Locked In Amber Ch. 01

"Okay, yeah, that kind of sounds familiar."

"This is good! What else do you remember?"

"Umm, let me see. I remember you and Aaron making out by the garden, I think. Oh, and Spencer and I were talking by the pool since you two were kind of ignoring us."

Katelyn blushed slightly. "Yeah, sorry about that. But you know us two, we just can't keep our hands off of each other." She and Aaron had started dating in high school and had just really connected. Even after being apart for parts of college, they had maintained a solid relationship. It was no surprise to anyone when they got married soon after graduating. "Besides, it wasn't exactly like you minded having time with your crush."

Amber grimaced. "Please don't call him that now. How was I to know what he was really like? I mean, it was just occasional office visits." She sighed. "I have terrible luck with guys."

Katelyn glanced over again. "Sorry. I shouldn't have called him that. And don't be hard on yourself. It seems like you're starting to remember pieces. I'm not yet asking in an official capacity and I know this might be hard, but can you remember anything else? Or is it too hard to think about? Do you recall him doing anything specific to you?"

Amber pondered some more. What do I remember? Everything is a patchwork and what I do recall is just so muddled. "Well, it's hard. I... I'm sorry. I remember us all being there as a group. I remember music playing. I remember him getting me a glass of nice wine. He seemed so considerate. God, if I only knew! I mean, he must have drugged my drink because it just gets foggier after that."

Katelyn slowed the car down, pulling over at a wide spot in the road. It was a lookout point with a small stone wall and a plaque commemorating something that was long lost to the weather and teenage vandals. Katelyn hopped out of the car and said, "Come with me. Maybe the fresh air will help." Amber got out and joined her.

They both stood there for a moment, the early sun's rays casting a molten gold on their faces. Katelyn spoke up first. "Okay, so to summarize, you remember Steve's fiasco of a party and us leaving for Spencer's place. You kind of remember the time at Spencer's, but that's it? No other details?"

Amber shook her head. She shivered and zipped her jacket up further. The dawn air was crisp and helped with mental clarity, but her skirt and top were more suited for a nightclub than an Autumn breeze. She sat down on the wall. Katelyn sat facing her. "Yeah, but don't date rape drugs make you forget?"

Katelyn didn't answer the question as she was lost in thought for a moment. Her eyes stared off into the distance without actually looking at the valley below. "Amber, you know that I'm your best friend in the world and would do anything for you?" Amber nodded, wondering where this was going. "And you know that, if what you say about Spencer is true, I will bring Hellfire down upon him, right?"

Amber laughed abruptly, the first moment of positive feeling in the day. She knew Katelyn was being hyperbolic as that would pretty much ruin her future in law enforcement, but the support was nice. She nodded again. "What are you getting at Kat? I wouldn't lie to you about this."

Katelyn's distant gaze sharpened as she turned her pale grey eyes to Amber. "No. No, you wouldn't. But right now, I'm trying to balance a very precarious line. On one hand, I am your best friend 'To Infinity and Beyond' as was codified at the age of eight by a pinky swear in front of the Almighty Pixar." She held up her pinky and wiggled it while smiling.

Amber snorted, gave her a half-smile, and then reached up, wrapping her pinky with her friend's. "And the other side of the line?"

Katelyn gave the pinky a little squeeze. "The other is that I'm an officer. So, I'm in your corner and do not want to diminish your feelings in any way, but I also need to gather facts because what you're talking about is a huge accusation. Do you trust me to lead you through this?"

Amber looked at her friend. Katelyn had always been there for her. Right now, a part of her wanted to just rant and rail against the injustice of it all. But the logical part of her brain, the part that had helped carry her through her difficulties in life, and the part that she usually prided herself on whispered trust her. Amber took a deep breath. "Yes."

Katelyn nodded. "Okay, let's break this down to what we know and don't know. "

"Okay."

"First, let's list what we know about Spencer."

"Umm, well, he's 25. Smart. Runs his own computer tech company--"

"Sorry," Katelyn interjected. "I didn't mean details like that. I meant facts about your relationship."

