“Take your time, Janet.”
She takes a few deep breaths. “He hit me. I was so shocked, so broken that I didn’t fight him when he pushed himself onto me. He raped me and I didn’t even fight.” Tears burst forth and she starts sobbing.
“Janet,” I say gently. “It wasn’t your fault. You were scared.”
“I was numb,” she cries. “I couldn’t even move.”
God, the poor woman.
“After that,” she goes on before I can respond, “after that he kept hitting me. Eventually, I ran from him. I had family two states away so I fled. I didn’t see him again.”
“You’re doing the right thing, reporting this.”
She nods. “He’s a bad man, and … well, I saw the news and they asked if anyone had information … I know it’s not going to help the case but I—”
“Janet, what you’ve done here today is very brave and I promise you, it will help in more ways than you can imagine.”
Dean, you’re going down.
*
“I don’t know why I’m here!” Dean spits, jerking in his cuffs. “I was just having a beer.”
“You know exactly why you’re here, Dean,” I say, leaning back in my chair.
“I don’t.”
“You do. Tell me about the death of Kelly Knox.”
He squirms. “I’ve told you everything about that.”
I shrug. “I’d like to hear it again.”
He bares his teeth and growls, “There ain’t nothin’ to tell. That psycho came in there and beat her, then he stabbed her. When I tried to help, he beat me and was going to kill me, too.”
“Why did he just come in and beat his own sister?”
“Because he’s fucking nuts.”
“That’s not an answer.”
Dean glares at me. “How the fuck should I know? He was crazy. He was so controlling over her. Didn’t want her near me. She defied him and he didn’t like it.”
“So you’re telling me he killed her because she wouldn’t stay away from you?”
“Yes.”
I cross my arms. “Tell me about the abuse.”
Dean’s body flinches. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me, Dean. Tell me why you used to hit Kelly.”
Dean’s eyes widen and he stutters out, “I didn’t hit her.”
“But you did. We have phone records and statements from neighbors.”
“That doesn’t prove anything!” he yells.
“We also have a statement from a lady named Janet, who you raped and beat before you met Kelly.”
All the color drains from his face. Bingo.
“N-never heard of her.”
“Really?” I say, pursing my lips. “Funny, she seemed to know you pretty well.”
“This has nothing to do with that psycho Raide Knox and his case.”
“It has everything to do with it. I’m just going to come out and say it, Dean: You’re in serious trouble. We have evidence that proves you have been aggressive and violent in not just one, but two of your relationships. We have proof you took Raide and also a woman named Grace, and held them captive.”
Again, Dean flinches. “No idea what you’re talking about.”
“You do know Grace was wired, don’t you?”
His skin goes slightly paler, which tells me it was him who removed the wires. It also tells me that he now knows he’s fucked. He says nothing, but his eyes dart to the left in fear.
“So we have proof you took her, we heard the whole thing. Now, why would you take an innocent woman if you’ve done nothing wrong?”
Dean loses it. “That fucker was chasing me!” he bellows. “He wouldn’t let up. I was unsafe and I was doing what I could to protect myself from being his next victim.”
“But he didn’t kill Kelly, you did.”
“You know nothing!” he roars. “I didn’t kill her.”
“You did and I have a strong investigation as well as evidence against you. You’ll go away, do you understand me? I’ll make sure of it. Not to mention you’re going to be charged with assault and rape while I’m at it.”
I thank the heavens for Dean’s fried brain, for all the drugs he’s done, for his stupidity, because he bellows, “You don’t understand. You don’t. It wasn’t my fault.”
“Why don’t you tell me what happened and we’ll go easier on you,” I say, not meaning a word of it. I know that with cowards like Dean, offering anything that can save their worthless asses is always good motivation. “The harder you make this for us, the harder we’ll make this for you.”
“She made me do it. She fucking made me do it.”
I keep calm even though everything inside me is wanting to scream with joy. “How can someone make you kill them?”
“She wouldn’t listen!” he screams, his eyes wide and frantic. “I tried to make her. Tried to make her see that I was good for her but she just wanted to run back to her brother all the time. It wasn’t meant to happen, we got into a fight. You have to believe me.”
“You took an innocent life, Dean.”