It Takes a Village
***Outside Manhattan Springs Elementary School***
Chris and Mary Beth are sitting outside the elementary school, looking for a suspicious person in a suspicious vehicle. The principal has reported a strange man in a white van who watches the kids as they play at recess or get out of school. She cannot ask him to stop because he is on public property and not on school property. So she called the cops instead. She gave them a plate number and it matched to a known sex offender.
"When is he going to get here? I am sick of waiting".
"Report says their recess is at 11:30, and he is usually here then".
"well we have 10 minutes for him to show up then".
Chris and Mary Beth sat there and continued watching, and right on time, their sex offender showed up.
"Ok Stewart Dillingham, we are on to you".
"Wanna bring him in just for being this close to a school?"
"Not yet. Let's watch and see what happens, and we will get him as he drives away".
They sat there for 2 hours, and then he drove away, with them following. They nailed him 2 blocks from the school, for being in violation of his sex offender regulations, to never be within 1000 feet of a school or park, except when passing by.
Christine called for backup, and after they got there, she and Mary Beth left and went back to the office. She spoke to Feldberg about putting a tracker on him so they would know where he was at all times.
***Chris and David's apartment***
Chris parked in the parking garage, and took the elevator down to the lobby. She checked the mail, and headed back upstairs to their apartment.
"Hi honey, I'm home", she called out as she came in.
"Hi babe!". David popped out of the bedroom.
"What are you doing home so early?"
"Court got out early, so I came home. Why spend my life working day and night at the firm, when I would much rather spend it day and night here with you?" He kissed her. "Hi".
"What do you want for dinner, honey?" She looked at her watch. It was 5:30.
"You". He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom.
***Later***
Chris and David were still lying in bed. They had made love 2 times in the past 2 ½ hours, and they were now snuggling and kissing and deciding on whether they were going to go make dinner or stay in bed.
"How about we order pizza?"
"Sounds good to me. Sausage, mushrooms, onions, and extra cheese, and tomatoes".
"Ok babe." David kissed her and then ordered the pizza.
He hung up and rolled over and wrapped his arms around Chris. He set the timer on his phone.
"What is the timer for?"
"Well, it will take 45 minutes for them to get here…"
"45 minutes? Challenge accepted".
The pizza came right on time, and Chris and David ate it in bed. David turned the TV on while they ate.
They had just finished the pizza when Chris' cell phone rang. It was Mary Beth.
"Hey, I just got a call from the detective that brought Dillingham in for them. He had a laptop in his possession and the lab went through it all night. Tons of porn, tons of videos of kids in the shower, tons of images of him doing sexual things to children, and get this-he's a soccer coach".
"That's disgusting. I will call in a warrant right away to have his house secured and searched".
"Good call. I am going to send you the text with the pictures that the detective sent me".
"Ok, thank you. See you tomorrow".
Chris and Mary Beth hung up, and then about 4 seconds later, Chris' phone made the text sound, and she opened the file that Mary Beth had sent.
She was nonchalantly looking through the pics, to make sure they had a case. She got to the soccer picture, and her heart sank. She let out a gasp, and her hand flew to her mouth.
Stewart Dillingham was Miranda's soccer coach.
Chris turned to David, and looked at him.
"I don't know if you are ready for this. Please understand- he is locked up and he isn't getting out. Miranda's soccer coach was arrested today for a sex offender violation. They searched his laptop, and found this picture".
She showed him the picture.
"I am calling Stephanie right now".
David called Stephanie, who had just gotten off work and was heading home.
"Stephanie, Chris and her partner arrested someone today for violating the conditions of his sexual offender status. They searched his laptop, and she just received the pictures- the offender is Miranda's soccer coach… His name is Stewart Dillingham…. Hang on, I am going to put you on speaker so you can talk to Chris too".
"Hi Stephanie."
"Hello, Chris. Can you explain what is happening?"
"Well, my partner and I received a report about a possible sex offender sitting in a van outside an elementary school. So we went, observed him, and arrested him. He was taken to the county jail, and as of 5 p.m. this afternoon, he hasn't seen a judge yet, so he hasn't been given a bail amount. He had a laptop in his possession, so our lab guys searched the hard drive and contents of it. AS it turns out, he had lots of child porn on there, lots of regular porn, lots of porn videos involving children, and they deduced that he is a soccer coach based on the pictures of him in a jersey with a team. I received a file on my computer with a sample of what they found, and Miranda's team picture is on it. So, I can tell you that as soon as we hang up, I am calling my boss and filling him in. He will most likely fill out a special holds warrant, which will guarantee that Mr. Dillingham will not get bail, and my boss is a hard nose when it comes to kiddie porn and sex offenders, so he won't be getting off lightly. We have no evidence at this time to suggest that he did anything to the kids on the team other than coach them about soccer; if we find out otherwise, I will let you know".
