Redemption

by Phil M. Williams

  Judge Ames didn’t let Lori Grasso testify further.

  Detective Wells had the most heart-wrenching testimony.

  Elliot had asked Detective Wells, “Did the victim identify the defendant as the perpetrator?”

  “Yes, she did,” Wells had replied.

  “What exactly did she say? If you can’t remember, I’m sure Judge Ames will let you borrow the transcript.”

  “I remember. I asked her who hurt her private part. She said, ‘Jason,’ without hesitation.”

  “Did you ask her what he did specifically?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “What was her response?”

  “At the time we were using dolls to identify where she was hurt. She said, ‘He poked me with his finger.’ When she said that, she pointed to the doll’s crotch area. She also said, ‘He made me put my mouth on it.’ The victim demonstrated oral sex by placing the crotch of the boy doll on the girl doll’s face.”

  April hung her head. Tears slipped down her cheeks. She sniffled and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her blouse. Her ears hurt from wearing her mask.

  Norman’s phone chimed. He awoke from his slumber and turned off the alarm. He rubbed his eyes and gazed at April from his desk. “Are you all right, dear?”

  “I’m fine,” April replied.

  Norman stood with a groan, stretching out his arms. “It’s about time for me to go home. You can come back tomorrow at ten, if you like.”

  “Thank you.” April stood from her seat and glanced at the clock on the wall. She’d been there for almost three hours. She placed the file back in the box. It was tight, so she tried to push the files back to make room, but something at the other end was blocking the files. She turned the box around to get a better view. A stack of ten CDs banded together was on the bottom of the box. She removed the stack and showed them to Norman. “What are these?”

  “That’s the audio.”

  “Could I borrow them?”

  Norman stretched out his arms. “I suppose so. I forgot they were in there.”

  April shouldered her purse and grabbed the stack of CDs. “Do you think Jason was guilty?”

  Norman stared at April, his thin lips pressed together for an instant. “No.”

  “Then why was he convicted?”

  Norman shook his head. “It’s the dirty secret of our legal system. Sometimes innocent people go to prison.” He rubbed his eyes, then blinked rapidly, his tired eyes settling on April again. “I’ve been practicing law for fifty-five years, and I’m usually right about juries, but I was wrong on that one. I always wondered if there was jury tampering.”

  April tilted her head. “What’s jury tampering?”

  “It’s when someone tries to influence the jury outside of the court proceeding.”

  “And you think someone did that?”

  “I don’t know. I never found any proof of that, but …” Norman exhaled. “In the preliminary hearing Jason’s half-sister claimed that he molested her. She didn’t say those words exactly, but she said enough.”

  April nodded. “I read that in the file.”

  “Then you know I was able to eliminate her as a witness on the grounds that her testimony was prejudicial, but I always wondered if she contacted a juror, or maybe somebody who was in the audience that day contacted a juror. It is a small town.”

  Chapter 80: Everyone’s Hiding Something

  April had spent Tuesday night and Wednesday morning listening to Jason’s criminal trial and taking notes, breaking only for a five-hour sleep. She’d had to use an old laptop with a CD player to listen to the audio of the trial. She’d spent almost twelve hours listening at 2x speed, slowing it down in places, and skipping forward at other places.

  She sat up in her bed, listening to the guilty verdict, and the cheering from the court audience. April stopped the CD and removed her headphones. She imagined that she was on the jury. Objectively, she thought Norman Tuttle proved reasonable doubt. But, if I factor in Jason’s molestation of his half sister, I would probably convict too. April tapped her lips, thinking. The most important piece of evidence was the semen found on Becky’s underwear. Norman thought it was contaminated by Jason’s condom in the trash.

  April sucked in a breath, realizing that, in her focus on the case and her tired mind, she’d overlooked something very important. My mother was having sex with Jason at Christmas, the same time I was conceived. They did use a condom, but condoms aren’t 100 percent. Was she sleeping with Jason and my father at the same time? April rubbed her temples, her head hurting from lack of sleep.

