"No problem. By all means, check it out." Melina said, speaking up. The older man brought the dog into the room and gave a curt command. The dog sniffed around the luggage. He unerringly found Melina's medicine kit, but Britt's search of that turned up nothing but aspirins and Midol. After sniffing through my luggage, the dog was led to Todd's room, again with no results.
"Okay, I guess he lost them or has them hidden elsewhere." Britt said. "If you guys happen to find either of those pills, please give me a call."
"What about Ned?" Melina asked.
"I'm going to escort you to Laura's office on campus. You'll be served breakfast there. You will be able to go home today, so pack up. You'll be checking out."
After the detective and her entourage left, Todd said "I guess I better go find an apartment."
"No." Melina said. "You have to come with us to get your car, anyway. Stay with us a while."
- - - - - - - - - -
A few hours later, in Laura's office, Britt Maxwell came in with a report. "Liz and someone else left the country on a flight last night, around midnight. The last time we know for sure Ned was in the hospital was 10 p.m. He rigged it to look like he was asleep."
"Check up on that, Britt." I said. "I very much suspect some complicity within that hospital to spring him loose. He didn't just evade the nurses, orderlies, and security for all those hours."
Britt made a note in her notebook. "Okay. You've been right about everything else, Don, you're probably right about that, too. Want a job on the police force?"
"I'll keep it in mind." I replied.
"Meanwhile, the airline ticket, and the passport exhibited, said that Todd here was the one with Liz. Now that obviously can't be true, since you're sitting right in front of me."
"Yeah, and I don't even have a passport."
"Yes, you do." I said. "Although you don't know it. Liz probably used your birth certificate to get Ned a passport with your name and his picture. And on a college campus, fake I.D.s are the easiest thing in the world to get, n'est ce pas?" Turning to the detective, I said "I'd say this escape was planned, Britt. And you can charge Liz with something for that, at least."
"Maybe, maybe not." Britt said. "But that would explain why they got past airport security. Ned's name would've shown up as being under arrest, but Todd's wouldn't."
"You better call your parents." Melina suggested to me. "And break the news to them. All of it."
"Yeah." I said. "I should." I called my dad, and told him that we would be dropping by later in the day. I told him I'd explain then, but in the meantime, if they heard from Liz or Ned to call the police. Britt called the local police in my parents' town and gave them the APB, as well.
"Okay, you're free to go." Detective Maxwell said. "The dog didn't find the red pills in your car, either. I wish I knew where those things were. They could be dangerous."
"Don't worry about it." Melina said. "The professor may have miscounted. If not, I'm sure they've been destroyed by now, by the weather or something." Britt just shrugged her shoulders.
After Laura gave us appointments for our next checkups, in three weeks time, we said our goodbyes, complete with hugs for Melina from the ladies. We went outside, got into the SUV, and rolled out.
"So," I asked Melina in a knowing voice, as we pulled onto the main street, "you don't think those pills will be found?"
"Like I told the Lieutenant," Melina replied, "I feel sure that they were destroyed."
"Todd," I said, "did you feel a lot of anger yesterday while we were popping your mom?"
"Uh, sure did." Todd said. "But it went away after I came the second time."
"Yeah, I had the same thing happen to me, after my first climax." I said. "What about you, honey?"
"No, not me. I never felt angry." Melina replied. "Revenge is a dish best served cold."
Finis
While this story has concluded, I'm sure that these characters just might appear in future stories, if you, the readers, desire it.
Share the love
English
