Jenny

Chapter 6

Kate stood outside the door of his flat. She looked at the
key in her hand and then, energised with sudden decision,
she used it to unlock the door and enter. It was strange;
being here uninvited, she wondered how long she was going to
have to wait. Always before, there had been a purpose to her
visits; even if they were only to make sure that the plants
were watered. As she thought about this she stuck a finger
in the nearest plant pot. Amazingly, the soil was damp,
showing that he'd watered them fairly recently. More than
once she'd had to resurrect or replace his plants. Finding
that even this simple activity was denied her, she sat on
the settee and prepared to wait.

She picked up one of the magazines on his coffee table and
flicked idly through it, not seeing the editorial or the
advertising. She dropped it carelessly back on the pile.
This disturbed the magazines and the corner of a bank
statement was exposed. Without understanding why, she pulled
the sheet free. The name at the top of the statement was
unfamiliar, the address was correct, but who the hell was
David Swanston? She noticed the legend 'Final Statement'
stamped across the paper. Intrigued, and in spite of her
natural misgivings at invading someone else's privacy like
this, she examined the statement in earnest. The first thing
that she noticed was that it was an annual statement and
that there was very little activity; just a payment in every
six months and a standing order each month. Something about
the amounts caught her eye. With a terrible yawning
sensation in her stomach, she realised that the amounts and
the dates corresponded with the payments that Jenny had been
receiving. As final confirmation, she checked the account
details with the ones that she had copied from Jenny's file.

They were the same.

Kate dropped the sheet of paper as if she expected it to
burst into flames. She didn't know what to think. One thing
was clear: Andy had a lot of explaining to do! She looked up
and saw him in the doorway. She screamed in shock.

"Andy!"

She could see the blood draining from his face. Without a
word, he turned on his heel and walked quickly away. A
thousand unanswered questions swirled around in her head,
paralysing her into inaction. By the time that his presence
had registered, he had disappeared.

.oOo.

Kate was getting really worried. No one, not even his
office, had heard from Andy for nearly a week. Increasingly
frantic calls from Kate to Sally had yielded no information
at all and Kate was sure that Sally, for all her
professional aplomb, was worried too. Kate sat at her desk
and mulled over the problem of the bank statement. The best
that she could come up with was a hitherto unsuspected
brother; she shook her head at this absurdity, but could
think of nothing better. Her reverie was interrupted by a
knock on her office door.

"Kate, there's a messenger with a package."

"Can't you handle receiving a package?"

"It's for you and he won't leave until he sees you with it
in your possession and you have to sign for it. I tried to
tell him that I sign for everything, but he is adamant."

Kate sighed and followed Janet out to the reception area
where the messenger was seated with a briefcase chained to
his wrist. He looked up at her arrival.

"I'm Kate Taylor."

"Have you some form of identification, preferably with a
picture?"

"Umm, I think so. Janet, could you get my passport please?"

The man took the document from Janet and examined it
carefully, checking that it had not been tampered with in
any way. Only when he was sure that it was a genuine,
unaltered passport did he compare the photograph with the
real thing. Kate shifted nervously under his intense
scrutiny. Finally, he appeared satisfied that she was who
she said she was. He unlocked his case and extracted a bulky
envelope. There was a sheet of paper attached to the front
of it. He handed it to her.

"Would you sign the receipt for me please?"

Kate did so and returned the pen. The man tore off the paper
along the perforations and placed it back in the case, which
he closed and locked. After which he bade them good day and
prepared to leave.

"Wait! Can't you tell me anything about this?" Kate waved
the package at him.

"Sorry, I'm only the courier. I'm sure the answer's inside,
though."

With that, the man turned and disappeared through the door.

"Cool!" This was Janet. "You know he had a gun too?"

"Oh come off it! This isn't America, you can't wander the
streets carrying guns, you know."

"I don't care, I saw the bulge." She thought for a bit.
"Well it was a weapon of some sort anyway."

Kate ignored her. She carried the package into her office
and placed it on her desk. She stared at it as if it was a
bomb or contained live spiders or something equally
skin-crawling. Then it occurred to her that staring at it
would not tell her anything about the contents, and so she
opened it.

Inside were a couple of large thick envelopes; each of these
was addressed to Jennifer Wilcox. Kate wondered why they had
been delivered to her. Along with the two large envelopes
were two letter-sized envelopes. One was addressed to Jenny
again and the other was addressed to her. Kate opened the
letter and began to read.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Kate,

By the time you read this, I will be gone. Please don't try
to find me, not that you will want to when you have know
what I have done. When you have finished this letter, will
you take the three other packages to Jenny? They are my
final act of atonement.

