CHAPTER ONE – THE NEW RECRUIT
It was another beautiful Los Angeles morning as Matt walked the campus of UCLA. He marveled at the silence as the students were preparing for their final exams. Matt was saddened to think about the fact that his college life was coming to a close and now he would have to actually go out and face the world.
Born Matthew Wellington Miles, his parents, who had immigrated to the United States from Northern Ireland, committed that they would do whatever it took to assure their son received a college education and they both worked hard at their blue collar jobs to make that happen.
On his high school graduation day his parents told him that he had a choice. He could attend college and they would pay for all his expenses or he could move out of the house and begin his own life. The very next day Matt was in the Admissions Office of UCLA perusing choices of majors to decide which looked like the easiest. Matt decided on Criminal Justice because he was a long time fan of the TV show CSI and he could breeze through with what he had learned from the show.
Matt’s idea of studying was being at beach where he could show off his buff six foot frame in a skimpy bathing suit. He reveled on the looks he received from both the males and the females, even though he was not sure how to react to admiration from other males. Matt had the physical appearance of an athlete, but never attempted sports because it would require too much effort and commitment.
Matt had scored one hundred and fifteen on the IQ test, but he never developed the work ethic that his parents needed to pay for his schooling. Now he was going to actually have to get out and find a job and become a real adult which was not a pleasing thought at all. He liked having his dinner cooked for him and not having to do his own laundry. His parents, on the other hand, relished in the thought that they would have their lives back now that they had given him every opportunity to succeed.
Matt had broached the subject of remaining in school to get his Masters Degree and maybe even a Ph.D., but his parents said they could not pay for any more education and that Matt was on his own after graduation.
As Matt turned to enter the examination room he was much less concerned about the Advanced Psychology test he was about to take than he was about how he could use what he learned to convince his parents to continue to support him.
Walking away from the campus for the very last time caused Matt to be morose and depressed. He had reached a point where he would have to develop his own life and would not be able to relax and play as much. He did not even have the energy to drive to the beach to show off to the beach bunnies and beach bums that frequent there.
While driving home he developed a plan that he thought might work. He would begin a nationwide search for police officer vacancies in the hope that his parents would want to keep him close to them and let him get a few more years at home where he could be supported and have the freedom he so desired.
As soon as he arrived home he went to his room and turned on the computer. He did a search of the internet for law enforcement employment opportunities and immediately found that New York City, Atlanta and Cincinnati were hiring. The thought of being a cop in New York where he would be one of thirty-five thousand other cops immediately turned him off. Atlanta was a bit more enticing because of their weather, but that might be something his parents would encourage and he definitely did not want them to like the idea. He clicked on the link to Cincinnati because it was in the Midwest and least likely to have his parents approval.
Cincinnati, like most major cities who are hiring, offered out of state applicants and opportunity to complete the testing process in two consecutive days to save expenses to the applicant. In order for Matt to sell the idea to his parents that he really wanted to go there to work he would have to do some research on what Cincinnati was and is.
Matt found that Cincinnati is an old German city of just over three hundred thousand which sits on the border of Kentucky and Indiana. It is called the Queen City and is famous for its seven hills. When he found that the new Police Chief spent twenty-six years as a cop in LA, he could tell his parents that he was attracted to the department because of that reason. Cincinnati is also the site of the second largest Oktoberfest in the world each fall and has both professional football and baseball franchises. Matt learned in his research that Cincinnati had the first professional fire department in the country and the third professional police department. Cincinnati has just over one thousand sworn police officers.
Using the techniques that he learned in college psychology classes, Matt figured the more it looked like he wanted to apply with Cincinnati, the less likely his parents were to support it. He would present his package to his parents at the dinner table where he believed that they would be the most vulnerable. He was unaware that his parents had been praying for this day to come so that they could live their own lives without him to intrude.
