forget-me-not

Chapter 9

The detective arrives an hour later. He's wearing dark blue jeans, black leather shoes, and a black button up shirt. He looks like he just walked off set from a true crime TV show. He introduces himself to me again and shakes Jake's hand. We're sitting around the kitchen table.

"Do you want something to drink? Water or coffee?" I ask.

"Water's fine, thank you." He answers. He pulls out a laptop and gets situated while I grab his water. After a few minutes he looks at me.

"I know this isn't going to be easy. None of this is. But it has to be done and I'll be here every step of the way with Jake to do the best I can." I nod my head and thank him then he begins the questions. We go over what Jake had originally told him, which includes Danny. I tell Detective Ramos that my memory comes in flashes, but I don't remember anything 100%. We tell him about the floral shop, about seeing two guys not one, and then we tell him about the hand delivered letter.

"Do you still have it?" He asks. Jake nods and hands it to him.

"When did you receive it?"

"I checked the mail this morning and found it in there. There's no stamp on it which means he delivered it himself. I just installed cameras on the front porch if he does it again. If he drops off anything else, can't we bring him in? Doesn't that prove he did it?"

"It would add to the case. It's a big possibility that could end it all. But of course now we have to hope he'll come back unannounced and leave something or make a mistake. I'm going to take this with me for evidence and have it fingerprinted."

The detective was there for another hour or so. He asked more questions and typed a lot of notes. He said to contact him immediately if anything happens or changes. Jake walks him to the front door and thanks him again. I take a deep breath and look at him.

"Did that go okay?" I ask him.

"Absolutely. I just hope that bastard comes back again so we can get him. And hopefully he comes back without starting any trouble."

We get ready for dinner after that. On our way there I ask where we're going and he says it's a surprise.

"I kind of wish I could have a glass of wine."

"I promise we'll come back when you can. You only have to take your medicine for another week or so I think."

"Shoot, I didn't bring it with me." I tell him, patting around my purse.

"You didn't think I'd forget, did you?" He smiles and holds up two bottles. I hold his hand for the rest of the drive. We pull into the parking lot of an Italian restaurant. It feels familiar yet I can't put my finger on it.

"It's kind of embarrassing that this will be our third first date here." He smiles at me.

"I'm sorry I don't remember the others." I say under my breath. He grabs my face and kisses me softly.

"Stop being sorry for things you can't control." He kisses me again. I wrap my hands in his hair and slip my tongue in his mouth. Our tongues dance around each other before we both pull away. I take a deep breath. Now that I've had him once, I want him everyday.

"Maybe we should eat dinner first." He laughs. We walk inside and sit in a dark booth. The dark hurts my eyes and head way less so I'm happy. I get overwhelmed by the menu and ask what I normally eat.

"I mean you would eat anything on here it just depends on your mood. Why don't you pick something and we'll see?" I agree and decide to go with the chicken piccata while he gets the grilled chicken parm. We talk and laugh through bread and salad. As the days go by, it feels more and more natural to be with him. I feel like I can be myself, whoever that is. When dinner arrives it looks delicious. He watches me take a bite of my dinner and laughs when he sees me make a face.