Redress of Grievances

by Brenda Adcock

  Kissing her softly, Harriett smiled. It hadn't been long since she had said the same thing to Alex only to give in to her desires. She hadn't heard from Alex since that evening. It had been a mistake that she didn't want to repeat. "It's been a long time for me, too. I understand, Jess. Thank you."

  Harriett filled their mugs with coffee, offering Jess cream and sugar.

  "Would you still consider going out with me again?" Jess asked as she stirred creamer into her mug, suddenly afraid to hear the answer.

  "Absolutely," Harriett smiled. "How would you feel about letting me fix a late breakfast for you tomorrow morning?

  AT NINE FORTY-FIVE Sunday morning, Harriett opened the front door of her townhouse to greet Jess.

  "Good morning," she said cheerfully. "Hungry?"

  "Starving," Jess said as she followed her into the kitchen.

  "Pull up a stool. This will be ready in a minute" Setting a cup on the counter, Harriett poured a cup of coffee for her. Before she could return to preparing breakfast, Jess stopped her and pulled Harriett's lips to hers. "Thank you for last night," she said.

  "It was wonderful," Harriett smiled, meeting her lips a second time. "There's milk in the fridge and sugar in the canister. The paper is on the dining room table."

  Jess was amazed at how natural everything felt when she was with Harriett. She was sipping her coffee and glancing through the paper when Harriett set an omelet in front of her. "Hope this is okay.” she said.

  "It looks delicious," Jess smiled, diving into her food as she continued to read.

  Harriett picked out a section of the paper and began reading while she ate as well. "Hey, guess what?" she said with a chuckle. "The city council's decided that MoPac needs to be extended."

  Jess laughed. "It needed that almost as soon as they completed it."

  After a few minutes, Jess stopped eating and picked the paper up. "Damn," she said under her breath.

  "What?"

  "Another girl was killed last night." Looking at Harriett she asked, "Didn't you say your niece attends St. John's Prep?"

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  "YES, WHY?"

  "The victim is...or was a student there, too."

  "Let me see that," Harriett said, setting her fork down. She quickly scanned the small article. "Jesus, I know this girl."

  Glancing over her shoulder toward the stairs leading to her niece's room, Harriett said, "She's still asleep. I should tell her before she finds out some other way. I'm sorry, Jess."

  "Go take care of her. Can I use your phone for a minute?"

  "Sure. It's in the kitchen."

  While Jess was gone, Harriett went upstairs and looked into Lacey's bedroom. Only a swatch of blonde hair could be seen from under the covers. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she gently rubbed Lacey's back. Stretching and groaning loudly, Lacey opened her eyes and smiled at her aunt. "Just getting home?" she teased.

  "No, but I got home late and didn't want to wake you," Harriett said.

  Sitting up and plumping up her pillow, Lacey leaned back and said mischievously, "I want details, all the gory details."

  "Maybe later, Lace. I'm afraid I have some bad news, sweetheart," she frowned as she reached out and pushed a strand of hair from Lacey's face. "Corey Chandler was killed last night. It was in this morning's paper."

  For a moment, Lacey didn't react, too stunned to speak. "How....," she finally managed.

  "I don't know any more than I've told you right now. The paper didn't have any details," Harriett said softly. Taking Lacey into her arms and hugging her tightly, she whispered, "I'm so sorry, honey."

  When Harriett released her, a tear was making its way down the teenager's cheek. "I should call Devon. We saw her last night."

  "Come downstairs and I'll fix you something to eat," Harriett offered.

  "That's okay, Aunt Harriett. I'm not very hungry."

  She left Lacey as she was dialing Devon's number. She found Jess sitting at the kitchen table, writing notes on a legal pad Harriett kept near the phone.

  "Is she all right?" Jess asked as Harriett rested her hands on her shoulders and looked at the legal pad.

  "I think so. What's this?"

  "I just got a few more details from a friend of mine at APD. This is the second case like this in as many weeks. Last week it was a UT freshman named Marion Alexander."

