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Blue Moon :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 45 из 327"What are you doing here, Anita?" His voice wasn't as angry as I feared it would be. He sounded almost ordinary, and some tightness in the center of my body relaxed.
Belisarius stepped away from us. He sat at the table outside the cell and began spreading papers out of his briefcase. He tried to look very busy and give us as much privacy as he could. It was a nice gesture.
"I heard you were in trouble."
"So you came to rescue me?" he made it a question. His solid brown eyes stared at me, searching my face. His hair had fallen into his eyes. He smoothed it back from his face in an achingly familiar gesture.
"I came to help."
"I don't need your help. I didn't do it."
Belisarius interrupted. "You've been charged with rape, Mr. Zeeman."
I turned and looked at Belisarius. "I thought it was attempted rape."
"I've been reading the file while I was waiting. Once I had Mr. Zeeman's permission to act as his lawyer, I got access to the records. The rape kit was negative for semen, but there was evidence of penetration. Penetration is enough to constitute rape."
"I never had intercourse with her," Richard said. "It never got that far."
"But you did date her," I said.
He looked at me. "Yes, I did." There was a little anger in his voice now.
I let it go. I'd probably be grumpy, too, if I were in jail on trumped-up charges. Hell, I'd be grumpy even if I had done it.
"The problem, Mr. Zeeman, is that without semen samples, you can't really prove conclusively that you didn't violate Ms. Schaffer. If this is a frame, it's a good one. You dated the woman more than once. She went out with you and came home beaten up." He paged through one of the files. "There was vaginal bruising, some tearing. If she wasn't raped, it was still very rough."
"Becky said she liked it rough," Richard said quietly.
"When did how rough she liked sex come up in conversation?" I asked.
He met my eyes, no flinching, ready to be angry if I was angry. "When she was trying to get me to go to bed with her."
"What exactly did she say?" Belisarius asked.
Richard shook his head. "I don't remember exactly, but I told her I was afraid I'd hurt her. She said if I liked it rough, she was my girl."
I walked away from him to stand looking at the closed door. I didn't want to be here for this. I turned around, and he was already staring at me, already meeting my gaze.
Belisarius stepped away from us. He sat at the table outside the cell and began spreading papers out of his briefcase. He tried to look very busy and give us as much privacy as he could. It was a nice gesture.
"I heard you were in trouble."
"So you came to rescue me?" he made it a question. His solid brown eyes stared at me, searching my face. His hair had fallen into his eyes. He smoothed it back from his face in an achingly familiar gesture.
"I came to help."
"I don't need your help. I didn't do it."
Belisarius interrupted. "You've been charged with rape, Mr. Zeeman."
I turned and looked at Belisarius. "I thought it was attempted rape."
"I've been reading the file while I was waiting. Once I had Mr. Zeeman's permission to act as his lawyer, I got access to the records. The rape kit was negative for semen, but there was evidence of penetration. Penetration is enough to constitute rape."
"I never had intercourse with her," Richard said. "It never got that far."
"But you did date her," I said.
He looked at me. "Yes, I did." There was a little anger in his voice now.
I let it go. I'd probably be grumpy, too, if I were in jail on trumped-up charges. Hell, I'd be grumpy even if I had done it.
"The problem, Mr. Zeeman, is that without semen samples, you can't really prove conclusively that you didn't violate Ms. Schaffer. If this is a frame, it's a good one. You dated the woman more than once. She went out with you and came home beaten up." He paged through one of the files. "There was vaginal bruising, some tearing. If she wasn't raped, it was still very rough."
"Becky said she liked it rough," Richard said quietly.
"When did how rough she liked sex come up in conversation?" I asked.
He met my eyes, no flinching, ready to be angry if I was angry. "When she was trying to get me to go to bed with her."
"What exactly did she say?" Belisarius asked.
Richard shook his head. "I don't remember exactly, but I told her I was afraid I'd hurt her. She said if I liked it rough, she was my girl."
I walked away from him to stand looking at the closed door. I didn't want to be here for this. I turned around, and he was already staring at me, already meeting my gaze.