Disclaimer – If I owned the show, it would play out a lot differently than it does.
*Notes – Sorry for the delay of this chapter! Internet problems suck, but I'd like to shout out to everyone that's been reviewing this story! I don't reply, mainly because I don't know if people want me too. So if you would like for me to give you a shout back to your review, just say so and I will! Anyways, here's your chapter, hope you enjoy.
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"Can I speak to Constable Harrington?" Noah's voice sounded shaky to his own ears, and he knew that the receptionist would hear his hesitancy.
"What do you need to talk to him about?" The receptionist was clearly bored, her blonde head bent low over a magazine that was splayed on her desk.
"It's to do with Eth- Ethan Snyder." Noah stumbled over the name, finding that it could still bring a lump to his throat.
The receptionist's shoulders stiffened before she looked up, a world's worth of sympathy in her hazel eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't know who you were… I'll get the Constable down immediately. Just one second." The receptionist – Anna, her name tag stated – quickly stood up and walked to a telephone, where she dialed a number and mumbled into the receiver.
Noah, who was expecting it to be several minutes before Anna was able to take him to Harrington, sat down in a plastic chair and laced his fingers together. Staring at them, he thought back to the farm and hoped that everyone was doing okay; that Luke was doing okay. He hated the fact that he had left, but he knew that he had to talk to the Constable. Something about Kevin's story rang true in Noah, and he knew he owed it to himself to see if Kevin's accusations were true – if he had been drugged.
Thinking back, Noah remembered how he had tentatively brought up the idea that Kevin hadn't been lying to Luke, only to be quickly shot down. "Drugged?" Luke had laughed, a hysterical edge to his voice. "He was just trying to save his own ass, Noah. That's it."
Although Noah hadn't agreed with his boyfriend, he recognized that Luke was barely holding onto himself, and had let the matter go. That was also why he was at the police station without Luke's knowledge; his boyfriend thought he had to go to Java for an emergency shift. Luke must be out of it if he thinks I would take a shift at Java right now, with all that's going on...
"Excuse me, sir?" A feminine voice knocked him out of his thoughts, and Noah looked up to see Anna hovering above him. "Constable Harrington is out of town; I don't know when he's going to be back. Would you like me to leave a message for him?"
Noah frowned to himself, thrown by the fact that Harrington had left town in the middle of an investigation. Sighing, he resigned himself to leaving a message before he saw Dallas walk by. Maybe I could talk to him instead?
"Thanks, but I'll just talk to him later." Noah mumbled, his gaze focused over Anna's shoulder on Dallas, who was pouring himself a cup of coffee from an ancient coffee machine. She must have noticed, because she didn't reply, choosing to pat Noah's shoulder before walking back to her desk.
"Dallas!" Noah yelled, relieved when the man turned around to see him and smiled. Jumping off of the seat, Noah loped over to Dallas before stopping abruptly, unsure of how to continue.
A short, awkward silence fell over the two men before Dallas reached his hand out. Noah clasped his hand and shook it, but the gesture felt too formal for the man that had helped him through all of his past shit with his father. Preparing himself for embarrassment, Noah stepped forward and gave Dallas a brief hug, clapping him on the back.
Pulling back, Noah met Dallas's eyes and realized that he was okay with Noah's impromptu hug. "What can I help you with today, Noah?" Dallas asked.
"It's to do with Kevin… Kevin Davies," Noah began, watching as Dallas's demeanor changed from friendly to business-like. "I wanted to talk to Constable Harrington, but since he's not here right now, I was wondering if I could talk to you instead."
"Follow me." Dallas's words were brisk, but Noah didn't take any personal offense to it. Dallas led them to a small, cluttered office. Grabbing a chair from behind his desk, Dallas spun it around and straddled it, resting his head on wooden back, motioning for Noah to do the same with another chair on the opposite side of the desk.
"So Noah, what do you need to know about Kevin?" Dallas spat out Kevin's name, his loathing for the man obvious. "Is it to do with the trespassing charges?"
"No," Noah began, before abruptly changing his mind. "Actually, that's part of it. Is he being held in a cell right now?"
"I'm telling you this as a friend, not a cop, okay?" Dallas clarified. At Noah's nod, he continued. "He's going to be held for twenty-four hours, until his parents bail him out - again." Dallas snorted and rolled his eyes, disgusted. "Why?"
"Did they run a toxicology report after the accident?" Noah asked, avoiding Dallas's question.
"A tox screen?" Dallas asked, seemingly thrown by the random question. "I think so, to check his blood alcohol level. One second…" Before Noah could say a word, Dallas had exited the office. Moments later, he reappeared with a file that Noah recognized from his and Luke's meeting with Constable Harrington.
Not noticing Noah's look of recognition, Dallas flipped through the file until he pulled out an official-looking paper. "Found it! So yes, they most definitely did a tox screen." Looking up, Dallas met Noah's eyes. "What's this about, Noah?"