  "Are you involved in the investigation?" Harriett asked as she sat down next to Jess.

  "Only in a peripheral way. I ran the last case through the offender files, but didn't get any hits on the MO. Must be a new freak in town."

  "Did the first girl die the same way?"

  "Raped and strangled after being picked up in a club. Apparently no one saw anything suspicious either time."

  "What about the autopsy reports? Were either of them drugged?"

  "Marion Alexander was clean and the tox report on Corey Chandler won't be ready for a few days. Why all the questions, Harriett?"

  "Corey was a classmate of Lacey's," Harriett shrugged. "I'm just concerned." A niggling feeling crept into Harriett's mind, but she shook it off when Lacey came into the kitchen wearing a bathrobe pulled tightly around her. Sitting at the table, she pulled her feet up under her and hand-brushed hair over her head revealing red-rimmed eyes.

  "Are you all right?" Harriett asked as she placed her hand on Lacey's knee.

  Lacey nodded. "Devon is coming over in about an hour. We're going to the Chandlers' for a few minutes."

  Looking at Jess, Harriett said, "Lacey and her boyfriend saw Corey last night."

  "When did you see her, Lacey?" Jess asked quietly.

  "After the movie, about eleven, I think."

  "Was she with anyone?"

  "She was with a couple of other girls from school. She told us she had her sister's ID, and they were going to a club for a few laughs," Lacey said as tears began to form in her eyes again.

  "Did she mention which club?" Jess inquired.

  Lacey shook her head and blinked, letting a tear escape and roll down her cheek. "I should have asked, but kids at school do that kind of thing all the time. I should have tried to talk her out of it."

  "It wasn't your fault," Jess said strongly. "There's no way you could have known what would happen. Were you very close to Corey?"

  "We had some classes together and used to hang around together a lot. Then we both started dating and sort of drifted apart. She told me a few days ago that she had met someone she really liked.'

  "Another student?" Jess asked.

  "No, she said he was older. She thought he was a grad student at UT."

  "Do you know a girl named Marion Alexander?"

  "I don't think so. The name doesn't ring a bell," Lacey answered.

  Later that morning Harriett followed Jess to her Durango and waited for her to get settled behind the wheel. "I'm sorry about Lacey's friend, Harriett," she said. "Will she be okay?"

  "It might take a while, but I'm sure she'll be fine," Harriett smiled.

  "I'll call you tomorrow," Jess said as she turned the key in the ignition.

  "Better let me call you. I have a client from Dallas whose trial has been moved here. She's supposed to arrive tomorrow. After that I'm afraid my work schedule is going to be pretty erratic."

  Pulling a pen from her visor, Jess wrote her home phone and pager number on the back of a business card. "You can always reach me at my cell number," she smiled as she handed Harriett the card.

  Leaning into the vehicle, Harriett hugged her tightly and kissed her. "I will call soon," she whispered emphatically.

  "DO WE KNOW where the prosecution team is staying in Austin?" Harriett asked Nick as they went over their case notes and the faxes Wayne had sent of the ballistic reports.

  "The Red Lion."

  "I'll contact them later about my new motions. Ought to make their day."

  "Do we know when our other experts are flying in?"

  "Olson is in the air even as we speak, but Renick can't
get away until Wednesday. A car is picking Olson up and bringing him here late today," Nick said. "How soon do you think it'll be before the trial begins?"

  "A few weeks," Harriett said. "Wayne told me the prosecution expert will be Donald Stevenson. I need to know everything about him, anything I can use to attack his testimony."

  "What's wrong with him?" Nick asked.

  "Another player from the Wilkes case," she explained. "Stevenson always testifies for the prosecution in cases like this. Wrote the book on disproving multiple personality as a defense. After the Wilkes case, he founded some organization back east devoted to debunking claims of insanity and has been very successful since then. He and Renick aren't on the best of terms, so we'll have to make sure they don't accidentally run into each other."

  "Are you going to see Sharon when she arrives?" Nick asked.

  "Since she's my client, I don't have much of a choice."