  April stood from her bed and changed from her pajamas to a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. She put her hair into a ponytail, grabbed her keys and purse, and walked downstairs. Her mother was in the kitchen, chopping vegetables.

  Michelle looked up from the cutting board. “Where are you going?”

  April hesitated. “Grammy’s.”

  Michelle was a teacher and off for the summer. Ruth was a retired teacher and off forever.

  Michelle arched her eyebrows and set down her knife. “Any special reason for the visit?”

  “I just wanted to see how she’s doing.”

  Michelle smiled. “Well, that’s sweet of you. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to see you. Lunch should be ready soon, if you’d like to eat before you go. We’re having grilled chicken salads.”

  “I’ll eat when I get back.”

  “Okay, sweetie.”

  April left the house, slipping past her video-game-playing brothers. She started her car and powered down the window, letting out the heat. She lowered her sun visor and drove the short distance to her grandmother’s house. April parked in the driveway, next to Grandpap’s trailered fishing boat. Grandpap’s pickup truck was gone. Ruth was in the front yard, kneeling on a pad in the front flower beds, planting red begonias. April exited her car and approached Ruth.

  Ruth turned from her work and smiled. She stuck her garden trowel into the loose soil, stood from the pad, and wiped her bare knees. “This is a pleasant surprise.”

  “Hi, Grammy.” April hugged her grandmother.

  When they separated, Ruth asked, “What brings you over here?”

  “I, um, … I wanted to ask you about the Jason Lewis trial.”

  Ruth scowled. “I, I don’t want to talk about that.”

  “But Grammy—”

  “Absolutely not!”

  April flinched.

  Ruth trembled with rage. “You don’t know what that man did to this family. I won’t waste another second of my life on him. If that’s all you came here for, then you can leave.”

  “Fine.” April turned and stalked away. She entered her Civic, backed out of the driveway, and drove away. As she left the scene, she saw Ruth back on her knees, stabbing the soil with her garden trowel. April drove home, thinking, They’re all hiding something.

  April parked in front of her house and went back inside. She walked past her brothers in the living room. Machine gun fire and explosions came from the first-person shooter game.

  Dylan turned from the video game to April. “Who peed in your corn flakes?”

  Lance continued to play, unfazed.

  April glared at her brother but said nothing. She walked into the kitchen, following the smell of grilling chicken.

  Michelle turned from the stovetop, a spatula in hand, chicken strips sizzling in the frying pan. “That was quick. Lunch is almost ready.”

  “Can you put my salad in the fridge? I’m not hungry.”

  Michelle narrowed her eyes. “Are you okay? Did something happen at Grammy’s?”

  “No. She’s busy gardening, and it’s hot, so I came home.”

  “Okay, sweetie. I’ll put your lunch in the fridge.”

  April went to her bedroom and shut the door behind her. She set her purse and keys on her dresser and sat at her desk. She opened her laptop, waiting for the icons to load. When they did, she clicked on Google and typed background check into t
he search bar. Then she clicked on PublicRecords.com. If I want the truth, maybe I need to go to the source.

  The headline on the home page read Background Checks. Underneath were three information cells. They were labeled First Name, Last Name, and Where to Search. April typed Jason Lewis. Where to Search was a drop-down menu of states, so she selected Pennsylvania and clicked the big orange button that read Search Now.

  Another window opened, and headshots appeared in a little box, flashing so quickly that you couldn’t see the pictures clearly. A green bar was at the top of the screen, growing in size, with a percentage attached to it. As it grew, the percentage grew, marking the search progress. A question appeared on the screen, asking for Jason’s age. You could check unsure, but April knew his age from the article she’d read. She typed 56. Then she was asked if she knew where he lived. April typed in Villanova, thinking that the search might connect his old residence.

