by Mia Moore
Ignoring his hand on her blouse, she stepped into him, clutching the back of his head and shoving it back down. Like a piston her knee shot up and crashed into his mouth. His hand let go of her blouse, but she kept her grip on his hair. She took a half step back and with a lunge crashed her kneecap into the center of his face a second time. Rob’s legs folded and she released his head as he flopped to the pavement.
Her hands shook as she grabbed the suitcase from the backseat. She almost went over backwards from the force of her arm. Rob lay curled like a fetus on the asphalt, holding his hands to his mouth. Something hard bit into the sole of her shoe. She lifted her foot and saw two small white squares. Oh fuck! She’d knocked his front teeth out.
She backed away, staring at him, at the blood that pooled next to his cheek. He deserved it. The fucking animal.
Her feet moved quickly, rounding the building and racing down the sidewalk. Who knew when he’d get back on his feet and come after her? If this was New York City a host of cabs would be going by, but this was Munsford. She turned right at the end of the block and ducked into a coffee shop. Her hands were still shaking as she fished the cell phone from her purse and punched in the number of a local cab company. As she spoke, she kept an eye on the street outside. Was that his car?
She breathed a sigh of relief. No.
When she hung up, she turned to see a teenaged waitress standing behind a long counter. Wide eyes stared from a broad freckled face.
“I’m just waiting for a cab. You don’t mind if I wait in here do you?”
The teen had a bovine look about her, shaking her head from side to side.
After a minute or two, a dark car with a yellow cab sign clamped to the roof pulled up at the curb. Thank God.
She pulled the door open and crossed the sidewalk to get in the taxi. It was only when she was settled in the back seat, her suitcase beside her that the impact of what had just happened hit her like a freight train. Tears streamed down her face and her shoulders shook from the sobs rippling through her chest.
Rob had tried to rape her. Her mother had driven her into his arms. Arms that would have hurt her really badly. She wasn’t sorry for knocking his fucking teeth out. He deserved it. But should she call an ambulance?
“Are you all right lady?” The cab driver’s eyes peered at her through the rear view mirror. He held a box of tissue against the top of the seat beside him.
She plucked a couple out. “Thanks. I’m okay, I think.” As she blew her nose, she watched Forsythe street come into view. Just another block to go. She could lock her room and sort through this. It was a mistake coming back to Munsford.
Chapter 6
The rooming house was a two story frame house, in bad need of a lick of paint. The landlady, an Italian matron in a black dress was sweeping the front porch when Brie stepped out of the taxi.
The woman paused in her work and stepped to the edge of the platform. “I been waiting for you.” She rummaged in a pocket of the paisley printed apron and held up a key. “You need this. It’s the key to the front door.”
Brie walked up the three steps and took it from her. “Thanks Mrs. Agosti. I’ll go on in and get settled.” She managed a small smile and stepped up to the heavy wooden door.
“Did you fall? There’s blood on your knee.” The woman followed her inside.
Brie’s breath caught in her throat, scanning her knee. God. There WAS blood there. “Yeah. I’m kind of clumsy sometimes. I’ll put a band-aid on it when I get to my room.”
She climbed the stairs slowly, turning at the top to walk to the room she’d rented at the end of the hall. The bathroom, shared with the other three roomers was closed when she went by. No matter. The blood was dried and could wait until after she’d unpacked to be rinsed off.
When she opened the door, saw the deep green comforter on the bed, she trudged over to it and kicked her shoes off. The un-packing could wait. She sat down with a sigh and laid back. Her knee was beginning to throb and she was exhausted. What a nightmare.
The kindest people she’d met all day had all been strangers. It would be a frosty Friday before she’d bother seeing her parents again. As for Rob...He was lucky she didn’t call the cops and charge him with attempted rape. All she wanted to do was forget him and everything to do with him.
She took a deep breath and her jaw set tight. BUT! If he came near her again, went to the grocery store or the rooming house, she’d get a restraining order.
