Chapter 01: Lust
"I don't believe it! They're just gonna let him walk?"
Julia Moreno's voice was low but piercing; her words made a couple officers at the far end of the station look up to hear more.
"Insufficient evidence," said her partner, inspector Dennis Myler, through his teeth. "The DA is dropping the charges."
"We have 5 girls who could testify against the sonofabitch!" said Julia.
"They aren't credible witnesses," said Dennis. "They were all too heavily drugged to remember anything. Even though we know they were raped the same night that he had them in his apartment, we can't PROVE that he did it."
"It's probable cause, for heaven's sake!" said Julia.
"No blasphemy, Miss Moreno!" said a thin police secretary, and handed them the day's mail. "Being a good Catholic, you should know better!"
"Thank you, Lydia," said Dennis, and flipped through the letters.
Lydia closed her lips tight, and walked away.
"That woman needs to get laid!" Julia muttered, and crossed her arms over her big, round breasts. "So, they're just gonna let him walk? And molest God-knows how many more girls?"
"He knows that we're on to him," said Dennis. "He won't even dare to buy cookies from a girl scout for the next month and a half!"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Their boss, Henry Flannigan, didn't share Dennis' hopeful attitude. Right after lunch, he called both Dennis and Julia into his office to discuss the case, or, more exactly, to yell at them.
"We had him!" he started. "We fucking had him! And then that bitch of a lawyer of his waltzes in here, shaking her ass, and tears our evidence up like it was some fucking toilet paper! We need new evidence! Witnesses! Something!"
"We're trying to scrape up something on him, sir," said Julia. "If we can just get enough to get to a trial, I'm sure the DA will..."
"We won't get to trial on circumstantial evidence, woman!" Flannigan shouted. Didn't you just hear what I said? We need solid evidence! Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, sir," said Julia, pink with rage.
"If we could have him followed, sir..." Dennis started.
"Do you really think we have the man power for that?" Flannigan interrupted him. "If you want to waste your evenings staking out that pervert, by all means, but don't expect to get paid for it!"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Dennis found her sitting alone out in the stairs, taking deep breaths and struggling furiously not to cry.
"Don't let him get to you," he said.
"He's an asshole!" she hissed.