Chapter 8

Unbowed

For Sammie from Down Under, a fellow nurse who gives much yet asks for little, truly one of the world's Angels.

In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud Under the bludgeoning of chance, My head is bloody, but unbowed

Invictus

Well, you're dirty and sweet Clad in black, don't look back, and I love you You're dirty and sweet, oh yeah Well you dance when you walk So let's dance, take a chance, understand me You're dirty, sweet and you're my girl

T. Rex

In Laci's world, the police were as much a part of the daily landscape as the tatted up thugs selling drugs on the stoops. They did not intimidate her. She knew from Karen's warning that they were apt to track her down about what happened the other night. However, she didn't expect it to be at school away from Karen's protective presence.

She was walking down the hall to her next class, when the assistant principal, Mr. Donovan, hustled up from behind. "Laci," he called.

Startled, Laci turned around. Her first thought was, "Oh no, what did I do?"

"Laci," he called again. The other students passing by snickered sure she must have been caught getting high, or stealing something.

"Yeah?" she answered, clutching her books closer to her chest. "What's the matter?"

"I need you to come with me for a few minutes?" he said, his expression neutral.

"Why? What did I do?"

"You didn't do anything. I just need you in the office for a few minutes."

"I have science," she pleaded, pointing at the classroom door.

"Don't worry about that."

Laci sighed. "I wish you'd tell me what's going on. I'm not a kid, y'know."

Laci's heart throbbed and a wave of dizziness washed over her when she walked through the main office door. The school's police Resource and DARE Cop, Officer Saunders, was sitting in a chair, and her guidance counselor, Ms St Amand stood next to him.

Laci didn't know Saunders as except as an occasional presence in the corridors. He was tall and muscular with short hair, and soft smile. He could have been one of the school's sports coaches. He was dressed casually in a pair of gray slacks and a long-sleeved shirt open at the collar. He didn't look mean.

Officer Saunders stood up when Laci stepped into the office. He smiled, and it made him handsome. "Hi Laci. We've never had the chance to meet. I'm the school's resource and DARE officer, Dan Saunders."

"I know," Laci mumbled, looking down.

"I'm sorry to drag you away from class, but I'd like to talk to you for a few minutes."

"Why? What did I do wrong? Am I in trouble?"

Saunders smiled gently. "No, you didn't do anything wrong. Absolutely not. I just want to talk to you for a few minutes. You're not in any trouble."

Laci sighed and shrugged. She had an idea what this was about.

Saunders led Laci into the assistant principal's office. He motioned to a chair in front of the desk. "Have a seat."

Laci sat in the chair, feeling very small and frightened. Assistant principal Donovan and Ms St Amand sat on either side of the office's window, and Saunders sat at the desk, opening a folder and shuffling the papers in it. "Relax, Laci," he said. "Considering where you live, your circumstances, I'd guess you're not much scared by a cop."

"No, but I'm not a troublemaker, so I don't, like, know you guys by name or anything."

Saunders smiled. "You ought to be proud of that. So. Do you know why you're here."

"Not really." It was a small fib.

"I need to talk to you about what happened at your apartment a couple of nights ago."

Laci rolled her eyes and muttered, "Shit."

Saunders partially suppressed a smile. "I guess you had quite the scary episode with your mother and her boyfriend."

Laci shrugged. She desperately wanted Karen with her.

"Laci, what happened there was serious. I'm going to be very honest with you. Your mother and her boyfriend are in big trouble, no matter what you tell me today. They've been arrested for possession of methamphetamine, and they're both in jail. I doubt they're getting out any time soon. What they did to you was very bad. Very bad. They need to be in jail just for that. That ... boyfriend of your mothers is seriously bad news. Now, I need your help to get him locked away for a long time. I need you to tell me what happened there."

Laci looked at the floor. She crossed her ankles and nervously rubbed her hands. "I'm scared. Can I, like, have a grown-up or something with me?"

Saunders folded his hands. "That's what Mr. Donovan and Ms. St Amand are here for. I just want your side of the story of what went on there Monday night, what happened to you. My boss, the chief of police, figured it was best for me to talk to you, since you at least know who I am. I don't bite. Promise."

Tell the truth honey, Karen told her. Don't lie. Just don't say anything – anything – about what we do in private, even kissing.

