Tag Archives: Senator Bronson

A Hard Rain; chapter eleven, part one

By 10:13:15 p.m., Leslie is yawning nonstop.  She has taken a break from the case because her mind is on overload.  Now, she needs to sleep.  She emails Siobhan with her most recent update, and then she heads to the bathroom to perform her ablutions.  She is falling asleep as she brushes her teeth, so she decides to forego taking a shower—she can do it in the morning.  She goes back to the bedroom, strips off her clothes, sets the alarm, and then lies down on the bed.  She is out before she can even close her eyes.

Leslie is dreaming of John.  He is healthy, happy, and oh, so handsome.  She hugs him, kisses him, and he is hard.  She slides her hand down his body, but he stops her with a gentle kiss.

“You are so beautiful, Leslie.”  John presses a kiss so tender to Leslie’s lip, it takes her breath away.  After breaking away, he presents a black rose to Leslie—a real, living black rose.  “I need you to break into the rose.  You will find me in the rose.  Bear that in mind.  Can you remember that after you wake up?”

“Yes, John,” Leslie whispers, pressing her cheek to John’s chest.  She sheds a few tears as he closes his arms around her.

“I have to go now, baby.”  John kisses Leslie on the top of her head.

“No!”  Leslie is anguished as she looks up at John, tears in her eyes.  “Don’t leave me again!”

“I’ll always be with you, Leslie.  Always.”  John hugs Leslie hard before letting her go.  She watches as he evaporates into thin air.  “Remember.  Break into the rose.  Bear that in mind.”  With a start, Leslie wakes up.

“Damn.”  Leslie looks at her watch.  It’s 3:12:39 a.m., and Leslie is wide awake.  She emails Siobhan to let her know, and then she returns to her laptop.  She writes down what John had told her—something about breaking into a rose and bearing it in mind.  Then, she takes a deep breath and starts researching Senator Bronson more thoroughly.  Her earlier Google search had been cursory at best, but now is not time to be squeamish.

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A Hard Rain; chapter six

“Beth, we have some breaking news.  Senator Jonah Bronson of Chicago has been accused of molesting three girls, ages 10, 11, and 12 in his youth group, starting from when they were each eight years old.  Let’s go to his church for some reactions.”

Leslie stares at her television, her spoon halfway to her mouth.  She is killing time before her flight, and she had thought it good to keep up on what’s happening in the world.  She is watching the evening world news while eating a bowl of Kashi GOLEAN Crisp! Toasted Berry Crumble with Josephine watching her every bite.  Jonah Bronson.  Chicago.  She knows the name—how does she know the name?  Then it hits her as she recalls John’s commentary which she had read just that afternoon.  In fact, John had mentioned this very thing, and Leslie had tried to forget it because it had bothered her so much.  She chastised herself for being so weak.

“Shit!”  Leslie gets up from her bowl of cereal in order to go to her computer, grabbing a protesting Josephine in one hand along the way.  Leslie shuts the door, plunks Josephine in her bed, and then hops online.  She Googles Jonah Bronson, and it’s just as she thinks—Senator Robertson’s crony and old friend—the one who loved kids and who babysat Amy when Amy was a little girl.  Leslie mentally runs through what she’s learned about the case, and she can’t help but wonder if Jonah Bronson’s predilection for little girls is not a recent thing—it usually isn’t with pedophiles.  Leslie does a Google search and discovers that there have been accusations against Senator Bronson throughout the years, but none of the cases had been substantiated—mostly because the girls refused to talk about it.  That makes Leslie wonder if the senator had employed intimidation to keep the girls quiet.  That is often the case when a powerful man abuses his position.  He intimates that no one will believe the girl and that she deserves it.  Sadly, it’s often true that a girl isn’t believed—especially against the word of a man like Senator Bronson.  Most people do not want to believe that a grown man would force sex upon a young girl.  Leslie knows, firsthand, however, that it does happen.

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