Stephanie's voice sounded shaky.
"So what do you suggest I do? Should I ask Miranda about him? Should I wait till she brings it up?" Stephanie sounded very panicked.
"If it was me, I would ask her about him, in very general terms. Start with 'You know you can tell me anything and everything, and I want you to be honest with me…blah blah blah…then ask her in general terms if he has ever been inappropriate with her, or if she has seen or heard about him being inappropriate with anyone else on the team, questions like that. For your own sanity, you might want to also throw in a 'has anyone ever been inappropriate with you' and then finish with what you want her to do if it ever happens, say no, tell an adult, etc. I can reinforce that and have a convo with her also when she is here with us, if you would like".
"Ok, let's do that. Let's do all of that."
"The chances of her being around a sex offender at some point in her life are much higher than the chances of her being attacked or approached or victimized by one are, and I can also tell you from what I have seen in Miranda, she shows no signs of having been abused at all by anyone. However, the conversation still needs to take place. And It might be a good idea to alert the other parents about his arrest and tell them that he will not be getting bail. I will see to that myself".
"Thank you so much Chris. Can you call me tomorrow and update me after your boss talks to the judge?"
"Sure. And I will see you and Miranda Wednesday night".
"Ok see you then. Bye Chris, Bye David".
Stephanie hung up.
Chris handed the phone back to David, and grabbed her phone.
She called Feldberg.
"Hey Feldberg, I am sorry, I know it's late. But this is kind of important. Well, Mary Beth and I went to check out the reports of a sex offender who was sitting outside Manhattan Springs Elementary School each day. We caught the guy and brought him in, and he didn't qualify for night court, so he is on the docket for 9. a.m. Well, the lab ran his hard drive through the screening and found tons of kiddie porn, videos, adult porn, and so on. They also found evidence that he is a soccer coach, which is another violation of the sex offender registry. Here is the kicker- my step-daughter is on his team. So I was hoping that you would do a special warrant so that he won't qualify for bail, and will stay in jail till his trial?"
She listened for a minute.
"Yes, she is fine, as far as we know. We will be verifying that in the coming days to be sure. I would also like a warrant to be served to the uniforms now to go right now and secure his residence, so that we may search and investigate tomorrow…. Ok thanks Feldberg".
Chris hung up the phone.
"Feldberg agreed to the warrants, so he will stay in jail and we will search his house to see what else he has in there".
She put the phone on the nightstand and David wrapped his arms around her.
"Babe, when you find something, do you promise you will let me know as soon as you do?"
"Of course, honey. I will tell the lab this is top priority, and I will keep my phone on me and text or call you as soon as they tell me what is there".
David got up and went and locked the doors and set the alarm and got Chris a fresh glass of water, as he did every single night.
He came to back to bed, and they fell asleep easily, but neither of them slept well, as they were thinking about whether or not Miranda was ok.
***The next morning***
Chris woke up when the alarm went off. She could tell that she hadn't slept too well and when David woke up, she could tell he hadn't slept well either. She did her workout and then took a shower, and when she was dressed, she woke David before she went to make breakfast for them. He came out of the bedroom right when it was finished.
"Spanish omelets today, honey. Hope you like it".
"Sounds good". She had mixed the eggs with peppers, onions, mushrooms, and sausage, and tossed a handful of cheese in there as well, with salsa on the side.
They ate in silence, mostly, and Chris quickly rinsed the dishes and put them in the dishwasher after she was done.
"That was good babe. Thanks for making it". He kissed the top of her head.
"Sure".
She opened the fridge and grabbed her lunch, and then headed towards the door. He held the door open, and locked it after she left.
They walked to the elevator, and then to their cars in the parking garage. He helped her with her stuff like he always did, and then kissed her goodbye.
"I promise I will call you after I talk to Feldberg and after we search his house".
"Ok. I love you more than anything".
"I love you too David".
She kissed him again, and then got in the car. She thought about it all the way to work, but she couldn't remember when she had seen him so stressed before.
***Chris and Mary Beth's office***
Feldberg met Chris when she came in.
"Here is your warrant to search his house, and the uniforms are stationed at it, not letting anyone in. They made the family leave last night also. He and I will be in court today, around 11:30. I will update you as soon as I know something".
"Thanks Feldberg. Mary Beth and I are going to go lead the search at the house".
"Ok. Let me know if you find anything more".
"Will do".
She went to her office, and put her stuff away. She called up a team of detectives and told them what was going on. Mary Beth arrived about 10 minutes later, and Chris filled her in.
Mary Beth put her things down, signed in, and then joined Chris. They headed to the house to begin the search.
***Stewart Dillingham's house***
Chris and Mary Beth arrived at the house. Chris texted David that Dillingham was going to be in court at 11:30, and that Feldberg had secured the warrant that would guarantee no bail.
'Mary Beth and I are searching his house now. I will let you know if we find anything related to Miranda. Love you'.
