A/N: Thank you all for your reviews and support! I hope you all enjoy this next chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 11: Detection

"Well, look what the cat dragged in."

The moment Ana opened the door to her apartment, she was greeted by her roommate Kate Kavanagh, who stood in the middle of the room with her arms crossed and her eyebrows raised.

"Good to see you too, Kate," Ana said dully, closing the door behind her. Taylor and Christian had just dropped her off at her apartment building, and while Ana was thankful she no longer had to sit in the car with Christian and his awkward silence, this greeting by her nosy roommate didn't feel much better.

Truthfully, Ana was still processing the kiss she and Christian had shared on that bridge barely thirty minutes ago… without a doubt, it had been the most romantic and spontaneous kiss she'd ever had. She had only ever kissed one other guy before, but she felt those few dates she went on with Jose Rodriguez back in college didn't compare to this connection she currently had with Christian. She had always found the man attractive, but she had just assumed he didn't look at her in a way that could be perceived as desirable. His current situation as a suspected murderer, as well as Ana's situation as being the most sexually inexperienced 22-year-old on the planet, made her pretty sure nothing could ever actually happen between them.

And yet they kissed, and it had been magical. What did it all mean? Ana wasn't sure, and until she and Christian could talk about it, she would remain in limbo waiting to find the answers.

"…Earth to Ana! Are you even listening to me?" Kate asked, waving her hand in front of Ana's face. "I asked you where you've been all day."

"It's a work day. Where do you think I've been?" Ana said evasively, walking into the living room and setting her bags down. Gail had lent her an overnight bag to put yesterday's clothes into, and Ana sincerely hoped Kate wouldn't notice it.

"You expect me to believe you went to work wearing that?" Kate asked skeptically, gesturing to the jeans and sweatshirt Ana had on. "Are those even your clothes?"

"Of course they're mine," Ana lied, shrugging casually. "And I already told you, I stayed over at Claire's last night."

"You expect me to believe that?" Kate asked sardonically. "I know you're hiding something, Steele."

Ana felt her heart pound nervously in her chest. "What's with the third degree? Why do you care so much about where I was last night?"

"Because," Kate poked Ana's arm. "I'm you best friend, and you're supposed to tell me when you have a new guy in your life."

Ana raised her eyebrows, and her mind couldn't help but go to Christian. "Uh… what?"

"Oh come on, Steele. I know a walk of shame when I see one," Kate rolled her eyes dramatically. "So what's his name?"

Once again, Ana couldn't help but think of Christian, but she knew she couldn't tell Kate about him. For a lot of reasons. "There's no guy, Kate."

Kate shook her head before turning around and walking back toward the kitchen. "Fine, don't tell me. But I'm going to get you to fess up about him at some point, Steele."

"You do that," Ana said sarcastically, watching Kate gather her coat and purse. "Where are you off to?"

"I have to drop some papers off at my dad's office, and after that I have a date," Kate said brightly, slipping her coat on. "Sorry I can't stick around, it was sort of a last-minute thing."

"No problem," Ana said, feeling secretly thankful Kate wasn't staying to question her further. "Who's the guy? Darren again?"

"No, I broke up with him last week," Kate said, hitching her purse up over her shoulder. "This guy's named Reggie, and he works at Kavanagh Media in the financing department. My dad doesn't know about him, and hopefully he won't find out even after Reggie picks me up for our date from the office."

"Good luck with that," Ana said, amused as she watched Kate make her way to the front door.

"Oh! Before I forget," Kate suddenly said, stopping and turning back toward Ana. "A guy stopped by the apartment a few hours ago looking for you. He said it was important, and that he would be back here this afternoon. That's partly why I was wondering where you'd been all day."

Ana frowned. "Who was the guy?"

"I don't know," Kate shrugged. "He was blonde and kinda scruffy, but like in a sexy way. He told me his name, but I wasn't really listening. He sort of looked like a cop."

Ana felt her face go pale, and her heart began to pound in her chest. "He was a cop? Are you sure?"

"I think so. He had a badge," Kate shrugged. "Do you know who he could be?"

Ana had no idea who that man could have been, but the fact he might be a cop made her instantly nervous. Was he with the Seattle PD? Was he in cahoots with Jack? Why did he come here looking for her? "Um… no, I don't know who he is," she said quietly.

"Well if all cops looked like that, I'd be more keen on breaking the law," Kate giggled. "I'm sure whatever it is, it's not a big deal. I have to get going now, though - see you in a bit."

Kate grabbed her keys before heading out the door, closing it behind her with a snap. Ana simply stood there, trying to absorb what Kate had just told her.

A police officer had been here looking for me…

Ana quickly racked her brain, trying to remember if she had had any contact with a blonde police officer in the past day-and-a-half. Despite everything that had happened, Ana couldn't remember meeting anyone who looked like that, let alone a cop…

Maybe it's just a coincidence he came here?

