Page 84 of In the Air Tonight

We pass the remainder of the ride in silence.

In Providence, I lead the way to the AG’s conference room. I’ve only been there one other time since we don’t have a lot of cases in our town that rise to this level.

Josh Spurling greets us. He’s in his late thirties, with brown skin and dark eyes. He’s wearing a sharp navy-blue suit and a platinum wedding band on his left hand. He has a reputation for the successful prosecutions of some of the state’s highest-profile cases, which would certainly describe this one, as it involves a congressional candidate.

After I introduce him to Blaise, he offers coffee or water.

“I’d appreciate some water, please,” Blaise says.

“I’m all set. Thanks, Josh.”

We take seats at the far end of the conference room table.

After he pours a glass of water for Blaise from a pitcher, he places a camera and tripod on the table and turns it on, reciting the names of the people present and the purpose of the meeting.

“Please state your name and age for the record.”

“Blaise Merrick, age thirty-one.”

“Do you swear the testimony you’re about to give is truthful in this matter?”

“I do.”

“Would you please describe the events fourteen years ago on the evening of June twentieth?”

“That was the last day of school. We’d had a half day. That night, I drove from my home in Hope to Land’s End, against my parents’ rules, to sneak into a party that was being held at the Rafferty home.”

“Why did your parents tell you not to go?”

“They knew nothing about the party. I was forbidden to drive to Land’s End in general. I was still somewhat new to driving, and they didn’t want me over there. They said it was too far, too dark, too winding…”

“Did you usually do what they asked?”

“Always. I had a rebellious older sister who was constantly in trouble. The fighting was hard on me. I went out of my way to avoid anything that would upset them.”

“So you’d say it was a rare moment of rebellion?”

“My only moment of true rebellion.”

“Were you alone in this rebellion?”

“I’d prefer not to answer that. I’m speaking only for myself and what I experienced that night.”

“Our case would be stronger with multiple witnesses.”

“I understand. I’m speaking only for myself.”

“Take me through what happened from when you arrived at the party until you left the area.”

Listening to Blaise go through the details of what she saw is no less painful the third time. Her every word is laced with the agony of what she witnessed, what she failed to do and how the events of that evening have haunted her ever since.

“Weeks later, when the victim came forward to police, what happened then?”

“Everyone was talking about it. My brother, Arlo, who was one of Ryder’s closest friends, was irate over it. Arlo asked how anyone could accuse him of such a thing. I’d never seen him like that. The Facebook attacks on Neisy, as she was known then, were vicious. It made me sick as someone who knew she was telling the truth. He had raped her.”

Blaise pauses and looks down at her hands, which are tightly folded on the table. “I’m sure you must be wondering how I could sit on this information while another young woman wentthrough such a terrible ordeal. I asked myself that question every day. I wanted to help her. I wanted to do the right thing. But all I could see and hear were the people closest to me defending him, talking about how we grew up with him, how she wasn’t one of us, but he was. It was a loud roar in my head that I couldn’t escape no matter what I did.

“I started taking Tylenol PM every night, so I’d have a prayer of sleeping. I could barely eat or function. My senior-year grades were the worst of my life. I stopped going out. I didn’t care about anything. I felt like shit all the time. And I thought of her… Of Neisy and what she was going through, and I was sick over it. When we went back to school, nothing had changed for Ryder. He was the same popular, successful student and athlete.”

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