by Stacy-Deanne
“That son of a bitch told you?” She sighed. “Did he tell you why I reported him?”
“He thinks to make trouble.”
“But what do you think?”
“I…I don’t know what to think, Melody. I’ve seen how you are with Keith at work, and I know how much you can’t stand him.”
“Lucas, I have just cause! I don’t believe this! So you think Keith is this great guy and I’m just causing trouble?”
“Melody, Keith is my friend. I’ve known him for four years.”
“But you’ve known me forever!” She waved her shoes. “So much for trying to make this night perfect, Lucas. I think you’re on a roll with being able to fuck up moments like these.” He grabbed her. “Let me go!” He backed away. “Lucas, I need you on my side about this. I need you to believe me about Keith.”
“Believe what? You haven’t said a damn thing except that you don’t like him! What has he done to you, Mel? Why can’t you just tell me that? I find it suspicious that you can’t.”
“I don’t want to involve you. You won’t understand.”
He shook her. “Try me, and let me make that decision! Melody, you don’t ever come to me with anything! What am I supposed to think when Keith tells me that you’re out to get him?”
“You’re not supposed to think I’d really do it! I’m your girlfriend, Lucas! I thought you’re supposed to be on my side!”
“And look how pissed you always get when Keith’s name’s mentioned! It’s not normal, Melody. You’re not being rational about this. Melody, it doesn’t look right to me. I think you have a problem and it has nothing to do with Keith.”
She shook her head. “Fuck you, Lucas.” She went to the door.
“Melody, I brought you! Wait!” He grabbed her. She knocked him to the floor.
“I don’t need anyone else pointing out my mistakes, Lucas! And most of all, not my so-called perfect boyfriend.” She sighed. “Or ex-boyfriend. Whatever the hell you wanna call it!” She slammed the front door. He opened it.
“Melody, wait! Mel, I wasn’t accusing you of anything! Melody!”
She didn’t look back.
Steven awoke to someone banging on his front door. He didn’t bother putting on a shirt. He rushed downstairs in his boxers. He opened the door to a solemn-looking Detective Cunningham.
“Hey, man.” Steven rubbed his eyes. He ran his hands through his straggly hair. Cunningham didn’t seem his usual jolly self.
“Hey, Steve,” he muttered.
Steven grinned. “Cunningham, I know this has to be important. I mean, it’s almost midnight. I know something’s gotta be up. I mean, you haven’t been over here in about two years.” Steven chuckled.
“Yeah.” Cunningham gestured inside. “Steven, this is serious. I never thought I’d have to do this, but…” Two cars sped into Steven’s driveway. He leaned to get a better look. Captain Jersey and a uniformed cop got out of the police vehicle. Steven cringed when he saw who got out of the second, shiny black car.
“Cunningham, what in the hell’s going on?” Steven stared at a tall, hard-faced black man with a thick mustache. He walked with the poise of power. He straightened the lapel of his light jacket. He followed a white man who appeared in his early forties. The white man stomped out a cigarette before they reached the porch. “Cunningham, I asked you a question.” Steven exhaled. “What the hell is Commissioner Reynolds doing here?” Steven pointed to the regal black man.
“Steven, something terrible has happened. I came because I thought it would comfort you seeing me and…”
“Is it Bree?” Steven grabbed him. “Did something happen to Bree?”
“No, Morris is fine.” Cunningham lowered his voice when the others walked up behind him. “Steven, there was another rape. You…uh…”
Captain Jersey looked at the three men behind her. She made her place beside Cunningham. “Detective Kemp, you already know Commissioner Reynolds.” Reynolds kept his eyes ahead as if looking at Steven sickened him.
“Commissioner Reynolds, sir. What’s going on here, Captain?”
“I’m Agent Parsons.” The white guy held up his badge before Jersey could introduce him. “Internal Affairs.”
Jersey shook her head.
“Internal Affairs?” Steven gasped. “What the hell’s going on here?”
“Didn’t Detective Cunningham fill you in?” Reynolds gestured. “Then let us do the honors. Steven Kemp, you are under arrest.”