  "I'll go with you," Nick offered.

  "I can handle it," she said.

  "But..."

  "I said I can handle it, Nick. Just make sure your calendar will be clear when we get ready to pick the jury," Harriett said.

  WHEN SHE RECEIVED the phone call notifying her of Sharon Taggart's arrival, she wasn't looking forward to seeing her client. Before leaving her office, she placed a call to Judge Howard Landers's office requesting a time to present her motions. Then she called Sean Lassiter and gave him the time for the motion hearing the next morning at the Travis County Courthouse.

  A little after three Harriett was waiting for Sharon to join her. The time for niceties had passed.

  "It's crunch time, Sharon," she said as soon as the woman sat down. "You can't be bullshitting me from now on. Understand?"

  "Yes."

  "Tomorrow morning, I'm amending your plea to not guilty by reason of mental defect. The prosecution will be playing hardball from then on. This is the only chance you have to avoid prison and rebuild your life."

  "But I didn't do anything, Ms. Markham," Sharon said softly.

  "Yes, you did, Sharon. The evidence is strong enough to prove it. Tomorrow and Wednesday my last two experts are going to evaluate you. After that, at least one expert for the State will evaluate you. We'll probably be in court in two or three weeks."

  "Wait," Sharon frowned. "I don't understand. This is too confusing."

  Harriett looked at Sharon. "I know you don't understand, Sharon. You'll have to trust me more than you've ever trusted anyone before. Can you do that?"

  "Yes," Sharon said after a pause.

  "Good. The last time I saw you we were talking about Parker. Do you remember that?"

  "Yes."

  "Do you remember any of Parker's friends?"

  "No."

  "None of them?"

  "I don't remember their names now. It's been so long."

  "Have you ever seen any of them around Dallas?"

  "No."

  Getting nowhere with her client, Harriett took a chance and decided to change tactics.

  "Frank will be here for the trial. I talked to him this morning."

  "Really?"

  "He said he couldn't wait to see you again. He asked if I could arrange a conjugal visit here. It shouldn't be a problem," Harriett said as she doodled on her legal pad and waited. When she finally looked up at Sharon, she tossed a pack of cigarettes on the table in front of her client and asked, "Do you need a cigarette?"

  "What I don't need is a fuckin' conjugal visit with Frank fuckin' Taggart!"

  "You handled him the last time, Jan. It's important that your family appears to be supportive."

  "They're not my family, they're hers. You still pissed because I told you about me and Alex?"

  "Why should I be? That's ancient history."

  "I thought we agreed to tell each other the truth, Harriett."

  "I am telling the truth. Alex and I no longer have a relationship. Would you like to tell me about Parker's friends?"

  "I already told you I fucked them."

  "Were you alone with them?"

  "Parker was always there, watching. I think it turned him on, you know."

  "Did Sharon ever resist what was happening?"

  "She tried, but hell, she was too little to put up much of a fight."

  "Did Parker keep her from resisting?"

  "He'd put his hand over her mouth and tell his buddies to hurry up. Usually in the middle of this fun and games Sharon would go away and leave me stuck with it."

  "This is tough, Jan. I wish I didn't have to know so much."

  "What the hell," Jan shrugged. "One thing for sure, no one's ever going to hurt me or her again. How specific do you want?"

  "I have to establish the sexual abuse to make the case."

  Jan took a deep breath before beginning. "Parker would get her ready for company. Isn't that a quaint way of putting it? Anyway, at first, I didn't come out until she couldn't stand it any longer. Later, I would appear when she knew company was coming."

  "Didn't you fight back?"

  "Once, but it made Parker really mad."

  "What did he do?"

  "Nearly smothered me to death with his hand. I might have passed out. I can't remember much about that time. When Parker's friends got to the house, they would come to Sharon's room two at a time with Parker and do their thing one after the other while Parker talked to her, so she wouldn't think about it. She...I was just this... this thing on the bed."

  "How old was Sharon when this stopped?"

  "About thirteen or fourteen, I think. The last time was pretty bad."

