Chapter 5 – Charges
"All right, Linda, are you ready?" Lieutenant Averman asked as they stood on the opposite side of a windowed room in the police station, the blinds over the window.
"And they can't see me, right?" Linda asked apprehensively.
"It's one-way glass. They won't see you at all," said the officer who'd ridden with her to the hospital – Officer Melendez – soothingly.
Linda nodded, and Charlie grabbed hold of her hand tightly. Coach Bombay had also come along with Linda's father, Dominik, for support, and Linda's older brothers, Ralph and Oliver, were getting on the next available flight back home from Stanford. When Charlie met Linda's dad back at the hospital, he thought the man looked broken – it was bad enough that the poor man was widowed and had raised Linda and her brothers on his own from the time Linda was eight. Now, he had to face the reality that his daughter had been raped brutally by members of the Varsity hockey team, all because she'd tried to put the truth out there. Charlie couldn't begin to wonder what was going through the man's mind.
"Okay." Lieutenant Averman pulled on the blinds, which revealed the window to the white room, where every member of the Eden Hall Varsity Warriors stood in a numbered line for Linda to identify which of the ones participated in the gang rape Wednesday night. Charlie could see Scooter in the lineup; since Linda didn't know the names of the other three who'd participated, Scooter needed to be there, even though the likelihood of him participating in it was minuscule. He'd most likely been asleep at the dorms, not knowing what Riley, Cole, and his other friends had been doing.
"Take your time," Lieutenant Averman murmured, and Charlie squeezed Linda's hand harder as she carefully studied everyone in the lineup.
Riley stood in the center at number five and Cole at number four. Linda whispered, "Numbers four and five."
Averman nodded, knocking five times first and then four times to alert the officer inside that Cole and Riley were part of the lineup.
"What about the other three?" he asked Linda gently. "Think about it."
"Um . . ." Linda swallowed nervously, and Charlie could see the tears glazing in her blue eyes as her face paled significantly. Finally, her eyes settled on the people who stood at numbers one and seven. "One and seven, I . . . I think, maybe?" Her breath hitched in her throat, and Charlie moved, gently wrapping an arm around her.
"Are you sure?" Officer Melendez asked.
"Yeah, I . . . I think so," Linda said shakily. "That's them. Yes. Those are the ones."
"And they're the same ones we caught for the DWI," Lieutenant Averman said, shaking his head as he tapped his hand against the glass once and then seven times. "My guess is this: they assaulted you first and then decided to celebrate afterward by drinking and taking a joy ride past curfew." He turned to Officer Melendez. "Contact those boys' parents and let them know they've got the right to an attorney. And we'll also need to get some DNA samples from them. The others are free to go."
"Sure thing, Lieutenant," Officer Melendez said, walking off to make phone calls. But Charlie could hear Linda's breath growing more hysterical the longer she stood there looking at Riley, Cole, and the others, and he whisked her away.
"It's okay, Linda, go outside and get some air, maybe something to drink," Lieutenant Averman said soothingly as Charlie quickly led her away, tightening his arm around her as they went around the corner, with Gordon trailing them closely.
"It's okay," Charlie whispered. "You're all right. It's gonna be fine."
"No, no, I can't look at them!" Linda choked out, tears spilling onto her face as Charlie found a bench for them to sit down on. He helped her sit, gently rubbing her back as Gordon knelt before them, grabbing her hands carefully.
"It's okay," Gordon soothed. "Look upward and breathe, in through your nose, out through your mouth. Just breathe."
"I can't."
"Yes, you can," Gordon whispered. "Just breathe. In and out."
"No!" Charlie winced, watching as Linda grew more hysterical. "God . . . I want my mom, but at the same time . . . if she were here, if she saw that this happened . . .!"
"She did," Gordon said firmly. "She's looking out for you. And I know because I still talk to my dad. There are times I just look up and . . . well, I swear I can still see his face sometimes. Yeah, he's not here, but at the same time, he is. And I don't think. I know. Come on, look up."
Linda nodded, her gaze turning upward as she sucked in a deep breath before releasing it slowly. At this, she seemed to relax as Gordon released her hands.
"What happens now?" she asked.
"Well, we go to court on Monday," Gordon said. "We'll be using what they did to you, to Charlie, to Connie . . . all of that will be listed in our disputes that if the Varsity team is allowed to stay at Eden Hall despite all they'd done, the Ducks shouldn't get their scholarships revoked; should the Eden Hall board members continue withholding the scholarships, they'll all have to pay off restitution for probably the next twenty years, or worse, the school itself could get shut down. As for what happened to you, that'll have to be its own separate case and will be included in the suit involving their drunk driving because it would have to be before a jury. But your case could help influence the judge's decision in keeping the Ducks at Eden Hall."
