“Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge,” replied Jethro as he locked the car. “Lots of nice peaceful trails to walk. A good place to walk and talk without interruptions.”
“Don’t think I’ve ever been out here,” mused Jake. “Might have been here on a field trip as a kid.”
“Follow the signs for the Pine Grove Trail,” instructed Jethro, pointing to a path that led into the trees.
Nodding, Jake stuffed his hands in his pockets and set off along the trail. With dry crisp leaves crunching beneath their feet, they walked in silence for a few minutes. Around them, they could hear birds in the trees. Giving nature’s magic time to relax Jake a little, Jethro bided his time before saying, “If the story Jim and Grey told me is accurate, when we get back to the studio, we are calling the police, son.”
Jake merely shrugged his shoulders.
“How about you tell me when this mess started,” prompted Jethro, his voice warm and the tone even and non-judgemental.
“Probably from the first day I met her,” sighed Jake without looking up. “I helped her with some chores at her apartment. Unblocked a couple of sinks. Put a new fuse in her AC unit.”
“Was she coming on to you back then?”
“When I fixed her AC unit, I guess she was,” admitted Jake quietly. “I just thought she was lonely. A bit lost. She said she was new in town. Said she was mid-divorce.”
“So, will you be if we can’t sort this mess out,” stated Jethro bluntly. “I love you and Lori like my own. I don’t want to see you two tear each other apart in court.”
“Me neither,” whispered Jake.
They walked on towards Fleetwood Pond in silence. As the still pond came into sight, Jake said, “The day that hornet stung me, she was out at JJL. I was icing my hand in the lounge and she came in. Tried to force herself on me. I pushed her away or at least I tried to. She got her hand down my jeans and…… well, long story short…. jerked me off.”
“Did you consent to any of it?”
Jake shook his head. “I repeatedly asked her to stop. Didn’t want to be too rough on her. Didn’t want a scene in front of everyone.”
“She claims you had sex with her,” commented Jethro. “Told Jim it was consensual.”
“That’s kind of stretching the truth,” began Jake. “But, yes, I had sex with her. Once. Once after she….”
“After she what?” prompted Jethro. “You might as well tell me all there is to tell, seeing as how you’re going to be telling the same story to the police later.”
“She came into the rehearsal room while I was out there on my own. It was the day Kaya was born,” began Jake, stopping to gaze out over the pond at two ducks swimming towards the shore hoping for a snack. “She said I looked tense. Gave me a shoulder rub then massaged my neck and my ears. I thought it was kind of weird to massage my ears.”
“Your ears are one of the body’s erogenous zones,” Jethro informed him. “This woman knows all the tricks by the sounds of it.”
“She does,” acknowledged Jake, his voice echoing with resignation. “She undid my jeans. My dick was enjoying the massage so I was kind of hard. She sucked my….”
“I get the picture,” interrupted Jethro.
“Well, before I shot my load, I told her to stop. She was encouraging me to fuck her. Begging me. No excuses. I did.”
“Delicately put, Mr Power,” muttered the band’s manager sarcastically.
“I told her it was a mistake. That it could never happen again. Should never have happened at all.”
“Was that the only time you had sex with her?”
“Yes,” replied Jake calmly. “Then yesterday happened.”
“Who initiated that little scene?” quizzed Jethro.
“She did.”
“And that’s what Maddison walked in on?”
Jake nodded, “Only what Maddison didn’t see was that crazy bitch wasn’t just sucking my dick. She was threatening to sink her teeth into it!”
“Did she bite you?”
“Yes, gently, but she also scratched me with her teeth. Deliberately marked me,” admitted Jake, still wholly aware of the red welts on his manhood.
“Marked you? Deliberately?”
Jake nodded.
“Are those marks still visible?”
Again, Jake nodded.
“You’ll need to be prepared to show those to the police. Those marks are evidence of sexual assault.”
“I am not showing my dick to the cops!” protested Jake sharply.
“I think you’ll discover you are,” countered Jethro, his tone making it quite clear that there was no room for negotiation.
They continued to walk along the trail for a few minutes, gradually winding their way back towards the parking lot. Just before they reached the end of the path, Jethro said, “I’m going to break a confidence Grey shared with me. I feel you need to know something.”
“What? Is it about Lori?” asked Jake anxiously. “Is she ok?”
Jethro nodded, “Grey tried to talk to her this morning. Pleaded your case for you. Lori showed him something. Swore him to secrecy.”
“What?”
“Obscene text messages. Four of them.”
“From the lovely Nicole?”
“From four different unknown cell numbers,” explained Jethro calmly. “Grey and Paul are heading over to your place just now. Maddison is collecting your kids. The boys are going to try to persuade Lori to talk to the police about the messages.”
“Jesus!”
“Listen, son,” said Jethro softly. “Even if they convince her, I suspect it’s going to take a while before she’ll agree to talk to you. You know how stubborn she is. You know how seriously she takes monogamy. After the affairs her father had….”
“I hear you,” sighed Jake sadly. “Why didn’t she tell me about the messages?”
“No idea. Knowing Lori though, she’d have thought she was protecting you.”
