THE COED MURDER CLUB. Ken Salter

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      “Is that the way your parents have taken it?”

      “Mother tries to be supportive in spite of her own anger about what happened. She was sympathetic about how the rape affected me and that helped. Father never really cared about what it did to me. He’s angry because of what the situation does to his reputation. It’s like it’s my fault that he has to deal with something he’d rather sweep under the rug.”

      “Why does he blame you for what happened?”

      “When the cops stopped trying to locate the fuckers, I think he figured it was my fault that I got raped.”

      “Did the police say why they couldn’t find the men who raped you?”

      “Not really. The women officers who had me tested for the rape were sympathetic at first. Later after I was grilled by the detectives, I could tell they were just going through the motions. We’d ask how the investigation was going and they’d just hem and haw. They wouldn’t look you in the eye or give me a straight answer.”

      “Who was the detective assigned to your case?”

      “His name was Sawyer. I think his first name was Dean.”

      “Yeah, I know the dude. Big red-headed guy with a lot of freckles and a pot belly?”

      “Uh-huh.”

      “I got contacts at the police department. I’ll look into what derailed the investigation. When did the rape occur?”

      “Just over seven months ago.”

      “Did they test you for HIV after the rape?”

      “Yeah, they took some blood and tested it. They said the test was negative but to do it again in six months as the virus usually doesn’t show up until months later.”

      “When did you learn you were HIV positive?”

      “Last week.” Mindy started sobbing. I passed her a box of tissues and waited for her to resume control of herself.

      “Did you have a steady boyfriend prior to the rape?”

      “I’ve been going steady with Bernie for over a year. We were talking about maybe getting married …” Mindy’s voice choked with emotion and she grabbed for the box of tissues. “I’m sorry. This is so damn hard.”

      I nodded my agreement. “Did you tell Bernie about the rape?”

      “No, I was scared to tell him what happened.”

      “Weren’t you concerned about the possibility of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases?”

      “No, not really. Not at the time. I was afraid he would dump me.”

      “Because you were raped?”

      “No, Bernie’s old-fashioned. I was afraid that if he found out that I went out with a stranger and got loaded, and wound up getting raped by a bunch of guys, he’d just bail on me. He thinks I’m Miss Goodie-Two-Shoes. I don’t think he could handle knowing I’d let myself get had by some sweet-talking guy.”

      “What did he say when you told him about the positive AIDS test?”

      “I haven’t told him.” She was snuffling again and more tears threatened to flow.

      “Isn’t it possible Bernie gave you the infection?”

      Mindy let out a hysterical guffaw and looked at me incredulously. “Bernie? You must be kidding. He’s strictly straight arrow.”

      “What about before Bernie? Did you have unprotected sex with any of your boyfriends?”

      “Oh shit! Yeah, sure I’ve had sex without using rubbers. The guys don’t like ’em and it makes it so damn clinical. I mean to stop making out and open up a rubber and put it on a guy is not very romantic, is it?” She glared at me as if it was my fault. I found it hard to believe that in this day and age she’d engage in unprotected sex with men she dated. I ignored her taunt.

      “Did the police or medical personnel ask you who you’d been sleeping with and might have given you the infection after you got the results?”

      “No, they just said the results are confidential.”

      “So, isn’t it possible the infection came from someone other than the guys who raped you?”

      “No way, José. I wasn’t infected before the rape and the first test proves it. Those bastards infected me. So what’s your point?” Mindy was turning feisty which I took as a good sign as she was coming out of her funk.

      “Do you think Bernie will dump me if I tell him I’m HIV positive?” She said in a worried tone.

      “Not if he’s also infected. You’ll both be in the same boat. If he’s not infected, he’ll scram because he’s afraid of getting infected. Either way, you’ll get a quick read on his character. There’s nothing like the threat of AIDS to find out whether he’s a man or a mouse.”

      Mindy started crying again. Now, big wet tears cascaded down her cheeks and onto her jeans. The light on my telephone console blinked furiously. I was sure Juanita was signaling that Mindy’s parents were back in the office and getting restless. As I didn’t want to discuss the situation with Juanita in front of Mindy, I said to Mindy, “I have to deliver a file to my secretary. I’ll be back in a minute. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee? Tea? A Coke?”

      “I’ll have a Diet Coke if you’ve got one,” she squeaked through her tears.

      “Great. I’ll get you one and be back in a jiffy.”

      CHAPTER 2

      On my return, I handed Mindy a can of Diet Coke and popped the top off a can of root beer. Mindy was dabbing her cheeks with tissues but no longer crying. “My secretary says your parents are still out for coffee,” I lied. They were, in fact, sitting and fidgeting nervously in my waiting room, much to Juanita’s annoyance.

      “Great, I just can’t deal with them right now. Father has gone ballistic over the whole thing. You’d think he was the one who got raped and infected with AIDS.”

      “Well, some dads take it personally when someone messes with their little girl.”

      Mindy actually cracked a little smile. “Not my father. He only thinks of himself.”

      Since the crying jag seemed to be over, I wanted to learn what had happened seven months ago. “Tell me how you first met the men who assaulted you.”

      Mindy took a deep breath to steel herself to the task ahead. “I was studying at the main library on campus. It was late; I had a paper to crank out and I was bored and fed up with the topic. I’d done a draft, but it was crappy. I guess I must have muttered something out loud. A guy nearby moved over beside me and confessed he was also tired of studying and we just started talking.

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