Chapter 33: Victimized

Monday, June 24, 1996, Sanford Maine

I sat in stunned disbelief. From the moment that I had been placed into the back of the police car until the moment that they had me sitting in an ‘interview room, I was feeling pretty surreal. I couldn’t for the life of me comprehend a world where I was the one being arrested for assault when all I had done was save a friend from being raped. I looked up from where I was sitting as the door opened, and the Detective who had arrested me came into the room carrying a coffee and a clipboard with a pen.

He sat down on a small orange plastic chair, one of two that was across from me, and cleared his throat before taking a sip of his coffee.

“I have some questions that I’d like to ask you, David. Questions that I hope you will answer truthfully. I want you to help me understand the truth of what happened on the night that you assaulted Freddy Mason. So will you answer some questions for me, son?” Detective Waltz asked casually with a slightly friendly-sounding undertone to his voice.

“I already told Officer Jenkins everything that had happened that night. It’s all in my statement. So why am I even here, Detective? I saved Cindy from being raped; she was being assaulted, and I acted in her defense. I gave all of those details in my statement already, so did both my sister and Cindy herself. I did nothing wrong or illegal,” I stated calmly, although I was feeling both pissed off and nervous inside.

“I heard a different story from the one that you told us before, David. It was a very interesting story, and it sounded very plausible. It’s my job to figure out who is telling the truth, and the other story makes much more sense than yours does, son. I’m giving you the chance to come clean, to tell the truth. It will look good on you if you tell us what really happened that night,” Detective Waltz said while giving me what he tried to pass off as a kindly smile.

“I just told you; everything that happened that night is in my statement. That is the truth, Detective. Now, do I need a lawyer? Do my parents know that I’m here?” I asked as the irritation that I was feeling started to show in my voice.

“Sure, you can have a lawyer present; that is your right by law. Only guilty people need lawyers, though. Are you guilty of something, David?” he almost sneered.

“Yeah, I’m guilty of thinking that the justice system actually worked,” I replied snidely.

“Look here, smart ass, do you want a lawyer, or will you answer some questions?” Detective Waltz asked brusquely. “If you insist on having a lawyer present, well, you just might be here for quite a while. Especially, seeing as how we haven’t been able to contact your parents yet and getting a lawyer here after work hours will probably prove to be problematic. We might even need to keep you here overnight if that’s the case. However, if you lose the attitude and co-operate, we can probably have you home in a few hours or so,” he said, trying to sound reasonable.

“Fine, I’ll answer your questions. So what did you want to know? Did you want to hear about how I found the asshole biting all over her tits? Or would you like to hear about how he had her arms tied up with her own shirt and bra?” I asked calmly.

“How about you tell me how drunk Cindy was that night? How much did you witness her drink?” he asked as his voice returned to a neutral state.

“Well, I didn’t pay attention to exactly how much she drank that night, but I did see her do quite a few shots after we had all gone into the basement. She seemed pretty drunk after that. Which is why I had asked Martin if we could let her lie down somewhere to sleep it off,” I replied candidly.

“Mmm-hmm, so how was her behavior? Let’s say, over the last half hour or so before she went to lie down?” he queried.

“What do you mean?” I asked, not sure what he was getting at.

“Was she flirting with people? Was she dancing? Did she approach any guys in a sexual manner? How was she acting? What was her mood? Happy, sad, horny?” he clarified.

“Horny!? Don’t you think that’s a little personal? Plus, how the Hell would I know that?” I asked in disgusted disbelief.

“Horny, sexual, same difference. Was she hinting that she wanted to get busy with you or anyone else for that matter? Sometimes that means flirting, so was she?” he asked again.

“The only person that I saw her flirt with was myself. We sat outside as a separate group from Zeke’s friends. That’s Martin’s older brother, and it was officially his party. He told Martin that he could have his friends over if we stayed away from them. They claimed the pool area, and we were relegated to the deck and the basement...”

“So are you claiming that there was no intermingling between the groups? That Zeke’s friends never once came over and talked to you guys?” he interrupted.

