Holly fell asleep and Tommy returned to the park. He was searching for a man with a teardrop tattoo on his face. Tommy stayed at the park until closing and did not see anyone with the tattoo. Tommy returned to the fraternity house and told the members what happened to Holly. He provided them with a description of the man that raped her. The members of the fraternity continued to walk in the park looking for the rapist.
Scarlett returned home for dinner with her husband and children. It was a movie and pizza night. Family nights were always special. Scarlett looked into the eyes of her girls and could not imagine how it would feel if one of them had been raped. Scarlett only hoped that Holly and the other girls would be all right. Being with the family allowed Scarlett to escape the reality of her job. The movie was over, and Scarlett put the children to bed. Scarlett and Brad talked for hours. Brad understood the emotional stress Scarlett was facing. Holly's reaction affected her more than the other rape cases. Scarlett saw how psychologically damaging rape could be. Her training did not prepare her for the sight of Holly. Scarlett went to sleep and had a dream. The members of the fraternity were walking in the park. A man matching the description of the rapist walked past Tommy. Tommy started chasing after him. Tommy believed it was the man that raped Holly. The man ran in the park trying to get away from Tommy. No matter how fast he ran, Tommy was right behind him. The man ran into the Cathedral and hid from Tommy. Tommy searched the Cathedral and could not find him. Scarlett did not get a look at the man in her dream. She only saw him from the back. Tommy left the Cathedral without finding him. Scarlett suddenly awakened. She called the Hospital. Tommy was in the room with Holly. Scarlet put on her uniform and went to visit Tommy and Holly at the Hospital.
Scarlett opened the hospital room door. Tommy was kneeling beside Holly praying. Scarlett stopped in the doorway and waited until he completed praying. Tommy was concerned that Holly would never be the same again. Holly started screaming in her sleep. Tommy woke her up. She was having a nightmare about being raped. It felt like she was reliving the experience. After being assaulted, the victim usually feels shattered, scared, ashamed, alone and plagued by nightmares, flashbacks, and other unpleasant memories. The world does not feel like a safe place anymore. Holly began to question her self-worth and sanity. Holly felt the Tommy deserved someone better than her. She felt dirty and continually wanted to take a shower. She would never have an intimate relationship with Tommy because she was saving herself for marriage. Now she was no longer a virgin. She worried that Tommy would not want her anymore. No one would ever want her now. The traumatic experience of rape caused Holly's nervous system to become stuck in a state of high alert. Holly was constitutionally looking around the room to see if anyone was hiding behind the curtain. Holly felt comfortable knowing that Tommy was there. She was afraid that he would leave her. Tommy was the only person she trusted.
Tommy asked Holly to marry him. He wanted to show her love and support. Holly refused to marry him. She was unworthy of a man like Tommy. Holly was released from the hospital. The doctor examined Hollywood two months later, and she was pregnant. Holly knew she had gotten pregnant by the rapist. Holly wrote a letter to Tommy,
Dear Tommy,
I love you and I hope you understand. You deserve better than me. It was my fault that I was raped. I should never have walked into the bushes. If I had not been in the park that day, it never would have happened. I have been punished for not keeping my promise to the Lord and You. I did not save myself for you. I committed a sin in the eyes of the Lord. I have been cursed and punished for my sins. I am pregnant. My life is over now. I can no longer face you or myself in the mirror. I cannot bring this baby into this world. I do not mean to hurt you. I have tried to forget about the rape. Every time I close my eyes, I see his face. Every time I see or feel the baby growing inside of me, it is a part of him inside me. I cannot forget the pain that I feel inside, and it is more than I can stand. This is the only way to end the shame and pain. I am sorry I brought shame and pain to you. I feel sleepy now and a time of rest and peace would do me good.
Love Holly
Tommy found Holly in the bedroom not breathing. She had taken an overdose of pills and committed suicide. The words of the letter echoed through every thought in Tommy's mind. He loved her more than anything. He wanted to protect her. He prayed for her. Why did this have to happen? What did he ever do to deserve the pain Holly was suffering? Holly was a wonderful person and never hurt anyone. Why couldn't this have happened to him? Why did Holly have to die? Scarlett awakens to the spirit of Sarah standing at the foot of her bed. Rodney had taken Sarah to be his wife. Sarah left him and went to her father, Robert's house. Rodney then set out with his friend and went after her to soothe her and take her back. He arrived at Roberts' house. Robert came out joyfully to meet him and invited him to stay. Rodney spent three days eating and drinking. On the fourth day they rose early in the morning and Rodney prepared to go. Robert stated to Rodney, "Stay and eat with us. You can go later on." Rodney stayed and ate with Robert. The day became dark. Rodney spent the night there. The next morning Rodney and Sarah left for the long journey home.
Sarah became very tired. Rodney and Sarah entered an old house to spend the night. A group of twelve men entered the house. They beat Rodney, tied him up, and locked him in a cellar. The men raped Sarah all night until morning and let her go as the sun was coming up. At the approach of morning, Sarah arrived and collapsed at the entrance of the cellar in which Rodney was in. When Rodney escaped in the morning and opened the cellar door, Sarah collapsed at the entrance of the cellar. Rodney said to her "Come, let us go." Sarah did not answer. Rodney took her in his arms, placed her on the horse and carried her home.
Rodney found out who the twelve men were that raped his wife. Upon arriving home, Rodney took his knife and cut her limb by limb into twelve pieces. Rodney sent each man apart from Sarah's body. When Rodney was questioned how something could so evil happen, he testified "These men came into the house we were staying in for one night. They revolted against me, surrounded me, tied me, and locked me in the cellar. I was the one they intended to kill, but they abused my wife and she died." The people in the city found out about Sarah's body being cut up and sent to the men. All the men gathered in the city and asked, "What is this evil that has occurred among you?" They demanded that the men who raped Sarah, so that they could be put to death, to purge the evil from the city. The twelve men gathered at the edge of the city and attempted to escape. The men in the city captured them and put them to death. Scarlett awakened saying "The victims of rape must be heard and revenged."
Scarlett walked into the kitchen and had a déjà vu experience. She was standing in the fraternity house. The members of the fraternity were discussing their beliefs with each other. One of the members stated, "If a man happens to meet a virgin who pledges to be married and he sleeps with her, both need to be taken to the edge of the town and stoned to death. The woman because she was in a town and did not scream for help, and the man because he violated another man's wife. Tommy stated, "But if a man happens to meet a woman and rapes her, only the man who has done this shall die. Do nothing to the woman she has committed no sin deserving death." Tommy expressed his belief that the man who raped Holly needed to be punished by death. Tommy and the members of the fraternity continue to search the park for the man that raped Holly.
Scarlett receives a phone call from Colonel Andrews. She needed to report to the park immediately. Scarlett thought that another woman had been raped. When she arrived at the park and called Andrews, she informed her to come to the Cathedral. When Scarlett entered the Cathedral, a man was hung. Hanging from the rafters of the ceiling. The man matched the description of the rapist. Scarlett knew that Tommy and a fraternity member had killed the rapist. Scarlett interviewed everyone in the Fraternity and all of them stated, "They were at the Fraternity House or in class for the entire day and night." Scarlett had no evidence to determine which member or members hung the rapist. The Fraternity members had captured the rapist and sentenced him to death by hanging for the rape of Holly. Scarlett reported the man had committed suicide by hanging himself.