TheCorsair
Pēdicãbo ego võs et irrumäbo
- Joined
- Dec 17, 2013
Joe sat quietly, listening and taking notes as Rielle described what had happened to her. It was the process they’d evolved in their partnership - most rape victims were more comfortable talking to a sympathetic woman, so Claudia talked. Of course, neither of them had expected to hear that their Chief Medical Examiner has been gang-raped in the same place as the cold case they’d reopened. Or that one of the rapists was Matthew Kelly. “Holy shit,” he heard himself say.
“Excuse me?” Rielle said, looking at him sharply. She almost looked like she’ forgotten he was there.
“Matthew Kelly? This Matthew Kelly?” He dug out his phone and showed her the picture.
Her shudder was statement enough. “Yeah, That Matthew Kelly. Why?”
“He’s a person of interest,” Joe told her, putting the phone away. “In our current case. We were hoping that you might give us something, but, uh...”
“Yeah.” Rielle stared down at her hands, silent for a long time. “I won’t... I’ve got a husband, now. And a stepson.” She fell silent again. “He... doesn’t know. Doesn’t know why I have panic attacks, sometimes. In, in bed.”
Joe nodded his head, waiting.
“He... when they were, we’re finally done. He... took me home. Like nothing happened. And...”. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “He told me he’d kill me. If I said... anything. If I tried to leave him.”
Joe gave up any pretense of taking notes. It was too hard, through the red rage filling his vision. “He raped me... oh, once a week or so, the rest of the semester. Laughing, while I begged him to stop. I tried to scream once, and he... held a knife to my throat.” The notebook crumpled in Joe’s fist. “He brought a few of his frat brothers the next time. As a warning, I guess. I think he stopped because, because I stopped fighting. Because I gave up and just let him rape me, and it stopped being fun.”
“Rielle, we...” Joe began.
“I’m not testifying,” she repeated. “My word, against a pillar of the community like him?” She spat the phrase out in contempt. “After what happened to Christine Ford? After what happens to any woman who tries?” She shuddered. “And I’ve got a son...”
“All right,” Joe said slowly. “You’ve still given us something to...”
“Make him resist arrest,” she breathed.
“What?”
Rielle looked up, shame and fury and fear burning in her dark eyes. “Find an excuse, and put a bullet in the son of a bitch. A lot of bullets.” Her fist clenched, nails digging into a stress ball. “Don’t take him to trial. Just put him down like a rabid dog.”
“Excuse me?” Rielle said, looking at him sharply. She almost looked like she’ forgotten he was there.
“Matthew Kelly? This Matthew Kelly?” He dug out his phone and showed her the picture.
Her shudder was statement enough. “Yeah, That Matthew Kelly. Why?”
“He’s a person of interest,” Joe told her, putting the phone away. “In our current case. We were hoping that you might give us something, but, uh...”
“Yeah.” Rielle stared down at her hands, silent for a long time. “I won’t... I’ve got a husband, now. And a stepson.” She fell silent again. “He... doesn’t know. Doesn’t know why I have panic attacks, sometimes. In, in bed.”
Joe nodded his head, waiting.
“He... when they were, we’re finally done. He... took me home. Like nothing happened. And...”. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “He told me he’d kill me. If I said... anything. If I tried to leave him.”
Joe gave up any pretense of taking notes. It was too hard, through the red rage filling his vision. “He raped me... oh, once a week or so, the rest of the semester. Laughing, while I begged him to stop. I tried to scream once, and he... held a knife to my throat.” The notebook crumpled in Joe’s fist. “He brought a few of his frat brothers the next time. As a warning, I guess. I think he stopped because, because I stopped fighting. Because I gave up and just let him rape me, and it stopped being fun.”
“Rielle, we...” Joe began.
“I’m not testifying,” she repeated. “My word, against a pillar of the community like him?” She spat the phrase out in contempt. “After what happened to Christine Ford? After what happens to any woman who tries?” She shuddered. “And I’ve got a son...”
“All right,” Joe said slowly. “You’ve still given us something to...”
“Make him resist arrest,” she breathed.
“What?”
Rielle looked up, shame and fury and fear burning in her dark eyes. “Find an excuse, and put a bullet in the son of a bitch. A lot of bullets.” Her fist clenched, nails digging into a stress ball. “Don’t take him to trial. Just put him down like a rabid dog.”