hymen was intact up until the rape."
Lena felt her stomach drop. She should have thought of this, but too much had happened in the last twenty-four hours for Lena to come to logical conclusions. Now the whole world would know her sister was gay.
"I don't care, Lena," Sara said. "Really. However she wanted to live her life is fine with me."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"It means what it means," Sara answered, obviously thinking that was enough. When Lena did not respond, she added, " Lena, I know about Nan Thomas. I put two and two together."
Lena leaned her head back against the wall, closing her eyes. "I guess you're giving me a heads up, huh? For telling everybody else my sister was gay?"
Sara was quiet, then, "I hadn't planned on putting that in my briefing."
"I'll tell him," Lena decided, opening her eyes. "Can you give me a minute?"
"Sure."
Lena waited until Sara had left the room, then put her head into her hands. She wanted to cry, but no tears would come. Her body was so dehydrated she was amazed she still had spit in her mouth. She took a deep breath to brace herself and stood.
Frank Wallace and Matt Hogan were in the briefing room when she came out of the supply closet. Frank gave her a nod, but Matt made himself busy putting cream in his coffee. Both detectives were in their fifties, both from a very different time than the one Lena had grown up in. Like the rest of the detectives on the senior squad, they operated by the old rules of the police fraternity, where justice at any cost was right. The force was their family, and anything that happened to one of their officers affected them as it would a brother. If Grant was a close-knit community, the detectives were even closer. As a matter of fact, Lena knew that every one of her fellow detectives were members at the local lodge. Except for the simple matter of her not having a penis, she imagined she would have been invited to join a long time ago, if not out of respect, then obligation.
She wondered what these two old men would think knowing they were working a case to find out who had raped a lesbian. Once, a long time ago, Lena had actually heard Matt start a sentence with the words, "Back when the Klan was doing some good…" Would they be as vigilant if they knew about Sibyl, or would their anger dissipate? Lena did not want to find out the hard way.
Jeffrey was reading a report when she knocked on his open office door.
"Sara get you straightened out?" he asked.
She did not like the way he phrased his question, but Lena said yes anyway as she closed the door.
Jeffrey was obviously surprised to see her close the door. He set aside the report and waited for her to sit down before asking, "What's up?"
Lena felt the best thing to do was blurt it out. "My sister was a lesbian."
Her words hung in the air over their heads like cartoons. Lena fought the urge to give a nervous laugh. She had never spoken them out loud before. Sibyl's sexuality was something Lena was not comfortable talking about, even with her sister. When Sibyl moved in with Nan Thomas a short year after moving to Grant, Lena had not pushed for details. She honestly had not wanted to know them.
"Well," Jeffrey said, his voice indicating surprise, "thank you for telling me that."
"Do you think it impacts the investigation?" Lena asked, wondering if this was all for nothing.
"I don't know," he answered, and she felt he was telling the truth. "Has anyone been sending her threatening mail? Making disparaging remarks?"
Lena wondered about this, too. Nan had said nothing new had happened in the last few weeks, but she also knew Lena was not open to discussing anything that might bring up the fact that Nan was fucking her sister. "I guess you should talk to Nan."
"Nan Thomas?"
"Yeah," Lena said. "They lived together. The address is on Cooper. Maybe we could go after the briefing?"
"Later today," he said. "Around four?"
Lena nodded her agreement. She couldn't stop herself from
Lena felt her stomach drop. She should have thought of this, but too much had happened in the last twenty-four hours for Lena to come to logical conclusions. Now the whole world would know her sister was gay.
"I don't care, Lena," Sara said. "Really. However she wanted to live her life is fine with me."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"It means what it means," Sara answered, obviously thinking that was enough. When Lena did not respond, she added, " Lena, I know about Nan Thomas. I put two and two together."
Lena leaned her head back against the wall, closing her eyes. "I guess you're giving me a heads up, huh? For telling everybody else my sister was gay?"
Sara was quiet, then, "I hadn't planned on putting that in my briefing."
"I'll tell him," Lena decided, opening her eyes. "Can you give me a minute?"
"Sure."
Lena waited until Sara had left the room, then put her head into her hands. She wanted to cry, but no tears would come. Her body was so dehydrated she was amazed she still had spit in her mouth. She took a deep breath to brace herself and stood.
Frank Wallace and Matt Hogan were in the briefing room when she came out of the supply closet. Frank gave her a nod, but Matt made himself busy putting cream in his coffee. Both detectives were in their fifties, both from a very different time than the one Lena had grown up in. Like the rest of the detectives on the senior squad, they operated by the old rules of the police fraternity, where justice at any cost was right. The force was their family, and anything that happened to one of their officers affected them as it would a brother. If Grant was a close-knit community, the detectives were even closer. As a matter of fact, Lena knew that every one of her fellow detectives were members at the local lodge. Except for the simple matter of her not having a penis, she imagined she would have been invited to join a long time ago, if not out of respect, then obligation.
She wondered what these two old men would think knowing they were working a case to find out who had raped a lesbian. Once, a long time ago, Lena had actually heard Matt start a sentence with the words, "Back when the Klan was doing some good…" Would they be as vigilant if they knew about Sibyl, or would their anger dissipate? Lena did not want to find out the hard way.
Jeffrey was reading a report when she knocked on his open office door.
"Sara get you straightened out?" he asked.
She did not like the way he phrased his question, but Lena said yes anyway as she closed the door.
Jeffrey was obviously surprised to see her close the door. He set aside the report and waited for her to sit down before asking, "What's up?"
Lena felt the best thing to do was blurt it out. "My sister was a lesbian."
Her words hung in the air over their heads like cartoons. Lena fought the urge to give a nervous laugh. She had never spoken them out loud before. Sibyl's sexuality was something Lena was not comfortable talking about, even with her sister. When Sibyl moved in with Nan Thomas a short year after moving to Grant, Lena had not pushed for details. She honestly had not wanted to know them.
"Well," Jeffrey said, his voice indicating surprise, "thank you for telling me that."
"Do you think it impacts the investigation?" Lena asked, wondering if this was all for nothing.
"I don't know," he answered, and she felt he was telling the truth. "Has anyone been sending her threatening mail? Making disparaging remarks?"
Lena wondered about this, too. Nan had said nothing new had happened in the last few weeks, but she also knew Lena was not open to discussing anything that might bring up the fact that Nan was fucking her sister. "I guess you should talk to Nan."
"Nan Thomas?"
"Yeah," Lena said. "They lived together. The address is on Cooper. Maybe we could go after the briefing?"
"Later today," he said. "Around four?"
Lena nodded her agreement. She couldn't stop herself from
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