“No, only Zeke himself came over, and that was only at the request of his brother. The college kids looked our way a few times, but they left us alone. When it got dark out, we moved the party indoors, and that was when we played a drinking game where we did shots. Cindy ended up doing quite a few, as I stated before, and that’s when she hit on me and started slurring her words. I asked Marty where we could put her to lie down, and he replied that the guest room upstairs would be fine, so that’s what we did,” I said.

“So she flirted with you? How? What did she do? Try and remember the exact details of what she said and did,” he demanded.

“Well, I was watching Martin and Andy play a game of darts when she came stumbling over to me. She was trying to tell me how much she liked me and that she wanted me to kiss her, but she was slurring her words pretty badly. She tripped, and I caught her. That’s when I asked Martin if there was somewhere that we could lie her down. She couldn’t walk without stumbling at that point, so I carried her, and that’s when she said that she was a princess who deserved to be kissed,” I said matter of factly.

“Did you kiss her at all?” he inquired.

“No. I told her that she wasn’t in any condition to be kissing anyone at that point and that she should lie down and get some rest,” I replied.

“Okay, so what happened after she went to lie down?” he asked neutrally.

“Well, Martin, my sister, and I went back downstairs and continued to play darts. I made sure that Amber stopped drinking, and I did as well because I didn’t want our parents to find out that we had been into the booze. We were supposed to call a taxi at midnight, so I went up to check on Cindy at around eleven-thirty. I wanted to see if she had sobered up at all. My sister decided that she would come too, probably because Cindy is her best friend.

“Anyway, when we got to the bedroom door, I heard Cindy saying ‘No, no, no’ over and over again, except that it sounded muffled. I wrenched open the door, and that’s when I saw that asshole trying to rape my friend. I saw that he was biting all over her breasts and that she had her arms tangled up in her shirt and bra, and I saw that her pants and underwear were hanging from one ankle as she struggled to kick her legs. I also saw that he had his hand over her mouth, muffling her cries and that she was bawling her eyes out. That’s when I charged in and punched him in the nose as he got up off her,” I stated as the anger that I had felt that night came flooding through me all over again with my retelling of what had happened.

“You wanna know what I think happened there, sport? I think that after you rejected her that she got busy with Freddy in order to teach you a lesson. That’s what I think. I think that you caught her making out with him, and it pissed you off. I think that it happened just like Freddy and other witnesses claimed it did. That she went outside while you guys were in the basement and that she met Fredy as he was on his way inside to go to the washroom.

“I think that they started making out right there in the hallway just like two other witnesses said they saw. Then I think that she got a little too excited, if you know what I mean, on account of the booze and all. I think that she was mad at you, her boyfriend, for rejecting her when she was drunk. We all know that drunk people make bad choices all the time. I think that Freddy was just an innocent guy who got caught making out with a cute, horny, drunken school girl at a party. Just like what happens at parties every weekend across America...”

“Now wait a minute, that’s NOT even close to what happened...”

“Don’t interrupt me, boy! I think that you walked in on them having a good time and that jealousy reared its ugly head, and then you sucker-punched him while his pants were down. Just like you admitted to, just like he claims. I think that your girlfriend and your sister are lying to protect you...”

“This is BULLSHIT! That mother-fucker was RAPING her, and if I hadn’t of shown up when I did, then he would have finished the job!” I yelled, outraged at his accusations.

“I have two eyewitnesses who say they saw your girlfriend kissing him in the hallway. I have multiple witnesses who all agree that she was drunk and that she hit on you only to be turned away. I have multiple witnesses who all agree that you punched him in the nose when he was reaching for his pants.

“You know what’s funny about what I don’t have? I don’t have a report from Cindy accusing her so-called attacker of assault and attempted rape until weeks after you got attacked. I don’t have any pictures of bite marks or bruises on her breasts or body. I don’t have a medical report that says that she was assaulted by anyone.

“In fact, I think the only reason that we even have her accusation on record NOW is to protect you. I DO think that Freddy and one of his buddies got revenge on you. I actually believe you when you say that they hit you with a baseball bat while you were riding your bike. But, unfortunately, I have absolutely zero evidence proving that. Freddy and his pal Carl both have alibis that all swore that they were with them at a B.B.Q., at the time that you were attacked.

