The Bachelors: a tiktok story

111: Search Warrant

Officer: "Good evening, sir, ma'am."

The officer took one look at you scrambling to button your shirt and apologized:
"Sorry to interrupt your night but we have a search warrant to search the residence."

Josh, in complete shock, looked out the door and down the hall to see 3 more police officers approaching. He looked down and saw the warrant in the officer's hand and was more confused than ever.

You: "Search? For what?"

The officer stepped inside, uninvited, and asked you:
"Ma'am, do you live here with Noah as well?"

Josh stepped between the two of you:
"Noah doesn't live here anymore. He moved out a few months ago."

Officer: Are you not Noah Beck?"

Josh: "No, my name is Josh Richards. This is my apartment."

Officer: "I'm going to need IDs for both of you to verify your identity."

A second officer had finished directing the group searching and added:
"...and to stay out of the way of my guys."

Josh: "Can you tell me what you're looking for? Noah moved out months ago, I'm his roommate. Or- Well- Ex-Roommate."

The first officer explained:
"The search warrant outlines that we are looking for any phones, computers, cameras, GPS enabled devices, photos, as well as video and audio recordings."

Josh: "I just don't think any of that would be here. He doesn't live here anymore. I'm trying to tell you that."

Officer: "Unfortunately we have to verify nothing was left at this residence. If you can help us out with finding those things we can move out of your way."

Josh: "But he doesn't live here. Why would any of that be here?"

You: "Officer, sorry to interrupt but what exactly are you looking for those things for?"

You could feel a lump forming in the back of your throat. Your brain still hadn't put the pieces together but you had a sick feeling beginning that you couldn't quite explain.

Officer: "We cannot divulge that information at this time but-"

He turned back to Josh to redirect focus to the task at hand:
"Sir? The items?"

Josh: "The only thing he left here was a handful of old tee shirts in the laundry room and his bedroom furniture. I can show you to which room was his."

Another officer who had been taking down the info from your licenses walked over, looking flustered:
"Uh, sir. She is one of the names on the list we are looking to question."

You and Josh looked at each other as even more panic spread through your body. You could feel it humming through your veins, threatening to explode from inside of you as you desperately tried to put the pieces together. What could they possibly need from you regarding what you thought was just an unrelated arrest? Some of the pieces were starting to unscramble themselves and each thought that crossed through your mind made you more unsteady than the last. Josh reached his hand up and pressed it against your back in an attempt to steady you.

The officer noticed your nerves as your eyes darted around the room and pulled out a chair, suggesting you sit. Once seated, with Josh hovering above you, the officer told you:
"We want to talk to you about a possible assault."

You could feel that was where the turn of events was heading but nothing could have prepared you for how hearing it would affect you. It felt the blood drain from your heart as your chest tightened:
"A- A what?"

The officer put his hand on your shoulder and explained:
"We have had multiple reports of Noah assaulting young girls."

You could barely stutter out:
"Wh- What does that have to do with me?"

The officer looked down at you the way your parents often did when you were a child and they already knew what you'd done and were just waiting for you to drop the facade and admit it:
"Dear, your name was on that list so we need you to come down with us to answer questions."

You looked up at Josh who squeezed the hand he'd been holding since you sat as the officer promised:
"By the time we are done, my guys should have cleared out of here and you can have your apartment back."

The second officer who'd been standing by awkwardly while the first delivered the shocking news, added:
"Would you like me to transport her downtown, boss?"

You: "I- I have to be put in a cop car."

The officer who was clearly in charge corrected the young one with a stern glare:
"Well no. Of course not."

Josh: "Come on, baby. I'll drive you."

You looked up to him with your worry shifting finally to how this was having an effect on him:
"Don't you need to handle whatever is going on here?"

Josh: "There is nothing in this apartment I value more than you. Let them do their worst; I'm coming with you."

He gently helped you into the car as you felt yourself reaching a nearly catatonic state of shock. He then climbed in and started the car.

You stared straight ahead as you mumbled:
"I- I just don't understand. I didn't report what happened. How-"

Josh reached across to grab your hand again:
"Baby, I don't know. Are you sure your parents didn't? Your mom knows, right?"

You were trying to work out the details in your head and just couldn't piece it together. Your mom made sense at first thought except she would have told you instead of acting totally supportive of your decision to wait to report anything that had happened and then going behind your back.

Your dad! She must have told your dad and he reported it. You held your phone in a tight grip, nearly breaking it as you fought the urge to snap it in half or call him just as you pulled up to the station.

Who's ready for us to dial up the drama a little with a new character?