Her eyes closed and she forced herself to think of other things. Anything but Rob.
She still had the laptop that Chris had bought her. Maybe there was a way of salvaging that course she’d started. The fee was already paid, so why not?
A small voice, that sounded horribly like her mother’s played in her head. ‘I’ll tell you why not. You’re just a grocery clerk and that’s all you’ll ever be. You’re not smart enough for college. You failed the first two tests, didn’t you?’ Her stomach fell deeper into the softness of the bed. What a loser she was.
***
An hour later, there was a knock on her door, bringing her wide awake. For the second day in a row, she peered around wondering where she was.
Mrs. Agosti’s accented voice filtered from the hallway outside. “Brie? Miss Morely? The police are downstairs. They wanna talk to you.”
Chapter 7
Brie froze in the middle of getting up to answer the door. The police? Here she’d been thinking of calling them and they showed up out of the blue.
Her head fell back and she whispered a silent curse at the ceiling. Oh shit. Rob!
She grabbed the door handle and twisted, yanking it open. Mrs. Agosti’s eyebrows were knotted together but she said nothing. Brie walked down the hall and saw the two uniformed men at the foot of the stairs. One was older, his belly overhanging his belt by a couple of inches. The other one looked like he might be still in high school, tall gangly, with still a trace of acne on his ruddy face.
“Mrs. Morely? I’m Officer Jones and this is Officer Shank. We need to speak with you.” The older man’s voice was soft and low.
“I’m Brie Morely.” She stepped before the older cop, meeting his gaze head on. “If this is about my ex-husband...I was going to call you.”
“We got a call from Rob Morely.” He glanced at the stairs where Mrs. Agosti stood, listening, a frown on her stern face. “Can we step outside and talk?”
Brie turned to her landlady. “It’s okay Mrs. Agosti. There’s been some kind of mix up.” Fuck! She’d just got this place and the police show up? She’d be lucky if the landlady let her stay the night.
She stepped through the door which the younger officer held wide for her, following the older cop. When the door was shut, he spoke. “Your husband says you assaulted him. He’s had two teeth knocked out of his mouth. He says you did it.” For just a fraction of a second his eyes showed skepticism.
She puffed out a gust of air, through gritted teeth. “Did he also tell you, he tried to rape me? That I was defending myself? I was going to call you after I woke up.”
The older cop took a black notebook from his pocket. “Well excuse me Ma’am but he’s the one with the missing teeth, a swollen mouth and a bruise on his throat. You’ve got blood on your knee which is consistent with his claim that you kneed him in the mouth.” His lips formed a hard tight line for a moment and he looked down at the floor. “I’m afraid we’re going to have to ask that you come down to the station.”
Brie’s eyes were nearly as wide as her gaping mouth. “What? I’m under arrest?”
The young cop spoke up. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do will be used against you…”
On and on his voice droned as the older cop held her arm leading her across the porch and down the steps to the police car.
“Hold it, Mrs. Morley,” he said. “It’s just procedure, lift your arms straight out.”
She obeyed and he ran his hands over her body. Down each arm and up e
ach leg to her crotch. He gazed into her eyes as his hands lingered on her breasts, fondling them. His lower lip curled when his thumb and finger pinched her nipple through her bra. To protect and serve. She closed her eyes against the tears that sprung forward.
“Turn around please. Put your hands behind your back.”
Again she obeyed, still keeping her eyes closed. She heard the tinkle of metal and felt the icy steel fold over her wrists, binding her hands behind her back.
His hands stayed behind her and wandered to her ass, palming it through her skirt.
“Just procedure, Miss.” Pressing his hand into her ass, he guided her to the open back door of the police car. “Watch your head.”
Tears formed in her eyes and she stumbled stepping from the sidewalk to the inside of the back seat. She had to perch on the edge of the seat to keep the handcuffs from biting in deeper. Oh my God! This couldn’t be happening! That lying sack of shit was having HER charged with assault!
