“She’s next door in the witness room filling out her formal statement.”
“I’ll go,” Brazen says while taking my hand. “She’ll be less apprehensive around one of her own kind.”
“You read my mind,” I reply daringly, and he kisses the back of my hand before leading me out.
I walk into the viewing room of the witness stand, and Brazen walks over to the girl who has healed, blood still staining her dress.
“Are you feeling okay-” he pauses while searching the file for her name “- Ms. Hanbrook?”
She whimpers as tears drip from her face. Her tears seem rehearsed, easily provoked even. She’s not a very good actress.
“She doesn’t look like a guilty wolf crier to me,” Leon growls.
He’s trying to act like his balls are still hanging now that Brazen isn’t in the room.
“She looks guilty to me. When women have been blood raped, they tend to shiver around men. She is staring at her paper without any concern for Brazen’s presence. She’s dismissive of him, and she’s just ready to get the hell out of here.”
“Ms. Hanbrook, can you tell me how you ended up in the men’s restroom?” Brazen asks.
“He pushed me in there,” she lies, and I can tell she’s intentionally avoiding eye contact with the expert detective.
“He pushed you in there? That’s odd. The restroom is up two flights of stairs, and it’s on a separate tower than the women’s according to this map. You’ll have to forgive me, I’m new to the area.”
I smile at his finesse, and she shakes her head at him.
“He drug me in there then. Whatever,” she mumbles.
“Do you see that?” I say to Leon. “She got agitated when he called her out on her lie. She wouldn’t have started sobbing harder if this was a real attack.”
“No one reacts the same to a traumatic incident,” he counters.
“Follow me,” I murmur while leading him out of the room.
I walk into the room where the terrified newbie is chained up. He shivers the instant I walk in, and I can see the fear in his eyes.
“I swear I didn’t force her. She came to me. She followed me in the bathroom,” he pleads.
“I just need you to do something for me,” I mutter while removing his cuffs.
“What?” he asks through his youthful tears.
“I need you to try to force me against that wall. I want to see how close you can get to my neck.”
“No. No. No,” he cries, and it’s apparent who the real victim is.
“Listen. I believe you’re innocent, but you have to prove me right,” I whisper, and he sucks back his tears as he nods.
“Now try to push me against the wall.”
He warily steps toward me, and his gentle hands show no signs of viciousness in them. He pushes as hard as he can, but his strength is no match for mine. I easily move out of his grip, and he falls to the floor.
“You see?” I say to the invisible faces behind the glass, and then I turn back to the scared boy. “Have a seat. I’ll come back to let you go as soon as I have this straightened out.”
“You believe me?” he asks so hopefully.
“I do. I think I just made some others realize I’m right.”
I walk out to the furious face of Leon.
