The Devil's Daughter

Curiosity

Hours passed and still no word from Cassie. My heart began to sink, realizing that I may have pushed her away with by excessive need to see her. However, I couldn't focus on that now. Mayfair and I stayed near our phones in case we heard anything from Anderson and Womble. The restaurant is no place to be dicking around at, especially with Chandler in control of it.

"Still no word from the guys?" Mayfair popped her head into my office.

I shook my head.

"Nothing. I'm hoping that everything's okay. They're in very dangerous territory."

"I know they are, but I guarantee you they'll be fine."

In a matter of seconds worth of worrying, my phone began to ring with Anderson's name flashing across the screen.

"Anderson, what's up?" I heard muffled sounds in the back.

"Not much, we're on the way back to the precinct. We didn't see the Dragon guy, but we did get some information."

"Alright, we'll see you guys when you get back." He ended the call, leaving me and Mayfair to discuss.

"What'd they say?" She asked curiously.

"They said that they had some information for us, but no sign of the Dragon guy." She nodded her head.

"Well, we best be expecting a long debriefing, then."

...

As soon as the guys returned, we all met in the conference room to discuss everything from today's events. Between what we experienced with Mr. Sanita and this, there's a lot to go over.

"Run me through everything." I said to them as they began to explain everything.

"Well we got there and sat up at the bar. Some of the guys kept disappearing and it wasn't just a one and done thing, it was almost every fifteen minutes or so. They'd come back completely pale, bloodshot eyes, extremely jittery. Obvious signs of usage." Anderson said with vivid detail.

"Did anything else happen?" Mayfair asked from beside me.

"We got to talking with a few of the customers there and a couple of the bartenders joined in. Somehow, we got caught up into talking about ways to destress ourselves and the bartenders suggested a few lines. We asked where they got it from, and they said that it was some guy named Dragon, but that's it." Womble added in.

"We also asked them about the products and where they got it from. They said that the product was pure cocaine, I mean it's purer than any other cocaine. However, they wouldn't tell us where they got it from, just that it was someone that owns the place. They make drops there randomly and they're usually the first to get access, sort of as payment for working there."

"So they basically confirmed for us that Chandler is, in fact, making drops there?" They each nodded their heads.

"We just don't know when." Anderson replied.

"Tell you what, you two do a bit more recon on the place. If anything else comes up, I'll come in with one of you two to start asking the right people the right questions."

They both hummed in agreement as we continued to discuss the future plans for this particular scenario.

...

After the week I had with Lisandra's family, the case, and the mixed signals from Cassie, I needed a break. However, this wasn't a typical break for me. I still hadn't heard from Cassie since she texted me about the "family emergency". If anything, I would've expected her to message me about the rain check she was eager to give me. I knew that she probably wanted to keep a distance from me, but I couldn't stay away. Something wasn't right.

I turned into the familiar driveway of my family home, only to see my mothers car parked in front of the house. I exited my car, only to give a glance back at the house across the way that was home to the girl I was so worried about. Even if the feelings may have not been mutual. Sadly, I turned around to walk up the steps to the front door. I used the key from under the mat to unlock the front door. After I placed it back in it's rightful place, I entered the home and into the foyer.

"Mother?" I called out, expecting someone to answer immediately. It was silent.

"Mother?" I called again.

Both the living room and kitchen were empty, which was a bit strange. I walked around the house a few more times before settling in front of the doors leading to the backyard.

"Mother? Are you out here?" I asked aloud. There was a rustling from one of the bushes around the corner.

"I'm over here, sweetie!" She called out. I followed the sound of her voice in the direction of her little garden.

"Mother, please be careful out here. I don't want you to fall and break a hip or something." I chastised her. She looked at me hysterically.

"Boy, I birthed 9 beautiful children and have chased around many grandchildren. I think that is the last thing that'll ever happen to me." She pecked my cheek as she began to walk back to the inside of the house.

"Never say never. I just worry about you when I'm not around." She smiled sweetly.

"Well thank you sweetie, but I promise I'm fine. What brings you here today?"

She pulled a pitcher of lemonade from the refrigerator before setting out two glasses.

"I took the day off. I figured I'd come and see you today." She placed the drink in front of me as I sipped on it slowly.

"Well I'm glad you did." She said as she looked at me.

I wondered if asking her about Cassie's family was a good idea. I didn't want to pry in an unwanted area, but I was nervous and also slightly curious about her family. Was it big? Was she an only child? Did she have siblings? How many cousins did she have? Things that typically matter in a relationship.

You do not need a relationship. Stop your nonsense.

I decided to go against my conscience and ask her anyway. Besides, what was the harm in asking a question about a neighbor?

"Hey, mother, who's that lady that lives across the street? I've never seen her before." I dropped casually.

"Those are The McKinnon's. Really nice people. Quiet, but nice. Why?" I shrugged my shoulders.

"I saw someone I know over there. I wasn't sure if they were related."

I watched as the tart liquid swirled around the cup, coating it with its acid and sugar.

"Honestly, I couldn't tell you anything. They're very private people."

Odd.

"Do you know what their names are?" She thought for a moment before shaking her head.

"Can't say that I do. What's with the questions, Michael?" I shook my head at her.

"Nothing. The woman isn't sick, is she?" She shook her head.

"Not at all. In fact, she's as healthy as a horse. I saw her walking to get her mail this morning. Why are you so interested in them?"

"Nothing. I was just curious, that's all." She looked me over as if she didn't believe me.

Something was really off about this situation. For Cassie to say something like that, and it not be true, it only made me question things way more than what I did before. However, my question still remains. Where was she?