Chapter 10
Adam anxiously rushes through Wood Oak Central's police precinct.
"Go take your SIF ass back to where you came from, your officers are not welcome here!" A member of staff jokingly comments at the entrance.
"Nice to see a friendly face again!" Adam remarks.
"Seriously though Hunter, how much are they paying you?" The officer quizzes him.
"Double the amount this dump paid! You should think about transferring… Anyway, is Aguirre around this morning?"
"Yeah, right in her office!... You know the way." The officer opens the security door for him.
"Thanks!" Adam grins whilst adjusting his collar and removing his shades.
"Adam Hunter….. You have some nerve showing your face here after almost a year! No calls, no texts… let me guess, you need help with something?" Estel glares at him with pessimism, sitting back in her chair with her feet up on the desk.
"Estel!" He enthusiastically grins. "How's life treating you these days? You look well…"
"Cut the bullshit and get to the point…"
"This is gonna sound crazy but I need you to run a surveillance check on Max Hatchet".
"And does your friend know that you're checking up on him?" She raises her eyebrows.
"No. But this is really important" he insists.
"Hmmm what's in it for me Hunter?" Estel bargains, folding her arms.
"Remember that Gonzalez case I was working on with one of Wood Oak's most ruthless money laundering criminals?"
"Briefly…" Estel purses her lips.
"You can take that case!" Adam smiles.
She shakes her head with disappointment. "Nah, that's too boring. I prefer homicides, bombings…. You know the hardcore shit! You still owe me a coffee too" she frowns.
"Ok then! I'll hand over the Sterling mob boss case. They say he hung himself but we all know that was a lie!" Adam replies.
"This favour you want must be real important then… I'm intrigued now" she says as she sits up and types away at her computer.
"It is…. Ok so we started out at 6:30am yesterday in Preston Avenue".
"Preston Avenue?! What were you two doing in that dump? All our cops hate going there, all they find are junkies around every corner."
"You don't wanna know…" Adam grins to himself.
"Ok, see if you can follow his route…" Adam points at the monitor as he observes Max parting ways with him before his friend turns back around the corner.
"Looks like Max didn't want you to know where he was going…." Estel remarks.
"Try pulling up the surveillance on Vale Street. There's a security camera on the corner….. Bingo!" They catch Max walking into one of the blocks with Brash, his dealer.
"Is Max on drugs again?" Estel worriedly asks.
"Yeah…" Adam frowns…. "Wait, keep the surveillance running in minute intervals" he orders.
"Stop! Right there!" He points.
"I can see him coming out the building passing a woman, he definitely picked up some drugs - what's the big deal though?"
"Rewind back a few seconds, I need to see that woman's face…"
The black and white surveillance footage skips back then immediately shows Blaze approaching the door with her dog on the lead next to her.
Adam taps on the keyboard to pause the film. "Can you zoom in on her face?" He asks as his heart begins to pound.
"Shit….!" Estel glares at the screen with her jaw dropped.
"He was right!" Adam gasps in shock as he and Estel glance back at one another surprised.
"How is that even possible? Nobody would have survived that explosion at the hospital almost 9 years ago! We were both there, we witnessed it!" She panics.
"We found the baby, but I never found Blaze. I assumed that because she was in a coma, she would be somewhere else in that building! Do you think she woke up?"
"It's possible, but highly unlikely. Remember this could also be a clone the syndicate made. They had her blood sample after all…"
"You got a good point" Adam replies, rubbing his chin with his thumb whilst concentrating on the image of Blaze in front of him.
He sighs, pacing up and down the room behind Estel's chair.
"Max did say that she didn't recognise him but we need to be sure if this is a clone or not…" he concludes.
"If it is, we have to destroy it! It could be a syndicate weapon or spy" Estel warns.
"Max mentioned he thought that Blaze lost her memory. If we can get hold of any piece of her DNA, we'll know for sure if this is a clone or not '' Adam replies, determined to quickly get to the bottom of this.
Estel reaches for the radio. "Officer Nanton, inform the team that I'm going to be out of the precinct for the rest of the day!"
Estel and Adam sit in an unmarked car across the street from the block, eating chips as they wait for Blaze to exit the building.
After an hour, she finally makes an appearance as she crosses the street with her dog then walks around the corner.
"I can't believe what I'm seeing!" Adam says as he and Estel glare at her in disbelief.
"She's barely changed after all these years!" Estel remarks.
"Follow her!" Adam urges from the passenger side of the car.
