by Stacy-Deanne
Sarah looked at her. “What are you talking about?”
“He does things every time your back is turned. I didn’t want to mention it because I knew you wouldn’t believe me. I don’t see why not, since I’m your sister, and he’s some guy you just met! Anyway, I won’t go into all the details, but Keith assaulted me in my office this morning.”
“What?” Sarah sneered.
“I’m dead serious, Sarah. He closed the door, shoved me in my seat and he…he ripped open my clothes.”
“What?” Sarah gaped.
“I couldn’t believe it, either. He was trying to intimidate me. Sarah he practically told me he’d do something to me if I didn’t stay out of his business. Does that seem normal to you?”
“Wait, you mean to say all of this shit happened, yet you didn’t tell me?”
“Sarah, I couldn’t.” Melody sighed. “Sarah, look, I knew you’d say I was just starting trouble. I was hoping that you’d see what Keith was doing fast enough that I wouldn’t have to keep going on like this! Sarah, he’s sick, okay? I know something is wrong with him.”
Sarah looked at her fancy fake nails. “So, he, uh, ripped your clothes and threatened you? That’s quite different from what he said.”
“I don’t care what he said. Anyway, I’m your sister. Who are you gonna believe?”
“Well, you know, Melody, it would be easier for me to believe you if you didn’t pull this stunt every time I have a new boyfriend, you know?”
“This isn’t like the other times! Besides, I was telling the truth then, too! All of your guys have been jerks, Sarah! You couldn’t pick a decent guy to save your life! You take the first well-dressed, charming dog that slumps up to you! You don’t think twice!”
“Well, at least they slump up to me,” Sarah scoffed. “Which is a lot more than I can say for you, Mel.”
She rolled her eyes. “We’re past this childish shit, Sarah.”
“No, obviously we aren’t! I’ve had it up to here with this shit, Melody! You do this every goddamn time, and I’m sick of it!”
“I just told you that Keith Taylor assaulted me, and you’re yelling at me?”
“He didn’t assault you! I don’t believe a word you said!”
“He’s done that and more, Sarah.” Melody stood against the dresser. “See, I didn’t want to tell you any of this because I love you. I didn’t want to hurt you, but I guess I’ll have to come clean.” Sarah crossed her arms. “Today wasn’t the only time your boyfriend has put his hands on me.”
“Get to the point.”
“Okay, if you want it this way.” Melody sighed. “You won’t want anything to do with Keith Taylor after this. Sarah, the other day, you remember how flustered I was when you came home? Remember, when Keith was waiting for you?”
“Of course I remember.” She exhaled.
“You kept asking me to say what was wrong, but I just couldn’t get it out. You said I was more frightened than you ever saw me. Well, that was because of Keith.” Sarah’s arms dropped. “When I got home, he followed me to my bedroom. When I got undressed, I realized he’d been watching the entire time. I told him to leave and he wouldn’t.”
“What?” Sarah whispered.
“That’s why I was so shaken up that entire night. That’s why I didn’t want to be two feet near Keith Taylor. And it didn’t stop there. He also grabbed me in the kitchen and wouldn’t let me go. And that’s not all. He’s also kissed me, Sarah.” Melody looked at the carpet. “I’m sorry.” Sarah chuckled. “What in the hell are you laughing at, Sarah?”
“You’re pathetic, Melody. So this is the next stage, huh? You can’t get me to believe your version of Keith, so you end up lying? How could you do this?”
“Oh no, wait, wait, wait, wait.” Melody shook. “I’m not lying, Sarah. You know me. I don’t lie! Well, I mean, at least not about anything serious. Sarah, I wouldn’t make any of this up! I can’t believe you’d even think that way.”
“Melody, am I supposed to believe that Keith’s been doing all this shit and you didn’t tell me? Look at the sense that would make!”
“Sarah, I didn’t tell you because I know you care about him! I wanted him gone, but I didn’t want to hurt you in the process!”
