Evidence of Darkness Page 2

  Before she left her bedroom, she picked up Milo, and cuddled and kissed him. “I love you, Milo. I wish I could take you to school with me. I’ll be back for you, I promise.”

  Present, New York City

  The piercing sound of Reesa’s cell phone ringing brought her back to reality. She quickly picked it up off her desk and saw it was Jade. Struggling to suppress her anxiety, she answered, “Hi…hi, honey.”

  “Mom! Do you know what time it is? You were supposed to pick me up twenty minutes ago. Please tell me you’re on your way. It’s freezing out and they’re about to lock the doors!”

  Reesa grabbed her purse and headed toward her office door. “I’m leaving now, sweetie. I’ll be there in ten minutes.” Reesa was furious with herself. She had let herself slip back in time, and now she was late picking Jade up from school.

  She was, once again, thankful she was able to get Jade into the Dalton School. Reesa was thrilled when she was finally accepted, but even more grateful that it was just a few blocks from her office.

  She walked swiftly down the long corridor that led to the elevator. As she neared the end of the hall, she saw a light on in Mike’s office. She popped her head in to turn it off and was surprised to see him still working.

  He looked up when she reached for the light switch.

  “Oh, Mike, you’re still here?” She chuckled. “I was just about to turn your light off. I thought you would have left by now.”

  “I’m about to leave. Just wanted to finish this email.” He hit the send button, then stood up and grabbed his coat and briefcase. “I guess I’ll walk you to your car after all.”

  Reesa smiled at him. “I guess I’ll let you. Thanks.”

  They made small talk all the way down to the parking garage. Mike walked her to her car and opened the door for her. “I hope you have an enjoyable weekend, Reesa.”

  “You too, Mike. See you Monday.”

  He shut the door, then watched as she pulled out of her parking spot and toward the exit.

  While sitting at a traffic light on her way to pick up Jade, she began hoping Chad wasn’t hanging around school with her. She once again reprimanded herself for being late to pick her up. Damn it! I’d hate to have to punch him again! She chuckled to herself. The ingrate deserved it. It had been over two months since she had caught him with Jade. She cringed to think what might have happened if she hadn’t come home early that day.

  Reesa prided herself on being the best mother she could possibly be. She was determined to be to Jade what her mother had never been able to be – supportive, loving, and most of all, there for her. Jade meant the world to her. She was the only thing that got Reesa through the darkest days of her life. Just the idea of her had fueled her desire to be someone, to accomplish something, to make something of herself.

  Suddenly, a heavy, damp snow began to fall. She flipped on the windshield wipers and the hypnotic rhythm of the blades gliding across the window jolted her back in time to the morning she had sat on the bus stop bench, waiting for Madeline.

  Connersville, Indiana – 1999

  After she left home on that cold, snowy morning in early March, Reesa went directly to the bus stop. She was forty-five minutes early, but she didn’t care. She couldn’t force herself to stay in that house a minute longer. Freezing her ass off as she sat on the cold bench was a hell of a lot better, and safer, than being in that house with him – the despicable person her mother thought was wonderful.

  What a loser, she thought. Both of them. They could both go straight to hell!

  She couldn’t wait to talk to Madeline. She would know what to do. Perhaps she could stay with her for a few days until she figured out where to go.

  Her feet had become numb, and she could hardly feel her ears and nose. When she thought about what had happened to her, tears trickled down her face. She feared they might freeze onto her cheeks.

  Finally, she saw Madeline walking toward the bus stop. Reesa waved her arm, motioning for her to hurry up.

  Madeline picked up her pace and ran to the bench. She smiled when she saw Reesa. Out of breath from running, she said sarcastically, “What are you doing here so soon? I need to write this day down, March 3, 1999, you were at the bus stop before me!” Then noticed Reesa’s distraught face. “Are you okay? You look like someone died or something? Did you forget to study for the calculus exam?”

  Reesa grabbed the arm of her coat and pulled her down on the bench beside her. As they sat side by side, Reesa told her everything that had happened earlier that morning.

