I tossed around different formats for this chapter and ultimately decided this worked best. I hope you all think so as well. Not all chapters will be as heavy as the last several have been. My goal is to tell this story as best as I can, but also make it fun to read. So hang in there with me...
Ed and Olivia were standing side by side on the other side of the glass, watching as the two detectives from Brooklyn SVU got ready to take Charlie's statement.
"I think I'm going to be sick" Tucker muttered under his breath. Liv reached out and rubbed at his neck.
"Hang in there, babe. Stay strong." She reminded him what was important right now, and that was keeping it together. There would be a time, later, when he could lose it. But that wasn't now. They both turned back to look into the interview room as the detective hit record.
Sgt Curtis: Can you state your name for the record, please?
Charlie: Charlotte Tucker
Sgt Curtis: Great. Can you start by telling me what happened last night?
Charlie: I had just gotten home from babysitting my dad's girlfriend's son.
Sgt Curtis: Time?
Charlie: About midnight. The lights in the hallway were dark, but that isn't unusual. Our landlord is slow. Anyways, I had just gotten in and was going back to lock the door when I felt something cold pressed to my neck and a voice that said 'Hey Charlie, did you miss me"
Sgt Curtis: Did you recognize this voice?
Charlie: Yes. I knew who he was right away, but I didn't have much time to react. He drug me back to my bedroom, knocking a lamp over on the way. He still had the knife to my throat. I knew he would kill me if I fought, so I didn't at first.
Sgt Curtis: What happened next?
Charlie: He threw me down onto my bed and reached for his pants. That's when I tried to kick him and run away, but he caught me and hit me across the face. I fell facedown on the bed, and he started ripping my clothes…I tried to stop him. I tried to scream. I swear I did. But I couldn't get him to stop….
Outside of the room, Ed's face was red and the veins were popping out of his neck. He wasn't sure he could stomach this, but he had to. He felt Olivia reach over and grab his hand.
Sgt Curtis: What happened when he stopped?
Charlie: He hit me again. Told me that I would never be able to run away from him. He would always find me. And that I knew better than to try and report this again.
Sgt Curtis: Has he been threatening you?
Charlie: For the last three years, I would get random calls and emails from him. Photos. Small threats. He wanted me to always be afraid of him. And I was. I still am.
Sgt Curtis: This wasn't the first time he assaulted you?
Charlie: No sir.
Sgt Curtis: How many times has he assaulted you, including last night?
Charlie: Three, sir.
Tucker felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. The bastard had raped his daughter three times. Three times and no one had stopped him. He could hear Olivia cursing under her breath, and he knew that this was breaking her as well. But he couldn't bare to look away from his little girl, sat in an interview room in hospital scrubs.
Sgt Curtis: When was the first time?
Charlie: My sophomore year of college. I was out with friends and he put something in my drink. I woke up in a bed with him and another guy, restrained.
Sgt Curtis: How long did that last?
Charlie: According to the report I filed back then, about 3 hours.
Sgt Curtis: So you filed a report? What was done?
Charlie: Nothing. When I identified the one guy, it started getting weird. I was getting threats mailed to me, phone calls. Turns out, he was the son of a board member and an officer in a fraternity. And I was a nobody. The officers said they didn't have enough evidence, and that I'd be better off not pressing charges. I thought it was crazy and refused at first…but then…
Sgt Curtis: Then what?
Charlie: He attacked me again, outside of my dorm in this little secluded walkway. He shoved me against the fence, assaulted me from behind, and kneed me in the back. He told me that if I knew what was good for me, I'd back off. The next day I recanted my statement.
Sgt Curtis: Was that the last you heard from him until last night?
Charlie: No. He would randomly follow me around campus, making sure I saw him so I would be scared. I'd get weird voicemails on my dorm phone. I tried to go to the student services at school, but they told me that if I just ignored it, it would stop. No one believed me and no one wanted to mess with this guy. Eventually, I was so freaked out that I transferred to NYU and moved away.
"This is unbelievable" Tucker said. "How did I not know this was happening? All those fucking people and no one did a damn thing to help her. Nothing." As he said the word nothing, he turned around and punched the wall.
"DAMMIT" he yelled as he clutched his fist.
"ED! What the hell?" Olivia was startled by his sudden outburst. She rushed over to examine his hand. "You're bleeding."
"I'm fine," he responded harshly. "I need to feel this pain right now."
Olivia just stared at him, beginning to understand just the extent of the turmoil he was wallowing in. That is when she realized that he was blaming himself.
"No. This is NOT your fault. It is a lot of people's fault, but it is NOT yours." She looked him dead in the eye and tried to convey her message.
"Olivia, I swear people are going to pay for this."
"Yes, they will." She nodded in agreement, then turned her attention back to the room.
Sgt Curtis: When you say he threatened you, can you tell me what he said exactly?
Charlie: He told me that he would kill me if I breathed another word. He told me he would be back to rape me again. He also said that his dad could have me kicked out of school if I wasn't careful. I believed him. Once I realized who he was, I knew I was in deep trouble. So I just kept my head down. Stopped hanging out with my friends. Didn't go anywhere but class and home.
