11

Daphne scrolled through her recent calls to Jason's number. It rang for a few seconds before he answered.

'Hey Daph, what's up?' He spoke clearly on the phone.

'You called me earlier,' Daphne said, 'You said you found something for me.'

'Ah, yes. That's right.' Jason's voice sounded as if he were smiling widely on the phone.

'What's up with you?' Daphne asked, 'You're sounding really happy.'

'You might like what I'm about to tell you.' Jason said.

'Ok, what's that?' Daphne asked, 'Please don't tell me it's about aliens.'

Jason breathed a laugh, 'It's not about aliens.'

'Go on then.'

'I've been doing some snooping around at a few things. I know you said you weren't getting anywhere but I know they've recently discovered the girl's body.' Jason explained, 'But I found some stuff.'

Daphne waited for him to continue.

'You know all these kids getting sick? Some people think it's poison in their food.'

'Did you read this off a conspiracy theory website?' Daphne asked.

'I get all my information from there.' Jason said proudly.

'Jason, people don't have anything better to do than to trick as many people as they can into believing their stupid stories.' Daphne stated, 'And kids get sick all the time.'

'Really? One child is sick but his two siblings are fine?' Jason questioned.

'Perfectly normal. Everyone's different, we all have different immune systems that work better than others and kids catch everything when they're young.' Daphne explained.

'Alright, Doctor Blake.' Jason tried to hide his disappointment but Daphne picked it up instantly.

'I'm sorry Jay, but there's nothing suspicious about it.'

'Alright fine,' Jason sighed, 'Wanna hear the next one?'

'Sure.'

'Now, this one is not from a conspiracy theory website, but from my research.' Jason explained, 'In big companies, especially these days, drug smuggling is a lot more common.'

'Yeah, I know that.' Daphne said, 'What do you know, anyway?'

'You'd be surprised.' Jason said.

'You're not getting involved with anything bad, are you?' Daphne asked.

'No of course not.' Jason said sternly, 'I just know people in my workplace who are involved with it.'

'Jason, don't get yourself into trouble. People involved with drugs are not good people.' Daphne spoke, and a heavy silence fell between the two.

Jason hummed in agreement.

'Anyway,' Jason changed the subject quickly, 'I went to the hospital with Louisa today.'

'Oh yeah? How was it?' Daphne asked.

'Good, baby's doing well. Can't wait to find out what it is.' Jason said.

'What do you think it is?' Daphne asked.

'I hope it's a boy, but I think it might be a girl.' Jason said, 'I'd be happy either way.'

'Is your mom still hoping for a shotgun wedding?' Daphne asked and Jason laughed, 'God I hope not. A baby is one thing, but planning a wedding on top of that would surely put me in an early grave.'

Daphne laughed a little.

'But I am looking for a buyer for my bike.' Jason said sadly.

'Really?' Daphne asked.

'Yeah. I don't think my bike will get me far when I've got the baby and a stroller.'

'Not to mention everything else.' Daphne added.

Jason groaned, 'Yeah, and all of that too.'

There was a knock at the door. Daphne walked across the kitchen to open it, Fred was standing there, she let him into her apartment and he closed the door behind him.

'Jason, I've got to go now. I'm pleased for you, really.' Daphne said honestly.

'Thanks. You know you're my favorite cousin.'

'I know. I'll see you soon.' Daphne said, 'Don't get yourself into trouble.'

'I won't. See you soon.'

Daphne ended the call with a sigh and Fred laughed, 'So it was alien abductions then?'

Daphne laughed a little, 'No, just hoping he doesn't get himself into trouble.'

She opened the cupboard where she kept her glasses and a bottle of whisky. Her father bought her an expensive bottle for her Birthday two years ago and it has been in the cupboard ever since, but she always bought a cheaper bottle from the store.

She filled the glasses almost to the top.

'Dare I ask why?' He asked, accepting the glass from her.

'He'll be fine.' Daphne replied.

Changing the subject, she told him what Travis Johnson had said when he came into the office earlier that day.

'I'm so proud of you.' He smiled.

Daphne smiled, 'Thank you.'

