Addiction - Chapter IX

It was now just me and Laura in the room when the detective left. For some reason, I thought that Curtis was somehow responsible for him showing up. I don’t know why, but I felt that his hand was in this. It was too soon to blame any one person for what happened to me, but Detective Morris (I mean, Norris) was just trying to get me to accept that anyone could have done it. Anyone who had access to my drugs and worked closely with me…

Anyone I trusted…

“Sir?”

Laura was back, as professional as ever with her notes and smartphone.

“Yes, Laura?”

“Is there anything else that you’d like me to do for the day?”

That was the moment when I finally realized how much time had passed. We would be shutting down around five in the afternoon – just like the market; just like any other worker in another office – and I had barely done so much as have a meeting.

“No, no. I think that this day is just another washout. At least we kept things running.”

She smiled with a sigh.

“Are you feeling better?”

I knew that she did not want me to keep taking the drugs, but I also knew that she was not going to interfere with this.

“I am better than I have any right to be.”

I was looking down at the card in my hand with the number.

“Do you want me to keep his number on file?”

She was looking at the card as I looked up at her.

“Um, yes. Please make sure that you keep him in our notes…and start a file on him. I want to know more about that detective.”

“Very good.” She took the card and slipped it into the phone case.

“And Laura?”

“Yes, sir?” She seemed worried.

“Go home.”

She smiled and stepped out into the bright corridor. “I will, sir. And your car is waiting for you.”

Nothing too out of the ordinary there. Nothing to indicate that she was the one. And I had already memorized the detective’s phone number in case she lost that card. But still, it was all nonsense playing in my head. Laura had been vetted by me, my staff, other private contacts, and anyone else I could think of once we had done a rundown through her CV. After more than a decade with me, she could have found easier ways to kill me than simply tainted drugs.

I took a private lift down to my car port, with my security tag giving me complete non-touch access through all the sensors and doors I had to pass through. The car was there with the door open and the engine humming. And it was a beautiful day.

Maybe that was why I did not really notice it.

I had to shut the door myself.

Only after about two minutes did I note this as we were on the highway.

“Excuse me?”

The divider was up (why was it up?).

“I said, ‘Excuse me!’”

“I can hear you quite well, sir. Just sit back and relax.”

The voice coming through the speaker was one that I did not recognize, and yet it seemed to be very familiar; one that I had heard a long time ago…

“Is this some kind of joke?”

“No joke at all, sir. Just a little diversion from the usual route.”

I noted that this was not my usual way home. The traffic was not as heavy and the roads seemed to be just dirt paths leading into scrub and woodland.

“If you want money…”

“Money? Always with the money, isn’t it? Makes the world go around and all that…” His laughter was quiet but effective. “This isn’t about money, it is about you. We have a long trip ahead and I want to make sure that we get a chance to talk. Your phone won’t work, so don’t try any calls. And we have no intention of doing you physical harm. But now is the time for relaxing. Gotta long trip ahead.”

I did check the phone and noted that there was no network available (clever, clever) and that I did actually feel very tired. That led me back to my thoughts and the other reason why that voice was so familiar.

I tapped the card on blackened window next to the driver.

There is so much of this story left to be told.

*

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