An Officer, The K9, And Me

Chapter 13

SOPHIA

Play along. Play along. Play along. 

Sophia repeated the words over and over again. 

When she followed the woman back into the building: Play along. 

Then in an elevator: Play along. 

Down a long hallway: Play along. 

They stopped outside of a door. All black surface with a silver plaque with a number etched into it that read: 619. 

It wasn't missed by Sophia when the woman pressed the button for the top floor when they were in the elevator. Also it wasn't mistaken to see that there was only one door at the end of the long hallway as they stepped out of the elevator. Which would assume she had a whole floor of the building to herself. 

Must be nice. Sophia thought as she stepped through the threshold. 

"Make yourself at home." The woman announced over her shoulder. 

Sophia stood by the door, apprehensive a bit about shutting it but then decided to go ahead and shut it. 

Within seconds the stereo cranked up, instantly playing something. Country? The guy's voice sounded rough, but smooth. Thick but not to heavy. 

"Nice music," Sophia offered. 

"You should know. You'll the one who introduce me to it, way back when." The woman chimed in. 

Sophia interest piqued. And smirked. "Way back when?" 

"Welp. You're not that old but it has been a while since we last seen each other." 

"Tell me about it," Sophia spoke incredulously. Then added, "how long has it been?" 

"Ugh. Too long?" 

Sophia's smile fell as the woman walked out of the room towards the kitchen. She was hoping the she could get some information from the woman without revealing that she actually has no idea who she was but things clearly weren't going as planned. She looked over at Easton who sat down next to her, still both standing by the front door. 

Deciding to walk around, she moved towards the living area. There was a bright white sectional, a glass coffee table, love seats of the same hue on either side, facing towards a huge flat screen hanging on the cobalt panted wall. A fluffy white carpet lay on the floor that Easton couldn't help but sniff as they walked over. 

The woman returned holding a tray of brownies. 

"Hungry?" The woman announced. 

"Oh, I-" Before Sophia could answer, she was interrupted by the front door opening and closing. 

A voice spoke, familiar. "Mom, you home," Then she must have looked up because she added, "oh you are. Nevermind." 

The girl walked over, spotting the brownies. Sounding relieved she said, "Just what I needed." 

Sophia sat quietly on the edge of the sectional. Easton by her side. 

The the girl noticed her and went wide-eyed. 

"Hi, again," Sophia spoke hesitantly. 

The woman spoke, "as you probably can remember this is my daughter." 

The girl stood still, almost like a statue. It was the same one from the bar a few days ago. The same one that dropped the glass of the floor when she saw Sophia. "I'm Catie," she said, introducing herself. Then adding, "and I'm your best friend."