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Chapter 16
February 17, 1999
Elizabeth had gotten
up early the next morning to race to Mass. It was Ash Wednesday,
the day faithful Catholics received ashes on their forehead as
a reminder of the forty days of Lent that had just begun. She
had gotten in after midnight the night before from Lafayette
and was surprised that Mari had beaten her home. So, like a good
roomie should, she quietly undressed and went to bed.
She had gotten out
of bed early the next morning, showered and dressed quietly as
to not awaken her roommate, and left for Mass. Now it was time
for breakfast, and Lizzy returned to see if Mari was up yet.
She opened to door to the sight of Mari, wrapped in a towel and
still wet from her shower, sitting on the bed with her head in
her hands.
"Rough night,
roomie?" she teased.
Mari groaned. "I…I
don't feel so good…"
Lizzy started to
giggle until she noticed how pale Mari was. She moved to her
as she asked, "Are you all right?"
"I don't know."
Lizzy felt her damp,
cool forehead. "No fever. What happened last night?"
Mari covered her
eyes. "I don't remember." At Lizzy's exclamation of
concern, Mari continued, "I really didn't have much to drink.
Only some soda and punch. The last thing I remember, I was at
the AI house, dancing…then, nothing. I got up a few minutes
ago. I thought a shower would help. I…I felt a need to bathe.
But, I don't feel any better."
"How did you
get home?"
Mari shook her head.
"I don't remember."
Lizzy's eyes grew
wide. "Oh, Mari, this is bad. Do you think…something
happened?"
"I don't know…"
she whispered and then gestured between her legs, "but I…hurt…down
there."
"Oh, my god!
We've got to get you to a doctor!"
Mari picked up her
head. "Lizzy, don't. I'm all right. Nothing happened. I
don't need to see anybody."
"Mari, don't
be silly…"
"Lizzy, I mean
it!" Mari cried. "I'm all right! Just leave me alone!"
"But if you've
been assaulted…" She was cut off by the telephone.
"Hello?"
"Lizzy?
It's John. Is Mari there?"
"Yes - John,
what happened last night?"
"Nothing.
Let me talk to her."
"Nothing?!"
Lizzy cried. "John, did you hurt her?"
"No - I
swear!"
"Is that John?"
asked Mari weakly.
Lizzy covered the
receiver. "Yes. He wants to talk to you." As Mari held
out her hand, Lizzy added, "I don't think that's a good
idea…"
"Give me the
phone, Lizzy." Reluctantly, Lizzy handed over the portable
receiver. "John?"
"Mari -
how're feeling?"
"Not so good
- I'm real light-headed. And my stomach's upset."
"Aww, man.
Did you sleep okay?"
"John, I don't
remember much…"
"There was
some real strong punch at the house last night. I guess it got
to you. Just get some sleep. Classes are off today, right?"
"John, Lizzy
thinks that there may have been something in my drink. Do you
think…?"
"No way,
babe. AIs don't do that sort of stuff."
"John…my
legs hurt, and…other places, too."
"Umm…you
were pretty wasted. I had to pick you up. I must have hit you
against the doorframe on the way out of the house. I'm sorry,
babe."
"You brought
me home?"
"Yeah. I
had to dig in your fanny pack to get your key. I tucked you in." Mari remained silent. "You
still there, Mari?"
"Yes. Thank
you, John."
"No problem.
You gonna get some rest?"
"Yes, I'm going
to stay in today."
"Good. That's
the best thing."
"Are you going
to come by?"
"Ummm…I'm
a little busy…"
"Oh."
"Look, I'll
call you soon, okay?"
"Okay, John."
"You get
some rest. Next time we won't party so hard. Later, babe."
"Bye, John,"
she said to the dial tone.
"Well?"
asked Lizzy.
Mari turned away
from her and crawled back into bed. "John said the punch
was real strong and that it hit me hard, so he brought me back
to the dorm. Look, I'm tired, and I want to go back to sleep,
Lizzy."
"But…you
need to be checked out by a doctor."
"Lizzy, I'm
okay! Just leave me alone!" She pulled the covers over her
head.
Elizabeth could
do nothing. She left the room for the cafeteria and breakfast,
dialing Emma's number as she walked.
~*~*~
Will Darcy had joined
Richard, his wife, Olivia, and their daughter for Mass at the
Fitzwilliam's church, and later went to his cousin's house in
Mid City for breakfast. Sitting around the kitchen table, Will
glanced at Olivia as she fussed with the four-year-old Megan,
who had gotten her good looks from her mother, and her personality
from her father.
"Had a good
Mardi Gras, cuz?" asked Richard.