  Madeline stared at her, listening attentively while slowly shaking her head. “Rees, I’m so sorry! You’ve been saying you thought he had the hots for you. I wish I could have done something. I guess I just never thought he’d do that!”

  “Neither did I, Maddy!”

  Madeline was dumfounded and didn’t know what to say. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

  Reesa cried as she screamed, “Hell yes, he hurt me! He raped me, Maddy!”

  “I know, I know, but did he hit you or anything?”

  “No, what he did was far worse than that! Haven’t you been listening to me?”

  “Of course I have! What did your mom say?”

  Reesa looked down and quietly responded, “I didn’t tell her. I just got ready and left the house as soon as I could.”

  Madeline stared at her in disbelief. “You didn’t even tell your mom? She really needs to know this, Rees!”

  Reesa sat upright and looked at her sternly. “I can’t, Maddy! Bryan said he’d kill Milo if I told anyone!”

  “What a creep!”

  “Besides, my mom doesn’t care. I’ve been telling her for months that he makes obscene remarks to me. I’ve also told her that he stares at me all the time. God, Maddy, he even grabbed me once and Mom was in the room. She didn’t do anything! She just laughed like it was all a big joke.”

  “I think she would do something about this. Surely she’d kick him out.”

  “No, she won’t. She needs him to buy her booze and pay the rent. She doesn’t care about me. She just keeps telling me I’m leading him on by the way I dress, and if he’s paying too much attention to me, I should stay away from him.”

  Madeline tilted her head and looked confused. “Ah, the way you dress? No offense, Rees, but sexy is not exactly the way I would describe the way you dress.”

  “No kidding. And I do try to stay away from him. I hate him!”

  Reesa started crying and Madeline put her arm around her. “Well, we have to tell someone. He can’t get away with this, Rees.”

  Reesa grimaced. “I don’t want him to get away with this either, but what can we do? It’s over – it happened! No one will even believe me if I say anything. It will be his word against mine. I already know my mom won’t believe me – only because she doesn’t want to. Besides, I don’t want him to hurt Milo.”

  “I believe you, Rees, but we really need to tell someone at school or something. If the nurse is there today, maybe we should tell her. You and Milo can stay at my house, okay?”

  Reesa slowly nodded her head. “Okay, but I want you to go with me to talk to her. Promise?”

  “Yes, we’ll do it together. I promise.”

  Reesa knew Madeline’s mother disapproved of their friendship. She assumed it was because of her mother, Barbara’s, unsavory reputation in their small town. Everyone was aware of her drinking problem, as well as the number of men she entertained. Reesa was doubtful that Mrs. Donovan would let her and Milo stay with them long term.

  Madeline looked up and saw the bus nearing their stop. “Come on, let’s go to school. We have that huge calculus test first period. We’ll see the nurse during lunch.”

  Madeline stood up and grabbed Reesa’s arm, leading her to the bus which had just stopped and opened the door for them. They entered the bus and sat in their usual seats toward the back. Reesa sat by the window and rested her forehead on the cold window, gazing out but not really seeing a
nything. She felt numb. Her life had totally changed in the last few hours. Nothing would ever be the same – she would never be the same. She wanted to scream, kick, hit someone, but she felt powerless.

  She was oblivious to everything around her as they got off the bus and made their way to class. She had studied for the calculus exam, and when she went to bed the night before, she felt confident she would ace it. Now, as the teacher placed the test on her desk, she just stared blankly at the paper lying in front of her. A pencil was in her hand, but she was unable to work the problems.

  After she sat paralyzed for several minutes, she glanced up and noticed all of her classmates working feverishly to finish the exam. She felt a wave of anger consume her again. Damn him! she thought, that son of a bitch is not going to make me fail this test! Adrenaline surged through her veins and she was finally able to focus on the exam.

  She had almost completed the last problem, when a hand reached down and forcefully slapped the top of her desk. Almost bolting out of her seat, she looked up and saw her teacher peering down at her.

  “Miss Collins! Did you not hear the timer go off? Give me the exam. Now!” he commanded.

