Page 17 of Forget-Me-Nots and Apricots

"That’s him," I say.

"Who is she?" Jamie says. I don’t know how to answer. He’s still looking for sense in all of this. I’m marveling at the fact that we’ve found something at all.

"They didn’t mention a woman," he says. "Do you think they don’t know?”

I don’t respond. I’m not so sure of that. We play the clip again, see them enter the shop, see them buy flowers from Jamie, then leave. Jamie tries to bend his thoughts around this new twist, his brows pinched and intent.

“I really don’t remember them.” Jamie muttered as his eyes stayed on the screen, “We have so many customers it is hard to remember them… especially when they are such quick interactions.”

I leaned forward, staring at the woman. There was something familiar about her, but I couldn't place it. She moved with confidence, head held high as she conversed with Jamie at the counter. Jensen stood slightly behind her, his posture protective rather than frightened.

"Can you zoom in on her face?" I asked, squinting at the grainy footage.

Jamie clicked a few buttons, and the image enlarged, becoming slightly pixelated but clearer. The woman was in her thirties, attractive in a severe way, with high cheekbones and dark eyes that seemed to take in everything at once.

"Wait," I said suddenly, recognition dawning. "I know her."

Jamie turned to me, eyebrows raised. "You do? Who is she?"

"That's Elise Thompson," I said slowly, memories clicking into place. "She used to come in occasionally, always alone. She is an Omega as well.”

"An Omega?" Jamie frowned. "You're sure?"

"Positive," I nodded, leaning closer to the screen. "She never mentioned anything about an Alpha, though. She'd come in for simple arrangements, baby's breath mostly. Said they reminded her of snow." The memory was clear now that I'd placed her face.

"So Jensen was buying flowers every two weeks, but he's with her here," Jamie said, tapping the screen. "That doesn't make sense if he was buying them for her."

I rewound the footage, watching their interaction again. Something about their body language caught my attention.

"Look at how they move," I murmured. "They're comfortable with each other, but it's not... romantic. More like..."

"Friends?" Jamie suggested.

"So she's not his girlfriend?" Jamie asked, looking confused.

"Not unless their relationship started after she stopped coming in," I said, rewinding the footage slightly to watch their interaction again. "She was a regular for about a year, then just... stopped coming. That was maybe two months ago."

Something didn't add up. The way Jensen stood close to her, protective but not possessive. The easy familiarity between them, yet no obvious romantic gestures.

"Why would Jensen be buying flowers with her, under a fake name after she stopped visiting?" Jamie wondered aloud, echoing my thoughts.

I don't know," I said, watching their body language on screen again. "But I think we need to find out who Elise Thompson is."

I pulled out my phone and quickly typed her name into the search bar. Several results appeared—a LinkedIn profile for an Elise Thompson who worked as a research scientist at Teria Pharmaceuticals, a Facebook page that hadn't been updated in months, and a brief mention in a university newsletter from three years ago.

"Research scientist," I murmured, clicking on the LinkedIn profile. Her professional photo matched the woman in our footage, though her expression was more guarded, her dark hair pulled back into a severe bun. "She works at Teria Pharmaceuticals."

Jamie leaned over my shoulder to look. "That's that big research facility on the edge of town, right? The one with all the security?"

I nodded, scrolling through her profile. "Specializes in neurochemistry and hormone research. Cutting-edge stuff, from the looks of it."

"Hormone research?" Jamie's voice sharpened with interest. "Like, Alpha/Beta/Omega hormones?"

I frowned, scanning her profile more carefully. "It doesn't specify, but... wait." I clicked on a link to a research paper she'd co-authored. The title made my stomach clench: "Neurochemical Inhibitors and Their Effects on Secondary Gender Expression."

"Secondary gender expression," I read aloud, a chill running down my spine. "She's researching something to do with our biology."

I nodded slowly, the pieces starting to align in a way that made my skin crawl. "Teria is known for their suppressant research. They developed that new long-lasting suppressant formula last year—the one that only requires a dose every week days instead of daily"

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