That scared her. What if I screw up and let something slip. It might be Karen going to jail. "I really don't want to have to remember that stuff."

"I know Laci. I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't so important."

Laci sighed. "OK. But if you make me cry, I'm going to stop talking to you."

"Fair enough. I'll do my best to not upset you. If I do, tell me so I'll know, OK? So, why don't you tell me what happened starting, say, when you got to the apartment."

"Well, I went there to get some of my stuff. I haven't been staying there much lately."

"Where are you staying?"

Alarms went off inside Laci. "At a friend's."

"What friend?"

Laci looked up at Saunders. She wrung her hands and squirmed. What should she say. Karen said don't lie, and Laci promised not to lie. But would it get Karen in trouble? Her lip quivered and tears threatened. "My friend Amy ... her Mom."

Saunders' watched her carefully. This was a touchy subject for the girl. Pushing too hard and upsetting her over a small detail might put valuable information out of reach. "I'm sorry Laci. Do you need some tissues?"

"I think so," she nodded

Assistant Principal Donovan got up and opened his desk drawer, offering a box of tissues to Laci.

Saunders took a deep breath. "Okay Laci, go on when you're ready."

Laci blew her nose and held the wad tightly. I wish I at least had the teddy bear, she thought. "I got there and when I went in, I could tell they'd been smoking meth from the smell. Believe me, I know that smell." She glanced at Ms St Amand, and except for a small scowl, her face was impassive. "Well, as soon as I got in, my mother started screeching at me, calling me awful names, and she didn't have any reason, 'cause I didn't even say a word. I was scared 'cause of the meth."

"The boyfriend, Gerard Biron, was he there."

"Yeah, like I said, they were smoking meth. So, I tried to go to my room to get my stuff, but she chased after me. She accused me of stealing her stuff, her drug money. She tried to take my bag, an' I tried to run out. But she grabbed my hair. Anyway, she had it and she started slapping me, an' I couldn't get away. And then her boyfriend, he came up and grabbed me, so my mother could punch me and stuff, and then he pushed me against the table, it's always a frigging junk pile, an' everything went crashing. Then he grabbed my hair and punched me..."

"Excuse me Laci, I want make sure I get it right. Biron punched you after pushing you against the table?"

Laci nodded. "Yeah. Then he grabbed me and held me so my mother could punch me some more. I think she grabbed a knife, but I'm not sure. And he goes, like, 'No, me first, then you can do whatcha gotta do." The guidance counselor's eyes were closed, and she was rubbing her temples.

"You must have been terrified."

"I was scared shitless. I was sure he was gonna ... rape me. Or kill me."

"How did you get away?"

Laci paused a long time. At last, she said, "My friend's Mom came up 'cause she heard me screaming."

"That would be Karen Nelson,." Saunders said matter-of-factly. He couldn't see any point in interrogating her about something they already knew. "So, how did you get away?"

Laci paused, momentarily stunned. They already knew about Karen. She closed her eyes, fighting tears. "I don't remember it good. I heard her – Karen – scream something about letting me go, and they did, and I ran away."

"What next?"

"I ran to her car."

"Did you see how Biron got hurt?"

"No. I wasn't sticking around, I just got outta there."

Saunders smiled grimly. "Sounds like a wise move. Do you have any bruises or marks from all that went on."

Laci shrugged. "My neck."

"Can I see?"

"I've got make-up on," she said, but lifted her hair and turned her head.

Saunders looked closely at her and shook his head. In spite of her make-up, the bruises on her neck and the side of her head were clearly visible. "Laci, I'd like to take a couple pictures for evidence. Is that OK"

Laci shrugged, but kept her head turned and her hair back.

Saunders took a small digital camera and clicked series of pictures. Finished, he put the camera away. "OK," he said sitting back. "So. Are you still staying with Mrs. Nelson?"

"For now."

"Good. From what I know, it's the safest place for you right now. I know you're upset Laci, but we really want to put this guy in jail for a long time, and you're being very helpful. I'd like to ask you about things besides that night, okay?"

"I'll try." It was easier to go on knowing this was all to put that motherfucker in jail – and her mother, too.

"The boyfriend, Biron, how long has he been your mother's boyfriend?"

