Chapter 18

It was in early August when the subpoena for the trial of Steve Childers came for Mandy. He had been out on bail for a couple of months since his parents had put up their house to make the bond. Even though she had been expecting it, she still was shaken about being called to testify.

She called the number that was on the form and set up an appointment with the Assistant District Attorney. They settled on the next morning, so it didn't give her much time to worry.

Mandy showed up at the meeting right on time and she came by herself. Greg had wanted to go with her but the ADA wanted to talk to her by herself. So Greg was keeping Jenni for her and waiting on pins and needles.

Ms. Stone, the Assistant DA, was very supportive and set her mind at ease. Since the time Steve had been arrested, the number of victims had grown to nine. Mandy's part would be only to establish a pattern of abuse by Steve. That didn't mean that the defense attorney wouldn't grill her. But it wouldn't be as bad as the main victims.

Ms. Stone laid a hand on Mandy's arm. "I'll try and make it as painless as possible for you. For my part, I will ask you if you had been sexually assaulted. Then, I'll ask you to briefly explain what happened. You can answer simply, 'I was held down and raped'. Then I will ask you to identify the person who assaulted you. You will then point at Mr. Childers.

"Now the defense attorney will probably ask why you didn't report it. That is something you will have to consider the answer to. Tell the truth, but don't volunteer any more details than what is needed. If he tries to skew your answer, I will ask to redirect. Then I will give you a chance to explain more fully."

They spoke about the details of the trial. Ms. Stone told her that they were going for multiple counts of first and second-degree rape, being a sexual predator, plus various counts of assault and kidnapping. If guilty on all counts, he was looking at life without parole. But there was still a chance that a plea bargain could avoid a trial for all the victims.

Mandy drove home in the Monte Carlo, going over the discussion that she had just finished. Could she really get up on the stand and relive all that again? Every time she thought she had put it back in her deepest memories, something came along and brought it back up. Damnit! It just wasn't fair. This will be the last time as far as she was concerned. She wasn't going through this ever again.

Her mind was still going around in circles with these thoughts when she arrived home. She poured her heart out to Greg, who as usual tried to help calm her. He reminded her that it was the last time she would have to deal with Steve. Steve had already signed over all rights to Jenni in an attempt to get out of support. She would finally be able to see him get his due for what he had done to her and the other women he had raped. All of this helped to a degree but she still was dreading the hassle of the trial and just what the defense attorney would bring up about her.

As much as Mandy hated Steve for what he had done to her, Traci reminded her of a positive she was not considering. Mandy would have never had Jenni or her relationship with Greg if Steve had not attacked her. It gave Mandy something good to think about when she started feeling scared.

It was a week later and Mandy had put the whole thing in the back of her mind when something happened to cause the whole thing to come crashing back to the front of all their thoughts. The phone rang at ten thirty and when Mandy answered it, the person on the other end started yelling obscenities at her. Greg saw her face and had the sense to hit the 'record' button on the machine.

"You stupid slut! If you think you can lie about me at the trial, you'd better think again! You bitch, you know you wanted it. You will find out just what happens to you if you think you can go against me. Fuckin' Bitch!"

Mandy slammed the receiver down, turned to Greg, and grabbed him tightly. She was shaking and on the verge of tears. He held her while he replayed the part of the conversation that they had recorded. As soon as he heard it, he sat Mandy down with Traci and used his cell to call the machine to put a time stamp for the other conversation. Then, he called the police and asked for an officer to come by and take a report for harassment.

Mandy was still shaken and was being comforted by both her lovers when an officer showed up at the door. He took the basic information and then listened to the tape. He stood there for a moment frowning, and then called in to his dispatcher.

"This is One-Delta-fourteen, requesting a case number for witness intimidation, harassment, and verbal assault." He waited for the information, and then repeated the number back to the dispatcher. Then he turned to the trio as they sat on the sofa. " I need to have the tape from your machine for evidence in this case. This is something that the DA is very serious about. Are you willing to sign a complaint against this man?"

Mandy was more than willing to sign the complaint. That meant that a warrant would be issued for his arrest. She felt a little bit more at ease knowing that the police were taking this seriously and that he would have to pay for the harassment. The cop also informed her that in cases like this where threats had been made, it was automatic to have a temporary restraining order sworn out on the offender.

"Can we prove that it was Steve on the phone making the threats?" Greg was trying to think of how he could weasel out of it.

"It won't take much to match the voice prints with interviews we have done with him. We'll get the comparison done by tomorrow. Don't worry, you shouldn't have any more problems from him."

The patrolman left after promising to make a patrol through the area as often as he could for the next few days. Mandy was still shook up, but said that they could turn in anyway. She did fall asleep but her slumber was broken by any little noise that she could possibly hear.

The next day, Ms. Stone from the DA's office called and assured Mandy that they were charging Childers with witness tampering and intimidation. She would have to testify to getting the phone call and that the tape was what she had heard. But that part of the case would be almost open and shut.

Fortunately, the trial would start in two weeks. Steve was picked up and the judge revoked his bail because of the threats he had made against Mandy and the one other witness he could get the phone number for. So he would sit in jail until the trial.