"Oh! Right. Of course." Amber gave a brief shake of her head as if to clear out the additional details she'd been about to list. "Well, he started coming into the office about three months ago for a networking project and we started chatting and..." Amber paused for a moment. "This feels weird. I mean, you already know a lot of this stuff. It's not like I'm telling you anything new."

Katelyn scratched the back of her head. "Yeah, I know. I'm just thinking it'll help us frame the situation so we can figure out what the hell happened."

"Oh, yeah, that makes sense. But it still feels weird," Amber said with a half shrug.

"Well, you've talked about Spencer quite a bit over the past couple of months, so would it be easier for you if I just list what I know at this point and then you can fill in details as we go?"

Amber nodded. "That might work. Maybe it'll help me figure out what I want to say."

Katelyn brushed her hair back over her ear. "Okay, so a couple of months ago, you started talking about this cute guy who was working on an IT project at your office. You told me that he seemed really nice and friendly. You hit it off right away. You thought he was a bit shy (something you could relate to), and said it was sweet how he was obviously smart but kind of stumbled around you. I remember because when you called me after the second day, I suggested you see if maybe you could go out. But you said that would be awkward and weird since he was just there for one more day on that project." Katelyn paused, obviously awaiting an answer.

"Yeah. I mean, I wanted to, but I wasn't really sure how to bring it up and he never brought it up, so..." She shrugged. "I know it's probably hard for you to understand. It's just difficult for me to initiate stuff like that. I was always good with school but not with people."

Katelyn had known Amber a long time and this was not the first time they'd talked about shyness. Their personalities were different, but Katelyn did understand. "That's why you have me as your best friend." She poked Amber lightly in the shoulder. "I'm good with people--you should just follow my advice," she teased.

The corner of Amber's lips tugged up slightly. "You were no slouch at school either."

"Maybe, but not like you. But we digress. So you and Spencer had a good three days at your office. You wanted to ask him out or have him ask you out, but it didn't happen. So at the beginning, things seem pretty positive."

Amber had a churning feeling in her stomach. "Yeah, and, honestly, I feel kind of sick right now. I mean, we're talking about some memories that, up until this morning, were really happy ones. And now I have this weird mix of happy and bitter at the same time like it's been corrupted or something." Her eye glistened, and she wiped it away.

Katelyn tightened her lips and nodded. "I understand. And I really want to help you through this. That's why I'm asking all these questions. But if you need a break, let me know."

Amber gestured and said, "Yeah. I'm good."

Katelyn continued, "So, after the project was done, you were surprised when you saw him again a week or two later because he started coming in on occasion for other fixes, right?"

Amber nodded. "Apparently Peter really liked his work and he'd signed on a new support contract with Spencer's company. He was in every so often doing a lot of different tech stuff for Peter. With the changes at the office, we needed a lot of tech support and it made more sense to just have someone on call."

"And how did that make you feel?" Katelyn inquired.

Amber gave a half-hearted shrug. "Well, at the time, I was glad. We didn't get to spend a lot of time together since we were both working, of course, but it kind of felt like this safe way to banter and even flirt a little." She briefly gave a half-smile at the memory.

"Okay, so he's in the building off and on. During that time, how has he acted? Any telling behaviors like sexist jokes, leering, bragging about the girl he banged last weekend... that sort of thing?"

Amber didn't really have to think that hard. "No, he was always sweet. A bit quiet, but not to the point of poor social skills. He took pride in his work. He learned everyone's name in the office, unlike the other guy who works for him that would occasionally come instead."

Talking positively about Spencer at this point started to feel like a rejection of her current emotional state and her nerves decided to fight back. "But aren't sweet and charming how all serial killers--"

"Amber," Katelyn interrupted her. "I really do understand that right now your mind is wanting to focus on the negative feelings you have. Trust me, I am not ignoring or trying to downplay how you feel. I'm just trying to gather data. Okay?"

Amber sighed.

"So, what do we have so far?" She lifted a finger, "One, Spencer has always been a gentleman around you. He certainly was around us last night. And two," she lifted another finger, "I know that you've said he seemed to fancy you. There was the banter, of course, but I also recall the mysterious Austrian chocolate bar."

