“Ms. Dixon. Just say what Frank has told you. Only answer what is asked, do not embellish. Treat this as if you have just come home drunk and your parents’ car is missing.”
That made me smile. I could play that role.
“No problem.”
“I’ve made arrangements to be in town tomorrow so we can talk and then meet with Detective Kitchens,” she said.
“Okay,” I said.
“One last thing: as of this moment, Frank and his firm work for me. We need to do it that way because it will render all communication between his firm and you as confidential or privileged under the umbrella of attorney-client privilege,” Ms. Dixon said.
“Does that mean you get to pay him?” I asked.
“Yes, but you’re not getting out of it. We’ll simply pass his bills through.”
I wondered why Tom or Kendal hadn’t thought of that. We wrapped up the call, and Jeff came back in alone and sat down.
“I’ll begin by reading a prepared statement,” I said.
“Just give it to me. That way I won’t misquote you,” Jeff said.
I looked over at Frank, and he just shrugged, so I handed it to Jeff. Jeff spotted my talking points and held his hand out.
“Let me see those, too.”
Frank just nodded his head and had me give them to Jeff. Jeff spent a few minutes reading both the statement and the talking points.
“So, you haven’t been charged with anything, you’ve only been questioned. What about the tip we received that you were being charged with rape today?” Jeff asked.
Frank handed me another sheet of paper. These were my talking points in case that was brought up. I passed it to Jeff, who read it and started to laugh.
“Do you have any other sheets of paper?” Jeff teased Frank.
“I might,” was his cryptic answer.
“Can I attribute to David everything in the notes you gave me?” Jeff asked.
“Yes,” I said.
“Just tell me this: did you do anything that’ll come back and bite you in the butt as far as Pam is concerned?”
“I wish I knew, but those notes have everything I can say right now. My goal is not to trash Pam, as she’ll be the mother of our child, if what her dad told my mom is true. Frankly, if Pam says it’s mine, I believe her.”
“Don’t you want a DNA test to confirm you’re the father?” Jeff asked.
“Did you need one for your children?” I asked.
“No, but what does that have to do with … Oh.”
“If I had to ask, it would tell Pam that I didn’t trust her. Even if it were someone else’s baby, I’d treat it like my own because Pam told me it’s mine. If she had any doubt, she would’ve told me. I’d hope Pam understands I would do what’s needed to support her and our child,” I said.
At first, Frank had been against what I said about not having to prove paternity, but he soon saw the light. I was amazed at how he could spin-doctor anything into a positive. He reasoned it showed I really cared. I just shook my head in disbelief that I might feel any other way. Frank told me I was actually in the minority on that point of view, as far as young men were concerned. When I thought about it, he was right. Mitch had run off to Arizona State as soon as he found out Peggy was pregnant.
Jeff then wanted to talk about football. We were to play St. Joe on Friday. It would be senior night, so I told him about Jim. We had already wrapped up the conference championship. The only way the game might help us would be in how we’d be seeded in the state playoffs. It was also Halloween, and Brook Davis was my date. I was pretty proud of myself for both asking someone and having a costume to wear. Frankly, I didn’t trust Tracy to figure out one for me. I still shuddered at the Superman costume she’d talked me into wearing.
Both Frank and I were impressed when we were done in less than twenty minutes.
◊◊◊
When I finally made it home, I’d just sat down to eat dinner when my dad jumped out of his seat and turned up the TV. My picture was on the screen. Dad usually would have it turned on so he could see the weather report. I think he just liked the weather girl.
“… Dawson, the starting quarterback for Lincoln High and currently rated the number 1 football recruit in the junior class, has gotten himself into some trouble. It seems he has been accused of getting a fellow classmate pregnant, and there are rumors that he may have raped her.”
The scene changed, and Detective Kitchens was caught as he walked from the station. He held up his hand.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t comment on an ongoing investigation.”
Then the picture switched, and we were all shocked to see Angie.
“Family spokesperson Angie Dawson had this to say.”
“Ms. Dawson, were you aware that your brother-in-law has gotten one of the cheerleaders at Lincoln High pregnant?” she was asked.
Angie scoffed.
“That wouldn’t surprise me. I think all the Dawson men can now claim at least one child out of wedlock.”
Mom and I looked at Dad, and he didn’t look good. They showed a reaction shot from the reporter and she was stunned.
“What about the allegation that David raped the girl?”
“That’s just silly. David would never resort to force. He’s one of the sweetest guys I know. I would also bet he’s excited to be a dad. He’s always treated our children as if they were his own. They all love him to death. He’ll be a great daddy.”
Guess which answer would be repeated on the evening news without the second one? Angie was so dead. I wasn’t sure who would kill her first, Mom or Dad. They had worked to heal the wounds my dad’s infidelity had caused, and Angie had shouted it out to the world. At least for a few minutes, my own problems didn’t seem so big.
◊◊◊
Chapter 28 – You’ll Never Look at Me the Same Tuesday October 27
I sent a text to Pam last night before going to bed. Everyone had told me not to, but I knew if we talked, we could work this out. I was surprised to actually get a reply. All it said was ‘I can’t.’ That told me that Cal had directed that she wasn’t to talk to me. It was starting to become clear that her dad was our biggest issue. I wasn’t sure what good it would do for either of us to have him drive a wedge between the mother and father of his grandchild. He obviously wasn’t thinking clearly.
During my run in the morning, I told Rachel that she might not want to run with me while this was going on because I’d been warned that the press might start to show up and make her uncomfortable. I told her that she should talk to her parents and get their permission, if she decided to continue. In fact, my mom insisted on it. I had to agree that Rachel was too young to have to face the scrutiny it would bring. She was a day away from running in her first sectional, and she didn’t need the added pressure.
When I got to school, there was a TV truck there, and several reporters waiting on the sidewalk at the front of the school. Both Frank and Ms. Dixon had instructed me to just walk past them without comment. I wasn’t happy when they bunched up to try to prevent my entry into the school. I continued to walk towards the school, and someone shoved a camera in my face and almost hit me. They were all shouting rapid-fire questions when a young woman stepped in front of me.
“Are you David Dawson?” she asked.
I stopped because it was a strange question. I nodded.
“May I see some ID?”
The woman was holding a manila envelope. I took a deep breath, pulled out my wallet, and showed her my driver’s license.
“Mr. Dawson, you’ve been served,” she said, handing me the envelope.
I was almost to the doors when I saw Billy and a young man in a suit waiting at the front door.
“Officer, do your duty.”
Billy had a pained expression on his face.
“David, you were just served an Order of Protection, or restraining order. It orders you to stay at least 100 yards or 300 feet away from Pam Bell, her home, job, school, and car. I’m sorry, but you’re not allowed to be at school while this in place. At this time, I must ask you to leave school grounds,” Billy said.