The trial went just about how Ms. Stone had predicted. Mandy made it through her testimony but it was close. The defense attorney badgered her as to why she didn't report the crime when it happened, hinting that she had been a willing partner, and that she had a reputation for being rather free with her sexual favors.

Though the attorney tried to brush off her explanations, the jury seemed to believe her... Her story was supported when two other girls testified to being in the same church and that the policy of the church was that it was always the girl's fault and the shame of admitting to such a thing would be cause for being thrown out of the church and their homes.

The actual trial took just over a week. Steve did not testify himself, but a couple of the church elders took the stand to vouch to his character. Ms. Stone got them to admit that what Mandy and the others had testified to was true. One of them exploded on the stand stating that all women were sinful and that it was in the Bible that they were to blame for any shortcomings of men.

The day before the case was to go to the jury, Steve's attorney asked to make a deal. His client was looking at life without parole. He was hoping for a deal to help get the time reduced and he was pretty sure that the jury would not go his way. Ms. Stone offered to reduce the time to twenty-five to forty years and violent sex offender status if he was to get parole. He said he would give the offer to his client.

That meeting didn't go very well. Steve's arrogance would not allow him to believe that he could ever be convicted. His lawyer kept trying to explain it to him that since the last rape had happened when he was seventeen and that he was being tried as an adult, the penalties were much more severe. In addition, if he didn't plead, he would be in the general population and in danger because of his age and his attitude. He still refused the offer so the lawyer reluctantly called Ms. Stone with the answer.

The jury was out for only five hours before they returned with a verdict. Steve and his attorney stood for the reading and his arrogant smirk dropped off his face when the word "guilty" was read for all counts. He then gave an outburst swearing at the witnesses and threatening them along with the jury and the judge. His lawyer was trying to get him to quiet down even as they were leading him out the door.

It was a couple months later when Mandy got the news that Steve would never be able to carry out any of his threats. It seems that Steve's attitude got him in trouble as soon as he got into prison. He ended up in solitary for disobeying the rules. While he was in solitary, the brother of one of his victims talked to a friend who was in the same prison. The next time Steve was in a group situation, several of the cons gang-raped him and beat him almost to death. He would spend the rest of his life in solitary, bound in a wheelchair and wearing a bag to collect his waste. Mandy really tried to feel some remorse for her assailant, but the best she could do was to think that he really got what he deserved.

Jerry's trial came up shortly after Steve's. In fact, there never was a trial. Jerry pleaded guilty to assault in exchange for dropping the charge of murder of Olivia. The DA wasn't sure if he could make the murder charge stick, but it was a good bargaining tool to get a plea from him. He was sentenced to five years in prison and another five of probation. He was also ordered to get counseling for his problems with stalking and abuse.

The deal made Greg feel like Olivia didn't get the justice she deserved but there wasn't anything he could do about it. He had to settle for the idea that the foundation that was set up in her memory would give her the rememberance she deserved. He set it up so any restitution from Jerry would be sent to the foundation. It wasn't enough in his eyes but it was the best he could do.

College orientation came rushing up, signaling the end of their last summer as high-schoolers. Mandy and Greg both arrived at the student union where they would be getting their schedules along with the rest of the incoming freshmen. Among the people milling about, they both saw people who had been in their graduating classes. They spent the time in the long lines catching up on how the summer had gone for many of them.

"Greg, what are you doing here? I would have figured you to be at Harvard or one of those other fancy schools." Greg turned around and to his surprise, the person addressing him was Melissa Smith, the girl he had lusted for since eighth grade. She had always been cordial to him, but had been in a different clique. He figured that she didn't even know who he was.

Before he had become involved with Mandy, he had been tongue-tied around this girl. But with Mandy's help, he had matured past his fear of pretty women. He gave her a warm smile and even gave her a friendly hug. "It's good to see you Melissa. I wanted to stay close to home so I wouldn't be trying to keep two houses going. Besides, my girlfriend and our house mate are both going here."

"The girl that you took to the prom? Wow, you sure did get over your shyness. She is very pretty. Before, you wouldn't have come to the prom at all, much less have a looker like that on your arm."

Mandy walked up then, having just finished getting her schedule changed. Greg introduced the two women, and while Melissa felt a little awkward, Mandy soon had her talking as if they had known each other for years instead of minutes.

It was Greg's turn in line to pick up his schedule so he left the two women talking. The teaching assistant gave him a long-suffering look as Greg told him his name. He shuffled through a stack of papers until he found the correct one and then gave the same speech that he had performed at least a hundred times that day. When the spiel was over, Greg knew where he would find the important buildings, what to do if his schedule wasn't correct and how to find his dorm. Greg thanked the man, not bothering to tell him that he already knew his way around and that he didn't have a dorm.

He did find that they had put him in remedial English when he should have been in a more advanced class. After pulling a transcript from his pack, he found the English department and was placed in a class better suited to his needs. As he turned to leave, Traci waved to him and he went over to her. She said that she was already settled on her classes but wanted to take him and Mandy out for lunch before showing them around the campus to their various classes.