"I dunno. It seemed sometimes like she had a different one every week, they were all gross pigs, they all wanted to touch me..." Laci shuddered visibly. "And make me ... have sex with them."

This bit of information was mildly startling to Saunders. "Laci, don't take this the wrong way, but did you ever have to have sex with any of her boyfriends?"

"No!" Laci said emphatically. "I wouldn't let those disgusting, sick pigs touch me! Once when I was seven and didn't know any better, one almost made me ... do something sick. Later my mother blamed me, said I was trying to steal her boyfriend."

Saunders' eye widened involuntarily. "How old were you?"

"Seven."

St Amand grimaced, and Saunders shook his head and sighed. "Do you remember the first time you saw Biron? Approximately."

"Around Christmas time, I guess."

"Did he move in?"

"If you wanna call it that. He's one of them guys who kinda go wherever with whoever will give them a place to stay and drink and do drugs. My friend Tasha calls them Street Thugs. They're scary, they look like they don't give a fuck whether they hurt you or not." Laci was unconsciously slipping back into street talk.

"Laci, did you ever see drugs in the apartment when Biron was around?"

Laci snorted. "All the time. There was always drugs, always."

"What kind?"

"Oh, pot, oxy, crack, meth, sometimes heroin, sometimes Ecstasy. I didn't mind when they shot up heroin or popped oxy, cause that made them sleepy and they'd leave me alone. But when it was meth or crack, it was wicked scary. I'd leave or lock the door to my room."

Saunders shook his head. "Did you ever see any weapons? Guns? Things like that."

Laci scrunched up her nose. "I'm not sure. I think a couple of times he had a gun like you cops have, but I ain't sure, I almost wanna lie just to make sure he goes to jail."

"No, Laci, don't do that. The truth is plenty helpful, you don't need to make anything up. Did you ever see people come up and buy drugs? Not when you thought they were, but did you ever actually see money and drugs exchanged?"

"Oh sure, all the time. Especially oxy, he even bragged about, like, robbing a drug store somewheres."

Saunders nodded his head slowly. This girl might turn into a goldmine. Best to be careful and not push her too hard today. She was cooperative but clearly getting edgy. "Almost done Laci. You're being very, very helpful. Did Biron ever hit or hurt you anytime before Monday?"

"No, he tried to make me have sex with him last week, said he'd pay me twenty bucks, but I told him to fuck off, that he was a loser, and I ran off." She shuddered visibly at the memory.

"Okay Laci, I think you've had enough for one day. It seems like you're doing well staying with Ms. Nelson, you happy there?"

Laci almost smiled, but she had to be careful. "Yeah, I like it a lot. She keeps me safe, I have a nice bed to sleep in, she makes sure I eat, helps me with my homework, takes me shopping. I think she's the ... nicest lady I've ever known. And she saved my life." Laci looked up and her eyes brimmed with tears. "You know that? She saved my life, and she kept them from chasing after me!" Her tears welled out and ran down her cheeks. "Would you do that Officer Saunders? Save the life of a girl you hardly knew, when you ain't even got a gun or anything? She did, and she ain't even big or anything!"

Saunders got up, took a wad of tissue and squatted down to her level. He handed Laci the tissues. Her face was quivering and distraught. He was struck by how naturally beautiful she was. He put his hand on her shoulder and said softly, "Laci, you are an amazing young lady. My son goes to school here, his name is Jake Saunders – do you know him?"

Laci sniffled, looking directly at Saunders. He looked nice up close, and he didn't make her feel nervous. She nodded, and said softly, "Kinda, I know who he is."

"Well, I'll tell you something, just between you and me. I think you're a hundred times braver than he is. And Ms Nelson? I think she's braver than any officer on the police force. If the world had more Laci's and Ms Nelson's, we'd be all be better off. Now tomorrow, I'm going to bring you a paper that will be about what we talked about here. You can read it to make sure it's the truth, and if you're sure, you'll sign it, okay?"

Laci, the cuffs of her sweater sleeves hiding her hands below the knuckles, held her fists up to her face. She nodded quickly.

"I'm all done pestering you. You have been very, very helpful. I know how upsetting this whole thing is, but we'll get through it, OK?"

