Redress of Grievances (29 page)

"There
was a dinner and then a dance. Maybe five-thirty or six. The first boys showed
up as soon as they were out of the driveway."

"In
pairs?"

"Yeah."

"Do
you know how many boys were there that night?"

Tears
filled Jan's eyes and spilled down her cheeks as she drew deeply on her
cigarette.

"How
many on a football team?"

"Twenty-two,
offense and defense."

"Sounds
about right."

"Jesus
Christ," Harriett breathed.

"It
wasn't too bad until the end. Then Parker left to take a piss or
something."

"He
left you alone with the boys?"

"Yeah.
Said he'd be right back and made them put rubbers on before he left. One was on
top of me the second Parker left the room, but he stopped before he was
finished. When he got up I thought it was over, you know," she said
blinking rapidly at Harriett.

"But
he locked the door and said something to the other boy and they started
laughing. The second one pulled his rubber off, and they both got on the bed. I
started to scream for Parker, but he slapped my face and told me not to make a
sound. I was really scared."

Jan
stopped and wiped her face, closing her eyes, which forced more tears down her
face.

"Do
you need to take a break?" Harriett asked gently.

When
Jan opened her eyes, there was a defiant look in them. "No."

Taking
a ragged breath, she continued, "They rolled me on my side with one behind
me and one in front. The one behind me pulled my leg up. I didn't know what was
happening until I felt the pain. I couldn't scream because the other one put
his hand over my mouth. He said, 'Just let it lay in there a minute until she
relaxes.' Then he told me to open my mouth and said if I hurt him, he'd kill
me. The pain was so bad that I couldn't think. I felt his penis against my lips
and opened my mouth; then his head was between my legs. I heard him laugh and
say 'go ahead but keep your balls out of my way'."

Slamming
her fist on the table, Jan looked at her attorney. "There wasn't a fuckin'
thing I could do. They were animals. I couldn't move my arms or legs and had to
breathe through my nose when I could. His dick blocked my breathing and made me
gag. I thought I was going to die like that when I heard Parker banging at the
door, but they wouldn't stop."

"What
did Parker do?"

Jan
smiled weakly. "He said he'd take care of it," she said quietly.

"How
did he take care of it?"

"He
took Sharon to the doctor for his daddy's company who admitted her to a private
hospital he ran," Jan said with a laugh. "Turned out to be a nursing
home. One kid with a ripped up asshole and fifty skeletons on
respirators."

"What
did her parents say when they found out?"

"Parker
called his mother at the club and told her something. Next thing I know, I'm in
a nursing home."

"Her
parents had to have suspected something."

Jan
looked at Harriett for a moment and shrugged.

"Did
you ever hear any of the boys' names?"

"The
only one I remember was a guy they called Jerry. Hung like a donkey. Ripped me
up pretty good that last night. I can't remember the names of any of the others
now. Been too long."

"After
Parker went to college, all this stopped then?"

"Except
for Parker. She still did him until she went to college. Really looked forward
to his coming home for the holidays, you know. Want to hear something
hilarious?"

"I
could use a laugh right now."

"Parker
wanted Sharon to visit him while he was in college. He was the president of his
fraternity. Makes you wonder what he was planning for initiation, doesn't
it?"

"Um,
Sharon's not still sleeping with Parker, is she?"

Jan's
face changed and Harriett recognized the look immediately. "That's Paige's
problem now. Hope she likes group sex."

Harriett
wrote on her pad and turned it toward Jan.

"Do
these dates mean anything to you?"

Jan
took the pad and sniffed as she looked at it. "Should they?"

"I
don't know. That's why I asked."

"Well,
the first one is Laurel's birthday."

"What
about the others?"

Jan
studied the list and tapped the pad with her finger.

"I
don't know the exact dates, but one of these was about the time Sharon put her
dog to sleep. She already had the mutt when she met Frank, but he hated it. And
when Laurel was about six months old, she got hurt pretty bad. Might have been
the third date."

"How
was Laurel hurt?"

"Sharon
left the kid alone while she was cleaning up the kitchen. The kid decided to
try walking and fell. Hit her head on a table or something, knocked out a
tooth, and bled like a stuck pig. Sharon was nearly hysterical, but got the
baby to the doctor right away."

"Was
there any permanent damage?"

Jan
laughed, "Hell, they crammed that tooth back in the socket, and the damn
thing stayed there until it fell out on its own a year or so later."

"She
was lucky."

"Not
after Frank found out. Sharon felt bad because she wasn't careful enough. She
was eaten up with guilt, and then that shithead Frank wouldn't even let her
hold Laurel or feed her. Accused Sharon of trying to kill the kid. Said she was
too stupid to live. Ugly scene."

"What
was Sharon's reaction to what Frank did?"

"She
went away for a while."

"What
did you do, Jan?"

Without
looking up, Jan said, "You know what I did, Harriett. Is that what these
dates are?"

"Yes."

Jan
lit another cigarette and resumed looking at the list. "Now this last date
I know. It's recent. That's the night Frank raped me after they had a fight. I
don't remember anything special for this other one though."

"You
know, Sharon seemed to have you pretty much under control until Laurel was
born."

"Things
weren't too bad until then. She really got down on herself after the kid was
born, and that's about the same time Frank decided to turn into a shithead.
Have you told her about me yet?"

"No,
but I'll have to soon, so she'll understand what's happening."

