Home of Elliot and Kathy Stabler/ December 3/ 10:34 AM
*****
The watery winter sunlight was already streaming into Maureen's bedroom when she finally opened her eyes. The house was quiet and still, the rush and commotion of the morning routine long over. She looked at the clock – she was definitely going to miss her history class. It was a big lecture, though … hopefully it wouldn't be a big deal.
The events of the night before came tumbling back as she yawned and stretched her back and calves, and she turned over to look at Tessa, lying next to her in the bed. She looked perfectly peaceful, but Maureen began remembering the half-dozen times Tessa had woken up since they'd finally made it to bed around one. Each time, she had muttered feverishly and then startled them both awake, gasping. At around four, Maureen had woken to see Tessa fumbling frantically through the blankets, looking for something. "What is it?" Maureen had whispered, her voice stopping Tessa's search.
She had sat back, finally lucid. "The bloodstain," she had said clearly. "I can't stop it." Then they had both settled back among the pillows and eased into another round of light, restless sleep.
Now Maureen watched as Tessa's eyelids flickered and eventually opened. Tessa gazed back at her, her green eyes clear, and then a shadow crossed them as she remembered too.
She turned onto her back, looking up toward the ceiling, or perhaps heaven. "What time is it?"
"Just past ten-thirty," replied Maureen, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.
Normally, this would have rocketed Tessa into a panic because she had missed a class too, but this morning she just sighed. The class she had missed was, in fact, Professor Pressman's – it wasn't like he was there to mark her absent, she realized. "Do you think your parents are home?"
"I'm sure my dad's at work … my mom drives Dickie and Lizzie to school but she might be home. Or she could be at the store. I'm sure she'll drive us back to campus when we want, though." She eyed Tessa – would she even want to go back to campus?
"I bet I'll have to talk to the police some more," remarked Tessa, matter-of-factly. "Especially if Nina dies."
Maureen was a bit shocked. "Tess, I'm sure she's going to be fine. My dad said last night that she made it out of surgery, remember?"
"Yeah." Tessa looked doubtful and resigned. "You didn't see her, though."
Maureen could say nothing in response to this, although Tessa's descriptions and her nightmares had given her some idea. She rolled out of the bed and examined her chin in the mirror above the bureau – that zit was still threatening to erupt. "I guess this is the end of Professor Pressman's affair with that student, isn't it?"
"Why, what do you mean?"
"Well, obviously his wife had to have found out that he was with her."
"I'm sure he just told her he was at an English department meeting – that's what he always tells her if she asks."
Maureen turned, surprised. "Didn't you tell the police the truth?"
Tessa sat up. "I told them he was at a department meeting – that's what he told me I'm supposed to say."
"Yeah, but Tessa, this is a police investigation! You have to tell them what you really know."
"No! I can't tell them! What does it matter where he was? If I told, Melanie would know. And she would leave him. And then Nina and Maya would get stuck in the middle of all kinds of horrible stuff."
Maureen understood what Tessa was saying, and she also knew that Tessa and her brother had suffered through a messy divorce when they were younger. "But what if the police find out that you lied?" The police, she realized, translated most directly to her father and Olivia.
"I didn't really lie … that's where he told me he was."
"Tessa, everybody knows that he's screwing Lacey Goldstone!"
"So? What difference does it make? That doesn't have anything to do with what happened to Nina!" She could feel the panic welling up in her throat and Nina's pale, bruised face reappeared in her consciousness. She was afraid she might never be able to dislodge it.
Maureen could see her getting upset again and so she stopped arguing. She started rummaging around in her bureau – most of her clothes were at school but she still had a few things at home. "Want to borrow something to wear? Or you could borrow something of Kathleen's; she won't care as long as we bring it back."
"Yeah, okay," agreed Tessa, calming down for the moment. "I guess we should get back to campus. You have a Spanish quiz, don't you?"
"Yeah," replied Maureen. "But I'm pretty sure I could make it up if you'd rather just chill out here today, or go to the park or something. It's not like we don't have a good excuse."
It was completely unlike Tessa to agree to skip a class – and Maureen had tried more than a few times over the course of the term – but this morning she smiled wanly in relief and curled back up under the blankets.
Maureen was fairly disturbed by this uncharacteristic behavior. She badly wanted Tessa to be okay – of course what had happened to Nina was totally horrible, but she hoped Tessa would feel better soon. She tried to think of what could help. "If you want, I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind if you called home today, to talk to your mom."
She propped herself up on one elbow. "Okay … maybe I will."
"I'm going to see if my mom is around. Just yell if you need anything." Maureen headed down the stairs, but she found the house empty. Her mom was probably at the grocery store or something. Last night Kathy had been awake when the patrol car brought them to the house, but the others had already been asleep.
Kathy had tried unsuccessfully to feed them, but both Maureen and Tessa were too jumpy to eat anything. She had sat with them under the yellow lights at the kitchen table while Maureen poured out an account of what had happened – leaving out the part where she had been drinking. Tessa had stared into the cup of tea Kathy had set before her, saying nothing. Finally, she had remarked, "I wish she would have screamed. Maya was dancing and the music was on, but I would have heard her if she'd screamed."
Maureen had not been sure what to say, but Kathy had just reached for Tessa's hand – there was nothing anyone could say. Before long, Elliot had stumbled in, exhausted, but bearing the good news that Nina had come out of surgery.
Now, Maureen wished her mother was home. She didn't really want to give away Tessa's secret, and she knew why she hadn't said where Professor Pressman really was, but she couldn't seem to suppress her instinct that maybe it really did matter. She didn't know the man very well beyond all the talk about what a jerk he was in general, but she couldn't help thinking there was something disturbing about a guy who would lie about where he was while his five-year-old daughter was being raped.
