Page 75 of Precise Justice

“Goddamnit, Maddy! I gotta go see the chief, again, about this,” Caldwell tried to calmly say.

“Say, hi for me, Phil.”

“I won’t forget this, Maddy,” Caldwell said.

“I’m sorry, what’s your wife’s name, again? Oh, I remember, it’s Chloe. I think I met her once at some police department function. I’ve been meaning to catch up with her,” Maddy coyly replied.

“Damnit, Maddy.”

“Don’t threaten me. Now, go see the chief, kiss her firmly on her fat ass then clean up your mess. Bye Phil.”

“Please do not call…”

“Don’t make me,” Maddy said.

Marc and Gabriella had both stood by and listened to Maddy’s end of the phone call.

“Do you have like a notebook on every married guy that hit on you?” Marc asked her.

“I have a good memory. I always shot them down by telling them my knight in shining armor was going to pull his head out of his ass any day,” Maddy said.

“Did he?” Marc asked.

“Yes, and I’m very happy now,” Maddy said.

“I don’t know whether to cry or vomit,” Gabriella said wiping a fake tear from her eye.

Portions of Gabriella’s interview of Maddy were shown at the 6:00 and 10:00 o’clock news. The next day, the angry crowd of semi-professional protestors was back downtown. It would be a week before things calmed down. The newspaper would nominate Philo for a Pulitzer. He would not win.

TWENTY-NINE

Dear Diary:June 5th

I had a session with Dr. Frankenstein today. My belief that he had some kind of pervert sex thing for me was correct.

Tomorrow is my graduation day from The Wheaton Academy. I must admit, I didn’t see this coming. We talked about it in my session with Dr. Frankenstein. (I just paused for ten minutes thinking about what happened and how to tell you, Dear Diary.)

Here it is. Because I am graduating tomorrow, Dr Frankenstein asked me if I had lost my virginity yet. Of course, I was shocked that he would ask me that. I should not have been.

I was surprised by the question and blurted a “No!” He said I should do that and, get this, he offered to do it for me.

I frozeup and sat staring at him. After a long silence between us, he must have realized I was not interested. Actually, I was horrified. He tried to make a joke of it but he was serious.

Mother Dear was not in the room with us. He must have told her not to be. On the ride home she asked me how it went. I managed to say it was okay. I did not know what else to say.

The next morning, Robbie’s last day of high school, she was up early. As a senior with her own car, the school had issued her a parking permit. In a way, she regretted it. Robbie missed the morning ride with her dad.

Since their separation, because he no longer had to deal with Priscilla, Blake had become a real father. He finally confessed to Robbie that he was not in favor of the transgender done to her. At first, Robbie tried to hate him for not standing up to Priscilla. It did not last long.

Before leaving for her final day at Wheaton, Priscilla came downstairs. She muttered a good morning in reply to Robbie. Barely out of bed, Priscilla poured tomato juice in a glass two-thirds full. The rest, she filled with vodka from a bottle in the refrigerator.

“You’re drinking too much, Mom,” Robbie told her.

Priscilla drank half the glass then said, “No, no I’m not. I’m drinking exactly the right amount.”

She then laughed before sitting down at the kitchen table. Another swallow of her drink before saying, “Are you sure you don’t want to tell me about yesterday’s session with Dr. Friedman?”

Priscilla asked this in a way that led Robbie to believe she knew what happened; the question Friedman asked about her virginity.

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