"So, I'd have to go court again?" Linda asked as that hysterical edge returned.
"Maybe not," Gordon said. "If a prosecutor could get them to agree to a plea on all charges, then you won't have to testify."
"But would they be allowed back at Eden Hall until that trial date?" Charlie asked, strained, not liking the idea of Riley or Cole coming within an inch of Linda, Connie, or Julie.
"That's up to the judge to decide," Gordon said. "It's also up to the judge whether you get a restraining order. They don't just hand them out to people. It takes a long time to process for one."
"That's ridiculous!" Charlie hissed, disgusted at just the thought of Linda needing to go to school with those bastards.
"I know," Gordon said gently. "And it's unfortunate, but that's how it works. It's not always just. But they'll get what's coming to them. But look at it this way: let's say they can return to Eden Hall before trial and have no restraining order. The J.V.-Varsity showdown could happen after all."
At that thought, Charlie grinned. He wouldn't lie that the idea was satisfying, being able to face Riley, Cole, and their band of idiots one last time before they took them to court. What a perfect way to get their revenge than by playing against them in the exhibition match, only for them to lose? And if they were to plead guilty in court on top of that? There was a strong likelihood that they would be going to prison for many years to come. And when Charlie turned to Linda, he could see her smiling at the thought, too.
"Yeah, you're right," Charlie said.
Gordon dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, handing Charlie a ten-dollar bill. "Here. Buy yourselves something from the vending machine. You look like you need it."
Charlie took the money from Bombay, saying, "Thanks, Coach." He grabbed Linda's hand, led her down the hallway toward where he'd seen the vending machines, and grinned at the sight of Coke cans. Turning to Linda, he saw her smiling weakly, too.
"I remembered I still owe you a Coke," he said, putting the five-dollar bills into the slot and putting in the request for two Coke cans.
"Not quite how I pictured it would be, though," Linda said, a hint of sadness in her tone as their sodas fell at the bottom of the vending machine.
"Me neither. But I'll take it." Charlie grabbed their cans and handed one to Linda, who took it and popped it open.
"Thanks."
Charlie smiled at her gently, wrapped his arm around her, and kissed her on the top of the head. "Why don't we walk down to the skate shop?"
"Look, I want my lawyer," Rick Riley sneered as he sat in the interview room, arms crossed over his chest.
"He'll be here soon," Lieutenant Averman said coolly. "But until then, we need to ask you some questions, considering the victim identified you as the one who raped her."
"Who? Linda Chavez? The leader of that covenant trying to change the mascot's name? Whatever she told you, she's lying. She hates men," sneered Riley.
Gordon Bombay shook his head as he stood outside the interview room, listening; he pulled the blinds down over the window to the room in disgust, even though he secretly knew that Riley wasn't going to go down without a fight. He shared a glance with Phillip Banks as well as the DA, Frank Huddy.
"He's not gonna budge on it," Gordon said, shaking his head.
"Well, he's gotta crack at some point. Either agree to a plea deal or go through a full trial. And I can imagine that poor girl doesn't want to do that," said Huddy.
"She doesn't," Gordon said, strained. "But that's beside the point. We've got nothing unless we can get some confession from him or the other four who participated. On the other hand, we've got evidence about the dine and dash – the Ducks had to pay off that entire check, and the Varsity team didn't put a dime toward it. They committed fraud; they've probably done it many other times before the Ducks went to Eden Hall. So, at least we have that because Charlie saved a copy of that receipt. The bill was not cheap."
"Aside from the fraud charges and the DWI, what else could we get them for? Especially if they refuse to admit they're guilty of raping Linda?" Phillip asked. "Aggravated assault for slipping Conway nut-contaminated food?"
"They'll deny that," Gordon sighed.
"What about Connie Moreau getting pushed down the stairs?" asked Huddy.
"Nobody's coming forth and saying whether Cole shoved her or not, and Connie had a mild concussion – they could use that in court to say that it affected her memory," Gordon said. "At this point, all we've got for the injunction hearing is our justification that if the Varsity team can continue attending Eden Hall despite their poor grades and disciplinary issues, then the Ducks should get equal opportunity to have their scholarships."
The other two men sighed hard. They knew that this wouldn't be easy, gathering up all the evidence, but in any case, they didn't realize it would be this difficult. They'd thought for sure that Linda's word about being sexually assaulted would be enough to prove something. But with Riley, Cole, and their other friends vehemently denying that they'd sexually assaulted Linda, their chances of Riley and Cole taking a guilty plea were slim, even though there was evidence from Linda's rape kit.