  Reesa looked up at him, then glanced around the desolate classroom. She hadn’t heard the bell indicating that class was over, nor had she noticed the other students leave. She reluctantly handed the test to the teacher, stood up, grabbed her backpack, and left the room.

  Madeline was waiting for her in the hallway. “What were you doing? Didn’t you hear the bell?”

  “No!” was all she said as she walked toward her second class.

  Madeline looked distressed. “I need to run or I’ll be late to my Spanish class. I’ll see you at lunch and we’ll go see the nurse. Okay?”

  Reesa looked at her briefly. “Sure. I need to get to my sociology class. I’ll see you later.”

  Reesa was the last one to arrive to class and sat down just as the second period bell rang. This one will be easy, she thought. Mrs. Mattox will just ramble the entire class, which will give me time to figure out a plan of action.

  Throughout the entire class, Reesa envisioned ways she could kill Bryan. Could I somehow get a gun and shoot him? What if I crept into my mom’s bedroom in the middle of the night and stab him – maybe a hundred times would do it – no, several hundreds of times. And, my weak, pathetic excuse for a mother too! She felt anger consume her as she pictured herself thrusting a knife through their bodies while they slept.

  After her third class, Reesa met Madeline by the water fountain in the common area for lunch, just as they always had. They went directly to the school office area where the nurse had a small clinic. They walked up to the door and saw a sign that read, “At another location. Will return tomorrow at 8 a.m.”

  The girls looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

  Reesa looked desperate. “What should we do, Maddy?”

  Madeline appeared perplexed. “I don’t know, Rees! Should we tell the principal or something?”

  “No. I don’t like him. Besides, I don’t want to talk to a guy. I can’t tell him what happened, Maddy! What if he thinks I’m a liar or something?”

  “Maybe we should at least give it a try.”

  Madeline grabbed Reesa’s arm and they headed towards the principal’s office. As they walked up to his secretary, she smiled at them. “How can I help you two ladies today?”

  Madeline replied, “We need to talk with the principal.”

  “He has appointments the rest of the day.” She looked at the calendar. “Um, I can write you in for next Tuesday at ten o’clock. Will that work for you?”

  Madeline looked at her in despair. “No! We need to talk to him – now!”

  “Well, I’m sorry, dear, but you just can’t. He’s not even here now. His meeting is off site.”

  Reesa grabbed Madeline’s arm and pulled her back out into the hall. “I told you, Maddy. I don’t want to talk to him. Ever!”

  “Okay, okay. Here’s what we’ll do. Come to my house after school. When my mom gets home from work, we’ll talk to her. She’ll know what to do.”

  Reesa looked down at the floor. “I don’t know. Your mom doesn’t like me. She thinks I’m a bad influence on you anyway. This will only make her hate me more.”

  “She doesn’t hate you, Rees. She’s not very fond of your mom, but she doesn’t have anything against you.”

  Reesa paused for a moment. “Okay, I just don’t know what to do. All I know is that I can’t go back home. Ever!”

  After school, she went to Madeline’s house. They did their homework, then made dinner hoping that might help entice Madeline’s mother, Stacy, to let Reesa spend the night.

  Stacy walked through the door a little after 6 p.m. She looked surprised when she saw Reesa. She gave Madeline a quick hug, then smiled. “Well, hello, Reesa. How are you this evening?”

  “Fine, thanks,” she replied timidly.

  “Mom, can Rees spend the night tonight? Please?” Madeline blurted, her eyes pleading.

  “It’s a school night, dear. You know the rules. No sleepovers on school nights.”

  “I know, but it’s Thursday. It’s almost the weekend. Besides, I promise we’ll get to bed early. We’ve already finished our homework, and we even made dinner.” Madeline looked intently at her mother, begging with her deep, brown eyes.

  Stacy reluctantly agreed. “Okay, just this once. I want you both to bed at a reasonable time.”

  “We will.”

  Madeline’s father, Jim, came through the door a few minutes later and they all sat down to eat. Reesa was unusually quiet throughout dinner. Her stomach was churning and she ate very little of her meal. Just as they were about finished, the phone rang. Madeline jumped up to answer it.

