Mending Fences

by Sherryl Woods

  “I hope so,” Grady said carefully. He worried that the innocent thoughts she’d put down on those pages might make a jury wonder if she’d been so eager for a relationship that she might have invited what Evan had done after all. “Let me take a quick scan through them, okay?”

  Dani nodded.

  He glanced at several of the entries and was immediately reassured. They were the words of an inexperienced girl just trying to express what was in her heart. There wasn’t a whiff of sexual innuendo or a fantasy that went beyond the hope that someday Evan would kiss her. A prosecutor would have to make the final call, but he thought the diary would be a crucial piece of evidence against Evan. He could show that an experienced young man had taken a young girl’s trust and used it to his own advantage.

  “You loved him a lot, didn’t you?” he asked gently after seeing her heart and soul written onto those pages.

  “I thought I did. I thought I knew him, you know. He was here all the time. I knew he liked steak, not fish, and he hated spinach. He could eat a dozen cookies at one sitting. Oatmeal raisin were his favorites. I knew he got straight A’s, but the only class he really loved was current events. I even knew that he was lousy at tennis and worse at golf. He was funny, too, and he’d watch a chick flick with me and Caitlyn without moaning and groaning like some guys do.” Her expression was stricken. “I thought he was almost perfect, perfect for me, anyway.”

  Grady’s heart ached for her. “I’m so sorry it turned out the way it did.”

  “Me, too.”

  “It takes a lot of courage to do what you’re doing,” he told her.

  She shook her head. “Courage would have been telling somebody a year ago, so he could be stopped.”

  “He’ll be stopped now,” Grady said grimly. “You want to talk to anybody about this? I know some really good counselors. There’s a support group, too.”

  Dani stared at him, wide-eyed. “There’s a whole support group?”

  “More than one, unfortunately. This happens too often.”

  “I thought it had only happened to me, because I was naive and stupid.”

  “Most girls your age and even older feel that way, which is why the support group can really help. You let me know if you want me to hook you up, okay? Naomi or I can take you by, introduce you.”

  “Thanks.” To his astonishment, she launched herself at him, her arms tight around his shoulders. “I’m so glad you’re my friend and that you didn’t freak out or get all crazy about this. It made it easier.”

  “I’m glad. Want me to send your mom in now?”

  She shook her head. “I think I’m ready to face my dad. I didn’t want to see him before. I was afraid of how he’d act.”

  Grady understood that kind of fear. He’d seen it many times in rape victims who feared telling the men they were closest to, as if they’d done something wrong. Lauren had only told her own father after the media had gotten all over the case and she’d feared he would see it in the paper. Unfortunately, he hadn’t taken it well. He’d blamed her for somehow inviting the attack and accused her of sinning. Derek Dobbs was a far more understanding man.

  Grady tried to reassure Dani. “I talked to your dad when I got here. He loves you very much. What happened to you is bound to make him really sad, but he only cares that you’re okay. That’s all that matters to him.”

  The worry lines on her forehead deepened. “You’re not going to let him go after Evan, are you? I don’t want him to do something stupid and go to jail.”

  “I’ll do everything I can to prevent that,” Grady promised.

  When he left Dani’s room, he found Emily standing in the hallway.

  “How is she?” she asked.

  “She’s a strong girl, a lot like her mom, I think.”

  Emily shook her head. “Not me. I didn’t want to face this.”

  “There aren’t many moms who do.” He touched his hand to her cheek, wiped away a tear. “It’s going to be okay.”

  “How can you be sure of that?”

  “Because no matter what people go through, they do heal.”

  She gave him a wry look. “You haven’t.”

  “Not entirely, no,” he said. “But I’m getting there. Get Derek now. Dani wants to see her dad. And then we all need to sit down and talk about what happens next.”

  Emily nodded. “I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”

  “I’ll pour the coffee. Something tells me none of us is going to get any sleep anyway.”

  While he waited downstairs, he called Naomi. “I know it’s late, but I wanted you to know that I have Dani’s testimony, and a diary that pretty much confirms what happened and when.”

