After a quick shower, Casey had to rush to get dressed, because she and Olivia had spent so much time talking. Once her makeup was finished, Casey finished buttoning her favorite blazer and skirt set. She had chosen this suit specifically because of the way it was tailored to her body. Not that she was trying to seduce Olivia, or anything.
Olivia had already left almost immediately after the shower they took together. Unlike Casey, who agonized over making sure everything looked perfect, Olivia simply threw her clothes on, stating that she wasn't going to bother getting ready for work here, since she still had to go home and change.
It was probably for the best. It wasn't that Casey was regretting everything that had happened. In fact, it was quite the opposite- she enjoyed it too much. She needed time to clear her head and sort her thoughts, and she absolutely could not let an already forbidden relationship affect her career. She wouldn't be able to forgive herself.
She still managed to arrive at the courthouse a half hour early, her favorite coffee in hand. The arraignment started a few minutes later than planned. Something about the defendant not feeling quite well. Casey rolled her eyes at the ridiculous cop out. If only people could simply accept responsibility for their actions.
Finally, once the judge had entered and everyone was seated again, Casey listened to the recital of the docket. "Docket ending 4091. People v. Jillian Reinbeck. One count child abuse in the first degree, one count negligence, two counts perjury."
"Casey Novak for the people," Casey responded.
"Sherri West for the defense."
"I'll hear the People on bail," Judge Abrams requested.
If she thought she could get away with it, Casey would have requested remand. Jillian Reinbeck was someone she particularly hated. Jillian's daughter had been sexually abused for years at the hands of her boyfriend, Eddy. The daughter, Julie, had told a friend of hers what was happening, not meaning anything by it. Thinking she was helping, the friend had gone to her parents and her teacher, who had in turn called the police, as required by law.
When everything came out and Julie was questioned by CPS and the police, Jillian was informed that she had to either break up with her boyfriend, or risk losing Julie and her two brothers. Jillian had found a third choice, blaming her daughter for seducing her boyfriend, and accusing her of lying for attention. She kept her boyfriend around, but stopped paying any attention to her only daughter. Julie was eventually shipped into foster care.
Casey was pulled out of her thoughts by the judge's reminder that she hadn't answered her. "The People request twenty thousand dollars," she answered reluctantly. She had to remain somewhat reasonable, unfortunately.
"That's absurd. Ms. Reinbeck has two little boys at home, one of whom requires constant attention because of his learning disability. She has no history of neglect or cruelty. Anyone would release her on her own recognizance."
Casey bit her lip. "Ms. Reinbeck may not have a history of neglect," she conceded, "until one factors in her recent history. Her daughter told the police that she was being sexually abused, and Ms. Reinbeck starved her and ignored her, before eventually shipping her to foster care. That is neglect in its purest form."
"That little bitch said Eddy was touching on her!" came the explosion from the defense table.
The judge banged her gavel. "Counselor, control your client," she ordered. "Ms. Novak, can you live with a thousand dollars cash bond, and an order of protection for Julie Reinbeck?"
Casey exhaled sharply. "Yes, Your Honor," she conceded, knowing that if she gambled, the judge could easily be amenable to the defense's requests.
"So ordered. Jillian Reinbeck, you are ordered not to come within a thousand feet of your daughter or her foster family. You will be remanded to Rikers' Island if you cannot make this bail amount. If there are no further motions, I will see you all back here on October 28th at nine A.M. We are adjourned."
After court, Casey sighed. Luckily, the rest of her day was free. She decided to stop by her favorite Chinese restaurant. Oddly, they had some of the best sweet tea in the city, and the seasoning on their chicken was to die for. Casey sat in a table in the back, ordering her usual without even bothering to look at the menu. She retrieved the case file from her briefcase, opened it, and studied it intently.
"Long day?"
Casey jumped a mile into the air. Looking up, she shook her head. "Jesus Christ, Olivia, you scared me. What are you doing here? And how did you know I would be here?"
"This is where you always come for lunch, I'm sorry I scared you, and I'm here because a victim asked me to meet her at the courthouse for a bit. I knew you would be out of arraignment by now, so I figured I would see if you were here before I headed back to the precinct."
"Oh," Casey murmured, unable to think of a better response at the moment. She swallowed the lump in her throat, looking at anything but Olivia's beautiful chocolate brown gaze. "So..."
The waitress chose that moment to come back with Casey's tea. "Just water for me, thanks," Olivia answered. "So," she continued, folding her hands on the table and looking at the case file. "How did it go?"
"Twenty thousand dollar bail," Casey mumbled. She wouldn't normally talk about it in public, but they were the only ones in the little alcove. It was as private as anything.
