For the People Chapter 56
"So the brother slugged a guy he believed attacked his sister?" Rick recapitulates.
"It looks like that's the case," Kate confirms. "But the sister is really the only one who can testify to the alleged attack, and she hasn't been willing to talk about it. I suggested that her brother take her to see Caroline McCormack. If she won't tell Caroline, I don't know if she'll tell anyone. And if a scum ball did hurt her or rape her, she should be checked out physically, at least for STDs."
Rick's jaw clenches. "If someone like that got near Alexis or Lily I'd want to rip them apart with my bare hands."
"After which you would need a damn good defense lawyer," Kate points out. "But I think a jury would understand. If Caroline can get anything from the sister, maybe it won't have to go that far."
"Fingers crossed for the avenging brother," Rick declares.
"You're doing some avenging yourself. I caught some of your act at the Brown Rock Protest. ZNN picked it up."
Rick's eyebrows do a jig. "Excellent! I was giving the protest a face a bit more famous than Olivia Jefferson, although by tomorrow she may have me beat. And her little band can use all the publicity it can get. Still, your dad may be doing the job that counts. He's putting a suit together against Brown Rock and Neighspec for harassment, breach of contract, and whatever else he can dream up. If they don't stop what they're doing to the tenants, they may lose more on lawyer's fees and court costs than they'll get from new, richer occupants of the building."
"It's good to know Dad's doing that, but I can't talk to him about it until the Brooks trial is over."
"He and Lily and I are having lunch tomorrow. I can pass on your warm feelings. But do you have any idea when the Brooks jury will be back with a verdict?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. But I have other cases to work on in the meantime, including the one I just told you about."
"On which I'm sure you'll do your usual superb job. But for this evening, Granville Chester, Olivia's buddy, told me about a neighborhood treasure. There's a rib joint that's been there for 40 years, It's just a little place with barely a sign on the door, but you can smell the smoky goodness from a block away. And children are welcome, so we can bring Lily. Want to give it a try?"
"Sounds great."
"So, what's with you and Detective Fernito?" Ryan inquires of Esposito over beers at the Old Haunt.
"Nothing!" Esposito protests. "I thought she might have something to help with our case. Turned out her evidence wasn't even connected."
"Which you knew before you even went down there," Ryan accuses. "You remind me of Castle when he first met Beckett and was following her around like a little puppy."
"I don't follow any woman around," Esposito claims. "They come to me. Besides, it would be against department policy to date her, especially since I outrank her."
"It's only against department policy if you work together. You're homicide, she's robbery. No one – except Castle – had a problem when Beckett was dating your old buddy Demming. Fernito's not in the same chain of command. She wouldn't be under you. Whoops, I didn't mean it that way."
Esposito takes a gulp of his beer. "Maybe Fernito's not my type."
"Or maybe you're afraid she is, a woman with a brain to go with a body. I know things didn't work out too well between you and Lanie, but that's no reason to stick to flings with strippers and pole dancers – unless you can't get serious about a woman. Don't you want someone you can curl up and share your day with?"
"I'd rather have someone I can share floor seats at the Knicks with. And I'm not afraid of Fernito," Esposito protests. "I'm just waiting to see if the right moment comes up."
"It will never be the right moment," Ryan warns, "unless you have the guts to take advantage of it. You want another beer?"
"No. Let's go play darts. I feel like beating your ass."
"Yeah," Ryan mutters. "We'll see about that."
With her fingertip continuously circling the smooth crystal of her watch, Amelia occupies a chair opposite Caroline McCormack. Caroline smiles reassuringly. "Amelia, you can take your shoes off or do anything else you need to do to get comfortable. Do you understand why you're here?"
"To help my brother, Thomas. He's in trouble because of me."
"Thomas is not in trouble because of you. He's in trouble because he made the choice to attack Jason Jordan. But the more I understand about why he made that choice, the more I might be able to do to help him. So, did you have a date with Jason Jordan?"
"He said he wanted to take me to the Angelika. They have the best movies. We were supposed to see 'This Island Earth" and 'When Worlds Collide.'"
"And did you see those movies?"
"We started watching 'This Island Earth.' Jason even bought popcorn. But then he started making fun of everything like the way the aliens looked and the old technology. I couldn't enjoy the movie, but I didn't want to say anything to mess up, so I just sat there. And then he said the movie was too stupid and he wanted to leave. He told me he knew somewhere we could have more fun. So we left. There's a little park practically across from the theater. He took me there, to some grass behind some bushes. Then he started to unbutton my dress. It scared me, and I told him to stop. But he didn't. He ripped my dress and unhooked my bra. Then he started biting – hard. It really hurt. But when he stuck his fingers, you know, down there…."
"Into your vagina?" Caroline asks gently.
"Yes. When he did that I told him to stop. He wouldn't. So I pulled away. I started running and trying to close my dress. I ran for blocks until I finally saw the subway. I had my MetroCard in my pocket, so I could get in. A train came just as I reached the platform. I didn't even care which one it was. I just got on. But I guess I was lucky. There was a stop near where Thomas and I live. So I got home. When Thomas saw me he got really upset and took me to the hospital and everything. But I couldn't tell him or anyone what happened. I was too ashamed."
"And are you still ashamed?" Caroline asks.
"Yes," Amelia insists. "Jason Jordan isn't the kind of guy who hangs around with girls like me. I should have known better than to believe he wanted to see those movies. But I really wanted a real date."
"And why are you telling me now?"
"Because ever since our parents died, Thomas has been there for me every minute. He doesn't deserve to be in trouble for something that was my fault. I need to fix it. Can you help me fix it?"
"I don't know if anyone can fix it," Caroline replies. "But since what you say confirms what Thomas told the prosecutor, we may be able to make things turn out better. Can you put what you told me in a statement?"
Tears flow down Amelia's cheeks. "I'll try."
"And Amelia," Caroline adds, "none of what happened with Jason was your fault. Jason assaulted you. He's the only one to blame for that."
