Page 53 of Byte

I removed the container of brownies from my bag as well as one of the test kits. “May I show you?”

“Please do,” she said eagerly.

“This is a kit to test food and other substances for the presence of THC. We obtained the kit from a friend who’s a physician,” I explained and rubbed the swab on the brownie. “When I rub the sample on the test card, it will turn red within ten seconds if it’s positive for THC.”

We all watched as the result turned red almost immediately.

“Can you prove the brownies were given to you?” she asked.

“Yes, we can,” I said and gestured to Byte.

“I have video evidence. Can I email it to you?”

“Absolutely,” Tina said and handed him a business card with her email address on it. After Byte emailed the videos, Tina pulled them up on her computer.

“The first video shows Lauren walking into the diner carrying the container of brownies. The second video shows Gabby joining her at the table where Lauren hands the brownies to her,” Byte explained.

“I’m impressed. You two have really done your homework,” Tina said.

“I’ve worked my butt off for the last five years, and I’m so close to being finished. I’m not going to let her ruin everything I’ve worked for.”

“I completely understand,” Tina said sincerely. “So, we have a couple of things to do. First, we need to file an official report with the police and submit the evidence. She’ll likely be arrested and charged. Assuming she doesn’t admit to the crime, it’ll come down to her word against yours. She’ll most likely claim you knew the brownies contained THC and consumed them anyway. But that’ll be later down the line. What we’re after is the policereport and proof of her arrest to present to the Board of Nursing. We’ll also ask for a restraining order against her. It will also be helpful to have some negative urine drug screens to present to the Board. Wait two weeks and have a test done. It can be at your doctor’s office or a third-party lab. Have the results sent to me. If you can afford to do so, continue having tests done every two weeks. We want to show the Board that your tests were consistently negative after you reported Lauren and cut ties with her.”

“I can afford to have multiple tests done. I’ll have them done every week if you think that’d be better.”

“Every two weeks will be more than sufficient,” she assured me. “In the meantime, we’ll wait for the Board of Nursing to contact you. You’ll receive a letter in the mail. It usually takes a month or two from the time the complaint was filed. When you receive the letter, give me a call, and we’ll make the necessary arrangements.”

“Do you think I’ll be able to keep my license?” I asked.

“Absolutely,” she said confidently. “Even if you admitted to being guilty, you’d be able to keep your license.”

“That’s good to hear,” I said and exhaled in relief.

“I don’t foresee any issues regarding your licensure. At most, they might want you to agree to random drug screens for the next year, but I honestly think they’ll drop the case once they hear your story and review the evidence.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome,” she smiled. “Are you ready to make the police report?”

“Yes, I suppose so. How do we go about doing that?” I asked.

“Normally, you’d go down to the station, but I have a friend on the force who agreed to stop by and take the report.”

I covered my face with my hands and sighed. “Did my grandmother call you?”

“No,” Tina laughed. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to laugh, but I do know who your grandmother is. You can thank Phoenix’s grandfather for this favor.”

“Pop,” I smiled. “I adore that man.”

“Me, too,” Tina agreed and opened the door to her office. “Detective Hayes, we’re ready for you.”

Detective Hayes came in and shook hands with us as we introduced ourselves. Then he reached down and rubbed Shadow’s head before taking a seat. “Tina gave me a brief overview of what happened, but I’d like to hear it from you,” he said.

I told him the same story I told Tina. Then we showed him the brownies, the test results, and the surveillance videos.

He opened the container of brownies and inhaled deeply. “These don’t smell like marijuana.”

“I have another test kit if you’d like to see for yourself.” I must have sounded defensive, because his response was almost apologetic.

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