But they heard a knock on the door before Gordon could elaborate further. Officer Melendez entered with Scooter, who wore a look of palpable guilt on his face; at Scooter's side stood a boy of about sixteen, looking noticeably nervous.
"Mr. Bombay, these two boys have something they wish to say to you," Officer Melendez announced.
"Of course," Gordon said. He eyed Scott Holland – he recognized the boy as Quinton Holland's son, as Quinton Holland had been an exceptional goalie for the Varsity Warriors when Gordon had been in school, and he'd even been named Boy of the Year and was listed in Eden Hall's Athletic Hall of Fame. For Quinton's son to be coming forward willingly, he had to know something. And Gordon could see Scooter looked ashamed of something; he kept looking down at his feet and seemed hardly able to look them in the eye.
"What do you boys have to say?" Huddy asked, eying them both sternly.
"Rick won't confess that he raped Linda? I've got proof of it," the boy at Holland's side said, handing over what looked like a voice recorder. Gordon had to guess that this boy was Justin Woodward, the kid Linda mentioned she'd been speaking to out in the hallway before the assault occurred, who'd tried convincing her not to publish her piece on the Ducks. "I was in the journalism classroom the day they planned on doing it; I was working on my piece for the paper before class when he came in and demanded that either I help him with it, or he'd . . . he'd do something to me."
"What do you mean 'do something to you?'" Phillip asked, taking the device from Justin.
"He grabbed my ass and said he'd stick something up it if I didn't go along with his plan." Justin looked like he'd be sick mentioning it, and Gordon winced – he was well aware of the kinds of hazing the Varsity team participated in, though it was clear to him that it had only gotten worse as the years went by.
"And I was present when he talked about the dine and dash," said Holland. "Banks overheard what he was saying and tried to sneak away to warn the Ducks, but Rick grabbed his wrist and twisted it and threatened him not to interfere, or else, he'd . . . teach Banks a lesson."
Gordon nodded, understanding. "We'll listen to the tape and determine whether that'll be enough."
"Thank you," Justin said, looking relieved. "Um, I better go and see if I can find Linda and Charlie. I owe her an apology."
"They should be around here somewhere," Gordon assured him. He beckoned Josh and Holland to leave so they could listen to the recording. He watched as Phillip placed the voice recorder on the table before them and pressed "play."
"Rick, no, I won't do it," they could hear Justin saying, trying to muster up bravery in his tone, but even Gordon could hear the palpable fear in the kid's voice.
"Look, either you go along with this and get the bitch not to publish that piece, or I'll have you take something up the ass. Maybe if you did, you'd loosen up more, Junior." Riley's voice sneered softly, and Gordon could feel a trickle of coldness travel down his spine. "Come on, remember all we've done for you? We've taken care of you. The least you can do is take care of us."
"Get your hands off of me!" Gordon could guess this was where Rick's hands had been traveling to places that they shouldn't be, and as he closed his eyes, he could visualize Justin being cornered as Rick grabbed him inappropriately – that was sexual harassment. If Rick wasn't above sexually harassing boys as well as girls, it was apparent the kid had serious issues.
"Then do we have a deal?"
"Okay." They could hear Justin gulping. "We have a deal. I'll tell her not to publish the article."
"But we'll be going with you to make sure you follow through with it," they could hear Cole braying. "If you fail at it, well . . ."
"Then we'll give her a lesson she'll never forget," came Riley's voice. "It's time the bitch learns to loosen up and stop being such a prude. And you'll put in a good review of our next away game, right?"
"I will! I will! Now stop, please!"
"All right, Justina," Cole sneered. They could hear something that sounded like a sharp slap and a yelp. "Say hi to your boyfriend for us." Another example of harassment – Gordon wondered how many times Cole and Riley had done this to get Justin to cooperate with them. For all he knew, Justin kissed up to the Varsity team and wrote good things about them in the school paper to avoid this kind of treatment, and he felt a pang of sympathy because he knew that in situations like this, when the person extorting you got what they wanted, it was never enough – they would always demand for more, and it never went away. The more you fed the beast, the bigger it got.
He felt even more guilt flow through him – he and Ted had witnessed this sort of reprehensible behavior many times in the past and had done nothing because they'd wanted people like Tom Riley, Dennis Cole, and the other upperclassmen to think that they were cool; nobody wanted to have the reputation of being a "pussy" or "weak," and that may have gotten them to survive through four years of high school. Still, they didn't think about the longevity of it all. If only they'd spoken up and said something sooner . . . looking at Phillip Banks, he could see Adam's dad felt just as much guilt – after all, he'd once been like that; he'd judged anyone who came to Eden Hall on scholarship and at one point thought the Ducks to be worthless because their parents didn't come from money, and it was clear to Gordon that Phillip regretted ever thinking that, especially now.