“Personally, as I said, I think that they did it and that their alibis are lying for them, but we have no proof. However, we do have proof that you assaulted Freddy. Not only do we have your statement, but we have medical evidence as well. You punched him hard enough that you broke his nose and fractured his cheekbone. I think that the whole sexual assault thing is a bunch of bullshit that you, your sister, and your girlfriend came up with after you got out of the hospital. I think that you guys concocted the attempted rape in order to get revenge yourselves,” Detective Waltz stated as he stared at me hard.

“Cindy didn’t make a report because she was scared and embarrassed! She was afraid of ... of exactly THIS! That she wouldn’t be believed. We aren’t making this up, and we aren’t liars, Detective Waltz! That asshole is a wannabe rapist, and they almost killed me in revenge for what I did to stop it! Whoever claimed that they saw Cindy making out with that fuckhead is lying through their teeth! When we put Cindy to bed, she was so drunk that she couldn’t walk, let alone kiss someone!

“I saw her face when I opened that door, Detective. My sister saw her face! She was terrified, and she was bawling so hard that she was almost hyperventilating. If you don’t believe me, fine, but that’s the fucking truth!” I exclaimed in frustration as I reeled in shock at what he was claiming.

“You’re a good actor, kid, but I don’t buy it. No one at the party knew about the so-called attempted rape. No one reported it to us, the cops, and no one brought her to see a doctor to check out her bite marks and bruises. Seems to me, from what we could gather, that you, your sister, and Cindy all left that party pretty quietly. No one other than the hosts even knew that you had punched the guy. Sounds like you snuck away because you knew that you were guilty.

“If you were really just protecting someone, then you would have called the cops and made sure that it was all straightened out so that you wouldn’t get charged. Instead, you fled the scene of a crime. You asked your friend and his brother not to tell anyone. That’s hardly the action of an innocent person. The rape was only claimed after you got assaulted, kid...”

“Wait a minute, both Martin and Zeke saw Cindy after the assault; they saw her crying! They saw just how upset she was!” I said in desperation to be believed.

“Yeah, they saw a girl who had just got caught cheating, crying. She was upset because of what she did, not because she was being raped. Her boyfriend, who had rejected her earlier, had just burst in and found her in bed making out with another guy. So, of course, she was crying afterward. She went from having her clothes all tangled up around her elbow and ankle to being dressed awfully fast, don’t you think? It’s pretty convenient that only you and your sister saw the attack and that she was undressed.”

“We dressed her as fast as we could so that she wouldn’t suffer the indignity of anyone else seeing her naked! We didn’t tell anyone because she was afraid to get in trouble with her parents and...”

“Exactly, she didn’t want her parents to know that she had been drinking and fooling around with an older guy, a college guy,” he interrupted.

“No, you have it all wrong. You’re so far off base that you can’t even see the field. We told my Mom that night when she came to get us. She saw the bite marks! Plus, Mrs. Sullivan can confirm it for you,” I said.

“We have your Mom’s statement, and I don’t buy it. Mothers do crazy things to protect their kids. Who’s Mrs. Sullivan, though?”

“Our school guidance counselor. Cindy went with me to tell her about what happened because she was so distraught. My parents and I talked her into it because she was too afraid to tell her parents. She’ll confirm every word, and we told her way before I was attacked in retaliation,” I said with growing confidence that I could prove what I was saying.

“What’s her first name?” he asked, sounding a bit displeased.

“Suzanne, I believe. I always call her Mrs. Sullivan, though,” I replied.

“I still don’t believe your story, kid, but we’ll get in contact with your counselor and see what she has to say. In the meantime, I don’t suppose that you want to change your tune and just confess now and get it over with, do you?” he asked rhetorically.

“Not in the least, because I’m not a liar,” I replied smugly.

“Okay, kid. Time for fingerprinting and mug shots. You are officially being charged with the assault of Freddy Mason. You are to have no contact with him, and just to let you know, he has applied for and been provided with an order of protection against you. You must stay away from him at all times, and if you are found to be within one hundred yards of him, you can be arrested. Do you understand me?” he asked.

“Yep, I understand. I understand that justice in Sanford is blind,” I replied sarcastically. “Don’t worry, though, because I won’t go anywhere near him. I’ll let the lawyers handle it. I trust that in the end, the truth shall prevail, as they say,” I said with a shrug.

