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Back The Hallows Save as PDF
Chapters (89)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. DEDICATION
  4. CONTENTS
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. 64
  69. 65
  70. 66
  71. 67
  72. 68
  73. 69
  74. 70
  75. 71
  76. 72
  77. 73
  78. 74
  79. 75
  80. 76
  81. 77
  82. 78
  83. 79
  84. 80
  85. 81
  86. 82
  87. 83
  88. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  89. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

She shrugged. “Anderson said it was sticking out from the bleachers, and he slammed right into it. Almost blinded him. Here it is.”

She handed me some papers. It was the police reports from Anderson’s juvenile allegation that was dismissed.

Apparently, when he was thirteen, a live-in maid at their home had accused him of raping her. She stated she was asleep upstairs when she woke up to Anderson standing next to her, fondling her breasts. She slapped him away and told him to leave, but instead he climbed on top of her. She said it only lasted a minute or two before he quietly left the room. She reported it to his father, who said that it didn’t happen, so she went to the police. When they interviewed Anderson, he said it never happened and that he was out back playing football with some neighbor kid. There was no interview with the neighbor. Miraculously, even without interviewing the sole alibi witness, the case was dismissed after it was filed.

I tried to find some follow-up interviews with the maid, Candace Blight, and couldn’t see any. The detective on the case was a woman named Henrietta Trevor.

“Where’s Detective Trevor now?”

“Retired. She lives in town still.”

I flipped through the rest of the report. A SAFE kit had been done. No vaginal tearing—not unusual if the rape was committed by a skinny thirteen-year-old boy—no bruising, no semen . . .

“No semen?”

Gates glanced at the report. “Huh. Says the kit was done six hours after the rape. Not entirely impossible.”

“No, not impossible for an adult that has some control over himself. But a thirteen-year-old kid? I don’t think he’d have that kind of self-control. And no way he thought to wear a condom being that young.” I closed the file. “Someone screwed that SAFE kit up on purpose. That’s why there’s no interview with this alleged boy Anderson was playing with at the time. Why bother if you know the case is going to be dismissed? We need to find out if Candace is still in town. How bugged do you think Howard would be if I called him on his day off?”

50

50

I met Detective Howard at Benson’s and bought him a coffee and a Danish to make up for calling him in on his day off. His bald head had extra glisten today, and the sunlight seemed to shine off it like polished steel. He wore a nice shirt and tie and carefully folded his suit coat and set it down in the booth next to him. I knew it was his best suit then and that he saved it only for church.

“You LDS?” I said.

He shook his head. “Catholic.”

“Haven’t met many of those in this town.” I glanced at the burn scars on his neck and he noticed.