The Second Covenant

The police showed up the next morning at ten. Two very nice looking, older detectives, Thomas and Carl Hagger. Brothers in Arms. Literally. “Mr. Hodges claims that the four of you are possessed with the spirits of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.” Detective Carl said, the amusement sparkled in his blue eyes. My father smiled back. “Are you serious?” Carl nodded. “Unfortunately. The kid came tearing into the station last night, with an unconscious and drugged girl in his arms, claiming he’d put a date rape drug in her drink. Confessed to seven other rapes and the attempted rape of your daughter.”

My father or the rest of my family was not acting when the detective said that. “Seven other girls?” My father bit out, and when he turned around he glared at me. Oh yeah, I’d forgot that part. Oops. Detective Thomas looked at me gently. “Sweetheart, we don’t meant to bring up something painful like this, in front of your family, but we need to know the truth.”

I liked Thomas a lot. I smiled at him, a bit sadly and nodded. “Thank you, it’s alright. My family knows about it and yes, it’s true.” He nodded and got out his little note book. “Would you prefer to speak to us privately?” He looked at the eleven other people in the room, a bit curious as to why we were all here. “That would be fine.”

Aunt Paige stepped forward and put her hand on my arm, her smile was kind. “I’d like to sit in with you, if that’s okay?” She looked form me to my parents. “Go ahead.” My mother leaned into my dad, and I knew she didn’t want to hear it again. “Me too.” Peyton slipped his hand in mine and I leaned my head on his arm. My rock, hero number one.

We went into a sitting room and the detectives asked me the normal questions, they were very kind and professional about it. My favorite was, “Why didn’t you report him? From what he told us, there would have been enough physical evidence to put him in jail.” Peyton looked at me with knitted brows. “He hit me.” I said to him and I saw the muscle in his jaw twitch. I shook my head at him and answered the question. “There was enough evidence Detective Thomas, but I just wanted to forget it happened. At the time it never occurred to me that he had done what he did to me to another girl. It didn’t occur to me until Molly Evers.”

Thomas nodded. “Alright, now then. Are you possessed?” He said it with a laugh and I smiled back. “Not that I’m aware of. If he’s been drinking, maybe the guilt has got to him.” Carl shook his head. “Nope, kid was clean for drugs or alcohol. He mentioned your friends too.” He looked Peyton over carefully, wondering if he could have had a part in what had happened tonight. “I need to ask, because it’s my job. Do you and the other young men, and you Miss Danvers, have an alibi for your whereabouts last evening?”
I gave him what I hoped was a sheepish look. “Will we get in trouble if I say the party at the Dells?”

Both men snorted, but quickly regained their composure. “Normally yes, but under the circumstances, we’ll let it slide. Witnesses?” I didn’t have to fake the blush. “Lots unfortunately. I had a little…disagreement with one of my class mates.” Detective Carl’s bushy brows lifted. “Define disagreement?” I sank down into my chair a little, that was acting. “Well, Molly was there and one of the girls, Tiffany something, she’s a senior, she called Molly a lying slut, poured her drink down Molly’s front and slapped her.”

The detectives wrote all this down and waited for me to finish. I wrinkled my nose and closed one eye in embarrassment, I’m so good at this it’s bad. “I hit Tiffany back for Molly.”

Detective Thomas nodded with a harrumph. “Good for you.” I blinked, I hadn’t expected that. The detectives stood up. “Alright, then.” They shook my hand first. “Thank you for coming forward, a predator like Hodges needs to be punished for what he’s done.” I smiled slowly and met the older man’s eyes. “I couldn’t agree more.”
Taylor was going to jail, hopefully forever.