  “Oh, that poor child,” Naomi said. “Is she okay?”

  “She’s doing amazingly well now that everything’s out in the open.”

  “And you? How are you handling this?”

  “I’m the tough cop just doing my job,” he insisted.

  “Don’t lie to me, Rodriguez. How are you really?”

  “The whole thing makes me sick. I want to go over to the Carters’ and beat the crap out of that kid, but I won’t. I’m going to trust in the system.”

  “You’ve made it that much easier for the system to get it right by getting Dani’s statement,” she reminded him. “Good work. The chief’s going to be ecstatic. The Carter kid might be able to skate away from one charge, but two? Nobody’s going to be able to deny he has a problem now. Dani is going to press charges, right?”

  “That’s what I want to talk to her folks about next,” he said. He looked up and saw Emily in the doorway. “I’ve got to go. See you at the station first thing in the morning. No matter what happens, I’m going to make a call to the local cops and bring the Carter kid in tonight. I think the judge will be thrilled to revoke his bond.”

  He hung up slowly, watching Emily’s face. She’d gone pale at the mention of Evan losing his bond. “You okay?”

  “The implications are just starting to sink in. My daughter is in a position to send my best friend’s sonto jail.”

  “To be honest, I’m not sure you’ve grasped all of them,” he said. “I’m recommending that Dani press charges against him. It’s your call, and hers, but there are two crimes now, not just the one he committed against Lauren.”

  She regarded him with dismay. “I thought you just wanted Dani’s testimony to establish a pattern.”

  “Originally that’s what I thought, too, but after listening to her, after reading the diary she showed me, there’s a strong case to be made that Dani was raped, too. Because of her age, the charge is even more serious, statutory rape. She deserves her own justice.”

  “I don’t know,” Emily whispered, stricken. “Grady, how can we ask her to press charges against a boy she’s known all her life?”

  “How can you not? He belongs in jail for what he did to both of those girls,” he said firmly.

  “Derek’s not going to go along with this,” she said. “He tried to talk me out of calling you at all. He didn’t want Dani subjected to the same ridicule that’s hounded Lauren in the media. Granted, no one’s mentioned her name, but her identity is well-known on campus and around town, thanks to Ken. I can’t even imagine what he’d do to Dani. The first smarmy comment he leaked would send Derek right over the edge. Josh, too. I just don’t know if our family can take that.”

  “Why don’t we get Derek and Dani down here and see what they think?” he suggested. “Bring Josh in on the decision, as well.”

  She regarded him with unmistakable reluctance. “You’re not going to badger them, are you?”

  “I hope to be no more than powerfully persuasive,” he said.

  “Just promise that this will be Dani’s call. She has the most at stake. I don’t want her pressured to do something she’s not comfortable doing. I mean it.”

  “Of course.”

  “Okay, fine,” she said at last. “I’ll get them.” She stood up, wobbled slightly and sat back dow
n.

  Grady was on his feet at once. “Emily, are you okay?”

  “Just shaky. Probably too much caffeine.”

  “And too many nerves. Believe me, I get how awful this is for you. I really do. And I’m sorry if you think I’m pushing too hard, but I don’t want that boy to get away with what he did, not to either of those girls and to who knows how many others.”

  “I know,” she whispered. “I swear if it were any other girl, any other young man, I’d want you to go after him with everything you’ve got, but this is my baby we’re talking about. I’m terrified about what this will do to her.”

  “Isn’t the real issue what Evan has already done to her?” he asked.

  “Grady, that’s the idealistic notion, but you and I both know that in cases like this, the person reporting the crime is sometimes victimized twice, first by the perpetrator and then by the court system. So far, I’ve been able to focus on what’s best for Dani, but if the media or some defense attorney goes after my daughter, you’ll have to put me behind bars to keep them safe.”

  He smiled at the ferocity in her voice. “I’d like to see that.”

  “It’s not funny.”

  He sobered at once. “No, seeing someone you love hurt is never funny, but I really believe Dani is strong enough to get through this.”

