Chapter 2
Andrea was on cloud nine. She'd managed to wrangle her nanny for the evening to pick up Braxton and had even made time to pick Kenzie up from her dance class. She'd managed to put off some paperwork so that she could arrive several minutes before the end of her class. She watched as her little girl, who was already so poised and elegant at the young age of six, danced across the wooden floor in her little ballet shoes. She clearly showed much more promise than many of her classmates and it was apparent she was very focused and determined to do well.
Towards the end of the class Kenzie caught her mother's eye in the studio window, a surprised look forming on her innocent visage. They merely stared at one another, as if strangers. Had it really been that long since Andrea had seen her own daughter?
The class finished up and Andrea watched Kenzie meticulously place away her shoes and pull out her neatly folded jacket. She exited through the door behind some girls and moved to meet her mother. "I didn't think you'd come." She said, her voice and demeanor entirely too old for her age.
"Well I'm here." Andrea's heart dropped at the lack of warm reception to her presence.
"So we're actually staying with you this weekend?" Kenzie sat down to pull on her regular shoes.
"Yes, Braxton is already at home with Maria. She's making dinner." Andrea reached down to help her daughter up, taking her bag from her. Before they could walk to the entrance Andrea sighed. "Do I get a hug?"
Kenzie looked up at her as if she were asking her to punch her instead of hug her. "Um, yes." She nodded, awkwardly moving to wrap her arms around her mother.
"Well, I suppose I deserve this." Andrea sighed as they began moving towards the dance studio's exit. "I'm sorry I haven't been around."
"You weren't around before she left you either." Kenzie breathed, following her mother to her car. "But I understand. You're busy with work."
"Kenzie," Andrea paused as they came to a halt by her car. "Kenzie, my work is very demanding. I try to make time for you and Braxton because I do love you. I love both of you so much and it hurts when I don't get to see you every night. It really does. When I was home…when we all lived together, I always came to check on you every night when I got home, no matter how late. I don't like that I can't see you every day, I hate it." She fought to keep the tears down.
Kenzie shuffled her feet and without looking up at her mother she wrapped her arms around her, as if in a comforting gesture.
"Okay, let's get home." Andrea held her daughter close before they got in to their respective sides of the car.
…
The call could not have come in at a worse time. Andrea was actually enjoying her Saturday evening with both her children. Braxton, her little boy, had always been attached to her. At three, he still enjoyed cuddling himself in her arms and wrapping his fingers in her hair.
Earlier in the evening, the three had done makeovers, at Braxton's request, in Andrea's bathroom and now his pink fingernails were tangled in Andrea's hair and Kenzie was relaxing beside her as they all watched a movie.
"Damn it," Andrea breathed as she recognized the number she couldn't ignore.
"What is it?" Kenzie looked to her mother.
"Work, I'm sorry I have to answer." She untangled a sleeping Braxton from herself and moved to the kitchen to answer the call.
"I'm so sorry to bother you, but I want you on this case." Sharon Raydor's cool timbre frightened Andrea.
"What is it?" Andrea peered in at her children, knowing that if she left now she may not see them for another month. Her stomach sank.
"A string of rapes at the Archer School." Sharon wearily informed her.
"A what? At the all girls' school?" Andrea felt herself tense.
"Yes, we've been receiving rather strange bits of information and I would like for you to come do some interviews. Rios won't be sensitive to this case and I'm requesting your presence as the district attorney." Sharon soundly stated.
Andrea inwardly groaned. "I can be there in an hour."
"Thank you, and sorry again to interrupt your weekend." Sharon apologized as they hung up.
"Are you leaving?" Kenzie asked without turning around.
"It looks like I'm going to have to." Andrea sighed and picked up her phone to call Maria – whom she'd sent home hours ago. This was not how she'd wanted her weekend to go at all.
…
Sharon watched from her office window as D.D.A. Hobbs stepped in to the bullpen. She looked sharp in a pinstripe suite and deep maroon heels. For some reason her presence calmed Sharon, who caught her eye and waved her inside her office.