“You never gave a shit about telling me about my other boyfriends’ so-called problems. Why wouldn’t you tell me about Keith? Especially when you hate him? Wouldn’t it have been easier for you to tell me this stuff first off…if it had actually happened?” Sarah squinted.
“It did happen! Sarah, look at me. I’m your sister! You, you said that I’ve been acting weird lately, right? All of that is because of Keith! Sarah, he can’t keep his hands off me.” Sarah laughed. “So what, is it hard to believe a man would want me that much?”
“No, it’s not. But what you say about Keith is impossible to believe, and I don’t!” Melody gaped. “Why would you even take a job with Keith if he’d done all these things to you? Melody, I cannot believe you’re standing in here lying!”
Melody grabbed her. “Look at me! Would I have been so frightened if I made all of this shit up?”
Sarah broke free. “All I know is that Keith’s scenario seems to be the logical one. Melody, how can I believe you now? Why would you put up with this stuff from Keith if it truly happened? Unless…”
Melody squinted. “Unless what?”
“Unless, all of this happened and you enjoyed it.”
“Get out of my room.”
“I’d believe that before I believed that you didn’t.”
“You know what, fuck you, Sarah, okay? If you don’t want to believe me, then it’s okay. You’ll see what he is soon enough. I’m telling you the truth and your stubborn ass will have to live with that one day.”
“Melody, the bottom line is that I’m not taking this shit from you anymore. You’re not running Keith away like you ran away all the others. He’s special, I love him.”
Melody got in bed. “More than you love me?”
Sarah shook her head. “I don’t know why you have this attitude like everyone’s against you, Mel. That’s just not the case. Look, everything in my life doesn’t revolve around you. Keith is not gonna take your place, okay?”
“It’s not even about that, Sarah! Something is wrong with him. He’s dangerous.”
“Oh.” Sarah laughed. “So he’s dangerous now. He’s gone from being an asshole to now being dangerous?”
“Do I look like I’m laughing? He scares me more than anyone I’ve ever met. I’m not misreading a damn thing, Sarah. What I feel about Keith is real. It’s all there, and you’re gonna see it one day.” Melody sighed. “Maybe we both will. I just hope it’s before it’s too late.”
“Here’s the deal, okay? Stay out of my relationship with Keith. I love you, Melody, but I’m not going through this shit again with you. My love life is my business. You want me to respect your privacy and you living your own life, then do the same for me.” She went to the door. “And just to clear all confusion, why don’t you stay away from Keith from now on?”
“I was trying to do that, but it’s not gonna be easy seeing how you gave the prick a key!” Melody slapped her pillow. “And without even telling me.”
“Melody, honestly, I can’t believe a word you said about Keith. It makes no sense. I love him. He is a part of my life now and you won’t change that.”
“Good night, Sarah.” Melody walled her eyes.
“Melody, get yourself together, okay? There’s nothing wrong with Keith. It’s all in your head.”
“I’m trying to help you, Sarah. I’ve always been on your side.”
“Really? How come right now it doesn’t feel like you are?” She left the room.
“After all the time we’ve worked together, you hand me this flimsy excuse, Kemp?” Captain Jersey reached for the coffeemaker behind her desk the next morning. She poured a steaming cup of coffee. Steven ran his hands over his rugged face. He’d never been late one day since being
on the force. Too bad he’d chosen the wrong day to oversleep.
“Captain, I don’t know what to say.” He shrugged. “My alarm didn’t go off. You know me, I’m never late!”
“Too bad for you, it’s the wrong damn day.” She shuffled through papers. “There was another rape last night. Morris is questioning the victim now. That’s why I was calling your ass all morning.”
“I didn’t hear the phone!” He waved his hands. “Come on, Captain.” He sat down. “This case is taking a toll on me. I couldn’t steal sleep these days.”
“You should be used to it. Besides, sleeping should be the least of your worries. Look at me. Do I look like I sleep? Shit, Kemp, I never sleep. I spend my time riding cops’ asses while trying to stop the commissioner from riding mine.” She pointed to the wrinkles under her eyes. Steven couldn’t tell if they were from lack of sleep or age, but he’d humor his superior.
