Redress of Grievances (40 page)

"Everything
just seemed to get out of control that night. Parker lost control of what was
happening, and he left his sister alone with a couple of us."

"Can
you describe for the court what happened that evening, Mr. Meier?"
Harriett asked quietly as she leaned forward on the defense table.

"We
had all been drinking and smoking pot most of the evening. Throughout the
evening, five or six pairs of guys had followed Parker to his sister's room.
Finally someone tapped me on the shoulder. When I looked up, it was Parker. He
told me that if I wanted to get any, I'd better go on up because Sharon was
getting a little hard to handle. The guy who went up with me was this big
lineman, Jerry Phelps. It was his first time at Parker's, and he was really
excited. Like he'd never seen a naked girl before." Meier paused and took
a drink of water from a glass next to the witness stand.

Clearing
his throat, he shook his head slightly and continued his testimony. The
courtroom was as silent as a tomb. "Jerry and I stripped off our jeans and
jockey shorts, and Parker handed rubbers to both of us and told us to put them
on. We did, but then there was shouting downstairs. Parker told us to wait and
left the room. Before I knew what was happening, Jerry closed the bedroom door
and locked it. He looked at me and grinned and said, 'I ain't taking no sloppy
seconds or thirds.' So we....," Meier's voice cracked and he stopped to
take several deep breaths.

"Are
you all right, Mr. Meier?" Judge Landers asked. "Do you need a short
recess?"

Meier
looked at Harriett and Sharon before looking up at Landers.

"No,
your Honor. It's just that this is extremely difficult for me to admit
to."

"Please
continue, Mr. Meier," Landers instructed.

"Jerry
and I both removed our rubbers and got on the bed. I held Sharon down and put
my hand over her mouth while Jerry got behind her and....and penetrated her
anally. He was a really big guy, and when he pushed into her, her eyes went
wild with pain. I told him to slow down, and let it rest inside her until she
relaxed. She closed her eyes real tight for a minute, and when she opened them
again, she looked at me and seemed almost calm. I took my hand away and forced
her to do me orally, but it became obvious to me, even as drunk as I was, that
she was having a hard time breathing. So I stopped and told Jerry to pull out.
That we were done. But Jerry wouldn't stop. He just kept pounding away at her
like a jackhammer. When he finally did get off her, there was blood on the bed,
so he must have hurt her pretty bad. Jerry was so hopped up that he couldn't
get rid of his erection and wanted to wait a few minutes and do her again. But
by then she was too messed up, and Parker was banging at the bedroom door. She
just curled up into this little ball like she didn't notice that we were still
there. She looked so small," Meier's voice faded away.

"What
happened after Mr. Collins got into the room?" Harriett asked.

"He
took one look at his sister and told us the party was over. I told him I
thought she needed to go to the hospital, but he said he would take care of
it."

"What
did he mean by that, Mr. Meier?"

"I
really don't know, Ms. Markham. I got dressed and left. I never went
back."

"Can
you tell the court what happened to Jerry Phelps, Mr. Meier?"

"Jerry
died a few years ago," Meier said. "I heard he shot himself but don't
know that for a fact."

"I
know this has been difficult for you, Mr. Meier. Why did you agree to present
this testimony today?"

"Because
I still have nightmares about that night, Ms. Markham. I have a little girl of
my own, and the idea that she might fall victim to predators like we were
scares the shit out of me. I'm not proud of what I did and can never make up
for it, but if my testimony helps Sharon, then I know I've done the only thing
I can do," Meier answered, as a tear left his eyes and moved down his
right cheek.

"Thank
you, Mr. Meier. The defense has no further questions of this witness, your
Honor," Harriett said as she stood and concluded her direct examination.

"Cross,
Mr. Lassiter?" Landers asked.

Lassiter
tapped his pencil against his legal pad and stood. "The prosecution has no
questions of this witness, your Honor."

Chapter
Forty

THE
AFTERNOON OF the third day of defense witnesses, Harriett covered the basic
information about Sharon's childhood through a series of questions before
getting to the heart of her questioning of Clarissa Collins.

"When
did you suspect that Sharon was sexually active, Mrs. Collins?"

"Before
she was a teenager."

"Dr.
Wilder, a company physician with Collins Industries, has testified that you
brought Sharon to him when she was twelve because you believed she was active
at that time. Is that correct?"

"I
took her to Dr. Wilder, yes."

"Did
you suspect your daughter was having sex before she was twelve?"

"I
may have. I don't remember exactly when I became suspicious."

"What
did Sharon do that made you suspicious?"

"She
began to talk about sexual matters, and I couldn't imagine that she would have
read about the things she was talking about. She must have experienced
them."

"Did
Sharon have a boyfriend when she was eleven or twelve?"

"No.
Sharon was a rather unattractive girl at that age. Awkward."

"How
did Sharon feel about her brother?"

"They
have always been very close, even though Parker is six years older than Sharon.
She adored him because he was her protector. He took her places with him and
made sure his friends were nice to her."

"When
did Parker start watching Sharon while you went out, Mrs. Collins?"

"When
he was about eleven or twelve. He was very responsible when he was young."

"When
did you first become aware that your son was molesting Sharon?"

"That
never happened," Clarissa answered defiantly. "Parker wouldn't molest
his sister. He loved her."

"Didn't
Sharon tell you that he was sodomizing her when she was five or six?"

