A Prelude To A Dance by Kay Edwards

  Chapter Nineteen

  An hour had passed, and everyone except Logan and Helen had left the house. Both had showered and dressed for the day. The two sat in a comfortable silence as each of them became lost in thought.

  Detective Benion would be arriving at Helen’s house soon to complete her questioning. Helen knew she had no choice but to continue the interview, so she sat in silent prayer asking for strength. She got up and walked over to the stairs dreading what she knew needed to be done. “I need to get something.”

  “Can I get it for you?” Logan asked gently as he sensed her uncertainty.

  “I need to do it. Thank you, Logan.” Helen said as she turned and went up the stairs. When she got to her room, she started trying to move her bed. It was a bit difficult. She shoved once more hoping it would give, and it moved only a little. Helen wouldn’t be deterred. She put her hands on it to push again when she heard Logan behind her. She turned and looked at him as he walked toward her. He placed his arms around her and laid his hands beside hers. She heard his voice in her ear.

  “Let me help you, Helen.” Together they shoved, and the bed moved.

  Helen knelt at a loose floorboard. She pried it up with her fingers, and reached in to withdrew a bag. She laid the bag aside and went back to the bed to pull it back into place.

  When once again it did not move, Logan put his hands on either side of hers. He helped her move the bed back into place before he waited for her to tell him what was in the bag.

  Helen grabbed the bag and went back down the stairs. She walked over to the coffee table and placed the bag on it. Sitting down on the sofa and staring at it, Helen waited for Detective Benion’s arrival. Helen felt Logan sit down beside her but needed some time to get her feelings in check. Not taking her eyes off the bag, she leaned into Logan.

  “Helen. Can you tell me what is in the bag?” Logan asked softly.

  Helen leaned forward and slid off the sofa to her knees. She felt Logan join her. She undid the knot and pulled out a tiny pair of pink overalls with flowers on them as well as a tiny pair of little girl panties. The clothes were ripped. The floral pattern was splattered with blood. “I snuck in my bedroom window so my parents would not see. I put them in this bag and hid them. When we moved, I was afraid my parents would find them, so I packed them. When I moved into my room, I put them under the floor board before my bed was moved in.”

  Logan felt ill when he saw her pull out the overalls and undergarments. They were so tiny, and the blood and rips were screaming of the violent crime that had happened that day. He was so sick of what was taken from Helen, but looking at the violence of it, he was grateful that Helen was allowed to live. He watched as Helen gently put the clothes back in the bag. She tied it in a knot again. Logan felt her lean into him. No words were needed. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

  The couple sat there for a few more minutes before a knock sounded on the door. Logan went to answer it and saw that it was Detective Benion. He stood aside allowing the detective to enter and then locked the door behind her.

  Helen got up and sat on the sofa. She gave the officer a sad smile. Logan was once again sitting beside her, and she leaned into him seeking his strength.

  “How are you doing today?” Detective Benion asked gently.

  “I’m ready to finish this” Helen answered in a determined voice.

  “I know we talked a great deal yesterday, but I need to ask you outright for this statement. What did he do to you in the room with the paint?”

  Helen's voice was a whisper “He raped me. I pushed and pushed to get him off of me I screamed and screamed. I cried for my mama. I said ‘no, ’ and he didn’t listen.”

  Logan closed his eyes as the words poured out of Helen. She was crying softly as she told the officer what had been done to her that day. He could not have imagined what she had gone through. Not understanding what was being done to her body.

  “You’re doing great Helen. I know this is difficult, but I need you to know that the more you tell us, the more it will help. You see if he has any other victims that have filed a report and your report is close enough to theirs we may get a better idea of what makes him tick. That is how we will find him.”

  Helen was holding back. There was one thing that made her feel like she had sinned too. It made her feel such shame.

  Logan could see the struggle she was having. Last night, when she had said where the scar was, an image of what could have happened went through his mind. He leaned over and whispered into Helen’s ear. “There is nothing that you could say that would change the fact that you were a victim. I know what he made you do. Please, Helen, you must say it aloud like you did everything else.”

  Helen heard Logan’s whispered plea. She looked into his eyes. He did know. He knew what else had happened. She took a deep breath and finished telling the detective what he had made her do. She hung her head ashamed.

  Detective Benion finished writing. Looking at Helen, the detective knew she needed to help her see what this man had done. “I want you to understand something about this kind of predator. They do these things to make you feel like you were part of the crime. It helps them keep you quiet. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You didn't do anything wrong.”

  Logan saw the bag on the table, and he nodded his head toward it as he spoke up about it. “She never got rid of the clothes she wore that day. She hid them. When she moved here, she hid them again.”

  Detective Benion’s eyes went wide in surprise. She clarified what she thought she was hearing “Helen, are those the clothes you wore that day?”

  “Yes,” Helen whispered as she leaned into Logan more heavily.

  “Have they been washed?” the detective asked.

  “No” Helen whispered her voice raw with emotion.

  “I need to get an evidence bag and put that in there. I need to go to my car and grab one. I’ll be right back.” Detective Benion said as she headed for the door.

  Detective Benion left for the bag. Logan held Helen even closer and kissed the top of her head. “I am so proud of you. What you endured as a child that day would have ruined most, but you have this sweet, gentle spirit. He did not take that from you. I love you so much, my little warrior.”

  Helen was comforted by his embrace. She knew she had done the right thing by letting everything be known. She felt a particular understanding that she did not feel before because of what Detective Benion had said. No matter what, though, it was still embarrassing.

  Detective Benion came back into the house. She bagged the clothes that Helen had worn as a child and took a swab of Helen’s cheek before speaking. “I think I am done here. I hope we can get some DNA off of this. We’ll eliminate yours with this swab. If we can match any other DNA found to any of the butts, we will know for sure that we are looking for the same man that assaulted you as a child. Thank you for being so brave in this. I will keep you posted on how things are going in finding this monster.” she took the evidence and headed out the door.

  Logan again shut the door and locked it. He looked at Helen on the couch trying to gauge what she was thinking. She looked up at him. He saw the pain in her eyes and went to her. Logan drew her into his arms, and she cried. Her sobs racked her tiny frame as she dealt with her pain. Logan pulled her onto his lap and held her against his chest as she released the emotions the day’s interview had rubbed raw. She grabbed the front of his shirt like it was a lifeline. As the tears ebbed away, she curled into him and rested.