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Just like there was nothing she could do but deal with Mrs. Paulson head-on. She seemed nice enough; probably midforties with short brown hair and a brown pantsuit. Her eyes seemed a little tired behind her wire-framed glasses, and she smiled as Violet handed her the mug of coffee.
“Thank you. I really shouldn’t have another cup, but I have hours to go and not a lot of gas left in my tank.” Mrs. Paulson laughed at her own joke, and Violet smiled politely.
“I can imagine.”
Mrs. Paulson took a sip from her mug and hummed in approval. “Perfect.” She set down her mug and pulled out a relatively thick file. Violet saw Casey’s name on it just before Mrs. Paulson opened it wide and licked her finger to thumb the pages apart. When she finally reached a blank one, she pulled out a pen and looked up at Violet expectantly. “Should we get started, then? As you can imagine, we have some co
ncerns regarding Casey’s troubles over the last year. I’ve gathered reports that he’s been picked up by the police several times but received only warnings. Has something changed in the home?”
“No, nothing.” Violet had learned early on that the less she said in these situations the better, especially with her tendency to ramble.
“Has Casey confided in you about any bullying at school?”
No, he hadn’t confided in her, not really, but Violet had gone by his school after his arrest and talked to them about the boys who had attacked Casey. After a bit of a fit on her part, they had called the boys and their parents in for a meeting. Violet had agreed not to press charges with the police, who had taken photographs of all Casey’s injuries on intake, as long as the boys received some kind of punishment at school. They had all agreed, including the principal.
“There were some boys that he was having trouble with, but I arranged to meet with their parents at school, with their principal moderating. And Casey is seeing a counselor at Alpha Dog.” Violet didn’t want to bring up the alleged abuse, especially when Casey hadn’t been ready to talk to her about it.
“I see.” Mrs. Paulson took another sip of her coffee and waited a beat before the real interview began. The woman asked her everything from what her hours at work were to how long Casey was alone in the house and how many guests they had during the week. Violet didn’t bring up the fact that at nearly fourteen, Casey could technically be his own babysitter, but instead just answered the barrage of questions shot at her, one after another.
And then, Mrs. Paulson asked, “Do you ever speak with your father?”
Violet stiffened, a wave of emotions crashing over her. “No. Not since he left three years ago.”
“I see here that you own a handgun. How is it stored?”
Still shaken from the mention of her dad, Violet’s voice wavered. “Unloaded in a safe in my room.”
Mrs. Paulson stared at her, suspicion lurking in her blue eyes. “Do you mind leading me to it, so I can double-check?”
“No, of course not.” Violet stood up and headed back into her bedroom. Opening the closet, she punched in the combination.
“Does anyone else, primarily Casey, have access to the code?” Mrs. Paulson asked behind her.
“No.” Violet stood up and stepped back while Mrs. Paulson squatted down in her place. As she inspected the gun, Violet waited patiently. She’d been up-front with CPS three years ago about the gun, and because she had gone through all the proper channels, taken safety courses, and kept it locked up tight, they hadn’t objected.
Mrs. Paulson closed the safe and stood, her lips pinched thinly. “Although the gun is stored correctly, I just want to warn you that having a gun in the house with a child, especially a teenager, is dangerous.”
It wasn’t the first time someone had said something similar to her. “I understand all the risks and take every precaution.” Violet wasn’t about to tell her that she took Casey shooting and had shown him the proper way to handle the gun, even though she believed that it was the right move for them. Ever since she’d pulled the gun on her dad, she’d been worried that Casey was secretly scared of her or at least afraid of the weapon. She’d thought that if she showed him how to use it properly and helped him get comfortable with it, his nightmares might stop.
Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do to change the fact that his father had attacked him.
Mrs. Paulson walked out of the room with Violet close behind. As she made notes in Casey’s file, Violet sat down, trying hard not to worry at her nails as she waited.
Finally, Mrs. Paulson closed the folder and held her hands together. “Well, that’s all I need for now. I’m going to stop into Alpha Dog to speak with Casey, but at this time, I don’t have any concerns. Very few young women would take on the care of their siblings. You are to be commended.”
Violet hated being praised for doing what she thought was right but kept her mouth shut. “Thank you.”
Mrs. Paulson finished off the rest of her coffee and stood. Violet showed her out, and the minute the door closed, the tight coil in Violet’s chest loosened. She had been dreading the meeting all week, worried that Mrs. Paulson would find something that would make her uneasy and worth challenging Violet’s guardianship. Violet was beating herself up already worrying about how Casey was doing with the counselor; she’d been by every day this week, and he still wouldn’t see her. It hurt, badly, but she had to remind herself that whatever had happened to him, Casey was suffering, too.
A SHARP RAPPING sound erupted, startling Dean awake. As his head came flying off his desk, he realized he’d fallen asleep at work again. It was the third time this week, and he was running his hands over his face, trying to wake up when Martinez walked in.
Dean could tell by his friend’s face that he knew what Dean had been doing.
“Dude, I don’t mean to overstep—”
“So don’t,” Dean growled. Climbing to his feet, he walked over to his mini fridge and grabbed an energy drink.
“But I’m going to anyway. I know you don’t want to talk about what went on over there, but you should at least get that shrink of yours to prescribe you something to help you sleep. Otherwise, you’re going to get worn down, and you know what can happen if you let this go too far.”
