Page 14 of Daddy Detectives: Episode 1

Terry is loitering in the doorway, and I have to wonder if Dina finds his presence intimidating. I still don’t know exactly what transpired here. Terry’s certainly not off the hook. If he took advantage of this girl—I glance back at him. “Do you mind waiting in the living room? I’d like to speak to Dina alone.” And before giving Terry a chance to answer me, I push him out into the hallway and close the door in his face. “Dina, did Terry hurt you?”

She grimaces as she shakes her head. “No.”

“Are you sure? Be honest with me. If he hurt you, or coerced you, or took advantage of you in any way, you need to tell me. I’ll make sure he’s held accountable.”

She sighs. “He didn’t do anything wrong. I’m fine. Just hungover. And I have a headache.”

“How much did you drink last night?”

She scoffs. “Too much, apparently. So much that I went home with Terry and let him—we—well, I’m sure you can guess.”She glances down at the women’s clothing on the floor—an orange dress, underwear, a bra—and winces.

“I assume you had sex with Terry last night.”

She nods. “Please don’t remind me.”

“Was it consensual?”

Dina scrunches her eyes shut. “Yes.”

“And he didn’t pressure you in any way?”

“He didn’t. I was wasted last night, and I only have myself to blame.”

“Do you know Terry? I mean, from before last night?”

“Yes, we went to high school together. He comes into the restaurant where I work a lot. He’s been asking me out for a long time, and I always say no.”

“But you didn’t say no last night?”

“No. I was stupid drunk, and I did a stupid thing. I called for a rideshare last night, but then Terry pulled up to the curb when he spotted me standing outside the club. He offered me a ride, and stupid me, I thought a free ride was better than paying for one. So, I got in his car and canceled my rideshare. Terry asked me if I wanted to come back to his place to smoke some weed, and like an idiot, I said yes. We smoked, and I drank more, and the next thing I knew, we were both naked in this bed, where I did more stupid things.” She covers her face again and makes an agonized sound.

I nod toward the bedroom door. “I’ll step out so you can get dressed. Then I’m taking you home.”

Looking miserable, she nods.

I find Terry sitting on a well-worn sofa in the living room. He’s not looking so good himself.

“Are you calling the police?” he asks.

“Is there a reason why I should? Dina told me the sex was consensual.”

He shrugs. “It was. But the only reason she agreed to come home with me last night was because she was drunk. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have come. She doesn’t even like me.”

“And yet, knowing that, you still brought her here.”

He stares down at the floor. “Yeah.”

“Well, bad judgment isn’t a crime, drunk or not. Dina confirmed it was consensual, so I don’t see this as a criminal issue.”

Terry blows out a relieved breath.

While I’m waiting for Dina to appear, I text Kimi and Ian, both, to let them know I found Dina and that she’s okay.

Then I send a second text to Kimi:

I’m taking Dina home. If you want to take off the rest of the day, it’s fine. I think your roommate might need some support.

Kimi texts me back:

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