He replied about 4 minutes later. 'Love you too babe'.
She and Mary Beth got clearance from the uniforms to go in, and they decided to do it one room at a time.
They started with the bedroom.
Under the bed, they found several boxes of Playboys, several photo albums with pictures of naked women, all of whom looked to be adult, and a box of flash drives. They confiscated the flash drives and the photo album. On the walls, he had several posters of women in various sexual positions. Chris ordered a uniformed officer to take pictures of everything like that in the room. The dressers turned up nothing but clothes. The closet seemed normal as well.
They moved on to the living room. His DVD collection was mostly adult films, but Chris did confiscate a few DVD's that weren't labeled just to be safe. She assigned a uniform officer to go through his DVD collection and play each DVD to make sure it wasn't really child porn inside a dummy case. Mary Beth found an envelope in his desk that had several thousand dollars in cash, which they were going to turn over to a family member. Chris assigned an officer to unhook his computer and take the hard drive in for inspection as well. The kitchen was an easy search, nothing out of the ordinary there. They still looked over each and every section to make sure. Chris found a few flash drives in a kitchen junk drawer, which she confiscated.
Next they focused on the rooms upstairs.
There were 2 bedrooms upstairs, and a bonus room plus a full bath. They started in the bedroom, the first one on the left, at the top of the stairs. It looked normal and boring. The walls were green and the bedspread and curtains were blue. Nothing exciting.
Chris was helping Mary Beth feel under the mattress to see if there was anything there, and when there wasn't, they dropped the mattress. Chris sort of stumbled afterwards, and fell into the wall. As soon as she did, the panel opened to a secret room.
"Oh my gosh". Mary Beth reached up to catch the panel so that Chris could reclaim her balance. Chris looked towards the secret room, and turned on her flashlight.
"Officers, can you come in here please? We are going to need some evidence bags. And bring the camera".
Chris and Mary Beth were taking pictures of the secret room. As soon as you opened it, there was a shrine full of little girls. Miranda's picture was in it- it was her soccer picture.
The other pictures were of little kids in their swimsuits, and in their pajamas. After you moved the shrine over, there was a whole room back there, and it was creepy. There were metal rings on the walls where you would handcuff someone. There were racks of whips, and in the corner, was a metal cage. There were pillows and blankets, and a bucket that looked as if it had been used as a toilet once upon a time. The air was stale with the stench of urine, but it wasn't overpowering.
Mary Beth found a trash can and began to look through its contents.
"Chris, there are probably 50 condom wrappers in here. What's the expiration date on a condom? Some of these would have expired next month".
"We can have uniforms check that out. Bag those".
Chris took pictures of everything, and then started taking the shrine down. That was going to be a major piece of evidence.
As she pulled it down, she realized there were more pictures on the back. She flipped it over. All of the children in the pictures on the back were naked.
"Pay dirt!".
Chris left the uniforms to finish collecting evidence in the secret room, and went to the other bedroom.
She touched every panel on the wall, and didn't find another secret room. However, she did find a spot in the floor where the hardwood comes up, and when she lifted it up, there were about 200 DVD's shoved into the floor.
Mary Beth handed her an evidence bag and she dropped them in. She was going to have the lab analyze them.
The uniforms went to the bathroom then, and looked under the cabinets and behind the toilet. They didn't find anything so Chris told them to not yank the plumbing out.
She sent the uniforms to the attic to see if they saw anything.
She and Mary Beth were in the hallway underneath the attic stairs checking off the rooms on their checklist.
"Lieutenant?"
"Yes officer, I am right here".
He appeared at the top of the attic stairs.
"There are about 50 hard drives up here, and somewhere around 25 laptops".
"Holy crap. Ok, we are going to send officers up to bring those down to the living room where we will tag them before we take them downtown".
For the next 40 minutes, she and Mary Beth tagged the computers with labels, and Chris made a list of each computer and the serial numbers and evidence numbers and what type it was. They filled one police van with evidence and then they had to put the rest in the back of Chris' car.
She texted Feldberg. "We collected a shitload from Dillingham's house. If I am right, we have enough evidence on him to put him away for hundreds of years".
She and Mary Beth left an officer at the house and told them to call the family and tell them they could come back home. She told the officer where she had left the envelope of cash- it was labeled "Christmas Money", so Chris didn't feel that it was related to the kiddie porn.
She and Mary Beth headed back to the office. She called David on the way.
"Hey babe, you ok?"
"Yes, are you in court?"
"No, I am in my office. Did you search the house yet?"
