A Necessary Struggle: Spring Semester

Chapter 49: The Rigidity of Questions

Alyssa would have rather been at the Spring Arts Fest, seeing Lela off at the airport, or studying for her biochemistry quiz. Instead, she was in a gray-walled room sitting in one of the twelve chairs that lined an elongated table. Her midnight eyes were glued ahead on the abstract painting that was as demure as the subject at hand.

Light clicks of medium clear nails against a keyboard came from Lindsey, a blonde neatly dressed woman that didn't appear much older than Alyssa sat at the far end of the table.

"Mr. Richards trial is a little over a week; next Wednesday to be exact." The dark-skinned lawyer shimmied out of his tailor suit coat then set it neatly over the chair. "So, today I just want to go over some questions to prepare you for that day. Make sure nerves and anxiety don't come into play."

Alyssa studied the black suit jacket then the white button-down spread across his torso. It appeared to be silk that led her to wonder about him.

"How long have you been a District attorney?" She inquired the polished man whose wardrobe dripped money.

He fixed his cufflinks that matched well with his gold Rolex, "About four months but I ensure you I'm well equipped for the task at hand." He brimmed a cocky smile that had to be the product of winning many cases.

"And before..." Alyssa drummed her fingers on the gleaming maple table. "What'd you do?"

The smugness faded from his face as he inhaled deeply, "I was a corporate lawyer up in Houston but..." He cleared his throat loudly, "But enough about me." He clasped his hands before him. "Let's get to business."

"Let's." Alyssa agreed with a nod of her head. The sooner they started the sooner it would be over and hopefully she would be able to get out of there in time for the step show.

"According to the police records, you and Mr. Richards use to be in a relationship. How long ago was this relationship and what was the duration?" He glanced over at Lindsey and gave a nod of approval as she sat with her pen over a legal pad waiting to jot down Alyssa's answers.

"We dated sophomore year." Alyssa slipped her hands off the table and dropped them in her lap. "It lasted a little over a semester. We broke up a couple of days after spring semester started."

The lawyer's eyebrows drew together, "Why'd ya'll break up?"

"He cheated on me." Alyssa clasped her hands together vividly remembering the first time he broke her heart. "With a girl, he met at a ski lodge over the break."

The lawyer nodded, "How did he take the break-up?"

"He was upset." Alyssa glanced down feeling a tingle in the back of her throat. "We both were."

"Was he violent?"

"No." She spoke quickly with a shake of her head. "He was..." She stopped, pressing her lips tightly together. "He cried." She rubbed the back of her neck trying to forget the image of him on his knees with his arms around her legs begging her to forgive him and give him another chance. "He said it was a mistake and he wished he could take it back and that—he loved me."

He flipped open a leather-bound notebook to a black ink scribbled page, "There were texts on your phone between the two of you so I assume ya'll mend things."

"We became friendly." Alyssa let out a breath of despair as she thought maybe she should have kept Jacob out of her life and maybe all this wouldn't be happening, right now. "It happened during the summer after sophomore year. He invited me to play Words with Friends with him and gradually we started back talking."

"So, let's fast forward to the night of the assault." He gesticulated. "You invited him down to the lab. Why?"

Alyssa's shoulders slowly rose into a shrug then fell, "I was bored. He was at the hospital and I wanted the company." She picked at her immaculate nails with her eyes on the table. A hollow gnawing ached in her chest.

"What happened when he showed up?"

"We talked, Mr. Collins." Alyssa weakly threw her arms up as tension built in her shoulders. "We talked about classes, our plans for the weekend, and..." Her words fell silent as her sight was trained on the wall behind the lawyer."

"And what?" He inquired with a concrete demeanor.

"And..." Alyssa gasped in a breath as her lip quivered. "He tried to kiss me but I pushed him away. I laughed because I thought he was playing but..." She clenched her hands harder; "He tried again...with more force. I told him to stop but...he looked as if the words didn't reach him."

"What happened next?"

"He made me kiss him." Her hand went to her cheek—flaring scarlet as she remembered that night. "He squeezed my face so hard I knew his fingertips would bruise my skin." His hand fell from her face. "I grabbed a becker off the countertop he had me against and hit him over the head with it."

"And what did that do?"

"Made him cold cock me." She cleared her throat loudly trying to elevate the tremble in her tone.

"And then?"

Alyssa folded her arms across her body making herself small; "The impact sent me to the floor. I hit my head," She felt a tickle on her cheek and realized she was crying. "And he raped me."

"You were unconscious, do you remember any of the rape?"

She nodded slowly, "I wasn't unconscious when he..." She looked off to the side with blurry eyes. "...He entered me."

Mr. Collins' whiskey eyes burned, "If we do exactly that in court, we'll win."

"Can do," Alyssa responded as she wiped the tears from her face. "Can you tell me something...does the police report indicate who found?" She sniffed. "I'd like to thank them."

"A..." Mr. Collins told flipping to another page in his notebook. "Quinn—"

"Fuller," Alyssa interjected.

"Yeah," He looked up at her. "You know him?"

"I do." She let out a tired sigh. "I know him."

What impact do you think finding out Quinn was the one that found her will have on Alyssa?