“I can,” Nikki replied. “I’ve seen my share of gossip at my father’s hands and twenty years of my own. What else?” Nikki asked as she flipped the pages.
“Well, he was warned that if he appeared before the courts again, they wouldn’t be so lenient next time. He would be charged to the full extent of the law and serve hard time.”
“It would serve him right,” Nikki replied bitterly. “He can’t continue to prey on young girls, destroy their self-esteem and damage them emotionally, and then move on to the next. He can’t get away with it.”
“You need to get her to press charges and take out a restraining order against him. She’s the only one who can.”
“I don’t see why she wouldn’t,” Nikki said.
Greg glanced over at her. “Victims often blame themselves and rarely do what needs to be done. Make sure she does.”
“I will,” Nikki told him. “Thanks for the great work again.”
Greg got up and left, and at that time, Nikki asked Paul to be there when she told Amy the truth.
It didn’t go over the way Nikki saw it in her head. Amy seemed to have been familiar with the information they presented to her.
“What now?” she asked after Nikki had told her all about the other offenses Jake had committed.
“You need to make a report and file for a restraining order,” Nikki told her.
Amy got up and raked her hair backward. “Do I really need to do that?” she asked. “I mean, Paul roughed him up pretty good at the restaurant. I think he got the message.”
“Has he ever gotten the message before?” Nikki asked almost angrily.
“No, but that’s because no one has ever stood up to him,” she explained. “No one’s seen him around town since then.”
“How would you know? He’s always been good at sneaking around,” Nikki snapped, and Paul gave her a warning look. “Look, I don’t mean to come down on you, but this boy has abused you, and abuse like that doesn’t just go away. Even if you won’t do something for yourself, do it for the next girl he will prey on because there’s always another.”
“I don’t know,” Amy replied. “I don’t want to mess up his life.”
“You’re not the one doing that,” Nikki said as she stood before Amy. “He’s the one making a mess of his life and that of others. Why can’t you see that?”
“I don’t want to go to the cops, okay?” she said and stormed off.
Nikki was flabbergasted as she watched Amy stomping up the stairs. “This is unbelievable. Why is she protecting him?”
“I don’t know,” Paul replied. “But maybe it’s like Greg said, the victims always feel responsible somehow. I just think it’s important that you not let her forget.”
“You can be sure I won’t,” Nikki replied as she stormed off and headed for the Nestled Inn. She was fuming so much she could barely see the person in front of her, and she almost collided with Nelly as the old woman entered the lobby.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Nikki gushed.
“That’s okay.” Nelly laughed. “I’m still standing.” Then her eyes narrowed on Nikki. “What’s wrong? You’re upset.”
Nikki sighed and wiped her hand down her face. “I just have a lot going on.”
“Come. Sit with me and tell me what’s going on with you,” Nelly said and hobbled off.
Nikki followed her, feeling the need to offload and not be rude at the same time. They sat in one of the loveseats along the wall in the lobby area. Nelly waited patiently for Nikki to speak.
“It’s just that my niece had this boyfriend who’s been harassing her because she broke up with him. She’s not the first girl he’s done this to, and she knows it, but she refuses to file a report or a restraining order. I don’t get how she can’t see how dangerous this guy is. He needs to be locked up. And that’s not even what I’m asking her to do. But he’s been stalking her for months. That’s why she showed up here. What’s it going to take for her to see who he is and what he’s capable of?”
“Oh, I see,” Nelly replied. “Did she love this boyfriend?”
“I don’t know,” Nikki replied honestly. She’d never thought to ask.
“Was there any other kind of abuse in her life before him?” the old woman asked wisely.