The vinyl seat smelled a little like vomit. The door closed and she stared into a mesh screen separating her from the officers in the front. The car pulled away from the curb, travelling slowly down the street. They passed the grocery store and businesses on the main street. It all went by with a surreal quality.
She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders when they pulled into the parking lot of the police station. How many times had she walked by this building as a kid, never dreaming for one second that she’d be actually inside it, AS A CRIMINAL! Once she told them the whole story they’d let her go and arrest Rob. HE was the one who had attacked her. She was only defending herself.
The younger guy opened the door and reached in to help her out. His face was a blank, pimply mask.
Her body was numb, climbing the stairs and walking into the brick building. This couldn’t really be happening.
“Tha thee ith! The bitch tha did thith.” Rob strode towards her, his mouth red and swollen around the gap in his teeth.
It would have been funny, the way he looked and talked if she wasn’t in so much trouble.
The older cop placed his body in Rob’s path, preventing Rob from touching her.
“Back off, Robbie. I got this,” he said.
Rob nodded. “Okay, Dan.” He shot a look at Brie and smirked. “I’m glad I called you, man.”
She strained to the side, staring at her husband. “You tried to rape me, you pig! How dare you—”
“That’ll be enough! In here Mrs. Morely.” Dan, Rob’s buddy of some sort herded her into a small room, dominated by a long table.
She sat in the chair he indicated while the two cops took seats across from her.
The older cop cleared his throat and began. “We’d like to hear your side of the story now. If he assaulted you, why didn’t you call the police?”
Her heart thundered in her chest, the beat loud in her ears. Oh my God. By NOT calling as soon as it happened, she looked like she was lying. “I meant to, honest. I was so upset, I wasn’t thinking clearly. All I wanted to do was get away from him before he caught me and dragged me into some alleyway to finish me off. I panicked. I called a cab and went home. The stress was too much, I guess. As soon as I sat on the bed, I passed out, asleep.”
The older cop shot the younger one a look. Even to her own ears it sounded weak. Sleep? After being sexually assaulted?
She tried counting to ten to give herself time to think and compose herself. In a calm voice she continued. “I left Rob four months ago. I came home to find him having sex with another woman. I went to New York but things didn’t pan out, so I came home. I was out looking for a job today and arranging to get a place to stay. Rob showed up at my parent’s house. He tricked me into getting in the car with him and took me to our apartment. He demanded that I have sex with him and grabbed my wrist.” She held up her arm to show them the slight discoloration. “I managed to get out of the car and was getting my suitcase out when he came up behind me. There was no one around. He told me he was going to rape me and I hit him. When he was bent over I kneed him in the face. That is it. I should have called you but I panicked.”
“That’s not the same story as he’s telling. He says you attacked him right out of the blue when he was helping you with your suitcase...” The two cops exchanged a look.
“You’re allowed one call. I’m afraid since this is a felony assault causing bodily injury, a judge will have to hear the case. He may assign bail at that point.”
Brie’s eyes grew wide. OhmyGod! They were actually going to charge her! Keep her in jail till a judge decided? Her body went numb. This was all too much. In a small voice she spoke. “I need to call my parents.”
Chapter 8
“What are WE supposed to do to help you? We’re not rich, to get some lawyer or arrange bail. Shit Brie! You really fucked up this time.” Her mother was almost screaming into the phone.
She gazed down at the beige tiled floor beside the desk. Tears streamed down her cheeks in dark rivulets. “You shouldn’t have called Rob. If you hadn’t done that, none of this would have happened.”
“DON’T YOU DARE BLAME US!”
“Good bye Mom. Thanks for everything.” She handed the phone back to the younger officer.
His eyebrows rose and then he looked away for a moment. “Follow me Ma’am.” He led the way with the older cop bringing up the rear. He stopped at the open door to a room where a red haired female officer stood next to a desk. She wore blue latex gloves on her hands.
Brie entered the room and the older cop stepped back and closed the door.