Chapter
Twenty-Nine

SEAN
LASSITER AND his assistant were already seated at the prosecutor's table when
Harriett and Nick entered the courtroom. Harriett didn't acknowledge his
presence as she took her seat and opened her briefcase to remove copies of her
motion. A few minutes later, the door behind the judge's bench opened and Judge
Howard Landers took the two steps up to his chair as Harriett and Nick rose,
followed by Lassiter and his assistant.

"Be
seated," Landers said, adjusting his glasses. "I understand you have
a motion to present to the court, Ms. Markham."

"Yes,
your Honor," Harriett said as she stood. "If it pleases the court,
I'm filing a motion to amend my client's plea from Not Guilty to Not Guilty by
Reason of Mental Disease or Defect."

Moving
to the prosecutor's table, she tossed a copy of her motion in front of the
prosecutor. He began looking over the paperwork as Harriett presented a copy to
Landers.

"You
understand, Ms. Markham, that by choosing an affirmative defense you are taking
the burden of proof from the prosecution and placing it on your own
shoulders?" Landers asked, flipping through the motion.

"I
understand my burden as well as the possible consequences of my actions. My
client has been apprised of the ramifications of the change in her plea, and
you will find an affidavit signed by her to that effect attached to the
motion."

"Mr.
Lassiter," Landers said. "Do you have an objection to the change in
plea?"

Rising,
Lassiter said, "I've only now received a copy of the motion, your Honor.
May I be granted a few minutes to look over it?"

"Take
five," Landers said as he leaned back in his chair and waited.

Landers
looked at his watch and said, "Response, Mr. Lassiter."

"The
State has no objection to the change in the plea, your Honor."

"I
should think not," Landers said. "Motion to change the defendant's
plea to not guilty by reason of mental defect is granted. I will order an
independent psychiatric evaluation of the defendant," Landers said
flipping through a calendar in front of him. "Hoping everything goes smoothly,
I'm going to schedule jury selection in
State v. Taggart
for April
twenty-ninth and a trial date for May sixth. Last day for motions will be three
days prior to the beginning of the trial. Satisfactory?"

"Satisfactory
with the defense, your Honor," Harriett said.

"Satisfactory
with the prosecution, your Honor," Lassiter said.

As
Landers left the bench, Nick said, "You got the best judge for this
case."

"Yeah,
and now I'm going to need the best jury, too."

WAYNE
CALLED HARRIETT'S office early that afternoon. "Well, there's good news
and bad news. Want it in any special order?" he asked.

"At
this point it probably doesn't matter," she said, leaning back in her
chair.

"Okay,
I got the names you wanted, but Parker Collins was a popular guy. Practically hung
out with every jock in North America."

"You
can narrow it down to the football team and eliminate any girls."

"Okay,
but they're spread out to hell and back."

"Keep
up with your frequent flyer miles, and you can take a vacation when this is
over."

"What
am I looking for, Harriett?"

"You're
looking for a guy who's willing to admit that he had sex with a ten-year- old
girl and continued to do so for about two years. Or a guy who will admit to
sodomizing a six-year-old and then progressed to more serious sex with her. The
only name I could get from Sharon was Jerry somebody."

"Jesus,
Harriett! Who's gonna admit to some shit like that? Guy'd have to be a
pervert."

"Then
find me a pervert with a conscience, Wayne. Two would be even better."

"Two
pervs. I'll put that on my wish list. Makes my bad news sound good."

"What's
your bad news?"

"Stevenson
will arrive there tomorrow."

"Oh,
well, it's not a perfect world. I've got Nick looking into it. I have a couple
of other things for you to check," Harriett said.

"Hell,
I haven't finished this list yet, kiddo."

"I
don't think this will take long. First, go back to Sharon's friend and ask her
what mental health clinic Sharon went to. If she signed in, I need a copy of
it. Second, find out the name of the doctor for Collins Industries fifteen or
sixteen years ago and whether he was associated with, or owned, a nursing home.
If he's still alive, talk to him to see if he admitted Sharon there as a
patient during the summer of 1984 or 1985. If he won't cooperate, let me know,
and I'll
have his records subpoenaed. Third,..."

"Wait
a sec. I ain't a fuckin' stenographer," Wayne growled. "Okay, go
ahead."

"Third,
find out whom the Taggart's veterinarian is and get the date Sharon had her dog
put down. It would have been within the last two years. Fourth, find out who
treated Laurel Taggart for an injury she received when she was about six months
old. I want the actual date of the injury. Get all that?"

"Yeah.
Which of these is the most urgent?"

"The
perverts. I don't care or want to know how you get them to talk, Wayne. Promise
them anonymity. The statute of limitations on that expired years ago, and my
client isn't interested in pressing charges. I have to have them. I need
everything as soon as possible. Judge Landers has set jury selection for April
twenty-ninth. I want a report every day from now until the trial, Wayne. Fax me
any paperwork you get and call with anything else."

"Will
do and you try to take it easy, kiddo. Got me?"

"Gotcha,"
Harriett smiled.

HARRIETT
HAD JUST leaned back and begun reading over the papers in front of her when she
was interrupted by the intercom. "You have a call on line two, Ms.
Markham."

Lifting
the receiver while still trying to read, Harriett said, "This is Harriett
Markham."

"Having
a good day, counselor?" a welcoming voice asked.

"I
am now." She smiled as she combed her hair back with her fingers.
"How are you, Jess?"

"I'm
good. How is Lacey today?"

"Better,
but Corey's death really shook her up. They're planning a memorial at school in
a couple of days."

"And
your case, how's that going?"