Chapter Eleven

Sam paced the hallway while Erica took Brooke’s statement about what she remembered about the party. More than an hour after she went into the room, Erica emerged looking less composed than she had going in. “How’d it go?” Sam asked her.

“She has no memory of the assault, which I suppose is a blessing. She’s upset about the video, of course.”

“She’s also worried she’s going to be charged because of the drugs and alcohol.”

“I’ll talk to the ADA and see if we can cut a deal to require drug and alcohol counseling in exchange for no charges.”

“I’d consider that a personal favor.”

“Throwing the book at her isn’t going to teach her anything she hasn’t already figured out on her own.”

“Your thinking matches mine.”

“She may have to testify,” Erica said. “Against the guy who got out alive and in the case you’re working.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Thank you, Erica. I appreciate your sensitivity.”

“No problem. I’m sorry this happened to your niece.”

“So am I.” After Erica had walked away, Sam went into Brooke’s room.

“She was really nice, Sam,” Tracy said.

“Did she say whether I’m in trouble because of the drugs and stuff?” Brooke asked. Her face was swollen from new tears.

“She said she’s going to recommend drug and alcohol counseling in lieu of charges.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” Tracy said.

“Is it because of you, Sam?” Brooke asked. “Did she do that because of you?”

“Probably in part, but it’s also because of you. She said she got the feeling that you’d learned a lot from this episode, and you won’t cross paths with the police again.”

“I won’t,” Brooke said, wiping her face with the sheet. “I won’t do anything like this again. You can trust me on that.”

“We want to be able to trust you, honey,” Tracy said. “You have no idea how badly your dad and I want that.”

“I’m so sorry,” Brooke said. “What if... What if I got pregnant?”

“They gave you something in the ER to prevent that,” Sam said. “But you’ll need to be retested in a few months for STDs and HIV.”

Brooke closed her eyes and shook her head. “I still can’t believe they did that to me. I thought they were my friends.”

Listening to Brooke, an idea took hold that Sam planned to execute as soon as she left them. “I need to get back to work, but I’ll be in tomorrow to check on you.” She leaned over to hug and kiss Brooke. “I love you. No matter what happens, that’ll never change.”

“I love you too. Thank you for helping me. It’s probably more than I deserve.”

“Don’t worry about it, honey.”