8 With Vivian gone , the man hiding behind her finally had to step forward . Joshua called me . It was an unkno- wn number , but I knew it was him . I answered . 2/11 11.19 11:10 Chapter 2 " Tricia . It's been a while . " His voice . That voice used to be my whole world . The way he'd call me his " silly girl , " his " Chlo . " Now it was like sandpaper on my ears . I said nothing . " Tricia , I know you're upset , " he sounded exhausted . " It's my fault . I shouldn't have hidden this from you . But why are you doing this ? Why are you posting those drawings ? Do you have any idea how much trouble you're causing for me and Vivian ? " His tone was turning sharp , disciplinary , just like when I'd messed up an art project . But I wasn't the little girl who was scared of his frown anymore , " You're bad kids , " I said . The line went silent . " Tricia , stop this , okay ? " His voice softened again , turning wheedling and manipulative . " Take down those drawings . Burn that stupid little notebook . In a few days , I'll take you to the toy store and buy you a new doll , the biggest one they have . How does that sound ? " There it was again . He always thought a toy or a piece of candy could fix anything . He really did see me as a simpleton , a child with the mind of a ten - year - old . " I don't want a doll , " I said . " I want my strawberry . " ? " The strawberry again ! " he finally exploded , his voice rising . " Are you going to destroy all of us over one stup- id piece of fruit ? Tricia Ashton , for God's sake , snap out of it ! " He used my full name . Tricia.Ashton . He only ever did that when he was furious . My hand tightened on the phone , my palm growing sweaty . But I wasn't afraid . The part of me that had once depended on him had crumbled to dust . And in its place , something new was growing - something cold and hard . " Joshua Cross , " I said , mimicking his tone . " Thieves have to be caught . " I hung up . I looked out the window . The black car was still parked down the street . I knew he and Vivian were in there . Arguing . I could just imagine it - him blaming her for being reckless , her blaming him for being useless . Good . The bad kids were fighting . My game was going perfectly . I drew a picture of them arguing in the car and titled it " The Bad Kids Fight . " When Mr. Peterson came to see me , he saw the new drawing and chuckled . " Very lifelike , " he commented . 3/11 11.19 11:19 Chapter 2 Then , he handed me a manila envelope . " Tricia , I had an old colleague of mine look into a few things . " I opened it . It was full of papers I didn't understand . Mr. Peterson pointed to one of them . " This is Joshua's bank statement . See this transfer ? " he said , tracing a line of numbers with his finger . " This large sum of money , your death benefits , was moved into Vivian's account one month after he 'died '. " He showed me another paper . " And here is a charge from that account at a luxury boutique in Paris . " " He also used that money to buy a condo in the next city over . The deed is in Vivian's name . " Mr. Peterson explained it all . I didn't get every detail , but I understood one thing very clearly . Joshua hadn't just stolen my strawberry . He had stolen my money . A lot of money . Money the government had given to the " hero's family . " Money that was meant for me .. He stole from me to give to the other bad kid . I picked up my pen and added a new rule to my book . A bad kid who steals money has to pay it back , plus extra . I put the papers away carefully . They were my new weapons . That night , I had a dream . I was back at the bakery . Joshua and Vivian were there . But this time , I wasn't out- side . I walked right up to their table . " Where is my strawberry ? " I asked Joshua . He smiled and pointed at Vivian's mouth . " Where is my money ? " I asked Vivian . She smiled and pointed to her expensive dress . Then they stood up , held hands , and walked right past me , knocking me to the ground . The cake and plates shattered around me . I woke up in a cold sweat . No. I couldn't let them just walk away . My trial had to have a verdict . I turned on the light and opened my record book , looking at the rules I had made . The sky was beginning to lighten outside . It was time for the next step . I called Mr. Davis , the " man in the uniform . " Mr. Peterson had found his number for me . The phone rang for a long time before he answered , his voice groggy and annoyed . " Yeah ? Who is this ? " " It's me . Tricia . " There was a stunned silence on the other end . " Tricia ? What ... what do you want ? " " I need to see Joshua , " I said simply . 4/13 11:19 11.19 Chapter 2 " I ... I don't think that's a good idea . " " I have something for him , " I said . " It's very important . " He was quiet for a moment , and I could hear muffled whispering . " Alright . Where ?" " The park we used to go to . The bench by the lake . " " You come alone , " I added . " Don't bring Vivian . " I hung up and began to prepare . From my arsenal of evidence , I selected a few key items : the movie ticket and the hot chocolate receipt ; copies of the bank statements and the condo deed ; and my newest drawing , " The Bad Kids Fight . " I put them all into a large envelope . Then , I put on my favorite white dress . Joshua had bought it for me . He always said I looked like an angel in white . Today , this angel was going to hand - deliver his invitation to hell .