  Emily still didn’t look convinced, but she stood up again, and this time she remained steady on her feet. “I’ll go get the others.”

  While she was gone, Grady poured more coffee and tried to work out how he was going to convince Derek Dobbs to allow separate charges to be filed on Dani’s behalf. He thought he understood where Derek was likely coming from. A big part of him wanted to close his eyes, pretend this had never happened, protect Dani from further trauma. But the cop in him insisted the incident would never be put to rest for Dani until Evan had paid the price for it.

  When the family came into the kitchen, Dani was clutching her father’s hand. Derek’s expression was only fractionally less grim than his son’s. Emily couldn’t seem to look at them or at him. She busied herself with getting mugs from the cupboard and making hot chocolate for Dani and pouring coffee for the rest of them.

  “I wanted to talk to all of you about what happens next,” Grady said when they were settled. “Everything Dani told me tonight is very compelling. She’ll make a very strong witness in Lauren’s case, but I think she deserves justice herself. I’d like to see additional charges filed against Evan for what he did to Dani.”

  “Go for it,” Josh said heatedly. “Lock him away for the rest of his sick life. I swear to God, if I get my hands on him—”

  “Hold it, Josh,” Grady said, his attention on Dani. “How do you feel about it, Dani?”

  “I thought it was too late for me to press charges,” she said.

  “No, the statute of limitations hasn’t run out yet.”

  “And I’d have to testify either way, right? You want me to go to court to back up Lauren, anyway?”

  Grady nodded.

  Dani looked to her mother. “Mom, what do you think?”

  Grady held his breath. He knew Emily had very mixed feelings about Dani being even more involved in this mess than she would be as a witness in support of Lauren.

  “Sweetie, what Evan did to you was a crime. You were only sixteen, a minor.” She glanced at Grady. “That’s another crime, right?”

  He nodded.

  “I think you need to weigh this very carefully,” Emily told her. “I know you feel you should be loyal to the Carters and Caitlyn, but Evan is old enough to be held accountble for his actions. This wasn’t some innocent little mistake. It was a crime.”

  Dani’s eyes welled with tears. “Caitlyn will hate me.”

  “Possibly,” her mother said candidly.

  “And the Carters are counting on Evan to be this big superstar jock.”

  “That’s not a reason to back down,” Emily told her. “You know right from wrong, sweetie. So did Evan.”

  Grady turned to Derek. Without him on board, the other opinions would hardly matter. “You’ve been quiet so far. Do you have an opinion about this?”

  Derek’s heart was in his eyes when he looked at his daughter. “I just want all of this to be behind her. If the best way for that to happen is for her to bring charges against that boy, then I’m with her a hundred percent.” His hand trembled as he brushed her hair away from her face. “What’s it going to be, kiddo? You’re old enough to make this decision yourself. Mom and I are totally behind you.”

  “I always thought he was a good guy, you know,” she said softly. “Maybe he still can be.”

  “Then you don’t want to press charges?” Derek asked.

  Dani hesitated, then sat up a little straighter. “Yes, I do. I want Evan punished for what he did to me and to Lauren,” she said. “I don’t want him to be able to do it ever again. Maybe then he’ll change and be the person I thought he was.”

  “Then I’ll pick him up now and see that his bond’s revoked,” Grady said at once. It was the outcome he’d hoped for, but oddly it wasn’t nearly as satisfying as he’d expected. In the end both of these families were going to be devastated, years of friendship left in tatters.

  He was about to stand up, when Emily gave him a pleading look. “Don’t go over there yet,” she said. “This is going to kill his mother and his sister. I need to warn Marcie. We’ve been friends for so long, and none of this is her fault. She needs to be prepared for what’s going to happen. And, after what happened between the two of us earlier, I want her to hear from me what our role is in it. I owe her that.”

  Grady gave her an odd look. “What happened earlier?”

  “It seems Ken has been spying on me,” she said, her cheeks turning pink, her eyes avoiding her ex-husband’s as she added, “On us. Marcie believes I’ve betrayed her by spending time with you. At least if I alert her about this, maybe she’ll believe that I’m still trying to be her friend.”