  When the search concluded, dozens of Jason Lewises were listed, but the most relevant one had lived in Villanova, was fifty-six years old, and had a criminal record. April paid ten bucks with her credit card and received access to the report. She also checked the box to allow email updates, whenever changes occurred to the background check. April’s bank account was low, given that she couldn’t waitress that summer because of COVID, but she still had some savings.

  The report showed several addresses where he’d lived. It showed Michelle Murphy as his ex-wife. His criminal charges were listed. He’d never been arrested prior to the molestation charges. April was disappointed that the report didn’t show a current address.

  Jason’s mother was listed. So was his half sister Lori. Their names were hyperlinks. April clicked on Jason’s mother, Barbara Lewis. She purchased the background check. Barbara Lewis was seventy-two years old and lived in Portage, Pennsylvania. She had a long rap sheet of drug offenses, larceny, grand larceny, burglary, and fraud. Lori Grasso was listed as her daughter. April clicked on Lori and purchased her background check too.

  April scanned Lori’s information. She was divorced from a Tony Grasso and apparently hadn’t bothered to change her name back to her maiden name. She had two adult children. Lori also lived in Portage. In fact, she lived on the same street as her mother. Lori’s rap sheet was almost as long as her mother’s: drugs, fraud, and shoplifting.

  April thought about what Norman had said about Lori’s testimony possibly being used as jury tampering. April also wondered if it was true. She doesn’t appear to be an honest person. But, why would someone lie about something like that? Jason had money. Maybe they wanted to sue.

  Chapter 81: Family

  April drove through the Portage trailer park, slowing for the speed bump. Single-wide and double-wide trailers of various colors dotted both sides of the macadam road. Two boys on bikes pedaled past, going the opposite way. The Allegheny Mountains loomed large and green in the distance, with a cloudless sky overhead. April found trailer number 162. The single-wide trailer had beige siding with maroon shutters and skirting to cover the bottom of the trailer.

  April parked along the road, not wanting to block the tiny empty driveway. She checked her phone—4:12 p.m. April knew from the background check she’d purchased the day before that Lori Grasso worked for Larry’s Landscaping. So, April figured she’d try to catch her after work.

  While she waited, she thumb-typed a text to her grandpap.

  April: It’s been a while since we went fishing. What do you think about going to the lake?

  A knock came at April’s window, startling her. A short chubby woman with gray hair and a saggy face stood with her hands on her hips. April put on her mask and powered down her window.

  “You can’t park here,” the woman said.

  “I was just waiting for Lori Grasso, and I didn’t want to park in her driveway,” April replied.

  The old woman narrowed her blue eyes. “Who the hell are you?”

  April drew her eyebrows together. “Who are you?”

  “I’m Barb. Lori’s mother.” She moved her head side to side, as she announced her position of authority in Lori’s life. “Now, who are you?”

  April pursed her lips. “I’m April. I might be Jason Lewis’s daughter.”

  Barb was wide-eyed and slack-jawed. “How the hell do you know that?”

  “I don’t know for sure.”

  She inspected April, bending at the waist, so her face was in the open window. “Lemme see your face.”

  April pulled down her mask.

  Barb squinted at April, her hot breath wafting into April’s mouth and nose. “You do look a little like him.”

  April raised her mask.

  “That would make you my granddaughter.” Barb smirked. “What do ya think a that?”

  “Well, I don’t know if he’s my father yet.”

  Barb stood upright. “What do you want with Lori?”

  April felt trapped in her car, with Barb blocking her door and standing over her. “Do you mind if I get out?”

  Barb stepped back.

  April exited her car, shutting the door behind her. “I wanted to ask Lori some questions about Jason.”

  Barb crossed her arms over her chest. “What kinda questions?”

  “I wanted to ask her about the trial. She was going to testify, but they ruled her testimony was inadmissible. I just wanted to hear what she was planning to say.”

  Barb raised one side of her mouth in disgust. “I can tell you everything you wanna know.”

  “What was Jason like?”