"Yes. We confiscated a shitload of stuff babe. He had 50 hard drives in his attic, and about 25 laptops. He had an extensive Adult DVD porn collection, I found a box of about 200 flash drives, and we found 200 or so non-labeled DVD's shoved under the floorboards upstairs. We also found a secret room, and when you opened the secret room, there was a shrine with pictures and honey, Miranda's soccer picture was right in the middle. All of the pictures were on the really stiff corkboard type stuff and when you turned that around, there were naked pictures of little girls all over the place. I looked at each face and didn't see Miranda on the naked side. But her picture was the center focus and the biggest picture on the non-naked side".
"Oh boy. Ok, so what is the next step?"
"We are taking everything to the lab and having them analyze it. I am going to tell them I want copies of any pictures of Miranda, and after this is over, I am going to ask Feldberg if I can have the originals too. They are going to analyze the DVD's, and the flash drives. If my hunch is correct, we will find enough evidence to put him away for hundreds of years".
"Oh wow. Babe, this is going to blow wide open".
"Yep. I swear if he touched Miranda…. jail is the safest place for him".
"I agree. Ok gotta go, call me when you find something. Love you".
"Love you, honey".
She and Mary Beth rode back to the office quietly, and officers were waiting to help them unload the evidence and take it to the lab.
She headed straight to her office to compose a list of what was seized and email it to Feldberg.
She sent him a text in the meantime.
"Search is concluded. Itemized list of seized items will be on your desk by the end of the day, and when you get a chance, I would like to speak with you please".
It took her 3 hours to make the list, and when she was done, she printed it and put it on Feldberg's desk. She looked at the clock. It was 4:30, and she was mentally and emotionally tired.
She heard Feldberg come back into his office at ten till 5; so she headed to his office to talk to him.
"Hey, got a minute?"
"Sure, Lieutenant, what can I do for you?"
"We searched Stewart Dillingham's house today. We found loads of evidence that I seized to have analyzed by the lab. And we found a corkboard shrine-type thing that had kids pictures all over it, one of them being my step-daughter. So, if they find more pictures of my step-daughter, would it be possible at the conclusion of the trial for my husband and I to receive all originals and copies of the pictures of her?"
"Sure. Put in a request and remind me. I will be happy to give those to you. What about media- if she is on the DVD's and flash drives?"
"We want those destroyed".
"You got it".
"Thanks, Feldberg".
She headed back to her office and grabbed her things and walked out with Mary Beth.
***Chris and David's apartment***
Chris walked in around 5:20. David wasn't home yet. She changed clothes and then she called Stephanie to tell her what had transpired.
She told her what she had seen, and some of what had been found, and that Feldberg said if they found anymore pics of Miranda, she would be given the originals and the copies if there were any. She told her that if Miranda's image was found on flash drives or DVD's, that those would be destroyed.
"Oh my. Did you say it was her soccer picture that he had in his house?"
"Yes, it was one where she was by herself, holding a ball and it was kind of a close-up".
"We ordered that picture from him and he kept telling us that the company lost it. We paid for it but never received it".
"Would you be willing to come in and give a statement as to how that all transpired?"
"Absolutely".
"Ok, I will add you to the list. Did you talk to Miranda yet?"
"Yes, and she swears up and down that nothing happened between her and Coach. She said she would have told him to stop, she would have -quote- kicked him in his soccer balls-end quote, and she would have told me".
Chris kind of chuckled. "She is a feisty one, for sure".
"If you could talk to her tomorrow night, or maybe have Bridgit talk to her the next time she sees her, I would appreciate it".
"Ok, I will definitely do that".
They chatted a little more, and then hung up. She started dinner for her and David then- caprese chicken.
She had been marinating chicken all day, and she cut the chicken breasts open, and layered the tomatoes and basil and Mozzarella slices in each one, then she secured them with a toothpick, and went outside to put them on the grill. This was one of her favorite recipes, but she couldn't recall if David had ever had it. She ran back inside and started a pan of oven rice, and then quickly tossed a salad. Afterwards, she went back outside and finished grilling.
She didn't even hear David come in, but he found her on the balcony at the grill. He came up and wrapped his arms around her and kissed the side of her face.
"Hi, honey". She turned and embraced him. He kissed her.
"Dinner is almost ready, and I made rice and a salad. And I have a surprise planned for you tonight, Counselor".
"Oh you do?"
"Yes, I do".
"You need me to finish grilling?"
"You can if you like".
They stood out on the balcony by the grill a little longer, just taking in the skyline, and then when her phone timer went off, she held the plate while he grabbed the chicken and pulled them off the grill.
They walked in together, and he went to change clothes, while she made their plates.
She even made him some of his favorite peach tea that he loved. She didn't tell him it was peach, she wanted him to drink it and be surprised.
They sat down to dinner a few minutes later, and as soon as he tasted the peach tea, he leaned over and kissed her.
"Thanks, babe".
"you're welcome. But that's not the big surprise of the night".
His eyes twinkled.
"Have I ever made Caprese chicken for you?"
"I don't think so. Can't wait to taste it".
He cut into his chicken, and then took a bite. "Oh Chris, this is wonderful".
