Page 267 of The Trouble With Bad Boys

“No, the deceased was not a member at Syn. We’re not even sure yet if the suspect on camera is one either as they were heavily dressed.”

“How long will it take to possibly identify the guy on tape?”

“First, we have to figure out if the suspect is even a guy.”

“What are you saying?” I asked.

“The suspect has very feminine attributes. If it’s a woman, she was dressed in an oversized hoodie and baggy clothing. There was something about the way she moved that made us think it could be a woman.”

It wasn’t unheard of for a drug dealer to be female. Hell, the one I was actively investigating now from Los Angeles was most definitely a woman. “What kind of drug was it?”

“As you know, the DPD has recently waged a war on opioids, especially fentanyl. I’m pretty familiar with most recreational drugs, but this one doesn’t look like anything I’ve ever seen before.”

It’d been the same thing back in Cali.

“Do you have a picture of the pill?”

“Sure thing, let me pull it up,” Ayden told me. Once he retrieved it, he handed his cell phone over to me. “Does it look familiar to you at all?”

“I just can’t fucking believe this is happening after everything else lately,” Hawke muttered.

I’d been in and out of the club on missions throughout the time it’d been open, but I knew Hawke and his friends had all experienced their fair share of trouble either in or out of its doors. Despite everything, they’d all been stand up guys to me, even after I’d seized all the assets from Emery Wilder. At the time, I wouldn’t have blamed Hawke for canceling my membership, but he hadn’t because he understood I’d just been doing my job.

I ignored the club owner, then looked back down at the cell phone. I used my fingers to zoom in and out on the photograph, before setting it down. “Hold on a minute, guys.”

It looked familiar, but not exactly like the drug I was currently researching from California. Our labs were analyzing the ingredients and once they were identified, they would try to create an antidote for it.

“I’d like to get my hands on this pill. Was there more than one found at the scene?” I asked as I waited for my nearby laptop to power on.

“There isn’t, and unfortunately this one has already been entered into evidence,” Ayden responded. The DEA could get a hold of it, and I would have to let Bob know to do so.

My screen finally powered on and I pulled up the folder of unidentified drug, then placed his cell phone next to the screen. I had zoomed back in on Ayden’s photograph, and while it wasn’t the exact drug I’d been sent to investigate, it did favor another.

“Damn, it looks just like this except mine is more white than gray. Do you see the distinct markings on the top of the pill?” I asked, then moved back for the detective to look.

“What is it?” Ryder asked me.

I shrugged. “We’re not sure. If these drugs are one and the same, they could come in different colors or be a different variant. I need to see the autopsy for your guy to match it up to that of mine.”

“I’ll get that for you,” Lucien told me before Ayden could even respond.

“Yes, we’ll make sure you get it,” the detective confirmed.

“The dealer or person who sold the guy the pills could be a member, or at least in contact with other members. I can’t have this at Syn,” Hawke lamented.

“Could you get me footage of this person? I can see if I possibly recognize them.”

“I actually have that with me,” Ayden told me, and after he took back his cell phone, I waited for him to retrieve it.

Once he had the video up, I looked down at it and noticed something right away. The person was dressed very similarly to the girl I sought in Los Angeles. I continued to watch it, but it was in black and white and quite grainy. There were a few flashes of hair, but I couldn’t even tell what color it was. I needed this in color and knowing what Lucien Fowler did for a living, I looked over at him.

“I already know, and I’ll get it to you once I can manipulate it,” he told me.

“Thanks. Was there anything else found at the scene?”

“No, but I need to get back to the station,” Ayden told me. “I’ll keep you informed, and please do the same.” I nodded, and everyone stood up. “Talk to you later.”

The men left, and I looked back down at my folder, then sighed deeply. I’d intended to play tonight, but it looked like work would have to come first. Replacing my beer with water, I got settled in on the couch, then started to look through the most recent lab results and emails hoping to find anything to help Ayden Santiago with this case. I also wanted to be able to absolve Syn of any wrongdoing and to keep eyes and running mouths away from the club that was more like a second home to me.

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