Page 11 of A Step You Shouldn't Take

“What do you mean?”

I grabbed a handful of paper clips out of habit and began twisting one. I’d started doing it as a child, a nervous reaction whenever my parents started arguing. As an adult, I’d tried progressing to copper wire and pliers in order to make jewellery, but in times of stress, paper clips were always my go-to.

“I double-checked your toxicology results, but the tests definitely didn’t find anything apart from alcohol.”

“What? How can that be? I’ve never felt all woozy like that before. Never!”

“I believe you. But these substances don’t always show up. We can usually detect Rohypnol for twenty-four hours, depending on the dosage, but other drugs leave the body soon after you regain consciousness. GHB’s another common one, but it occurs naturally in the central nervous system, and detecting an elevated level is something the hospital lab just can’t handle.”

“Then find someone whocanhandle it!”

“It’s just not that straightforward, I’m afraid. A sophisticated forensic analysis in a case like this isn’t in the department’s budget.”

“Money? You refuse to follow up because of money?”

“Not only money. I visited the hotel where you claim you met the man, and I couldn’t find anybody who saw you with him.”

“But the security cameras… What about the security cameras?”

“There weren’t any.”

“No way. The sign behind the desk specifically said there were.”

“Yeah, I saw that too.” Banks shrugged, apologetic it seemed. “I spoke to the manager, and the whole system malfunctioned last year. Something about a bug in the software update. It was out of warranty, so rather than fix it, they just put a big sign up telling people they were being recorded, and it’s actually been more effective than having cameras in the first place.”

“So there’s nothing?”

“No video, no forensic evidence, no witnesses.” Another shrug. “I talked with the assistant state’s attorney, and he said there’s no way they’d get a conviction, even if we did manage to track the guy down.”

“Then that’s it? You just give up? What happens if he does this again? Or worse? What happens if he murders someone?”

Like poor Georgette.

“Sorry. Believe me, I want to get men like that off the streets as much as you, but there’s nothing more I can do at the moment.”

“What if I paid for the extra tests?”

Might as well use Daddy’s money for something useful. After all, I had plenty of it since he dished it out in lieu of love, time, or you know, actually being a father.

“You could do that, but even if one of them came back positive, we’d still have to find the perpetrator and prove he gave you the drug. Difficult with no witnesses. If we caught him with GHB, that would just be simple possession.”

“What’s the penalty for that?”

“Up to a year in prison or a thousand-dollar fine.”

“A fine? He tried to kidnap me, and he’d get a fine?”

Banks held up both hands. “Hey, I’m on your side. I don’t make the laws. Do you want me to ask the lab to keep ahold of the sample?”

He glanced at his watch. No, he may not make the laws, but he certainly had a hand in not enforcing them properly. Even if I somehow proved I’d been drugged, it was clear the case wouldn’t be a priority.

“I guess. Can I think about the extra tests?”

“Sure. Here’s my card. If you have any questions or remember something new, give me a call.”

“I don’t suppose anyone found my purse?”

“Nobody handed it in at the hotel.”

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