He had to protect her. Everything inside him screamed to do just that. But before he was able to make a fool of himself and say any of this, Camden asked the first question, and as he waited for her reply, he was grateful he’d kept silent.
“Can you tell us when and how you met Mr. Jesse Marcus?” Camden asked.
Misty took a deep breath. “I was working for a mini-mart gas and food store when he arrived at about three in the morning and came to the counter for cigarettes. I looked up and there he was in his uniform, and he began flirting with me. He seemed so charming, and I was taken in immediately.” She spoke with embarrassment, but she continued. “The next night he came back and asked me on a date. I said yes.” Though her voice started out quiet, as if she was ashamed of her stupidity, as she continued, her shoulders firmed, and a determined glint shone in her eyes. This might be therapeutic for her, might help her to realize she had nothing to fear now.
At least that’s what Bryson hoped.
“Was he still in uniform when he asked you on a date?”
“Yes. He was on shift. I got off at four in the morning then, and the third night he came back, meeting me at the end of my shift. I didn’t own a car then, but I lived a little less than a mile away, so I walked — I know, I know — but he offered me a ride home. I was so impressed that this officer wanted to take me home, keep me safe, so I took the ride. I thought, what could be safer than getting a ride home with a cop?” She shuddered. “So he took me home. He had a flower in the car for me. I was even more impressed. Jesse is a big guy, and at first, he seemed incredibly good-looking, leaving me to wonder what he saw in me.”
“So, Jesse dropped you off and then left?” Camden prodded her.
Misty sighed as she squirmed in her seat. “No. When we arrived at the apartment, he parked in the back of the building, where no one came in or out. I thought it a bit unusual, but then I realized he probably wasn’t supposed to give civilians rides, so I wasn’t concerned, assuming that he was protecting his job.” She stopped speaking, and it was obvious she was reluctant to continue.
“Please go on,” Camden prompted gently.
“I thanked him for the ride, and I reached for the car handle to get out. He grabbed me. He said there was no rush. I should have been afraid, but I was with a cop,” she said, her eyes a bit wide. “So we sat there and talked for a couple of hours. I heard traffic begin to pick up as the morning commuters left for work, and then he grabbed my arm and pulled me against him and kissed me. I was so awed that this successful, handsome policeman wanted me enough to kiss me, I didn’t think about the fact that he wasn’t giving me a choice — that he’d just grabbed me and taken the kiss almost forcefully. Then, he got a little…‘handsy.’ His fingers tugged on my shirt as I squirmed to get away. At this point, I wasn’t comfortable anymore and didn’t want him touching me, but I wasn’t sure how to pull away. It all just happened so fast. When I was starting to get frightened, his radio went off and he had to leave. That was the end of our first date, I guess you’d call it.”
“What do you mean by handsy? Did he try to force himself upon you? You said he was grabbing at your shirt, but did he push it further? Please don’t hold anything back out of embarrassment,” Camden told her.
“No. He didn’t force me down or anything; he was just very…aggressive — I guess that would be the word to use. We were kissing, and his hands…wandered beneath my shirt, over my…uh…breasts.” Misty’s cheeks turned scarlet, and she shifted, lifted her water glass, and took a long sip before going on. “I was in no way ready to have sex in a car with a virtual stranger, but I now know that if the radio hadn’t buzzed, he would have pushed it to that point. He was reaching into my pants. I thought at the time that he was just worked up, that he would have stopped…”
“This isn’t your fault, Misty,” Camden assured her. “You are the victim.”
“Thank you.”
“When did you next see Jesse Marcus?” Camden asked immediately. It was better to press forward.
“The next night, I was off work. There was a knock on my door, which always alarmed me because I didn’t live in the best part of town. When I looked through the peephole, I saw that it was Jesse in his uniform. I was a little surprised that he knew which unit was mine, because he hadn’t walked me to my door, and it’s a large complex. Then I remembered he was a cop and it wouldn’t be difficult for him to find my place. I opened the door and he came inside. As he looked down at me, that was when I felt the first stirrings of fear. What was he doing there? But I was still feeling a mixture of fear and excitement.” She fidgeted in her seat.
“So, was he still working if he was wearing his uniform?” Camden asked.
“Yes. He said he wasn’t off the clock for a few more hours and he’d like to take me to breakfast when he was off.”
“Did he leave after that?” Camden knew the answers, but it needed it all to be on record.
“No. He sat down at the table and told me to come over to him. I was scared but still excited. He was a cop, one of the good guys, and he was giving me attention,” she said with disgust. “I walked over to him and he pulled me down onto his lap. His belt pressed against me, but before I could think about being uncomfortable, or think about how strange the situation was, he was kissing me again. Jesse was a very forceful kisser. He didn’t even give me time to breathe. His hands were once again wandering all over and I could barely get enough oxygen, but I was overwhelmed. I thought he was so aggressive because he was excited about me,” she practically whispered.
“Please go on,” Camden said when she paused.
“When he yanked off my shirt, I asked him to stop, but he laughed, as if he thought that was real amusing. It all happened so fast. One minute I was on his lap, the next, he was carrying me to the couch. I told him to stop a few times, but he ignored my words.”
“I know this is hard, but I need you to continue.”
“He…uh…we had sex,” she sighed. “It was over really quickly. He didn’t even undress, just pushed his pants partway down. When he was finished, he sat on the couch and pulled me into his arms, cradling my head against his chest. He told me it was all okay, that everything was fine. We were going to be real good together, that I was perfect. He said he’d be back in a couple of hours for breakfast. Then he left. I was so stunned, I didn’t know what to think. He was a cop. Had I done something wrong? Had I encouraged it? I was so confused. I showered and put on layers of clothes and then waited. He showed up and took me out to eat, acting as if nothing was wrong. I thought I had to be the one in the wrong at that point.”
Misty glanced over at Bryson and saw the unadulterated fury in his eyes. This wasn’t easy for him to listen to. She had a feeling that if Jesse were in the room with them right then, the man would find a bullet in his head. She turned away from Bryson’s intense gaze and focused on the table in front of her. It was either that or she’d never be able to finish her story. It only got worse from here.
“I don’t know how it happened, but within a week, he took over my life. He moved me into his place even though I tried to protest. It was like a whirlwind. One minute, I was on my own, and then the next I couldn’t do anything without his permission. The first time he hit me was when I told him I didn’t want to leave my apartment. I only got a black eye from that exchange. It was one of the least painful punishments,” she said, hanging her head.
“Can you tell us a little about your childhood? The jury needs to understand you, understand why he was able to bully you.” There was no judgment in Camden’s voice.
“I was an orphan. My mother dropped me off at a fire station when I was a baby. The only things that were with me was a dirty old T-shirt and a note that said to contact my brother, Damien, when I got old enough. I don’t know how that note stayed with me through the years, but somehow it did. Not that I was able to ever contact him. I wouldn’t know where to start, even if the person ever really existed. No last name, you know. I was bounced around a lot, and life wasn’t easy, but that’s not an excuse…”
Misty didn’t see the way both Camden and Bryson tensed at her words. This wasn’t something Camden had asked earlier. This wasn’t something she told people often. For one thing, she didn’t think the brother really existed. For another, whom would she tell? She had no ties to anyone.
“You have a brother?” Bryson asked, interrupting the deposition and getting a stern look from Charlotte Adams.
“I don’t know. That’s just what the note said,” she answered, looking at him with wide eyes, wondering what she’d said that suddenly had both men so uneasy.
Bryson was glued to his seat as he began putting puzzle pieces together. He’d loved her eyes, the beautiful green color, the shape, everything about them, but something about them had bugged him from the beginning, almost as if he’d seen them before.