by Hugh Macnab
I’m only just starting the third chapter when I’m told my parents are waiting to see me. A nurse brings them to me, and true to form, Mama’s eyes are full of tears and Papa is as stoic as ever. We talk for a while with me reassuring them I’m fine. They already explained on my call the previous evening, that Dan Weissman had told them about the shooting and was calling them daily with an update, so I needn’t have worried.
After we catch up, Papa leaves the room and returns moments later with Trace.
At first she stands a couple of yards away, shocked by my appearance. I realize then that she may never have seen someone in a hospital like this before. If that’s the case, the shock only lasts twenty seconds before she rushes to close the gap, and throws her arms around my neck, sobbing.
I put my arms gently round her and hug her back. We stay like that until I can feel her gently pull away. She stands back and examines me more closely.
‘You need some mac and cheese,’ she tells me.
I laugh out loud.
‘I need out of here. That’s what I need.’
She’s still clinging tightly onto my hand, making me realize how frightened she has probably been. I have become a major player in her life, and she had nearly lost me. I squeeze her hand.
‘How are you getting on with my parents?’
She looks at them and smiles.
‘They’re okay, I suppose!’
Mama gives her a mock scolding, and I see a grin spread on Papa’s face. She’s in safe hands for now, and I feel so grateful to my parents. I’m sure they can see it, but I tell them anyway.
They stay for a good hour after that and leave, promising to return in two days’ time.
I tell Trace to be good. I don’t know why, but it’s something a parent’s supposed to say.
After that, a variety of people come to see me. Joey’s mama, all the members of the team I had been working with, Dan several times, and an unexpected visit from the Sheriff himself - again, as he points out. I’m almost feeling popular.
Then I have a genuine surprise when Jimi drops by one day. I would never have expected it, but he’s really sweet. He adds his bunch of flowers to the many already on display around the room, then asks if I want to hear how he’s getting on with tracking down the guy who knocked me on my butt at the garage.
I feel bad for him. I’d forgotten all about asking him to do this. Doubly bad because my motivation is nothing to do with getting a bad-guy off the street. It’s about getting a new car. Although, by now my new car fund is so depleted, I can’t afford to run it even if they give it to me for free.
I listen as he explains how he watched hours of traffic-cam and security-cam footage until eventually finding a picture of the person responsible. It turns out to be a fifteen-year-old who’s supporting a sick mother and three siblings. He hasn’t charged him yet and wants to know what I think he should do. I tell him that, sad as the case is, they should send him to Juvie Court, where they would take everything into consideration. I tell him not to worry. His family will be fine. He would likely be back on the street doing the same again in next to no time.
After Jimi has gone, I reflect on the inconsistency of the advice I’ve just given, relative to the way I treated Trace when I caught her stealing a handbag. The conclusion I come to is that like most interactions in life, human beings aren’t consistent. You take different people, different behaviors, different circumstances and you get unique solutions. I guess it’s true for cops as well as anyone else.
One other person has already been to see me three times, armed with flowers, chocolates and even a smuggled cold kebab one night. The District Attorney, Bossy-boots’ father.
Cliff said he had been really worried, and seemed genuinely pleased at my rate of recovery, promising me top-notch after-care in the spare room at his place, if I want it. I haven’t yet decided what I want to do about that one. They’ll release me in two days’ time, so I need to decide soon.
I considered telling Cliff about Trace, but decide against it. I’m not sure his offer will extend to the two of us, and I’m already sure that somehow, Trace and I are going to be together for the long-haul. I just don’t yet understand how to make it happen.
The day before my release, Kathy drops by again. Since she brought the school-girl who had saved my life to see me, this is the first time she’s been on her own. Every other time, she had one or other of the team with her. Call me suspicious, but I don’t think this visit on her own is an accident.
We have a few minutes of the usual - checking up on each other - before she’s finally ready to tell me why she’s here.
‘We had a call from the Park Rangers down in the Glades the other day. A young woman rented a canoe for the day and didn’t return it. She said she would be bird watching.’
‘Something suspicious happen?’