I was led from the interview room into another area that had a camera set up on a tripod and a height chart painted on the wall. They fingerprinted me and took my picture. They got a frontal shot and two profile ones that showed both my left and my right sides. I saw Sergeant Holly Milford, the red-headed female cop that had interviewed Cindy, and she gave me what looked to be a sympathetic glance, but she kept to her desk.

When they were finished ‘booking’ me, they had me sign a promise to appear. Apparently, it’s a form that allowed me to be released upon my own recognizance. By signing it, I agreed to appear in court on Tuesday, August the twentieth, at nine in the morning. I was told that the first court appearance was simply to determine another date, one that both the prosecutor and my defense attorney could agree upon. The whole thing was a bunch of bullshit, and it stunk to high Heaven, as my Dad liked to say.

As I walked out of the police station, I pondered what to do. I made my way down the street to the Dunkin Donuts, figuring that I could use the payphone to call home or that I could just call a cab. I decided to call home first because it could very well be that my Dad was already on his way over to the station. In fact, I was kinda surprised that he hadn’t already shown up yet.

Amber answered it on the first ring, “Hello?” she said breathlessly as if she had just run for the phone.

“Hey, Sis,” I said wearily.

“Davey! Are you okay? Where are you? Are you still at the police station? Are they really trying to charge you with assault? Are you able to come home tonight? Cindy’s a wreck!” she said in a ramble as she bombarded me with questions.

“Whoa, whoa, Honey Peach! I’m okay, and I’m out of the police station. I’m over at the Dunkin’s using the payphone,” I informed her quickly. “Did you get a hold of Dad?” I asked.

“No! I had to leave a message! He was out on a call, and I haven’t heard back from him or Mom yet. I left a message at the clinic too,” she said with her frustration clearly showing in her voice. “I’m so happy to hear from you, Bro! I love you so fucking much, and I was super worried. We both were super worried! So how are you getting home?” Amber asked.

“I was going to call a cab I...”

“Wait, hold on a sec, Bro. Uh-huh, okay ... You sure? Alright, I’ll tell him. Bro, you still there?”

“Yup,” I replied.

“Cindy says to tell you that her Dad is going to go and get you. We called her parents as soon as we couldn’t get a hold of Mom or Dad. Larry and Emma both went to the station already, but the cops told them that because they weren’t related to you that there was nothing that they could do,” Amber informed me.

“Okay, I’ll be just outside of the Dunkin’s then. I’m gonna grab us a dozen dognuts. Want any special flavor? Ask CC too, please,” I said.

“CC. Davey wants to know what kind of donut you want. K,” I heard my sister ask. “We both want Boston Kreme’s, Bro. We’ll see you when you get here. I guess I should call back the folks’ workplaces and let ‘em know not to panic,” she mused.

“Yeah, that’d be good, Sis,” I agreed. “Love you, see you both soon. Tell CC that I love her too,” I said as I hung up.

I went inside and grabbed us a dozen donuts, and as soon as I stepped back outside, I saw Larry come roaring up in his truck.

“Hey, son! Git in,” Larry yelled from his open window.

I hopped into the truck, and no sooner than I had my belt done up then he had the tires squealing as he hauled ass back to my house.

“Thanks for coming to get me, Larry. I really appreciate it,” I said sincerely.

“No worries, son. Now, as I figure it, you’ve just been dragged through a huge pile of horseshit, and I can just bet my bottom dollar that you have a bunch of horseshit details to tell us about what happened with those dumb ass cops too. So I suggest that you wait until we’re all gathered, so you don’t need to say it all twice,” Larry suggested wisely.

“Yeah, makes sense. You’re right on the money with the other thing too,” I quipped.

“What other thing,” he queried.

“It’s all complete horseshit, Larry. Complete un-fucking-believable horseshit,” I replied with a frustrated sigh.

We got back to my house in record time, and I was almost bowled over by two human-shaped blurs as I was tackled by a streak of blonde and a streak of brunette.

“Tiger! I’m so sorry! I’m so so sorry! It’s all my fault,” CC wailed as she squeezed me hard on my right side while she started bawling with her face buried into my neck.

“Bro!” Amber shouted as she also latched onto me and squeezed the shit out of me from my left.