“Under arrest?” He chuckled. “Is this some kind of joke?” He looked at Jersey. “Captain, what the hell is going on here?”
“Steven, I’m afraid this is no joke. You’re being arrested.” She sighed.
“Uh…” He gaped. “Mind telling me what in the hell for?” He laughed. “Okay, I’ve been the bud of many practical jokes, but this takes the cake!”
Reynolds squinted. “Do you see anyone else laughing here, Kemp?”
Parsons popped in a stick of gum. “You’re being arrested for the rape of Aileen Andrews.”
Steven’s shoulders fell. “What did you say?”
“You heard him, Detective.” Reynolds squinted. “You’re being arrested for the rape of Aileen Andrews.” Reynolds looked at Jersey. “Parsons and I will be at the station, Captain Jersey. We expect Kemp to be there in five minutes.”
Parsons grinned. “And not a minute later.” They walked off.
“Captain.” Steven turned all the way around. “What in the hell is going on here?”
“Steven, we just need to get you to the station. I’m sure everything will be sorted out there. It’s probably a misunderstanding.”
“Did this woman say I raped her?” Jersey and Cunningham looked off. “It’s not true! I didn’t rape anyone!” He grabbed Jersey. “Captain, you gotta believe me!”
“I…I believe you, Steven. We just have to deal with this now. I have no choice but to put you under arrest. I’m sure this will be straightened out tonight. Cunningham can bring you down. Just get some clothes on and be there as fast as possible.” She walked off with the uniformed cop.
“Jesus. Cunningham, I don’t know what’s going on. Please help me understand this, man. I didn’t rape anyone.”
“It’ll be all right, Steve.” Cunningham patted his shoulder. “I’ll wait for you in the car.”
Steven looked at the party in the interrogation room. He couldn’t believe this. He thought of all the suspects he’d questioned in here. He hadn’t dreamed he’d ever be on this side of the table. Reynolds looked like he wanted to string him alive. Parsons held a grin that Steven couldn’t figure the reason for yet. Captain Jersey looked like someone killed her puppy.
Steven couldn’t see himself to notice how he must have looked. He could only guess that he looked shocked. Maybe later he’d be scared, too. Right now, he couldn’t even think past the time in this room. He’d do the best he could. He was innocent. He knew that. He’d only have to make them believe it. At least Captain Jersey seemed on his side. For now.
Parsons lit his third cigarette. Steven couldn’t believe he’d already been in the room an hour. Reynolds and Parsons spent most of the hour conversing in the hall. Steven couldn’t have guessed what they talked about. He just knew it wasn’t good for him. Parsons did most of the questioning. Steven disliked the man already. He held a chip on his shoulder for cops. Most of these Internal Affairs folks did. Steven wouldn’t let the man get to him. He didn’t care what questions he had to answer. He wouldn’t give in.
“Okay, uh, let’s go over this again, Detective Kemp.” Parsons flicked his cigarette in midair. “You said that you were at home between the time of five-thirty and eight tonight?”
He sighed. “Yes, I was.”
“Can anyone vouch for that? I mean, anyone who can be a witness to your alibi?”
“It’s not an alibi, Agent Parsons. It’s the truth, okay? I was at home all day. I didn’t have to work. I was glad to finally get a day off. Especially a Saturday. B
elieve me, I enjoyed it.”
“Mmm.” Parsons smirked. “So you don’t know if anyone saw you at home? Like your neighbors or anything?”
He shrugged. “I’m sure they saw my car. Other than that, I don’t know. I mean, you don’t know if someone’s watching you or not. I don’t know where you live, but in my neighborhood we don’t have a ritual of watching each other. People can come and go as they please.”
Parsons didn’t seem to appreciate the sarcasm. Steven heavily enjoyed knocking the agent on his ass. Parsons scribbled on a piece of yellow notebook paper.
“Well, this doesn’t look too good. Saying you were at home all day seems flimsy at best. Let’s just get to the point, shall we?” Parsons straightened his tie. “Did you rape Aileen Andrews?”
Steven tapped the table. “No,” he exhaled.
“Well, she says you did.”
