Before I am Famous

literature is something we infer after the story is told

Restivus Randt

Posted on | July 28, 2008 | No Comments

Restivus Randt disembarked the plane, collected his one suitcase and waited for his cousin to pick him up. The sun sat high across Oklahoma City, the buildings shimmered with disapproval. He checked his watch and wanted to smoke. A man with khaki pants and a blue shirt waved wildly.  Restivus stood and greeted his cousin. “Sorry, I’m late. Just got called on a sexual assault case,” Derek rushed the greeting, “come on, you can come along to the crime scene plus I have to get the victim’s statement.”
They got in Derek’s light blue Crown Victoria and he sped off out of the city limits. Chatter from the radio filled the void between the cousins. Though Restivus liked his cousin, the last thing he really wanted to do was go to another crime scene. He was made to take leave by his superiors. A  mistake that may cost him his job, the press back in London ate him alive, he needed to be far away from London all together. He hoped his visit to America would offer distraction from the mellow drama of his life, filled with gorgeous American women who wanted take him to bed because of his accent.
The car neared a white house sandwiched amongst carpet green grass. The black driveway snaked through the greenery to the white house. Derek parked the car. A uniformed officer showed them around back to large, seething wish money garden. A fountain sprouted in the center. Roses, lilies and other flowers grew hearty. Restivus followed Derek to a spot near the house. The lilies were broken and squashed in the mud.  Cameras flashed around the entire perimeter of the scene.  Derek talked quietly with other detectives. Restivus neared the scene.
“Hey police only,” a woman with a camera remarked, seeing Restivus near.
“Vi, it’s okay he’s with me,” Derek hollered.
She nodded and continued taking pictures.
“Come on, Resti,” Derek motioned and he followed him through the sliding glass door into a white expansive kitchen. Restivus wondered how many meals were actually cooked in this kitchen.  From the kitchen they walked a long barren white walled hallway into a cozy dark wooded den. A lady of elegance sat with her slender arm around her younger mirror image. The mother reached for a tissue and handed it to her daughter. She took it and dabbed her puffy eyes.
“Good morning, Miss Stepford, I am Detective Derek Randt and I would like to talk to you about what happened last night.” Derek reached his hand and Restivus noted the girls manicured white nails. She looked up at him; pale chestnut hair   framed her porcelain face. She would make a perfect doll, Restivus thought.
She started, “I went to a party last night and I met what I thought was a great guy.  I really liked him a lot. He drove me home and we sat in the garden and just talked. Then he kissed me.  I kissed him back then he started going further than I wanted. I told him to stop but he wouldn’t. He became mean and shoved me to the ground. He lifted up my skirt, I tried to get away but he is bigger than he me. I tried to scream but he put my face in the dirt and then he was inside me. I struggled. Finally he was done and let me go and left.” Her voice never wavered, she had the delivery of a bored comedian.
“Were you drinking?” Derek asked.
“She was raped and you are trying to say she doesn’t know what happened because she might have been drinking?” The mother retracted.
“Just covering the basics, Ma’am, were you   drinking at the party?”
“I had one drink the whole night.”
“And you made it known that you were not interested in sexual relations?”
“Yes.”
“What did you do after the assault?”
“I came inside and took a bath and tried to wash away his hands.”
“Did you go to the hospital?”
“Do you really think going to the hospital would be the best? One word of this and the press will drag our name would
“The name of the man who assaulted you?”
“Mark O’Brian.”
Derek stood, flipped open his badge and pulled out his business card, “If you need anything just give me a call, anytime.”
“Thank you.”
Derek and Restivus left the way they came. On the way to the car, Restivus looked once more at the crime scene.
“Sorry Resti for dragging you along, I’ll take you back after we talk with O’Brian.  This is an open and shut case, he’s already been booked.”
“I don’t mind.”
The police station blended   in with the surroundings, to Restivus it looked like a   regular office building.  Even the lobby was slow and dead with very little activity going on.   Following Derek   through happy hallways to a more police looking room alive with uniforms and detectives,   laughing, talking, answering ringing phones.   Derek grabbed each of them a cup of coffee, smacked a woman cop on the ass and led Restivus to the interrogation room. A man large enough to take down Hulk Hogan in one swoop sat with his hands clasped together. Restivus knew just by looking him that he could get any woman he wanted with a smile. Why would he want to take it?
“Hello, I’m Detective Derek Randt,” he greeted and sat Restivus followed suit.
“State your name.”
“Mark O’Brian”
“You want to tell me what happened last night?”
“ I went to a party over at my friend’s house. Then she walked in, she   was beautiful. I knew who she was, Samantha Stepford.   I don’t know why she was there ‘cause I don’t see her anywhere else except maybe the mall. She had her friend with her. I went back to talking with some chick I met. The chick goes and gets another beer and Samantha comes near me.”
“Were you drinking?”
“Yeah but   I still can remember what happened.”
“How much did you have at this point?”  Derek asked.
