Chained Guilt (Hidden Guilt (Detective Series) Book 1) (32 page)

Finally, a file opened. He read with interest and increasing alarm. Lisa Crease had dropped out of school after filing charges against several members of the football team—charges of rape. He sat back, stunned. Then he came across a newspaper clipping and clicked on the file. It read:

Student Lisa Crease has accused four members of the Texas Tech football team of rape. She described what allegedly occurred to the police in great detail. Her physician stated that his examination did indeed confirm that an act of violence had occurred.

Crease insists the main perpetrator in her attack was none other than David Porter, an eighteen-year-old co-captain of the team. Porter and the other players allegedly involved told police Creasewas a willing participant
.
Porter alleges he did not have sex with Crease but was there and aware of what was happening in the other room
.

Crease alleges Porter handpicked her as part of the football team’s hazing ceremony. It should be noted that Porter has been cited twice for public drunkenness and drug use while a student at Texas Tech and is currently on team probation.

According to reports, Crease said Porter had sex with her and then forced three other players to have sex with her against her will, all part of a hazing ritual carried out by the team. She’s quoted as saying, “I cried and cried and begged them to stop, but they kept taking turns, and finally I stopped fighting. I had nothing left. I didn’t report it at first, because I believed what David Porter said—that because of my past, no one would believe me. Yes, I worked at a few strip clubs, but that has nothing to do with what they did to me. It will be with me for the rest of my life. As for his claims that he wasn’t involved, he’s lying. I’ll never forget the chain he wears around his neck. It has a locket on it. That locket hit me in the face over and over as he raped me. I’ll never forget it.”

As of today, no official charges have been filed. Our calls to campus authorities and school administrators have, to date, gone unanswered.

Rodney read the story again, trying to make sense of everything. Then he clicked on another file and looked at the newspaper photograph of an eighteen-year-old Lisa Crease. Stunned, he found himself staring at a younger version of Stacy, with blond hair instead of red and blue eyes instead of green.

“Oh my God!” he mumbled. 

She’d undergone minor cosmetic surgery on her nose and had an obvious boob job in the intervening years, but it was her, no doubt about it.

He grabbed his cell phone from the nightstand and punched in Hilary’s number.

“Come on, come on! Pick up the damn phone!”

When the call went to voicemail, Rodney texted her.

Stacy ain’t who you think she is. You gotta get outta there now and find your dad.

Rodney didn’t know what to do next. He had no idea where Hilary was, and she wasn’t responding to his messages. Maybe she was in trouble. He saved the files to his computer and sent them to Hilary’s email as attachments.

About a half hour later, he heard a noise downstairs. Rodney knew his parents weren’t due home for hours. He grabbed a bat from behind his door and crept out of his room, pausing at the top of the stairs. He saw nothing. He moved downstairs, checked the front door, and found it unlocked. He locked it and headed for the kitchen.

“Hello, Rodney.”

Stacy’s voice echoed from the alcove beneath the stairs. She stepped out, a gun pointed at his chest. Rodney felt his heart skip a beat.

“Stacy? What are you doing?”

“Too bad you figured it out,” she said, shaking her head.

“What? How—”

“Hilary left her cell phone on her bed. You can imagine my surprise when I read your message.”

“Stacy, I—”

He heard the gun go off, felt the bullet slam into his chest. Then all went black.

Stacy shot Rodney twice in the chest, killing him instantly. He fell to the floor in a heap. She thought about leaving a clever note behind for David, but since this little episode hadn’t been planned, she didn’t want to make a mistake. She quickly left Rodney’s house by the back door, the same way she’d entered. She’d been careful not to touch anything.

She walked around the side of his house and headed down the sidewalk to her car, parked six houses down. She slid inside, stuffed the gun under the seat, and drove back to David’s house.

61

David returned to the hospital as quickly as he could. When he entered Karen’s room, he found Hilary sitting at the foot of her bed.

“Dad, she just went back to sleep,” Hilary said.

“How’s she doing?”

“I think she’s going to be fine. The doctor came in and said they were going to try a new seizure medicine for her.”

I handed her the backpack I’d brought.

“Here’s the stuff you wanted, but I couldn’t find your phone. I’m sorry; I was just rushing around grabbing—”

“That’s okay, Dad. I was just going to tell Rodney what was going on. I can email him. You did bring my laptop, right?”

“Yes, I did get that, but I don’t know how much battery life you have left, and I forgot to grab the power cord. Sorry.”

“It’s okay, Dad. We’re both upset. Can I use your phone to call him?”

              I handed her my phone and sat down on the bed next to Karen. I took her little hand in mine. She looked so tiny.
              “He’s not answering,” Hilary said, a look of concern in her eyes. She left him a voicemail.

              “Rodney, Karen had another seizure, and we’re at the hospital. I’m going to stay here with her tonight. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“I’m going to stay up here tonight too,” I said. “I’ll watch her for a while. Why don’t you try to get some rest?”

She nodded and moved to the recliner in the corner of the room. I found a spare blanket in the closet and covered her with it.

“Your mom would be so proud of you, Hilary. I’m proud of you, too. I wouldn’t have made it through this without you.”

Hilary thanked me, pulling the blanket up to her chin. Before long, she was sound asleep.

