"Mike?" Nicole asked. "What are you doing?"
"Oh, nothing," Mike replied casually, moving closer to her. "Just comin' to the aid of m'sister and a friend o' mine." He looked at Peter through the bars. "Got yerself some trouble again, didn't ya, pal?" he asked, winking at Peter.
Peter nodded, sheepishly, and looked at the floor.
"Again?" Nicole asked. Mike looked at her and then at Peter.
"You didn't tell her about-?" he asked. Peter shook his head, no. "Why on earth not?"
"You wanted me to tell her that?" he asked. He looked at Nicole a moment and then back at Mike. "It's something I want to forget, not be reminded of. It's in the past. She didn't need to know."
"Well now I do. What didn't you tell me before, Peter?" Nicole demanded.
Peter looked at the floor for a moment and then at Mike for help.
"Don't look at me. She's your wife, and it's your trouble. You should tell her yourself," Mike replied scoldingly.
Peter took a deep breath. There were certain things you didn't want to say to your wife, and this was one of them.
"Well, Peter?" Nicole asked, staring at him. "You were in trouble before?"
"Well, yeah," he said.
"For what?" she demanded.
"For...well, it was a long time ago and it was a stupid thing to do."
"It?" Nicole asked. "What was it?"
Peter was silent a moment. He didn't take his eyes off the floor as he responded. "Drugs," he replied quietly.
"Drugs?" Nicole asked. He nodded. "You, Peter?" He nodded again. "You're joking, aren't you?" He shook his head, no. She looked at Mike. "Tell me he's kidding. Peter? Drugs?"
Mike smiled, chuckling to himself. "Yep," he replied.
"I'd ask for the whole story now, but you've got other problems," Nicole said, sighing. She sat down on the floor.
"Yeah," Mike said. "Which is what I'm here for. Now tell me. What'd you do this time?"
Peter and Nicole exchanged glances. "You mean you don't know?" Nicole asked. Mike shook his head.
"I didn't do anything," Peter insisted. "Just something stupid that got me caught in a trap." He sighed and sat down.
"Well, what are they accusin' you of?" Mike clarified.
Peter looked at the floor and then at Nicole for help.
"They're accusin' him of rapin' a woman," she explained. She and Peter half expected some sort of enraged outburst from him, but all he did was raise an eyebrow in surprise.
"Um...why?" he asked.
Nicole looked at Peter. "Your turn, " she said, as Peter told the whole story again.
Back at the house, Micky, who'd been awakened by the knocking, was joining Davy in some coffee. They were discussing the recent developments.
"You didn't tell Mike, did you?" Micky asked.
"Tell Mike what?" Davy asked.
"Why they were arresting Peter?"
"Oh, of course not. Do you think I 'ave a death wish?"
Micky giggled. Mike could have a temper, especially when his sister was concerned. "Man I'd hate to be in Peter's shoes," he remarked. Davy agreed.
"That's for sure. I wonder what 'appened. I mean, there must be some sorta explanation, you know. "
"Yeah, I'd love to hear Peter's side of the story."
"I'm sure 'is wife would, too," Davy added. Micky nodded.
"'Ey, you don't think Petah would do something like that, do you?"
"I don't know," Micky replied. "I mean, you like to think so, but when something like this happens, you can't be too sure whether or not you know your friends."
There was a noise from behind them, and a small figure entered the kitchen.
"Thomas, what are you doing up?" Davy asked.
"I couldn't sleep," Thomas replied. "Where's Mom? And Dad?"
Davy and Micky exchanged glances. "They...had to go somewhere, " Micky replied. "Don't worry, they'll be back in the morning."
"They went somewhere? In the middle of the night?" Thomas asked. Micky nodded.
"Why couldn't you sleep, Thomas?" Davy asked, changing the subject quickly. Thomas shrugged.
"I saw something," he replied.
"What?" Micky asked.
"I don't know," Thomas said. "But I think it was a guy looking in my window."
"Looking in your window?" Davy asked.
"Thomas, your bedroom's on the second floor," Micky said. "I'm sure no one is tall enough to look through your window."
"I know, but maybe he was standing on a ladder," Thomas said.
Davy and Micky exchanged glances. That was a good point.
"Come on, Thomas," Davy said. "I'll take you back to bed and Uncle Micky will go outside and look for a ladder." Thomas nodded, and they headed up the stairs.
Micky headed outside and walked around to the side of the house. He was almost positive he wouldn't find a ladder, and was quite surprised when he did trip over one. There wasn't anyone on it, but there were footprints leading away from it.
Thinking on instinct, Micky moved the ladder so that Thomas and Davy wouldn't notice it and followed the footprints out of the yard. When they reached the road, he discovered that they stopped, but continued in the mud on the other side of the road. Whoever it was must have crossed the road.
He continued after the footprints through the wooded area that was there and through a few back yards. Eventually, however, he lost the trail and was forced to go back. On the return trip he saw a few clues as to the identity of the 'peeping tom.' He returned to the house to show them to Davy.
Mike listened patiently as Peter told the whole story again. When he had finished, Mike appeared thoughtful.
"So that's it," Peter finished. "And now look where I am," he sighed, leaning back and looking at Mike. He waited for a response.
"That's the story you're goin' with?" he asked.
"It's true!" Peter replied indignantly.
"Maybe so, but do you really think that a jury will believe it?" Mike asked. "Seriously Peter, if I was sitting in there tellin' you that story, you'd look at me like I was nuts."
Peter sighed. "I know, but I can't lie. It's just - well, I can't do it, ya know?"
Mike nodded. He thought for a few minutes. "The problem here is that it's your word against hers and, well, no offense, but I think they'll believe her. "
"So do I," Peter replied.
"So what we need is proof. Proof that your story is true and hers isn't. Is there anything at all you can think of that would prove that she's lying?"
"No. Not a thing. It was just the two of us the whole time. I mean there were a few people on the beach, but they didn't even notice me and she didn't start anything until we were in the car."
Mike began to pace back in forth in front of the cell. "There has to be something," he said, frustrated.
"One thing I wonder," Nicole spoke up. "Is about this lady. Kimberly? Is that what you said her name was?"
Peter nodded. "What do you mean?" Mike asked.
"Well, I mean, who would do that? Try to have sex with someone and then if they refuse accuse them of rape? I've never heard of such a thing," she replied.
"She said that she'd been watching us," Peter said, more to himself then to Nicole or Mike. "She knew that I was married, she knew I was jealous over James. She tried to work off of that. She played off of my emotions. She thought she knew what buttons to push. She said I should get back at my wife for flirting with James."
"How much do you know about James?" Mike asked Nicole.
"James? Not a lot, why?" she asked.
"It's possible he could be an accomplice," Mike said.
"James?" Nicole and Peter asked together.
"Yeah," Mike said. "Think about it, Pete. James flirts with your wife in plain view of you. Kimberly is watching from somewhere else on the beach. James' actions make you jealous, that gives her something to go on. Something that will help her to succeed in getting you into bed. See what I mean?"
"Yeah, I see," Peter said. "But it didn't work, though."
"True. Because she didn't see that we had fought and made up before you went out on the beach," Nicole explained, and Peter nodded his agreement.
"But we still need proof," Mike said, and they sighed.
