I don’t know what I can officially do if there wasn’t an actual collision or damage to her vehicle. But if it’ll make Alice feel better, it’s worth the trip.
“Hey,” I greet Alice as she meets me outside the bank. “Are you alright?”
She's rubbing her hands together. They're trembling. There's no color in her face, and she won't look at me.
This isn't Alice being shy. This is Alice being scared.
“You didn’t have to come all this way,” she says, her voice tight. “I told Nora not to worry about it. I’m fine, really.”
“It’s not a problem.” I pull my notepad from my shirt pocket, clicking my pen. “I’ll be honest. I can’t do much officially without an actual incident, but if you want, I can document it in case something else happens.”
“Yeah, that’s fine.” Alice sighs. There’s something that looks almost like relief in her expression.
“So tell me exactly what happened.”
“Well, I was on my lunch break and stopped at the stop sign right there.” She turns, pointing toward the exit. “The driver started honking at me, and at first I didn’t think much of it. But when I turned onto the road, they laid on the horn and almost rear-ended me. Then they swerved in front of me, cutting me off so close I had to slam on my brakes.”
“Did you make contact with the vehicle?” I ask, taking notes as she talks.
"No, sir."
The way she says 'sir' makes something warm settle in my chest.
Focus.
"Can you describe the vehicle? Make, model, color?"
"I'm sorry, I'm not great with cars. All I know is that it was a black SUV with tinted windows." She gives a nervous laugh. "I know that's pretty vague."
A black SUV with tinted windows. The same one I saw outside the bank. The one that disappeared when I tried to get closer. My pen pauses on the notepad.
"What?" Alice asks, watching my face.
"Nothing." I keep writing, but my mind is racing. "Every detail helps."
"I'm sure you tell everyone that," she raises an eyebrow with a slight smile.
“Could you see the driver at all?”
She shakes her head. “No, it happened way too fast.”
“Do you have any idea who it might have been? An angry customer, maybe?”
Alice's whole body goes rigid. Her eyes meet mine, and I can see her chest rise and fall like she's about to say something.
Then something shifts. The walls go up.
"No," she says, her voice flat. "I have no idea."
There's something she's not telling me.
“Okay, Alicat.” I flip my notepad closed and slide it back into my pocket. “If you see anything suspicious—anything at all—just let me know. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.”
She nods, crossing her arms protectively around herself. She glances toward the parking lot. Like she's checking if the SUV is still there.
By the time I reach my patrol car, Alice is already heading back inside, her shoulders hunched like she’s trying to make herself smaller. I start the engine but find myself staring at the bank’s entrance, wondering what it would take for her to trust me with whatever she’s really thinking.
Because she’s definitely not telling me everything.
