Page 18 of Fearless Encounter
Gabriel watched the dog as he progressed down the row of buildings, sniffing the sidewalk and detouring into any openings. Then he said, “The drug could’ve been dissolved in liquid and injected.”
“Yes, which would be effective for an abduction,” Abe said. “It might have been a drug-facilitated sexual assault. But even if it wasn’t, injecting the drug could have suited the purpose.”
A couple of yards up the alley, the dog sat in front of steps up to a porch, then froze. Gabriel followed Abe to the spot, but they didn’t see anything.
“It’s here…somewhere,” the handling officer said, holding the dog steady. “I’ll let him get closer.”
Abe got down on his knees to see what the dog smelled. With a small flashlight, Abe peered into the short steps. They were old and broken. Shining the light into the open side of the bottom step, he said, “I think I’ve got something.” He took a glove out of his pocket and put it on before reaching under the step to bring out a dirty syringe.
The dog stared as if in a hypnotic trance.
The officer handed a plastic bag to Abe, who said, “I’ll bag this for evidence and take it in to verify that one of the rape drugs was used.”
Gabriel took the plastic bag to examine the syringe. “My guess is that the perp got spooked when Brooke spotted him. It might have caused him to drop the syringe. In a panic, he probably kicked it under the step before escaping with his victim.”
“We caught a break on this one,” Abe said.
*****
Brooke was knee-deep in pastry. Normally, Monday was her day off, but a couple of large parties had made reservations. Measuring ingredients accurately was key, since creating the perfect pastry was partly science. It was important to have the pastries from the regular menu on hand, and that included croissants, eclairs, and tarts. With the assistance of a couple of kitchen staff, those items were nearly ready. In addition, Brookewas diligently crafting a chocolate puff pastry, sure to delight the guests that evening.
Jasper came by to check on her progress, and she assured him the desserts would be finished before she left for the day. It looked like that would be later than she thought. Then Lisle walked over to them, holding out her phone. “Have you seen this?”
Brooke looked at the screen with Jasper leaning in to see what the fuss was about.
“I’m surprised you didn’t see this before I did,” Lisle said to the boss. “You’re always so on top of things.”
On the screen was an article about an award. Brooke was shocked to see her photo on the website. Then she remembered when it was taken, and that Jasper had forwarded it to the award committee before her interview. “We have a Zagat rating?”
Lisle beamed. “Youhave a Zagat rating. It’s all about you, the illustrious pastry chef at Jasper’s.”
Brooke scanned the article. It talked more about her passions, desires, and ambitions than about the food. But there were photos of a couple of her finest creations. Publishing personal interviews of chefs was the way Zagat created articles. Their audience was interested in the person as much as the food. “Look at this,” she said, shoving the phone over to Jasper. “It’s all about the food, décor, and service at this restaurant.”
Jasper grinned. “That’s good for business. This kind of stuff increases our popularity.”
“But it’s only on the Zagat website,” Brooke said.
“No, it isn’t.” Lisle beamed. “You’re going to be famous… Well, at least in the French Quarter…for a while. Zagat shared this on social media.”
The butterflies in Brooke’s stomach weren’t due to the recognition for her creations. The last thing she wanted now was to have her photo plastered all over social media.
One of the waiters motioned to Jasper, calling him away.
Lisle looked at Brooke. “What? You look like your best friend just died.”
“I don’t want to be recognized,” Brooke said. “This is terrible.”
Lisle furrowed her brow. “I’m not following you. This award is based on customer surveys, so the rating means a lot.”
“Friday night…” Brooke said. “I was a witness, remember? And the bad guy saw me.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah,ohis right,” Brooke said. “My face will be all over social media today.”
“Let’s hope he doesn’t recognize you,” Lisle said. “I mean, it was dark out, right?” She paused. “And maybe criminals don’t check social media.”
Brooke’s phone vibrated, and she saw that it was Gabriel. “I have to take this.” She stepped away from her station to talk.