Taylor was pacing before her, rattling off how Sharon needed to figure this out quickly to keep the reporters at bay and minimize the press. This needed to stay as small as possible because they needed to make sure that this would not taint the already bad name of homosexuality as a predatory practice of conversion.
"Good evening, Counselor," Taylor paused to shake her hand.
"Good evening. What is happening?" Andrea moved to take a seat across the desk from Sharon.
Sharon was relieved that she wasn't going to pace back and forth as well. She liked how calm and cool Andrea could be in most all situations.
Sharon pulled out several photos and placed them before Andrea. "Chief Taylor, I can assure you that we will handle this case as delicately as possible. May I speak with D.D.A. Hobbs now?"
Taylor grunted and mumbled his goodbyes as Andrea first glanced at the evidence before her.
"God," Andrea exhaled as the pictures came in to focus. They were disturbing. The finger marks, the scratch marks, the bruising. And where the bruising was was even more off-putting. "Was it a male attacker?"
"Female," Sharon was watching Andrea as she took in the photographic evidence. Blue eyes shot up to meet her own, surprise evident.
"Well it is an all girls school." Andrea held her eye contact, not daring to look down again.
Sharon quickly picked up the photographs and placed them back in her folder.
"Do we have a suspect?" Andrea pulled out her notepad and began scribbling down notes.
"Kathy Lancaster." Sharon pulled out another photograph. "This is her most recent driver's license photograph. My team is out locating her."
"And the girl who's in these pictures?"
"In interview one. I suggest we go question her now. Her mother brought her here about six. She was crying and upset, as was the mother. Her name is Melanie Oliver." Sharon swept her hair from her eyes, looking entirely too disturbed by this case.
Andrea seemed to sense her unease and paused in the collection of her belongings to leave the office. "Hey, are you okay?" She asked, those blue eyes back on the Captain.
Sharon shook her head, "no, I mean. Yes, I'm fine. I just…these cases are such exceptions. It could be anyone doing this to a minor; it does not have to be about homosexuality."
Andrea nodded, "it doesn't, but that's all the press will focus on."
…
Kathy Lancaster looked every bit as surprised as Andrea had when the pictures had been presented before her. Sharon studied the way her face had contorted at the horror of the pictures, the way "Oh my God" had fallen from her lips, the immediate need to know who was in the picture, who had done such a thing.
Sharon had studied many suspects in rape cases – men and women a like – and none had ever reacted in such a way.
It was late when Sharon stepped out of the interview room, looking thoroughly confused. Surely the young child whom had photographic evidence done at the hospital earlier that day could not have mistaken her attacker. This woman was her teacher, a woman she knew well.
Something wasn't adding up.
Sharon made her way to her office and sat down with the file of evidence, rubbing her forehead – fighting off the headache that lack of sleep produced.
She heard her door open and close and looked up to find Andrea – sans jacket – with two cups. "I figured you'd like some tea. You're always drinking tea. Why do you drink tea?" She sat the cup of one of Sharon's favorite teas in front of her.
"Because it's lower in caffeine and I like the taste better. I never got on the coffee wagon." Sharon was grateful for this light-hearted banter.
"God, I love it strong and black and tasteless, just like this station crap." Andrea sipped her cup, a smile forming on her lips as she choked down the disgusting blend.
Sharon laughed, actually laughed, at her. "Thank you," she finally smiled.
"I don't believe someone here." Andrea pulled out the notes she'd left on Sharon's visitor's chair. It was like she'd moved in to the office, and Sharon appreciated her presence.
"Me either." Sharon opened her case file and reviewed the interview that had just taken place.
"She's denying that it ever happened, and so far we have one child's word – and photographic evidence – against her." Andrea sighed, crossing her legs. "Did Melanie mention that this had happened to any others?"
"I believe in her initial statement she made reference to this happening to others in her class."