"It was okay,"
Will admitted, "until last night. We had a situation at
the fraternity house."
"What happened?"
Will gestured with
his head at the women. "Things got a little out of hand,
but it's okay."
"Mardi Gras
and fraternities - a match made in heaven," smirked Olivia.
"Yeah, I suppose
so," Will chuckled. "We just gotta keep non-members
out of the house."
"Outsiders,
huh?"
"Yeah."
Will felt a need to unload. As they ate a breakfast of Lost Bread,
William commented, "There's this guy in the frat. He's popular
with a lot of the younger guys, but I've got my doubts about
him. He keeps bring this Wickham guy around the house. It's nothing
but trouble, if you ask me."
Richard nearly spit
out his coffee. "Honey?" cried Olivia, "are you
all right?"
"Daddy, are
you sick?" asked Megan.
Richard coughed
into his napkin as William pounded him on his back. "Than…thanks,
Will," he finally managed. "Coffee went down the wrong
way. Did you say 'Wickham'?"
"Yeah. Greg
Wickham. Do you know him?"
Richard's eyes went
wide, but only said, "I do. Was he your 'situation' last
night?"
"He was part
of it. I had to throw him out of the house last night."
Richard glanced
at Megan. Whatever Will's story was, he knew it was not for his
little daughter's ears. He gave Will a searching look as he changed
the subject. Will picked up on Richard's behavior and played
along. Once breakfast was done, Richard asked Megan if it wasn't
time for Nick Jr. on TV. She happily scampered into the den to
watch her favorite show, and the adults continued their conversation.
"Tell me what
happened last night." Richard's low tone made it clear he
wanted to know everything.
William recounted
the events from the back hallway in the AI house from the night
before. Marianne's name was left out, but enough was said and
suggested to make it clear what William thought had happened
in Patel's bedroom.
Olivia's nursing
training kicked in. "Describe how the young lady was behaving."
"She was really
out of it. Disoriented - I don't think she knew where she was."
"Did she appear
drunk?" the nurse asked.
Will thought for
a moment. "No - It seemed different, somehow."
Richard looked at
his wife. "Rohypnol?"
"Maybe."
Will felt his concern
rising. "What's Rohypnol?"
Richard answered.
"It's a popular date-rape drug, known on the street as Roofies."
William went pale as he continued, "Did she go to the hospital?"
"No, John took
her home."
"John - he's
the frat brother you were talking about? Wickham's friend?"
"Yes, he's
also the girl's boyfriend."
Olivia shook her
head. "If she took Rohypnol, she has to get checked out
soon. It only lasts in the system for seventy-two hours, at most."
"Yeah, that's
one problem," Richard said. "The other's Wickham. You
said you manhandled him?"
"I had to defend
myself," William pointed out.
"Damn, I should
have known it!" He slammed his hand on the table. "Wickham's
G-Daddy! Why didn't I see that?" He turned to his cousin.
"Will, this Wickham is a bad character. He's a drug dealer.
I busted him a few years ago for selling to high school kids.
Looks like he's changed his M.O. - now he's workin' the college
crowd. The S.O.B.'s dangerous."
"How dangerous?"
asked Will.
A sober Fitzwilliam
looked into William's eyes. "He might come after you for
roughing him up."
William saw that
Richard was deadly serious. "I didn't hit him, Fitz. I only
restrained him."
"That may not
cut you any slack." He ran his hand through his hair. "Okay,
I can talk to my captain, beef up patrols. We can always offer
you protection…"
"What?"
"Will, Wickham
won't come after you with his fists - it'll be a drive-by. You
need protection. At least call your dad."
William wasn't usually
frightened by anything, but his cousin's words had truly scared
him. "All right, I'll call Dad right away."
"What about
this girl?" asked Olivia. She felt nauseous, as if somebody
had tried to hurt her daughter.
William sighed.
"I'll try to talk her, try to find out what happened. And
if it's what I think, I'll try to convince her to get checked
out." At the others' expression, he continued, "No,
I'm not telling you her name. This will be her decision."
~*~*~
A half-hour later,
William was walking into the lobby of Buddig Hall. After talking
to his father, and arranging for an armed guard to meet him at
his apartment later, he tried to get into touch with Marianne
or Elizabeth, but there was no answer. Thinking Mari might be
asleep, he made up his mind to go see her.
Moments later, after
getting their room number from an R.A. on duty, he knocked on
their door. It was opened by Emma Weinberg. "William?"
Will was taken aback.
"Emma! Sorry - I didn't expect to see you here. Is Mari
in?"
"Yes, but she's
sleeping."