His mother had made his favorite dish of fish and chips to celebrate the completion of his college career and he sat and savored the food as he contemplated the right moment to drop his bombshell on them. They were sipping tea at the end of the meal when he decided to make his pitch to them. He told his parents that after searching the internet for hours to find employment opportunities, he found that the Cincinnati Police were hiring. Of course, since he did not have the funds to pay the costs of the airfare and hotel for two days, he would not be able to actually apply for the position. He told them he was going to start the exhaustive search of local police agencies to gain employment.
Matt almost fell off the dining room chair when his father told him that his parents had set aside money for him to be able to make a job interview in another part of the country and that Cincinnati sounded like a good place to start. Matt went back to his room to complete the application because he was stuck with his decision to try to play his parents.
The application was relatively simple to fill out. His parents told him that as long as he remained in school he would not have to find a job, so he had no employment history. Also, when his parents bought him the Mustang convertible he drives he was told that it would be taken away after the first traffic citation he received. When Matt submitted the application online, he was sent a message that his testing would be scheduled and he would be notified by electronic mail of the dates he needed to be in Cincinnati.
Having no income, other than the allowance that his parents provided left him little money for things other than gasoline for his car and almost no options with respect to dating. He would only be able to date if the girl would pay half the expenses or, even better, pay for the date herself.
Memories of being spoiled by a wealthy, beautiful girl from the hills of LA flooded his mind. What was her name? Well, that escaped him at the moment but not the depth of those loaded pockets or the feel of those voluptuous curves. On several occasions she treated Matt to meals, movies and other outings, but on one spectacularly beautiful summer afternoon she treated him to a whole new world.
Innocently enough, he’d accepted an invitation to her house not sure quite what to expect. When he arrived and learned her parents were out of town, his excitement began to build. When her “tour of the house” led straight to the in-ground pool out back, his interest really piqued. And when she stripped naked and told him to follow suit, Matt’s nerves jangled like pots on a line being banged by metal spoons.
There was an eight-foot privacy fence surrounding the property and they were above the neighboring homes…but still. Matt was filled with the anxiety of the unexpected, the thrill of being desired and the rush of taking such a risk.
Seeing his temporary paralysis from all these conflicting emotions, his lovely hostess – Shelby that was her name! – unbuckled his pants, her fingertips slowly gliding along the waistband and gently brushing his skin. The way she moved while performing so ordinary a task, her hands gracefully flowing, her rear end firming as she bent lower, Matt was more and more intoxicated by this goddess focusing all her attention on him. If she could ignite this kind of fire just taking off his clothes, he wasn’t sure he could survive what she might do to his body! As she pushed his khakis to the ground, she took extra care to caress his lean thighs and calves. Matt trembled and gasped, only then realizing he’d been holding his breath since the moment she told him to undress.
Once he was completely naked, he hurriedly slid into the comfort and security of the cool water and immediately felt more confident about this set-up he’d stumbled into. Here, his athleticism and love of being in the water gave him a stronger sense of control and eased his embarrassment. Shelby then joined him, and the two actually enjoyed several minutes of splashing around in luxury and seclusion.
“Why don’t you hop up on the edge of the pool and let your feet dangle in the water, Matt?”
“Oh, ok,” he replied, completely missing the sly, seductive smile Shelby gave him when she asked.
Clueless and curious, he turned and sat facing Shelby. Her radiant smile and sparkling eyes mesmerized him. Then he noticed where her eyes were trained and understood the extra glint that wasn’t there before. He had a massive erection from their water foreplay, and it was all Shelby could do not to salivate while she stared.
Pushing his shoulders back until he was prone, she took him deeply into her mouth masterfully riding him up and down while pressing her thumb on the underside of his penis. The pressure from the teasing caused him to throb uncontrollably and seemed to make the sun shine brighter, the water get cooler and the handful of her hair he was grasping feel silkier. Finally overcome with passion and anticipation herself, Shelby let go and Matt released like he never imagined he could ever do. His moans and shudders made her smile, a smile imprinted on his brain like the gray matter itself.
That was the last time he ever saw her.