"Glad you like it babe". They agreed this meal would be in rotation a lot more often.
They finished dinner, and then he volunteered to do the dishes.
"I am going to go get your surprise ready". She kissed him and hurried off to the bedroom.
***In the bedroom***
Chris ran a special bath, for her and David. She sprayed the lavender spray that he liked on their sheets, and she added the relax bath salts to the bath. She lit the candles and turned the TV on to their favorite music channel that they always listen to. She grabbed two towels and put them in the chair by the tub. This would be their first night to use their tub in the new spot. All that was left in the remodel was to carve out the door and paint the frame.
Everything was ready, and she threw on her robe, and went to get him.
He was still in the kitchen, and had just finished the dishes.
He was putting the leftovers into the fridge.
"Babe, come with me".
She grabbed his hand, and he went with her to the bedroom.
She handed him a robe, and said "Take your clothes off and put this on. Then come into the bathroom".
She was in the tub waiting on him, when he came in.
"Join me". He climbed in and sat between her legs, and she started to rub his back with a warm washcloth. Then she turned on the jets and started massaging him.
"Good surprise babe".
"Remember that night that you came over and it was snowing and we had just started dating again? I said then that I was going to spoil you one night, and well, tonight is the night".
"I remember. You spoil me every day though, just by being you, babe".
She rubbed his back for a long time, and got some knots out for him. She could feel him relax a whole lot.
After about 40 minutes, she just hugged him from behind, and loved on him some. They switched places and then she sat facing him, and rubbed on his chest with a warm washcloth and started rubbing his temples. He leaned forward and kissed her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Let's go to bed". He looked at her and kissed her lightly.
"That's the next part of the surprise".
He stood up, and helped her up. She climbed out of the tub, and handed him a towel. She turned off the TV, and blew out some of the candles. She flipped the light switch, and then blew out the rest of the candles, and then finished drying off.
"Go get the bed ready, babe. I will be there in a minute".
She slipped into her closet and put on the new lingerie she had bought a week ago.
It was a hot pink baby doll dress, and it had a white mini bow at the top in the middle. It had spaghetti straps, and a small ruffled hemline. With the push-up bra in it, it looked amazing on Chris. She put on the pink silk robe that came with it, and went to the bedroom.
David was not in there. He had gone to lock the doors, and set the alarm, and get her a glass of water.
"Honey, where did you go?"
"To lock the door, babe. Be there in a second".
He came right back and found her waiting for him.
She put her arms around his neck.
"I sprayed the sheets with the lavender spray that you like, and now I am going to show you my new lingerie, and then give you a massage like you always give me". She kissed him, and then started to take the robe off.
"You are so beautiful babe". He kissed her and picked her up and carried her to the bed.
She got him in the position, and he scooted to the center of the bed. She straddled him, and got the rubdown lotion ready to put on his back.
"You ready, honey?"
No answer.
"Honey. Are you ready?"
David snored. He had passed out on her. She looked at him, scowled and put the lotion back on the nightstand. She climbed off of him, and changed out of her lingerie into her regular pajamas. She grabbed the blanket and the pillow and went to the couch.
***The next morning***
Chris woke up when her cell phone alarm went off. She was still on the couch.
She got up and went to shower, and then made breakfast. She crept into the bedroom, set David's phone alarm for 5 minutes from then, and placed it by his head. Then she went and ate breakfast, alone.
He had gotten up and gotten into the shower, and was still in there when she finished breakfast.
She left him a plate, and a note that said "See you tonight". She grabbed her things, and headed for the parking garage. 20 minutes later, she was at work.
***Chris and Mary Beth's office***
Chris came in and immediately got to work. Some of the lab results were back, and she was looking through them to see what they had found.
Mary Beth came in, and was helping, but got called away to go to the lab to get more evidence that had been reviewed.
Chris was staring at her computer screen, making a list of the flash drives that had come back clean, when there was a knock on the door.
She didn't bother to look up. "Come in".
She saw the flowers being placed on her desk. She looked up, and saw it was David.
"Hi".
He came around to her side of the desk and she stood up to hug him. "These are beautiful honey, thank you".
"I am so sorry about last night, babe. I guess I was more tired than I realized. You put a lot of thought and effort into that and I appreciate it and I feel really bad. Can we have a do-over tonight?"
She nodded. "Maybe I planned too much for one night".
"No honey, it was all me. I was tired, and the bath really relaxed me, and then the sheets smelled so good, and I just drifted off. How did you sleep next to me in the center of the bed?"
"I didn't. I moved to the couch".
"Honey, I am so sorry. You plan the best surprises, you know that?"
She nodded. He kissed her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I just wanted you to relax is all, you have been working so hard and you have been so stressed lately".
"Well tonight, we are going to have dinner with Miranda and then I want a do-over on the massage and the other stuff".
"Deal". She kissed him then, and Mary Beth walked back in.
