enrolled at the university long ago. He
was the professor of my genetics class
and struck by my thesis on the
Impacts
of Artificial Selection
. He took me
under his wing and I thrived under the
academic challenges he presented. The
opportunity to work with someone as
legendary as the Doc, which I so
affectionately call him, was an honor.
“What are your plans for the next
two weeks, Violet? I haven’t heard you
mention anything and I better not hear
that you were in here tinkering.”
Did he really know me that well? I
suppose previous experience would give
him that type of insight.
“Actually, Shepard is on his way
back from Vanderbilt and will be
helping me catch up on some painting.”
Doc’s face took on a strange
expression. “No family? What about
your sister Vivienne?”
“She’s not coming up here when
it’s this cold. She is making too much
money on the dolphin tours right now.
Who would leave Key West in
December, really?”
“Violet, I just worry about you, I
can’t help it. You need a life; you are too
young to sit holed away in this lab all the
time. The only time you even mention
anyone other than Vivienne is when you
talk about Shepard, and even then, it is
rare. What is the story with him anyway?
I saw your cheeks pink up a little when
you said his name.”
Nothing escaped this man; it was
disturbing. I felt the corners of my mouth
turn up slightly. It was true I was
becoming quite fond of my young
neighbor.
“I am too old for him; he just helps
me when he’s on break for extra cash.
His father is a piece of work; I think he
uses it as a way to avoid dealing with
him.”
“What’s too old? You are only
twenty-six, for Pete’s sake, and how old
is he? He’s over twenty, if I am not
mistaken.”
“Twenty-one – that’s five years
younger than me. He doesn’t need me
corrupting him.” I shook my head back
and forth, dismissing the thoughts as they
filtered into consciousness.
Taking another sip of scotch, it
burned as it coated my mouth with its
sharp pungent flavor.
“Where is all this coming from?
When did you suddenly become so
interested in my love life? I thought you
quite enjoyed my total dedication.” I
tried laughing, but this conversation was
odd, even between us. He paused again,
collecting
whatever
thought
was
pressing forward.
“I don’t like the idea of you being
alone – that’s all.”
He looked down at the floor after
speaking with a soft voice. I had no idea
what was going on, but he appeared to
age ten years before my eyes. I wanted
to ask, but refrained. I did not question
him, ever. I knew he made the discovery
over a year ago, yet for some reason, he
continued to have us run samples. My
silence seemed to reinforce his trust in
me; I figured he had his reasons.
I walked over to him and placed my
hand on his arm, rubbing affectionately.
“I am not going to die like some old cat
lady; I’m not the innocent girl you think I
am.”
His hand reached up to hold mine
against his arm. This intimate moment
weighted in sadness. “You may be
surprised to know that I have never
thought of you as being the innocent type.
More like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
I placed my hand over my mouth to
stifle the laugh; I could not believe what
he just said. “Say what?” My high-
pitched response finally drew the grin I
had been seeking. Although it was brief,
it was something. “Well, Doc, my
intentions are never malicious. I cannot
help that I am a too much trouble for my
own good. At least let me believe that.”
His face became serious again,
weaving back and forth through emotion.
“Violet, it’s not a bad thing. Wolves are
actually quite stoic creatures who have
earned a poor reputation. Wolves are not
malicious, either. They are highly
intelligent, loyal, and very protective…
kind of like someone I know.” After a
paused silence, his demeanor changed in
a flash becoming austere. “I am going to
walk you to your car tonight, okay?” His
voice was low and shaking.
I stood still for a moment; none of
this was making sense. Bringing my
heavy wool coat off the rack and placing
it on my shoulders, he leaned into my
ear. “Do you trust me, Violet?”
I stilled at the question. His facial
expression
grew
signs
of
panic;
something definitely was wrong. I
simply nodded in agreement. Opening
the door out to the darkened hallway, he
remained silent until we reached the
security desk.
“I am walking Ms. Phillips to her
car tonight, I will be right back.”
Rory, the main night shift officer,
grabbed the rim of his black ball cap and
tipped it politely to the doctor, then
turned to me and raised his middle
finger. I smiled as we walked out
through the double steel doors and into
the frigid night on the other side. My
nostrils flared, taking in the freezing still
air and breathing out clouds of steam.
“What was that all about, Violet?”
“Oh, Rory hates suspenders with a
passion for some odd reason; he goes on
and on about it. So for Christmas, I
stopped at that cute little German shop in
Mainstrasse and bought a pair of really
tacky ones with flowers on them as a
joke.”
“I see.” Not attempting to inquire
anymore about the incident, he brushed it
off as if it never happened. The Doc’s
mind was somewhere else. “Where did
you park at?” I watched his eyes scan the
perimeter of the building before walking
down the salt covered steps with his arm
holding onto my elbow.