Sgt Curtis: Did you tell anyone else?
Charlie: I told my mom about the threats after the second assault. But she was still mad that I had been out drinking. Said if I hadn't gone to the bar, nothing would have happened. And that I should know that drinking impairs judgement. She didn't believe me that I said no. She just thought I was being dramatic.
Sgt Curtis: Was anyone supportive of you when you first reported?
Charlie: No. People just thought I got fucked up and regretted having sex. Once he started threatening me, it was easier to just go along with it.
Sgt Curtis: Can you tell me the name of the man who attacked you?
Ed and Olivia held their breath as the watched Charlie react to the question. She visibly started to shake. She seemed to be mumbling, but they couldn't make out what she was saying. The detective was trying to keep her as calm as possible, but he needed a name. So her pressed her again.
Sgt Curtis: Charlie, I need you to tell me the name of the man who raped you last night.
Charlie: I can't. You don't understand. He will find me again.
Sgt Curtis: I promise you, if you give me his name he will never touch you again. I will make sure of that and I know that your dad and Olivia will as well. But I need you to tell me his name. Please.
Olivia stood with her hands over her mouth as the scene unfolded in front of her. That girl was so terrified she couldn't catch her breath. She put a hand up to the window, in hopes that she could transfer some strength to her.
Ed, also, was frozen as he encouraged Charlie to speak in his mind. But she had other ideas...he watched as Charlie stood up and made a beeline for the door. He reacted swiftly and was there to greet her as she emerged in a panic.
"Hey, hey Charlie. It's ok. You're safe. I'm right here." He was trying to catch her eyes, but she was in such a state that he was unsure if she could even hear him. He finally reached out and took hold of her hands, which did the trick. She registered that he was there and talking to her, and she collapsed against his chest trying to slow her breathing. Ed engulfed the girl in his arms, and let out a deep breath he had been holding for some time. He didn't take fore granted the fact that his daughter was allowing him to comfort her, despite their history.
"I can't do this..." Charlie kept repeating those words as Ed kissed the top of her head.
"I know you can do this. It won't be like before. Everyone here believes you. Everyone here will protect you. And can promise you, that man will never touch you again." Tucker's voice was soft, but still gruff as he assured his daughter that they had her back. "We just need his name..."
Charlie pulled away and looked up at him, tears still streaming down her face and her body shaking. She bit her bottom lip and nodded slowly before turning and going back into the interview room.
Ed went back to stand by Olivia and took her hand, but his eyes never left Charlie as he watched her sit down again.
Sgt Curtis: Ok, Charlie. Can you continue?
Charlie: Yes...
Sgt Curtis: Tell me the name of who attacked you last night...
Charlie: I...
Sgt Curtis: It's okay. He won't hurt you again. Just tell us his name.
Charlie: Josh Miller
Sgt Curtis: What did Josh Miller do?
Charlie: He raped me.
As soon as she got the last words out, she burst into tears and buried her faces in her hands. Her entire body was shaking with sobs. Sgt Curtis gently told her that they could take a break and that her dad was right outside. But Charlie just sat in her chair, violently sobbing. He got up with his other detective and went to open the door. He motioned for Ed and Olivia to come in.
"Take as long as you need. I'm going to run his name through the system and then I'll be back to ask more questions."
Ed gratefully shook the Sargent's hand and gestured for Liv to go in ahead of him. They slowly approached Charlie, and pulled up a chair on either side of her. Ed was reluctant to reach out to her, for fear she would recoil. But then she looked up at him, with his eyes, and they looked broken.
"I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't know what to do. I'm sorry." A fresh round of tears came flowing from her eyes and Ed, without thinking, just pulled her into his chest again.
"This is not your fault. It's not. I'm right here. I believe you. Liv believes you. We love you." Ed comforted and rocked her back and forth, while Olivia clutched at his hands behind Charlie's back. The trio stayed like that for a while, until Charlie took a deep breath and straightened up a bit.
"God, I'm exhausted. I just need to think about something else. Anything else."
Olivia got a little gleam in her eye.
"Would you like to see a funny picture?" she asked, reaching into her back pocket for her phone and quickly typing in the passcode. "I left poor Noah with one of my younger detectives, hoping to eventually get a sitter. I never found one, so when Noah woke up poor Carisi had no idea what to do. When I finally checked my phone, he had sent me this picture."
Olivia held up her phone and Charlie took it and began to laugh. In it was a tall, lanky looking guy in khakis, a button down shirt, suspenders on, and his hair slicked back. Then Noah next to him, grinning, in khaki shorts, a white t-shirt, mini suspenders and his hair back with gel, looking identical to Carisi. His face was also covered in chocolate.
"I think he nailed the babysitting thing." Charlie joked.
"Well, at least Noah thinks so," Ed retorted.
Carisi the babysitter? Probably not. Let me know what you think and what you are hoping for next!