*****
The watery winter sunlight was already streaming into Maureen's bedroom when she finally opened her eyes. The house was quiet and still, the rush and commotion of the morning routine long over. She looked at the clock – she was definitely going to miss her history class. It was a big lecture, though … hopefully it wouldn't be a big deal.
The events of the night before came tumbling back as she yawned and stretched her back and calves, and she turned over to look at Tessa, lying next to her in the bed. She looked perfectly peaceful, but Maureen began remembering the half-dozen times Tessa had woken up since they'd finally made it to bed around one. Each time, she had muttered feverishly and then startled them both awake, gasping. At around four, Maureen had woken to see Tessa fumbling frantically through the blankets, looking for something. "What is it?" Maureen had whispered, her voice stopping Tessa's search.
She had sat back, finally lucid. "The bloodstain," she had said clearly. "I can't stop it." Then they had both settled back among the pillows and eased into another round of light, restless sleep.
Now Maureen watched as Tessa's eyelids flickered and eventually opened. Tessa gazed back at her, her green eyes clear, and then a shadow crossed them as she remembered too.
She turned onto her back, looking up toward the ceiling, or perhaps heaven. "What time is it?"
"Just past ten-thirty," replied Maureen, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.
Normally, this would have rocketed Tessa into a panic because she had missed a class too, but this morning she just sighed. The class she had missed was, in fact, Professor Pressman's – it wasn't like he was there to mark her absent, she realized. "Do you think your parents are home?"
"I'm sure my dad's at work … my mom drives Dickie and Lizzie to school but she might be home. Or she could be at the store. I'm sure she'll drive us back to campus when we want, though." She eyed Tessa – would she even want to go back to campus?
"I bet I'll have to talk to the police some more," remarked Tessa, matter-of-factly. "Especially if Nina dies."
Maureen was a bit shocked. "Tess, I'm sure she's going to be fine. My dad said last night that she made it out of surgery, remember?"
"Yeah." Tessa looked doubtful and resigned. "You didn't see her, though."
Maureen could say nothing in response to this, although Tessa's descriptions and her nightmares had given her some idea. She rolled out of the bed and examined her chin in the mirror above the bureau – that zit was still threatening to erupt. "I guess this is the end of Professor Pressman's affair with that student, isn't it?"
"Why, what do you mean?"
"Well, obviously his wife had to have found out that he was with her."
"I'm sure he just told her he was at an English department meeting – that's what he always tells her if she asks."
Maureen turned, surprised. "Didn't you tell the police the truth?"
Tessa sat up. "I told them he was at a department meeting – that's what he told me I'm supposed to say."
"Yeah, but Tessa, this is a police investigation! You have to tell them what you really know."
"No! I can't tell them! What does it matter where he was? If I told, Melanie would know. And she would leave him. And then Nina and Maya would get stuck in the middle of all kinds of horrible stuff."
Maureen understood what Tessa was saying, and she also knew that Tessa and her brother had suffered through a messy divorce when they were younger. "But what if the police find out that you lied?" The police, she realized, translated most directly to her father and Olivia.
"I didn't really lie … that's where he told me he was."
"Tessa, everybody knows that he's screwing Lacey Goldstone!"
"So? What difference does it make? That doesn't have anything to do with what happened to Nina!" She could feel the panic welling up in her throat and Nina's pale, bruised face reappeared in her consciousness. She was afraid she might never be able to dislodge it.
Maureen could see her getting upset again and so she stopped arguing. She started rummaging around in her bureau – most of her clothes were at school but she still had a few things at home. "Want to borrow something to wear? Or you could borrow something of Kathleen's; she won't care as long as we bring it back."
"Yeah, okay," agreed Tessa, calming down for the moment. "I guess we should get back to campus. You have a Spanish quiz, don't you?"
"Yeah," replied Maureen. "But I'm pretty sure I could make it up if you'd rather just chill out here today, or go to the park or something. It's not like we don't have a good excuse."
It was completely unlike Tessa to agree to skip a class – and Maureen had tried more than a few times over the course of the term – but this morning she smiled wanly in relief and curled back up under the blankets.
Maureen was fairly disturbed by this uncharacteristic behavior. She badly wanted Tessa to be okay – of course what had happened to Nina was totally horrible, but she hoped Tessa would feel better soon. She tried to think of what could help. "If you want, I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind if you called home today, to talk to your mom."
She propped herself up on one elbow. "Okay … maybe I will."
"I'm going to see if my mom is around. Just yell if you need anything." Maureen headed down the stairs, but she found the house empty. Her mom was probably at the grocery store or something. Last night Kathy had been awake when the patrol car brought them to the house, but the others had already been asleep.
Kathy had tried unsuccessfully to feed them, but both Maureen and Tessa were too jumpy to eat anything. She had sat with them under the yellow lights at the kitchen table while Maureen poured out an account of what had happened – leaving out the part where she had been drinking. Tessa had stared into the cup of tea Kathy had set before her, saying nothing. Finally, she had remarked, "I wish she would have screamed. Maya was dancing and the music was on, but I would have heard her if she'd screamed."
Maureen had not been sure what to say, but Kathy had just reached for Tessa's hand – there was nothing anyone could say. Before long, Elliot had stumbled in, exhausted, but bearing the good news that Nina had come out of surgery.
Now, Maureen wished her mother was home. She didn't really want to give away Tessa's secret, and she knew why she hadn't said where Professor Pressman really was, but she couldn't seem to suppress her instinct that maybe it really did matter. She didn't know the man very well beyond all the talk about what a jerk he was in general, but she couldn't help thinking there was something disturbing about a guy who would lie about where he was while his five-year-old daughter was being raped.