“Two or three.”
“Go on.”
“So Samantha comes over and asks me to dance.  I’m not the dancing type but for Samantha, I made an exception.  We were dancing;  she was rubbing all me over.  Rubbing her ass all over my dick. Then she asked if I would want to come with her. We get back to her place and sit in the garden and we talk a little bit but then she starts kissing me and rubbing me. Soon our clothes are off and I am laying in the flowers and she is on top.”
“Why not tell the truth? The court will look favorably on you if you just confess.” Derek prodded.
“I didn’t rape   her.  She wanted it. She came onto me.” Mark replied, his voice raised.
Derek slammed his hands down on the table, “you know every slime  ball that comes in here for rape, does the same song and dance. Blubbering   on about how she wanted it and she started it.  What are you going to say she raped you?”
“No, she didn’t because who wouldn’t want to screw Samantha? You saw her didn’t you, you were probably fantasizing slipping in between her legs the same time she was feeding you a bullshit story.”
Derek stood up, the chair fell over, “I’m done.”
Restivus arrived at his flat shortly before 5pm. Derek handed him the keys and told him where the flat was. He opened the door to a dark, dusty and cluttered. Feeling tired, Restivus collapsed on the couch. As tired as he was, one might assume he fell into a dreamless sleep but he dreamed and thought of only one person, Carissa. Carissa, a prostitute in London, a buxom, burgundy haired woman who loved her “job” and loved Restivus.
He met her while on the job but he didn’t arrest her. Soon, he saw her any chance he could. He enjoyed showing his badge to her johns just to scare them away, so she and him could spend time together. Restivus took her to the countryside and to the beaches of   Ireland. He asked her to marry him time and time again. She would laugh, kiss him all over and tell him she’s not meant to be one man’s treasure. To Restivus, it didn’t matter at all just to hold her and keep her out of jail was good enough.
Feeling feisty, he found Carissa by her apartment and kissed her on the cheek. She whispered in his ear, grabbed his hand and led by the people to a little park. Alive and green, petunias and marigolds blossomed full.   She laughed as they ran to a shady spot. They tore at the clothes, hungry for one another.
What Restivus didn’t know was Carissa was under surveillance for solicitation.  A freshly promoted inspector watched Carissa day in and day out.  Now he had a chance to grab her and the buyer and make a big arrest. Restivus couldn’t convince him that he didn’t solicit her but it didn’t matter. Even sweet Carissa said that they were a loving couple. The inspector arrested them both. Londoners gathered around and watched as they were led into the cruiser.
The press loved every grisly moment of London’s number one inspector arrested for solicitation. He was put on unpaid leave and told to go away for a little while until it all blew over.
Restivus awoke and called his cousin for the crime scene photos. He didn’t want to be involved in the case but something bothered him about Samantha Stepford’s story and the photos from the crime scene.
Later on, Derek arrived with copies of photos and handed them to Restivus, “I couldn’t get you originals. I don’t know what you want them for.”
“I just have a thought that is all.”
“I am going to shower and we are going to meet some people at the bar.”
Once his cousin turned on the water, Restivus pulled the pictures out of the envelope and studied them. The area where the broken flowers were consistent created perhaps by woman making love to a man. He scanned the photos and did not see claw marks in the dirt or more broken flowers. Samantha and her perfect complexion, free of scratch marks and her nails were clean. She had no bruises on her white slender arms. She was perfect, too perfect to be a victim of a sexual assault. She shook Derek’s hand instead of shying away from it.  Restivus knew the truth.
Derek shut off the water and came out in a towel.
Restivus called to him, “come here, I want to show you something.”
He sauntered over and peered at the pictures, “yeah so.”
“Look what is missing, claw marks in the soil.  There is only one spot of broken flowers where that O’Brian kid would have been lying down. Remember how the girl looked, perfect right. How many girls did you talk to after a rape that looked so calm and perfect?” Restivus asked.
“What are you saying?”
“There is no way she was raped. She’s lying and he is telling the truth. For some reason she made it up.”
“You can’t honestly think that Samantha is lying. I am good friends with her father and highly doubt she would lie. Randy would bust a nut if he found out she lied about something like this.”
“You got to let that O’Brian kid go.  He didn’t do it. You can’t ruin his life with this,” Restivus continued.
“A low life like that, he’s got a rap sheet a mile long, he loves jail. Petty theft, simple assault, drunk driving.”
“Since when does someone who gets drunk and beat someone up go to rape?” Derek didn’t respond , lit a cigarette. “Don’t you believe in justice?” Asked Restivus.
“My justice.”
“What are you going to do?”
Derek snuffed out the cigarette, “nothing.”
“Then I will.”
“I don’t think anyone would believe you someone arrested for solicitation. I think you can find your way to the airport. You are not welcome here any longer,” Derek replied and left his cousin.  Restivus gathered his suitcase once again and the crime scene photos and left.

Special thanks to Phil, whoever you maybe!

Category: weekly shorts

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