AC05 - Death Mask by Kathryn Fox Page B

crimes prosecutor and I see many women just like this one.’ Linda moved through the aisle between the seats. ‘She claims the second man raped her, because she had only consented to sex with the first man.’
    ‘No way.’
    ‘She’s lying.’
    ‘She’s a slut.’
    The group seemed united in its condemnation of the woman. One dark-haired player raised his hand, and Anya gestured for him to speak.
    ‘Hey, she made it pretty clear she was up for it. Look at the way she gave him the come-on and was laughing with both of them. She was up for it and let them both know it.’
    Anya was disheartened that no one in the group, or at least the ones who spoke, saw anything wrong with what had happened in that bedroom.
    ‘What if she didn’t know it was the second man until after they’d had sex?’ Anya prodded.
    ‘Like he said,’ a new voice added, ‘she let both men know she was up for it, and it was her choice to drink in the first place.’
    The consensus still appeared to be that the woman had consented to sex with both men the moment she went back to the apartment. They even blamed her for drinking.
    Without further comment, Anya played the next film.
    Three men were playing poker and drinking in a house. One said he was too drunk to drive, so the others suggested he sleep on the lounge. They then drank more beer, and laughed together before calling it a night.
    The visitor stripped to his boxers and T-shirt and fell asleep on the lounge. He woke up face down, underpants at his ankles, with one of the men naked on top of him. He began to strugglebut couldn’t throw off the other man. When the man on top of him had finished, the visitor ran out the front door, pulling up his boxers.
    The DVD stopped again.
    ‘This man presented to the police that morning. What do you think happened?’ Anya paced in front of the players.
    ‘It’s pretty obvious. That guy just got raped.’
    Without hesitation, there was group agreement.
    Linda took over. ‘How do you know the sex wasn’t consensual?’
    ‘Are you kidding?’ the dark-haired man asked. ‘No man wants to do that. It’s totally unnatural, and it’s disgusting. Am I right?’ He waved both arms in the air for support, which he received.
    Linda moved forward, as if addressing a jury. ‘Just like the girl in the first story, he had been drinking. Don’t you think by agreeing to go to the men’s place he was giving at least one of them the come-on?’
    ‘No way. He never wanted to have sex with them. He just wanted to crash on the sofa.’
    The men didn’t appear to see any similarity between the two victims.
    Anya played the third story. This time, a group were in a nightclub. One couple was dancing on the floor and began kissing. The man ran his hand up the woman’s short skirt and suggested they go somewhere where they could be alone. She laughed and took his hand, leading him to the women’s bathroom. Inside the cubicle, the kissing became more intense and he removed her panties and undid his fly. Then he turned her around, pushed her head forward and held it down as he penetrated her from behind. She could be heard telling him to stop, arms flailing at his hand and the walls, in what looked like a struggle to get free.
    When the man had finished, he did up his trousers and left the cubicle without a word. Another woman walked into the bathroom and found her inside, sitting on the cubicle floor, crying. She told the woman she had just been raped.
    ‘Any comments?’ Anya asked.
    ‘What is it with these women crying rape? What the hell did she want from him?’ Janson piped up.
    ‘Maybe she was pissed and he just left her there in the toilet. He didn’t even say thanks,’ a younger-looking man in one of the front rows offered.
    An older team mate agreed. ‘Yeah, you get girls like that who put it out then want some kind of romance. Maybe he coulda bought her another drink. That would have been a bit more gentlemanly.’
    Anya could barely believe her