“So there was another rape, huh?” He sighed. “Well, since this is my case, too, you mind filling me in on the details?”
She clasped her hands on the desk. “The victim is Cheyenne Wilson. She’s twenty-three, black and she dances at the Flamingo bar on Southmore.”
“A stripper?” Steven scratched his head.
Jersey shrugged. “We won’t know more until Morris comes back from talking to her. She should be back soon. She’s been at the hospital about an hour. Cheyenne is supposed to be released to go home later this afternoon.”
“Is it really our guy?”
“Looks like it.” Jersey sipped coffee. “She was raped at home and beaten in the face with a flashlight.”
Steven sighed. “Oh man.”
“The cop who took the report said she was so battered he couldn’t make out the left side of her face. Said he was surprised the blows didn’t kill her. I suppose the blow didn’t cause any major trauma, or else they wouldn’t be releasing her today. As for the rape, I’m sure that’s not anything pretty to hear about either but…” The door opened. Brianna walked in. Jersey sat erect. “Morris. What’s the deal with Miss Wilson?”
Brianna looked at Steven. “Well, uh, it was definitely the Albany Predator. Uh, she described his face, then when I showed her the sketch she hadn’t any doubt. She said it was definitely the man who raped her.”
“She’s a stripper?” Jersey asked.
Brianna shrugged. “She says she’s just a regular dancer, and doing it to pay the bills.”
Steven scoffed. “I don’t know nobody who just dances at a titty bar without taking something off.”
“Stripper or not, she doesn’t deserve to be raped.” Jersey tapped her pencil.
“Of course not, Captain. I didn’t mean nothing by that. I’m just saying that my experience with titty bars, these women usually take it all off for quick cash. Some even do more than that. Anyway what happened, Bree?” Steven crossed his arms.
“Well, apparently he offered her a ride last night after she finished dancing. She said he was sitting on a bench. She said now that she remembers it, she thinks she saw him in the bar, too.”
Jersey bit her lip. “Was the bar crowded? Did she say if there were people outside that may be able to identify him, too?”
“Come on, Captain.” Steven grinned. “The Flamingo is the most popular titty bar around. Believe me, it was crowded and there’s never been a night it wasn’t.”
Brianna raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know you were into titty bars, Steven.”
He cleared his throat. “I’m not. Uh, I mean, I may have stopped in occasionally.” He ignored their judgmental expressions. “This isn’t about me, anyway. What else did Miss Wilson say?”
“She said that he took her home, they had cake, talked and he raped her.”
“What?” Steven chuckled. “I don’t mean to laugh, but is she in the habit of having picnics at her home with guys she doesn’t know?”
Brianna shrugged. “She said she started to feel uncomfortable with him. She asked him to leave but he wouldn’t. She said he forced her to her bedroom. She tried to fight him and he beat her with a flashlight…then raped her.”
Steven shook his head. “Why in the hell would she go off with him in the first damn place? Jesus! Aren’t these women even thinking these days? I mean, doesn’t she know about the Predator? Hasn’t she been listening to the news? Why in the hell would she get in a car with someone she didn’t know?”
“I was thinking the same thing myself until she told me…” Brianna sighed.
“Told you what?” Jersey leaned back in her chair.
“Until she told me he was a cop.”
“A cop?” Steven scooted to the edge of his chair. “A cop? What the fuck…”
Jersey gaped. “A cop? Is she, uh…is she sure?”
Brianna nodded. “He showed her his badge. I tried to see if she could give me the badge number so I could run it, but she didn’t pay attention to any of that. Besides, she was so shaken she could barely talk to me.”
“This can’t be right.” Steven stood. “This man can’t be a cop. I mean, why would he be a cop now? Wouldn’t this shit have come up before…months ago? We’ve been investigating him for months! None of the other victims said shit about a badge!”
“Maybe he hadn’t shown them his badge then.” Brianna shrugged. “He had to show Cheyenne something for her to get in the car with him.”
Steven looked at Jersey. “What do you think, Captain?”