"Is there any
way I can talk to her?"
Emma shook her head,
then unlocked the door and stepped into the hallway. "Look,
Will, she's in no condition to talk to anybody."
"'No condition?'
Is she all right?"
Emma hesitated.
Since coming over, she had not spoken to the sleeping girl. Elizabeth
was clearly worried, but they had no facts. Still, something
happened. "She's sleeping, so I guess that's best for now."
"Is Elizabeth
here?"
"She's out."
Will was going to
suggest that Emma and Elizabeth take Mari to a doctor, but the
look on Emma's face told him his advice would not be well received.
"Em, can you tell Mari after she wakes up that I came over
and wanted to look in on her? And tell her if - if she wants
to tell me anything, I'll be happy to come back, or talk to her
on the phone, or whatever."
"All right,
Will. Thanks for coming by." With that, Emma let herself
back into the room.
~*~*~
"Will came
by," Emma said softly as Lizzy let herself into the room.
"He did? What
did he say?" Lizzy hid her warring emotions.
"He wanted
to know how Mari was doing."
"I'll bet."
"He also said
that if Mari wanted to say anything about what happened last
night, that he wanted to know."
"That's why
he came over - he's covering the fraternity's ass." Lizzy
was very disappointed that her suspicion of Will's motives turned
out to be right; she really wanted to be wrong on that.
"That's what
I thought. If something happened last night, the last
people Mari should talk to would be anybody in Alpha Iota."
"Yeah."
If a crime occurred last night, one doesn't call the criminals.
"Still…"
Emma dropped her voice to a whisper, "you don't think John
did anything?"
Lizzy looked at
their sleeping friend, worry clearly shown on her face. "Lord,
I hope not."
~*~*~
"Wickham's
a drug dealer!? Shit, I should have known!" cried Chuck
as he slid down in his chair. His bedroom in the AI house was
filled with the other officers and Darcy.
"Do you think
he gave something to Mari?" asked one of the others.
"Roofies or
GHB, probably," answered another.
"Knock off
the speculation, guys," advised Henry. "Let's deal
with the facts here."
"Yeah, the
fact that the university is gonna shut us down," claimed
the second man.
"Nobody is
going to shut down Alpha Iota, not if we keep our heads,"
injected William. "We got a mess, and we gotta clean it
up. Starting with Waguespack. He's gotta go."
"Will's right,"
said Chuck with unexpected force. "I gave that sumbitch
one chance too many. He's history."
"But John didn't
rape Mari, did he?" asked the first man.
"Don't say
that!" barked William. "There was NO RAPE - unless
Mari says otherwise." Will sighed. "Don't you guys
get it? If the story gets out that Mari was attacked last night,
everybody is going to be jumping on Mari. The school, the press,
the cops, lawyers - it will make her life a living hell. No matter
what really happened."
"Yeah, and
it wouldn't be too good for us, either," said the Sergeant-at-Arms.
"Right - it's
bad for both parties." William looked each man in the eye.
"Unless Mari says otherwise, nothing happened. We have to
be solid on this. No wild stories, no speculation. Nothing
happened. Now, if Mari does come forward and says that something
happened, we cooperate fully, without reservation. Let the cards
fall where they may. Until then, we protect Mari."
"And the frat,"
added the Sergeant-at-Arms.
Henry was troubled.
"Will, why not talk to the Dean of Students? It sounds like
it was Wickham, not John, who may have done something."
Will thought for
a moment. "Normally, I would agree with you, Henry. But
my cousin warned me that Wickham's a vindictive bastard. If we
turn him in without any proof, the cops can't hold him. Nobody
can protect us if he comes after us."
"That's why
the big goon is in the chapter room, right?" asked Chuck.
"Yeah, he's
my bodyguard. Just in case Wickham wants to get even for the
way I handled him in the back hall."
The others looked
at one another as the seriousness sunk in.
"Okay, I'm
calling an emergency chapter meeting tomorrow night - pledges
and actives," stated Chuck. "We'll take care of Waguespack
then. We'll also go over the new rules about outsiders at AI
parties."
"What rule
is that?" asked someone.
"No more outsiders,"
said William. There was further discussion over the strategy
for the meeting in two days before the group broke up. As everyone
was leaving, Henry had a last word with Chuck.
"I think we're
making a big mistake about this, Chuck," he said. "We
ought to go to the dean."
"Henry, trust
Will. He's never let us down before."
~*~*~
The cell phone ring
woke Greg up. Glancing at the Caller ID, he answered, "Go
ahead."
"Fitz has
been talking about you in the squad room. He's after you bad."
"What's he
sayin'?" A chill ran down Greg's spine.