"Is there a way we could get other children to come forward?" Andrea hated the idea, but so far the evidence was not enough, despite how bad it appeared, for them to definitely imply that it was Ms. Lancaster.
"We would have to do it delicately." Sharon hummed, her mind buzzing a mile a minute. In her experience a woman who looked like Kathy Lancaster – the short hair, the button-up, the khaki pants – would be a typical lesbian. She didn't mean to profile so literally, and she knew that this was not the case with every lesbian, but it seemed obvious that Kathy was gay. It would be easy to target her as a rape suspect of a girl of the same sex. "I don't like this case one bit."
"Me either, she's in there crying and continually states she had nothing to do with it, that she's being framed." Andrea wanted nothing more than to believe the woman, who was so obviously a lesbian like herself. If she had been cornered in this way she certainly would be having the exact same reaction. But this situation was so very delicate. The young girl whom was clearly attacked by someone deserved to be defended.
"Framed, what does that mean?" Sharon asked more herself than Andrea.
"Well, I may be reading in to things, but if someone doesn't believe in a sexuality other than their own, they could do lots of unspeakable things to make sure the person of opposite sexuality has to suffer."
"And that is assuming that the child is lying, which is dangerous, Andrea." Sharon spoke her first name as if it were natural for her to be saying it. Andrea's stomach flipped, but she quickly reminded herself that she was here on official business, not to be excited by the attractive woman before her.
"It certainly is, Sharon." Andrea countered back, meeting green eyes head on.
A knock at the door alerted her to the fact that Lieutenant Flynn was now standing in the office. "Andy, what is it?" Sharon looked away and gave him a half-smile. Andrea studied her face as she regarded Flynn, not liking one bit what she saw. But then of course, Sharon was a straight woman. A straight, already married woman.
"I think you should speak with Ms. Lancaster again."
"Why?" Andrea stood and crossed her arms.
"She's saying that the girls were trying to get her fired."
Sharon nodded and collected up a notepad and pen. "Counselor, would you care to join me?"
"Certainly," Andrea reached for her own notes and followed Sharon out the door, not returning the smile that Lieutenant Flynn turned her way.
…
Andrea was home by ten the following morning and arrived to the smell of waffles and bacon. Maria was a Godsend as a nanny. She smiled at the District Attorney as she entered the kitchen, "you're just in time for breakfast."
"Mommy!" Braxton cried and crawled down out of his seat to run and wrap his arms around her.
"Hey, sweetheart." She pulled him up in to her arms and kissed him. He laughed and wiped at his face.
"Come have bref-fust with us." He smiled.
"I will. Good morning, Kenzie." Andrea bent down to kiss her daughter on the forehead. She loved coming home to them.
"Morning," Kenzie actually smiled up at her. "Did you finish your case?"
"I did." Andrea nodded as she sat Braxton back in his seat and proceeded to cut up the waffle before him. In many ways Kenzie reminded her of herself. She wondered if that was why they butted heads so much. Her heart warmed at the thought because though neither one of her children were her own biological children, they still took after her in so many ways.
"I talked to mom today. She told me Dave was coming at four to get us." Kenzie, ever the adult, casually stated as she poured some syrup on to her pancakes.
"Well then we have a few hours to do something fun, don't we?" She asked, turning to wipe syrup off Braxton's face. She hated that just as soon as they arrived, they were leaving again.
"I have homework." Kenzie stated.
"You're six years old. What homework could you possibly have?" Andrea began spreading butter on the waffles that Maria sat before her.
"I have to learn spelling words for a quiz on Monday." Kenzie matter-of-factly stated.
"Well we can work on that and then maybe we could go to the park for a bit. Does that sound fun?" Andrea turned to her son, whom she knew would be enthusiastic about the plan.
"Play on wing-et!" Braxton grinned.
"Yes, we can play on the swing-set." Andrea nodded.
Kenzie tried to school her enthusiasm, but Andrea saw it.
And so after a good hour of spelling practice on words such as "tree" and "green" and "car", the three headed to the park for a carefree afternoon.