The Good Day
Positive I.D.
"Can I talk to you, Kelsey?" Detective Frier stood in the hallway of the apartment building looking impatient and insistant.
"Of course." She unchained the door and reopened it, welcoming him in. "My dad is still asleep, so we'll have to keep it down."
"I don't expect I'll be here long, really." He paused to look her over. Her black hair was sticking up every which way- she'd obviously just gotten out of bed. Her grey eyes shone with curiosity, though. Not a hint of exhaustion. "We have a suspect in custody." Her jaw dropped. "The only ting is, we need a warrant to get his DNA and run it against your rape kit."
"And you can't get one without an eye witness." Her eyes found er fingers and she picked at her nail polish. "Why did you even arrest him if you don't have enough evidence?"
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "We arrested him because his alibi didn't check out. He lied to us and it looks suspicious. Unfortunately, the judge doesn't believe that a lapse in memory is enough for a court order."
Kelsey paced the kitchen area. "I don't understand. After all this time, you've finally got someone in custody and there's nothing you can do?" She slapped a hand on her chest trying to make sure that her heart wouldn't break free. "Can I know who it is?"
"I'm sorry, but I'm not at liberty to release his name. It may bias you in the line up." He put his hand on her shoulder. "Kelsey, you mentioned to me before that you could recall his voice..."
The two locked eyes.
"Would the testimony of a drugged rape victim hold up?" She practically begged him to say yes.
"At least to get the order for the DNA."
She nodded, brushing her fingers through her tangled hair. "Then line them up, Detective."
In less than two hours Kelsey was waiting behind black glass for the six men to line up. Black glass, the detective explained, because it would remove a visual bias from the witness. "Alright men, one at a time, say your line." The detective demanded into the speaker.
"Be quiet. Be a good girl." The first man growled. Tears pricked at Kelsey's eyes and the breath caught in her throat.
"Can you do this?" Detective Frier asked, putting his arm around her.
"I have to." She shook herself.
"Be quiet. Be a good girl." The fourth man purred.
"Wait!"
Frier pressed the speaker. "Sto the line."
Kelsey wiped her eyes. "Coach is your suspect? It's not him, so we may as well quit while we're behind."
"You're sure it's not him?"
"Absolutely sure."
The line up was dismissed and Detective Frier lead Kelsey to his desk where she sat down. "How can you be so sure that it wasn't him if you didn't see your attacker?"
"Because I know the voice. I know that if I heard him say those words I would recognize it immediately. I know that voice recognition isn't generally a very reliable thing but this wasn't some stranger. His voice is eating away at the back of my mind, poking and prodding at my memory, trying to make me know who it is. I know this guy."
"I believe you, Kelsey. Neither of us can give up on this."
She leaned over and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Detective."
"Of course." She unchained the door and reopened it, welcoming him in. "My dad is still asleep, so we'll have to keep it down."
"I don't expect I'll be here long, really." He paused to look her over. Her black hair was sticking up every which way- she'd obviously just gotten out of bed. Her grey eyes shone with curiosity, though. Not a hint of exhaustion. "We have a suspect in custody." Her jaw dropped. "The only ting is, we need a warrant to get his DNA and run it against your rape kit."
"And you can't get one without an eye witness." Her eyes found er fingers and she picked at her nail polish. "Why did you even arrest him if you don't have enough evidence?"
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "We arrested him because his alibi didn't check out. He lied to us and it looks suspicious. Unfortunately, the judge doesn't believe that a lapse in memory is enough for a court order."
Kelsey paced the kitchen area. "I don't understand. After all this time, you've finally got someone in custody and there's nothing you can do?" She slapped a hand on her chest trying to make sure that her heart wouldn't break free. "Can I know who it is?"
"I'm sorry, but I'm not at liberty to release his name. It may bias you in the line up." He put his hand on her shoulder. "Kelsey, you mentioned to me before that you could recall his voice..."
The two locked eyes.
"Would the testimony of a drugged rape victim hold up?" She practically begged him to say yes.
"At least to get the order for the DNA."
She nodded, brushing her fingers through her tangled hair. "Then line them up, Detective."
In less than two hours Kelsey was waiting behind black glass for the six men to line up. Black glass, the detective explained, because it would remove a visual bias from the witness. "Alright men, one at a time, say your line." The detective demanded into the speaker.
"Be quiet. Be a good girl." The first man growled. Tears pricked at Kelsey's eyes and the breath caught in her throat.
"Can you do this?" Detective Frier asked, putting his arm around her.
"I have to." She shook herself.
"Be quiet. Be a good girl." The fourth man purred.
"Wait!"
Frier pressed the speaker. "Sto the line."
Kelsey wiped her eyes. "Coach is your suspect? It's not him, so we may as well quit while we're behind."
"You're sure it's not him?"
"Absolutely sure."
The line up was dismissed and Detective Frier lead Kelsey to his desk where she sat down. "How can you be so sure that it wasn't him if you didn't see your attacker?"
"Because I know the voice. I know that if I heard him say those words I would recognize it immediately. I know that voice recognition isn't generally a very reliable thing but this wasn't some stranger. His voice is eating away at the back of my mind, poking and prodding at my memory, trying to make me know who it is. I know this guy."
"I believe you, Kelsey. Neither of us can give up on this."
She leaned over and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Detective."
♠ ♠ ♠
Thank you for waiting!