She tried to judge his honesty, whether he meant it, or was just saying it to make her feel better. He seemed honest – well, except the part about her being braver than his son, that was a lie, or a fib anyway. She nodded quickly again, wanting to get out of there.

When Saunders stood, Laci quickly picked up her books and clutched them to her chest. "Mr Donovan, can I have a pass so I can go to the liberry?"

The assistant principal took a pass from his desk and gave it to Laci. "You know Laci, you can take the rest of the day off if you want."

"No thanks, I ain't got anywhere to go til Karen gets out of work." Laci, like a frightened little bird, took off, bloody, but unbowed.

"Extraordinary," Donovan murmured. "I had no idea it was that bad."

"I hear what you're saying," St Amand said, looking up from her files. "A girl that age, that beautiful, should have every wannabe Tomcat from 13 to 30 chasing her down, and she does. What's amazing is that she hasn't given just for the attention. There are four girls in her class who are already pregnant, father's unknown because of multiple partners, and most of those partners are adults. Yet look at Laci, abused, neglected, exposed to heavy drug use, and she's never failed a class, she's made high honors six times since the consolidation, and Jay Belden swears she's the next Wyeth."

"You know anything about this woman she's been staying with?" Saunders asked. "Karen Nelson?"

"As a matter of fact I do," St Amand said. "She's a realtor with the Perham Agency, sold me my house a few years back. She was a joy to work with. Her daughter Amy was a student here until she moved to the west coast to live with her father. She – Karen – never missed a conference, she was a very proactive advocate for her daughter. If Laci's with her ... well, I can't think of a better set up."

"Well I'll tell you," Saunders said. "It takes some serious cojones for anyone to barge in on what's basically a rape in progress, in a crack house, and stand up to two seriously methed up thugs. I would not want to have that woman pissed off at me."

"You ever met her, Dan?" St Amand said with a chuckle. "She's all of five three and 110 pounds, very attractive, not someone you'd normally expect to rescue a girl being raped and beaten in a crack house."

Karen grabbed her cell-phone and a cigarette from her purse, and stepped out through her door to the back of the building. It was the warmest it had been since a week before the blizzard. Forty was in hailing distance. She took a deep drag from her cigarette. She scrolled through her contact list and found the number for her old friend and attorney Gail Wright.

Karen felt a sense of relief that she'd finally been tracked down by the police about Monday night. She probably should have taken the initiative and called them yesterday rather than wait for them to come to her. She hoped her passivity didn't come back to bite her in the ass, but the detective she'd just spent half an hour talking to, Sergeant Potvin, didn't seem overly concerned that she hadn't reached out to them. Maybe it was sincere, maybe it wasn't. It was time to get Gail involved one way or the other. It would be stupid to navigate these waters alone.

The phone was answered on the second ring. "Phillipon and Lynch Law Office, this is Janice, how may I help you."

"Hi Janice. My name is Karen Nelson. I need to speak with Gail Wright on an urgent matter. Is she available?"

"Are you a client, Ms. Nelson?"

"No. If she's in the office, please tell her Karen Nelson is on the line," Karen said, her voice hardening. "I'm not interested in getting into details with you. She'll understand."

Karen paced restlessly, smoking her cigarette quickly. Finally, a bright, perky voice said, "Karen! What's up? It must be important for you to scare the shit out the receptionist... 'I'm not interested in getting into it with you.' Somebody watching that pretty little ass of yours would have no clue you can be such a hard-assed bitch." Gail laughed, but it tapered when she realized Karen wasn't laughing with her. "Alright, Love, what's up. Small talk's done."

"I need to talk to you, Gail. Soon. Today soon."

"Personally? Or professionally?"

"You can decide when we talk. I'm not being dramatic."

"OK sweetie. For you, anything. Come on over now. I'm just working on briefs, and they can take a backseat to the best fuck I've ever had."

Now Karen smiled. It was an old joke going back to the time they had a brief but very intense affair during Karen's divorce. "Thanks babe, I'll be there in 15 minutes. You think your receptionist will be surprised to see I don't have snakes for hair?"

Gail laughed heartily. "God, I should have married you! I guess we'll find out, won't we? See you in a few Sweetie."

Karen went inside and grabbed her coat, shutting everything down. As she left, she said, "Night Marcie."

Marcie's eyebrows went up. "This early?"

