The Good Day

After Kelsey's call Detective Frier decided to take a look at Dixy Ray.It was strange to him- dealing with a rape victim. Previously,he'd been working in narcotics,but after his daughter's death the Special Victims Unit seemed like a much better fit. Kelsey wasn't the first rape victim he'd dealt with in his little time here, but her case was starting to prove itself the hardest to crack. There was no DNA evidence- he'd cleaned her up- the only real proof that she was raped were the bruises. Well, and the baby. But she still hadn't decided if she was going to keep it. She's have to decide soon, though.

Kelsey seemed pretty scared of this Dixy girl.Could she really think that a girl from her school did this to her? Obviously, she didn't think that Dixy personally attacked her. Still,thinking a girl- let alone a girl so young- sis this was next to unfathomable to him. Still,he searched.

Dixy had a record. She'd stolen a car from her father, tried to bribe a police officer (with sex), and had several accusations of verbal and physical assault at her school. Both direct and indirect. And Max had been in there... He'd been attacked by some guys on the school hockey team, broke a bone, and they all confessed that Dixy had payed them off in some way. How could an eighteen year-old girl have that much power? Of course, money. Her father was apparently the head designer for some shoe company.

He still wasn't convinced that Dixy had anything to do with Kelsey's attack, but she'd asked to check it out. The least he could do is bring the girl in for questioning.

***

"Okay,from now on I think it's best that none of us talk to the police." Gigi said. She, Megan, and Jake were at the park.Megan was playing with wood chips in front of the twins swings. She looked up with a quizzical expression on her face.

"Wouldn't that be bad for Kelsey's case?" Jake asked, dragging his feet on the ground.

"No. Technically we know nothing of what happened. Unless either of you have seen suspicious activity and are withholding information." They both shook their heads. "Exactly. And if we don't have any information, then there's no reason for us to talk to them." Gigi looked directly at Megan, who had only nearly passed her government class. "And you do have the right to refuse them. You can't get in trouble for not talking."

"Does that detective think that Max did it?" Jake didn't like Max, but he also didn't like things to be unfair,and he was veryconfident that Max hadn't been the one to hurt Kelsey. Anyone that knew Max knew that he was a gentle guy.

"I think he does." Megan stood and wiped the dirt and wood chips off of her legs. "But he couldn't have been.They'll find the bastard that really did this, though."

After their encounter with Detective Frier and his partner,none of them were particularly keen to the idea of talking to them again. So they agreed not to, unless it was beneficial to Kelsey.

***

"Miss Ray, how do you know Kelsey Baker?" Detective Frier had picked Dixy up back at her house and asked her to accompany him to the precinct. She'd followed him without any objections. She sat across from him now,leaning back in her seat, her brown hair framing the sneer that she wore so arrogantly on her pretty face.

"Well, she went to my school. Graduated in my class." She crossed her arms over her chest, "Oh, and she's dating my boyfriend."

"Max?" Detective Frier took out his little notebook, delighted with this twist of subject.

"Of course Max! We've been dating on-and-off since middle school. He's going to dump her," She snapped her fingers, "just like that. It's only a matter of time."

"What can you tell me about him?"

"Well, he's hot. All the girls like him." She rolled her eyes, like he was stupid for not knowing this already. "He's really smart, too.Plus he's an artist. I guess he's nice, too."

"You guess?" He was excited- determined- to get the dirt on this boy. "Does he have a temper?"

"Oh, God no!" Dixy laughed obnoxiously, "I don't think he's capable of getting angry. I haven't seen it in all the years I've known him. He can be rude sometimes. And damn, he can be stubborn, but that's about it."

"Right." He was disappointed. This girl really was just a self-absorbed, power driven high schooler. She was immature, but at least she'd cleared something up for him. Max was most likely not Kelsey's attacker. Everyone he'd talked to so far seemed to agree. Still, he decided to talk to his mother soon. "Dixy, would you say you're jealous of Kelsey?"

Her eyes widened and lips parted slightly, obviously offended by his question. "Excuse me?" Her voice came out shrill and defensive. "Why on Earth would I be jealous of that freak? She comes from a poor family, grew up without a father, is a complete social outcast, has queer friends, and lets face it, she's not pretty. I have everything! And what I don't have, I get. No matter what the cost.

"You don't have Max."

"But I will." Looking at this girl, Detective Frier was struck with the image of every snooty woman from every novel they were included in. Her nose stuck in the air.

"Maybe jealous wasn't the right word. I'm thinking: Threatened. You're threatened because you don't think Kelsey will let Max go without a fight. Because she is a fighter." He was trying to hide a smile, because where a beautiful, seductive woman sat before him, now there was a petty child.

She was annoyed; glaring at him from across the table top. "I always get what I want, Detective/."

"And when you don't, you pay off the hockey team to take revenge for you. Right?" It was blunt. He didn't mean to bring that up in the interview, but he needed to get it out of the way. He was confident that Dixy had nothing to do with Kelsey's attack, but Kelsey was worried, so he needed the alibi. "Is that what happened with Kelsey? You heard that she and Max had a date, so you payed someone to get rid of her?"

She stood up, face red. "They never proved that I was the one that payed them! I never got charged!"

"Dixy, every one of them admitted and told the police about you. Daddy got you out of those charges, didn't he?"

"Stop!" Tears were in her, but it wasn't because she was guilty, she was angry. Her hands were balled into fists. "Look, even if I did do that- which I'm not saying I did- it doesn't matter! My daddy cut me off. I only get money for shopping."

"Money isn't the only way to get your way."

Her jaw dropped. "I am not a whore, Detective."

"I don't believe that's what I said."

"Look, she got raped, right? You don't pay somebody to rape someone with sex. He would already be getting that." She said matter-of-factly. "Besides, I was with my friend Brianna that night. I think... Maybe it was Rachel. Point is, I didn't have anything to do with this."

Bingo

"Thank you, Miss Ray. I'm glad we got that cleared up." He stood up and held out his had for her to shake. Which she rejected. "You're free to go."

"Damn right I am. And next time you think about dragging me down here- Don't." She stormed out of the interrogation room in her too-tall heels without looking a round or looking back.