Chapter 34

The One With New Dangers

H A Y E S

Dealing with the fallout from Karl being drugged has made this an interesting several days. Weeks? I don’t even know. I’ve lost track of time lately.

Karl, well, he became too terrified to continue the case. It took him a long time to come down from his high and when he finally did, he had no idea what had happened. It took me over an hour to get it through his brain that someone had drugged him at some point because of his involvement with Arielle and Nate.

I figured that Karl would let me in on who would do it—since I was sure he knew—but he didn’t. Instead, he begged me to drop the entire thing and made me swear not to tell anyone about it. He told me he’d figure out a way to drop anything against the two of them and advised me to do the same.

Although, I work underneath him. So, whatever he tells me to do or whatever he’s focused on, it tends to ensure I’m doing the same. I’ll admit, it was nice that he finally wasn’t able to blackmail me into spying on Arielle and Nate, but for some reason, I just couldn’t let it go.

All of the secrets that Karl is hiding and the fact that these people seem really dangerous—otherwise why would Karl back off so easily—makes me worry for Arielle’s safety. I promised her that I would leave her and Nate alone, but at the same time, I also gave her my word that I’d protect her.

Granted, I’d always do that because I’ll always care deeply for her.

Anyways, when I thought more about that day, I began to realize things. It didn’t take me long to start putting pieces together and within a few days, I was sure I had an idea of what happened. Which, of course, led to some detective work and ultimately, some names.

Or name, rather.

I kept thinking about where or when Karl could’ve been drugged. He was totally fine, right up until we visited the coffee shop. It wasn’t long after we left that he began swerving all over the road and it was obvious that something wasn’t right.

So, I thought back to it. It was possible that the waitress who brought us coffee put something in it, but I soon remembered that couldn’t have been it. She brought the coffee in a carafe, so if she had, I would’ve been drugged too.

Then I recalled the moment when Karl went off to the bathroom. That was the very second that woman started talking to me and it drew my attention away from the table. It gave ample time for someone to quickly swing past and slip something into Karl’s mug.

That led to me going back to the coffee shop on my own time and talking to one of the servers. She said that the woman often comes by with a younger man—the very same one she was talking to in the restaurant that same day—and that she believed the woman went by the name Nancy.

The information that she often came in with a younger man made me believe these were my people. The guy that followed Karl and I as we swerved around the road and recorded us was young—about my age, if not a bit younger. There’s no way that he couldn’t have been waiting for us and followed us out of the parking lot of that coffee shop. He knew what he was doing and he had to have been following us to have gotten the footage, so I’m positive that whoever that woman was talking to is the man I’m looking for.

He likely slipped some hallucinogen into Karl’s drink while the strange woman distracted me with a story about her lost child. I’m not sure if anything she told me was true or not, but since she was clearly in on drugging Karl, probably not.

When I found out that she regularly hung out at the cafe, I decided it was best to sit and wait outside of it on one of my days off. I figured she probably wouldn’t recognize me if I wasn’t in uniform and so, that’s what I’ve been doing for the last twenty minutes—waiting in my car on the street at such a distance that it wasn’t obvious I was waiting for someone and where I was able to see who entered the restaurant.

Finally, I’m able to see a woman who looks similar to Nancy’s appearance and I jump at the opportunity. I hop out of my car and lock it. Before I even cross the street, I’m able to see a man waiting in the car that she got out of. I recognize him as the same guy that threatened Karl and I away from Arielle and Nate, and so, I put my hood up before he’s able to see me.

Entering the coffee shop, I put my hood down when I’m around the corner and I’m sure the man isn’t able to see me. I spot the woman tucking her brown hair behind her ear as she pays for her coffee. As she’s waiting for it to be made, I saunter over to her, acting as if I’m reaching around her for a napkin.

“Excuse me,” I say to get past her.

She apologizes and takes a step back, before she notices me and touches my arm. “Do I know you?”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” I squint as if I’m having a hard time placing her face. “I’m not sure I recognize you.”

She furrows her eyebrows, glancing me up and down. “Were you in here a couple days ago? Are you a police officer?”

Faking an epiphany, I smack my head to play along. “Oh! Aren’t you that nice lady that offered to buy my partner and I some coffee?”

Her gaze diverts the moment I say coffee, but she doesn’t falter. “I am. How are you?”

“Good. It’s my day off,” I reply with a smile. “How about you...” I trail off the last part, egging her on for a name.

“Nancy,” she sticks her hand out.

“Hayes.”

“And I have been great, thank you.”

“Was that your boyfriend you were with when I last saw you here?”

“No, he—” she starts, but the server brings her the drink she ordered and Nancy thanks her. “Sorry, he is—” she stops talking when she looks over my shoulder and her face changes. “I have to go. It was nice to see you.”