Page 24

“Bye, Mom,” Robbie yelled up the stairs to Priscilla.

Robbie, waiting at the bottom of the stairway for it, heard Priscilla’s bedroom door open.

“Where are you going and with whom?” Priscilla called down as she walked to the stairway banister.

“The trans girl group meeting with my new friends,” Robbie lied.

“Oh, okay, good. I’m so glad you’ve made some new friends. What time will you be home?”

“Early. Not sure what time,” Robbie replied.

“Okay, well, not too late.”

“It’s Friday night, Mom. No school tomorrow. Bye.”

Waiting in the driveway for her was Amanda driving her car. With her, in the front seat, was Holly the rape, victim. In back, was Robbie’s friend Stephanie.

The four of them had already decided where to look. Holly believed they had followed her then, when they got the chance, grabbed her and forced her into a van of some kind.

They took her to a small, one-square block playground across the street from Sanger Middle School. In a remote part of the park, still in the van, they raped her. Robbie, having lived in this area her entire life and attended Sanger, knew exactly where that was.

They cruised the small playground and several blocks around it. After almost an hour, they were having no luck. The playground was between 46 th and 47 th Streets. The more they drove, the further south they went. It was Robbie who realized their mistake.

“We need to go back north to check out Walker Park. When I was at Sanger, it was the place where high school kids from Southwest High go to drink beer, smoke weed and hookup. At least that’s what I heard. I was too young,” Robbie explained.

“You know where it is?” Amanda asked.

They drove past Southwest High School on Chowen. The park, a natural spot for high school kids to hang out, was two blocks from there. They drove completely around the park and found the hang out. There was a parking lot and pavilion on the northwest side.

There were a dozen cars in the lot. Despite the colder, winter night, there was around twenty older teens hanging around. There was also several parked cars along the street. Amanda pulled in behind one far enough away to avoid being noticed.

Amanda had a pair of binoculars in the glove compartment. Holly retrieved them and began scanning the crowd and cars. There were enough lights in and around the parking lot to allow her to see clearly. In less than a minute, Holly gasped and almost dropped the binoculars.

“That’s him. I’m sure of it. I mean that’s one of them,” Holly said.

“Let me look,” Amanda said.

Holly gave Amanda the glasses while saying, “That one in the black leather jacket. The one sitting on the trunk of that car. The black car. Can you see him?”

“Oh yeah, I see him. He’s got a can of beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other,” Amanda said, still looking through the glasses.

“That’s him,” Holly said.

“Can I have a look,” Robbie asked. She was in the back seat behind Holly.

“Are you sure?” Amanda asked Holly while handing the glasses to Robbie.

“Yes, definitely. I mean, I’m pretty sure, yes, he’s one of them,” Holly said.

“That was unequivocal,” Stephanie said.

“I’m sorry, it’s just…” Holly started to say.

“No! I’m sorry, Holly. Really, I am. I can only imagine what you’ve been through,” Stephanie quickly said.

While this went on, Robbie was shocked at who he was looking at.

“The one sitting on the trunk of that black car, the one the other guy is now taking to?” Robbie asked. “Here, take a look. Is the other guy one of them?”

Holly had the glasses and was looking at the second older teen talking to the first one .

“Oh, God! Yes, positively. He was worse than the one on the car. That’s the mean bastard that slapped me a bunch of times. After he, well, you know,” Holly said.

Holly gave the glasses to Stephanie who was now looking at the two rapists.

“What do we do about this?” Amanda asked the others.

“Write this down,” Stephanie said while continuing to look through the glasses.

Amanda found a pen and paper in her purse. While Stephanie spoke to her, Amanda wrote down the make, model and license plate number.

“Black Toyota Camry,” Amanda read back, along with the plate number.

“Did anyone think to bring a camera?” Holly asked.

“No, roll your window down and use your phone. They’re a little far away, but get what you can,” Amanda said.

“Then let’s get out of here before we get caught,” Robbie said.

* * *

That night, Robbie had a very difficult time falling asleep. She tossed and turned until well past 2:00 A.M . before sleep finally came. She was certain she recognized the boy sitting on the trunk of the black Toyota.

Despite eventually falling asleep, Robbie slept fitfully. She woke up about once per hour with the image of the boy on the car fresh in her mind. Finally, around six o’clock, she crashed until after ten.

Saturdays were workdays for Priscilla. When Robbie finally got out of bed, Priscilla was gone. There was a note on the kitchen table informing her Priscilla would be gone until late. Out with friends.