  “He’s a lyin’ piece of shit. I raised him right. Gave him everything he needed. Hell, I was a single mom, before it was cool. But, there’s somethin’ wrong with him. Always has been. When I found out he was touchin’ his sister, I stopped it, but the damage was already done.”

  “How old was he when that happened?”

  “Thirteen.”

  A silver Hyundai puttered toward them. They both glanced back at the car.

  “There she is, if you still wanna talk to her,” Barb said.

  Lori parked her Hyundai in her small driveway. She exited the vehicle, staring at Barb and April. Barb waved her over. Lori walked toward them, her purse over her shoulder. Lori was thin, with a platinum-blonde dye job.

  Lori lifted her chin to April. “Who’s this?”

  Up close, Lori had wrinkles around her lips, likely from smoking, sunken cheeks, and hooded eyes.

  “This is April. She might be Jason’s daughter. Could be your niece.” Barb addressed April. “How old are you?”

  “Nineteen,” April replied.

  “Your mom must’ve got pregnant right before he went to prison,” Barb said.

  April nodded. “If he’s my father, yes.”

  Barb addressed Lori again. “She wants to ask you a few questions about Jason.”

  Lori put her hands on her hips, not unlike the posture Barb had taken, when they first met. “What do you wanna know?”

  “Would it be okay if we talked alone?” April asked Lori.

  “That’s bullshit,” Barb said, glowering.

  “Anything you say to me, you can say in front of my mother,” Lori said.

  April wrung her hands. “Okay. Um, … You weren’t allowed to testify at Jason’s trial. What were you planning to say?”

  “I was gonna tell the truth. He molested me when we was kids.”

  “Do you remember how old you were?”

  “You were ten when I found out about it,” Barb interjected. “He was thirteen.”

  Lori looked to Barb, then back to April. “I don’t remember the exact age, but, if my mom says I was ten, I was ten.”

  “This might be too sensitive. If you don’t want to answer, I understand—”

  “Spit it out,” Lori said.

  April took a deep breath. “Do you remember exactly what happened with the molestation? What did he do?”

  Lori’s jaw tensed. She pointed at April. “Who the fuck do you think you are? You don’t
fuckin’ know me. All up in my business.”

  April drew back and showed her palms. “I’m sorry. I was just trying to find out about Jason.”

  “He was a fuckin’ piece of shit,” Barb said. “Still is.”

  Lori lifted her chin to the road behind April. “I think it’s best you get up outta here.”

  “I’m sorry to have bothered you.” April turned, opened her car door, and drove to the end of the street, turning around at the cul-de-sac. As she drove back, she passed Lori and Barb, both of them giving her the evil eye. April thought, I don’t believe them. Her phone buzzed with a text. Once she was out of their sight, she parked her car along the road and checked her text.

  Grandpap: Anytime. I’m always up for fishing.

  April: How about tomorrow?

  Chapter 82: Fishing for Information

  Grandpap Frank killed the outboard motor on his fourteen-foot fishing boat as they coasted near a cove. It was one of Frank’s favorite fishing spots. April and Frank knew a ledge was beneath them, where the depth cratered. Fish congregated near these ledges because they offered food, cover, and a variety of water depths. As they slowed to a stop, April tossed the anchor into the lake.

  The morning sun reflected off the blue water of Raystown Lake, like tiny starbursts. They were surrounded by the Tussey Mountains and the bright green leaves of the oak forest.

  “It’s gonna be a beautiful day,” Frank said, opening his tackle box. His fishing pole stood upright and secure in a holder on the side of the boat. He grabbed a lure and baited his hook.

  April walked wide-legged toward her grandpap, eyeing the lures. “Can I have a worm?”

  “Help yourself.”

  April selected a soft plastic worm and shut the box. She walked back to the opposite side of the boat and baited her hook.

  At each end of the aluminum boat, they cast their lines into the depths. They fished in silence for several minutes, casting and reeling, casting and reeling.

  April glanced at her grandpap. “Did you ever take Becky fishing?”

  Frank cast his line into the lake. “Yep. A few times when she was young.”