"I don't have a boyfriend. If you see me with a guy, that's my roommate. So, why don't you shut up?"
"Watch your fucking mouth, faggot!" Another sharp slap; Gordon could guess Cole or Riley had been slapping Justin somewhere below the waist. He winced as he turned the recording device off, unable to listen to any more of this. Things at Eden Hall really had worsened over the years, and he couldn't help feeling some guilt that he'd thought for sure this would be a better chance for his Ducks – in a way, it was, but at what cost? Their safety? Their dignity?
"You think you've got the evidence you need, Frankie?" Gordon asked, glancing up at Huddy, whose face was turning the color of a beet.
"Yes," Huddy said, not hiding how disturbed he was by this new development. "Once this injunction hearing is all over, I'll be charging Richard Riley, Bradley Cole, and the other members of the Eden Hall Varsity Warriors on conspiracy to commit rape, conspiracy to commit fraud, extortion, aggravated assault, harassment, driving while intoxicated, refusing a breathalyzer test, and property damage."
"What about Holland?" asked Phillip. "Would you be including him in the indictment?"
"If he's willing to testify against his buddies, I'll let him off. Because something tells me that the kid wanted no part of this," said Huddy.
"I think you're right about that," agreed Gordon. "And if this doesn't help us in our case to keep the Ducks at Eden Hall, I don't know what will."
Ted carefully watched the blade he was sharpening, determined not to make it too sharp. Although he hadn't done this in years (the last time he'd done this, he worked at the skate shop to help pay for books throughout his years at the University of Minnesota), he remembered well enough how to do it. But that didn't stop Jan from picking at him.
"Watch the edges! You're making it too sharp!" Jan criticized.
"Do I tell you how to sharpen skates, Jan?" Ted asked, rolling his eyes. "How did Hans put up with you, old man?"
"Why don't you do what he did before I visited Mama?" Jan asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"What?"
"Threatened to move to Florida and open a surf shop! Bah! I should do that! At least then, I could enjoy the sun and the waves."
"How would you survive out there?" Ted quirked an eyebrow at Jan. "They'll take one look at you and put you in a retirement home."
"And I'm nowhere near ready to retire. Did you know I'm buying the District Five Ice Rink? Next year, it'll be the Ice Palace! Nothing but the best for the Ducks of District Five."
Ted smiled; if anyone would keep the District Five Ice Rink going, it would be Jan. However, he did worry that Jan was trying to push himself too far in his old age, especially since Hans was now gone and he had little to no help running the shop. Granted, Ted wouldn't mind helping out and becoming a partner. However, he couldn't make a living sharpening skates for the rest of his life. Bella would no doubt kill him over that if he suggested to her that he would spend the rest of his life sharpening skates for a low salary.
They heard the bell ding as the door opened, and Charlie and Linda entered, clutching cans of Coke; Linda looked as though she'd been crying, and Charlie kept his hand tightly wrapped around hers.
"Charlie," Jan said, "you should teach this strudel head a thing or two about sharpening skates! He's turning them into sabers!"
"You call me a strudel head? Just seconds ago, you talked about moving to Florida!"
At this, Charlie's face fell. Ted could see the boy was so depressed over all that had been happening lately that he actually believed Jan was moving. "You're leaving me, too?" He sounded hurt over it, and Ted instantly felt guilty – when he left, the Ducks were left vulnerable; he recalled how Charlie reacted to Gordon leaving them in Ted's hands. Now, the Ducks had nobody at Eden Hall. For all Ted knew, Charlie was feeling abandoned again, this time by the guy who insisted either the Ducks stay or he go. Ted didn't miss the way Charlie said the words "leaving me." It was clear the kid felt everyone left him at some point or another, and Ted wondered if that was the reason behind his attitude problems at the beginning of the semester.
"Relax, it's just a joke," Jan chortled. "Let me guess? That time down at the station was rough?"
"No shit," Charlie commented, tossing his Coke can in the trash.
"You look like you could use my specialty," Jan said.
"Hassenhepher and eggs," the three of them said together wistfully, and Jan went off to the kitchen area of the skate shop to start preparing his rabbit stew, which he always cooked up in a pressure cooker.
"What is that?" asked Linda.
"It's best you don't know what it is," chuckled Charlie, despite his bad mood.
"Yeah," Ted agreed, but when he turned to look at the clock, noticing the time, he raised an eyebrow at Charlie. "Shouldn't you be back at school?"
