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20

He strode quickly into the living roo at once He earing black slacks, cordovan loafers and a black silk shirt Sunglasses rode high on his graying head of curly hair His roa, pale eyes finally settled on me

"Who the fuck are you?" he said to me

"Richard" said Cat, but her voice eak, her words trailing

I stood, "I&039;hthorse"

I held out ht I was bigger than her father, had the guy by about two inches It was clear that he lifted weights: thick chest and small waist But he lifted for show I know the type

"What the fuck are you doing here?" he asked

Richard Peterson turned to his wife, who flinched unconsciously Or perhaps consciously Maybe he preferred the women in his life to flinch in his presence He next turned to his daughter She was looking down, pressed against the glass of the sliding door

I said I was here to investigate the hter

"Who hired you?"

I told him

"Get out," he said "Get the fuck out"

I didn&039;t irl

"Go to your room," he said "Now"

Alyssa ju her Barbie&039;s where they lay, with Ken on top of Barbie I saw that there was a s A door in the back of the house slammed shut

I turned and looked at Mrs Peterson Only then did I notice the purplish welts inside her legs

"I&039;," I said calmly

"Don&039;t you people have any decency?" He said to me, then turned on his wife "And you, Cat You let hi the boy whoto set him free"

"But Richard - "

"Shut the fuck up, Cat You" He turned to me "Get the fuck out or I&039;ll call the police"

I looked at Cat and she nodded to irl on the mantle above the fireplace This one older She had her ar a blue and white UCI sweatshirt A third daughter

I left the way I had come, and he slammed the door shut behindI had the feeling he was standing behindto do but leave

So I did

21

"We should probably call the police," said Cindy, after I told her about my encounter with Richard Peterson Whom I now referred to as Dick

"A few bruises and a terrified child does not a case make," I said "Sohed "And most victims of domestic violence are hesitant to report the abuse, for fear of repercussions"

It was just past 10 p at a s a chocolate chocolate muffin - yes, chocolate chips in a chocolatebites that enco hot cider The cafe was surrounded by a lot of glass and metal Couches and chairs lined the walls and filled theand working and not , as I would have done in my day

"We are surrounded by over-achievers," I said

"UCI is a tough school to get into," she said "Same with UCLA Were you not once an over-achiever?"

"On the football field, yes In the classroom, my mind wandered"

"Where did it wander?"

"To the next ga man on campus"

She looked at me over her cider "You still are," she said

"Are you flirting with me?" I asked

"If there wasn&039;t a chocolate chip on your chin, the ansould be yes"

She reached over and scooped it off and ate it

"Does that count against your diet?" I asked

"I&039;ll jog an extra lap to"

She sat her cider down carefully in front of her She adjusted the le Precision and exactness was her life And I loved her for it

I reached over and moved the handle a little to the left

"Hey," she said, slappingto do about the brute?"

"About Dick? First, I need to speak with the eldest daughter, and confirenerally pretty accurate"

"In this case, I want confirhter"