Jenny is the girl that I tried to help and failed. Twelve
years ago, she and I attended a party. She was still a
virgin. At the party, she was gang-raped, and I was one of
those who raped her. I have no excuses; I even enjoyed it at
the time.

So now that you know what worthless scum I am, please find
it in your heart to deliver the packages to Jenny. She will
need your support once she has seen the contents.

If my solicitors do not receive an acknowledgement that she
has read this set of documents within a day, then a
duplicate set will be delivered to her. So you see you have
no choice in the matter.

I realise that you hate me now, for my part I will be glad
that I had your affection, if only for a short time and
under false pretences.

Sincerely,
David A. Swanston

-----------------------------------------------------------

The bald statement of the facts inflamed her. Kate was
furious. Part of her realised that there must have been
mitigating circumstances, but the rest of her insisted that
had there been, then Andy, no David she corrected herself,
would have used them. In the meantime she was still dancing
to his tune, as she had to deliver the packages to Jenny.
The bastard; why couldn't he leave her alone? Wasn't it
enough that he had raped her? She flicked the intercom
switch.

"Janet, call me a cab and get Jenny Wilcox on the line, as
quick as you can. Thanks."

A couple of minutes later the 'phone rang and Kate picked up
the receiver to hear Jenny's voice asking if Kate had heard
from Andy. Taking a few deep breaths Kate calmed herself
before replying.

"Yes, he sent me some documents to bring to you. It's about
what happened to you at college." She took another deep
breath. "Jenny, he was involved. Look I'm coming over. I
won't be long."

The journey to Jenny's flat was a short cab ride, but it
seemed like an eternity. All the time, the words from the
letter reverberated inside her head, 'I ... raped her. I
enjoyed it ...'. Like an evil mantra, by the time the journey
was over Kate was raging, had Andy appeared before her then,
she was so furious that his life would have been at risk. 

Jenny opened the door and reeled back at the fury in Kate's
eyes.

"Kate what is it? What's wrong."

Unable to speak, she showed Jenny the letter. As Jenny read
it, the colour drained from her face and she sat heavily
onto the nearest available furniture.

"I knew there was something, but I felt so safe." She shook
herself and spoke to Kate again. "That can't be all of it.
Where are the other packages that he wrote about?"

Kate handed them over and Jenny tore open the smaller
envelope addressed to her and began to read:

-----------------------------------------------------------

Dear Jenny,

Words cannot express the depths of my shame at what I will
have to reveal to you. I only hope that the arrangements
that I have put in place will, in some small way, atone for
my disgusting behaviour, and that I will have finally helped
you to put this terrible episode behind you.

Twelve years ago, you attended a party. You may not remember
the details as Steve Sloan drugged you before you got there.
He met you at your flat and gave you a high dose of a drug -
a precursor to GHB or Rohyponol. Within minutes, you were
left without volition and without inhibition. A further side
effect of the drug is that you are unable to recall events
that took place while you were under its influence. He
apparently persuaded you to strip and transported you to the
party nude.

Soon after you arrived, he arranged for everyone at the
party to have sex with you. By then, you were fully under
the influence of the drug and in the grip of Steve's
suggestions, so, to a casual observer, you were a willing
participant. However, since you were in no fit state to give
consent of any sort, what happened was nothing less than
rape.

I am one of those who were duped by Steve and his
accomplices into raping you. For this I am eternally sorry.
I am tormented each night by the thought that I helped to
rape a virgin and only the fact that it will soon be over is
all that is keeping me going.

The one bright spot in this otherwise sorry tale is that I
managed to get you away from the party and into the arms of
your friends. Ever since then, I have attempted in a small
way to help you. I'm the one who has been making the
payments into your account for the last ten years. It was
all I could think to do. Now I am in a position to do more.

The thicker of the two packages contains sworn statements
from everyone who attended the party, if they were still
alive. If they have died or disappeared, there is a
biography.

The other envelope details a trust that I have set up for
which you are the sole beneficiary and trustee. It is in two
parts: firstly, the firm DAS Investigations, and secondly, a
substantial sum of money. You, through the trust, are now
the sole owner of DASI. The interest from the cash should be
sufficient to live as you do now, the income from DASI
should keep you in modest luxuries. On your death, the trust
will revert to charitable status and the income will be used
to support rape victims.

I hope that, in time, you will come to hate me less and that
you will find peace. I'm sorry that I won't be there when
you find it.

