Closure (Editing) (Complete)

Chapter 23 (unedited)

|Warnings| Strong Language
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★ Third p.o.v★

          In 2011 mid-September, a Jamaican boy name Mervis Carol was raped in the boy's bathroom at Dukehill middle school. The school janitor found Mervis with pants down his ankles, and a ripped shirt. Mervis never told the janitor what happened, but it was obvious. Mervis refused any medical attention,  he went to the police station only to be ridiculed by detectives. Who said, "You can't get raped, you're a boy".
The police never took Mervis seriously, which hurt him even more. However, after a rape kit confirms Ryder's D.N., Ryder was immediately charged. But before trial, Mervis took his own life which caused Judge Askew to dismiss the charges.

   Mervis'es parents, Dakota and Joelle filed a lawsuit against the California police department. Claiming detectives and police berated their son, instead of helping him. They alleged that law enforcement tried to convince Mervis not to press charges. Detective Han was listed as one of the people, who were unprofessional toward Mervis. Dakota and Joelle won the lawsuit, but no amount of money can replace a human life or heal a broken heart. Detective Han and two other police officers were then suspended without pay but returned after six weeks.

Detective Han hasn't apologized for her involvement, until now.

ʕ •́؈•̀ ₎

On February 4th Detective Han decides to drive a few miles to where Carol's family lives, it's a blue, four-story house with a beautiful rose garden on the front lawn. Detective Kyro stays in the patrol car, while her partner walks on the property. When Detective Han knocks on the front door, it doesn't take long for someone to answer. Dakota peeks outside the window, then unlocks the door from inside and cracks it open. Detective Han stares at the sixty-eight-year-old woman, her skin is wrinkly and she smells like
an old 80s fragrance. With hazel eyes and stringy white hair, Dakota is almost unrecognizable from the detective.

"Hey..." Detective Han says, Dakota just stares blankly at her "I think I owe you an apology"

"Think?" Dakota says with her eyebrows rising.

"May I come in?"

      Hesitant at first, Dakota eventually allows Detective Han to come inside. The living room is spotless with two couches next to each other, a blue carpet laid out on the floor, and a flat-screen television against the wall. Same as Detective Han remembers. Strangely, there are no family pictures anywhere. On the mantle is a rectangular box, containing Mervis's ashes. Dakota picks up her water bottle off the coffee table, she has been waiting for this exact moment for many years. But, Dakota is not sure if even an apology will bring the closure she desperately needs.

"I'm sorry for what I did to your son," Detective Han says.

"It's what you didn't do," Dakota says, soon sitting down on one of these couches with her feet placed on the coffee.

Detective Han sits down next to the grieving mother. Dakota once again looks at the detective with tears in her eyes, reliving that moment when she found Mervis hanging in his bedroom closet. Detective Han places a hand on Dakota's knee, it looks as though the mother hasn't slept in ages. "I don't know if you have watched the news lately" Detective Han mentions.

Dakota stares blankly at her, "I don't watch tv anymore..." She mumbles.

Detective Han glances at the television across from them, she notices it is unplugged.  With crust and dirt on the extension cord, looks as though it's been this way for a while. "Why?" Dakota asks.

"Because.....Ryder is dead" Detective Han says squeezing Dakota's leg "He was murdered"

Dakota doesn't know to react, she just sighs with relief. After eleven years of mourning, Dakota gets the news she has been hoping for since day one. A smile appears on her face, Dakota then asks "Did he suffer?"