‘Not sure. They brought quite a few of us in to help with a search the following day. You know what it’s like down there, thousands of small inlets and creeks. It took a couple of days to find the canoe. There was no sign of the person who rented it.’
‘But?’
‘They found her backpack. It only had a small portable tape recorder and a stack of used tapes inside.’
‘The Park Rangers have these?’
‘No. I have them here,’ she says, holding up a small backpack.
‘You’ve listened to them?’
‘All of them. There are eight in total.’
‘What’s on them?’
‘Interviews.’
‘What sort of interviews?’
‘Young girls sharing secrets.’
‘What sort of secrets?’
‘Maybe you should hear for yourself?’ says Kathy, removing the small portable recorder from her bag and laying it beside me. ‘I’ve already loaded the most recent tape recorded three years ago.’
I look at it, not sure if I want to know what is on it or not, then press play to hear two young girls talking casually. You can easily assume they are friends, although with one asking a lot of questions and the other answering, it’s obviously an interview.
‘So, what really happened then?’
‘It started as a prank. A few of us girls always like to have fun with a new teacher. And it was my turn.’
‘Weren’t you scared?’
‘Actually, it was a bit of a turn-on. It was exciting.’
‘How do you mean?’
‘I stayed behind in class to ask him a question.’
‘What happened next?’
‘I got so close. I was way inside his personal space and making him squirm. I could see he was uncomfortable. He tried to step back, but I followed him.’
‘Cool. I bet you enjoyed that?’
‘Dead right. But then I took his hand and used it to stroke my cheek.’
‘What did he say?’
‘Nothing. It was like he was frozen.’
‘What did you do next?’
‘I slipped his hand down to cup my breast.’
‘Never! You didn’t?’
‘I did. And the bulge in his trousers told me he wanted me for sure. He was getting really horny.’
‘What happened after that?’
‘Nothing. I left him frustrated and walked away.’
‘Seriously?’
‘The rest of the girls were waiting outside in the corridor and we had a real laugh.’
‘So that was it?’
‘Originally, that was all we were going to do, but I wanted to have a little more fun with him.’
‘You went back into the classroom?’
‘No. I went to the Principal and complained.’
‘But he had done nothing wrong?’
‘Yes, he had. He’d felt up my boob.’
Then there was laughter, and the tape clicks off.
Kathy just takes the recorder and puts it back in her bag.
‘There were eight tapes in total. The first seven tell very detailed stories of real sex
ual abuse, some of which are unimaginable on girls so young. They’re told in the same manner, as if the interviewer had somehow become their friend and they were unburdening themselves. No adult would ever have been able to get these details from the girls. Not an attorney, for sure.’
I look directly at Kathy as I comment on what I’ve just heard..
‘The girl doing the interviewing is very skilful. She knew exactly what she was doing. Almost like taking confessions. And eight is an interesting number.’
‘Yes, it is,’ Kathy agrees. ‘And with each interview she was incredibly thorough. She wanted to get all the details right. It was very important to her. Seven horrible cases of sexual abuse with very young children and one false accusation. It must have taken a lot of research to find these eight girls and build sufficient trust with them. Careful, painstaking work over some time, I would think.’
‘Years, even,’ I suggest. ‘And the interviewer is the girl who has disappeared in the Glades?’
‘I’m afraid so, replies Kathy. ‘I doubt anyone will ever find her now. I fear her interviewing days are over.’
‘Gators?’
After Kathy leaves, I feel the weight of the unspoken agreement we’ve reached. Charlie will live a normal life, somewhere far from here. But for Kathy and I, we’ve sworn to respect and defend a line we have just willingly and knowingly stepped over.
It may take some time, but there will be consequences for sure.
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SELF HELP BOOKS
These book will not only help you understand why you feel, think and behave the way you do when you are at your worst, but will also explain the most likely cause for all of this - and it may surprise you.
The books also include access to nine half-hour videos which will help you overcome your symptoms using a simple step-by-step process. These videos, combined with the book, form the three-week recovery program.
No program will work for everyone, but over 1200 people have successfully used these programs.
The programs start from the premise that perhaps there’s really not very much wrong - and that’s likely to be so different from how you feel.
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