The color drained from Julie’s face. “Oh, my God.”

“I know. Right?” Erin’s stomach clenched. “Wyatt couldn’t see her, and without a view of the person he’s with, he can’t communicate. I know that firsthand. When he walked me to my porch in the dark the other night, I said something to him without thinking, and he never replied. He hears nothing, Julie, so when there’s no light, he’s both blind and deaf. Well, not totally blind. He has excellent night vision, so far as I can tell, but he can’t see another person’s lips well enough to determine if they’re even talking, let alone what they’re saying, and unless there’s some source of illumination, he can’t accurately read sign language, either. And in this particular instance, the woman had a sudden change of heart when they were in bed together. We’re talking when Wyatt was at point of entry, possibly with his chin hooked over her shoulder. He said in his testimony that he felt the vibration of her voice, but he had no clue what she was saying. He didn’t know she’d changed her mind until she started scratching his back, and by then, he had already entered her.”

Julie’s face was now nearly as white as her cabinets. “Oh, dear God, poor Wyatt.”

“He backed off instantly. Even the woman admitted that on the stand. But at the time, she believed he ignored her pleas for him to stop, and she called the cops. She accused him of rape, he was arrested and charged with the crime, and if not for her honesty on the witness stand, he could have been convicted.”

“In other words, by pretending he could hear, Wyatt created the perfect storm.”

“Yes,” Erin agreed. “I forgot to say they were both intoxicated. Apparently the woman had consumed more alcohol than Wyatt had, because in her testimony, she said she suddenly realized how drunk she was and decided she was in no condition to make wise choices. Having sex with a stranger was something she’d never done.”

“I can understand that,” Julie said. “Look at me with Blackie. I’m still on the fence. It’s important to be sure before you jump into the sack with a guy.” Julie shrugged. “Well, that’s not true for a one-night hookup, but when feelings are involved, I want to be sure nobody gets hurt.”

“Exactly, but she was drunk. Unfortunately, she didn’t start to have second thoughts soon enough to send up a red flag to Wyatt. Wyatt’s attorney cross-examined the woman, and it was her answers then that saved Wyatt’s ass. She said she thought Wyatt was a gentleman who would stop if she asked, and so she simply tried to tell him she’d changed her mind. She didn’t want to panic and do anything stupid, like hit him or scratch him. So she asked him several times in a louder and louder voice to please stop. She believed he would do that, only he didn’t. Finally, when she took her protests to a physical level and began scratching his back, he realized and did stop, but it was already too late.”