Page 79 of Precise Justice

“Of course,” Melissa answered.

“You,” Lucy said looking down at Robbie, “get better. That’s your priority. If anything comes back to you…”

“And a lot of times it does,” Melissa said.

“…let us know. No matter how small or insignificant you might think it is. Okay?”

Robbie nodded a couple times to indicate yes.

The detectives and nurse left. Blake sat down and watched TV with Robbie for another hour. It was then Priscilla arrived.

Without a word, even though Priscilla tried to make pleasant small talk, Blake left. Although he did kiss Robbie’s forehead and said goodbye to her.

What no one knew, because Robbie gave no indication of it, Robbie remembered all of it. Every detail, especially what her four attackers looked like.

Over the next 24 to 48 hours, Robbie began to formulate a list. A list of whom she would blame for this. She would also begin to plot justice for them.

THIRTY-ONE

Dear Diary:January 3rd

I’m back at school. I told you (many times) after I was released from the hospital I dropped out of school. They were really nice and understanding about it. I moved back with Mother Dear until last week. I’m back in the dorm with my old roommate, Cynthia. The school saved it for me.

Physically I am completely healed, in fact I have been for a while. Psychologically I am still quite shaky. I even had recurring dreams about strangling Mother Dear and others, only during the dreams, except for Mother Dear, I could not see their faces. I don’t know who they are.

I am going to my trans girls group meetings again. I invited Cynthia and she has agreed to go. She has no issues with being trans. I told her that it’s okay andshe could make some friends. The girls were very nice and accepting. Most of them visited me in the hospital.

The two detectives assigned to my case are at an end. I’m not sure how interested they are anymore. I can’t really blame them. The case has gone cold. They did come up with three sets of DNA. I know there were four of them but I told the detectives I could not remember. They made sure that every new set of DNA that is acquired is to be checked against the guys who raped me. We’ll see.

I have switched psychiatrists. No more Dr. Frankenstein trying to get in my pants, the sick, twisted pervert. I am seeing a woman, Dr. Evelyn Booth. I have been going twice a week for several weeks now. I am much more comfortable with her. She also deals with rape victims (God I hate to use the word victim!)From seeing Dr. Booth I have decided I am more interested in psychology. I am going to switch my major to psychology.

Robbie went outside after her freshmen English class and was hit by a bitterly cold wind. She pulled up the hood of her coat and hurried down the building’s exterior stairs. Winter in Minnesota. With January just beginning, it looked to be a normal tough month, weatherwise. This year was not goingto be an exception. By the weekend, the weather forecasts were predicting minus twenty with the wind chills approaching minus forty.

Robbie’s dorm was only one hundred yards away. Because of the negative temperature and wind, it seemed much worse. She made it in under twenty seconds, scurrying along with a twenty pound bag of books.

Once in her room, after warming up, she turned her phone on. Waiting for her was a message from Claudia Shepherd, Mother Dear’s assistant. It was an hour old and there was concern in her voice. Robbie redialed immediately.

“Hi Claudia, it’s Robbie. What’s…”

“Have you heard from Priscilla today?” Claudia cut her off and asked.

“No, why?”

“It’s after eleven and we haven’t heard a word from her,” Claudia replied.

“Is that unusual?” Robbie asked, thinking about Priscilla’s drinking. Since Robbie was attacked and moved home, Priscilla’s drinking had all but stopped. Her time spent with her feminist friends had curtailed to next to nothing, also.

“Even when she was, well, you know, out the night before, if she was going to be late, she would call. She was never this late.”

“Wow. Okay, um, I tell you what, I’ll run home and check on her. Would you be willing to meet me there, please?” Robbie asked.

Claudia got the unspoken message. Robbie did not want to be alone if Priscilla was dead.

“Yeah, I guess, sure. I can be there in thirty minutes. Do you have a key? I do too,” Claudia said.

“Of course, I’ll be there before you, but I’ll wait.”

Robbie and Claudia sat together quietly in the living room on a sofa. They were both quite distraught, holding hands to comfort each other. A police sergeant, the first one to arrive on the scene, approached them. His nametag read Olson and he was a patrol sergeant with the MPD.