"Oh excuse me, I will just come back".
"Mary Beth, don't be silly. You can come in".
"Beautiful flowers, Mr. Keeler".
"All for my lovely bride".
"Wanna grab lunch with me, honey?"
"I can't, but I brought you lunch. And there is plenty for Mary Beth too". He pointed to some Chinese food he had brought and set on the table across the room.
"You are so thoughtful, honey. Are you headed back to the house?"
He nodded.
She handed him her lunch that she had brought, which was leftovers from dinner last night.
"will you put this in the fridge please?"
He nodded. "Of course. See you at home at 4:30?"
She nodded.
"I missed my goodbye kiss this morning". He kissed her and she started to laugh.
"You were still in the shower".
"Did you try to wake me up?"
"Yes, but it became evident that a cannon by the bed wasn't going to wake you up".
"You are so patient with me, babe. I am so sorry. I promise I will stay awake the next time".
"It's ok honey. Well, I need to eat and then work if I am going to be home by 4:30".
She kissed him again, and he left. She arranged the flowers on the corner of her desk and took a picture of them. It was a bouquet with a little bit of everything. Pink roses, bells of Ireland, bright blue gladiolus, and purple heather, and white orchids. She found the card that he had put in there, and went to read it. "To the best wife ever, I love you more than anything".
Chris and Mary Beth got the Chinese food out, and sat down to eat lunch. David had gotten her favorites- shrimp lo Mein, shrimp and chicken fried rice, egg rolls, and sweet and sour shrimp.
"This was sweet of David to bring lunch today".
"Yeah, he is pretty great. This is a peace offering though. He knows the way to my heart is with flowers and food".
Mary Beth looked at her.
Chris continued.
"When we first got back together, before we were married, he came over when New York got hit by that blizzard. He shacked up with me that day, and he spoiled me. He gave me a massage, he made me dinner, and we cuddled up and watched a movie. He drove me to the grocery store in a blizzard, Mary Beth. I told him then that I was going to spoil him one night, but then the cancer happened, and then the wedding. So anyways, last night was the night. I made Caprese chicken, on the grill, with rice and salad. I made him a relaxing bubble bath, and I washed his back for him, and I went all out. Relaxing bath salts, candles, seductive music. I even put on new lingerie for him, and sprayed the sheets with his favorite lavender spray. So he climbs into bed and as soon as I get him on his stomach so I can give him his massage, he passes out and starts snoring. So I went to the couch, and slept there for the night, and this morning, I woke up, got ready, made breakfast. I set his alarm while he was still asleep to go off in 5 minutes, and then I left. He came out to find me gone to work, and his breakfast on the counter with a note that said "See you tonight".
Mary Beth was laughing. "Harvey and I do that to each other all the time. Welcome to marriage, Mrs. Keeler".
"Thanks". They kept eating and she boxed up the leftovers to take home with her.
She got back to work, making her list and going through the lab results. Before she knew it, it was 4 p.m.
She sent the evidence that had been analyzed that she had recorded in her list to the evidence room. The rest of it was going to be locked into the safe in her office, and she would continue with it tomorrow.
She packed up her things, and signed out.
"See you later, Mary Beth".
"See you later, partner".
***Chris and David's apartment***
Chris got home right at 4:30. She quickly changed her clothes, and filled a water bottle for the car ride.
She and David left about 10 minutes later, and she brought Stewart Dillingham's case file to study on the drive up.
"Dillingham was put on the sex offender list because he raped his first wife on 3 occasions after she filed for divorce. The first 2 occasions, he wore a ski mask. The last time, he took the mask off and she got a glimpse of his face".
"That's horrible".
"He served 8 years of a 14-year sentence, and was paroled 2 years ago, and was required to register as a sex offender. While in prison, he was cited for having pornographic material in his cell".
"8 years isn't long enough for that. How in the hell did he get parole?"
"That's a great question".
Chris kept looking through the file.
"Conditions of parole as a sex offender- no living within a 1000 feet of a school, daycare, or park. You may pass one in a moving vehicle, but you may not get out of the vehicle. You are not allowed to patronize anywhere that is within 1000 feet of a school, daycare, or park, without explicit permission from your parole officer. You may not own a computer, but in some instances, you may live in a home with a computer, provided you don't have access to the computer. The computer's owner will be required to prove that you don't have access, in those instances. You are allowed to work, but your parole officer has to approve of the location and the job. You are required to meet with your parole officer 1 time per week, unless otherwise required to meet more times. At no time, are you allowed to be a coach or any part of a team sport where the players are under 18. If your child is playing on a team sport, your parole officer will authorize you to go watch your child play, on a case by case basis".
"That's a lot of rules".
"Yep, and that's a lot of violations too. By my count, he violated the patronizing rule by sitting in the car outside the school, he more than violated the computer rule, he violated the coach rule, and according to his parole officer, he wasn't faithful about checking in when he was supposed to."