She cautiously drives 200m or so behind Blaze as they trail her from the downtown backstreets all the way to one of the trendiest areas of Wood Oak Central. They spot her walking into a small doorway with a neon light above it displaying 'Dance Studio'.
"That must be her! No clone is gonna have a career in dancing…" Adam anxiously says.
"You never know… Hey! What are you doing?!" She halts him from getting out of the car.
"I need to go and speak to her! My best friend right now is going crazy after last night and she has a son out there!"
"Wait wait wait!" Estel tries to calm him down. "If, and I'm saying IF this version of Blaze isn't a clone and she has lost her memory, how is she going to feel when she has some random cop bombarding her with life changing information whilst trying to steal her DNA? She'll think you're out of your mind, think about it for a second!"
Adam bites his tongue, realising that Estel has a good point.
"Ok. Here's the plan…" he responds. "Go in there and if she doesn't recognise you, tell her you're interested in taking dance classes. Then see if you can get hold of any DNA - a hair strand, sweat, anything!"
"Why do I have to go in there?" Estel quizzes.
"Do I look like someone interested in dancing?" Adam shrugs.
"Men dance too, you know!" She argues.
"Just go, please! I don't think I can handle seeing Blaze right now like this without saying anything about Axel or Leon!"
"Fine!" Estel huffs, slamming the driver's door shut before crossing the street.
"Can I help you?" Blaze takes a break from her own training inside the studio when she notices Estel looking around outside in the corridor.
"I was just err… I wanted to inquire about the classes you have here?" Estel smiles.
"Sure!... Just give me a minute please…" Blaze quickly runs back into the studio to stop her music and grab her hooded sweater. "Stay!" she says to Charlie before returning outside to the corridor with a warm smile on her face.
"Is this your first time taking a dance class?" Blaze asks as she logs into the computer at the front desk. "Apologies, we're short staffed today as the main receptionist is ill this morning so just bear with me for a moment" she says as she focuses on the screen.
"Err yeah, I've never danced before" Estel answers awkwardly.
"So unfortunately our adult beginner courses for Ballet, Street Dance and Ballroom have already started this term, but we do have some space left for our Latin class tonight if you would like to join?" Blaze smiles.
"Yeah, ok!" Estel forces a smile, still in shock that she is standing in front of Blaze and slowly realising that this must be her and not some clone.
"Well the class is at 7:30pm if you're free, just bring with you comfortable clothing and water. If you have dance shoes, great, if not don't worry - wear whatever is comfortable!"
"Great! How do I book?" Estel enthusiastically asks.
"Just scan the QR code on this board and it will lead you to the website where you can find the details and book. It's $20 for drop in or $60 for the four week term…. Oh and this class is a couples class so just warning you, you'll be paired up with another member but we can rotate around. Or if you have a partner you would like to bring along if you prefer, that's totally fine too! Blaze smiles.
"Oh….. actually I do have a partner. I know he will love this class! Thank you so much for your help. I look forward to seeing you later on!" Estel lets out a mischievous smile.
"See you later on!" Blaze excitedly replies, happy to welcome another new student.
"So did you get the DNA sample?" Adam nervously asks as Estel steps into the car.
"I couldn't, it was too obvious!... But I do think it's her and besides, I'll be able to pick something up later when there's an actual class on".
"So you've signed up for some dancing tonight then huh?" Adam cheekily grins at her.
"Actually, the class later on is a couples class so I've signed both of us up!" Estel callously smirks back.
"You gotta be kidding right?" Adam's grin suddenly drops.
"You don't expect me to do all the detective work on my own here do ya? Come on twinkle toes, we gotta buy some dance shoes and other stuff, class is at 7:30!" She says before driving off.
Blaze's assistant Chloe stands at the front desk checking the usual registration forms for the following class whilst the students arrive 10 minutes early. Once the small group of 10 pass her, they then enter the studio.
"Cute dog!" Adam says to Chloe noticing a springer spaniel next to her. "Ohhh that reminds me, could you both please fill out one of these forms then give it to the instructor inside the studio before the class starts?" She rushes.
"Sure!" Estel takes the paperwork.
"We're still a new studio and have only been here for two months now. It's standard practise that we check if you have any injuries or medical conditions before you take the class" she formally explains.
"Stay calm…Blaze doesn't have a clue who we are" Estel warns Adam as the two of them enter the studio. They immediately spot her talking to the other students in a plain purple Latin dance dress with her hair tied back and her dance heels on.
"Hey you made it!" Blaze smiles at Estel who is slightly out of her comfort zone in her new dance shoes, leggings and sports vest.