***
Matt had two weeks until his graduation ceremony, so he wanted to spend as much of that at the beach as possible. He was unsure of what the future might hold for him, but he was sure that he would no longer have the time to spend with the bunnies and bums that frequented the beach.
Suddenly, Matthew Wellington Miles life was moving much faster than he anticipated.
CHAPTER 3 – THE FEMALE RECRUIT
It was just another Tuesday when Lissa arrived for her shift. From three until seven, both her and Bill remained busy checking people out for the day. Bill took the first building round while Lissa manned the lobby console. At nine p.m., it was Lissa’s turn to make her rounds. She started on the twenty-first floor and worked her way down, floor by floor checking to make sure that nothing was out of the ordinary.
She was walking on the eighth floor when she suddenly felt a sharp pain on the left side of her face that knocked her to the floor. Then she felt a man’s hand unbuckling her belt and pulling her pants down to ankles, her bare ass exposed. She screamed out, but there was no one else on the floor to hear her. When the man entered her vagina breaking the hymen, Lissa cried out in pain. She felt the pulsing of man ejaculating inside of her and tears of pain and frustration were pouring down her face. When he was done raping her, the man got up and walked toward an exit door that led onto a patio and then into a parking garage.
Bill began to worry when he had not heard from Lissa in over twenty minutes. He called out on the portable two-way radio, but received no response. The last time he had heard from her she was on the eighth floor, so Bill secured the entrances and rode the elevator up to the floor to attempt to locate her. When the elevator door opened, Bill heard a whimpering sound coming from the hallway. Bill ran down the hallway and saw Lissa laying on the floor with her pants down around her ankles softly crying. Using his personal cellphone, Bill called 9-1-1 requesting police assistance. Bill did not want to leave his partner alone, but the police would not be able to enter. Ripping off his jacket, he gently laid it on Lissa’s bare ass and told her he would be back with the police. Bill met two Cincinnati Police officers at the lobby door and took them to the eighth floor where Lissa had not moved. One of the officers called for a paramedic unit and the other asked Lissa what had happened. All Lissa could tell the officers was that she had been sucker punched and then raped by a male who was wearing a mask over his face. The cops told Bill to go back to the lobby and wait for the paramedic unit to arrive. When Bill arrived in the lobby, the paramedics were standing at the entrance. He told the medics that his partner had been assaulted and raped, so they went back to their unit to get a gurney to transport the victim to the hospital.
Matt called the Security Manager to advise him what had occurred and then returned to the eighth floor where the medics were tending to Lissa. They carefully placed a sheet on her before removing Bill’s jacket. The cops told Bill that his jacket might contain trace evidence and would be kept by police. The medics used a backboard so that Lissa, who was still crying softly, could be rolled over without exposing her nakedness any more that necessary. Lissa was transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center by the medics.
***
Lissa was taken into a private area of the Emergency Room where she was met by a nurse who introduced herself as Carole and said, “I am a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner and have received special training in the collection of evidence. I cannot tell you that I understand what you are experiencing, but I can tell you that I want to make sure that any evidence is properly collected so the sonofabitch who did this spends a long time in the Ohio Penal System. I will treat you with the utmost respect and dignity.” Lissa tried to smile, but the pain and humiliation were clearly apparent on her face. The nurse completed the rape kit quickly and the doctor came in and administered a sedative so that Lissa could sleep.
When Lissa woke in a hospital room, she immediately focused on a man and woman standing at the far side of the room. The woman, who was wearing a pantsuit, opened her jacket to show a badge hanging on her belt. She told Lissa, “My name is Detective Robin Miller and this is my partner Detective Willie Brown. If you would like to only talk with a woman, my partner will leave and wait for us to finish.” Lissa just nodded her head and Det. Brown immediately left the room.
Miller said, “I am not going to tell you that I know what you are experiencing, but I have been investigating sexual assault cases for the past ten years and I want you to know that you will be treated with respect. I will tell you what we know so far, and then I need to get your statement of whatever you remember. I understand that you went to college for this, so I need you to use that knowledge to help us catch this motherfucker. We know that the suspect entered the building through the patio entrance on the eighth floor by forcing a lock on one of the glass doors. The camera caught him entering and leaving, but he was wearing a mask and a hoodie, so we do not have a face shot of him. Do you mind if I record your statement so that we get everything correct?”