Sincerely,
David A. Swanston

-----------------------------------------------------------

As she read the letter Kate could see the tears rolling down
Jenny's cheeks. When she had finished she held out the
letter mutely to Kate. Kate took it reluctantly and read it
through herself. Meanwhile Jenny was reading the contents of
the other two envelopes.

"I still think he's the scum of the earth. How could he?
Typical fucking male always thinking with his cock, he
should be castrated."

Jenny looked up from the statements she was reading. "Kate,
please. You don't really mean that, you're upset because you
found out he was human after all. He made a mistake and that
mistake has tormented him for over a decade."

"How can you be so forgiving?"

"He saved me. You read the letter."

"That? That was just a piece of self-serving
rationalisation."

"Then read this, it's his statement of what happened at the
party and afterwards." Jenny handed Kate a sheet from the
first package and re-read the letters to herself and to
Kate.

"Kate, we have a problem."

Kate looked up; her face was white and pinched, she was
trying hard not to cry. "What?"

"I think he's going to do something drastic."

"You don't call liquidating all his assets and giving them
all to you drastic?"

"He's saying 'goodbye' to us."

"I don't understand."

"Your letter is short and to the point, the facts are laid
out in the worst possible light. He's trying to make you
angry with him, to alienate you so that you won't be upset
when you get the news."

"What news?" Jenny ignored the question and continued.

"My letter is a 'final statement'. I think he's going to try
and kill himself. He pretty much says so outright here:
'...and only the fact that it will soon be over...', and here:
'I'm sorry that I won't be there when you find it.'"

Kate finished reading the statement and when she looked up
at Jenny there were tears in her eyes.

"Can you please slap me? I know what sort of man he is and
yet I believed the worst."

"He pushed all your buttons, I told you: he wanted you angry
so you wouldn't be upset."

"Do you seriously think he'd do that?"

"I own all of his assets, he sold his house, all of his
furniture, the lot. He's given me control of everything
else; as of this morning he doesn't have a penny to his
name. Does that sound like the actions of a man planning for
a long and productive future?"

Kate nodded numbly. Without another word being spoken the
two women fell into each other's arms and hugged. For long
minutes they drew strength from their embrace as each of
them came to terms with the information that they been
given. Finally they drew apart. 

"We have to stop him." Kate spoke first, though it was
obvious that had she not, Jenny would have spoken those
precise words herself.

"Of course, but how? We don't even know where he is. I
haven't the first idea of how to go about finding him and we
don't have much time."

"Jenny dear, you now own a firm of private investigators.
Why don't we ask the experts to help us?"

Before Jenny could answer, Kate had the 'phone in her hand
was ringing Sally.

"No I haven't seen him. Nor do I know where he is. Look,
we're coming in to see you. We have information. Not over
the 'phone, there are documents you have to read. Yeah,
twenty minutes."

A hurried discussion then ensued as to what they should tell
Sally. Jenny was adamant that no good could be served by
keeping things secret. There were too many secrets and
anyway Sally needed to know. She was Andy's closest friend
after Kate. The argument continued during the cab-ride to
the office and, grudgingly, Kate had agreed to let Jenny
decide what to tell Sally about the events of the party.

The atmosphere in the office was subdued, the usual hubbub
was almost absent, apart from necessary 'phone calls. Sally
greeted them.

"Kate, Jenny do you know what's going on?"

Kate nodded as Jenny spoke, "Yes. Is there somewhere private
we can talk?"

Sally led them to a small meeting room and sat them down. As
soon as the door was closed Jenny began to talk.

"Ten, no, twelve years ago, Andy met me at a party. My
'boyfriend' had drugged me with a date-rape drug and
persuaded me to let myself be gang-banged. Andy, or David,
as he was called then, was duped into taking part. Later, he
found out that I'd been drugged and he took me home and
cared for me. He made sure I was all right, got my friends
to look after me and then made sure that I knew what had
happened to me, so I was able to get to a doctor and get
tested for STDs and HIV and so on. All the while, he was
wracked with guilt for his part in what was, effectively, a
gang rape. Later, he saved my life when I took an overdose.
Since then, he's been keeping tabs on me, and trying to help
financially by making regular payments to me. It seems that
his guilt has kept him looking out for chances to help other
women who have been raped or abused too."

Kate and Sally nodded at this; both of them had been on the
receiving end of his help and support at one time or
another. Jenny continued with her monologue, seemingly
unaware of the tears that she was shedding.