“Well, uh…this is definitely surprising. But I’m willing to bet he isn’t a cop. Anyone can get a badge underground these days.” The officers nodded. “Anyway, we need to work on her some more because she may be the one to tie things together. Morris, does she seem like she’ll cooperate?”
“Well, she did give me her home number and told me she might want to talk to me when she gets home. She was scared as expected, but she seems to be avid in wanting to get this guy off the streets.”
“We need to go to the Flamingo, too.” Steven held his waist. “I mean, if he was there last night, this could be a regular hangout for this guy. I’m willing to bet on it. Something made him pick out that side of town. Maybe it’s the clue we need. He may even live over there. We’ll go tonight, Bree. That way we can see what really goes on there.”
“Sounds good to me.” Jersey nodded. “Go to the Flamingo and see what you can find out. Who knows, he may have already approached another woman who works down there. Either way, the ladies on that side of town should be terribly aware.”
Steven nodded. “You mean ‘black’ ladies.”
“Yes,” Jersey sighed. “I mean ‘black’ ladies.”
Melody accompanied Lucas to his place that evening. She’d already gotten used to being an employee at Caper. She felt she’d had a decent day until she got home to find Keith and Sarah snuggling on the couch. She couldn’t remember a time when Keith wasn’t around these days. Her hopes of breaking them up seemed impossible with the attitude Sarah showed the night before.
Lucas quickly showed her around his fabulous, two-story bachelor pad. She loved how he appreciated the simple things in life. Lucas could have lived anywhere in New York with his money. Yet he chose to live in a quiet, ordinary and extremely peaceful neighborhood. He showed Melody the upstairs. He then showed her the large living room and immaculate kitchen.
He admitted he had a maid that came in twice a week to keep things tidy. Melody chuckled at the thought. She wondered if the lady would like to do her chores for her. Lord knows, Melody could use someone to pick up after her. Lucas’s home wasn’t fascinating like his charm, good looks and wardrobe. But Melody hadn’t ever felt so comfortable before.
They hadn’t talked much on the way over. She knew he sensed her tenseness about Keith. She refused to get into the subject today. Lucas had become a great distraction. She’d use the time with him to her advantage.
They walked into the den hand in hand. Lucas gestured for Melody to sit on the couch. She did. She noticed the fireplace when he lit the incen
se. The aroma of cinnamon and pine soothed her as if she’d had a glass of warm tea. She stared at the brown walls and at the marvelous maroon carpeting. He’d obviously hired a private decorator. So much for his quest to be “common.”
Lucas turned on the television. Melody groaned at another report about the rapist. She figured the other criminals in the city were having a field day. They got zero airtime, while the Albany Predator could soon have his own talk show. Melody didn’t see what sense it made to continually broadcast the rapes if the police weren’t doing much about it.
“So, how do you like working at Caper so far?” Lucas asked with his eyes glued to the latest news report.
She grinned. “You’ve asked me that a million times.” She stared at the blond news reporter. The reporter walked around some shabby bar. The scene cut to a bald reporter who stood in front of the hospital. He went on about the recovery of Cheyenne Wilson. Melody had been so busy avoiding the news that she hadn’t heard about the latest rape.
“What did they say?” She sat up to hear. “She was raped in her home, too?” Lucas nodded. “Wonder why she’s still in the hospital.”
“She was banged in the face with a flashlight.”
“Wait…” Melody turned the volume up. The bald reporter rattled on about Cheyenne’s recollection of events. “Did he say she got in the car with him?” Lucas nodded. “Well, is she stupid or just crazy?”
“Mel.” Lucas chuckled.
“Well, I can’t feel sorry for someone who is that careless. Why would she get in the car with someone she didn’t know?”
The bald reporter pointed to the hospital. “Apparently, Miss Wilson says the perpetrator showed her a badge and admitted that he was a cop. Police are further investigating…”
“This is making me sick.” Lucas turned the volume down and he pulled Melody close.
“A cop?” Melody gaped. “She said he’s a cop?” She looked at Lucas. “Wait, can that be possible? Can a cop be doing this and the police still not know it?”