“I don’t care what she says. I didn’t rape Aileen Andrews. I didn’t even know she’d been raped until you came to my house and rounded me up like the Calvary.” Parsons grinned. “I didn’t rape anyone.” Steven looked at Reynolds. “Commissioner, you got to believe me, sir.”
“This is a very personal case for me, Kemp.” Reynolds glared at him. “You see, I have two beautiful teenage daughters at home. Lately, my wife and I have been scared to even send them to school because of this man. They can’t live a normal life because I’m afraid some nut is gonna grab them off the street and rape them. You probably can’t understand this, but to me it’s a hate crime, plain and simple.”
Reynolds rubbed his face. “He’s targeting women of my community and it burns the hell out of me. Everywhere I go I’m blamed because I’m black, and people think I should be doing all I can to get him. Well, I am. Yet, I got organizations on my back. I got black leaders on my back, and what do I have to give them…nothing. Not even peace of mind.”
Steven shook his head. “Commissioner Reynolds, I’m sure no one blames you personally, sir.”
“They’re my people so they definitely blame me for not protecting these women. I blame myself! So when I got the call about Aileen Andrews today, I went nuts that she’d accused an officer of doing these things. Do you realize how furious and sickened I am to see that one of my officers has been accused of this crime? I’m sorry if I don’t seem to be giving you the benefit of the doubt right now, Kemp. But I have a frightened young woman who was brutally raped by a man claiming to be you.”
“Commissioner, I…”
“He raped her with her daughter standing in the hallway! This is the same man who has committed sodomy, beaten and raped over twenty-five women, total! These women will live with this for the rest of their lives! In their eyes, they can’t even begin to accept this! I’ve been praying that some sign would fly from the sky so we could get this motherfucker!” Reynolds sighed. “So imagine how disgusted I felt to find out that one of my officers is the prime suspect.”
“I did not rape Aileen Andrews!”
“Well, she says you did!” Reynolds pounded the table. “She says you did, and that’s all we need to know! She described your ass down to the wire, Kemp! She even said your name! Why in the hell would she say these things if you didn’t rape her?”
“I don’t know!” Steven held his head. “I can’t understand any of this! All I know is that I didn’t rape Aileen Andrews, Cheyenne Wilson or any of the other women! I swear! I’ve devoted my life to helping people! I’ve put more rapists behind bars than most of the officers in this damn precinct. Why would I turn into something that I hate?”
Parsons flicked his cigarette. “What would you do if you were in our shoes, Kemp? Would you find it odd that Aileen named a cop the rapist, and then it all seemed to turn out that he may be?”
“Put myself in your shoes? How about you guys putting yourselves in my fuckin’ shoes, huh? Shit, I thought cops were supposed to be on each other’s side!” Steven looked at Captain Jersey. “You guys have already convicted my ass! I might as well have been electrocuted the minute I walked in here. It isn’t fair. How can you not believe me? I have never hurt anyone. I’d never do such a terrible thing. Do you really think I could?”
“I believe you, Kemp,” Jersey said. The others looked at her. “I know you’d never hurt anyone.” She looked at Parsons. “None of my officers would.”
“Detective Kemp, can you give us one reason why Aileen Andrews would name you as the rapist then?” Parsons shrugged. “Because we’re stumped.”
“I don’t know, but I want to speak to Mrs. Andrews.”
“You’re not going anywhere near her,” Reynolds warned. “She’s been through enough. The last thing she needs is to look at your face. She’s at the hospital and she needs to focus on getting herself together the best she can.”
“Commissioner Reynolds, I didn’t rape her! You gotta believe me.”
“Kemp, all I have to do is put the rapist behind bars. And right now that looks like it’s going to be you.”
“I didn’t rape her! You can’t arrest me!”
“You’ve been named by Aileen Andrews as the man who raped her tonight. We can do more than that if we want!” Reynolds bellowed. “You obviously don’t realize the shit you’re in, Kemp. It doesn’t matter what we think. What matters is what Aileen Andrews has said. She says you’re the man who raped her. Can you explain why?”
“No.” Steven lowered his head.
“Captain Jersey, I want Kemp held tonight,” Reynolds ordered.
“Commissioner!” Steven shouted.
“And that’s an order!” Reynolds shouted. “I want his ass in a cell tonight! Do you understand me, Captain Jersey?”
“Yes, sir.” She looked at Steven. “We’ll deal with the rest of this tomorrow.” Reynolds opened the door.
“Commissioner Reynolds, this is a mistake.” Jersey sighed. “Steven wouldn’t rape anyone.”
“We’ll see.” He left.
“I don’t believe this.” Steven wiped his forehead. “What in the hell am I gonna do, Captain?”
Parsons winked. “I’d start by getting myself a lawyer, Kemp. And I’d make sure he was damn good.” He left.
“I can’t believe this is happening to me. Captain, this man, this rapist is playing with my life. He’s trying to make it look like I did these things!”
“Why, Steven?” she whispered.
“I don’t know! You think if I knew I’d be getting arrested? Captain, we gotta find this man. If not my whole future could be at stake. I didn’t rape those women. You gotta believe me.”
“I believe you, Steven. It’s just that right now I can’t do a damn thing about it.”
Chapter Twelve
Sarah and Melody rushed through the halls of the hospital the next morning. Aileen had become the Albany Predator’s latest victim. Melody was completely devastated. Just when she thought Aileen would be safe her worst nightmare came true. She loved Aileen like a sister. She couldn’t imagine the pain she felt. If Melody could take on Aileen’s worries she would in a heartbeat.
Sarah tried her best to console her sister. Melody couldn’t put her thoughts into words. She couldn’t get Aileen out of her head. How scared she must be. How badly had she been attacked? Had he beaten her like the others? Had he hurt Danielle? Would Aileen ever recover? She couldn’t get the overwhelming thoughts out of her head. Sarah kept saying when Melody could see Aileen she’d feel better.
Melody wasn’t so sure. What if Aileen’s state confirmed Melody’s frightening assumptions? Could she handle it? She’d have to be strong for Aileen. But who would be strong for Melody? Tons of reporters from the local news stations surrounded the side entrances of the hospital. The Albany Predator had become one of the most talked about criminals.
It had been easier to deal with when the locals had only known his terror. Now everyone knew. Melody realized how big it was when she caught a story on CNN the week before. The biggest networks started clamoring to bring attention to what people called one of the most v
icious rapists to ever hit the streets. He hadn’t just scared an entire city, but scarred it for life.
It no longer mattered when he’d be caught. His reign of terror would forever change the citizens of Albany, New York. Melody would never look at her hometown with the same amount of pride and admiration again. She saw it as a place of contempt, pain and violence. She could have accepted things before Aileen’s attack. The rapist had hit too close to home this time.
They made it to Aileen’s floor. A police officer stopped them at Aileen’s door. He informed them that the police were questioning her. Melody did her best to calm her anger. It wasn’t easy. She kept seeing a frightened, shaking Aileen being grilled by some overbearing, male police officer who didn’t know the first thing about being raped.
The door opened. Melody and Sarah overlooked the striking black woman who walked out. She slipped a tiny notepad into her tweed jacket. Melody didn’t have to guess. She knew this had been the detective the Albany Predator had attacked.
“Hello.” Brianna smiled at the two young ladies. “I’m Detective Brianna Morris. I’m the investigating officer on the Albany Predator case.”
“Uh, hello.” Sarah gestured to Melody. “I’m Sarah Johnson, and this is my sister, Melody Cruz. We’re friends of Aileen Andrews.”
“Sisters?” Brianna stared. Melody and Sarah were so used to that reaction they no longer paid it much attention. “You must be very worried. I was just questioning her. She’s been through a lot.”
“How is she?” Melody asked.
Brianna sighed. “She’s very upset and sad. I don’t know if she wants to see anyone right now. She wouldn’t even look at me.”
“Yet you felt it important to grill her when she hasn’t even had time to understand what’s happened to her?” Melody squinted.
“Mel, please.” Sarah sighed. “I’m sorry, Detective.”
“You don’t have to apologize, Ms. Johnson. You both have every right to be angry and sad. I am, too. It never gets easier, no matter how many rape victims I talk to. I, uh, have to get back to the station.”