A.N.:
Chapter 11:
Faith had tried to be at vice-squad in time. She had told Bosco she would come, had promised to herself she would do, wanted to help him through this, but now she was too late. She and Sully had a call of domestic violence, right when she was about to call in at the prencinct and inform them they would take a break. But they had been quicker than her. So they had to drive half through the district, call an ambulance, calm a crying wife and arrest a furious husband they needed to take back to the prencinct before she finally had a chance to leave and stand by her partner's side.
She actually hadn't wanted Sully to join her. He and Bosco didn't get along so well and Faith was almost sure Sully believed the accuse put in her partner. He wouldn't be that much of a help. But he had insisted to come with her, out of a motivation she couldn't understand and now they were both standing in the foyer of vice-squad and the woman at the counter had just informed them Bosco had already arrived and Judy Mandell was in for identification. Faith couldn't even imagine his probable feelings when he realized she wasn't there. But she didn't want him to believe she didn't care, that she didn't wanna offer her help to him. So she decided to stay and wait for him.
When Bosco left the room and looked at his lawyer's face – he knew Judy had identified him as her rapist. Manzini had told him he would ask the detective about it and his expression clearly stated that the detectives answer hadn't been what he wanted to hear – definitely not. Bosco didn't dare to get closer to him, didn't dare to ask him, but his lawyer gave him no chance to escape.
"She identified you."
He stated in a rather emotionless tone. He himself didn't know how to react to that. He couldn't believe it –just couldn't. He needed time, time to cope with this, time to realize what was happening to him...
When he had arrived here he had been filled with hope, he had that irrational feeling, Judy would finally realize she had made a mistake and he would be free of her accuse. He had been nervous, but not afraid. He had known he wouldn't be alone, he wouldn't have to go through this alone. Faith would be there, she would help him through. But when he entered the vice-squad building she wasn't there. She wasn't there ten minutes later when his lawyer arrived, she wasn't there when he had to wait for the detective and she wasn't there when they finally called him in. He had been all alone, she hadn't come – she had left him alone, although she had told him she would try and he had believed she really would. Had believed she thought he was telling the truth. But obviously he had been wrong. Otherwise he wouldn't stand around here without any one to assure him everything would be okay. He mainly was annoyed by his partner's mother like behavior towards him, but today he really had been in a desperate need of it – in need of a friendly face.
"So what's happening next?"
He asked in a choking voice and without looking at his lawyer.
"The detective wants to talk to you once again..."
Bosco sighed soundlessly by the thought of seeing the detective again. He wasn't sure he could actually do this.
"Can I have a minute?"
"Yeah sure."
Bosco left his lawyer alone and crossed the floor to get to the foyer's front door and get some fresh air. When he entered the foyer he stopped abruptly. He wasn't sure it was real what he was seeing, he hadn't believed in it happening. Faith was there. She was just standing there, in the middle of the damn foyer, waiting for him. She had come. She saw him and gave him a smile. She was saying something to Sully standing beside her and then she came over to him.
"Hey."
She sounded almost shy when she addressed him.
"Hi."
"I'm sorry, I tried to be here in time, but we had a call and I couldn't..."
He was so happy by her words. She had tried, she had really wanted to come. He had been all wrong about her motivation, about her feelings towards the accuse put on him, about her believes.
"It's okay, Faith. It's okay. Don't worry."
She hesitated a moment for she didn't know if she should actually ask him. She was afraid of the answer.
"So, how did it go?"
He paused and didn't look at her. Needed moments and moments to answer her, so she already knew what he wanted to tell her.
"She identified me..."
"I'm sorry... How do you feel?"
He gave her an annoyed look due to her question. Talking about his feelings actually was the last thing he wanted right now. But she was just trying to help him and he knew that, just that he didn't wanna say it out loud. It was hard to confess.
"I guess I'm afraid..."
He said in a very calm voice, almost whispered and didn't dare to look at her.
"I know it's hard to believe, but it'll be okay... There'll be a solution..."
She didn't get a chance t soothe him any more, when his lawyer turned around the corner and yelled his name.
"Bosco!"
He gave her an excusing look.
"I need to go – the detective wants to talk to me... Don't you wait for me, it's okay..." She nodded and he turned around, leaving her standing here.
He wasn't even out of her sight for a minute and she was still standing there thinking about the consequences of his confession, of the fact that Judy still accused him, when she saw the state's attorney enter the foyer from the floor laying behind, with a young woman walking besides her. She needed a few seconds until she realized who this was. She had just met Judith Mandell. And there was something about her that made her stop dead in tracks. Faith was still deeply lost in thought, when Sully who finally had come over to talk her into leaving this place, touched her by the arm. She winced by his touch.
"You okay?"
She didn't answer, she tried to get a hold on her thoughts, on her feelings, that feeling of knowing something, but not being sure of it.