The woman’s eyes were bored and cynical sizing her up from head to toe. “Empty your pockets and take off any jewelry. I’ll keep them in storage, along with your clothes.” She reached behind her to a high shelf where orange clothes were stacked. “Put these on.” She placed the top and a pair of baggy cotton pants on the desk.
Brie removed her watch and earrings and set them on the desk. Slowly, moving on auto pilot she lifted the silk top over her head and off. Next the skirt and shoes. She looked away from the older woman as she removed her bra and panties. This couldn’t be happening. She’d defended herself from assault and was being locked up, while the real criminal walked around free.
Ina few minutes she was dressed in the orange pants and shirt, following the woman. She stopped briefly to unlock a heavy metal door. Brie stepped through and saw bars on each side of a narrow hallway. There were four cells in there. Only one was occupied. A young woman, probably a teenager stood looking out at her. The girl’s eyes were large and vacant peering out from a mass of stringy blonde hair.
The matron once more produced a key and the door to the cell next to the young woman’s swung free. Brie plodded into it, her breath catching at the bang of the door closing behind her.
Chapter 9
“Mrs. Morely.”
Brie’s head rose and she turned to look at an athletic looking blond woman. The red haired one who had been working the night before must have gone home. “Yes?”
“Someone’s here to see you.” She unlocked the cell door and stood waiting for Brie.
Brie’s eyebrows drew together as she got to her feet. Her parents? “Who is it? Did they give their name?” She stepped out of the cell, watching the female cop.
“A Michael Tremblant.”
Brie’s head jerked back and her eyes flew wide open, all traces of sleepiness gone. What the heck was Michael doing there? Oh God. had something happened to Chris? Her mind was going a mile a minute, picturing Chris as she waited for the jailer to open the final door.
She followed her to a small drab room. Michael was seated at a table there but rose as soon as he saw Brie.
“Michael! What are you doing here? What’s wrong? Is it Chris?” She stepped closer to him, ignoring the woman who cautioned they only had ten minutes.
He stepped closer and took her hands in his. “The question is, how are YOU? Jesus, Brie. Felony assault? How the hell did THAT happen?”
> He pulled out a chair and motioned for her to take a seat.
“How’d you get here? Who told you?” Her head shook from side to side, forehead furrowed watching him. He was manna from heaven, a sight for sore eyes after what she’d been through but what about Chris?
“I called your parents and your mother told me you were in here. I came as soon as I could. Chris has been worried sick about you. But enough of that. You need a lawyer, girl. It just so happens I’m one.” He took a seat close to her and placed his hand on hers.
She sighed a gush of relief and her shoulders slumped. She didn’t know which was better--the fact that Chris was okay or that Michael was here to help her.
“Court is in two hours. You better give me your story and don’t leave anything out. I can’t help you if you do.” He pulled a memo pad and pen out of his pocket.
For the next ten minutes she outlined what had happened. As he jotted notes his face hardened. When Brie told him about her arrest and being groped by the older cop his head whipped up.
“Did you get any names?”
She shook her head. “Rob called him ‘Danny’.
“Oh really?” When she nodded in reply, he grinned with malevolence.
There was a knock at the door and the blonde haired cop stepped into the room.
Michael stood up and placed his hand on Brie’s shoulder. “I’m Mrs. Morley’s lawyer. You’ll have to give us more time.”
The woman nodded and backed out of the room shutting the door quietly behind her.
Brie stared at the table, her fingers toying with a hangnail on her thumb. When Michael took his seat again, she turned to look at him. He would make an impressive figure to have by her side when she entered the courtroom, dressed as he was in the dark pin striped, expensive suit.
“Michael, I can’t pay you...not for a while at least.”
His mouth pulled to the side and he shook his head. “Oh you’ll pay me, but not with money. Chris is worried sick about you, and I haven’t even told him of this mess.” He sat back and ran his hand through his hair. “He was devastated when he heard what happened at Claire’s. You’re going back to New York and talk to him. After that, you can do what you want.”
