Page 37 of Wyatt
“Fine. Fine, but no names.” Ulani nodded as he stood and opened the door. “Have a seat in the conference room over there. I’ll call them in. It may take a while.”
“I’ve got lots of time,” she said calmly, taking a seat.
It was more than an hour before the first officer showed up. He was in his uniform, and when the chief directed him to the conference room, they could tell he wasn’t happy. He stopped short of the room and removed his badge and name tag, ensuring his anonymity. Or so he thought.
“I don’t want to do this,” he said, walking into the room.
“We can understand that,” said Ulani. “But four pilots who are testing a top secret aircraft were affected by this as well. We just want to confirm the experiences were similar.”
“I don’t test anything top secret. I’m not a drug officer. I’m not in charge of anything top secret. I’m a street copanswering calls for help, chasing speeders, and giving tickets. Nothing earth-shattering.”
“And yet someone drugged you and kidnapped you,” said Ethan. Ulani stared at his hand and realized why the hostility.
“Your wife won’t hear anything from us,” said Ulani. He covered his hand and then looked away from them. “I’m not here to judge. I told you why I’m here. Where were you when it happened?”
He was quiet for a long moment, not saying anything. The others were patient, just waiting for him. Finally, he cleared his throat.
“I just got off-duty. I was still in my uniform, working a special assignment on the USS Midway. There was a corporate event happening, and I was working additional security.”
“What was the company?” asked Ethan.
“The San Diego Power Authority. Just bigwigs and their wives eating and dancing. No issues, no problems. When my shift ended, I removed my uniform and left the restroom in sweats. My wife, my wife and kids were at her parents’ house in Las Vegas.”
“So, you had a free night.”
“Yes. A few of the other guys asked if I wanted to get a beer, and I said sure. Worst fucking decision of my life. One beer, and my head was spinning. I figured I’d sleep it off in the car. This woman, this girl, walks up to me and says her boyfriend is chasing her.”
“She was making sure you would help her,” said Ulani. He nodded.
“My head was spinning. Truth is, I couldn’t have helped anyone at that point. She said I looked sick, and I asked her tohelp me to my car. Next thing I know, she’s kissing me, rubbing me,” he said, swallowing the bile in his throat.
“You weren’t responsible for your actions,” said Wyatt.
“I can’t seem to tell myself that. I just remember all the kissing, then waking up in my car. I must have had twenty missed calls from my wife. Text messages from everyone wondering where I was. I couldn’t believe it when I looked at the date. Three days. Three days lost to me.”
“Did you go to the ER?” asked Ulani.
“No. I know that I should have, but I called the chief and met with him. One of the EMTs examined me and said I had a needle mark in my arm, but nothing came back on toxicology.”
“The others were given GHB. An amped up version of it that presents as something else,” said Ulani. “We worked with the pilots earlier and were able to help them remember what happened. Would you be willing to do the same?”
“It’s been eating at me for weeks. I keep thinking, what if I had sex with that woman and didn’t remember? What if I expose my wife, my kids to something?” They could see the tortured expression on his face, and he nodded. “Yes. I want to know.”
Five police officers agreed to work with Ashley and Bree. All five had the same stories. They were in a simulator, chasing bad guys either in their cars or on foot. All of them.
“What the hell is happening here?” asked Ulani.
“I’m not sure,” said her father. “It’s only Friday, so we can’t visit the beach until Monday and expect to find anything. Let’s keep digging and see what we can find. Until then, we’ll try to enjoy the house and the beautiful scenery.
“Tonight, we’re grilling seafood and even enjoying some desserts we shouldn’t be enjoying. Let’s go home.”
“Ma’am! Ma’am!” yelled a man behind Ulani. She turned to see one of the officers they’d interviewed.
“Hi. Did you remember something else?”
“No. I just wanted to thank you. You’re the first person who let me talk it all the way through. I’ve been beating myself up over this. I mean, for fuck’s sake, we’re cops. We warn people about this shit. We’re not usually the victims.”
“That’s the terrible thing,” said Ulani. “Anyone can be a victim.”
