'So it is your testimony that two men raped you, that they didn't wear masks or do anything to disguise themselves, that they in fact showed you their faces, that they did this in their room with at least one witness watching you being forced to enter. Is that correct?'
I begged Chamique not to sound wishy-washy. She didn't. 'That sounds right, yeah.' 'And yet, for some reason'-again Flair looked like the most perplexed man imaginable-'they used aliases?'
No reply. Good.
Flair Hickory continued to shake his head as though someone had demanded he make two plus two equal five. 'Your attackers used the names Cal and Jim instead of their own. That's your testimony, is it not, Miss Johnson?'
'It is.'
'Does that make any sense to you?'
'Objection,' I said. 'Nothing about this brutal crime makes sense to her.'
'Oh, I understand that,' Flair Hickory said. 'I was just hoping, being that she was there, that Ms. Johnson might have a theory on why they would let their faces be seen and attack her in their own room- and yet use aliases.' He smiled sweetly. 'Do you have one, Miss Johnson?'
'One what?'
'A theory on why two boys named Edward and Barry would call themselves Jim and Cal?'
No.
Flair Hickory walked back to his desk. 'Before I asked you if you knew any rapists. Do you remember that?'
'Yeah.'
'Good. Do you?'
'I don't think so.'
Flair nodded and picked up a sheet of paper. 'How about a man currently being incarcerated in Rahway on charges of sexual battery named, and please pay attention, Ms. Johnson – Jim Broodway?'
Chamique's eyes grew wide. 'You mean James?'
'I mean, Jim or James, if you want the formal name Broodway who used to reside at 1189 Central Avenue in the city of Newark, New Jersey. Do you know him?'
'Yeah.' Her voice was soft. 'I used to know him.'
'Did you know that he is now in prison?'
She shrugged. 'I know a lot of guys who are now in prison.'
Tm certain you do'-for the first time, there was bite in Flairs voice-'but that wasn't my question. I asked you if you knew that Jim Broodway was in prison.'
'He's not Jim. He's James-'
'I will ask one more time, Miss Johnson, and then I will ask the court to demand an answer-' I was up. 'Objection. He's badgering the witness.' 'Overruled. Answer the question.'
'I heard something about it,' Chamique said, and her tone was meek. Flair did the dramatic sigh. 'Yes or no, Miss Johnson, did you know that Jim Broodway is currently serving time in a state penitentiary?'
Yes.
'There. Was that so hard?'
Me again. 'Your Honor…'
'No need for the dramatics, Mr. Hickory. Get on with it.'
Flair Hickory walked back to his chair. 'Have you ever had sex with Jim Broodway?'
'His name is James!' Chamique said again.
'Let's call him 'Mr. Broodway' for the sake of this discussion, shall we? Have you ever had sex with Mr. Broodway?'
I couldn't just let this go. 'Objection. Her sex life is irrelevant to this case. The law is clear here.'
Judge Pierce looked at Flair. 'Mr. Hickory?'
'I am not trying to besmirch Miss Johnson’s reputation or imply that she was a woman of loose morals,' Flair said. 'Opposing counsel already explained very clearly that Miss Johnson has worked as a prostitute and has engaged in a variety of sexual activities with a wide variety of men.'
When will I learn to keep my mouth shut?
'The point I am trying to raise is a different one and will not at all embarrass the defendant. She has admitted having sex with men. The fact that Mr. Broodway might be one of them is hardly stapling a scarlet letter to her chest.'
'Its prejudicial,' I countered.
Flair looked at me as if I'd just dropped out of the backside of a horse. 'I just explained to you why it is very much not. But the truth is, Chamique Johnson has accused two youths of a very serious crime. She has testified that a man named Jim raped her. What I am asking, plain and simple, is this: Did she ever have sex with Mr. Jim Broodway or James, if she prefers-who is currently serving time in a state penitentiary for sexual battery?'
I saw now where this was going. And it wasn't good.
'I'll allow it,' the judge said.
I sat back down.
'Miss Johnson, have you ever had sexual relations with Mr. Broodway?' A tear rolled down her cheek. 'Yeah.' 'More than once?' 'Yeah.'
It looked like Flair was going to try to be more specific, but he knew better than to pile on. He changed directions a little. 'Were you ever drunk or high while having sex with Mr. Broodway?'
'Might have been.'
Yes or no?
His voice was soft but firm. There was a hint of outrage now too.
'Yes.'
She was crying harder now.
I stood. 'Quick recess, Your Honor.'
Flair dropped the hammer before the judge could reply. 'Was there ever another man involved in your sexual encounters with Jim Broodway?'
The courtroom exploded.
'Your Honor!' I shouted.
'Order!' The judge used the gavel. 'Order!'
The room quieted quickly. Judge Pierce looked down at me. 'I know how hard this is to listen to, but I'm going to allow this question.' He turned to Chamique. 'Please answer.'
The court stenographer read the question again. Chamique sat there and let the tears spill down her face. When the stenographer finished, Chamique said, 'No.'
'Mr. Broodway will testify that-' 'He let some friend of his watch!' Chamique cried out. 'That's all. I never let him touch me! You hear me? Not ever!' The room was silent. I tried to keep my head up, tried not to close my eyes.
'So,' Flair Hickory said, 'you had sex with a man named Jim '
'James! His name is James!'
'-and another man was in the room and yet you don't know how you came up with the names Jim and Cal?'
'I don't know no Cal. And his name is James.'
Flair Hickory moved closer to her. His face showed concern now, as if he were reaching out to her. 'Are you sure you didn't imagine this, Miss Johnson?'
His voice sounded like one of those TV help doctors.
She wiped her face. 'Yeah, Mr. Hickory. I'm sure. Damned sure.'
But Flair did not back down.
'I don't necessarily say you're lying,' he went on, and I bit back my objection, 'but isn't there a chance that maybe you had too much punch-not your fault, of course, you thought it was nonalcoholic- and then you engaged in a consensual act and just flashed back to some other time period? Wouldn't that explain your insisting that the two men who raped you were named Jim and Cal?'
I was up on my feet to say that was two questions, but Flair again knew what he was doing. 'Withdrawn,' Flair Hickory said, as if this whole thing was just the saddest thing for all parties involved. 'I have no further questions.'
Chapter 13
While Lucy waited for Sylvia Potter, she tried to Google the name from Ira’s visitors log: Manolo Santiago. There were lots of hits, but nothing that helped. He wasn't a reporter-or no hits showed that to be the case anyhow. So who was he? And why would he visit her father?
She could ask Ira, of course. If he remembered.
Two hours passed. Then three and four. She called Sylvia’s room. No answer. She tried e-mailing the Blackberry again. No response. This wasn't good. How the hell would Sylvia Potter know about her past? Lucy checked the student directory. Sylvia Potter lived in Stone House down in the social quad. She decided to walk over and see what she could find.
There was an obvious magic to a college campus. There is no entity more protected, more shielded, and while it was easy to complain about that, it was also how it should be. Some things grow better in a vacuum.
It was a place to feel safe when you're young-but when you're older, like she and Lonnie, it started becoming a place to hide.
Stone House used to be Psi Us fraternity house. Ten years ago, the college did away with fraternities, calling them 'anti-intellectual.' Lucy didn't disagree that
