Like a Moth to a Flame

Andrew 16

I just let Lisa know the good news and I'm hoping to see her tomorrow to give her any details I can share after tonight's interrogation. I'm sitting at a desk, watching the live recording of Grant and Sam. Grant's leaning back in his seat, hands behind his head, just watching Sam. He hasn't flinched. It doesn't look like the intimidation is working on this guy.

Grant gathers his drink and notebook and heads out of the room. "That prick just shut right up and isn't talking for shit now. I told you the easy ones go bad quick. Next thing you know, he's going to ask for a lawyer. Reynolds, its your turn. See if you can charm your way into his heart," he says sarcastically as he takes a seat at the same desk I was just at.

I take a couple of deep breaths before I walk into the closet sized room with a table and 3 chairs. I sit across from Sam as he's watching me now with those dark eyes of his. 

"When we spoke earlier, you said you did what you had to do. What'd you mean by that?" Sam eyes me, sits back and looks like he's actually trying to think of something to say. "Yea, I did. I bet you'd do the same if you were in my position." I press on for more. "What position was that? Did he try and attack you? Try and rape you?" "No, fuck no. Nothing like that. I gave him what he had coming. I did it for her."

My pulse is racing and I suddenly feel like the air is being sucked out of this room. Would he give up more information? I press my luck and continue. "Can you tell me who she is?" Sam rests his hands on the table, staring at the light dancing off the silver handcuffs. I think that's all he's going to give me. I wait for 5 minutes. Nothing but silence. I fidget in my seat and decide maybe Grant should take a stab at him now. 

I stand up and head towards the door when I hear him say, "I did it for my sister, Laura. She was afraid of the sick fuck." 

I walk back over to the table and sit down and he continues to open up. "Laura's a good woman but she had the worst luck when it came to men.  She's got 3 kids and was married at the time. She got caught up with him 'cause he worked with her in another area and she got caught up in the excitement and even though that's not right, what he put her through was even worse. I noticed her begin to lose weight, lose interest in things. She always used to be active and take the kids out with her to places but once she got involved with this guy, its like he sucked the life out of her. She become jumpy. Almost paranoid. She had anxiety now. And I blame him for it all."

Sam's fists are now clenched tightly. "She came over to my home one night after her husband kicked her out because this piece of shit was blowing up her phone. He wouldn't stop. He wouldn't leave her alone so she came to me crying and told me how for 3 years, he'd manipulate her, make her do things she didn't want to do. I know my sister and I know she had a rebellious side to her, but Detective, she was terrified of this man. She showed me the texts that he was sending her that night, even as she poured her heart out to me. That piece of shit was one sick fuck.

Sam memorized one text in particular.

"You're one piece of work Laura. You fucking hypocrite. You wanted this. I know you did and still do. Tell me you want this. Tell me you want me to hurt you. Say it now. Now Laura. Please babe, I need you to tell me you want this. Why aren't you answering me??"

"Then you know what he did? He sent her picture after picture of his dick. And he started demanding send him some of her. That he needed to jerk off because she wasn't there to do it for him. I grabbed her phone and threw it against the wall because she was sobbing uncontrollably saying she's asked him to stop. Begged him to stop. That she's lost everything because of him and he just doesn't care. Its like he's a fucking nympho that needs it all the fucking time."

"I told her I would take care of this but she needed to be smart about things because she has a family to think about. Told her to record any calls because she said he was calling multiple times a day and hanging up. Told her to save her texts. Told her to walk out of her office building with friends and never, never be alone with him anywhere because she was afraid he'd rape her at some point."

There's a single tear forming in Sam's eye. "She did all that and one afternoon, after she hadn't heard from him for a couple of weeks, she let her guard down. She was asked to stay late at work to prepare for a meeting the next day. Laura's a good, hard worker so she stayed late and was one of the last people to leave that evening. She was walking through the mail room to exit the back of the building when she felt a hand over her mouth and someone pulling her down a dark hall and into a storeroom. It was James. She told me he said, "You didn't think I'd give up that easy now, did you? You know you've wanted this just as much as I have." And he tied her hands behind her back, stuck a piece of cloth in her mouth and raped her."

"When she came over that night, I knew something was wrong. She looked completely out of it. Her eyes were swollen from crying. Her wrists still had the markings from whatever it was he used to tie her up with. She just sat and cried until she told me what happened. She said she didn't want to report it because she wanted this when it all began 3 years ago. There were emails and phone records that would prove she welcomed it. She was an active participant. It'd be her word against his. She didn't want to lose her job so I told her I'd take care of it."

"And I did. I killed him for raping my sister physically and emotionally. I killed him for hurting her physically and emotionally.  And I killed him because he wasn't going to stop hurting her or anyone else he came across," Sam says as he stares me right in the eye.

He's right. I would've done the same thing.