Page 9 of Falling for Her

“That’s what I think they’re doing. We’ve sent up a couple of nighttime drones, and from what we’ve collected, it’s just four cars now. But”—Johnson looks at Martinez, and he nods at her, giving her permission to continue—“it seems to be increasing with each drop.”

“Do we know what it is?” I ask them.

“From what intel says, it’s a fucking mix of everything, from cocaine to Special K.” The date-rape drug has been making its way around more and more. We’re lucky it hasn’t hit our small town yet, but it’s only a matter of time. “We’ve been seeing a few strangers come into town, and we think they’re probably here to scope it out. I think it’s safe to say we know that we can cut off the small guys, but it doesn’t stop.”

“Okay, so what does this have to do with us?” I make eye contact with Captain, then he looks down.

“We’re looking for a couple of local cops to come in and help with the case,” Martinez says.

“What does that mean?” I ask.

“We’re putting a team together to work on uncovering the full operation.”

“We think, if we get one of the guys, they might turn on each other,” Johnson shares. “Either way, in our conversation with Captain, he said you would be the best person for the job.”

I look at Captain. “You sure I’m the right person?” He just stares at me like he wants to punch me in the throat. He’s usually like that when I ask him dumb questions. We’ve been working side by side for the last twelve years, so we both know each other well. “Before I agree to this, I need to know what the hours are like. I’m going to be a single dad for a month. I need to know if it’s going to be more night or more day hours.”

“So far, we’re looking at mostly days. There might be some nights where we’re going to want to go to the scene and maybe put out a bit of heat.”

“I can do that”—I look at Captain—“if it’s okay with him.”

He nods. “My hands are tied. This request is coming from a couple of different agencies.” He looks at Martinez and Johnson. “There is a meeting tomorrow with all the other agencies. The two of us will attend, and hopefully we’ll get more answers then.”

“Sounds good,” Martinez says, getting up and shaking Captain’s hand, followed by Johnson, who also nods at me before she leaves the room.

I wait for the door to close behind them before I turn to Captain. “Mind sharing why we are getting involved in this?”

“Got a call this morning,” he starts softly, eyes down, “from our neighbors in Brownsborough. A couple of kids were brought into the emergency room after taking something. Most of them were passed out—no, not just passed out. They remembered nothing.”

“Fuck. How old?”

“Sixteen to seventeen.” I look up at the ceiling. “Kids were at the lake. One of the guys brought stuff that he got from someone. He says he doesn’t remember who.”

“What do they think it is?”

“We’re waiting for the results from the blood work, but we think it might have been Special K.”

“That could have been Asa and his friends at the park. Someone comes up to them . . .” I shake my head, not ready to think about the rest. “I’ll be here tomorrow.”

“Go home. Get a good night’s rest.” I reach for the door to walk out. “Hire a fucking nanny,” he hisses. “Asa can’t tag along with us or you for this case.”

“No shit,” I retort, already pulling out my phone to call Theo. I hold my hand up for Cathy as he answers the phone.

“Hey,” I say. “I’m on my way home now, so she can come at any time.”

“Okay, I’ll tell her. She was waiting for your call.”

“Perfect.”

I get home as the streetlights come on. Tossing my keys on the table, I check the kitchen to see what I’m going to eat for dinner. When I hear a car door slam, I shut the fridge and make my way down the hall to the front door. Peeking through the window, I see the same car I clocked coming into town this afternoon. The one I was about to pull over for speeding before I got a call out.

“No fucking way,” I grumble.

When the doorbell rings, I pull open the door, ready to fire her before I even hire her. Instead, my mouth hangs open.

“Absolutely not,” I snap, looking into the eyes of the woman who spilled her green shit on me when she walked out of the bakery.

“Is this a joke?” Her blonde hair is now pinned back away from her face. Her jean shorts and tank top are replaced with a yellow sundress; the top is tight and the bottom flows all around her.