I spent the next few hours pacing the room and then did something I rarely did—I prayed. I prayed God would allow my daughter to come out of this healthy and stronger than ever.

62

The next morning, as the sun’s early light sliced through the blinds and warmed my face, I woke up and peered over at my little girl. Then I looked at Hilary, sleeping in the recliner. I stared at both of them, my heart bursting with love for my girls.

Finally, I unfolded myself, stretched, and made my way to the bathroom. Spending the night in a hard bedside chair had its drawbacks. I changed clothes and brushed the fuzz from my teeth.

“Hilary, I have to go in to work for a little while,” I whispered as I nudged her awake.

She nodded, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She immediately glanced toward her sister.

“When Karen wakes up, make sure she eats some breakfast, whether they send her oatmeal or eggs. Tell her I love her.”

“Okay, Dad. I’ll take good care of her.”

I drove to the station, taking it slow. I thought about all the things I would do with my daughters when Karen was healthy again, the extra time I would spend with them. One thing Miranda’s death and Karen’s sickness had taught me was that life should not be taken for granted; it could be over in an instant.

When I got to the station, I headed straight to my desk.

“Hey, Porter. Sorry to hear about your daughter, man,” one of my fellow detectives said. 

I nodded my thanks. “She’s on the mend.”

I saw Captain Wilcrest gesturing for me to step into his office. I did so, closing the door behind me.

“I heard,” Cap said. “She gonna be okay?”

I nodded. “Thank God.”

“David, you’ve been through hell and more this year—first Miranda, and now this thing with Karen. Why don’t you just take the rest of the week off? Take care of your kids, and then we’ll reassess our priorities. Sound good to you?”
              “Cap, I need to work.”

“You’re not able to focus right now, David. Just take care of your kids. I’ll call you if anything important comes up.”

I nodded and left the captain’s office. I went back to my desk to straighten a few things and returned to my car. I moved slowly, zombie-like, the air a heavy, hazy blanket around me. As I buckled myself in, I realized I hadn’t called Stacy to update her. Even more strange, she hadn’t called me. Not once.

I pulled my cell phone from my pocket to call her and then suddenly lacked the urge. I only wanted one thing—to get back to the hospital to be with my kids. In the end, they were all that really mattered.

**

Karen began to shift in the bed, and Hilary anxiously waited for her sister to open her eyes. When she did, she felt an enormous sense of relief.

“Hey there, you little creep,” she said. Karen returned the smile. “How do you feel?”

“I feel okay—a little sleepy but okay.” She glanced around the room. “Where’s Daddy?”

“He had to go to work for a little while, but he’ll be back soon. He told me to tell you he loves you.” She gestured toward her laptop. “Dad brought my laptop for me last night, but he forgot the power cord and the battery is dead.  I have an assignment due today, but I can email it to my teacher.”

“Call Stacy and have her bring it here for you,” Karen suggested.

Hilary shook her head. “I’d rather not. Plus, Dad forgot my cell at home too.”

“Wow. What
did
he remember to bring?”

              Hilary laughed at her sister’s snarky question. She was definitely feeling better.

“Look, Karen, they should be serving breakfast soon. You will eat something, you hear me?”

Karen nodded. “I am hungry, but no Captain Crunch!” she insisted. “It tastes funny to me now.”

“I’m sure they won’t be serving Captain Crunch. Will you be okay by yourself for a little while? I think I’ll go ask around and see if there’s someone who can drive me home real quick. I don’t want to bother Dad at work, but I need to find my cell phone and pick up the power cord so I can email my assignment to my teacher. I can’t afford another late paper.”

“Okay,” Karen said. “Just put the TV on Dora for me, and I’ll be good.”

Hilary grabbed her laptop and scampered out into the hallway to see if she could find one of the nurses who might be able to suggest something. With no one in sight, she walked to the nurse’s station, where a kind-looking middle-aged woman greeted her with a smile.

“Hi, sweetie, what can I do for you?” 

“I need a big favor. Is there any way you can help me arrange for a ride home to grab a few things? My dad’s at work, and I’m not sure when he’ll be getting back here. And I don’t have money for a cab.”

“You’re with Karen Porter, aren’t you?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She raised her eyebrows. “You know, I think one of the aides is ready for a break. It’s not standard procedure, but I bet she wouldn’t mind. I can ask her if you want me to.”

“Thank you so much! I’d sure appreciate it,” Hilary said.

“Sure thing,” the nurse said. “You ready to go now?”

Hilary nodded.

The nurse made a few calls, and before long, a young woman strolled over to the nurse’s station.

“Janice, you’re taking your break now, aren’t you?” the nurse said.

Janice nodded.

“Would you mind taking this young lady back to her house to pick up a few things? She’s sitting with little Karen Porter.”

Janice looked at Hilary and smiled. “Sure, no problem. Do you live close by?”

Hilary nodded again. “About ten minutes away. I’ll be quick, I promise.”

              Within minutes, Hilary and Janice were on their way.

              “I really appreciate you giving me this ride,” Hilary said for the third time. “I can have my boyfriend bring me back to the hospital, so you can just drop me off.”

“No problem,” Janice said. “I needed to run an errand anyway, and you’re along the way. You sure you won’t need a ride back?”

“I’m positive, thank you. You’ve done enough.”