“I took her,” Ink said.
“How did you know she was at the party?” Officer Burns asked with a hint of accusation.
“I didn’t. I went with a friend to pick up his sister and saw Ariel there,” Ink answered calmly.
“Why did you take her to the hospital?” Officer Hicks asked.
“Because she was unconscious and wouldn’t wake up.”
“So, you didn’t see Elsie either?” Officer Burns asked.
“I don’t know Elsie or what she looks like,” Ink said.
Officer Burns turned his attention back to Ariel. “Do you know the people who threw the party?”
“I don’t remember where the party was or anything about it, so I don’t know if I knew them,” Ariel said.
“The party was at the home of Ricky Calvin Reynolds. His son, Ricky Calvin Reynolds II, has been known to host parties at the residence. Do either of those names sound familiar to you?”
“No,” Ariel said. “Not at all.”
“What about Leon Rhodes or Willy Smith?” Officer Hicks asked.
Ariel shook her head. “No, I don’t know them either.”
“Okay,” Officer Burns nodded. “Did you report what happened to Ariel to the police?”
“No, we didn’t,” I said.
“May I ask why?”
“Because we didn’t know what happened. And we still don’t,” I said simply.
“If you think she was drugged, you should report it,” Officer Hicks said.
“I’m an ER nurse. I’m well aware of what has to be reported and what doesn’t,” I snapped.
Officer Hicks held his hands up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for that to sound accusatory.”
“We’ve had some other reports of undesirable activities related to this address,” Officer Burns said. “We’re trying to build a case, but we need all the help we can get.”
“Can you use what we just told you?” I asked.
Officer Burns nodded. “Yes, I suppose we can.” He looked down at his notes. “I think that takes care of everything.”
When he got to his feet, I walked him and his partner to the door. “Please let us know if there’s anything else we can do to help.”
“Thank you,” Officer Burns said. “Take care.”
I closed the door and sagged with relief.
“See? That wasn’t so bad,” Ink said.
“I feel like I’m missing something,” Ariel said.
“I was nervous about talking to the police,” I said.
“Why? We didn’t do anything wrong.”
