"I know," Tony nodded, "but we have to remain calm about this. What time should we meet tomorrow?"
"At the station," Natasha said, heading for her car. "Ten o'clock tomorrow. We can compare the girls as you suggested…see if there is anything similar and then run through what Jiselle told us. I'll contact campus security and see if there are any CCTV cameras near the psych center. I am tired!"
She waved to Tony as she got into the car but stayed a little while with her head on the steering wheel before she found the energy to drive home.
***
Deidra woke up in a sour mood. She had hardly slept last night. She had tossed and turned and thought about Micah all night until her mind had expired from overuse. She was of two minds. One voice was telling her, in Charlene's sensible tones, to back off Micah. Another voice, sounding like the most cynical version of herself, was mocking her and saying, Micah Bancroft is strange. He should be punished for treating you like a naive child.
She headed to the kitchen and saw James slurping his cereal and reading a book and Charlene cooking up something that smelled delicious.
"What's that?" She asked Charlene gruffly.
"Leftover warmed up fish and fried breadfruit," Charlene said looking at her assessingly. "Want some?"
"No." Deidra shuddered. "I don't eat grease. I don't want to ruin my shape."
Charlene shrugged. "Suit yourself, I never expected you to eat this anyway.
James looked up from his book absentmindedly. "Hi Dee."
Deidra snorted. "Don't speak to me unless spoken to, twerp. What is that you are reading? A book without pictures! I am shocked. Is the world going to end?"
James laughed. "It's just a book."
"It must be porn. You nasty creature," Deidra said going into the fridge for her non-fat Greek yogurt.
"Porn!" Charlene exclaimed. "So early in the morning James? I would prefer if you don't read it at all."
James looked at them both sheepishly. "Jeez, it's for a reading assignment."
Charlene raised her brows speculatively. "Isn't your major Animation? Why on earth would you be reading porn?"
James placed his book face down on the table. There was a picture of a lady tied up and looking seductively at them.
"It's for English Language 101. The teacher said we should read a book that we liked and give a one-page report on it. I failed the course twice last year. I need to pass it this year."
"You do realize that Mount Faith University is a Christian institution, don't you?" Charlene asked sharply. "You are going to get called upon to explain why this book."
"Aunty Marcie will have to come up here and beg Dr. Bancroft not to kick you out of school because of your sick report," Deidra chimed in. "Your mother is a big senator who is passionate about young people and the turn their lives are taking in this country. She'll be devastated to learn that her own pookie-boo is a sicko."
"Stop it!" James said to Deidra. "Why do you have to be so hard and so mean?"
"Because you are stupid and ugly," Deidra said churlishly.
"Make her stop!" James turned to Charlene, gripping the edge of the table until his knuckles were red.
"Stop!" Charlene looked at Deidra sternly.
"I hate him," Deidra said petulantly. "He sicks my stomach. Why did Aunt Marcie have to send him to Mount Faith University? There are several universities on the island, and some very good ones in Kingston where she lives."
James bit his lip and sat down, playing in his cereal. "Nobody else offers a degree in animation or animation technology," he gritted out. "If it were up to me I would not be here."
The kitchen was silent except for the cluttering of the knife and fork on Charlene's plate.
"You two need to find some way to get along," Charlene said in the silence.
"I want him out of here!" Deidra said stridently. "He hardly goes to school. He sits around and plays video games with his little friend and eats his gum and sticks it all over the furniture."
James didn't respond, he just hung his head and played with is spoon. "You are being mean because Micah Bancroft doesn't want you," James said snidely when Deidra started eating her yogurt.
"You pig!" Deidra shouted, the spoon clattered out of her hand and her face wrinkled in consternation. "Micah Bancroft wants me. He wants me so much he couldn't help himself. He held me down and took me, just last night!"
Charlene gasped. "Deidra, is this true?"
Deidra paused infinitesimally. "Of course it's true."
James shook his head. "You are lying. I gave you that story the last time you came in here rejected."
"Well let's call it a self-fulfilling prophecy then," Deidra bit out.
Charlene looked at Deidra seriously. "If this is rape it has to be reported. There is a spate of rapes taking place on the main campus. Maybe Micah Bancroft is responsible for those too!" Her eyes widened." I can't believe this. I actually liked Micah. He has never given me that vibe and the last time we spoke he acted as if he didn't even like you. What an actor!"
"Believe it," Deidra said, a deflated feeling in the pit of her stomach. "He is deceptive and conniving."
Charlene looked at Deidra with compassion. "Are you alright dear? Should we get you to the hospital? I have no idea what to do in cases like these. Let me call the police."
"I have to go." James said looking at Deidra, an odd light in his eye. "I have class."
Charlene picked up the phone and made the call. Natasha Rowe answered as soon as she sat at her desk.
Chapter Eight
Natasha was still reeling from the phone call she got from Charlene Binkley. She was staring into space with a shocked look on her face. That's how Tony found her—staring blankly at the wall and shaking her head as if she was transfixed.
"What's wrong?" He asked her several times before she looked at him vaguely.
"I can't believe this. I just got a call from a woman who said she is Deidra Durkheim's stepsister. She said that Micah Bancroft raped her sister last night."