Robbie read the note then made two phone calls. One to her dad, Blake, to get together for lunch. The second call to Stephanie.

“Are you sure this is him?” Stephanie asked for the fourth time.

They were in Stephanie’s car parked on a residential street a few blocks from where they had seen the young men Holly had recognized. They were watching a house Robbie knew from her time at Sanger Middle School.

“Yes, I’m sure. It’s still listed in his parents’ name. That’s the black Toyota he was sitting on at the park last night. I’m sure.” By now, Robbie was becoming quite irritated with Stephanie.

“I just don’t like sitting out here like this,” Stephanie said.

“Yeah, I know. Me neither,” Robbie said. “I can’t believe it will be much longer.

“Speak of the Devil,” Robbie said two minutes later when she saw their quarry come out of the house. He walked through the snow across the yard to where the Toyota was parked. Stephanie had parked her car a half dozen houses away with three cars on the street between them. The Toyota drove off and Stephanie followed at a very discreet distance.

The Toyota made a stop at an apartment building. The driver parked in a handicap spot near the door then waited. As if he had been watching for a ride, a young man, late teens, hurried out the building’s front door. Stephanie had parked on the street behind a pickup truck. The truck screened most of her car from the Toyota’s view.

Robbie watched the passenger get in the Toyota. While she watched, the two boys leaned toward each other and kissed on the lips. Not a passionate kiss, but not a simple hello, either. Knowing who the driver was, Robbie was shocked down to her toes.

“Oh. My. God!” Robbie said.

“What?” Stephanie asked.

“I don’t believe what I just saw.”

“What?” Stephanie asked again.

“If that’s who I think it is…”

“What?”

By now the Toyota was moving again. It came out of the apartment’s lot, turned left and drove past Stephanie and Robbie.

“Follow them. Quick turn around and don’t lose them,” Robbie frantically said.

There was no traffic on the street. Stephanie wheeled her car around and took off after the Toyota. She saw it turn right at the corner and followed it .

“Are you going to tell me…”

“Don’t lose them,” Robbie said.

“I won’t. What did you…”

“They kissed,” Robbie said.

“What? I mean like how?”

“Like a kiss. On the lips. Two guys. That’s how,” Robbie answered.

“Okay, so, they’re gay. So what?”

“He, the driver, is one of the guys that gang raped Holly!” Robbie almost yelled.

“Oh, shit, yeah, that’s right. But…”

“Don’t ask me.”

“Maybe he’s you know, bisexual,” Stephanie said.

“He’s a mean, sick, twisted gay boy and the more I think about it, the more It makes sense,” Robbie said.

“Okay, that’s it…”

“He turned,” Robbie said.

“I saw it. Who is this guy and how do you know him?” Stephanie asked.

Robbie looked at Stephanie then said, “I’m almost a hundred percent certain I knew him at Margaret Sanger Middle School. He was older and bigger than me, bigger than most kids. He was mean, a bully always picking on little kids.”

“I’ll bet he had gay feelings even then,” Stephanie said. “He’s headed for the highway, Highway One Hundred. He picked on little kids so he could tell himself he wasn’t gay.”

“Makes sense,” Robbie said. “Don’t lose him.”

Less than five minutes later the Toyota exited the freeway on Highway Seven. He went back toward Minneapolis but only for half a mile. He then turned left into a parking lot almost full of cars.

The elaborate, muti-colored flashing neon sign in front of the large nightclub read, The Blue Lagoon .

“Just find a place to park. Don’t follow him,” Robbie said.

“The Blue Lagoon,” Stephanie said. “Isn’t that supposed to be the hottest LGBTQ plus club in the Upper Midwest?”

“I’ve heard of it. There’s a spot right up ahead,” Robbie replied.

“I’m glad you’re here to help me drive,” Stephanie said .

“Oh shut up. Yes, I’ve heard of it. It’s supposed to have two sides. An adult side to serve alcohol and a minor’s side where they don’t serve alcohol. Or, at least they’re not supposed to.

“There they go. Are they holding hands?” Robbie asked.

Stephanie had parked by now, facing the building. The two young men they were following were walking toward the building.

“Are we gonna follow them inside?” Stephanie asked.

“Yes, come on, let’s go,” Robbie said.

“Do you think the other guy was in on the rape?” Stephanie asked as they walked across the lot.

“I don’t know, maybe. I’m not surprised the driver was,” Robbie said.

“What’s his name?”

“If it’s him and the house he came out of is listed in his dad’s name, his name is Henry Bonner, Junior. But everyone just calls him Junior.”