It was possible a cop coming here to look for her may have had nothing to do with Jack or Christian. Perhaps a neighbor was looking for a lost dog or something?

Ana went to her purse and grabbed her phone, feeling tempted to call Christian about this. She hovered her finger over the call button, but ultimately couldn't bring herself to do it, knowing that there really wasn't anything to tell him yet.

But what were the odds of a police officer coming to her door after everything that had happened these past couple days? Maybe the police knew something that she didn't… Ana's mind couldn't help but go to many different places, imagining all the possible scenarios as to why this cop would want to talk to her. Ana wished Kate was still here to elaborate about this guy… did he seem angry or threatening? Could he have been Jack in disguise?

For the next few minutes or so, Ana paced the floor in the living room, thinking about what she should do, and before she could reconsider calling Christian again, the doorbell rang. Her heart began to pound loudly in her chest as she turned toward the door, and her palms immediately became clammy. Could that be him?

Ana took a deep, steadying breath before walking silently up to the door and peering through the peephole.

She didn't recognize the man standing there, but he had dark blonde hair and a scruffy beard, just like Kate had described.

Oh God, it's him.

Ana was sorely tempted to back away slowly from the door and pretend she wasn't home, but she knew he would only come back later. Trying her best to compose herself, Ana quickly wiped her sweaty hands on her legs and took a deep breath, calming her erratic heartbeat.

Trying to appear calm, Ana reached for the doorknob and opened the door.

"Hi. Anastasia Steele?" the man asked expectantly. Despite how nervous Ana was, she couldn't help but agree with Kate that this guy was incredibly handsome. He had blonde hair and a five o'clock shadow over his chiseled jaw, and he wore a white button-down shirt with dark slacks and an empty holster on his hip.

"Um, yeah," Ana said, hoping her voice sounded normal. "Can I help you?"

"My name is Detective Luke Sawyer. I'm working with the Seattle Police Department," Mr. Sawyer said, reaching into his front shirt pocket and pulling out a police badge. "I had come over earlier today to talk to you, but only your roommate was home. I was hoping I could ask you a few questions?"

Ana's heart seemed to drop into her stomach, and her face paled. "About what?"

Mr. Sawyer noticed her trepidation, and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry ma'am, it's nothing bad. May I come in?"

Ana didn't feel particularly reassured, but she stepped aside to let him in nonetheless. "Sure."

Mr. Sawyer stepped into the apartment and Ana closed the door behind him. "Please, take a seat," she offered politely. "Would you like something to drink?"

"No, thank you," Mr. Sawyer smiled, taking a seat on the couch. "I won't be here long."

Ana walked over and sat down on the armchair adjacent to the couch. "So… you're a detective for the Seattle Police Department?"

"Actually, I'm with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, but I'm consulting with the Seattle PD regarding the Elena Lincoln murder case," Mr. Sawyer said. "You've heard of that case, haven't you?"

"Yeah…" Ana said, frowning at him. "Wait, so you're a detective for the FBI?"

"Yup," Mr. Sawyer nodded and smiled. "But don't let that intimidate you. I was hoping to ask you a few questions, if you had some time to spare."

"Oh," Ana said, and she felt her heart pounding in her chest again. "I suppose I could, but I've only heard about that Lincoln murder case in the news. I never knew Elena Lincoln in person, so I'm not sure what new information I could give you."

"Perfectly understandable," Mr. Sawyer said, and he pulled out a pad of paper from his shirt pocket, flipping it open. "However, on Thursday evening, as I understand it, you came to the police department with the intention of submitting evidence for the Lincoln murder case. Is this true?"

Oh God. Ana didn't know how he knew that, but she had to find a way to shut this down. "Oh, yeah. I thought I had found something for the Lincoln case, but I decided it wasn't important, so I didn't submit anything."

"So you found something you felt important enough to take to the police, but then immediately changed your mind?" Mr. Sawyer asked, his voice skeptical.

"Basically," Ana said, hoping she didn't sound nervous. "It's just that the woman at the front desk said a lot of people from all over had submitted evidence for the case, and I just figured I wouldn't waste the police's time and resources."

"We appreciate that, but with murder cases like this, any tips we can get would be welcome," Mr. Sawyer assured her. "Could you tell me what it is you found?"

Ana shrugged, hoping she looked like it wasn't a big deal. "Just some emails between my boss and Elena Lincoln. Apparently they knew each other, but that's about all I know."

"Okay," Mr. Sawyer nodded, scribbling something on his notepad. "And what's your boss's name?"

Ana hesitated a split second. "Jack Hyde."

Mr. Sawyer nodded again, still writing on his notepad. "And could you show me these emails you found between your boss and Elena Lincoln?"

Ana bit her lip, unsure if she trusted this guy enough to tell him. "I don't have them with me," she said truthfully.

