BooksBarbecue
Back Legacy of Lies Save as PDF
Chapters (88)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. DEDICATION
  4. CONTENTS
  5. PART ONE
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. PART TWO
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. PART THREE
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. 46
  54. 47
  55. 48
  56. 49
  57. 50
  58. 51
  59. 52
  60. 53
  61. 54
  62. 55
  63. 56
  64. 57
  65. 58
  66. 59
  67. PART FOUR
  68. 60
  69. 61
  70. 62
  71. 63
  72. 64
  73. 65
  74. 66
  75. 67
  76. 68
  77. 69
  78. 70
  79. 71
  80. 72
  81. 73
  82. 74
  83. 75
  84. 76
  85. 77
  86. EPILOGUE
  87. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  88. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Therapists talked about closure, and perhaps a few folks actually obtained it. For Helen Lewis and many other victims of hideous atrocities, survival depended more on denial. On manipulating the mind into thinking of the tragedy as if it had happened to someone else. Or that it hadn’t happened at all.

Was that healthy? Helen didn’t know and didn’t care. It was easy to have an opinion about sex crimes and abortion.

That is, it was until you or someone close to you was a victim.

Had Tom McMurtrie lived, would she have ever told him about what had happened to her in the fall of 1977? She liked to think so. She had loved Tom. He was the kindest and strongest man she’d ever met.

And he loved me too . . .

fleuron

Helen lay on her cot and stared up at the ceiling. Her cheeks were damp with tears, but she made no move to wipe them.

How fast, she thought, a person’s life can change.

On a dime. In an instant. In literally a second. She’d seen this play out in over twenty-five years as a prosecutor, and she’d witnessed it in her own life. One decision. One wrong turn. One chest x-ray.

Snap. The world flipped on its axis.

Helen fixed her jaw and thought about the press release she had been shown that morning by Bo. It was supposed to be our secret. Butch had promised to never tell . . .

They had broken up when Helen told him that she’d aborted the child. Butch said that he could never look at Helen the same way again and couldn’t believe that she had had the abortion without at least telling him. He was angry and questioned whether the child was even his since he had used protection during all of their sexual encounters. He specifically asked about her trip to Birmingham and whether she had met someone.

Helen wanted to tell him the truth. And though the night of her assault was a haze, she knew the rapist had not used a condom.

But she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

She left school in January of 1978 with one semester left, though she had plenty of credits accumulated to graduate, which she did despite not attending the ceremony. Her diploma was shipped to her home.

For several months, she traveled. She had some money saved up from summer clerkships, so she got in her Volkswagen Beetle and drove the Bug to New York City. She spent a week in Manhattan. Watched Death of a Salesman on Broadway. Took in a Yankees game and saw Reggie Jackson hit two home runs. She went to her first and only disco and danced with some graduate students from NYU.