Sully was just about to ask her again, when she finally reacted.
"I know her from somewhere."
That was what she was thinking, what she wasn't really sure of. But the girl's face seemed so familiar as if she'd seen her before, probably a long time ago, not for long – somewhere, but she knew her. Sully on the other hand didn't seem to get her in first place.
"What?"
Faith gave him an annoyed look.
"The girl!"
"You know her?"
"I'm not sure of it, but she seems so familiar..."
Sully interrupted her, gently holding her by the arms.
"Stop it Faith, it's no use..."
She knew what he wanted to say: she shouldn't be to eager on believing in that mystery she'd made up. She should try to get along with the truth, try to accept the facts, to accept reality. Get along with the suspision being aproved, with the fact that Bosco actually raped that girl. But she just couldn't.
"I know her! Stop telling me that I don't! I'm just not completly sure where I know her from."
Sully sighed quietly and gave her a look of empathy. He understood, why she insisted like this, why she behaved this way, why she was so stubborn. He wished for it not to be true, too, but it was. The facts were overwhelming – there was no use in denying it.
"Faith..."
"A case! That's where I know her from!"
She called out suddenly. There it was – the thought she needed to get a hold on. She knew her from some case, she and Bosco had, but that really must've been some time ago. The girl was probably still a teenager than.
Sully tried again.
"Faith, you don't know her. You wish for it and I fully understand..."
"No, don't you get it? I know her, we both do and she knows Bosco! I just have to find out what we were working on. Don't you see – he might be telling the truth! She has a motive..."
She needed to stop that dreamlike wishing, stop believing in this illusion she'd made up to endure her partner's behaviour – his crime.
"Stop it now! Listen to yourself! There's no big fucking mystery beneath this!"
"But..."
"You really believe that some mysterious girl from your past has stepped forth to seek revenge in a way like this for something that has happened years ago? You really do believe that? Open your eyes, Faith! You can't be serious. You can't seriously think this to be more probable than Bosco raping the girl!"
She didn't even look at him, didn't even answer. She probably hadn't even listened to a word he'd been saying.
"I gotta go."
He wasn't sure what she was up to, but he just hoped her desperate need of denying reality would be over soon. She needed to realize this being true and if she had to run through all the files of the past few years, before she finally could let loose, he wouln't keep her from doing it. It was the final result of her starting to cope with the truth, better late than never, that counted.
TBC
Chapter 11:
Faith had tried to be at vice-squad in time. She had told Bosco she would come, had promised to herself she would do, wanted to help him through this, but now she was too late. She and Sully had a call of domestic violence, right when she was about to call in at the prencinct and inform them they would take a break. But they had been quicker than her. So they had to drive half through the district, call an ambulance, calm a crying wife and arrest a furious husband they needed to take back to the prencinct before she finally had a chance to leave and stand by her partner's side.
She actually hadn't wanted Sully to join her. He and Bosco didn't get along so well and Faith was almost sure Sully believed the accuse put in her partner. He wouldn't be that much of a help. But he had insisted to come with her, out of a motivation she couldn't understand and now they were both standing in the foyer of vice-squad and the woman at the counter had just informed them Bosco had already arrived and Judy Mandell was in for identification. Faith couldn't even imagine his probable feelings when he realized she wasn't there. But she didn't want him to believe she didn't care, that she didn't wanna offer her help to him. So she decided to stay and wait for him.
When Bosco left the room and looked at his lawyer's face – he knew Judy had identified him as her rapist. Manzini had told him he would ask the detective about it and his expression clearly stated that the detectives answer hadn't been what he wanted to hear – definitely not. Bosco didn't dare to get closer to him, didn't dare to ask him, but his lawyer gave him no chance to escape.
"She identified you."
He stated in a rather emotionless tone. He himself didn't know how to react to that. He couldn't believe it –just couldn't. He needed time, time to cope with this, time to realize what was happening to him...
When he had arrived here he had been filled with hope, he had that irrational feeling, Judy would finally realize she had made a mistake and he would be free of her accuse. He had been nervous, but not afraid. He had known he wouldn't be alone, he wouldn't have to go through this alone. Faith would be there, she would help him through. But when he entered the vice-squad building she wasn't there. She wasn't there ten minutes later when his lawyer arrived, she wasn't there when he had to wait for the detective and she wasn't there when they finally called him in. He had been all alone, she hadn't come – she had left him alone, although she had told him she would try and he had believed she really would. Had believed she thought he was telling the truth. But obviously he had been wrong. Otherwise he wouldn't stand around here without any one to assure him everything would be okay. He mainly was annoyed by his partner's mother like behavior towards him, but today he really had been in a desperate need of it – in need of a friendly face.
"So what's happening next?"
He asked in a choking voice and without looking at his lawyer.