"I need to know whether any drugs showed up on his tox screen." Noah kept his gaze locked onto Dallas's, even though the intensity in the other man's eyes made him uncomfortable. When there wasn't a reply, Noah continued. "Dallas, I need you to trust m-."
"It's not a matter of trust, Noah." Dallas cut in. "The results aren't back yet. It's probably going to be another week, if we're lucky."
"A week?" Noah asked, shock and disappointment echoing in his voice. "Why is it going to take so long?"
"The lab's backed up, and these kinds of tests are high in demand. At a private lab, it could be done far more quickly, but I'm afraid that Oakdale PD doesn't have those types of resources. And they only test for common drugs and alcohol levels; nothing out of the ordinary." The words echoed in Noah's head, causing him to duck it downwards.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through Noah's mind, and he brought his gaze up to match Dallas's, yet again. "Dallas… if I knew someone who was able to find and pay for a private lab to run private tests, would Oakdale PD be okay with that?" Noah knew his request sounded vague, but hoped that Dallas wouldn't question it.
"I don't know, Noah, I'd have to ask my superiors. It should be fine, but who would you contact?" The look in Dallas's eyes led Noah to believe that he knew who Noah was thinking of, but wanted to hear it confirmed.
"Lucinda. I mean, I haven't asked her yet, but I don't think she'd mind. And, Dallas, it's really important."
"I've got that, Noah, but why is it so important?" Dallas pressed, refusing to let the subject drop like Noah had hoped he would.
Noah let his gaze travel over Dallas as he debated whether or not to tell him about Kevin's accusations. What if it was just a lie? Shaking his head, he decided to be honest with the man. After all, the police were going to find out about it either way.
"Dallas… Kevin said that he was drugged." The second the words came out of Noah's mouth, he wanted to take them back; they seemed so fake, so unrealistic.
"What?" Dallas's word was punctuated by a harsh laugh, as Noah had predicted. "Drugged? With what?"
"Hmmm... maybe drugs?" Noah said sarcastically, before blushing and apologizing. "Seriously, I don't know, but I want – I need – to know if he's telling the truth." Because if he is, that means this is more than a drunk driving. Noah refused to let his thoughts wander beyond that, scared of where they would lead him to.
"Noah, I don't trust anything that bastard says worth a shit." Ignoring Noah's wince, Dallas continued. "But you know what? I trust your opinion. So here's what I'll do. I'll make a report that you withdrew evidence, namely Kevin's urine sample from after the accident, and you can go test it at this private lab."
"Wait," Noah began, "couldn't that get you in trouble?"
"It could." Dallas's eyes turned a hard shade of brown as he talked. "But a child died, Noah. Ethan's not coming back. So if finding out the truth means that I am put on probation for a couple months, then so be it."
"We could wait for Harrington to get back." Noah hated the idea, hated that he had to even voice it, but he knew that he had to give Dallas that option.
"No." Dallas's voice was decisive. "I don't know how long he's going to be, and I don't know if he would approve of you taking evidence. This way, we know that something is being done. And besides, I don't like how he's been acting on this case." Dallas's last sentence was a mumble, and Noah doubted that he was supposed to overhear. Tucking the information away for future use, Noah decided not to press the matter.
"Dallas… thank you." Noah struggled for words to express his gratitude over the risk that Dallas was taking. Dallas nodded his head, showing that he knew what Noah was trying to say.
A long silence fell, only broken when Dallas cleared his throat. "Umm, I have to go get the paperwork for the removal of evidence." A small smile flittered on Dallas's lips. "We should at least pretend that we are doing this properly and following protocol, right?"
"Yeah, right." Noah murmured. His guilt over putting Dallas's job at risk was tempered by his relief that something was going to be done about Kevin. "Just let me call Lucinda, and make sure that she's okay with this."
"I'll grab the paperwork anyways." Dallas said before standing up and exiting the room. The moment he was gone, Noah dialed Lucinda's number and waited for her to pick up.
Two rings later, and a harsh "Hello?" was barked into his ear. Smiling at the curt, so-Lucinda greeting, Noah took a second before responding.
"Hey Lucinda, it's Noah."
"Well obviously it's Noah, darling; who else would be calling me on your phone?" Lucinda's reply, although heavy on the sarcasm, didn't mask her concern. "What's going on? Is everyone okay?"
"Umm… Lucinda, has anyone talked to you about what happened at the pond today, with Kevin?" Judging by Lucinda's nearly incoherent answer, Noah realized that she had been left out of the loop. Pacing in the small office, Noah filled her in on the events of the afternoon, holding the phone away from his ear at her rather loud, spluttering responses.
"And you believe him?" Lucinda asked when Noah had finished, her doubtful question mirroring Dallas's opinion.
"I don't know, Lucinda." Noah answered honestly. "All I know is that I need to find out. He seemed sincere – isn't that enough for us to try?" Noah braced himself for a debate, and was surprised by Lucinda's answer.
