Ending of Previous Post:


At McKenzie's townhouse, Logan parked. "I'll unlock the door and come back for you." He shook his head. "Why am I talking to her? She's passed out." He hesitated on the first step. "I can already hear that yapper. Good thing he's not big enough to cause any trouble."

As Logan unlocked the door, he jumped back. "Whoa!" He shook his head and re-locked it. "I know that yapper didn't grow. How'd I miss him this afternoon?" He walked back to the car and crawled in. "I'm taking you to my hotel. There's no way I'm going inside your house."

In the hotel room, Logan laid McKenzie on one of the queen size beds, removed her shoes, and put a blanket over her. "I'm glad this room comes with two beds." He watched her lifeless body. "Can't wait to hear your story."


TODAY'S POST:


ST. LOUIS CHAPTER 1 PART 3 post 3

A few hours later, McKenzie moved and groaned.

Logan put a trashcan next to the bed. "You're probably going to need this. I don't understand how anyone could get drunk from lemon water." Dummy! "She's not drunk. She's been drugged."

As McKenzie began to gag, Logan helped her lean over the garbage can. He held her long, brown hair as she vomited.

Once her stomach emptied, McKenzie opened and closed her eyes a few times. "Where am I? What happened?" Again, she leaned over the garbage can and heaved.

Again, Logan assisted with her hair. "I haven't seen anybody this sick since I had to get one of my young troops from the drunk tank. What happened?"

"You?" McKenzie scanned the room and slurred her words as she said, "How'd I get here?" She attempted to stand but fell onto the bed.

"I don't have a lot of answers. I'm hoping you can fill in the blanks. I'll tell you what I know." Logan waited until she finished vomiting before he continued, "First what were you doing at that pub?"

McKenzie wiped her mouth. "I got a lead that it's a regular hangout for that guy, what's his name?"

"George Whitney," offered Logan.

"Since he doesn't know me, I was hoping to observe him for a while."

"Did you see him?" Logan paused. "Didn't anybody ever tell you not to drink while you're on a stake-out?"

"I wasn't drinking. All I had was water with lemon. I don't know what happened. And no, I didn't see him. Why am I in here? What are you doing here? Were you following me?"

"The bartender said the same thing, lemon water. I tried taking you home, but Goliath met me at the door. He wasn't going to let me in the house."

McKenzie tilted her head "Goliath? Oh, Edger!" She grinned. "He's a little protective."

Logan released a deep breath. "Yeah, when he glared at me I saw reflections of steak in his eyes. He planned on having me for dinner. You need to feed him better. When you're feeling up to it, I want you to have some blood work done." Her blue eyes widened, but he continued, "I think you were drugged."

"Why would somebody do that? I didn't know anybody there."

"Unless there's something you're not telling me or something you don't know about, let's try you're a beautiful young lady who was at a bar by herself and some jerk spiked your drink. Have you ever heard of the date rape drugs?"

"But?"

"But nothing," interrupted Logan as he took out his phone and searched for a number. "A former Army buddy is a lab tech for some place here in The Lou. He owes me a favor. We need to know what drug you were given and possible side effects."

"Just a minute." She checked to make sure her clothes were still intact. "You still haven't told me why you followed me. How do I know you didn't drug me?"

Logan stared at her. "I only removed your shoes. I didn't touch anything else. What motive would I have? We're on the same team. I want to know who murdered my sister."

"Why were you stalking me?"

"I wasn't stalking you or even really following you. I was curious about where you were going and why."

"What? That's a bunch of bull."

His eyebrows crunched together. "Not really. I was getting inside the taxi when you came out. I thought maybe you had a lead on my sister's murderer and thought I could help. So I wasn't following you, per se." He held up his phone. "I found my friend's number."

After he spoke with his buddy, he said, "He'll meet us here in about fifteen minutes."

"I didn't know lab techs made house, no hotel calls."

"I told you he owes me a favor. To be honest you're in no condition to move. You can barely sit up."

"How do I know he's not part of this conspiracy to drug me, hold me captive, and do who knows what with me? You could've got the drugs from him." McKenzie attempted to stand, staggered a few steps, and started to fall.

Logan caught her. "Because, if I didn't care, I'd let you hit the floor." He led her back to bed.






Characters:

McKenzie 'Mac' Morgan a 27 year old private investigator
Major Logan Nelson 34 years old and an active duty soldier Arlo McKenzie's black and tan dachshund
Megan Nelson Logan's younger sister - murdered
The Lou is an area name for St. Louis