Wrongly Accused

by Erin Wade

  “Does anyone have any questions?”

  Dawn listened as the new hires asked questions. Val was patient and answered all their inquiries—even the difficult ones. Dawn was lost in thought when Niki nudged her in the ribs.

  “Yes, we did identify the two guards responsible for the death of Terry Shipman. The cause of death was burking,” Val said.

  A murmur ran through the room, and the same black female guard got to her feet again. “Ma’am, some of us don’t know what burking is.”

  “I’ll let Dr. Fairchild explain the mechanics of burking.” Val motioned for Dawn to come to the podium.

  Niki listened with pride as Dawn related the information about burking. She was poised and comfortable speaking in front of the new officers. “Unfortunately, this cause of death is most often identified in prisoners or police detainees. It is the first thing we look for in asphyxiation deaths.”

  The new guards talked among themselves as Dawn returned to her seat. Val waited until they quieted and then continued. “Are there any more questions?”

  Again, the same woman spoke for the entire group. “Warden, what do you classify as sexual contact with an inmate?”

  Val frowned. “Anything sexual. Kissing, touching their private areas, oral sex, fondling. You get the picture. If you must ask, it is probably wrong. When in doubt, don’t.

  “Any other questions? If not, you are dismissed.”

  As Niki and Dawn waited for the new employees to leave the room, Val approached them, a warm smile on her face. “I’ve arranged for the two of you to have lunch with me,” she said. “I’d like to get any feedback you might have for me.”

  ##

  “I have moved quickly to implement security changes to protect the inmates,” Val informed them as she poured tea into their ice-filled glasses and offered them their choice of sweeteners. “I’ve got to find a way to encourage the guards to police themselves. That’s why I’m rotating their partners every thirty days. I don’t want anyone to get too comfortable with their fellow officer.”

  “What happened to Lucky?” Niki asked. “Is she somewhere she can’t escape?”

  “Yes.” Val nodded knowingly. “Lucky will never hurt you again.”

  “Did you have an opportunity to discuss the rhino surgery?” Val asked. “I feel so guilty that you suffered so much in this prison. You and I arrived here about the same time. I was trying to make gradual changes, but I was wrong. I should have made sweeping changes like the ones I’m implementing now.”

  “Things have worked out for the best,” Niki said, casting a shy glance at Dawn.

  Val didn’t miss the exchange between the two inmates.

  “I think you did an outstanding job in the meeting,” Dawn said. “You left no doubt in anyone’s mind about the consequences of prisoner brutality.”

  “Thank you,” Val half smiled and passed the basket of bread.

  Chapter 17

  “Dawn Fairchild, Lindsey Lucas, Brenda Lewis, Niki Sears . . .” The PA system blared the names of those who had visitors.

  “My name! They called my name.” An excited Niki caught Dawn’s hand and pulled her toward the door. “Thank you for getting me visitors. Do I look too awful?”

  Dawn examined the single bandage that remained across the bridge of Niki’s nose following the rhinoplasty. “No, you’re gorgeous. A few more days and the bandage can come off, but that’s a call your surgeon needs to make.”

  They entered the visitor’s area and waited for the guard to tell them their table number. Ruth Fairchild was already waving at her daughter.

  “Number 18,” the guard barked.

  Niki had to concentrate to keep from running to the Fairchilds. Dawn is lucky to have such a loving family.

  “Niki, darling.” Ruth Fairchild held Niki at arm’s length. “What happened to your nose?”

  Niki beamed. “The warden had it fixed. She said it was broken under her watch, so she arranged for a top rhinoplasty surgeon to fix it. It will look much better in a couple of weeks when the swelling is gone.”

  Flint pulled out Niki’s chair. “I thought it looked great as it was,” he said.

  “Thank you.” Niki blushed and sat down.

  They spent the next hour telling the Fairchilds about Niki’s scholarship to TCU and discussing her release.

  “We’ll pick you up,” Flint volunteered.

  “You can stay with us until school starts,” Ruth added.

