Someone Hiding in the Shadows...

57 - A Bedside Manner

The Detective came and sat closer next to me, to take some details. "Can I have a drink officer, please?"

He looked at me steadily and gave me a quiet smile, "of course," and handed me a glass of orange squash from the bedside table as I replied, "thank you."

I looked at him a little more closely, now I could focus a bit more clearly. He had a kind face and had that, I've dressed in a bit of rush look, even if he had a good taste in clothes. He looked around late 30's and had a quite rugged look (a bit of beefcake – so I bet the nurse gave him the once over) and obviously worked out regularly. He didn't look like any of the Detectives I had ever seen on the telly. He had a Jason Statham look about him but his hair was much longer and was actually, pretty good looking. All of a sudden, I realised I was staring at him and he caught me looking at his biceps, I went a bit red and averted my gaze.

Detective Morrison turned to me and asked, "Now, your fiancé thinks you have both been drugged. He says can't remember anything for at least a day and says the last thing he recalls was you both eating a meal and drinking some wine. Is that correct?" I nodded my head in the affirmative.

"So, what can you remember?" He asked me softly, "And please be assured anything, and I do mean anything you tell me will be confidential, don't worry."

I took a deep breath and looked at him with a knitted brow, "Detective, I can't remember anything past having dinner with Jarod at his apartment. I can't even recall him taking me home. My first memory I have after us sharing dinner, I was in my bath, almost drowning, when Jarod screaming at me, tore through the door and dragged me out of the bath. Then it's a bit hazy again. I drifted in and out and now I am here," I said as I nervously, played with a curl of my hair, wrapping it around my fingers.

The Detective was busy scribbling his notes, as he responded, "when you were admitted to hospital bloods and urine tests were taken to test for drugs and should be back very soon. I need to ask this question, its routine okay; do you and your fiancé ever take recreational drugs? A great deal of people do, particularly in the City."

I looked back at him in shock, as my jaw dropped, "Absolutely, never, Detective!"

"I'm sorry, I have to ask, okay. I wouldn't be doing my job otherwise," said the policeman, as continued to jot down notes as he carried on. "Now you should be aware that the test could come back inconclusive, it all depends on what drug was used, some drugs only have a small window of say 9 hours whereas other drugs in your blood can be tested up to 24 hours and urine up to 96 hours following ingestion however every minute the drug is in your system is valuable time lost."

I looked at him and said, "so, are you saying that it is possible the tests might come back showing nothing?"

The Detective continued. "That is correct unfortunately, your fiancé said if they prove inconclusive, he is also going to arrange some at his own cost, hair strand tests for both of you and I have recommended which test would be suitable. The National Health Service doesn't pay for those types of tests"

The officer, looked at me quizzically straight in the eyes as he spoke, "Jarod said he wants answers too. Until we have a clearer picture of what occurred, visitors will have to sign in and get the okay, until we can ascertain what has happened here. Your fiancé paid for you to stay in a private room, by the nurse's station, so it's easier for the staff to keep a watch on you."

He took a deep sigh as he carried on, "now unfortunately, it is unlikely we will find anything in the glasses you drank as your fiancé recalls washing them up. One of our officers went to the apartment earlier to pick up the bottle of wine for it to be tested but it wasn't where your fiancé said it was left. So we are trying to ascertain with the security who else could have got into the apartment. So we are looking at all possibilities. At first I thought that this was someone's idea of a sick joke spiking a bottle of wine and you were just unlucky to pick it up but now with the bottle missing, that makes it less likely but it could just be you can't recall throwing it out. It seems too much of a coincidence and too convenient for my liking but with no further evidence, it is difficult to see how we can progress matters."