"Like I'd want to go back there," Charlie said shrewdly, sitting on the couch.
"Even if they reinstate your scholarship?" Ted asked.
"I don't want to play for a different coach," Charlie insisted, crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly – to think weeks ago he hadn't wanted Ted to coach him. Now, he didn't like the idea of returning to Eden Hall if Ted wasn't there.
Ted sighed. Gordon had warned him that Charlie tended to be stubborn, and did not like change. And while he was flattered that Charlie wanted him to coach him now, he didn't want the boy jeopardizing his whole future. "Then what would your option be? Hm? If I don't get reinstated?"
"Go back to public school?" Charlie suggested wryly.
"And you're too good to settle for public school education, Charlie," Ted said seriously, sitting beside him. "To think once upon a time, you thought I was a jerk. Who would've thought this would happen?" He gestured between the two of them, smiling softly.
"How should I have known?" Charlie mumbled, his face going bright red.
Ted reached over and rubbed at the back of Charlie's neck. "You couldn't have. But I suppose both you and I needed to do the changing."
"Well, this time, Eden Hall needs to change."
"Whether they will or not remains to be seen. But Gordon will make them pay. Trust me on that."
"You know from experience?"
"Yeah. He was the one who helped me after I got into that accident – he got the perp to take a plea bargain for it. He's really good."
Charlie smiled weakly. Ted could see in the boy's eyes that he really loved not just Gordon, but Ted was also growing on him. And as Ted glanced over at Linda, he could see her face softening – maybe she was seeing that not all jocks were so bad.
"You will not drop my son from the team if I can help it," Tom Riley snapped, glowering at Franklin Wilson, who stood before the board members like he was staring into the barrel of a gun.
"Mr. Riley," Franklin said quietly, "what I saw in that locker room . . . what happened to that girl; I can't get that out of my head. I haven't been able to sleep ever since that day."
"There's no proof that my boy had anything to do with that," Tom said lazily, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Even with the girl's word?"
"It's simply a revenge ploy – a publicity stunt. She's doing this for attention, thinking it'll sway the judge's decision."
"Then how do you explain what I saw written on her body? Or the fact that she had no clothes on?"
"Maybe she consented to it."
Franklin shook his head, unable to look Tom in the eye. He couldn't believe the lengths the board members were willing to go to try and protect their sons despite the abhorrent things they'd done ever since the Ducks' scholarships got revoked. Part of him didn't want to have to coach Rick Riley anymore, given all the bad press surrounding this situation. But he also knew that the board members' vote needed to matter here, and if they voted that Riley, Cole, and everyone from Varsity stay on Varsity despite all this, the decision was going to stand as it stood, and nothing would be able to change their minds.
When he'd found Linda Chavez in the Varsity locker room with those words written on her naked skin, it made him think of his two daughters, who were thirteen and nine; if anything like that had been done to Sidney or Nicole . . . he didn't want to imagine it.
"Look, if you want to keep your job here, keep the boys on Varsity where they belong," Tom Riley said coolly.
"And what if they're found guilty?" gritted out Franklin. "They've already been caught driving while intoxicated."
"Don't worry. The judge will be on our side of this fight," smirked Tom Riley.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Franklin demanded. "Tom, let me fill you in on something. One day, you and that boy of yours are gonna be in a situation that your money can't get you out of. You may think you can bribe your way into winning this one. But you won't. Because Bombay's gonna destroy you in court. Face it. You cannot win. It's over."
"It's not," Tom hissed. "Now, if you are through, the door's right there."
Franklin sighed and looked over at Dean Buckley, who just shook his head – there wasn't much Buckley could do if the board members refused to vote for their boys to step down from playing on the Varsity team. But even as he exited the board room, he felt that this was just the beginning, that Tom Riley would find some other way to twist his arm into not testifying against Rick and Bradley when the time came for those boys to go to trial. But he also knew if he didn't testify against Rick, Bradley, and the others, there was no way Tess would forgive him, and he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't have his wife's forgiveness, especially since he felt that finding that poor girl bound and gagged and naked, soaking wet in the locker room, bleeding from between her legs, covered in bruises, was punishment enough for him not doing something about the Varsity team's behavior sooner.
Currently, I'm working on chapter 6, but as of right now, it's been a slow process; like I've said, I don't know how law works and I don't know how court works. I've only done mock trial once in my life years ago in high school; the only insight I have to any side of the law is that my uncle is a police officer and that's about it, but I don't spend enough time with him to know much. As of now, I need to write the court room scenes, so if anyone has any insight or suggestions, please share it with me and help me out.
