Love and Sorrow (Small Town Secrets Book 5), стр. 61
When I got there, she brought me to her office, a small room slightly larger than a closet with a tiny desk that had room for a computer and little else. After we sat down, she asked, “What can I do for you, Randi? Actually, do you mind if I call you Randi?”
“That’s my name. I just wanted to ask you some questions. I’ve been thinking a lot about all of this, just trying to process it all and I wondered…what will happen now? You said you filed a report—but what’s next?”
“I’m glad you asked. Unfortunately, I don’t know exactly what will happen. Chances are the police will pick up Mr. Buckley for questioning. At some point, we’ll go to court. There will be charges filed against him, and the DA will handle the prosecution.”
“I don’t know a whole lot about…people who do this sort of thing. Pedophiles?”
“People who molest or sexually abuse children, yes.”
“I have heard they never stop. Is that true?”
“There are statistics out there that support that theory.”
“Okay. Then here’s my question. Is this the first time you’ve received reports on Sarah’s teacher? Because I’m pretty sure he’s been at that school for a few years now.”
“I’m sorry, Randi. Any information I have is privileged. I can’t divulge that.”
“What? You can’t divulge it? So then you’re protecting him. I thought you were supposed to be protecting children.”
“No, that’s not it. It’s just that any information we might have is considered confidential, especially at this point. We can’t just go around talking about anything and everything we know here. Wouldn’t you feel violated if I went home and told my friends and family about your daughter?”
“That’s different. She’s a victim.”
“And, yes, he’s a perpetrator—or, rather, an alleged perpetrator. If he’s guilty, believe me, everyone who wants to know will soon enough.”
“Wait a second. You said when a child says she’s been abused, you believe her. So what’s with the whole alleged thing?”
“Whether I believe her is beside the point. Until he’s found guilty in court, he’s an alleged perpetrator. Once he’s convicted as a sex offender, he’ll be mandated by law to report where he lives and that kind of thing. If he did what Sarah says he did, he won’t be a threat anymore.”
“I get that—but I also don’t think my request is unreasonable. Sarah can’t be the first child he’s ever…touched.” And I knew that based on my daughter’s story alone, especially when she recounted several special helpers for Mr. Buckley.
Before she spoke again, Amy got up and shut her door and then retured to her desk. “You need to know something, Randi. A victim has to be willing to accuse the defendant and say, ‘This man did this to me.’ If you don’t have a victim willing to point the finger, the ‘bad guy’ gets away.”
“That’s messed up.”
“I’m not saying it’s not. Unfortunately, I have to work within the parameters of the system.” For a few seconds, Amy tapped a pen on her desk. “You never heard this from me, okay?”
I did happen to hear the intent in her voice and knew she was going to tell me something she’d never acknowledge again. “Okay.”
“We had one report last year that never amounted to much of anything involving inappropriate touching, nothing like what happened to Sarah, and the girl’s parents didn’t want to do anything legal about it. They were worried about the effects going to court would have on their daughter, and they wound up changing schools. But I and one of my coworkers interviewed him. Apparently, he’d been hugging and touching the girls in ways that pushed the envelope, and not just the girl whose parents reported him.”
“So he’s gotten worse since then?”
“Off the record? Yes. He’s progressed. And that’s typical.”
In the back of my mind, I was blaming this woman and her department. After all, if they’d done something earlier…but I couldn’t allow my mind to go there. Not now. “So, if this goes to trial, would the other girl be brought in to testify?”
“Doubtful. Her parents would have to be willing to let her do it.”
“What if Sarah doesn’t want to testify?”
“Technically, she already has. On video. But judges and juries do view live testimony as more credible than if it’s recorded, partly because the defendant’s attorney is unable to question the victim if he or she isn’t in the courtroom.”
“So now you’re saying Sarah might have to take the stand?”
“Didn’t I already make that clear to you yesterday? I thought I indicated it was a distinct possibility.”
“Maybe.” It was possible that I’d been too emotional to register it. Thinking then of my conversation with Kent, I asked, “Should I get a lawyer?”
“I don’t think you need to.”
“But who’s going to watch out for my daughter?”
“In court? I’ll grant you that the DA represents the people of the state, but inclusive in that is the fact that you and your daughter are part of those people. He will watch out for her best interests, Randi. And I know the DA. I’ve worked with him before. He’s an upstanding, moral man of strong character. I can’t think of anyone else who should handle this case.”
“But why does Sarah have to testify?” Reminding her again of her own words, I said, “You told us children don’t lie about this kind of thing.”
“I know that. But most of the world doesn’t. We’re up against perception.”
By that point, I’d heard all I needed to and thanked the woman for her time. By the time I got to my car, I felt numb. Her final words rattled around in my brain as she’d reminded me that all she’d said to me was off the record.
It was all bullshit.
Why had I come here in the first place?