THE kidnapping and brutal beating of a Shelton convenience store clerk, and her recollection of being raped, have cast a cloud of uneasiness over the Naugatuck Valley.

The only bright spot is that this victim survived and is recovering, although she still reportedly has pain and some memory lapses.

If she's psychologically screening out some of the horror, who could blame her? Most people would build another Great Wall of China to block such memories. And many women in the Valley are thanking heaven right now that they don't have to.

A suspect, Justin Bonner, 24, of Stratford, has been charged with first-degree kidnapping and first-degree assault. According to police reports, the kidnapping is on store surveillance video, and Bonner has acknowledged he is the man in photos taken from the video. But, he said he could not recall much, explaining that he was high on angel dust at the time.

Sure. He's really a nice guy, down deep. And it's handy to have a plausible excuse or mitigating factor in case of a conviction.

Discussing the case with my sister, I wondered whether someone force-fed Bonner the drug, or whether the angel dust fairy slipped it into his corn flakes.

"You know, if it was Bonner who did all of this, it reminds me of that Robert Louis Stevenson story, the 'Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,'" my sister said. "Mr. Hyde was hiding inside Dr. Jekyll all along, and the chemicals he drank just released that horrible side of him."

It's not a bad analogy, especially since Hyde and the attacker in this case seem to treat women much the same way.

Bonner has allegedly said he's sorry -- for what he can't remember. Good form, like neatness, always counts. But an apology seems somehow inadequate -- sort of like Attila the Hun sending flowers to a sacked and smoldering village.

The victim's brother isn't buying it. He thinks a conviction and an extremely long prison sentence would lend Bonner's apology that ring of sincerity it seems to be lacking.

We don't know whether the victim accepts Bonner's "I'm sorry," but it was apparently well received by one young woman sitting in the front row of the courtroom when Bonner was arraigned June 3. Of course, it's easier to forgive from an upright, unbandaged perspective.

Bonner has offered to pay for the victim's care. Her irate brother points out that the defendant probably couldn't afford 15 minutes of the victim's extensive and expensive care.

If Bonner is convicted, the victim has the "right to full and timely restitution as provided in law," according to federal crime victims legislation, and she should demand every nanosecond of care Bonner can pay for. What's more, she should be able to attach any future assets he may have in life, though even that likely wouldn't be enough.

A landscaper, Bonner would have to recreate the Gardens of Versailles to earn enough money to satisfy that obligation. And it would really cut into his angel dust budget.

"I don't know anyone who'd hire a guy like that," I told my sister.

She sighed, "I have a feeling that won't be a problem for quite some time."

Roseann Iacomacci of Derby is a copy editor at the New Haven Register, 40 Sargent Drive, New Haven 06511.