Part 32 (1/2)
A: Uh-huh.
Q: n.o.body else?
A: No.
Q: What else does he do? Can you tell me more?
A: Well ... that's what he does. That's all he does.
Q: How does he mess with you, Robert? What do you mean by ”messes” with you?
A: He puts his thing in. Back here.
Q: He puts it in? Puts it in where? Do you have a name for it?
A: Rear. (slightly inaudible) Q: What?
A: The rear.
Q: He puts it in your rear. Is his thing hard or soft?
A: Hard.
Q: Hard. And does that hurt?
A: Yes.
Twenty-eight.
The Good News and the Bad News
”We can't release him to you.”
Lieutenant Sweeney lit a cigarette and blew the smoke out away from her. They were standing in the gray hallway outside the cubicle where Robert had been interviewed. He was still inside and she could see him there sitting with Cindy, who'd come down with her to provide moral support.
”What do you mean you can't release him?” she said.
”Dammit, I was afraid of this,” said Sansom. He looked at Andrea Stone, who sighed and shook her head. ”Edward Wood called you, didn't he?”
”That's right,” said Sweeney, ”reminding us that the boy was under a court order giving custody to his father and removing it from his mother.”
”What are you saying?” She felt dizzy. Like she'd fallen down into some insane eat-me drink-me rabbit hole again.
Was this ever going to end?
”Well, there's no way we're giving him back to his father. Not after this. But I can't hand him over to you, either, Mrs. Danse, much as I'd like to. I'm sorry. Best thing we can do now is put Robert up in a shelter for a few days, until the judge can view this evidence.”
”A shelter? Jesus! Hasn't he been through enough?”
”Just for a couple of days. It won't be long, I promise.”
”Oh, Christ. He's barely gone on two overnights in his entire life. Much less a shelter.”
”Don't worry, Mrs. Danse. They're not exactly snake pits these days.”
”Will I be able to see him?”
”Whenever you want.”
”Will Arthur be able to see him?”
”Only under supervision. I'll make absolutely sure of it.” She looked helplessly at Sansom and Andrea Stone. ”Isn't there something ...?”
”It's the law, Mrs. Danse,” Sweeney said gently.
The law. She was beginning to hate the words.
She felt suddenly very tired. She sat down on wooden bench opposite the window. She could see Robert smiling inside the cubicle. Cindy had said something funny to him. It helped to have Cindy there.
”Give me a minute, will you? A minute alone, I mean. I just want to sit awhile. Then I'll go in and ... I'll tell him.”
”Take your time. We'll go get some coffee,” Sweeney said. ”If you need anything we'll be right down the hall here.”
”Thank you. You're ... very kind.”
She saw the psychologist wince. Obviously he was dealing with his own feelings on this and didn't feel particularly kind.
Right now neither did she.
Arthur, she thought, you've got an enormous amount to pay for. Hurt all around.
She wondered if he'd ever pay.
Most of them didn't.
”He's evidently stated that you had a.n.a.l intercourse with him on several occasions. Including the afternoon in question,” said Wood. ”He described it in detail. And what's this business about a rabbit?”
Arthur gripped the phone like he wanted to squeeze it in half. He was glad Wood wasn't around to see the face that stared back at him from the office minor. Wood wouldn't like what he was seeing there.