What Happened To Stacy?

Bending the law

A week later
   
                                         Addiemay
 
  In the quiet of the evening, a murmur reached my ears,
Of Joshua's emergence, after days of struggle and tears;
And fate had led me to the very restaurant,
Where memories of his laughter still taunt.
Amidst the chatter and the clattering of plates,
I found myself in a familiar state -
Surrounded by the loving embraces of others,
While I sat alone, a silent observer.
But in my heart, I harbored a flicker of hope,
That Joshua would appear, like a ray of light through a foggy slope;
Perhaps he needed time, more time to heal,
And though I wasn't sure, to this hope, I kneel.

    My heart beat rapidly as a hand suddenly gripped my shoulder, causing me to jump with surprise. My head snapped towards the source, where I found myself staring deep into his gray eyes. They never left mine, even as I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment.
Slowly, he slid into a seat in front of me. Despite the bruises that had since faded on his face, there was a small bandaid across his nose.

   "How are you feeling?" I asked, hoping to ease some of the tension that hung thick in the air. He looked up at me from his fingertips, a small smirk curling at the corner of his lips.

    "Well, I feel like a million bucks, but my bank account balance disagrees," he quipped. I couldn't help but smile softly at his playful response. "And you?"

    "I'm-" I stammered, my gaze darting away from his piercing eyes.

    "Guilty...I know you...you got yourself hurt for my sake- and maybe...maybe you were right." A wave of shame washed over me, and I wished I could disappear.
As I looked back at him, I caught him staring at me intently, his eyes boring into mine with an intensity that made my heart skip a beat. He held my gaze for what felt like an eternity before finally blinking and speaking.

    "We are partners, after all," he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "That's what I'm supposed to do." A warm flush crept up my cheeks, and I hoped he couldn't see how much his words affected me.

I stand my ground, unwavering in my resolve. "Elijah," I say, my voice steady, "He's my partner."

As soon as the words leave my lips, Joshua's head snaps up. His eyes are glistening with confidence, a sly smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

   "Yeah," he says, his voice dripping with honeyed charm, "but you like me better, right?"

My cheeks flush with embarrassment, and I quickly try to recover. "I like both of you, equally," I reply, trying to sound casual.

Joshua scoffs and leans back in his chair, his eyes fixed on me. "I just need you to solve this case," I say, trying to redirect the conversation back to business.

But Joshua is having none of it. "Ah," he smirks, "you said you need me."

My heart races as I try to hold my ground, but Joshua's playful teasing is too much for me to handle.

"I..." I start, but he cuts me off, grinning from ear to ear.
I give in, closing my eyes and shaking my head. "If we're going to be working together, there can be no secrets between us," I say, my tone serious. "So... is there something I should know now?"

Joshua looks away, his expression thoughtful. He shakes his head slowly, but I can't help wondering what he's not telling me.

I grip the edge of the table and lean forward with a furrowed brow, my eyes fixed on him. "So, Scot, that's Stacy's boyfriend?" I inquire, my voice low and urgent.
He nods, his eyes darting around the dimly lit room.

   "Yeah," he whispers, "well, she has lots of boyfriends. But she talks about him the most."
I bite my lower lip and furrow my brow deeper, my mind racing with

questions. "You...you said you had sex with Stacy, right?" I push, sensing that this piece of information could be crucial.

He shifts uncomfortably in his seat, his eyes glancing nervously at the door. "Yeah," he mutters, avoiding my gaze.

My heart races as I contemplate the possibility of a motive. "And Scott," I continue, my mind racing with possibilities. "Like Stacy...do you think he framed you because you were sleeping with his girlfriend?" I ask, my eyes locking onto his.

"I don't think he know," he said, his voice a mere whisper, "We- We were sort of secret."

Curious, I couldn't help but ask, "Was she your girlfriend?"

He wrinkled his face in thought before answering, "Well... no," he said slowly, "We are sorta like... friends with benefits." With that, his eyes darted away from mine, and he bit his lip to stifle a smile. I could tell by the blush on his cheeks that this was a secret he was enjoying keeping, but I couldn't help feeling a pang of envy for the girl who had won his affection in such a tantalizing way.

"While you were in the hospital I scoured the internet for any information on Scots, but my search yielded no results. Despite knowing that he had a family member, I was unable to find their phone number". A sigh escaped my lips as I considered our dead end.

"Well, why don't we just go ask him ourselves?" he suggested, and my mouth fell open in shock.

"We can't do that; it's against the rules, not to mention the law," I countered.

He merely smirked in response. "Going to visit a friend isn't against the law," he pointed out, and I found myself nodding before standing up. I hastily gathered my hair into a ponytail as his smoldering grey eyes trained themselves on me.

He was right; just this once, I would have to bend the rules.
"Let's go," I declared.