"Yeah, I was pretty sure it was him. Came back from lunch and it was on my desk. No one at the office knew anything about it, but later I heard someone mention that he'd been in to switch out a monitor for Peter. But,--" he was obviously just trying to charm his way past my guard.

Amber was about to voice her last thought, but as soon as she started, Katelyn raised her eyebrow as if she knew what direction Amber was headed. She shut her mouth again. She just wanted her friend to get to the part where they commiserate about the bastard but knew from experience that Katelyn was like a terrier and once she was on a mission, she would not stop. Trust her--she's never let you down before.

Katelyn continued. "Three, you've been wanting to ask him out for weeks now, but being your cute, little, introverted self, and despite the urgings of your best friend, you kept chickening out. The best you could do was flirt with some repartee when the opportunity came up as he passed by your desk."

Amber nodded again.

"So when he invited us to his place at Steve's party, do I recall correctly that you turned to me with a look of absolute excitement at the prospect."

Amber couldn't keep her lips sealed any longer and burst out rather heatedly, "Yes, Katelyn, but again, I have to say it, how do I know that he wasn't just buttering me up?"

"You don't," Katelyn said straightforwardly without any hint of affront.

Amber, about to go on with additional rebuttals, abruptly stopped, her mouth partially open. She hadn't expected that response.

Katelyn gave Amber a very sympathetic look and then softly said, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Amber was slightly confused at the change in direction.

"I..." Katelyn paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. "I just realized how hard I've been grilling you. At work, I was once likened to a gila monster in that affectionate way that cops like to tease each other. One of the detectives said that once I bite into something, I never let go. I don't know how true that is of the lizard, but it is a fairly accurate depiction of me."

Amber nodded, thinking about Kat's history with school... life... friendships. "Yeah, but it's not a bad thing."

"No, I mostly agree. But sometimes it can be too much... like now. I am so focused on this, I forgot to stop and check in with you to see if I'm being too direct or if you want more support. I'm used to interviewing suspects, not my best friend."

It was Amber's turn to take her friend's hand. "Thank you. And you're right, talking about this is really hard for me. But you've always had my back and I trust you. I'm angry and you're trying to be objective. I'm glad you're looking out for me."

Katelyn looked back and a half-smile crossed her face. She leaned over and gave Amber a hug, whispering, "always." The two women just held one another for a while watching the sun slowly rise above the distant hills.

Once she could feel Amber's tension release, Katelyn sat back. "Are you okay with continuing?"

Amber looked inward. She felt like she was on a pinball table and everything was bouncing all over. She was exhausted and the morning had barely started. But she knew that she also wanted to get through it--the sooner she got it out, the sooner she and Kat could figure out what to do about it. "Yeah."

"Okay. Well, if you need me to stop, let me know." She awaited confirmation before continuing.

"So, on to point three..." Kat paused, looking at her fingers. "Or was it four?" With a slight shake of her head, she put her hand back into her pocket. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. We're all at Spencer's house after leaving Steve's place, and Spencer continued to be a great host. You may not recall, but he never made any encouragement for Aaron and me to leave or seemed like he wanted to separate you from us. He was totally cool with us staying and even offered us the guest bed in the pool house. But I hadn't had anything to drink, and you urged us to leave as you seemed so happy. So far, from my perspective, Spencer seems like a pretty great guy. But there's obviously more to tell. Do you feel ready to share so we can get a complete picture?"

Amber felt her pulse jump. "Okay. I think the air is helping; I'm feeling a bit better." Katelyn waited for her to go on. "So yes, you've said these things and they are all true, but none of that proves he didn't drug me and have his way with me after you left. It could all have been a long ploy to get me by myself."

"That's true," Katelyn replied. "Tell me more about this morning."

Amber took a deep breath. "So, I woke up pretty much naked in his bed. Well, not his bed--the bed in the poolhouse. I was confused and disoriented; my brain felt like lead. I couldn't remember most of the night. Still having problems there. That's totally what date rape drugs do, right? Didn't you learn anything about that during your academy classes?"

"Yeah, they can." Katelyn pondered for a moment. "You woke up nude?" She reached out her hand and took Amber's. The touch was calming to Amber's nerves.