  “That is so sweet of you.” Niki blinked away the hot tears that pooled in her eyes. “I can’t tell you how wonderful it feels to know I have friends on the outside.”

  “You can count on us.” Flint covered Niki’s small hand with his large, well-manicured one.

  Niki smiled hesitantly. Until you know all there is to know about me, she thought.

  ##

  Niki and Dawn sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard as they chatted about the day.

  “Your mom and brother are nice,” Niki said.

  “I’m fortunate.”

  “My psych evaluation is tomorrow,” Niki reminded her.

  “I know.”

  “I wish you could go with me. I’ve had problems with Merrick before.”

  “What kind of problems?”

  “He always offered me drugs in exchange for favors. On two occasions he gave me drugs that he said would help me relax. I woke hours later on his couch in a disheveled state. I have no idea what transpired.”

  “I tried to talk with the warden about him,” Dawn said, “but she insisted he’s one of the good guys.”

  “I can give you the names of three women he raped after drugging them,” Niki muttered.

  “Were the incidences reported?”

  “Yes, but nothing ever came of it. I reported him too. Maybe he won’t remember me. I look a lot different now.”

  “Let’s go talk to the warden.” Dawn insisted.

  ##

  Val’s secretary informed them the warden was out of the office all day.

  “I don’t know what to do,” Niki said. “If I don’t get a good psych evaluation it will hold up my release. I have to go. I’ll just take my chances with Dr. Merrick. Until then, I’ll stay busy to keep my mind off things. I need to restock the infirmary anyway.”

  “I’m going to make my rounds,” Dawn said as she picked up her hospital laptop. “I’ll meet you in the room at two thirty.”

  As soon as Dawn was out of Niki’s sight, she turned and headed for Dr. Merrick’s office. She introduced herself as Dr. Fairchild, not bothering to add that she was an inmate.

  “I’ve seen you in the doctor’s lounge,” the girl at the desk acknowledged. “I’m Justine, Dr. Merrick’s secretary.” Justine was amiable but explained that the doctor was in a meeting in the assistant warden’s office.

  Dawn wrote a message on a sticky note she grabbed from the receptionist’s desk. “May I put this note on his desk?” she asked.

  “I really should put it–”

  “Please.” Dawn flashed her sweetest smile. “It concerns a patient, and the information is meant for Dr. Merrick’s eyes only. I’m sure he shares everything with you, but that’s his prerogative, not mine. I’m sure you understand.”

  “Sure. You doctors have to stick together,” Justine said, her head bobbing. “Obviously his office is the one with his name on the door. You can slip in there and put the note on his desk.”

  Dawn thanked her and headed for Merrick’s office. She was pleased that the door had no lock. The windowless room was tiny and poorly furnished, lacking the professional feel of most doctors’ offices. A long sofa backed up to the wall shared with the waiting room. Two straight-backed chairs were in front of the desk. An overstuffed armchair faced the sofa. Dawn shuddered at the thought of Merrick trapping Niki on the couch.

  Dawn stuck the note to the center of Merrick’s desk. It said, “Dr. Fairchild @ 4.”

  That should keep Merrick wondering, Dawn thought as she left his offic
e, nodding to the ever-present guard at the psychiatrist’s waiting room door.

  ##

  “Ready for your meeting with the shrink?” Dawn tried to put Niki at ease, but she was also concerned about Niki being alone with the doctor.

  “I’ll walk with you to his office and sit in his waiting room,” Dawn reassured her. “Just knock on the wall behind the sofa if you need me.”

  Niki nodded but remained silent.

  Dawn sat in a chair against the wall of Merrick’s office as Justine announced Niki to the psychiatrist. “Your three o’clock is here, sir.”

  “Miss Sears, how delightful to see you again.” His voice disappeared as Justine closed his door.

  “Please have a seat.” Merrick gestured toward the chair across the desk from him. “So, you’re leaving us.” He thumbed through the forms on his desk. “And you need a clean bill of mental health from me.”

  ##

  Dawn strained to hear any sounds of distress coming from Merrick’s office, but all she heard was a barely audible hum of voices. Dawn touched the syringe in her pocket, drawing comfort from its presence. Her mind went to the future.

  Next week Niki would be released from prison. She would be safe with Dawn’s family and out of harm’s way. That was the good part. The bad part was that Niki would be gone from her life.

  The silence caught her attention. There was no sound coming from Merrick’s office. Dawn sprung from her chair and reached the psychiatrist’s door in seconds. She turned the knob and charged into the office.

  Niki was knocked out on the sofa. Merrick was standing over her, his belt unbuckled, slacks unzipped, and his appendage sticking out.

  Justine looked over Dawn’s shoulder. “What the hell?” she whispered in Dawn’s ear.

  “It looks like your boss was about to rape Miss Sears,” Dawn charged. “Or do you have some other excuse for your dilly wacker hanging out, Dr. Merrick?”

  A startled Merrick turned to face the two women and the guard who had rushed in to see what the commotion was about.

  “Please take Dr. Merrick to the holding room and keep him there until the warden returns,” Dawn insisted, giving orders as if she oversaw the prison. The guard obeyed her.

  Justine held out her cell phone toward Dawn. “You might want this.”

  “Why?” Dawn asked.

  “I just recorded the entire incident,” Justine explained.

  “Thank you,” Dawn whispered.

  Dawn knelt beside the sofa and shook Niki by the shoulders. “Niki, baby, wake up. Niki, it’s me, Dawn. She patted Niki’s cheek, but the young woman was out cold.

  Dawn asked Justine to call Dr. Reynolds and request a gurney. “Assure him it isn’t an emergency.”

  Within minutes a nurse arrived to transport Niki to the infirmary. Dawn walked beside her, dabbing the drainage from Niki’s nose. She prayed Merrick hadn’t damaged the rhinoplasty surgery. She’d know more when she got Niki into the infirmary and could examine her.

  ##

  A thorough exam convinced Dawn that Niki was okay. Her nose was perfect, and whatever drug Merrick had given her would wear off.

  “Hey, how’s your patient?” Val asked as she pulled back the drapes around Niki’s bed.

  “She’ll be okay,” Dawn muttered, still seething. “No thanks to your Dr. Merrick. If I hadn’t been there he would have raped her.”

  “You don’t know that,” Val barked.

  Dawn pulled out Justine’s cell phone and played the video for Val. “I’m pretty sure he wasn’t trying to sell her Tupperware.”

  Val fought to control the anger the video invoked. “I’ll take care of him,” she promised. “He’ll spend the rest of his life behind bars.”

  “If you’re really serious, I have the names of three other inmates he has raped.”

  Val scowled. “Why haven’t I been given this information sooner?”

  “I tried to tell you, and all three women filed complaints with your office.”

  “I never saw them,” Val said. “I’ve never had a complaint about Dr. Merrick cross my desk.”

  “Your staff really does keep you in the dark,” Dawn snapped. “How convenient.”

  “Look, I didn’t come to fight with you.” Val bowed her head. “I came to check on Niki and apologize for not listening to you.

  “And yes, my staff was keeping me in the dark, but that has changed. When you have time, I’d like to see you in my office. No rush. I just need to talk with someone who isn’t afraid to give me honest feedback.”

  “When Niki comes to, I’ll stick my head in,” Dawn promised.

  Chapter 18

  Niki brushed her long auburn hair and watched Dawn as she sat on the bed reading a patient’s file on her iPad. “I leave in the morning,” she said.

  Dawn turned off the device and looked up at her roommate. “I know. I’ve tried not to think about it.”

  “Can we at least talk about us?” Niki said.

  Dawn’s stomach did a summersault. “Us?”

  “Dawn Fairchild, sometimes you can be so damn infuriating that I could choke you.” Niki slung her hairbrush across the room.

  “Oh, I knew it. You do have a temper,” Dawn teased. “I’ve never been involved with a redhead, but I’ve heard they have awful tempers.”

  “Don’t!” Niki huffed. “Don’t tease when I’m trying to ask you about the rest of my life.”

