I said, 'Bradley, your daughter is never going to have a chance to heal until you admit that you've been molesting her.'
Sheila's face faded and went pale and became something ghostlike. She didn't move and Bradley didn't move and then Bradley shook his head and smiled. It was the sort of smile you give to someone you don't know well when you're correcting them. He said, 'That's not true.'
Sheila made a small sound, very much like her daughter's giggle.
Bradley said, 'Mimi made it up. You said she wanted to hurt me.'
Sheila threw what was left of her drink in his face. Her eyes filled and her nose grew red and she said, 'You bastard. You no good shit bastard.' She hit him. She flailed wildly, slapping and punching and calling him a bastard, her face blotchy, spit flying. He didn't move.
The hitting went on until I went over and caught her wrists and pulled her in close to my chest. She said, 'You bastard,' over and over.
Bradley spread his hands the way they do in a comic strip. His you-must-be-mistaken smile didn't waver. 'Why would Mimi say such a thing? It's not true. It's outrageous.' The eye fluttered madly.
I brought Sheila over to one of the couches and sat her down. 'Sheila. There's a woman named Carol Hillegas who is a counselor who's worked with people who've had to go through this. You can talk to Carol, and she will talk to Mimi, and then she will talk to all of you together. Will you do that? Will you talk to Carol?'
Sheila held herself as if there were something hard and painful in her chest. She nodded.
Bradley said, 'I'm going to sue you if you spread rumors about this. There's no proof.'
I left Sheila and went around behind the bar to where Bradley was standing and took out the Dan Wesson.
Bradley backed up until he hit glass shelves lined with liquor bottles and then he couldn't back up anymore. He said, 'Hey.'
I pulled back the hammer until it locked and I pointed the muzzle at the center of his forehead. 'Bradley, your child needs you and you are going to do right by her.' My voice was even and calm. 'Do you understand?'
He did not move. 'Yes.'
'She needs you to be honest about this. She needs you to admit that this should never have happened and that this is not something she precipitated and that she is not at fault. Do you understand that?'
'Yes.'
'The Department of Social Services is going to be notified, and one of their people is going to work with you and a counselor and Sheila and Mimi. It is very, very important for Mimi that you accept the therapeutic process and participate in it. Do you understand that?'
'Yes.'
I stared at Bradley Warren past the Dan Wesson, and then I moved a half step closer. I said, 'I'm told that what has happened here is complex and that you are not what we less sophisticated types call a bad man. That may be. I don't give a rat's ass if you are helped in this process or not. I don't care if you have to fake every moment of therapy for the next ten years. You will see to it that everything that can be done to help your daughter will be done. If you do not, I will kill you, Bradley. Do you understand that?'
He nodded.
'Say it.'
'Yes.'
'Say it all the way.'
'You will kill me.'
'Do you believe that?'
'Yes.'
'Stay here. Don't go back to your office. Carol Hillegas will call you. If you don't come through with this, Bradley, I will be back.'
We stood like that for another few seconds, then I lowered the gun and left.
Jillian Becker was sitting inside her BMW. Even with the mirrorshades you could see that she'd been crying. I went around to her side of the car and squatted down by the window. 'You learned a very hard thing today,' I said. 'Time passes, you'll steady down. You'll see if you can live with it or if you'll have to make some changes.'
She took a deep breath, then sighed it out. 'Do you have to do that much? Make changes?'
'Sometimes. Sometimes you can change what's there, sometimes what's there changes you.'
She nodded and looked toward the house. Big changes coming. She said, 'I was thinking of what Carol said about people who hurt themselves, about how what they're really doing is looking for someone who loves them enough to make the pain stop.'
I didn't say anything.
Jillian Becker started the BMW and put it in gear and looked at me.
After a while she drove away.
Chapter 29
When I got home I called Carol Hillegas and told her that I had spoken with Bradley and Sheila and that they were expecting her call. After Carol hung up, I called Kira Asano's place and asked for Mimi. Bobby came on and said, 'Who's this?'
'The Shell Answer Man.'
'Eat shit.'
Frank came on and said, 'Are the cops on the way here?'
'No.'
'She's in the back. Wait.'
In a little while Mimi said, 'Uh-huh?' She sounded like she maybe expected that her parents were really on the other end of the line and about to start yelling at her.
I said, 'It's Elvis.'
'Uh-huh.'
'I spoke with your parents. They're not going to make you go home. You're going to have to leave Asano's, but you can stay at a halfway house Carol Hillegas owns. If that doesn't work out, you can go home and your father will move out, whichever you prefer.'
She didn't say anything.
'Mimi?'
'I don't want to go home.' Dull. I wondered if she was loaded on something.
'I'll come get you tomorrow morning. If you want we can have breakfast and then I'll take you to Carol's place, and I'll stay with you there for as long as you need me to, okay?'
'Okay.'
'Put Frank on.'
There were noises and voices and then Frank came on. 'What's up?'
'I'm going to come get her tomorrow. I'm going to get the book, too.'
'Are you going to be able to keep Mr. Asano out of it?'
'I don't know. I'm not going to bring him into it, but I don't know what Mimi is going to tell the cops when they talk with her. You live up to your end and help me with the kid and I'll see that the parents don't try to press you if the cops come in. I'll tell them that you guys cooperated with me and wanted the best for the girl.'
'That oughta cut a lot of ice.'
'It's what I can do.'
'Yeah.' Frank hung up.
I put down the phone and went into the kitchen and poured myself a glass of apple juice and drank it. I went back into the living room and turned on the evening news. I put my hands in my pockets and shook my head and thought, sonofagun, this thing is coming together. I went back to the phone and called Joe Pike but he wasn't