Tony frowned. "Could he be our suspect? We'll have to check to see is there are links to the other rapes."
Natasha shook her head. "I am in shock. Give me a moment. Last I checked Micah doesn't like Deidra."
"Rape is not an act of love," Tony reminded her.
"But she is the one who hounds him," Natasha said hoarsely and then clearing her throat. "I just don't get it. I would think Micah would be the one who is more likely to be raped."
"He's your friend?" Tony asked frowning.
"No," Natasha said, "Not really. I date his brother, but I hardly know him. I just thought that he is not the type to hide in dark corners and beat up women. He is the type of guy that women want to tame. He has this bad boy aloofness about him."
Tony snorted. "I was at Mount Faith when he was a final year student. They called him the campus hellion. The rumor was that he smoked weed and had all sorts of orgies. Maybe his brain is addled. Maybe he has snapped and gotten violent. Is the girl pressing charges?"
"We are going to the house to find out," Natasha said, a surreal felling gripping her. "Let's go."
They drove to the exclusive neighborhood of Bueno Vista where Senator Durkheim had his house. It was perched on a hill. The automatic gate swung open as soon as they approached. It was an extremely posh place, with a curving driveway and a manicured garden.
Charlene was standing in the driveway when they got out of the car. She was in khaki pants, a khaki hat to match, and a billowy white t-shirt that swallowed her slim frame.
"Good morning," she said hurriedly. "I just spoke to Uncle Edward…Senator Durkheim," she said for their benefit. "He is flying out from a summit in Barbados. He said he is going to kill Micah with his bare hands."
"Is Deidra pressing charges?" Natasha asked.
"She is dithering about it," Charlene said, "and I am not sure what to do. Rape is just so traumatizing. I think the poor girl is in shock."
"Can we speak to her?" Nata
sha asked. "We can't do anything about Micah until she tells us what he did."
"She's in the kitchen," Charlene said. "Come this way."
They followed Charlene through a tastefully decorated house into a kitchen that had a glorious view of the mountains below. It was breathtaking. The kitchen was done in pure white with stainless steel appliances. Obviously, it was meant to be the heart of the home.
Deidra was sitting in a breakfast nook, cradling her yogurt. She didn't look particularly traumatized to Natasha, but that could be her coping mechanism.
"Deidra," Natasha said gently.
Deidra looked at her surprised. "You are a police officer?"
"Yes I am," Natasha said briskly, "and this is my partner, Tony Beaker."
Deidra looked at Tony assessingly, drinking in his muscular physique and his handsome face.
"He's hot," She said frankly. She smiled at them. "Have a seat."
Natasha and Tony sat. Tony was looking uncomfortable as Deidra was staring at him exclusively.
"Ahem," Natasha cleared her throat. "Deidra, would you like to tell me what happened last night?"
"I went to Micah's house to discuss our upcoming nuptials and I carried all of the wedding planning stuff with me. He was in his house replacing some boards or the other in his living room. As soon as I got out of the car, he grabbed me and kissed me hungrily. You know... I guess I am kind of irresistible." She looked at Tony under her lashes.
Tony held his head down studiously over his notebook.
Natasha nodded. "Go on. And then what happened?"
"Well I pushed him off." Deidra closed her eyes, making up the story as she went along, and feeling peculiar, as if her conscience was displeased. "After the first couple of kisses. I asked him to let us go over the wedding details. He was angry…said he didn't want to plan any wedding, he just wanted to have sex. Of course, I protested. I think sex should be after marriage."
Charlene's eyebrows almost disappeared under her hat when she heard that from Deidra. She had been leaning up on the counter unobtrusively listening to Deidra's account of last night's events, and now she was shocked.
Shocked for all the wrong reasons. Deidra had always had a liberal attitude towards sex.
"Anyway," Deidra cleared her throat. "I had pushed him away the Sunday before. He lured me up to his place. I cooked dinner for him and everything."
Charlene put her head in her hand and stared at the floor when Deidra said that. Deidra did not cook, but preferred to eat yogurt and vegetable salads.
"I thought he would back off again this time," Deidra was warming up to her story, almost telling it with glee. "But he grabbed me roughly and carried me to his bedroom. He called me a spoilt bitch and said he would teach me a lesson."
She shuddered dramatically. "I was so humiliated."
Tears were flowing freely down her face and she paused and patted them daintily.
"After he was finished. He told me to take my clothes and get out. I was trembling but I rushed out of there as quickly as I could. I even left my bridal books and my personalized panties."
Natasha looked at her incredulously. "You personalize your panties?"
"Yes," Deidra said. "I have them specially made. My rags, towels, panties are all personalized. Lucky for you because it's evidence. I had a bath when I came home though," she sniffed, "because I was considering not reporting this at all."
"Are you pressing charges now?" Natasha asked, still trying to process the performance that Deidra was putting on.
"Of course." Deidra dried her eyes daintily on a napkin. "I want to see him pay for his crime. A woman should never be forced into sex. Never!"