"Well, I hope that's enough to put him away, so that he is never near a child again".
"Me too".
She kept reading the file and pretty soon, they had pulled up to Miranda and Stephanie's house.
***Miranda and Stephanie's house***
Chris and David rang the doorbell. Stephanie let them in.
"Hi!".
"Hi, come on in. Miranda is feeling a little tired, I think she overdid it this week after having her appendix out. So instead of us going to eat somewhere, I grabbed Steaks and thought we could grill, if that's ok.".
"Sure". David walked over to Miranda and hugged her.
"How you feel, kiddo?"
"I am tired today. But I am better than I was last week". He looked at her cast and saw that she had lots of signatures from her friends on it. He gave her another hug, and then went to grill the steaks for Stephanie.
Chris sat down next to Miranda. Stephanie quietly went into the kitchen, giving Chris and Miranda a chance to talk.
"Miranda, can we talk a minute?". Miranda nodded.
"Tell me what you think of your soccer coach, Mr. Dillingham".
"He's nice, but he's a little creepy".
"How so?"
"When he sends us on to the field, he pats us on the butt".
Chris smiled a little. "I think that's a coach thing, but you are right, it's kind of weird".
Miranda nodded.
"Has he ever touched you in a way he shouldn't? Or said something inappropriate to you?"
She shook her head. "Never. He was always just nice to me".
"Well, honey, he did something and got arrested. And we had to go inside his house and look through his stuff. Have you ever been inside his house?"
She nodded. "We had a pizza party there once, after we won a tournament. He kept telling us that if we didn't eat all our pizza, he was going to put us in his dungeon. Did you find a dungeon in there?"
"We found a room upstairs that was hidden. That's not a dungeon, a dungeon is in the basement. No basement".
"He wouldn't let us go upstairs. He made us stay in the living room, and we could go in the kitchen and to the bathroom, but that was it. And after we ate, he made us play in the backyard".
"Good. I am glad you didn't go in his upstairs, it was messy".
Miranda laughed a little bit.
"Miranda, I am glad that you say that nobody has touched you in a way they shouldn't. That makes me happy. However, I want you to know that if someone ever does, you can tell your mom and your dad and me about it. And I will arrest them, it's my job. Nobody is going to hurt you and get away with it, ok? And if you can't tell me, you can tell Bridgit. She loves you and will help you as best she can, I promise you that. She will know based on what you tell her if she needs to tell me or just give you advice".
Miranda nodded. "If anyone ever tried to do that to me, I would kick them in the balls and scratch their face and scream and yell and get away from them".
"That's a good plan too".
Stephanie came in then, and said that dinner was almost ready.
Miranda got up and went to go wash her hands.
"Did she say anything?"
Chris nodded. "She went to his house, for a pizza party once. He threatened the secret room, but they thought he was joking. She said he kept them downstairs and after they ate, made them play outside. She is pretty confident in her abilities to beat up anyone who does that to her, also. And I told her that she could always tell you and David and me and we would help her and I would have the guy arrested, and that if she was too scared to do that, she could talk to Bridgit and she could trust Bridgit to know whether or not to give advice or whether to tell me".
Stephanie hugged Chris. "Thank you so much. You love my baby like I do, and it shows. You are a great step-mom to her, Chris".
"She's a great girl".
David brought the steaks in then, and Chris threw a salad together, while Stephanie got the onion rings out of the oven. Miranda came into the kitchen and took her medicine. She had a few more days on her antibiotics, and then they were going to take her stitches out.
They all sat down to dinner then, and had a nice meal. Miranda told them all about school, and how her teachers were being extra nice to her.
"When do you want to come stay with us again?"
"After I get the stitches out, maybe. I wake up every couple hours and my incision hurts so I have to get up and walk some".
Stephanie looked at David. "I am on days for the next few weeks until she is fully recovered".
"That must be nice for you".
"Yes, it is. I am going to try and keep my days and then do like 2 night shifts a week or something. I am talking with my boss about it next week".
Chris and David helped Stephanie with the dishes and Miranda got settled on the couch after she put her plate in the dishwasher.
Chris went and sat down with Miranda while David and Stephanie chatted about expenses.
David came in and sat with Miranda a few minutes later.
"Honey, can you take the checkbook to Stephanie and write her a check? She will tell you the amount, it's for her school stuff".
"Sure". She grabbed her purse and went to the kitchen.
"How much do you need?"
"I think $250 will do it- that's her yearbook, money for her lunch account, and the rest is for her deposit for her class trip to Boston".
Chris wrote the check, and handed it to Stephanie.
"We will pay for her school trip. Our treat. Just text me and I will send you a check".
"Thanks, that's so generous".
"Did you get your Child support this month?"
She nodded. "At just the right time too. My check was short from being off with Miranda".