“Lot C, where I always do. You
don’t have to do this, I will be fine.”
His grip tightened on my arm and
we began to walk towards the lot.
“Doc, you’re freaking me out.
What’s going on?”
Our pace quickened slightly until
we were just out of sight of the main
door. He softened his grip, yet his hands
remained locked onto my arm. In almost
a whisper, and through clenched teeth,
he started to speak.
“Violet, what I am about to do is
going to scare you, but you have to trust
me. I won’t hurt you, I promise.”
We had just reached my small
silver SUV when I reached into my
purse to fish out my keys, the leather
gloves making it difficult to feel through
all the clutter in there. Finding the fob, I
clicked the button to unlock the doors
and reached for the handle. As I turned
around to say good-bye to the doctor,
both of his hands immediately flew to
either side of me, trapping me against the
driver’s side. This was not happening.
“Hold still, Violet,” he pleaded.
My eyes were able to see his face
despite the low fluorescent lights in the
lot. It was full of sadness and fear. He
started to press against me with his head,
leaning into my neck.
“Please trust me. Tell me you trust
me.”
His voice was now full of agony,
creating shudders along my spine. Surely
he could feel my heart beating so
rapidly, it was about to burst.
The knot in my throat kept any
screams from coming out as the
sensation of ice-cold fingers sliding
down the front of my pants pulled all the
air in my lungs. Anticipating the pending
assault, my mind raced with what to do
to get away from this situation. I closed
my eyes, feeling the hot tears roll down
my cheeks, freezing before they hit my
chin. He pressed a small metal item
against the lips of my vulva before
removing his hand and placing it on my
side. He pretended to nuzzle along my
neck, holding his breath as he moved
back up to the shell of my ear.
“You need to leave now and go to
Jack’s. Stay there all night, do not leave,
and do not go home. I know you don’t
understand, but these will tell you
everything.”
I watched his other hand drop
another metal item from the sleeve of his
lab coat into his palm before he dragged
it under my shirt and up to my breast. My
eyes grew wide as I felt the cold item
slip into my bra.
“Why are you acting like I will
never see you again?”
His hand ran along the side of my
cheek and down my jaw. “You were the
daughter I always wanted; I will never
stop thanking God for you. Now you
need to scream and fight me away.”
I shook my head frantically in
refusal.
“You must, Violet. We’re being
watched; it’s the only way.” His
expression was shattered. “Do it –
there’s no time.”
The urgency in his voice gave
enough warning that he was serious. A
million questions ran through my mind.
Tightening the grip on my arm once
again, he pulled me back to the moment.
Dragging in the deepest breath, I
screamed like a banshee and began to
revolt against him. Trying my best to be
believable, yet without causing damage,
was difficult. It was mere seconds
before the campus police pulled their
cars up to the altercation. One officer
pulled me away while the other
restrained Dr. Robertson. My confusion
at the situation was easily mistaken for
anger.
“Get him away from me!”
I tightened my eyes shut so I did not
have to see the pain my words would
evoke. The officer placed him in the
back of the car, while the other stayed to
ask me a few questions.
“Are you hurt ma’am? Do you need
to go to the hospital? Do you want to
press charges?”
I
kept
mostly
silent,
only
responding when needed, except to the
last question.
“Can I decide later? I just want to
leave and I’m not hurt. Is that okay?”
Another
few
campus
police
vehicles quickly pulled up to the
incident as there was not much going on
elsewhere.
“Ma’am, I am sorry. Even if you
don’t press charges, we still need you to
come and give a statement since this
happened on University property. I also
don’t think you should be driving. Can
you call someone to come down and get
you?”
A moment later, another cruiser
pulled up and Rory hopped out with a
panicked look on his face. Seeing Doc in
the back of the car and me being
questioned, he broke through the other
officers.
“Ms. Phillips, what happened?”
Knowing he just saw us a few
moments ago, I could tell he was
blaming himself for whatever may or
may not have taken place.
“I’m okay, Rory. Can you call Jack
and ask him to come and pick me up?”
I pulled out my phone and gave him
the number to reach Jack. He was the
only person I could think of at this hour
who would come down to the station.
Nodding in agreement, he walked off
and immediately started dialing the
number off the small piece of paper.
The first person to respond to the
scene was Officer Stayton and she
insisted on being the one to take me in
for my statement. I assumed she was
bored with nothing to do and this would
get her out of patrol for a few hours. She
was a younger woman who I had not
seen making rounds before, which
probably explained her enthusiasm. As I
was getting into the back of the cruiser,
Rory ran up and tapped on the window.
“Jack is on his way. I’m sorry – I
didn’t think anything of it when Dr.
Robertson said he was walking you to