"Yup, I have a couple of new listings I want to look at."

Marcie knew Karen was lying, but she didn't dare pursue it. When Karen got ticked off, she'd scare a Marine drill instructor. 'Okie-dokie smokey, see you tomorrow.'

Karen slid into the car and lit another cigarette. She whipped out her phone and quickly tapped out a text to Laci. "U there? If ur in class text me on ur break."

Karen decided to wait a minute in case Laci texted her right off. She did. "Karen!!!!! Im here."

"hi sweetie. might be a little late picking u up. Important meeting."

"Karen the school policeman made me talk to him. I didn't say anything bad but im vy scared."

"Shit!" Karen spat. "Its ok babygirl. I know you didn't say anything bad. We'll talk tonight k?"

"Im still scared really really scared."

"Everythings ok sweetheart don't worry – please. K?"

"k i wish u were here NOW i need to be with you to feel better."

"I know kitten. Ill text you when my meetings done k?"

"I LUV U!!!!!!"

"Luv u 2 – bye for now."

Karen tossed her cigarette and left for town.

The Law Offices of Phillipon and Lynch were in a large, stately old Federal-style mansion located just on the edges of the city's downtown proper. Karen couldn't help smiling quietly when she introduced herself to the pudgy but pretty receptionist. "I'm Karen Nelson, here to see Gail. And as you can see, I don't have snakes for hair."

The receptionist looked at Karen as though she might be dealing with a dangerous psychopath. Obviously, Karen thought, she wasn't bright enough to understand the joke. "I'll let her know you're here."

Gail came out, and for just an instant, chills rippled over Karen. Their brief affair had burned like a super nova until they both realized that the same things that sent them into orbit in the bedroom would lead to tragedy if they ever started getting serious.

Until Laci, Gail was the only one who'd ever been able to take Karen to magical places. She'd almost fallen in love with the woman. She was achingly lovely, about Karen's size with long (Laci long) dark hair, and the most devastating blue eyes Karen had ever seen – eyes you could drown in. "Karen!" she bubbled like an excited child. "I've missed you! Come, let's go to my office. Jan," she said to the receptionist. "Unless it's the DA or Mr. Lynch himself, do not disturb us, or I'll sic Karen on you – and she hasn't eaten yet today." Gail laughed at her own joke, and Karen joined in in spite of herself.

Karen followed Gail through the ornate halls of the mansion, still vaguely impressed by the elaborately framed paintings on the wall. There was an original Monet somewhere in there. Once they were in Gail's office, the lawyer closed the door and grabbed Karen in a full embrace. She kissed Karen flush on the mouth, hard enough that she thought Gail might French kiss her.

Gail released her, and those blue eyes sparkled naughtily. "God, I needed that," Gail bubbled.

"Jesus Christ Gail, be careful or I might just have to fuck you!"

"I wouldn't complain. I'm sorry babe. You know me."

"Yeah, I do, better than most." Karen doubted if more than a couple of people in the building had ever seen Gail when her mask was off. When the hard-nosed, ambitious attorney facade was pushed aside, she was an irresistibly perky, flirtatious tease. Men drooled over her, but Gail was interested strictly in other women.

"OK, my passionate friend, let's have a seat and see what's got you so wound up."

Gail's office was dominated by a huge mahogany desk and ornate built-in bookcases jammed with law books. The chair Karen sat in was an antique Queen Anne worth over a grand. Karen closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and middle finger. "Jesus Christ Gail, I don't know where to start."

"How about the beginning. That's usually the best place to start."

Karen smiled. "Okay. Good idea. When Amy left to go live with her father, she had one little friend I was very worried about. She's a sweet girl who comes from Bartlett St." Gail winced. "Somehow, she and Amy hit it off in a big way, they became very close. Well, this kid's life at home was pure shit, but she never complained, never was anything but sweet, polite, appreciative. Jason and I both grew very fond of her, and we went out of our way to make sure the girl felt at home with us. It seemed like the decent thing to do was give her one place that was safe and fun. She actually became like family. When Amy left, I told the girl that if she ever needed a safe place to go when things went bad at home, my door was open."

Karen paused and looked at Gail, who reclined in her chair, legs stretched out, eyes closed. Karen knew this was a sign that Gail was listening very carefully, digesting every single word. She was an attorney now, not a friend and former lover.