"well, if you ever need help, just let us know. As they say, it takes a village to raise your kid, you aren't doing this alone".
"Thanks".
They walked out and joined David and Miranda then.
"Honey, we need to be heading back to the city, so Miranda can go to bed.".
"Yep, it's time. Ok kiddo, tell me. Do you want to come to the city this weekend? I will come pick you up and bring you, or we can come out her and take you to dinner".
"I want you guys to come here and take me to dinner. After I get my stitches out, I want to go back to the city".
"You got it".
They hugged her goodbye and said goodbye to Stephanie.
A few minutes later, they were headed back to the city.
***Chris and David's car***
"I told Stephanie that we would pay for Miranda's class trip, so she wouldn't have to worry about it."
"Good idea babe".
They chatted about stuff on the way home, and she told him what Miranda had told her about the pizza party at the coach's house.
"That's too close for comfort, for me. I can't believe she was ever that close to him and all that filthy stuff in his house".
"Me too. I told her there was a secret room, but didn't tell her what was in it. And she let on that she and the other girls on the team thought he was joking when he said he was gonna put them in the room for not eating their pizza".
"It's sad that we live in a world where you have to wonder how safe your child is with their soccer coach, and whether or not their soccer coach is on the up and up".
She nodded.
"I agree".
They rode along, and pretty soon they pulled into the parking garage.
As they walked into their apartment, Chris put her purse down, and went and got a glass of water.
David locked the door, and set the alarm, and wrapped his arms around Chris.
"Can I have my do-over tonight? And will you wear that pink number from last night?"
"You got it". She turned around, and looked him.
"Change into your boxer briefs, and I will get the bed ready".
She went and got the bed ready, and skipped the lavender spray this time. She then went and put on the pink lingerie while he was getting comfortable in the bed.
He was waiting for her when she came out. She straddled him on the bed, and then grabbed the massage oil. She began to rub the oil into his muscles, and he was clearly enjoying it, and kept telling her how good it felt. She found his knots quickly, and rubbed them to release them. After about an hour of rubbing on him, she gave him a good back scratching, which was one of his favorites. Then she laid down next to him, and kissed him. He rolled over and wrapped his arms around her.
"Feel better?"
"Oh babe, you are my favorite masseuse".
She kissed him, and he rolled on top of her, and began to kiss her passionately. They made love and then fell asleep together.
"what a great do-over". She laughed with him and snuggled up to him.
***The next morning***
Chris woke up and worked out, then quickly showered. She made a quick breakfast for her and David after she got dressed, and barely had time to scarf it down.
David came out, and had breakfast with her, and then they hurried to the parking garage. They both had early meetings.
He helped her with her stuff, and then kissed her goodbye. She got to work about 20 minutes later, and found a huge pile of lab results on her desk.
***Chris and Mary Beth's office***
Mary Beth came in right on time, and helped Chris sort the pile of lab results.
They compiled the list of clean items and then made one of dirty items, and then they sorted the clean items into a box. Feldberg was going to decide what, if anything, would be returned to Stewart Dillingham's residence.
"So what do we officially have on him?"
"Well, he was definitely in violation of about 4 sex offender rules as a parolee. As far as new charges, let me look".
She grabbed her list and began to look through it.
"All of the hard drive towers in the house had kiddie porn on them. They are still checking for messages and emails. But based on the pictures alone, from all the towers, they have found over 25,000 images of kiddie porn".
"Good lord, this man is sickening".
"Out of the laptops, only 2 of them were found to not contain porn. The flash drives- there were 400 flash drives total, and only about 100 of them were clean. Most of the ones that had porn on them, were full. And the DVD's that we found in the floorboard, were all containing kiddie porn. His DVD collection downstairs was all adult porn."
An officer came in and handed Chris an envelope.
"Thanks".
She opened it and read it. "Out of all of the images that were found on the computers and flash drives and DVD's, none of them were of Miranda."
"Well that's some good news".
"Yeah. She and I talked last night and I told her she could come to any of us if that ever happened. She said she would beat him up and rip his balls off. She's a tough kid".
She grabbed her phone and texted Stephanie right then. "No images of Miranda were found in all of the computers and devices that were taken from his house. However, so much kiddie porn was found that he will never get out of prison. Ever".
"Thank goodness".
She texted David the same, and then added a "I love you" on the end. "Thanks babe, love you too", was his reply.
They finished the list, and Feldberg had the evidence transported to the evidence room.
He indicated that he was getting warrants for the other people that lived in Stewart Dillingham's house- his brother, nephew, and sister. The sister, for allowing him to use the computer. The brother and nephew were being implicated for also possessing child porn.
Chris worked the rest of the day, and headed home at 5.
She and David enjoyed a quiet evening at home together, and relished in the fact that even though it had been a close call, things could have turned out a whole lot worse. They were very thankful that it hadn't.