Claimed by The Rogue Alpha
Claimed By The Rogue Alpha Chapter 53

The sign post which bore the words 'Fridgeton Police Department' came into view. Leah squeezed her grip on the steering, her tongue running short of saliva. The doubts escaped from whatever box she'd locked them in and now hovered around her head. In spite of this, she kept driving and in no time, made it to the parking lot.

Turning off the ignition, she reclined to her seat. A laboured sigh followed her movement. Don't be an idiot. You're not a sentimental lovestruck teenager, now are you? Besides, it wasn't as if the person she was getting crazy about gave two f***s about her. Okay, perhaps he did. But no way was it in the direction she was thinking. She was sure of that.

By chance, she glanced at the passenger seat. Lyons' spot whenever they combed round the city of Fridgeton in search of Olivia and distributing fliers. It was here he sat, looking all cute and...

Leah shut her eyes so tight the fine lines she very desperately wanted to get rid of, multiplied. But that wasn't important now. She had to force senses back into her thick skull. Hadn't she gone over this? Hadn't she?

There was no backing out on this one. She pulled the door open, locked up the car and began marching into the building. She couldn't help but envision how her future was going to be like. About five years from now, hopefully, she would have been established- working in a reputable law firm and with a generous amount of cash in her account. Every morning, she would get to her office-the heels of her stilettos mincing on the tiled floor, as opposed to the lazy loafers she had on. This thought only accused her more. She was painting her future while Olivia's was...uncertain.

She didn't need to be told the way to the sheriff's office. She only nodded at the cops stationed at the reception, before taking the turn that lead to her destination.

She knocked, and when the go-ahead was given, she pushed the door. Officer Grant pulled his gaze from the stack of papers on his desk.

"Miss. Lindsey," he remarked. A friendly smile on his face. That smile had a way of easing Leah's tension. She returned the gesture, although she could feel her cheeks getting strained from the fakeness of the it.

"Morning, Officer Grant."

"Please, have a seat."

She walked towards the chair and pulled it backward. Seated, she clasped her clammy hands together, placing them on her laps. She breathed, although it went unnoticed. Okay, time for business. She looked back to the fifty something year old man, his eyes glittering with some kind of familiarly...fondness for her. She cleared her throat, set to go on with her tip. "I've been meaning to tell you this, Officer."

She gulped saliva. But even though it hadn't been intentional, she chastened herself. What the f**k was wrong with her? Why was she acting as though she was snitching on her tight friend or a family member when in actuality, she was on her way of saving that dear friend of hers. She couldn't understand or explain how or why she'd gotten this soft. This mawkish.

"Olivia...uhm. I think I know what can explain her disappearance."

"Really?"

She nodded. "Lyons Fredrickson is the name." The officer paused which promoted Leah to explain better. "The guy that came here with me on one or two occasions." "Yeah. Yes, I know who Lyons is but...what made you form such guess?"

Leah knew angle the Officer was coming from. Lyons might have come across as her very good friend or possibly, her lover.

"It's complicated. So crazy, I can't even believe I'm gonna say this. Lyons had a deal with Olivia's dad. A deal that left Olivia as a collateral."

"A collateral?"

Leah sighed. "Something about sending her off to him. I don't really know the full story."

The officer gave a faint nod. "So in essence, Lyons and Pete knew each other."

She nodded. "Yeah. He is...was Pete's creditor."

The officer nodded and sourced for his notebook in the chest of drawers, pressed on the ballpoint of his pen and scribbled something. He returned his gaze to Leah. "How did you meet him? Lyons, I mean."

She sighed. "At her apartment. It was a chanced encounter." Her mind flashed back to that day. "I hadn't spoken with Olivia for days, about two, I think. So, I dropped by to check up on her."

She continued with the story, giving him all the details of it. Leah hadn't really appreciated her ability to be mindful of details. She'd just taken it to be a quirk, kind of. But now, however, she couldn't be more grateful of that gift of hers.

The officer didn't say a word, after her narration. He rather, bored holes into her eyes, staring with an alien expression. Leah's composure was beginning to quake. Had she implicated herself? Was there any chance that she'd be held accountable for the disappearance?

"I've heard all you said. Thank you for coming forward."

Leah released the sigh she'd long been holding. F**k, what a scare he'd given her.

"But I'd like to interrogate you further. As well as Lyons."

Apprehension returned, but she forced herself ti remain calm. It was just an interrogation. Besides, God knew that she had no hand in her friend's disappearance nor Pete's death.

"Okay."

"When would you be free?"

"Tomorrow morning. 8 on the dot."

"Okay, that's "

"Wait!" she cried out. The officer lifted his brows. "There're two of them. Oh my God, there two of them!"

"I need you to calm down, Miss-"

"There're two of them. All this time and I...and I hadn't realised."

"What are you talking about?"

"Lyons...sorry, Olivia told me that they were after her. They, not he. I specifically remember that." She placed her hand on her forehead. She couldn't believe this had escaped her memory. It made sense now. Much more sense. "I'm not completely ruling Lyons out, but then there could be someone out there who's just as culpable."

"Olivia told you this?"

"Yes. The last time I saw her."

"And when was that?" Officer Grant asked.

"As in the day or...?"

The officer nodded. "If you can, please."

Sighing, she said, "I'm not sure I can remember. But about two days after that, I tried calling her. She wouldn't pick up. That'd help, right? I'm so sorry, I should have informed you earlier."

"It's okay." The officer displayed his usual smile. "What matters is that you were able to help."

Leah nodded. Now, she had cleared Ber conscience. Now, she had done what a sensible friend would do. And concerning that interrogation, she was gonna tell them all they needed to know, never going to hold anything back. "We will replace her, Miss. Lindsey. We will."

Leah could sense the officer's determination. She could only hope and pray that the case got solved soon enough.