'Dinner is my treat tonight.' Fred said. 'What? No, it's my turn.' Daphne said.

'Not tonight.' Fred smiled, 'You fancy a pizza?'

'Seriously, I'm paying.' Daphne said, as stern as she was trying to be, she couldn't help smiling.

'Not a chance.' Fred smiled. 'I won't forget this, Jones.' Daphne warned.

'I know.' He smiled again and quickly ordered the pizza before she changed her mind.

Daphne took a big sip of her glass before topping it up more. Fred smiled as she did.

'What?' She asked.

'Nothing.' He said.

The first time they had a drink together like this was back in college, their first year. It was just before the Christmas break and they were preparing to go home for holidays.

Daphne was in for a six-hour drive to Cooperstown, north of New York City, making one or two stops to stretch her legs, whilst Fred's mother was coming to New York to stay with him over Christmas.

'So, what are we going to do tomorrow?' Daphne asked, 'I don't think Layla Black will talk to us, and Theodore Wilkins definitely won't.'

Fred hummed in agreement and he gently tapped his fingertips on the table top whilst he thought.

'We could go to Anacostia Park.' Daphne suggested, 'It would be better to see it in the daylight with fewer people there.'

Fred nodded but didn't say anything.

'What's the matter?' Daphne asked.

'I can't get my head around how someone could have put her in the park without being spotted.' Fred spoke, 'Nobody saw anything suspicious at the park earlier in the day.'

'What time did the news report come on?' Daphne asked. Fred scrolled through his phone's call log to see when Gilroy called him that Friday night. 'Gilroy called me just after ten o'clock. That's when the news report came on.'

'Sun goes down at eight o'clock, so that's two hours to put her there without being noticed. Less than that if you count someone finding her body, calling the police, the police going to the scene, and then the news reporters being notified.' Daphne explained.

Fred added this to his notepad as he was sure he would forget what order she had said that in.

'Who was reporting the story?' Daphne asked.

'Lauren Jenkins from Channel Four.' Fred replied he wrote that also.

Daphne hummed, 'Someone had to have called the police. The question is, who was wandering around the park at night?'

'Good point.' Fred added, 'And who tipped off the reporter? It wouldn't have been the police.'

Daphne drained her glass before removing the whisky bottle from the cupboard and filling her glass up again. Leaving the bottle on the side this time.

'We can leave this for tonight and start with a clear mind in the morning.' Fred suggested.

'I think so.' Daphne agreed.

Soon after, the pizza arrived. Daphne switched the TV on. She flipped through the channels until she found something to watch. Shutter Island was playing.

By the time they finished the pizza and almost all of the whisky, Fred and Daphne were beyond interested in the movie.

Both were slightly drunk, and they sat laughing about anything and everything.

Mainly memories from college or untold stories from their childhood.

'I forgot to ask, how's your family?' Fred asked. Daphne knew how he felt about her family, especially her mother and her constant critiques that were more like insults.

'Not too bad, I guess. I didn't tell you Jason's having a baby, did I?' She asked.

'Wow, that's great.' Fred replied.

Daphne laughed, 'Yeah, too bad his mom doesn't think so.'

'Really?' Fred asked. 'Yeah, she says he needs to get his life in order and marry this woman if they're going to have a baby.' Daphne said, she quickly cleared her throat, 'Speaking of marriage.'

'Huh?' Fred asked raising his eyebrows.

'Thalia.' Daphne began, 'My mom and my aunt were asking their friends for one of their creepy sons to propose to me.'

'What?' Fred asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

'Anyway, "in my defense",' She made air quotations with her fingers, 'Thalia told them that you and I are getting married next year.' She said this with a light drunken laugh.

Fred laughed a little.

'I need to set them straight and tell them the truth. And to stop pimping me off to their friends' creepy kids.' Daphne spoke with a slight slur.

Fred was staring at her when she looked at him, 'What?' She asked.

'Nothing.' He smiled.

Daphne yawned and it wasn't long before she was asleep on Fred's shoulder.

He laid her down comfortably and removed the blanket from the back of the couch. He carefully draped it over her before he took his seat beside her.