“There’s the easy answer, and the hard one. Easy is that rape kits cost a lot to analyze, which we already talked about. Despite this, I know that murders and other instances of nonsexual violence don’t get pushed aside the way rapes do.
“For a long time, our culture has refused to call rapes what they are: crimes. When there’s a sense of blame or responsibility associated with a victim, it’s easier for the police to ignore her case. The blurred ‘he said/she said’ that surrounds a lot of rape allegations doesn’t inspire much optimism among prosecutors. Let’s be honest: prosecutors need to get convictions to justify taking a case to court. If an office is overworked and underfunded, they don’t even try.
“And it’s not just the prosecutors. Police departments everywhere manipulate crime statistics. They do it by urging street cops to downgrade reports of sexual assault. It makes them look better. And it makes the citizens happier to think their city is safer.
“In a recent study, six percent of the men surveyed admitted to rape or attempted rape. Of the rapists, 63 percent were serial offenders. In all, the serial rapists accounted for 439 of the 483 sexual assaults. We find that the vast majority of sexual assaults on campuses—in fact, over 90 percent—are perpetrated by serial offenders.
“Discussion of campus sex crimes is different in many ways. It involves a lot of gray areas of confused consents, mixed messages, and then there’s the issue of drinking. There are a lot of studies that prove that alcohol is closely associated with serial rapists. It sounds like Brandon may have graduated to date-rape drugs.
“The deeper problem, which applies for courts of law, is that sexual assault on campus often happens in a context that, by its nature, defies easy prosecution. Most campus assaults involve incapacitation, rather than brute force. Most are acquainted in some way. We find that when they know their rapist, they may have had sexual contact before. Add in drinking, and most women assaulted don’t even use the word ‘rape’ to describe what happened,” Bev concluded.
“But you just said it. Brandon has all the earmarks of a serial rapist,” I said.
“I agree. How can I help you?” she asked.
“How do we get the rape kits processed? I would expect they would help show if we’re dealing with the same men; hopefully, Brandon is one of them.”
“I’m really not supposed to do this, but let me call the DA. I would be somewhat offended if a DA from across the country picked up the phone and told me how to do my job. In this instance, though, I believe what you have here shows a pattern that has been missed. Would you be willing to pay for the kits to be processed to get the ball rolling?” she asked.
“If that’s what’s needed, I would.”
“I have to be honest with you, there may not be much of a chance with this. I do have to warn you not to take the law into your own hands,” Bev said.
“Hopefully, I wouldn’t have to.”
“Just know that if anything should happen to Brandon, I am duty-bound as the Cook County State’s Attorney to report you.”
The sad part was she was serious. She was worried about stepping on a fellow DA’s toes, but she would throw me to the wolves. There was something wrong with that.
◊◊◊
When we came back downstairs, Jack and Dad were all smiles.
“We figured out how to spend your money,” Dad said.
“That’s good. I’m sure you have my best interests at heart,” I said.
Dad and Mom both looked at me with concern.
“What’s wrong?” Mom asked.
“I think I said something that made me look like an ass,” Bev said. “I’m sorry, David. That last part sounded bad. I’ll do everything I can.”
“Thank you,” I said and nodded; I would hope so.
She and Harper were my friends. What I realized was that I couldn’t just sit back and let the system do its thing. When I got the results back, I planned to call the judge. Bev, the other DA, and the police force didn’t have a dog in this fight, but the judge sure as hell did.
I was glad she realized how bad she sounded. But I still didn’t get the feeling she would put effort into this to help me get Tami and Alan justice.
◊◊◊
Chapter 6 – No Need to Suck Up Sunday February 7
Zoe explained to me that we were picking up lunch and eating it at my apartment. Someone wasn’t leaving anything to chance today. I was happy when she let me get our lunch at the diner across from the hospital, which was owned by Kim Sun’s aunt and uncle. I ordered us a box of chicken and, of course, a pie. Zoe picked it out, and she did an outstanding job. They had an apple pie with butterscotch sauce. The sauce was in a separate container, and Kim’s aunt told us to heat both up and then pour the sauce over the top right before serving. Yum!
After we ate, she joined me on the couch.
“Next Sunday is Valentine’s Day. I have to go to New York for the weekend. Do you want to come with me?” I asked.