  Grady wanted to balk, but he understood her dilemma. She was a mother first, but she was a loyal friend, too. And she was right, none of this was Marcie Carter’s fault. She’d already had to bear the burden of seeing her son taken away in handcuffs once.

  “How about this? I need to contact the police down here about what’s happening. That’ll take some time. You call and invite her over now. It’s the middle of the night. Do you think she’ll come? Can you insist on it?”

  Emily nodded. “She’ll come,” she said confidently. “That’s what we do when there’s any kind of crisis. We show up, no matter the hour.”

  “Okay, then. I’ll wait outside until she’s here, then I’ll meet up with the local cops and head over to take Evan in. That way, we won’t cross paths and she won’t have to see me taking her son away a second time. Maybe you should talk her into bringing her daughter with her. This will be hard on her, too.”

  Emily gave him a grateful look. “You’re a thoughtful man,” she told him.

  That was a new one. No one had suggested he was thoughtful for a long, long time. Maybe ever.

  “Could be I have a good teacher,” he told her with a wink. “Now, make that call.”

  As Emily went into the other room to call her friend, he looked around the table at the others. “I doubt this will help, but I am sorry about all of this. Dani, I really wanted to be wrong about Evan hurting you.”

  “I know,” she said.

  To his surprise, Derek met his gaze evenly. “You’ve been a good friend to my family, Detective. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that.”

  Grady nodded. “I’d better get out of here before Mrs. Carter and Caitlyn arrive. Dani, you take care of yourself, okay? Maybe we can work on that landscaping this weekend.”

  Her eyes lit up for the first time in what had been a very long night. “Awesome.”

  He wanted to tell her how proud he was of her, but with her father sitting right there, Grady felt it wasn’t his place. Pride was Derek’s right, not h
is. He just hoped that someday down the road he could claim a few rights as her stepfather. It was a role he’d be honored to have. He just had to convince Emily that there was more between them than an investigation that had ripped her life apart.

  22

  Marcie was jolted out of a sound sleep by the ringing of the phone. Beside her, Ken was dead to the world. The man could sleep through a category-five hurricane. She was convinced of it.

  Rolling her eyes, she reached past him to grab the phone. “Hello.”

  “Marcie, it’s me,” Emily said. “I’m really sorry to wake you, but I need you. Can you come over now?”

  Even though she hadn’t entirely gotten past her earlier anger, she said yes at once. Too many years of habit and loyalty couldn’t be broken in a single night, not when there was such urgency in Emily’s voice.

  “I’ll be right there,” she responded.

  Already out of bed and reaching for her robe, Marcie was about to hang up, when Emily added, “I know it’s a lot to ask, but bring Caitlyn, too, okay?”

  Marcie had the robe in hand, but Emily’s request startled her so badly that she dropped it and left it where it fell. “Why?”

  “Trust me, okay? Please bring her.”

  Marcie sat down on the edge of the bed, careful not to bump into Ken, who was still snoring. “Emily, maybe you should tell me what’s going on,” she said, keeping her voice low.

  “I will, as soon as you get here,” she promised. “Hurry.”

  She recognized the stubborn note in her friend’s voice. Emily wasn’t going to say any more until they were face-to-face. “Give me ten minutes,” she said, resigned to waiting. “You know how hard it is to get Caitlyn moving.”

  A few minutes later as she waited for Caitlyn to pull herself together and drag on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, she wondered why she’d agreed so readily to this middle-of-the-night visit. Maybe it was the unexpected command she’d heard in Emily’s voice or maybe nothing more than the fact that she’d made the request in the first place. Friends were there for each other, anytime, anyplace. It was an unspoken rule that had served them well practically from the day they’d met. Whether a child’s illness, an extremely bad day or even a plumbing crisis, they did whatever they could for each other. Though Emily had frayed that bond by hiding her relationship with Rodriguez, it wasn’t yet broken.