Redress of Grievances by Brenda Adcock

drunk."
    "Intercourse
the first time can be painful."
    "I
suppose, but as I said, thankfully I don't remember it."
    "But
you were hurt?"
    "Mostly
sore. I felt raw, you know."
    "Did
you have any bruises on your legs or thighs?"
    "I
found one or two on the backs of my thighs but didn't think much of it."
    "I
appreciate your candor, Sylvia. I know it's not easy to talk about the intimate
parts of your life."
    "I
hope it will help."
    Harriett
doubted Sylvia Jennings's testimony would be helpful. A moron would be able to
twist what she had just told Harriett to create a predilection for rape and
violence. If Sylvia's name appeared on the prosecution witness list, Harriett
knew she would have to attack the young woman's testimony.
    Chapter
Seven
    AS
JARED ENTERED the room to meet with Harriett, he was antsy and refused to sit
down, preferring to pace about the room, smoking a cigarette.
    "I
spoke to Sylvia yesterday, Jared."
    "She's
a great girl, isn't she?" Jared smiled.
    "Why
did you rape her?"
    Jared
stopped his pacing and stared at Harriett. "She tell you that?"
    "Not
directly. But from what she said, it seemed apparent that you slipped something
into her drink and then later took advantage of her."
    "She
didn't fight it. She had too much to drink, and it lowered her inhibitions.
That's all that happened."
    "If
she was too drunk to remember anything that happened after two drinks, she must
have an extremely low alcohol tolerance. What did you put in her drink?"
    Jared
smiled slightly. "Some sedative my mother kept around the house. Worked
better than I thought it would. I thought it would just relax her, not put her
to sleep."
    "Did
you think Sylvia wouldn't get in bed with you without assistance?"
    "We'd
been going out a month. She told me she was a virgin, and the idea of having
sex scared her. I helped her relax."
    "And
you enjoyed this one-sided sex?"
    Jared
pulled out a chair and straddled it. He blew smoke rings into the air and
looked at her. She had seen the look in his eyes before, and there was
something unnerving about it.
    "Not
being a man, Harriett, you wouldn't understand what it's like when you pop a
cherry for the first time. Syl never felt a thing. Slept like a baby all night
long, and every time I got hard, all I had to do was roll over and take her.
She never really got wet, but with the help of a little lube, I got her five or
six times real good before she woke up."
    It
took every ounce of energy Harriett could muster to not show her disgust and
revulsion at what Wilkes had described, making a mental note to find out if any
of the dead girls had also been virgins.
    "I
know what you're thinking, Harriett," Jared said, filling his lungs with
smoke and exhaling it through his nose. "But remember that Sylvia is still
alive. Even if you think I raped her, I didn't kill her, and we're still
fucking like rabbits in heat when we're together. I didn't want to hurt her
then and I never have."
    "If
this comes out at the trial, it will hurt your case, Jared. Have you drugged
other women?"
    "No.
Not before and not since."
    "You
and Sylvia ever do anything sexually that might be construed as unusual?"
    "I
don't think so. At least I don't consider them unusual."
    "No
domination, S&M, or playing out sexual fantasies?"
    Jared
smiled at Harriett. "No, but those sound like interesting ideas. You think
those things are unusual? I mean, I'm sure you're sexually active, counselor.
You do those things with your lover?"
    "I
haven't felt a need to make sex any more interesting than it already is,"
Harriett said matter-of-factly. "Anything else you think I should
know?"
    "I
think you're an extremely attractive woman, but I guess that's not what you had
in mind. Maybe when this is all over, and I walk out of here, we can get
together for a drink."
    "I
don't socialize with my clients. Bad business and it's not likely I'd take a
drink from you anyway knowing what I know."
    Jared
threw his head back and laughed loudly.
    WHEN
HARRIETT