“Hello, David! Boy, am I glad to see that you’re out of that awful place today and that they didn’t need to keep you overnight! Cindy has been inconsolable!” Emma said with palpable relief at my presence. “I’d give you a hug, but it seems like the market space for your body has been claimed already,” she said with a laugh.

“Hi, Emma. Thanks a lot for trying to bail me out with the cops. Amber told me that you guys went down there but that they wouldn’t let you see me,” I said with a grateful smile as I squeezed both my girls.

“Those bloody shitheads couldn’t find a clue if it was stapled to their assholes, and they were sitting on it with both hands grabbing a cheek!” Larry grumbled.

“Hey, Sis,” I said, giving her a peck on the cheek. “CC, my Butterfly. It’s not your fault, my love. You did nothing wrong, Hon,” I said as I gently rubbed her back, trying to calm her sobs.

“But ... but ... but what if you go to jail! All ... all because of me!” she sobbed into my neck as her voice hitched with her sobs.

“Shh-shh, Baby. None of that now. I’m most certainly not going to jail, my little Butterfly. It’s an assault charge, yes, but it’s like a schoolyard brawl or something. No one goes to jail over that type of thing...”

“He’s not going to jail, Pumpkin! We told you that already, Jeez Louise! Even IF he got found guilty by some insane lunacy, he still wouldn’t get more than a record and maybe some community hours and a fine or something,” Larry told his daughter, clearly sounding exasperated.

“Are you sure? You guys aren’t just saying that to make me feel better?” she demanded, sounding like a kid who was being told that Santa wasn’t real.

“Butterfly, if they put everyone in jail for punching someone, they would have no room left in the prisons,” I said while kissing the top of her head and getting a good whiff of vanilla as I did so.

“How could they even charge you? I ... I don’t understand ... Didn’t they believe us?” CC asked, puzzled as she continued sobbing, although it was lessening.

“No, there is a real prick there. A Detective Waltz, and he doesn’t believe us. I’m sorry, Butterfly. I’ll explain everything when my parents get here if you don’t mind. I’d rather not have to say it all twice. Mom should be home any minute now, and I’m sure that Dad will call as soon as he gets back from his emergency,” I said soothingly as I still kept stroking her back.

“Yeah, Mom was supposed to be here at eight. Unfortunately, she’s running half an hour late. Would you like something to drink, Larry? Emma? Coffee? Tea? A beer or something?” Amber asked politely.

“A beer would be great. Thanks, Ballerina,” Larry answered using the pet name that he had for my sister. He’d been calling her that ever since she had said that she wanted to be one when she was five.

“A tea would be wonderful, my dear,” Emma said with a motherly smile.

“Okay, Tiger. I’m sorry that I’m so much trouble for you. I love you so much!” CC whispered into my ear as she hugged me tighter while her sobs started to subside.

“I love you too. Everything will be okay. You are not any trouble, not at all. Come upstairs with me and help me with my wrap and cast, please. I really need a shower, Babe,” I asked quietly.

“Okay,” she sniffled.

“I need a quick shower. I feel dirty from sitting in that cop station. CC is going to help me wrap my cast to protect it and help to take off the bandages on my ribs if you guys don’t mind,” I asked her parents a little awkwardly.

“Shoo, go on, kids, just don’t take too long,” Emma said while her husband just turned his head and ignored us.

“Thanks, we’ll be back down soon,” I replied.

I was secretly relieved that they seemed to have no problem with their daughter coming to help me get ready for my shower. Even though it wasn’t implied that she would actually be getting in it with me, it was a big deal for them to allow her to be alone with me while I took one.

I turned the water on and adjusted the temperature so that it would be perfect by the time that CC had me ready to get in it. “You should probably put your hair up in a bun, Butterfly. That way, your folks won’t know for sure if you showered with me or not. I hate the idea of rubbing it in your parent’s faces, and you having wet hair when we go back downstairs will do exactly that,” I suggested as I kissed her neck and squeezed her tight ass cheeks.

“Yeah, I’ll do that! How’d you get so smart, Tiger?” she asked while she reached up and started twisting her hair into a bun on the top of her head. She grabbed one of my sister’s scrunchies from the counter and used it to hold it in place.