Natasha nodded. "Okay then." She handed Deidra a sheet of paper. "Fill this out. We are going to have to get a search warrant for Micah's place. Check for DNA and all of that. We need some corroboration for your story."
"Lock him up!" Deidra snarled. "He's an uncivilized beast!"
They got up to go after Deidra signed the papers with flourish. Charlene followed them out to where their car was parked.
Charlene's mind was racing with disbelief. Deidra's story was pushing the boundaries of belief. She was castigating herself that she had made the initial call to the police. She should have gotten the details for herself and now she was afraid that she was helping to wreck the reputation of an innocent man.
Why did she jump to believe Deidra initially?
Why?
She was wringing her hand and looking at Natasha and Tony as they approached the car.
"Wait!" she said to them. "I am not sure that Deidra is telling the whole truth." She said to them frantically.
"Why?" Natasha asked interested in Charlene's answer.
"Because she doesn't cook," she said earnestly, "and she is no prude when it comes to sex. You see she has a problem distinguishing sex from love. She was even in therapy for it. She is no firm believer in sex after marriage."
"And she is the one that is always throwing herself at Micah?" Natasha asked hoping for a confirmation from Charlene.
"Yes." Charlene nodded. "I should have thought of that before I called you guys."
Natasha shook her head. "I thought so, but we still have to investigate this rape charge, and there are other women who have been raped. We have to presume that Deidra is telling the truth and gather evidence in the meantime."
Charlene hung her head sorrowfully. "This whole situation is awful. I should have had her tell me her side of the story before I called the police."
Natasha patted her hand and got into the car. "We'll get to the bottom of this."
"Where to next?" Tony asked.
"Next, is search warrant." Natasha sighed. "Then we get evidence at Micah Bancroft's place and then we see if there is a tie with the other rapes."
Tony frowned. "Did you believe her?"
"It was hard to," Natasha said, "but that is not our call to make. Did you?"
Tony shook his head. "Not for a moment. She was rubbing her legs on mine under the table!"
"But if she egged on Micah and he raped her," Natasha said, "then we are honor bound to take him off the streets before he does this to another woman."
Chapter Nine
When Natasha reached the police station, her boss, Assistant Superintendent Coley, was waiting for her at the front desk.
He indicated for her and Tony to follow him to his office. He sat in his chair, his whiskers twitching. "Detectives have a seat."
He scribbled something on a form and then looked up at them, his eyes confused. "I just got a call from the Assistant Commissioner who was called by Senator Durkheim. The assistant commissioner said that Durkheim was hopping mad."
Natasha winced. "Word travels fast. We just got back from taking a statement from Deidra Durkheim and she just pressed rape charges against Micah Bancroft."
"This is putting me in a very awkward position," Coley said. "I am very good friends and quite close to the Bancroft family."
He drummed his fingers on the desk. "Is there any truth to Deidra Durkheim's allegations?"
Tony cleared his throat. "I doubt most of her statement, sir. She wasn't acting like a woman raped. She was flirting with me shamelessly."
"Ah." Coley rubbed his face. "The law is the law. My heart is heavy doing this though. I don't know Micah to be a rapist…I am taking this personally. Unfortunately, he messed with the wrong girl. That's if he did it."
He pushed a search warrant over to Natasha. "I've already signed the warrant, the Assistant Commissioner insisted on it. Prepare for the raging father. I heard he will be here in a matter of hours, and he wants blood."
Natasha folded the warrant. "This does not feel right."
"What can I say?" Coley spread his arms wide. "Do you think the other rapes are linked to Micah too?"
"We have nothing more to go on than that the rapist liked gum and he called his victims 'high handed bitch', among other things, when he was done with them. Today we were going to look at any
similarities between the victims. Maybe then we will be able to come up with a profile for the rapist. If Micah is the rapist then it seems as if our case may already be solved," Natasha said simply.
"I don't think so." Tony shook his head. "What would be Micah Bancroft's reason for raping Penelope and Jiselle?"
Natasha got up. "That is up to you and me to find out. Let's go."
***
They found Micah Bancroft in the Business Center office. He was counting the stock for stationary and other supplies with an on campus bookstore employee.
When he saw Natasha, he waved easily, excusing himself from the employee.
"Hey Natasha," he said smiling. His deep-set brown eyes, looked innocent of any pretense. He carried himself with such ease and casual confidence.
Natasha winced. She was about to turn his world upside down.
"Micah," she pulled him aside out of earshot of the employee. "I am a police officer."
Micah looked at her askance. "I never would have guessed, but good for you. That's an okay job if you like fighting crime."
Natasha sighed. "This morning Deidra Durkheim reported that you raped her."
"What!" Micah's smile fled. "Natasha, I don't find this funny."
Tony walked up to them. "We have a warrant to search your place now."
"But..." Micah shook his head, lost in mid-thought. "Okay fine. Let me find somebody to fill in for me."
He called one of his student assistants and he came over briskly. "Tell Kim, that I will be out for the rest of the day."
He slumped his shoulders and turned hurt eyes on Natasha. "Okay, what's next?"
"We go to your house," Natasha said, "and search."
Tattered Tiara (The Bancrofts: Book 2) Page 6