"You've got a point there, darling. Okay, what do you need?" Lucinda's voice sounded as Noah imagined it would during business negotiations; hard, and yet calculating.
"We need to use a private lab to run a toxicology report on Kevin's urine sample." Noah rushed to continue. "It's going to take a while for the tests the police station's ordered to come back, and they don't test for specific enough drugs. Harrington's out of town, and I don't know when he's going to be back, so I can't just ask him to include tests. Dallas is willing to give me a urine sample from the night of… the accident, and we just need the funds for a lab."
"Don't sound like that!" Lucinda admonished, confusing Noah. "Don't sound like you think I'm going to refuse! Ethan is – was my grandson, and I'm going to do everything in my power to punish them, to punish those involved. Okay, darling?"
Noah nodded before realizing that Lucinda couldn't see him. Ignoring the slight flush that worked its way onto his cheeks, he cleared his throat before replying. "Okay, but Dallas is going to be back any minute. Can I meet up with you later?"
"Of course you can! Can you meet me at Worldwide in 45 minutes?" Glancing down at his watch, Noah figured that he could squeeze in a quick meeting before heading back to the Snyder farm. "That should be fine," he replied, "I'll see you then, bye." Noah snapped his cell phone shut, absentmindedly noticing the long scratch on the front.
Noah lifted his gaze from his phone when he heard Dallas reenter the office. Stuffing his cell into his pocket, Noah walked over to Dallas and extended his hand. "Dallas, I hate to say it again, but thank you."
"Noah, you don't need to thank me." Dallas replied, but shook Noah's hand anyway. "Now, take this bag here," Dallas continued, handing over a brown evidence bag. "It had a urine sample as well as a report of the tests that were run on the urine sample. And make sure you let me know when the tests are back!"
Noah grabbed the evidence bag from Dallas, feeling the enormity of what he was doing weigh him down the moment his fingers touched the paper. Dallas could loose his job, Kevin could be innocent… oh God, what have I started?
Dallas seemed to notice Noah's glazed expression, and he reached out and shook the other man's shoulder. "Noah, listen to me. You're doing the right thing. If something is going on, it needs to come to light, and if it isn't… well, at least you know, right?"
Noah managed a weak, reassuring smile before bidding Dallas farewell. Stepping outside of the office, Noah carefully shut the door before leaning on it, resting the back of his head on the cool wood. He took a deep breath, hating what he was about to do but knowing that it had to be done.
Noah began to head back to the front desk of the station before realizing that he was still holding onto the evidence bag. Cursing to himself, Noah walked out the emergency exit door and stashed the bag in his truck before entering the station again.
Rolling his shoulders in an attempt to soothe himself, Noah walked over to the front desk, doing his best to keep his 'charm smile' glued to his face. Anna looked up as soon as he stopped walking, smiling.
"Excuse me, Anna?" Noah began, injecting his voice with what he hoped was the right amount of charisma. "I was wondering if you could do me a favor."
Anna's smile widened as her gaze traveled along Noah's body. Noah felt guilty for using her, especially since she had been so nice to him, but he couldn't take any risks in not getting what he needed. "Whatever do you need, Noah?" A coy smile played at her painted pink lips, and Noah's guilt intensified.
"Well, I needed to know if you knew where Kevin Davies was being held." Noah's words caused Anna's smile to vanish like a light bulb being extinguished. Hastily, Noah backtracked. "I mean, I understand if you can't tell me. It's just that, I really need to talk to him, and I didn't know who to ask, and…" Noah looked at Anna from under his eyelashes, seeing her expression soften. Got her.
"Well, technically I'm not allowed to tell you." The words should have filled Noah with disappointment, but he felt a 'but' coming up. Just as he expected, Anna continued. "But if he was in holding cell three, and you happened to overhear me say that, then I didn't really break any rules, did I?"
Noah stared openmouthed at the virtual stranger who had just helped him in more ways than he could count. "Thank you," he said, feeling as if the overused words were the only ones that applied to his situation. "I can't begin to explain how much this means to me." Impulsively, Noah grabbed her hand and kissed it, hoping she wouldn't read too much into the action.
Before she could respond, Noah began to walk away from the desk, feeling rather proud of his suave exit. Three steps later, he flushed and turned around to see Anna's expectant gaze on him.
"Umm… where exactly is cell three?" Noah asked sheepishly, blushing further as Anna laughed. A brief set of instructions later, and Noah was ready to go. He smiled as a goodbye, feeling the smile fade from his face the moment his back was to Anna.
Well, here goes nothing…
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All reviews are greatly appreciated! Even if it's too kick my ass via cyberspace for the ridiculously late posting. Also, I know I have taken liberties with the police aspect of the story, and I'm sorry if I have offended anyone with my lack of knowledge. If you notice something big, please let me know! That way, I can fix it for future chapters