13
E mily stood in front of the mirror, delicately lifting a scarf over her head. She tucked the sides of her hair neatly beneath the fabric and secured it under her chin with a precise knot. Next, she slipped on dark sunglasses and admired her reflection. Pleased with her incognito appearance and confident she could move unnoticed, she turned away from the mirror and went to the kitchen.
She slid open the glass door and stepped out onto the deck. Noticing Roman seated in the Adirondack chair by the sandbox, she called out, “I’m leaving now.”
Turning his attention to the deck, Roman raised a hand and waved, “Okay, be careful.”
Ava paused her play, looked up with a smile, and waved enthusiastically. “Bye, Mommy.”
With a smile, Emily focused her attention on her daughter. “I’ll be back in a few hours,” she said warmly. “If you’re good, I’ll bring you a surprise.”
“Okay,” Ava said and went back to her play.
Emily turned and went back inside, making her way through the cabin. She grabbed Roman’s keys from the key holder by the front door and exited the cabin. The drive to Deli Delight took twenty-five minutes, and she deliberately arrived five minutes late, ensuring that Travis would already be there.
She found a parking spot in front of the deli and stepped inside, greeted by the bustling lunch rush. Scanning the crowded room, she quickly spotted Travis sitting at a table, waiting for Roman. Her eyes then caught sight of two uniformed police officers at a nearby table. Perfect , she thought as she casually made her way over to Travis. She pulled out the chair across from Travis and sat down.
“I’m sorry, that seat is taken,” Travis said, a hint of irritation in his voice.
Emily removed the scarf and sunglasses and said, “Roman isn’t coming.”
As recognition dawned, he asked, “How are you doing?”
“Better, no thanks to you,” she said, pulling out the chair and sitting.
Travis quickly stood to leave, but Emily grabbed him firmly by the elbow, halting his escape. “Sit down,” she commanded in a low, threatening voice, “or I will call those policemen over here and tell them what you did to me.”
Travis’s eyes instinctively darted to the right, catching sight of the officers. With a heavy sigh of resignation, he reluctantly sank back into his seat.
“Did Roman hire you to drug me?” Emily spat.
Travis’s eyes widened in shock, and he threw his hands up. “You have this all wrong. Roman and I had nothing to do with drugging you. We helped you.”
“Roman was there that night?” she said, sounding surprised.
“Yes.” Travis placed a hand on his forehead, his elbow resting heavily on the table, his voice strained. “No one hired me to do anything. When I sat next to you that night, it was purely random. I had never seen you before, but you looked familiar to me for some reason. It wasn’t until you were incapacitated that I realized I had seen your picture at Roman’s house. I didn’t know what to do, so I texted him for help. I checked your purse and found a room key. I took you to the lobby just as Roman showed up. He helped me get you to your room and said he would take it from there.”
Emily’s eyes searched his face, trying to detect any hint of deceit. The gravity of his words pressed on her, warring with her emotions. “I don’t believe you.”
“You don’t have to take my word for it. I’m sure the hotel has security cameras. Get the tapes, and you’ll see I didn’t spike your drink; we helped you.”
Uncertain about what to believe, she decided it was time to involve the police—they could obtain the tapes and uncover the truth. She stood and slowly walked toward the table where the officers had been seated, only to find it empty.
Travis bolted out of the deli.
Shaken to her core, Emily drove straight to the police station to file a report. The weight of what she had just learned filled her with regret for leaving Ava in Roman’s care. She first debated returning to the cabin to get her daughter but quickly dismissed the idea. If Travis had already tipped Roman off, she would need the police’s help to ensure Ava’s safety. At least I have the car , she thought, trying to calm herself. He can’t go anywhere.
Upon reaching the police station, she hastily parked the car in the parking lot and charged into the building. She rushed to the front desk, her voice trembling with urgency. “I need help. I’m being blackmailed; they threatened my daughter,” she declared.
The female officer behind the desk immediately stood up and approached Emily, gently placing an arm around her shoulder. Guiding her towards the back of the station, she asked, “Come with me.”
“What’s your name, ma’am?” the officer asked, gently guiding Emily through double doors.
“Emily Anderson.”
“Hi, Emily. I’m Detective Logan.”
Detective Logan walked Emily over to another officer seated at a desk. The officer looked up as they approached. “Detective Monroe,” Detective Logan said, “this is Mrs. Anderson. She wants to file a report.”
Detective Logan placed a reassuring hand on Emily’s back. “Detective Monroe will take good care of you,” she said, her voice comforting. With a final supportive nod, Detective Logan turned and headed back to the reception desk.
Detective Monroe pointed to a seat beside his desk and said, “Please have a seat.”
Emily took a seat and said, “Thank you.”
Detective Monroe leaned forward, a look of concern on his face. “What’s going on?”
About a week ago, I was at the bar in the Ritz-Carlton. Someone put something in my drink, and I passed out. The next day, I woke up without any recollection of what happened that night or how I got to my hotel room.”
“Do you suspect you were raped?”
“No, I don’t think so. However, when I was about to leave, I found an envelope left on my doorstep. A woman is claiming she’s carrying my husband’s child and is demanding $500,000; if I don’t pay, she’s threatened to hurt my daughter.”
“Why didn’t you report this when it happened?” Detective Monroe asked, his tone gentle but probing.
“The note said if I contacted the police, they would hurt Ava. It said they are watching me.”
Emily couldn’t help but notice the detective at the desk across from them; he wasn’t working but listening intently to everything she was saying.
“You keep mentioning they,” Detective Monroe pressed gently. “Do you know who is doing this?”
“Yes, not at first, but now I do.” Emily hesitated, glancing at the clock. It was getting late, and she knew Roman would be wondering where she was.
“And who would that be?” Detective Monroe asked, leaning closer to her.
“Maggie Culliver, she paused, “Roman Martinez is involved somehow,” Emly replied, her voice tinged with betrayal. “He is…was a friend of mine,” she corrected herself. “And his friend, Travis—I don’t know his last name—is involved too.”
“Okay,” Detective Monroe continued gently, “what proof do you have that this happened?”
“I have the note. I don’t have it with me, but I can get it. You can also get the hotel’s security tapes. Watching them might reveal who spiked my drink and possibly who left the envelope with the note outside my hotel room door.
Emily glanced anxiously at the clock. “Look, it’s getting late. My daughter is in danger—Roman has her. I can take you to them, but we need to move quickly. I have to get back before something bad happens to her.” Emily stood, “We need to go now.”
Detective Monroe raised an eyebrow and said, “Wait, how did Roman get your daughter? Did he kidnap her?”
“No, not exactly,” Emily replied, her frustration growing. “I left her with him. Roman is a private investigator. I went to him for help, not realizing he was involved.
“I’m not following,” Detective Monroe said, maintaining his calm demeanor. “Please, sit back down and explain how Roman came to have your daughter.”
Emily’s patience was at its breaking point. “I don’t have time for this,” she snapped, her voice edged with desperation. Her mind raced, wondering if Travis had already contacted Roman and what he might be doing to her daughter. She reassured herself that Roman would never harm a child, but deep down, she wasn’t so sure.
“I’ll explain everything once my daughter is out of danger. Right now, she needs me. If you don’t come with me, I’ll go by myself. Please, promise me you’ll get the tapes and look into it,” she pleaded before rushing out of the police station.