Since Traci had taken care of Jenni while they were getting through registration, Greg took the child and started toward where he had left Mandy and Melissa talking. They were still there when he and Traci walked up. Jenni squealed out "Mama!" and held her chubby little arms out toward her mother.

Greg wasn't sure if Melissa was more surprised about Jenni or Traci. She stared at the older coed for a moment before she remembered to speak. Greg did the introductions, telling Melissa that Traci was their housemate and that Jenni was obliviously Mandy's daughter.

Melissa shook Traci's hand and was polite but somewhat taken aback that Greg would be involved in any way with such a beautiful woman. She had always been the best looking girl in high school and while she didn't flaunt it, she felt almost homely around this woman. But Traci gave her a warm smile and talked with her like the other two, even inviting her to come along to the student cafeteria. Though she begged off saying she still had some things to do, Melissa was glad to have met these other two women and accepted an invitation to their house later on.

After a lunch that made them glad they had the option of eating at home, Traci gave them a tour of where they would be going next week. A couple of the professors were in their offices so they introduced themselves and Greg got to meet with the martial arts coach. Finally, they went to the campus day care center and met with the women who would be watching Jenni.

Jenni had no problem with staying there, tottering off to the toys that were sitting on the floor while her mom found out the schedule and what the rates were. When they were ready to leave, Jenni started to cry because she was having fun with a big fuzzy ball. Mandy knew she would be happier about staying there during classes than Mandy would be leaving her.

The first days of college were challenging for the two freshmen, but they both looked them as a start to something new and exciting. Mandy had never thought she would ever get into college at all. Her father considered advanced education for a girl to be 'worldly' and something that would just take her away from her duties as a homemaker and mother. The classes were more difficult but the challenge caused her to blossom. She took to her assignments with gusto, working hard to do her very best.

For Greg, the classes were closer to his expectations. He had taken advanced classes in school but even with that experience, he found that he really had to apply himself. With Calculus, English Lit. and two history classes, he was carrying a pretty full load. When he added his daily workouts for the martial arts team, he was constantly reminded that he was no longer in high school.

He was surprised when his Martial Arts Coach asked to talk to him after his second workout. Greg had used the kata from another form before he went with the forms of Tae Kwon Do for the actual practice. He walked into the Coach's office still drying his hair from the shower.

"Tolkin, I noticed that you were using Shoto-Kan as a warm up. When did you learn that form?"

"Well Coach, it was the first style that I had ever practiced. It is also my first black belt. I still try and keep in practice and for me, the movements are more fluid so it allows me to warm up easier."

"That I can understand. The why I am asking is that Shoto-Kan is also my first discipline. What I am asking is if you would care to have a sparring partner to keep your skills up? I don't wish to damage your integration with the team and I do not wish to do the playing of favorites. However, I do not have a partner here at school with the skills that are up to my standards. You would provide those skills."

Greg gave a bow to the Asian gentleman. "It would be a great honor, sensei. I too miss the thrill of practice, but I understand that Tae Kwon Do is the form that is recognized as a sport at the college and Olympic level."

So with that meeting, Greg added an extra hour of training to the days scheduled for team practice. After the rest of the team understood that Greg and Coach Li were both experts at a style they had little to no experience with, they would come in early to watch.

It would soon become a training class in the new form as more and more of the team wanted to learn. And Coach Li was very satisfied.

Traci was more degree-driven this year and was taking classes she would need for her bachelor's in education. Like Mandy and Greg, she too was carrying a full workload. If not for the antics of Jenni and their own sense of adventure, they would have quickly been overwhelmed.

Jenni was learning new skills at an unbelievable pace. She was trying to walk and her attempts at staying upright were quite comical. She figured out that by pressing on the remote she would eventually hit the power button for the television. The first time she did it, Mandy was in the kitchen and Greg was at the table studying when they both heard Jenni giggling in the living room. When they walked in, she had crawled up on the couch and was laughing at the antics of some characters on a cartoon show. She was really proud of herself for figuring it out all on her own.

The adults made a big deal out of it, telling what a smart little girl she was and decided that if she wanted to see cartoons that bad, it wouldn't hurt to let her watch for a while. They decided to make a conscious effort to leave the television on child-friendly channels when they turned it off. It might not be a good idea for Jenni to turn it on and find a porn movie playing.

They revived the study groups at their house a few times during the week. It had worked well last year and many of the same people returned for this term as well. They had a few new additions including, to Greg's surprise, Melissa Smith. She was in his Modern History class as well as Introduction to Political Science. He was surprised by the change in her from high school. She had been a member of the popular crowd and seemed to just skate by. Now, she had become a serious student and intent on getting good grades. She still enjoyed a good party though and was still popular on the dating scene.

It was midway through the quarter when Mandy came home in a bad mood. Traci and Greg both avoided her while she went into the kitchen and banged around on the pots and pans for a while. When the noise died down a bit, Greg ventured into the battle zone to find out what was wrong.

"I just can't believe that fool that I have for the Comparative Religions course. You know that he assigned us to write about our own religious experiences and then find the differences within another one. Well I wrote just exactly what my father and his church is like and Professor Kincaid marked me down for embellishing what it was like for me. He told me that there is nobody that believes like that anymore."