
"Dawn, hi." Aiden looked up at the still brightly lit window on the fifth floor of the building and tried to imagine what Dawn was doing right now. "Is everything all right?"
"I'm probably just being paranoid, but there's a car parked right in front of my apartme
nt building. It's been there for hours. It's too dark to really see, but I think there's someone sitting in it, watching the building," Dawn explained, her hastily spoken words betraying her fear.
Aiden looked around. There was no one sitting in a car, except for her and Ray. "God, I'm sorry!" She groaned. Instead of protecting Dawn, she had scared her even further. "Dawn, you don't have to be afraid. That's me."
"You?"
A figure appeared in the fifth-floor window, and Aiden turned on the light in the car and waved.