Lissa nodded in the affirmative and Det. Miller pulled out a small recording device and set it on the bed. Lissa spoke softly as she said, “I was walking down the hallway when I felt a sharp pain on the left side of my face. When I hit the floor, I saw a male standing over me. He bent down and I felt him unbuckling my belt and then felt my pants being pulled down to my ankles. I screamed out, but there was no one to hear me. I heard him unzipping his pants and then felt him spreading my legs. I screamed in pain when he inserted his penis into my vagina and I felt the pulsing of him ejaculating into me. He got up and zipped up his pants and I saw him turn and walk away. I never did get a good look at him. The hoodie was grey and the mask over his face was black. He did not speak the entire time.”
Det. Miller said, “I want you to call me Robin and that was great. Do you think he was wearing a condom?” “No, Robin, I don’t because I felt a hot sensation going up inside me.” Robin said softly, “That means we will be able to get a DNA sample and, hopefully, we will have his DNA or it will be in C.O.D.I.S” Do you know what CODIS is?” Lissa answered simply, “Yes, I learned about it at Eastern Kentucky University. It is the national database for DNA coordinated by the FBI.” Robin said, “I would really like to get a picture of the left side of your face in the hope we can get an imprint of his knuckles. Do you mind if my partner comes in and takes a few pictures? None of them will be of your private parts.”
Det. Miller called in her partner and he got close-up shots of the marks on Lissa’s left cheek.
Robin told Lissa, “We are going to let you alone to collect your thoughts. If you need ANYTHING, call this number twenty-four hours a day and I will call you back within minutes, okay? Is there anyone you want me call and tell what happened to you?” Lissa said “no” and tried to smile, but the painkillers were kicking in and she went back to sleep.
When she woke, the nurse told her she was being released from the hospital and a man, who was claiming to be her partner, was waiting to take her home. Lisa asked, “Is his name Bill?” The nurse said “yes” and helped Lisa get ready to go home. She was only wearing a hospital gown because the police had taken all her clothing as evidence. When they got into Bill’s car, Lissa told him she wanted to get her car back and drive home herself. Bill told her, “Everyone at work is sick over what happened to you. They all said if you need anything, just call and we will come running.” Lissa felt the honesty in his voice, but wanted to be alone until the soreness went away.
Lissa was not home an hour when she got a phone call from the Security Manager telling her to take as long as she needed to recover. He said, “The company will pay your salary for as long as you are off.”
***
Lissa laid around her apartment watching television and taking pain meds for the next two days. She was watching TV when the phone rang. The call was from Det. Miller who said, “Lissa, this is Robin. The Police Department has a strict policy of not identifying victims of sexual assault, but I saw a strength in you that, if you are willing to go public, would help other victims. Would you be willing to be interviewed by a friend of mine who is married to a retired Lieutenant from this department?” Lissa thought for a moment and replied, “Let me think about it and I will get back to you.” Robin continued, “It appears that it will take four to six weeks to get the results of the DNA evidence back from the lab, but we are focusing all of our attention on getting this bastard.” Lissa said, “I don’t need to think about it. If you trust the reporter, I will do an interview.” Robin screamed, “Great. I will have her call you today.”
Within the hour Lissa received a call from Deb Fixen of WKRC-TV News. They set a time for her to come over with her videographer and hung up the phone. Lissa was extremely nervous when she opened the door, but the smile on the reporter’s face was comforting and soothing.
Fixen said, “Robin told me you are a strong woman and this can help a lot of victims. I will put nothing on the air that will tell where you live or make you look bad in any way. On that you can depend!” The interview lasted almost an hour. Without getting into the specifics of the act of rape, Lissa talked about her emotions and the pain she was suffering. At the end of the interview, Fixen told Lissa that the airing would be “explosive”.