  Stacy quickly stood up and motioned for her to stay seated. “No, sit and finish your meal. I’ll get the phone. It’s probably Cindy calling about the house I listed today.” Then she went to the foyer to answer the phone.

  Reesa hoped and prayed it wasn’t her mother calling. She hadn’t let her know where she was, or that she wouldn’t be returning home after school. She couldn’t bring herself to call her. She felt she didn’t deserve to know where she was anyway.

  Madeline and Reesa exchanged a concerned glance as they strained to hear Stacy’s side of the conversation.

  “Hello…Hi, Barbara…yes, she’s here, would you like to talk to her? Okay, well, we’re just finishing dinner. Oh, I’m so sorry…yes, I’ll tell her. I’ll make sure she’s ready…you too, Barbara…goodbye.”

  Stacy returned to the kitchen and looked at Reesa as she sat back down at the table. “That was your mother on the line, dear. Evidently, you didn’t tell her you were here. You really should let her know where you are. She’s going to pick you up in a half hour, and she’s not very pleased with you right now.”

  Reesa glanced pleadingly at Madeline who exclaimed, “But, Mom! You said Rees could spend the night!”

  “I really think she needs to go home with her mother tonight.”

  Madeline looked at Reesa, then back at her mother. “Mom, can we please talk to you…in private?”

  Stacy glanced at Jim, who just shrugged his shoulders and kept eating. She gracefully took her napkin from her lap and placed it on the table.

  “Sure, let’s go have a chat, shall we?”

  Madeline took Reesa’s hand. They stood up and followed Stacy into the family room.

  Once they were all seated on the sofa, Stacy looked from one girl to the other.

  Both remained silent.

  “Can one of you please tell me what’s going on?” she finally demanded.

  “Mom, Rees can’t go home tonight. Or ever.”

  Stacy looked at her daughter. “Why?” Then she turned to Reesa, “Did your mother kick you out of the house? Did you do something wrong, dear?”

  Reesa slowly shook her head, unable to tell her what had happened.

  Madeline finally blurted, “Her mom’s boyf
riend raped her.”

  Stacy threw her head back and her eyes widened. “What? Is this true, Reesa?”

  “Yes,” she replied, slowly nodded her head while looking down at her lap.

  “Maddy, could you please let me talk to Reesa alone?”

  “She can stay,” Reesa said quietly.

  “Well, okay.” Stacy positioned herself closer to Reesa and placed her hand gently on her knee. “Did he penetrate you? Do you know what I’m asking you? You do know about sex, right?”

  “Of course we do, Mom! We’re eighteen!” Madeline cried out.

  Reesa nodded, trying to blink back the tears that were stinging her eyes.

  “When exactly did this happen?”

  “About three o’clock this morning.”

  “Did you call the police? Have you told your mother?”

  Reesa felt embarrassed and kept her head down as she spoke. “No, I didn’t know what to do. I was afraid. I took a shower, then got ready and went to the bus stop to meet Maddy.” She looked at Stacy and started sobbing. “Mom was still sleeping and I just couldn’t stay there, Mrs. Donovan. I had to get out of there as soon as I could!”

  Stacy wrapped her arms around her. “Oh, dear, I think we need to call the police.”

  “Will they make me go back there? I can’t! He’ll be there!”

  Stacy tightened her embrace. “No, you won’t have to go back there. I promise.”

  Suddenly, they heard the doorbell ring. A few seconds later, they could hear Jim talking to Barbara in the foyer. “They’re in the family room – right this way.”

  Barbara entered the room to see Stacy soothing Reesa as she cried in her arms. “What’s going on here?” she demanded.

  “Why don’t you have a seat, Barbara. I think we need to have a chat.”

  The stench of alcohol and cigarettes was overwhelming as she walked over to them. “I just came to get my daughter.” She turned to Reesa. “Reesy, let’s go home.”

  “I’m not going back there.”

  “What’s this all about, hon? What’s got you so upset? Bad day at school?”