"Okay," Mr. Sawyer said again, and he turned his gaze back up toward Ana, regarding her. "Is there anything else you'd like to tell me, Ms. Steele?"

Ana hesitated, unsure of what to say. She had no idea if she could trust this guy or if he was in cahoots with Jack. She didn't want to lie to him though… would he be able to tell if she was lying to him?

What do I do?

Mr. Sawyer gazed at her for another moment or two before speaking up again: "Can I show you something?"

Ana blinked, surprised at him changing tack so suddenly. "Um, sure."

Mr. Sawyer reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his smartphone, swiping a finger across the screen. "Now, I understand that you chose not to submit any evidence to the Lincoln case when you were at the police station, but I happened to come across this recently, and I wanted to ask you about it."

He held out the phone for Ana, and she looked at the screen, frowning in confusion. On it she saw what looked like CCTV footage, and she realized it was of the police station waiting area. Ana watched herself on the screen moving over to a chair and sitting down, beginning to write on the clipboard. After a few moments, the Ana in the video looked up and saw something offscreen, a frightened look passing over her face, before quickly looking down and lifting the clipboard to cover her head. After a few more moments, she glanced up at something offscreen, set the clipboard down, grabbed her umbrella, and hustled out of there, covering her face as best she could.

Ana didn't look up from the screen, feeling her face flush. She knew Mr. Sawyer could tell from the footage alone that something had frightened her - it was clear as day, and Ana didn't know how to explain her odd behavior.

"Now, Ms. Steele, I hope you know I'm not here to accuse you of anything," Mr. Sawyer reassured her, bringing his phone back. "I came here because I think you do know something about the Lincoln case, but when you went to the police station with your evidence, someone or something scared you off. Am I right?"

Ana glanced down at her hands, trying to compose herself. "I know I looked a bit jumpy in that video, Mr. Sawyer, but I assure you that everything's fine."

Mr. Sawyer leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. "Anastasia… may I call you Anastasia?"

Ana nodded.

"Anastasia, I don't know what your previous experience has been with the Seattle PD, but I promise you that you can trust me. If I can be candid with you, there is a legitimate reason why I was stationed at this precinct and for this particular murder case."

This piqued Ana's curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"Let's just say some of the processes these police officers are taking with this case have caused some raised eyebrows at the federal level," Mr. Sawyer explained. "A surprisingly small amount of investigation has gone into such a high-profile murder case, and there's only a scant amount of paperwork being logged about it. And the fact that Christian Grey is the main suspect is also a huge red flag for me."

Ana raised her eyebrows, hope burgeoning in her chest. "You don't think he did it?"

Mr. Sawyer shook his head. "If I'm speaking off the record, I highly doubt he did it. It doesn't add up at all… a man as rich and powerful as Christian Grey would never plan to kill someone himself. He'd hire someone to do his dirty work for him - someone who he could pay to keep quiet and disappear into the ether. It all just seems a little too convenient that his DNA and fingerprints turned up all over the scene of the crime, almost as if someone wanted us to find it."

"So you think someone might be framing Mr. Grey, and that the Seattle Police Department is in on it?" Ana asked, her eyebrows raised expectantly.

"I'm just exploring all possible options," Mr. Sawyer explained. "When I began investigating this case, I found the CCTV footage of you running out of the precinct, and I wanted to know what had frightened you off. I then found that clipboard you left behind where you had filled out your name, and I managed to find you from that."

Mr. Sawyer paused a moment before continuing, his voice earnest. "If there's anything you want to tell me, Anastasia, please let me know. More than anything, I just want to get to the bottom of this and make sure the right people are held responsible for this crime."

Ana regarded Mr. Sawyer for a moment or two, weighing her options. She still wasn't 100% sure if she could trust him, but something about the way he spoke gave her pause. Since he wasn't technically a part of the Seattle PD, and he seemed skeptical of Christian's involvement in Elena's murder, maybe that meant he could be trusted with the information Ana knew.

Hoping she wouldn't come to regret her decision, Ana decided to take the leap:

"I'm sorry if I'm being a bit cagey," she said apologetically after a moment. "It's just that… what I saw at the station that night made me realize I can't necessarily trust the police with the information I found."

Mr. Sawyer didn't answer, but simply gazed at Ana with expectant eyes. He looked almost eager for her to continue.

"Have you spoken to Christian Grey yet?" Ana asked.

Mr. Sawyer shook his head. "No I haven't. With his team of lawyers and PR people, it's become almost impossible for anyone to get in touch with him."

Ana gave him a small smile. "I think I can help you out with that."

A/N: Were any of you expecting Sawyer to turn up as a detective for the FBI? :) Leave a review and let me know!

Next chapter, Ana and Sawyer make a trip to Escala. For chapter updates and accompanying pictures, be sure to friend me on Facebook! I go by the username Straw Paj.