"Well,
she said something about Parker touching her once, but I told her she was
mistaken. Parker gave Sharon her bath many times when I was busy. She
misinterpreted what he was doing, that's all. It was nothing. When I explained
it to her, she never mentioned it again."

"How
did you explain the fact that he inserted his fingers into her vagina, Mrs.
Collins? Just doing a thorough cleansing?"

"Objection,"
Lassiter said. "Counsel isn't allowing her witness time to answer one
question before asking another."

"Sustained."

"Did
you tell Sharon that her brother wasn't doing anything wrong by putting his
hands on her genital area?"

"Yes.
And I spoke to Parker about it."

"What
was his explanation?"

"That
it had been innocent. He was bathing her and his hand slipped."

Harriett
chuckled slightly and looked at Clarissa, "His hand just slipped right in
there, did it? I haven't heard a line that weak since I was a teenager, Mrs.
Collins."

"Objection,"
Lassiter said. "Counsel is testifying."

Harriett
looked over her shoulder at him and saw the hint of a smile on Lassiter's lips.
"Withdrawn, your Honor."

"The
jury will disregard Ms. Markham's commentary," Landers said looking at the
members of the jury. "And it will be stricken from the record."

"Was
it common for Parker to have his friends come over to your house when he was
there alone with Sharon?"

"Mr.
Collins and I didn't have any objection to his friends visiting as long as they
didn't make a mess."

"Was
there ever an occasion when Sharon complained about his friends?"

"She
told me that they would sometimes come into her room, and she didn't like
that."

"What
was your response to her complaints, Mrs. Collins?"

"I
reminded Sharon that good manners meant being hospitable to guests in our
home."

"How
hospitable do you think Sharon should have been?"

"Ms.
Markham, I taught both my children to have excellent manners. Sharon knew how
to behave when we had guests."

"She
knew she should lay on her back on the bed and spread her legs for them. Is
that what you mean?" Harriett asked sarcastically.

Clarissa's
face turned red. She looked at Judge Landers. "Do I have to sit here and
listen to obscenities like that? What she's implying is...is disgusting."

"I
couldn't agree with you more, ma'am," Landers said. "But we've
already heard some fairly disgusting things during the course of testimony.
Continue, Ms. Markham."

"I
know you don't believe your son was molesting his sister. Do you believe his
friends were molesting her?"

"Objection,
your Honor," Lassiter said. "Unless Mrs. Collins was present at any
of these alleged molestations, she cannot testify to something she didn't
witness."

Landers
looked at Harriett and shrugged, "Sustained."

Harriett
glanced at the jurors. For some reason, the testimony of Clarissa Collins had
taken on comic proportions. The woman was in total denial concerning the
actions of her son, and Harriett almost felt sorry for her. Almost.

"Mrs.
Collins, what if I told you that this court has already heard testimony from
two of your son's high school friends who admitted that they had sodomized and
had sexual intercourse with Sharon from the time she was six until she was
nearly thirteen?"

"I
would say that they were lying. All of Parker's friends came from the finest
families."

"What
if I told you they both swore, under pain of perjury, that they had paid Parker
to use Sharon to provide these services?"

Clarissa
Collins couldn't answer for a moment, and Harriett was afraid the woman was
going to break down on the stand.

"Parker
would never hurt Sharon. He loved her," Clarissa reiterated.

"But
he allowed his friends to hurt her and to pay for the privilege of doing so.
Isn't that how Sharon wound up in the nursing home operated by Dr. Wilder in
1984?"

"Sharon
was raped by a boy she was seeing."

"In
your deposition, and again in your testimony today, you stated that Sharon
never had dates when she was in school and certainly was not dating at the age
of twelve. In fact, you have intimated that you believed your daughter was a
homosexual before she married. Isn't that true, Mrs. Collins?"

"I
don't recall saying..."

Harriett
stood up. "Would you like to see a copy of your deposition, which you
signed, to refresh your memory, Mrs. Collins?"

"No.
I did tell you those things."

"Were
you lying then?"

"No."

"So
Sharon didn't have any boyfriends she would sneak out of the house to
rendezvous with?"

"No."

"Then
how can you explain the injuries which led to her being treated by Dr.
Wilder?"

"Parker
called me at the country club. He said one of his friends had raped Sharon in
her room while he and some other boys were shooting pool downstairs. He didn't
know what to do."

"Why
didn't you tell your husband and rush home or to the hospital to be with your
daughter?"

"It
was already done and over with when Parker called. I was afraid my husband
would kill the boy responsible if I told him."

"Were
you ever aware of the extent of her physical injuries from that incident, Mrs.
Collins?" Harriett asked.

"I
knew she was hurt, Ms. Markham. But she was fine when I brought her home."

"Approach
the witness, your Honor?" Harriett asked.

Landers
nodded and Harriett walked to the exhibit table and picked up a piece of paper.

"Mrs.
Collins, would you please read the underlined portion of Sharon's medical
record from that night to the jury?" Harriett asked, handing Clarissa the
paper.

Clearing
her throat, Clarissa read, "Twelve year old female. Contusion to left side
of the face. Bruising, minor tearing and swelling noted at the back of the
throat. Numerous bruises and bite marks along the inside thigh area. Genital
area red and swollen. Patient complains of abdominal pain. Significant tearing
in the rectal area."

"Did
you seek psychiatric help for Sharon after this rape?"

"No.
She recovered from it. We never discussed it again."

"I
have no further questions for this witness," Harriett said as she returned
to the defense table and sat down, shaking her head at the fact that Clarissa
Collins had deluded herself for so many years.