"He's figured
out your handle. He knows it's you in Green Wave country."
"Shit! You
were supposed to protect me!"
"I did what
I could. I'm callin' you, ain't I - givin' you a heads-up?"
"How'd he find
out?"
"Don't know
- but I heard somethin' about his cousin gettin' a bodyguard."
"Fuck."
Obviously Darcy was Fitzwilliam's cousin, and they talked. Rich
boy's got a bodyguard? That didn't take long. Scared of ol' G-Daddy,
huh? "Okay. Good work. I owe you. The usual at the usual
place?"
"That'll
do." The line
went dead.
Wickham sat and
thought. Having a mole in the NOPD Second District was his greatest
asset. A little coke went a long way to protecting his operation.
The mole had planted misinformation, protecting his identity.
They didn't know if cell phones could be tapped or traced, so
they always talked without using names or places.
Now it paid off
again. Five-O was on to him, kinda. Time to fold up this operation,
at least for a while. Maybe not - maybe get some new go-betweens?
Cut into the profit margin, but it would be safer. Think about
it.
Meanwhile, let's
think how we're gonna get even with rich boy.
~*~*~
"Slow down,
John!" cried Tommy.
"No, man. I
gotta get outta here," John said as he threw clothes into
a duffle bag.
"John, tell
me what the hell is going on."
John took a breath.
"I've got a…situation."
"With Greg?"
John nodded.
"Really bad?"
"Yeah."
"Jail-bad?"
He nodded again,
thinking, Jail is the least of my worries. If Mari goes to
the police, Greg'll come after me!
Tommy continued
to talk sense into his friend. "John, I know Greg is behind
whatever is scaring the shit outta you. Go to the police. Cooperate.
They'll get Wickham off the street."
"I can't! They'll
put me away."
"John, what
the hell did you do?"
"It…it
wasn't supposed to hurt anybody! I was just easing my way with
Mari…"
Tommy slammed John
against the wall. "John, did-you-hurt-Mari?!"
"IT WASN'T
ME - IT WAS GREG!"
A million thoughts
flowed through Tommy's mind, but he asked the most important
question. "Is Mari all right?"
"I think so,
yeah. I got her back to her room, an' I talked to her this morning.
She's okay."
Tommy took a breath.
"Did Greg rape her?" As John began weeping, Tommy shook
his shirt front. "Answer me!"
"I don't know!
I don't know!"
"All right,"
he released his friend, "tell me everything."
And so he did, from
Greg's offer of "help" to Mari's new resistance to
John's charms to the events of the previous night. In the telling,
John left out that Mari's clothes had been disturbed. John didn't
trust Tommy not to turn on him if his roommate got the idea that
what happened to Mari was worse than passing out from an unknown
substance. All the while, Tommy grew more and more depressed
and disappointed with his friend. Finally, drained, John sat
on his bed.
"Is that all?"
Tommy asked. "Anything else happen?"
"That's all
I know - I swear." John held his face in his hands.
"Then why are
you leaving?"
"I'm scared,
Tommy. What Greg did - dopin' Mari - that's against the law.
I tell the police anything, they'll lock me up, 'cause he was
doing it for me. And if they don't, Greg'll come after me. You
know how crazy he is."
"The police
can offer you protection, John. C'mon, do the right thing."
"No, not yet.
I gotta get outta town - think things over."
Tommy nodded. "All
right. Where're you going?"
"Not to my
dad's," he spat. "I gotta aunt in Hattiesburg - she'll
put me up."
Tommy got to his
feet. There was nothing he could do, for now. Maybe later, when
John calmed down, he would listen to reason. "All right.
I gotta get to NA. Call me when you get there, buddy."
"Sure. Sure
thing, Tommy." He looked up, tears still in his eyes. "You're
the best friend I've ever had, Tommy."
"Yeah."
He patted John on the shoulder. "I'll always be here for
you, dude."
~*~*~
Marianne woke up
with a start. Looking around, she saw Lizzy sleeping in her bed.
The clock showed it was after ten p.m.
The aches of the
morning were fading, but she still felt sick to her stomach.
Grabbing a granola bar on her bedstead, she tore the wrapper
off and began to munch. It was her first food of the day.
She began to feel
a little better until her eye fell on the pile of clothes on
the floor. Dirty, her mind screamed, they're dirty!
Driven by something
she could barely understand, Mari got up quietly and placed the
items into her hamper. She retrieved her purse and keys, made
sure her laundry supplies were in the hamper, and silently let
herself out of the room.
The next thing she
knew, she was in the dorm's laundry, starting the washing machine.
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