“I’m not that smart, but I definitely have a healthy fear of your Dad!” I answered with a chuckle.

“Pffft! My Dad loves you like a son. In fact, I know that he secretly hopes that we’ll get married one day and give him and my Mom grandkids. Although you’re absolutely right about not rubbing it in their faces, my love,” she said as she stepped into the shower while tugging me in behind her.

“Grandkids, huh? He told you that?” I asked incredulously.

“Well, no, but my Mom did. My Dad doesn’t say stuff like that very well. He’s more of a grunter than a talker, if you know what I mean. But, my Mom talks enough for the both of them, and she knows when he likes something or someone. Did you know that he’s told my Mom that if they had ever had a son, that he would have liked one just like you?”

“Seriously?” I queried in a state of disbelief.

“Yup! I guess now he figures that by me having you as my boyfriend that it’s almost as good. Here, pass me the soap and let me wash you, Tiger,” CC offered.

I groaned as I felt her soft hands starting to rub and touch me all over as she proceeded to wash me thoroughly. I loved the shivers that she gave me when I felt her hardened nipples scrape across my back as she reached around from behind me to lather my pecs.

“Listen, Cindy, I mostly wanted to take a shower with you because I wanted to talk to you alone. I wanna ask you something, and it’s important. Please be honest with me. Okay?” I asked as my voice turned serious.

“Umm, of course, David. What is it?” she inquired as her voice trembled with trepidation.

I sighed loudly inside my head. I hated the nervousness that she felt every time that I tried to ask her about something important. She always thought that I was going to dump her or abandon her.

“If you’re my girlfriend and we’re committed to each other, does that make me your protector?” I asked as I turned around to look into her eyes.

She stared at me for a few seconds, her golden-brown eyes glinting with sudden understanding. “Yes. Yes, it does, Davey,” she whispered as her eyes flickered cautiously across my face.

“So does that not only mean that it was the right thing for me to do, punching that asshole out, but that it was also my duty to do so? If you’re my girl, and you fully mean it when you say that you love me and that you want to be ‘mine,’ then can I not take care of you in the best way that I know how?” I asked as the intensity of my eyes demanded an answer.

“Yes, yes you can, Tiger,” she whispered as her hands tightened on my sides, and her eyes got liquidy as she gazed up at me.

“So then tonight is the VERY last time that I EVER want to hear another silly word about how my being in trouble because I stopped the girl that I LOVE from being raped was somehow her fault!” I said fiercely as I willed the love that I felt for her to shine through my eyes. “Understand, my love?”

“You’re right, David. I’m sorry! I ... I just hate the fact that you’re in trouble over me. I do know that you would have felt horrible if something had of happened to me even worse than it did. You just made me realize, for the first time, that I’ve been looking at it all wrong. I’m yours, and I guess that it does mean that yes, you are my protector. Just as much as I’m yours too. I would die for you, Tiger,” she said softly, her eyes speaking more than her words could ever hope to.

“I know, Cindy, I know. So if you feel that way, then stop putting yourself down. Stop valuing yourself less than I do. Stop thinking that somehow you’re not worthy of me or of us. It hurts me when I see the woman that I’m in love with do those things to herself,” I told her gently as I held her tightly to me.

“Oh, Tiger! I don’t know how to feel worthy of you or your love. I don’t know how to feel like I’m valuable, but I do promise that I’ll try. I’ll try to feel like it, I swear. I don’t wanna hurt you! I do feel as if we belong together! That’s a start, isn’t it?”

“Yes, yes, it is. I talked with Andy yesterday, by the way, and he told me what you said to him,” I said to her with a chuckle.

“Oh?” she replied with a tiny grin a she looked down towards my feet.

“Well, let’s just say that I’m awfully glad that my ass doesn’t hurt right now,” I informed her as I broke out in laughter. “You’re a lot tougher than you let on, my love, and I love it.”

She tilted her head and looked up at me with a crooked grin spreading across her face. “So, are we still on for Saturday?” she cooed at me.

“Damn fucking right we are! I can’t wait until we can make love to each other! It almost seems as if I’ve been waiting two years for it,” I said with a matching grin of my own.

“Damn, straight it does!” she replied just before she pulled my head down to give me a scorchingly hot kiss.