"The detective wants to talk to you once again..."
Bosco sighed soundlessly by the thought of seeing the detective again. He wasn't sure he could actually do this.
"Can I have a minute?"
"Yeah sure."
Bosco left his lawyer alone and crossed the floor to get to the foyer's front door and get some fresh air. When he entered the foyer he stopped abruptly. He wasn't sure it was real what he was seeing, he hadn't believed in it happening. Faith was there. She was just standing there, in the middle of the damn foyer, waiting for him. She had come. She saw him and gave him a smile. She was saying something to Sully standing beside her and then she came over to him.
"Hey."
She sounded almost shy when she addressed him.
"Hi."
"I'm sorry, I tried to be here in time, but we had a call and I couldn't..."
He was so happy by her words. She had tried, she had really wanted to come. He had been all wrong about her motivation, about her feelings towards the accuse put on him, about her believes.
"It's okay, Faith. It's okay. Don't worry."
She hesitated a moment for she didn't know if she should actually ask him. She was afraid of the answer.
"So, how did it go?"
He paused and didn't look at her. Needed moments and moments to answer her, so she already knew what he wanted to tell her.
"She identified me..."
"I'm sorry... How do you feel?"
He gave her an annoyed look due to her question. Talking about his feelings actually was the last thing he wanted right now. But she was just trying to help him and he knew that, just that he didn't wanna say it out loud. It was hard to confess.
"I guess I'm afraid..."
He said in a very calm voice, almost whispered and didn't dare to look at her.
"I know it's hard to believe, but it'll be okay... There'll be a solution..."
She didn't get a chance t soothe him any more, when his lawyer turned around the corner and yelled his name.
"Bosco!"
He gave her an excusing look.
"I need to go – the detective wants to talk to me... Don't you wait for me, it's okay..." She nodded and he turned around, leaving her standing here.
He wasn't even out of her sight for a minute and she was still standing there thinking about the consequences of his confession, of the fact that Judy still accused him, when she saw the state's attorney enter the foyer from the floor laying behind, with a young woman walking besides her. She needed a few seconds until she realized who this was. She had just met Judith Mandell. And there was something about her that made her stop dead in tracks. Faith was still deeply lost in thought, when Sully who finally had come over to talk her into leaving this place, touched her by the arm. She winced by his touch.
"You okay?"
She didn't answer, she tried to get a hold on her thoughts, on her feelings, that feeling of knowing something, but not being sure of it.
Sully was just about to ask her again, when she finally reacted.
"I know her from somewhere."
That was what she was thinking, what she wasn't really sure of. But the girl's face seemed so familiar as if she'd seen her before, probably a long time ago, not for long – somewhere, but she knew her. Sully on the other hand didn't seem to get her in first place.
"What?"
Faith gave him an annoyed look.
"The girl!"
"You know her?"
"I'm not sure of it, but she seems so familiar..."
Sully interrupted her, gently holding her by the arms.
"Stop it Faith, it's no use..."
She knew what he wanted to say: she shouldn't be to eager on believing in that mystery she'd made up. She should try to get along with the truth, try to accept the facts, to accept reality. Get along with the suspision being aproved, with the fact that Bosco actually raped that girl. But she just couldn't.
"I know her! Stop telling me that I don't! I'm just not completly sure where I know her from."
Sully sighed quietly and gave her a look of empathy. He understood, why she insisted like this, why she behaved this way, why she was so stubborn. He wished for it not to be true, too, but it was. The facts were overwhelming – there was no use in denying it.
"Faith..."
"A case! That's where I know her from!"
She called out suddenly. There it was – the thought she needed to get a hold on. She knew her from some case, she and Bosco had, but that really must've been some time ago. The girl was probably still a teenager than.
Sully tried again.
"Faith, you don't know her. You wish for it and I fully understand..."
"No, don't you get it? I know her, we both do and she knows Bosco! I just have to find out what we were working on. Don't you see – he might be telling the truth! She has a motive..."
She needed to stop that dreamlike wishing, stop believing in this illusion she'd made up to endure her partner's behaviour – his crime.
"Stop it now! Listen to yourself! There's no big fucking mystery beneath this!"
"But..."
"You really believe that some mysterious girl from your past has stepped forth to seek revenge in a way like this for something that has happened years ago? You really do believe that? Open your eyes, Faith! You can't be serious. You can't seriously think this to be more probable than Bosco raping the girl!"
She didn't even look at him, didn't even answer. She probably hadn't even listened to a word he'd been saying.
"I gotta go."
He wasn't sure what she was up to, but he just hoped her desperate need of denying reality would be over soon. She needed to realize this being true and if she had to run through all the files of the past few years, before she finally could let loose, he wouln't keep her from doing it. It was the final result of her starting to cope with the truth, better late than never, that counted.
TBC