"This is my partner Adam" She calmly replies. He can't help but stare at Blaze with his jaw dropped in shock as he hands over the two signed papers. She has barely changed in the space of almost 9 years.
"Hi, do I know you from somewhere?" Blaze curiously asks him.
"I'm a local cop so you've probably seen me around…" he nervously replies.
"Oh my God! I remember who you are!" She raises her eyebrows and gasps surprised.
"You do?" Adam smiles, feeling hopeful that seeing him will trigger some sort of memory from Blaze's past.
"Yeah!... You're the Hunter daddy that's trending all over the internet right now! Hope your daughter is doing ok, all the teens that come to this studio can't stop talking about you!" Blaze tries to contain herself from laughing.
"Oh… yeah! That video went viral within a day! Fathers gotta do what he's gotta do right?" Adam laughs.
"I think your daughter made a few more videos after that of you doing random things! Your account is brilliant!" She laughs.
"Did she now…?" Adam forces a smile, oblivious that Cherry has secretly been filming him.
"Would you excuse me?" Blaze says to them as more students start to walk through the door.
"You honestly had no idea? The Hunter Daddy account has almost 100,000 followers now!" Estel explains.
"I'm gonna be having words with my precious daughter when I get home!" Adam replies unimpressed. "Ok so here's the plan, when Blaze is distracted at the end of the class go into her bag by the sound system. She must keep a hairbrush or something in there, we just need one strand to prove it's her." Adam instructs as the class starts.
To their surprise, the first 15 minutes of the class is quite easy going with the warm up and basic steps. Both Estel and Adam are physically fit so they are able to keep up with the repeated beginner drills.
"Ok so today we're gonna continue learning some Cuban Salsa and we'll try and put all of those basic steps we just covered into practise one at a time. So let's pair up!" Blaze encourages the students.
At first it's a little awkward for Estel and Adam to be standing in such close proximity together as she avoids his eye contact then embarrassingly places one hand on his shoulder with the other grabbing his hand.
"Easy now! This ain't an arm wrestling competition!" Adam raises his eyebrows as Estel naturally tightly squeezes onto his hand. She loosens her grip as he places his other arm around her back, ready to dance.
"Sorry, I'm not used to this…" Estel awkwardly comments.
"Don't worry baby, Hunter Daddy here knows all the moves already!" Adam jokingly grins as he sways his hips from side to side.
"You're so into yourself aren't you?" Estel rolls her eyes as she starts to struggle remembering the steps whilst her partner confidently shows off his moves.
"Ok, you two are doing great for your first class and I know you're trying your best to remember everything. But just try to relax your hips and shoulders and let your partner lead you…" Blaze recommends to Estel.
"Yeah, it's my job to lead you…" Adam smirks.
"Zip it Hunter!" Estel glares back.
"And you need to stop showing off and hold back a little bit. Yeah you have to lead Estel here, but your job is to show off this beautiful lady - not the other way round!…I'm sorry but I gotta be honest cause you two do have potential here" Blaze advises.
"Alright then, you're the expert…" Adam gives in.
"See...that's so much better now!" She winks at them 5 minutes later as they both start to improve.
The group end the class on a high with Estel and Adam forgetting for a moment why they really came here in the first place.
"Thank you, you make it look so easy! But it all made sense in the end and was a good workout!" Estel smiles at Blaze as her and Adam leave the studio.
"Keep practising you two and I'll see you next time!" Blaze smiles back.
"Well that was fun!" Adam remarks as the two of them walk down the narrow staircase then out into the street.
"Yeah, it was partner! We'll have to do this again" Estel playfully punches his shoulder.
"So did you get it then?" Adam queries as she smiles holding a plastic bag up with a few strands of hair inside it.
"You were right about the brush in the bag…"
"How did you get to it?" Adam queries.
"Well on the way out when you were asking her to point to where the bathrooms were, I quickly took the opportunity".
"Classic move!" Adam grins.
"Now what?" Estel asks as he takes the bag.
"I can send this off to the labs for analysis first thing. They'll be able to tell within an hour if this is original or cloned DNA."
"I know this sounds stupid but how are you gonna prove to the others it's really Blaze without dragging them all here and making her suspicious?" Estel asks.
"Well Leon is still staying with me and is due for a trip to the barbers in the morning….if the hair strands match his DNA then we have all the proof we need! Great work today partner!" Adam winks at Estel as the two of them walk back to the car, eventually parting ways once they reach the precinct.