"I was going to say that it was sheer coincidence that he
and I met again, but it was probably inevitable." She drew a
shuddering breath and tried to compose herself enough to
continue. "Whatever. The fact that he met me and that we
were thrown together by events has brought back his guilt in
full force. This hasn't been helped by my falling love with
him and telling him so. This morning, Kate delivered some
documents to me. One set contains the result of several
years' worth of detective work into the events of the party.
The other set details how he has basically given me
everything he owns. There were letters with the documents. I
think you should read them and tell us what you think he is
going to do."

Jenny handed Sally the documents about the transfer of
property to Jenny. She leafed through them and nodded to
herself, then looked up. "It seems that you're the boss.
What are we going to do now?"

"Read the letters." Jenny responded.

As she read the letters the colour, which had largely
returned after Jenny had finished telling of the events
surrounding that fateful night, drained from her cheeks.

"It's perfectly clear that the poor bastard thinks he should
kill himself."

"All three of us can't be wrong."

"Obviously we have to find him, but Jenny and I haven't the
first idea of how to go about it. We thought you might be
able to help."

"I certainly can." She turned to Jenny. "Just say the word
and we will find him. Is that what you want?"

"Yes, of course I do. I love him and I'm not giving him up
without a fight."

Sally nodded and left the room. Kate and Jenny could hear
her collecting the investigators together and giving them an
expurgated version of the truth. That Andy had, had some
sort of nervous breakdown - which wasn't so far from the
truth after all - and she was worried that he was going to
do something drastic. Therefore all other jobs were to be
suspended until Andy had been found. On no account was he to
be approached. Observe and report was the order of the day.
The news of Andy's possible alias was taken en passant as
most of them knew already what DASI stood for.

Now that they had something concrete to do, the office
returned to almost its normal ambience, Kate and Jenny sat,
holding hands across the meeting room table, and waited.
Eventually they made their way to Kate's flat together.
Neither wanted to be alone while they waited. Their fitful
sleep was undisturbed by news. The following day spent
waiting at the office was also un-rewarded by any news.
Jenny spent hours asking Kate about her time with Andy
trying to make sure that the memories of the good times were
not overshadowed by the revelations about his past.

Eventually, a small breakthrough came almost as they were
leaving for the night. A man fitting Andy's description had
bought a ticket to the coast. They left feeling slightly
more optimistic that he would be found before he had time to
make his final flamboyant gesture. By now both women were
completely strung out and exhausted and each of them was
surprised when they were woken by the raucous alarm that
Kate habitually used.

"Bloody hell, Kate! What is that racket?"

"It's the alarm."

"I know that. What I meant is, why is it so loud? It's
enough to wake the dead!"

"I have a problem with mornings, Andy says I should..." the
memory of happier times brought with it the realisation of
what was happening now and Kate dissolved into tears.
"Jenny. What if we don't find him in time? What if..." she
stopped, unable to voice the terrible thought and simply
sobbed in Jenny's arms.

"Enough of that. We must have hope; otherwise we might just
as well join him. You hear me?"

Kate nodded and hugged her friend tightly. "You've changed,
Jenny Wilcox, I think being in love has done wonders for
your self-confidence.

Jenny smiled brightly. "You know something, Katie? You might
be right."

With that they giggled and laughed their way through their
morning rituals.

Today their wait seemed somehow less onerous; they had no
reason to believe that they would hear anything today - the
news from yesterday was hardly a concrete sighting, but
their natural optimism seemed infectious. Around midday, it
was rewarded with the news that Andy had been found. He had
checked into a small hotel in the back streets of Brighton.
Kate laughed at this. Trust Andy to choose a town renowned
for dirty weekends as the venue for the final act of his
personal tragedy. Their good humour did not stop them from
making their way swiftly to the town in question.

The train journey was unremarkable and nerve-wracking in
equal measure. However they did eventually arrive at the
coastal town that had become synonymous with adulterous
liaisons over the last century or so. They were met by a
DASI employee and driven quickly to the hotel in question. A
little sleight of hand a couple of hours earlier had allowed
him to obtain the spare key to Andy's room.

With a certainty that belied the nervous nausea that
threatened to overwhelm her, Jenny insisted that the others
remain in the lobby while she confronted Andy on her own.
The others attempted to persuade her to take at least one of
them, but when they saw her resolve they desisted.

Now, as she walked the last few steps to the room, Jenny was
not so sure that going it alone was such a good idea.
Shaking her head angrily at her last-minute nerves, she
pushed the key into the keyhole and turned it. Without
knocking, she opened the door in time to see a bottle of
pills being hurled at the wall opposite her.

-Continued-