The interview led the six o’clock news and ran almost three minutes, which is an extraordinary amount of time for a single story. Det. Miller talked about the investigation and the strength of character of the victim. The story showed the entrance to the corporate headquarters where the rape took place and talked about the lack of training and equipment that the security officers were given to perform their jobs. To say the least, the corporate retailer was taking a public relations beating.
The Facebook page at WKRC ran wild with comments from the viewers about the story. People were threatening to boycott the retailer, there were threats of violent retaliation against the retailer for failing to protect this young woman, and offers to personally castrate the perpetrator of this act of violence. The story was picked up by the Associated Press newswire and the network news and the outpouring of support for Lissa and outrage for the retailer and the suspect was palpable.
Robin called after the story aired and told Lissa, “I just got off the phone with an attorney friend of mine. This guy represented a cop who was in deep shit and got him out of it. He says you have a clear civil case against the employer for failing to adequately provide for your safety and he is willing to represent you for free. It is totally up to you. At least take a moment and talk to him. His name is Timothy Cusher.” Lissa decided to take a break and make a decision on that at a later time.
The next afternoon Lissa got a call from a man claiming to be an attorney for her employer. He asked Lissa how she was doing and if the company could do anything to help her recovery. He said the company would pay for any medical or psychological services that Lissa felt she needed and that her job was secure for the foreseeable future. He gave her his direct line and told him to call her for anything she needed.
No sooner than she hung up the phone, it rang again. A male voice said, “Melissa, my name is Robert Goins and I am the Chief of Investigations for the Kentucky Attorney General. The AG would like to meet with you personally, but before we talk about the specifics, I need you to do something for me. I want you to call me back on our 800 number. You can get it in the phone book, and, when they answer, ask for me. That will verify that this call is authentic.”
Lissa went online and found the toll free number and called it. The receptionist transferred the call immediately and the male answered, “Robert Goins, hello Melissa. Are you satisfied that this call is real?” Lissa answered in a quizzical voice, “yes, sir.” Goins said, “The AG’s Office was in the process of establishing a sexual assault crimes task force and the AG would like to come to Northern Kentucky to talk to you about becoming an investigator for the Unit. The AG will meet you at the Florence Police Department if that is okay with you.”
The meeting was scheduled for three days later and she arrived at the PD just as a black Cadillac pulled up. Two men in suits jumped out of the car and opened the back door for a man in his forties. They looked like bodyguards to Lissa. She followed the three into the front entrance where one of the bodyguards told the receptionist that they were expected and had a conference room reserved. The bodyguard said they were expecting a woman named Melissa Harding and that she was to be immediately brought to the conference room. Lissa softly said, “That would be me” surprising the three men. The receptionist escorted the four back to a large conference room and the two bodyguards positioned themselves on the outside of the door as their boss and Lissa went in.
The AG started the conversation with, “Melissa, we have been discussing forming a task force to help local police with sexual assault investigations. I saw the story that was done on you and we did our own background investigation of you before making you an offer to become the Unit’s first investigator. The position would be based in Kenton County so that you do not have to relocate, you will be provided a state vehicle, and we will find you an office and send you back to Eastern Kentucky to become a certified state investigator. Are you interested?” Without waiting for an answer, he continued, “You will bring a perspective that few can offer. You can actually tell the victims that you understand the feelings of terror and humiliation and that will make them more comfortable about talking about the specifics of their traumatic incident. The starting salary would be fifty-two thousand dollars per year with state benefits and pension. We will send you anywhere in the Commonwealth that requests the assistance of the Unit. You will have the opportunity to actually impact the victims and put the perpetrators in the penitentiary. You will report directly to my Chief of Investigations, but you will also have a direct pipeline to me. Please don’t say no.” Lissa smiled and said, “My friends call me Lissa and I would love to call you Boss!” The AG ended the interview with, “There is a certification program starting in eight weeks and we will enroll you in it if that is not too soon. We will get you your car and office space in the next few days.” Lissa thanked the man and watched him drive away in total amazement.