"Well, I was wearing my panties, but the rest of my clothes were kind of all over the place. I was sort of covered with a blanket."

"And where was Spencer? How was he acting?"

The memory was still a bit foggy since she had barely been awake, so Amber thought for a bit. "I think he was watching me. No, maybe he was outside the room somewhere? Yeah, he must have been outside because I remember now that he came in the door after I woke up. Uhh, he said something about it being close to morning, I think."

"And did you say anything to him or ask him anything?"

Amber looked down at her feet. "Well, I was pretty freaked out, so I kind of accused him of drugging me and started grabbing my clothes."

"And how did he react?" Katelyn was looking at her intensely.

"Well, he seemed..., I don't know, he seemed kind of annoyed. I think he was guilty that I'd figured it out. After I got dressed, he offered me coffee and said he was sorry."

Katelyn narrowed her eyebrows. "Sorry? He apologized? What did he apologize for?"

Amber tried to recall exactly. The entire morning was a mixed-up jumble. What did he apologize for? "I think he apologized for doing something to me. Or... something like that."

"Huh." Katelyn bit her lower lip. "Well, that certainly sounds suspicious. Okay, this next question may be super hard to answer, but I need to ask it. If it's too hard to talk about, please just let me know." She squeezed Amber's hand in support. "Do you physically feel... um, like something's happened? Vaginal pain or discomfort or other physical signs that something happened to you?"

Amber contemplated how she felt physically. Everything felt normal, other than her nerves. "Well, no, now that you put it that way. I mean, I had to pee while I was waiting for you, but that was just from the coffee." Something started to tug at her subconscious like a small dog pulling at a half-buried bone, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was.

Katelyn looked out across the vista and watched a bird slowly rise on the air currents before speaking again. "I mean, not feeling anything doesn't prove that something didn't happen, of course. But physical evidence would certainly lend a lot of credence that something had."

"True. But I don't know how blackouts work from drugs. I mean, I only had one glass of wine the whole night, and that's not going to knock me out."

Katelyn turned her head sharply again looking at her friend. "What did you just say?"

"I said he must have dosed me with a drug because I only had one glass of wine. I'm sure of it. You know me--I'm just not much of a drinker ever since, well... You know my strict limit is one drink. And besides, this isn't like a hangover; it's something different." Amber looked back at her friend and sensed that something was up. "Why?"

"Of course! You've mentioned it several times." Katelyn was tapping her chin while looking down at the ground. She seemed to be talking more to herself. "How did I miss that? I must be tired."

Her eyes swung back up to Amber and she slid her hair behind her right ear. "No, one glass of wine wouldn't have enough alcohol to affect your memory." Here she paused and reached over to take Amber's other hand. "But what about one glass of wine late at night after having had several Jello shots earlier in the evening?"

Amber stared at her blankly for a moment. "What?" The tugging in the back of her mind started getting more frantic.

"Steve's party? The Jello? Didn't you tip a few back before they ended up being used as a wrestling mat?"

The tugging started to tear something open and there was a trickle of memory...

Her reluctance to go to the party, but acquiescing to Katelyn as she hated the image of being "one of the quiet ones". Katelyn's whistling approval of her skirt and boot combo. The loud music, too many people, the reek of alcohol everywhere, and way too much body heat. So dreadfully thirsty.

A girl offering her a Dixie cup "for dessert". Carelessly tossing it back, the cool Jello's texture refreshing on her parched throat, but finding the alcoholic taste and the odd salty flavor behind it not to her liking.

"No, wait, I'm starting to remember. I just had one, but it tasted weird."

Katelyn frowned. "You remember something? That's great!. Are you sure it was just one? And weird how? I hate Jello so I didn't have any."

Amber thought hard. The tugging was worse and almost felt like a buzzing that was interfering with her thought process. "I don't know. Tasted like raspberries and booze and..." She shrugged. "Kind of salty maybe? I didn't like it, but I'd already swallowed. The chick who handed it to me said something too, like 'now the party's started.'"

...party started...

...started.

Like the trickle of water ahead of the Okavango Delta flood, the tugging in the back of Amber's mind ripped completely free, and flashes passed through her head in quick succession: