“Okay. What’s going on?” Moira asked, sensing that the caller was nervous.
“Well, um, I had a date with a guy last night. Um, I’m not really sure what happened.”
All the hairs on Moira’s arms stood up. “Tell me what you are sure of.”
“I just know I woke up this morning in my own bed. I feel like I’m hungover, but I didn’t drink last night. I mean, I don’t remember drinking. I don’t remember much, actually.”
Moira’s stomach clenched painfully. “Are you safe right now? Is your date still there with you?”
“No, he’s gone. I don’t remember him leaving though. I don’t even remember him taking me home. I didn’t meet him here. I met him at a restaurant in Magnolia Falls.” The woman sniffled, and Moira wondered if she was crying.
“What’s your name?” Moira asked.
The caller hesitated. “You know what, this is a mistake. This isn’t an emergency. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have called.”
“No, wait. Please don’t hang up. You need to file a report,” Moira urged. “Let me send an officer to your address.”
“No, that’s okay. I don’t even know if anything happened. I’m probably just being paranoid.”
“But what if you aren’t? You should go to the emergency room. They can do an evaluation and test you for any drugs in your system. Don’t let this go, okay? You might regret it if you do.”
“Or I’ll be embarrassed and regret bringing this up to anyone at all,” the caller said. “I mean, he was a nice guy.”
Moira took a shallow breath. This was all hitting way too close for comfort. “A nice guy who took you to dinner and drove you home, leaving you feeling drunk and unclear of what happened.”
“I’ve got to go. Sorry to bother you.”
“Wait!” The line went dead. Moira had an address for the phone number, but the woman had changed her mind about asking for help. Moira couldn’t send anyone to her house when she wasn’t in immediate danger. She also couldn’t make the woman get checked out by a medical professional.
Moira’s insides twisted and tied themselves in knots. She felt helpless and devastated on the woman’s behalf because the reality was that it was likely that her date had drugged her, and he’d likely gotten a lot further than Felix had with Moira.
Moira’s eyes burned. She swallowed hard, willing the woman to call back but knowing she wouldn’t. Moira stared at the phone number on the screen. The caller ID read AR RANCH. Perhaps the caller’s last name was Ranch? On impulse and against her better judgment, she grabbed her cell phone and tapped the number into her contacts. She wasn’t sure what she planned to do with that number, but keeping it felt like she was doing something versus the alternative of just forgetting the call had even happened.
Moira didn’t budge from her spot behind her desk until her shift ended at five p.m. Then she got up and walked to the kitchen, preparing herself a glass of water. Her hands were shaking, and her heart was beating fast as memories of the night with Felix played in her mind.
It had been a good night, the parts she could remember at least. She was really enjoying getting to know Felix. He was funny, and she kept laughing because everything he said was so witty. Felix was also attractive. He and Moira had shared a lot of the same interests, and she was already considering a second date with him. That’s how well they’d hit it off.
They’d had dinner and she’d had one beer—that’s all. After she had taken just a sip, Felix had pointed out that Moira had something on her cheek. He’d leaned in and tried to swipe it off, but said he couldn’t get it. That’s when Moira had excused herself to go to the ladies’ room. She didn’t want to have a smudge on her cheek through an entire date. When she’d gotten to the restroom, though, she’d inspected her face closely and hadn’t found anything. No smudge, no speck of dirt, nothing. She’d figured that Felix had taken care of it or the smudge he’d thought he’d seen was really just a shadow. Then she’d returned to the table where Felix was sitting, and they’d continued laughing about anything and everything.
That was all she remembered until she’d woken to Gil in her home. Whether he’d known what was happening or not, some part of Gil had questioned Felix’s intentions that night. He’d listened to his gut and had stepped in. Where was her gut when she’d been enjoying herself with Felix during their date?
It’d taken her a while to figure out that Felix had slipped something into her drink when she’d gone to the bathroom. It was the only explanation. She’d gone to the Magnolia Falls police, who’d told her there was nothing they could do without clear evidence that a crime had been committed. She’d left the station completely devastated. That’s when she’d taken matters into her own hands, which was rash and thoughtless, and why she always made her decisions carefully these days.
Even though Gil was her hero, her guard had been up around him ever since. He’d gotten her arrested after all. He was the one who’d brought Felix to town in the first place. She’d assumed he’d known, on some level, what kind of person Felix truly was.
Moira looked at the clock on her wall. She was supposed to meet Gil at his place for a boat ride tonight. After the 911 call she’d just answered, she didn’t feel up to it now. She was worried about the woman caller. Moira had her phone number. She could call. She had her address. She could drive over there and try to convince the woman to change her mind. That would definitely break the rules and possibly get her fired though. Speaking up was a decision that a woman had to make for herself. Moira had made that decision on her own—not that it had helped in her case. It was her choice. And tonight, her choice was to stay home instead of meeting Gil on his dock.
* * *
Moira wasn’t answering her phone.
Gil stared at his screen, willing her to return his five missed calls. She was supposed to meet him here on the dock thirty minutes ago. He looked at Goldie, who appeared desperate to go for a ride. “Not tonight, girl,” he said, petting her head. “I need to go check on a friend.”
Something had happened since he’d last seen Moira. But what?
He grabbed his keys as he headed out to his truck and then drove the short distance to her place. The windows were mostly dark, but there was one prick of light coming from the living room window. Maybe she’d forgotten about meeting him. They’d made the plan on Saturday evening after the jail lock-in. It was possible she was so exhausted after that whole day that she’d forgotten the plans they’d made.
He got out of the truck, headed up the walkway, and knocked on the door. When she didn’t immediately answer, he began to shift back and forth on his feet. Maybe she was hurt. Did he need to call someone? He knocked again. This time he heard a shuffle of movement inside. A moment later, Moira opened the door and looked at him.
She pressed her lips together. “I’m sorry. I should have called,” she said in a quiet voice. She swiped a lock of dark hair away from her eyes. “I thought you’d just go on the boat ride without me.”
“No way. I needed to make sure you were okay.” He narrowed his eyes, scanning over her. “Are you?” he asked. She didn’t look okay. Her gaze was downcast, and her skin was pale. It was barely seven o’clock, and she was wearing sweatpants and had her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. She didn’t look like she was preparing to go out tonight at all.