Chasing His Kickass Luna Back Chapter 218

Abby

I can’t believe I’m back at the police station again. It feels like deja vu, but I’m here on something new this time. Rather than a potential arson, I’m here because someone may have poisoned the food at the Alpha gathering and framed me.

Although, perhaps those two events are related.

I’m standing at the front desk, clutching the USB drive containing the tampered footage from my restaurant’s CCTV cameras. The officer on duty, Officer Harris, looks at me with a mixture of skepticism and curiosity on his face.

“Ma’am, let me get this straight. You’re saying that someone tampered with these tapes?” Officer Harris asks, his tone guarded.

I nod, my determination unwavering. “Yes, I’m certain of it. There’s a clear discrepancy between the footage from my restaurant’s cameras and another set of security cameras from a nearby building. I had a professional look at my footage, and he discovered a jump cut. I need you to take a look.”

Officer Harris exchanges a doubtful glance with his colleague, Officer Rodriguez, who’s sitting behind the front desk as well. They seem hesitant, and I can sense their reluctance to get involved in what they might perceive as a petty dispute.

“Ma’am, I can file a report for you,” Officer Harris says slowly and cautiously, “but there’s not much else I can do.”

I swallow. I feel so small beneath their gazes, and I know that they think I’m just acting crazy—just like everyone else seems to think. Leah’s words echo in my mind.

“Leave it to the professionals,”she had said.“Stay out of it.”

But how can I? How can I just sit around, hoping that the health department’s samples will come back negative? No, I need more proof. I need to show them that, even if those samples do come back positive, that it’s not my fault.

Someone is out to get me, and although I don’t know who, I know it’s a targeted occurrence. Too many things have happened over the past few months for it not to be. Arson, cut wires, burst pipes, two outbreaks of food poisoning?

It makes no sense.

“There has to be more you can do,” I say, my voice raising slightly. “Please, officer, I really need to show you—”

“Just another disgruntled business owner,” Officer Rodriguez mutters under his breath to Officer Harris, loud enough for me to hear.

I grit my teeth, feeling a surge of frustration. This is not a petty dispute. My livelihood is at stake, and I’m convinced that someone is deliberately trying to ruin my business.

“I promise you, this is important,” I say, my voice steadier now. “Please, just take a look.”

Before Officer Harris can respond, another officer approaches us. I recognize her immediately; it’s the same officer who helped me with the arson case. Officer Martinez.

“Is there a problem here?” Officer Martinez asks, casting a stern gaze at Officer Harris and Officer Rodriguez.

Officer Harris seems taken aback by Officer Martinez’s presence, and he quickly stammers, “Well, this lady claims her security footage was tampered with.”

I hold my breath, hoping Officer Martinez will take my concerns more seriously. She gives me a nod, signaling for me to follow him to a quieter area.

In a separate room, Officer Martinez takes my statement, listening intently as I explain the situation and show her the footage on my laptop. I can tell that she’s genuinely interested in getting to the bottom of this, unlike the officers at the front desk.

“So, you believe someone may have broken into your restaurant and tampered with the security cameras?” Officer Martinez asks, her brow furrowing.

I nod, relieved that she seems to be taking me seriously. “Yes, it’s the only explanation for the discrepancies between the two sets of footage.”

She pauses for a moment, then pulls out a clipboard. I watch as she jots down some notes on a form, then looks up at me. “Do you have any enemies, Abby? Anyone who might want to see you go down?”

I think, furrowing my brow. “No,” I say, shaking my head at first. “There isn’t anyone.”

Officer Martinez raises an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

For a few more moments, I just think, my eyes fixed on my lap. But then, it finally occurs to me.

Gianna and Daniel.

I take a deep breath, meeting Officer Martinez’s gaze. “There are two, now that I think of it,” I explain. Choosing my words carefully, I explain my history with both Gianna and Daniel to the officer; starting with Gianna’s sabotage of my marriage to Karl, and ending with Daniel’s sabotage on live TV.

Both of them have it out for me for different reasons. Gianna wanted my husband, my title, and my life; and she almost got it. And Daniel? He wanted to win the cook-off. Both of them are possible suspects, but Daniel is the most obvious.

Maybe he was disgruntled after having his title taken away and wanted to get back at me. But it doesn’t fully explain the arson and the other events leading up to the cook-off, unless he knew of me beforehand and wanted to take me down ahead of time.

But why me in particular? Why not go after any of the other contestants?

Officer Martinez jots down notes as I speak. “I see,” she finally says, setting her pen down once I’ve finished. “We’ll investigate this matter thoroughly, Abby. In the meantime, do you have any evidence that could link either of these people to this?”

I shake my head, feeling a sense of helplessness now. “No, nothing concrete,” I admit, my voice dropping. “All I have is the footage.”

There’s a silence, and I meet the officer’s gaze again. She looks stern, but also understanding. “I just had to bring this to your attention,” I continue, feeling hot tears beginning to prick at the backs of my eyes. “I can’t let my restaurant—my livelihood—suffer because of someone’s vendetta.”

Officer Martinez nods sympathetically. “I understand your concerns, and I’ll do my best to look into this. Rest assured, we take any potential tampering of evidence seriously. If we find any leads, we’ll contact you.”

“Thank you so much, Officer Martinez,” I say, standing. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”

The officer smiles, standing, and nods. “Abby,” she says, “I saw your interviews around the cook-off, and I agree with you; women have it tough in this world. Trust me, I know. It took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears for me to get to the point where people like those two bozos out front take me seriously, and even now, it’s still an uphill battle.”

“Really?” I ask, raising my eyebrows.

Officer Martinez nods. “Yes. That’s why I want to help you,” she says. “Women should stand by each other. I’m standing by you, Abby.”

Her words bring tears to my eyes. I quickly blink them away, holding my hand out. “Thank you, Officer. I mean it.”

“Best of luck to you, Abby,” Officer Martinez says as she takes my hand and shakes it. “And keep your chin up.”

I leave the police station with a mix of hope and anxiety whirling around inside of me. Officer Martinez’s words echo in my mind, a source of newfound determination. I feel like I have an ally in all of this, which was sorely needed after it felt as though everyone just thought I was a crazy person.

This investigation could be a turning point for my restaurant and my reputation, but I can’t shake the feeling that I’m treading on dangerous ground. If it’s true that this is sabotage, then my investigation alone could put me in danger.

And now, more than ever, I can’t help but wonder if I would be safest returning to Karl’s house to ride out the storm.