"So I should forget it?"
"No, I guess not. Go ahead and bring your charges so it gets in his file. However, try to keep it out of the paper."
Chip went on to explain the procedure requires a first hearing within forty-eight hours of the accusation. The review panel will consist of the state attorney, the chief and two police officers.
"Do I get to testify, so I can face the bastard?"
"No, your charges must be written and then sworn to under penalty of perjury. The panel will put their heads together for a split second, and then announce...yahta, yahta, yahta...they're helpless because it's he said-she said. And the matter's closed."
"But I have a witness, Linda saw Huress standing there with his pants open."
"You know Linda is gay?"
"Sure, but she's out."
"They'll completely discount her as a witness. Completely. Think about it. At the very least, she's your biased lesbian friend. At most, she's your biased lesbian lover. You may not care, but as far as her being your witness, it's as though she was never there."
"What if it just happens to get in the paper?"
"Your brother might suffer from the fallout."
"I don't want to tell him about the incident just yet, but I know he would say go for it." She clicked off with Chip and turned back to Linda. "Now I'm worried about you. I know you'll back me up, but what does that do to you?"
"Won't affect me because I can't be named, not at first. I hope you understand that part. I'll be happy to write the piece, but I can't control the headline and it's going to read, 'Suspect's Sister Accuses Local Officer.' The item will state you have a witness, but if I'm named, then we become the story. Then the headline would be, 'Reporter and Girlfriend Accuse Local Officer.' It would sell a hellava lot of papers but would spin out of control."
"Nevertheless, if I don't make it all known then Huress wins. Another creep gets away with it as though it never happened. Will you please go ahead and write it and be sure his name gets in?"
"Sandy, if I've learned anything about you in the few hours that I've known you, it's that nothing is going to stop you. I already went ahead and wrote it. It's done. Let's go. The editor will read it now."
The editor read the printout. "Linda, you mention here that there is an unidentified witness. That's misleading. Change it to an unnamed witness. Otherwise, it's good copy. Are you ladies certain you know what you're doing? Someone might dig in and want the unnamed witness to be identified. You may think you're out, Linda, but this town doesn't want to hear about it."