CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

          HER JEEP STOOD PARKED IN FRONT OF THE POLICE STATION AND SHE CONTEMPLATED MAKING A RUN FOR IT. Instead, she let out an anxious breath and stepped out of her car and into the Autumn air. Lucy had decided to wear the nicest clothes she could find to perhaps help him believe the lie, but she doubted it would attribute anything.

It was the end of the afternoon and the sun hung low in the sky, ready to succumb behind the clouds. 

The station wasn't busy at the moment, there were a few officers inside working on some files but other than that it was pretty quiet. Lucy waited at the front desk and asked for Agent Turner, which led her to a small office at the end of the hall.

It was dark, the blinds were drawn and her eyes scanned the desk as she waited for him. The palms of her hands had started sweating and she wiped them onto her pants anxiously. The chair was uncomfortable, digging into her hip as she adjusted herself. 

There were no pictures on the desk, just stacks and stacks of files and lots of office supplies. The computer screen was on but other than the FBI logo there was nothing to see.

Lucy had fabricated a short story on how she knew Rio and she hoped it sounded believable enough for the agent to drop it entirely.

"Miss. Moreau." The door opened and the brunette almost jumped as she watched Jimmy Turner enter the office. He wore a neat suit with a matching tie and closed the door behind him as she offered the man a polite smile. "Can I get you anything? Coffee?"

"No, thank you." she said, holding her jacket on her lap. "You drink coffee at this time of day?"

"I don't sleep much." he stated as he took a seat. "You?"

"I had a one night stand." Lucy blurted and the man raised his brows in surprise. She just wanted to get this over with, no small talk needed. 

"You had a one night stand?" he repeated, clasping his hands together.

"I'm not proud of it." she admitted and fiddled with the hem of her blouse to feign regret. "I never thought i'd have one. It's not really for me if i'm honest. It was just that once and I don't plan on seeing him again."

"When was that?"

"It was a few weeks ago and he was gone the morning after." she said and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Then a few days later he showed up at Beth's house because I wasn't home, he just wanted to apologise. He knew where she lived because he was going to drop me there initially before I changed my mind about the whole thing. I accepted and he wanted to give it another try but I cut it off."

"Oh," he hummed, staring at her intently. "okay, then."

Lucy nodded her head once and was ready to get the hell out of there and she was about to get up when he stopped her. "Just out of curiosity, where did you meet him?" The woman swallowed and slowly sat back down on the chair. "I'm just wondering where a nice woman like you meets and inner-city gang banger."

"I met him at a bar." she deadpanned, heart thundering against her ribcage as she met his gaze.

"What was he wearing?" he mused, arms crossed over his chest.

"Jeans." she replied stoically. "Black denim."

"What about you?"

"Also jeans, blue denim."

"Where did you meet him?" he repeated his earlier question, ready to catch the brunette in her web of lies.

"At a bar." she didn't miss a beat and tilted her head to the side slightly.

"What was the name?"

"Lucky's." Lucy did not hesitate.

"I bet they'd remember a pair like you." he stated, running his tongue along his teeth and narrowing his eyes. "Who drove?"

"He did." she said. "The bar is relatively close to the hospital. I went there after my shift with the intention of taking the bus home."

"What car does he drive?"

"Black Cadillac." 

Agent Turner still did not believe a word she was saying and despite her growing confidence he was about to dismiss her. Lucy bit the inside of her cheek trying to think of a way to get him to believe her. "Have a good night, Miss. Moreau."

Lucy, however, did not get up and instead crossed her leg over the other and leaned back into her seat.

"I told you, it was a one night stand." she stated and Jimmy looked at her curiously. The woman would not back down as she tried to convince him. "I had a really rough shift that night, we'd almost lost a kid and I desperately needed a drink. I went to Lucky's alone because my co-workers wanted to go home to their families."

Agent Turner had leaned back too, looking at her intently.

"I didn't want to bother my friends because they all have kids and it was just too fucking sad. I felt lonely and upset. I had never slept with a total stranger before, but then he was just there, offering me a drink and I accepted. He was hot, so how could I resist, right?"

Lucy shook her head as if to look angry at herself for the decision.

"We drank a little and then I invited him back to my house on the way when he was supposed to drop me off, because he was just right there. We drank a little more. Then he kissed me and I kissed him back. Before I knew it we were screwing on the kitchen counter. Had to buy new plates after that because he all but shoved them to the ground to make room for us. It was only that once and it never happened again. And I don't plan for it to happen again."

Agent Turner looked at her with a thoughtful expression on his face before heaving a sigh, slowly nodding his head at her.

"Thank you for coming in." he settled. "Just be careful who you bring into your home."

✧✧✧✧✧

IT WAS ALMOST MIDNIGHT AND LUCY SAT ON AN UNCOMFORTABLE HOSPITAL CHAIR AS SHE LEANED HER HEAD ON RUBY'S SHOULDER. Beth and Annie sat on her other side, trying to comfort their friend as best they could. Sara, her daughter, had kidney failure and the medication she had been using had been helping her immensely until she had decided to stop taking it.

Ruby sniffed beside her, head resting on the wall behind them. Lucy watched the unit she worked on through different eyes now that she wasn't there as a nurse and glanced around the room slowly.

"All this stuff you think you're keeping from them, you're not." 

"Don't go there." uttered Beth, frowning.

"I'm not gonna say that i'm a bad mother." said Ruby, digging her nails into the palms of her hands as she thought about her daughter not wanting to take her pills because she thought her parents were having money problems. "But ... I could have paid more attention."

"You do the best you can." said Beth, trying to reassure her.

"You're a really good mother, Ruby." offered Lucy, squeezing her arm and taking her hand in her own to stop her from hurting herself.

Ruby shot her a grateful smile and squeezed her hand back as Annie leaned down and took a large pink box from the seat beside her. The sniffing woman scoffed, "Those better be donuts. Do not come at me with some whack-ass cheese Danish."

The woman lifted the lid and pursed her lips, tears streaming down her face as the three woman smiled up at her. 

"Those aren't donuts."

Beth handed her the box. "It's everything. It's our whole cut and more."

The three woman had been washing money for Rio for the last week and this is what they had been paid. Lucy had taken five grand from her down payment savings and added is as well, saying it had been an early advance from work. 

They were none the wiser and had believed her straight away.

"We knew you'd need it for the hospital bills." said Annie, rubbing her arm in comfort.

"We don't want you to even think about it, okay?"

Ruby cried, trying to hold in her tears as she wiped at her eyes. Lucy smiled up at her sadly and pressed a kiss to her cheek. This woman deserved the world and she was glad she could help out her friend and her family. "Man, you messed up my face."

"Oh," chuckled Annie. "it was already pretty messed up."

"I hate you guys."

"We know."

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