  “The rest of your life?” Dawn closed her eyes. “I can’t have this discussion with you. I fight every day to keep my hands off you. I’ve never wanted anyone so badly in my life. I only need to be strong one more day.”

  “Why? You know I love you.”

  “And right now, I love you,” Dawn admitted. “But I don’t know if that’s because you’re the best thing that has ever happened to me or the best thing in this place.

  “Being here, locked away from the rest of the world, skews one’s ability to discern what’s real. Will we still feel the same two years or ten years from now? Do you really feel love for me, or is it gratitude?

  “I don’t make commitments lightly,” Dawn concluded.

  “I’ve never made a commitment in my life,” Niki said. “I’ve never loved anyone before. But I’m telling you right now, whether you want me or not, I’m waiting for you. I’m going to nursing school, and I plan to graduate at the top of my class. I’m going to be the best, so you’ll be proud of me. I’m going to be the one waiting for you when you walk out of this place. I love you now, and I’ll love you when I draw my last breath.”

  Dawn dragged her hands down her face. “I can’t,” she whispered. “I can’t take advantage of you. I can’t be the one to hurt you if things don’t work out.”

  Niki nodded. “I understand. You’re so damn noble. That’s why I’ve fallen in love with you.”

  ##

  Dawn appraised Niki as she slipped on her shoes. “You look gorgeous. That dress brings out the green of your eyes.”

  “Thank you.” Niki sulked as she looked around the room one last time.

  “Aren’t you taking anything with you?”

  “What would I take? Prison issued soap and toothpaste are all I own, and I hope I never see that again.”

  “Mom and Flint will be here in a few minutes,” Dawn said. “They’ll call you over the PA when they arrive.”

  “I know.”

  “I can walk to the front of the hospital with you.”

  “I’d like that.” Niki moved to stand in front of Dawn.

  Neither moved their hands from their side. Dawn leaned down and kissed her. Niki’s lips were even softer than Dawn had imagined. They were sweet and warm. The feeling that ricocheted through her body was indescribable. Dawn didn’t know how long the kiss lasted. She only knew she never wanted it to end. “I do love you,” she murmured. “Please wait for me.”

  Niki gasped for air and backed away from Dawn. “You know I will. I had no idea you could kiss like that.”

  Dawn smile
d. “Then both of us had the same experience.” She leaned down and placed a soft kiss on the scar on Niki’s cheek. “I’ve always wanted to do that. To kiss away the hurt and make it better.”

  “Niki Sears,” the PA system blared. “Report to the front desk.”

  “I’ll see you next week during visitation,” Niki promised as she opened the door and stepped from the room. “God, I miss you already.”

  ##

  After waving goodbye to Niki, Dawn returned to her room. For the first time, she realized how cold and empty it was without her roommate. With Niki in the room it had been filled with joy and laughter, a lot of teasing, and a sense of being with someone who really cared. She had been with Niki every day of her incarceration. Now she was alone, completely alone.

  Chapter 19

  “You sent for me?” Dawn said as she walked into Val’s office.

  “Yes. I’m working with the district attorney’s office to file charges against the two guards involved in Terry Shipman’s death.” Val looked up from the file she was perusing. “I want to make certain I get all the medical details correct.

  “The district attorney is always hesitant to prosecute prison murder or assault cases, because in the past the prison system hasn’t been very cooperative with them. I want to provide every shred of evidence we can to make certain everyone involved in this case and Merrick’s case is punished for the awful crimes they have committed.

  “I want to make an example of the guards and Merrick to let the world know things like this will not be tolerated in the federal prison system.”

  “May I see what you’ve compiled so far?” Dawn asked.

  “Yes.” Val pushed the file toward her as Dawn pulled her chair closer to the desk. She spent several minutes reading the reports in Terry Shipman’s file. “I see you found the complaints Terry filed.”

  “Yes.” Val looked away from the accusations in Dawn’s eyes.

  Dawn hissed under her breath as she read the reports. “She claimed she was raped repeatedly.” Dawn grimaced. “Was it the two guards?”

  “We think so, but I can’t find anyone who actually witnessed the abuse. At least no one willing to talk about it.”