“Ray was a problematic figure as a cop. We both know that.”

“A few years later, he was forced to resign as chief of police because of a bribery scheme involving Stanhope Industries,” Serena pointed out.

“That was long after I sold the company.”

“Yes, but Ray’s relationship started with Randall. Your father.”

“All I can tell you is that if Ray helped me behind the scenes, there was no need for him to do so. I was innocent.”

Serena frowned. Peter was convincing, but selling stories to a jury was his job. “Tell me what you remember about Tish Verdure,” she said.

Peter sipped his coffee. “I remember that she and Laura were thick as thieves. Both of them blond, very cute.”

“Did you date Tish?” Serena asked.

“Sure, I took a run at her. I took a run at every blonde with great tits back then. I still do. Tish said no. Shut me down cold.”

“You?”

Peter grinned. Serena saw the cocky boy flash in his eyes. “Amazing, huh? Well, Tish was a weird girl. Laura was pretty much her only friend. No dad, and then her mother got shot. Tough life.”

Serena held up her hand. “Wait a minute, Tish’s mother was shot?”

“That’s right.”

“What happened?” she asked.

Peter pursed his lips. “She was a teller at a downtown bank. There was a robbery that went bad. The mother was a hostage who didn’t make it out.”

“When was this?”

“Oh, I don’t remember. Long before high school. Tish probably wasn’t even in her teens when it happened. I only knew about it because kids talked a lot. Everyone wondered why Tish was so closed off, and the rumor mill spread the word about her mother pretty quickly. Like I said, she was a weird girl.”

“But you asked her out anyway.”

“I was a slave to my libido,” Peter said. “Some things don’t change.”

“Who did you go after first? Tish or Laura?”

“Tish, actually.”

“And when she said no, you went after her best friend?”

“Something like that.”

Serena shook her head. “You’re right, Peter. You were an asshole back then.”

“I never said I wasn’t.”

“Did it bother you when Tish turned you down?”

“Not really.”

“I don’t imagine too many girls turned you down.”

“That’s why it didn’t bother me,” Peter said with a little smile.

“I heard Tish and Laura had a big fight that spring. Could they have been arguing about you?”

“About me? I can’t imagine why.”

“Except you were dating Laura by then, right?”

Peter stared at Serena. He took another drink of coffee. “Right.”

“So maybe Tish didn’t like Laura hanging out with you.”

“If she did, I never heard about it.”

“How did you meet Laura?”

“We were in Miss Mathisen’s geometry class together in our junior year. So was Tish.”

“Tish told us that Laura broke up with you after a couple of dates because you wanted sex and she didn’t.”

“Is that what she said? Well, she’s wrong, but it was a long time ago.”