The server brought Olivia's water. Olivia thanked her and sipped it. "That's it?" she asked. She shook her head in disgust. "That bitch doesn't deserve to keep her children. She was told to choose between her boyfriend and her kids, so instead of getting rid of the boyfriend, she keeps the boyfriend, but only two of her kids."
Casey nodded sadly. "It's disgusting," she agreed. "She exploded in court, calling her own daughter a bitch and saying she was telling all kinds of lies. I mean, I wonder what she tells her friends. Does she tell them that she only has two sons, while her oldest, her only daughter, is rotting away in foster care? Or does she admit that she has a daughter, but make her out to be some lying little twit who lies more than she breathes?"
"I don't know," Olivia answered, swirling her ice cubes in her glass with her straw. "Did the charges stick, at least? Or did the judge amend them?"
"They stuck, if you want to call it that," Casey replied, stirring a couple of sugar packets into her tea, and dropping a lemon into her glass. She always took forever to drink things, so she simply dropped a lemon into her tea, rather than squeeze it, because it achieved the same function. "Olivia, I don't understand how any mother can do that to her own child."
Olivia nodded. "I know," she said. "And you have to wonder what it's like to sleep with someone accused of raping your daughter. Julie told me and Amanda that she has heard her mother having loud, passionate sex with Eddy multiple times since this whole mess started. It takes a truly messed up woman to be able to have sex with a man who is even thought to have sex with your daughter."
"And for the man," Casey continued, picking up where Olivia left off, "it takes a seriously flawed human being to have sex with the daughter, then the mother. I wonder how many times he raped the daughter, then screwed her mother on the same night. I wonder how in the hell someone can do that!"
"I know," Olivia answered, gently touching Casey's hand to calm her down. It was something she had done throughout the entire friendship, but now it only confused Casey even more, and she reluctantly pulled her hand away. She couldn't hold hands with Olivia in public and still lie to herself and tell herself she was okay with this, whatever it was, being less than a relationship. As if sensing her thoughts, Olivia sighed, recoiling her hand and placing it where it had been before. "How is Julie doing?" she asked abruptly.
Casey shrugged, looking out the window. "I don't know," she answered truthfully. "I haven't heard from her for a couple of weeks. She likes her foster family, and she's the only child there. But she's still heartbroken that her mother abandoned her like that. She told me that she lies awake at night, staring at the ceiling, wondering how her mother can love Eddy more than her. Her mother has only spoken to her a couple times since, and get this. She told her that it's what's best for the family, and that she hoped she understood that she couldn't lose her children. That's the part that really infuriates me. The mother says she couldn't lose her entire family, but she abandoned her daughter and sent her to live with strangers. And then to brag that she is a great mother..." Casey sighed. "Julie is devastated, to put it into a single word. And she's still not sure if she wants to testify."
"She probably thinks it's up to her to keep the family together," Olivia murmured. "If she doesn't testify, she probably thinks her mother will take her back, but if she does testify, I'm sure she believes it will ruin her relationship with her own mother forever." She sighed disgustedly, finishing her water. "No one should have to be faced with the choice between putting your molester away or your mother loving you."
Casey knew, despite how different the situations were, this must be affecting Olivia quite a bit. It probably touched a little too close to home, given Olivia's relationship with her own mother. "I'm working with her," she murmured. "But if she doesn't testify, the case will fall apart. The rape kit didn't turn anything up, and if her own mother gets on the stand as a character witness..." She sighed softly. "It's not going to be easy, but I'm going to get this bastard. He's going down, if it's the last thing I do."
Olivia smiled softly. "I know. I have every confidence in you." She checked her watch, then sighed. "I have to go. I have a meeting in forty minutes, in my office. Do you still want me to come by the office for dinner?"
Casey knew she should say no, since she was eating now, but then, for Olivia, dinner usually meant anywhere between six PM and three in the morning, and usually on the later side, so she knew she would be hungry by the time the older woman showed up. "Yeah, I would like that," she admitted.
"Okay." Olivia buttoned her coat and walked over to Casey's side of the table. No one was around, so the older woman bent down and kissed the top of Casey's head. "And don't think I didn't notice how that outfit clings to that beautiful body of yours," she whispered, her voice husky in Casey's ear. "See you tonight, Counselor."
Casey shivered visibly, watching as the brunette sauntered away. She looked down at the case file in front of her. She desperately wanted to return to her research, as she had been before Olivia had shown up. But now, her head felt as jumbled as an unopened jigsaw puzzle. So much for clearing things up.
Author's note: Thank you, everyone, for the awesome reviews. I love reading them, as they always make me smile. This particular chapter is grounded in reality, as I went through a nearly identical experience. I was, and am, the daughter in the situation. I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, and I promise, there is more to come. Thank you for reading. I look forward to seeing what everyone thinks.