Vicky Martling was once a great detective until she had been sent to prison over a crime she didn't commit. In the course of her career, she assisted or led the arrests of over 500 criminals. She broke barriers for women on the police force. At her peak, there had been initial discussions with Hollywood over a movie deal for her life story.
It all ended when a shady federal prosecutor brought a series of felony charges against her and a few colleagues. What was supposed to be an off-duty job to provide security turned into an allegation that she engaged in extortion and racketeering against various promoters.
She learned that justice isn't always fair. The judge was as shady as the prosecutor, and after trial, she was convicted and sent to general population, despite knowing she'd be a target.
Naturally, her biggest fear was that she'd be assaulted or raped behind bars. Neither of those things happened.
'We've got your back,'
an inmate had told her. Most of the inmates respected her because they viewed her as someone who was against a crooked system, not part of it.
That was 3 years ago. Coming out of prison, Vicky had very little friends, a criminal record, she lost her home and had a destroyed reputation.
A few blessings came her way. Her family was there for her. Her son was doing well, career-wise, and she was living with him. Their bond was stronger than ever. And she was able to get a decent job at the law firm which represented her at trial.
It was late night at the small firm. The woman she worked for, Jeanette, was also a former cop before becoming a criminal defense lawyer. They had developed a tight bond over the years and they could relate to each other in a lot of ways.
Vicky only had this job for a week, performing menial office tasks such as organizing documents and making sure paperwork was correct. It was a far cry from her old life, but this was an honest living despite the low pay.
As they worked late into the night, Vicky could sense that something was off. She didn't say anything at first. She figured if her boss wanted to say something, it would just be said. Finally, it came.
"I feel horrible about what's happened to you," Jeanette said at random.
"Water under the bridge," Vicky replied. "These days I try to forget it. I thought we were passed this already?"
Although she said it, she didn't mean it. Each day was a struggle but she knew things would eventually get better.
"I know, I know. But there's something else. Something I swore I'd never tell you. God, this is so fucked up. I want to cry."
Vicky lifted an eyebrow and held her friend's hand. "Do I need to hear this? If so, tell me."
Her attention was piqued. Her boss was a tough woman and this was the first time she had ever seen Jeanette this emotional. Even when Vicky was found guilty and sent to prison, Jeanette was able to hold it together.
"I know why they locked you up," Jeanette let out, as if these words had been slowly simmering for years.
Vicky let go of her boss's hand. She knew what the implication was. She had long suspected that she was a victim of retaliation but she never had any proof. This was heartbreaking and now she was on the verge of tears as well.
"What?"
"You heard me."
"I want to know everything," Vicky demanded.
For the next half hour, she listened to the lawyer she had trusted for years, explaining how the prosecutor, the judge, and a certain segment of law enforcement were in cahoots with each other. All because Vicky had refused to play the game and had given dozens of statements to Internal Affairs over the years, instead of keeping quiet.
She had gotten the cold shoulder from several of her colleagues after. Never could she have imagined that they'd conspire to send her to prison over that.
"There was nothing I could do," Jeanette said, fighting the tears. "I swear I did everything I could to help you."
"My head is spinning. I think I'm going to be sick."
"There's more. Maybe I should wait on that."
"What else is there?" Vicky asked, determined to get to the bottom of this, no matter how bad the truth hurt.
Jeanette took a deep breath. "A friend of mine is a cop. According to him, there are rumors they'll try something with your son. It's not confirmed. Your son is well-liked. But still, these people hold grudges."
"What?!"
"Like I said, it's just rumors so far. I needed to give you a head's up on that. You can't tell anyone that I told you this."
"I won't mention your name," Vicky sighed.
She felt her stomach churning at the thought of these people trying anything with her son. Her son was a police officer who had long wanted to follow in her footsteps. When she was convicted, her son almost quit the job, being a rookie officer. But she had begged her son to remain on the force.
Vicky was proud of that decision. When she was in prison, she'd get messages from her son, telling her stories of all the good things he had done, of all the people he had helped with small acts on the street.
It was in the family blood to wear a uniform. Now the thought of that being used against him was a crippling blow.
"Tell me what to do," Vicky said calmly, with a hint of premeditation in her voice. "You're telling me this for a reason. You always have a plan. So what is it?"
Jeanette managed to crack a smile. "The fighter inside of you has returned."
"It never left."
"This is a new challenge for you, but these people have a weakness. They have sick, twisted fetishes."
"I'm listening," Vicky replied.
***
She took off her shoes and removed her stockings when she arrived at her son's home at 10 pm that night. Barefoot, still in her office clothes, she went to her son's room. Robert was watching tv, relaxing after a long shift on patrol duties.
They made the usual small talk as she sat on the bed next to her son. She started a pointless conversation and Robert indulged her. She knew he still felt pity for her after everything that's happened. In her eyes, Robert was still a college boy. She still struggled to see him as a grown man. As an officer of the law.
"I know what they're planning," she said, stroking her son's hair.
"What are you talking about?" Robert asked.
"You've been invited onto a yacht party with high-ranking police officials. It's the
boys club
that everyone warns about. They want to know if they can trust you before giving you a promotion. To do that, they'll watch you have sex with two escorts."
She watched her son's stoic expression. At any other time, he would have turned beet red, having been caught. But he was a man now. He didn't try to deny any of this.
"That's how things work," he admitted. "I'm sure you already knew."
"I've heard about that when I was a cop. I assumed they stopped."
"Yeah, well, I guess not."
"So you're going to do it," Vicky said.
"Yes. I want the promotion. Otherwise I'll be a patrol cop forever. I want bigger things in life."
"Ambitious. Just like me."
Robert paused for a moment. "If you want me to stop... if you want me to refuse... I'll ask if there's another way."
