Authors: Kate Vale
Marcus
pick
e
d
up h
e
r hand and l
e
d
h
e
r into th
e
living room. “Com
e
sit down and r
e
lax. You’v
e
b
ee
n running yours
e
lf ragg
e
d
for th
e
last f
e
w w
ee
ks. L
e
t m
e
hold you
.”
H
e
turn
e
d
out th
e
lights, l
e
aving only th
e
table
candl
e
s to comp
e
t
e
with th
e
lat
e
e
v
e
ning str
e
aks of r
e
d
in th
e
sky. Sh
e
sat
on th
e
ottoman. H
e
took a seat
on th
e
couch and
resumed
massag
ing
h
e
r n
e
ck and should
e
rs. Soon his hands w
e
r
e
g
liding down h
e
r back, and
then
th
e
y slid und
e
r h
e
r b
l
ou
s
e
and b
e
gan to
mov
e
around t
o her
front.
“I thought you w
e
r
e
going to rub my back.”
“I did, and I am. I’m now rubbing th
e
front of your back. Um. Th
e
front of your back is v
e
ry r
e
sponsiv
e
,” h
e
croon
e
d
, as h
e
cupp
e
d
h
e
r br
e
asts and
eas
e
d
h
e
r against h
is chest
.
Sh
e
turn
e
d
and r
e
ach
e
d
for him
,
and h
e
pull
e
d
h
e
r into his arms.
He kissed her.
“That’s mor
e
lik
e
it.
It’s been so long since we’ve had a chance to do this.
You n
ee
d
som
e
on
e
to tak
e
car
e
of you, too. I may hav
e
to chang
e
th
e
ord
e
r of my two b
e
st girls—you and th
e
n C
e
c
e
lia. Do you think sh
e
’ll mind?”
“L
et’s not ask her until she can walk on her
own
,
”
she replied.
He rose and
lower
e
d
th
e
shad
e
s in th
e
living room. Amanda
took
sh
ee
ts and a blank
e
t from th
e
storage
clos
e
t and plac
e
d
th
e
m on th
e
floor.
“I know I said I pr
e
f
e
r
a b
e
d
, but I don’t dar
e
go upstairs.
I’d love it if you would just hold me.
”
“I thought you’d n
e
v
e
r ask,” h
e
whisp
e
r
e
d
. H
e
gaz
e
d
into h
e
r
e
y
e
s
and
drew
her tight
against his chest.
Whil
e
they
h
e
ld
each other
, h
e
pull
e
d
th
e
sh
ee
t ov
e
r th
e
m, and whisp
e
r
e
d
in h
e
r
e
ar, “Loving is h
e
aling for
e
v
e
ryon
e
, Amanda, a
dults as w
e
ll as childr
e
n. I’m h
e
r
e
for you both.
I want you to k
now that.”
He
kiss
e
d
away h
e
r
grateful
t
e
ars.
Several days later, Marcus
visit
ed
th
e
polic
e
station with th
e
information
Amanda
had shar
e
d
with him.
But
after
he
arrived
, his frustration l
e
v
e
l
skyrocketed
.
“What do you mean you can’t do anything? This guy is dangerous!”
Detective
Park’s demeanor
remained
calm when Marcus’ voice rose. “So you say. But we have no evidence of that.”
“Look, I showed you—right there—in my notes, what the girl told me
in the hospital
. Just because you couldn’t get her to talk doesn’t mean something didn’t happen. She
knew not to run in the street. S
he was trying to get away from him!
And what she said to the therapist.
Can’t you at least go talk to him?”
“
He wasn’t at his apartment and he wasn’t on campus when we paid him a visit there.
We can’t find him. He seems to have left town. At least, no one has seen him.” The det
ective’s voice was quiet. “T
he child’s mother has to make an official complaint. Then, if the DA wants to take action,
we’ll pick him up
—assuming we can find him.
I
f the DA decides to proceed to
trial,
he may
require
the kid to testify.”
“Amanda won’
t allow her to
do that
.
Cece’s too fragile
emotionally, after
what happened.”
The police
officer
rose. “Look, I can appreciate how you must feel. But without more evidence than your say-so, we can’t do anything. I’m sorry.”
Marcus gave up and
h
e
ad
e
d
for
the
campus and Gr
e
g
Hilli
e
r
’s offic
e
.
“Good morning,
Beatrice
. How’s my fa
vorite administrative assistant,
but please don’t mention
that to Mary
Ellen in
my department
.
” H
e
waggled his eyebrows at her and
smirk
ed
.
She laughed. “
It
will be
our little secret
, Marcus
.
I gath
e
r you want to s
ee
Prof
e
ssor
Hilli
e
r
?”
“If h
e
’s in.”
“H
e
is. Just a minut
e
.”
Sh
e
wav
e
d
Marcus into
Greg Hillier’s
offic
e
.
The chairman of the English d
epartment
was b
e
nt ov
e
r his filing cabin
e
t trying to r
e
adjust a stuck draw
e
r.
“Can I h
e
lp you with that?”
“Oh! H
e
llo, Marc.”
Greg
grunt
e
d
from th
e
e
ffort. “
No need.
” He banged on the side of the drawer and gave it another yank. “
Got it. Som
e
tim
e
s th
e
s
e
draw
e
rs g
e
t stuck and th
e
n I’m
e
ff
e
ctiv
e
ly lock
e
d
out of my own fil
e
s
without a
key
!”
The white-haired gentleman
chuckl
e
d
.“Ar
e
you h
e
r
e
with a r
e
port on
Amanda’s little girl
?”
“I
’ll
giv
e
you that, but I’d rath
e
r
talk
about som
e
thing
e
ls
e
, if I may.” H
e
sat down
when invited
.
Gr
e
g turn
e
d
his full att
e
ntion to Marcus.
“I’m listening.”
“I b
e
li
e
v
e
you may hav
e
a
sex predator
i
n your
department
.
”
He
outlined what Cecelia had finally revealed. “What I’m telling you is in strictest confidence. The cops won’t do anything unless Amanda
makes a complaint
and I doubt she’ll do
so
if it
means
Cecelia
has
to te
stify
. It took
a therapist
weeks
to get her to open up and I don’t
think
she’s out of the woods yet.”