  "Different from the other times?"

  "Yeah. She had to be taken to a hospital."

  Harriett cleared her throat, "What happened?"

  Jan's hand was shaking as she placed a cigarette between her lips, lit it, and inhaled deeply.

  "Things just got out of hand. Parker told them it would be the last time. He was leaving for college the next week. When his friends found that out, they called all their friends who might want one last piece of ass. I don't remember what time they started."

  "Where were her parents?"

  "Some social function."

  "Do you know what time they left?"

  "There was a dinner and then a dance. Maybe five-thirty or six. The first boys showed up as soon as they were out of the driveway."

  "In pairs?"

  "Yeah."

  "Do you know how many boys were there that night?"

  Tears filled Jan's eyes and spilled down her cheeks as she drew deeply on her cigarette.

  "How many on a football team?"

  "Twenty-two, offense and defense."

  "Sounds about right."

  "Jesus Christ," Harriett breathed.

  "It wasn't too bad until the end. Then Parker left to take a piss or something."

  "He left you alone with the boys?"

  "Yeah. Said he'd be right back and made them put rubbers on before he left. One was on top of me the second Parker left the room, but he stopped before he was finished. When he got up I thought it was over, you know," she said blinking rapidly at Harriett.

  "But he locked the door and said something to the other boy and they started laughing. The second one pulled his rubber off, and they both got on the bed. I started to scream for Parker, but he slapped my face and told me not to make a sound. I was really scared."

  Jan stopped and wiped her face, closing her eyes, which forced more tears down her face.

  "Do you need to take a break?" Harriett asked gently.

  When Jan opened her eyes, there was a defiant look in them. "No."

  Taking a ragged breath, she continued, "They rolled me on my side with one behind me and one in front. The one behind me pulled my leg up. I didn't know what was happening until I felt the pain. I couldn't scream because the other one put his hand over my mouth. He said, 'Just let it lay in there a minute until she relaxes.' Then he told me to open my mouth and said if I hurt him, he'd kill me. The pain was so bad that I couldn
't think. I felt his penis against my lips and opened my mouth; then his head was between my legs. I heard him laugh and say 'go ahead but keep your balls out of my way'."

  Slamming her fist on the table, Jan looked at her attorney. "There wasn't a fuckin' thing I could do. They were animals. I couldn't move my arms or legs and had to breathe through my nose when I could. His dick blocked my breathing and made me gag. I thought I was going to die like that when I heard Parker banging at the door, but they wouldn't stop."

  "What did Parker do?"

  Jan smiled weakly. "He said he'd take care of it," she said quietly.

  "How did he take care of it?"

  "He took Sharon to the doctor for his daddy's company who admitted her to a private hospital he ran," Jan said with a laugh. "Turned out to be a nursing home. One kid with a ripped up asshole and fifty skeletons on respirators."

  "What did her parents say when they found out?"

  "Parker called his mother at the club and told her something. Next thing I know, I'm in a nursing home."

  "Her parents had to have suspected something."

  Jan looked at Harriett for a moment and shrugged.

  "Did you ever hear any of the boys' names?"

  "The only one I remember was a guy they called Jerry. Hung like a donkey. Ripped me up pretty good that last night. I can't remember the names of any of the others now. Been too long."

  "After Parker went to college, all this stopped then?"

  "Except for Parker. She still did him until she went to college. Really looked forward to his coming home for the holidays, you know. Want to hear something hilarious?"

  "I could use a laugh right now."

  "Parker wanted Sharon to visit him while he was in college. He was the president of his fraternity. Makes you wonder what he was planning for initiation, doesn't it?"

  "Um, Sharon's not still sleeping with Parker, is she?"

  Jan's face changed and Harriett recognized the look immediately. "That's Paige's problem now. Hope she likes group sex."

  Harriett wrote on her pad and turned it toward Jan.

  "Do these dates mean anything to you?"

  Jan took the pad and sniffed as she looked at it. "Should they?"

  "I don't know. That's why I asked."

  "Well, the first one is Laurel's birthday."