Page 37 of No One Else

Okay, things I know: Her name is Sarah Rigatoni... and that’s it.

How old is she? What does she look like? How did they meet? Does she even go to Suncoast?

Time to tap into my investigation skills. Not for any nefarious reasons. I’m a curious person is all. I want to see who I’m up against.

No, stop thinking like that. It’s not a competition. I had my chance and I didn’t take it. I just... need to know. Likeneed. I’m going insane with the unknowing.

I start by texting Charlotte, who might have learned something from Luke, but she’s a dead end, saying she’s never heard of Sarah. Same with anyone else I question at the gym before my shift Monday evening.

I head over to the front desk to take over for Gina and ask her the same.

“He has a girlfriend?” she responds. “I thought he always liked-” She cuts herself off and turns away from me, suddenly busy with logging off the computer.

“Who? Who were you going to say?”

“Um, no one?” she says like a question, her shoulders shrugging up so they’re nearly touching her ears.

“You were going to say me, weren’t you?” I demand, pointing my finger in her face.

She startles back, warily nodding her head.

Oops, I went too far. I probably look like a crazy person. That’s what detectives do, though. Right? They appear crazy to everyone until they crack the case wide open. And that’s what I’m going to do.

“Did he still seem that way recently? That he likes me?” I ask in a calmer tone. Totally reasonable Natalie here, just asking a few casual questions. No need to be alarmed.

“I guess,” she says, picking up her bag and giving me a side-glance that perfectly conveys she can’t figure out why he might like me but still does.

“Thanks, Gina,” I mutter as she leaves before I can grill her anymore.

I sit down and log in to the desktop, opening up our scheduling software. Evan doesn’t have any appointments tonight and isn’t on call to take any new walk-ins, but Luke has a standing appointment at seven with one of his regulars. He’d be the best source of information anyway.

In the meantime, I check any kind of databases I can find on Suncoast’s website for any mention of her name, but nothing turns up. I glance guiltily toward Trisha’s office, even though she’s gone home for the day, and use the login she gave me to access the gym’s personnel records.

Should I technically have this information? No. But she’s come to rely on me too much for help with things outside of my job scope. Really, it’s her own fault for trusting me.

Trisha has access to the records of anyone who can gain admittance to the gym. Since that includes everyone who’s enrolled at least part-time as a student at Suncoast, maybe I can find out something about Sarah.

I’m careful to only have the screen showing when there’s no one else at the desk, quickly minimizing it when anyone else even slightly approaches me. If word got back to Trisha that I was using my power for evil... wait, nobody working tonight knows this database exists. Even if they watch me using it, they won’t know what it is.

I comfortably resume my searching efforts, but can’t find any trace of someone with the last name Rigatoni. Maybe she doesn’t go to Suncoast. Or maybe... she doesn’t exist.

No, that can’t be right.

When Luke comes in about fifteen minutes to seven, I wave him over.

“Hey, Nat, what’s up?”

“I need to ask you something a little personal.”

“Um, okay.” He steps closer to the desk, hunched over like we’re conspiring about something nefarious.

“What’s Sarah’s like?”

“Who’s Sarah?” His face holds zero recognition. Interesting.

“Evan’s girlfriend.”

His brows pop up then furrow back down. “Girlfriend?”

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