"Well, the night the blizzard started, she suddenly landed herself on my front steps – took a taxi with her own money. At that point, she was mine whether I wanted her or not. Fortunately, I hadn't disassembled Amy's room yet, so she had a warm bed to sleep in. Well, when two women are cooped up together for three days..." Karen saw Gail wince uncomfortably, but she didn't open her eyes or say anything. "You tend to learn a lot about each other." Gail nodded her head almost imperceptibly, as though relieved. "Well, I learned that her home life was much worse than I'd ever imagined. It broke my heart, because this kid is beautiful and very, very smart, smart enough for Amy to comment on it. Anyway, when the storm was over, I was dug out, and school reopened – that would be Tuesday – I dropped her off at school, after giving her some of Amy's left-behind clothes to wear, and told her if things got bad again, she should call me. I told her I was going shopping that coming Saturday, and she was quite welcome to join me. Well, things got bad again, because she called me, all worked up, Thursday."

"How bad?" Gail said simply.

"I'm getting to that. You'll see in a few minutes. So I went to get her. She'd grabbed a few things, and I brought her home. At that point, for better or worse, I was not going to let that child go back there until things settled down. Not if I wanted to be able to live with myself. Well we began to settle into a nice little routine. It was almost like having the old Amy back home."

"What's the girl's name?"

"Laci. Laci Harper. So anyway, come Monday, Laci wanted to go back to the apartment to 'get something', what that something was, she didn't – wouldn't – say. I wasn't at all comfortable with that. I didn't think it was safe for her yet. But she insisted and I gave in."

"That's a first."

"So I dropped her off, and suddenly it hit me like I was punched, what the fuck was wrong with me, letting her go up there alone. I had a very bad feeling about it. So, I went in. I opened the front door of that fucking cesspool, and ... and..." Karen took a deep breath to compose herself. It didn't work well. The tears started. Gail had seen her cry many times, so Karen let the tears trickle out of her burning eyes. Gail only frowned slightly.

"I ... all I could hear was Laci screaming bloody murder, screaming my name, pleading for me to help her." Karen sobbed, and her voice choked. "So, I ran up the stairs. What the fuck kind of low-lifes can hear a kid scream like that and not call the cops?

"When I got to the top of the stairs, the door was open just a bit, and the things I heard in there would make the Devil himself cringe. I threw the door open, and ... and I ... I saw the mother's boyfriend holding Laci by the hair, while the mother punched her, not just once my dear. So, I screeched to let her go. And by Jesus, they did. I think they were shocked when I barged in screaming like a pissed off banshee. I told Laci to get the hell out. She took off, and I thought I needed to buy her a little time to get out, so when they both said who the fuck are you, I basically said I wasn't a 13 year-old girl, and they'd have a tougher time handling me than her."

Gail smiled, but didn't open her eyes.

"Well, the boyfriend came running at me. When he got close I pushed him. Well, that was like throwing gas on a fire. The mother grabbed a knife, and he came running again. I stepped back through the door, and when he came plowing out, I stuck out my leg and tripped him. He pitched forward and bashed his face against the newel post of the banister. I found out later they were both fucked up bad on meth. I figured then it was time to get the fuck out of Dodge. Laci was in the car, an absolute hysterical wreck. I brought her to the house, tucked her into Amy's bed and sat with her all night. On the way to the house, we were passed by a bunch of cop cars and an ambulance, and I assume that's where they were going.

"Okay, I knew by then, by yesterday morning, that it was only a matter of time before I had a visit from the cops. And today I did. A sergeant Potvin paid me a visit. I told him basically what I've told you."

"Karen, you know I'm not a criminal lawyer. That shit holds no interest for me." Her eyes were still closed. "Go on."

"Well, apparently the boyfriend is being charged with possession of meth, felony domestic violence assault, and resisting arrest. The cops apparently had to use their tasers on him – twice. The mother is being charged with the same thing. Anyway, that's story." Karen fell silent.

Gail didn't move or open her eyes for a minute. Then she sat up. "So, what it boils down to is you saw fit to take in and assume responsibility for a troubled teenaged girl, and in the process, you got yourself involved in a methamphetamine, DVA crime."

"That just about sums it up."