Stolen Memories

Leaning heavily on the kitchen table, Emma held her phone in one hand and an icepack against her forehead with the other. Staring down at a picture of herself, arm-in-arm dancing with someone. Her eyes were drawn to this tall, dark-haired, clean-shaven and smartly dressed stranger. In the background, a party is well underway, with people dancing, drinks and lights flashing. What the hell? She flicked onto the next photo; she was sitting in the dark drinking a cocktail with the same guy. Her pulse started to beat faster. Rapidly moving on to the next picture and the next, each one with the same person.  Where was I last night? And who is he? Why can’t I remember any of it? Her chest tightened as a cold sweat broke out over her body, “Was I drugged?”

I remember going out to dinner with Jody and Liza, I had curried chicken and rice. After that it gets blurry. As Emma sat there cradling her head there was a thunder of footsteps running down the timber stairs behind her.  Jody kitted out in gym gear bounced into the kitchen and flicked on the kettle. “Keep it down,” Emma moaned. What has she got to be cheery about?

“Must have been a good night, you look terrible,” Jody said as she grabbed two cups off the shelf.

Emma reached up shoving her phone towards Jody’s face, “Who is that?” She groaned.

Jody peered over her shoulder as she reached for the coffee, “No idea, you were dancing with him when we left.”

“You left without me?” Not surprising you are usually running off with a guy early in the night.

“You were having way too much fun with him. I did not want to destroy the rest of your evening.”

Hope I didn’t have a too great time. If he turns out to be a keeper I will be upset. “I don’t remember anything after dinner. Where is this place?”

Sliding a cup of strong coffee in front of Emma, Jody pulled up a seat across the table, “Seriously. You chose that club on United Way.”

“I think he may have drugged me.”

Jody sat bolt upright, “Not that hotty? You have to go to the cops.”

“Coffee first.”

***

The police sent her with a handful of paperwork to be tested for assault. After spending an hour at the clinic, she flopped down into the passenger seat of Jody’s two-door golf cart mistakenly called a car. She looked down at the pile of papers, rolling her eyes she shoved it all down beside the seat. 

“There is no evidence of assault.”

“That’s good,” Jody replied.

“Why drug me? It wasn’t robbery, do they just enjoy watching people fall asleep.” Emma sat staring blankly out the windscreen.  I have to find out who did this.  “Take me to the nightclub, the bar staff must recognise him.”

“The club doesn’t open for another two hours. Maybe you should go home and have a shower and freshen up. That’s the shirt you wore last night.” 

Emma nodded as she looked down at her long-sleeved maroon top.  Crap, I didn’t even get changed when I got home. 

***

The club looked very different in the daylight; the bright sunshine revealed the grime baked on the pavement. It was easy to step over the mess with fewer people getting in the way. The high external concrete walls met the street like a fortress. As she approached the solid metal doors, the security guard dressed totally in black leather, reached out, “You don’t have a ticket.”

“It’s two in the afternoon, I want to talk to the bar staff.”  

“No ticket, no entry.”

Emma’s jaw stiffened as her brow met her eyes. Facing the guard with her hands on her hips, “You have got to be bloody kidding. I have to pay twenty dollars to talk to the bar staff.  Ripped off!”

“I will pay for them,” Jody said as she hurried over to the ticket booth.

Pushing through the doors, her eyes welcomed the darkness. While the headache was almost gone a dull ache lingered. Luckily the disco lights had not started yet. But the DJ was setting up, giving off loud blurts of dance music at random intervals. Panning the room, she did not have the place to herself; there were those trying to escape their life, leaning on the bar drinking.

Emma made her way up to the bar. Leaning over towards Jody she asked, “Which barman was here last night?”

Jody scanned the club, “He was, I think he is the boss.”

Shuffling along the bar, she tapped on the wooden counter, “Excuse me,” Holding her phone in front of the manager, “Do you know this guy?”

He leant over to get a better view in the dim light, “Looks like Jake. He drops in a few times a week.”

“What’s his last name?”

“Why do you want to know?” The manager asked stepping back from restocking the chips in the rack.

“I think I was drugged here last night.” Those nearby fell quiet as they all looked up from their half-filled glasses, Elle could feel their eyes staring at her.

The manager straightened his posture and turned towards her, “Jake wouldn’t do that.”

“Well, someone did. I have been to the police.”

“I’m sorry about that. I will check the video on my break.”

Back in the car, Emma thumped her fist onto the dash. “Hey, not my car,” Jody said as she patted the cover mat.

Emma sighed as she dropped her head before flipping it back into the headrest, “I still don’t know who did it. What if he drugs someone else?”

Jody held up her club ticket, “This expires at three am tomorrow. We can come back tonight and see if he shows up.”

***

Emma made her way through the nightclub crowd dressed in her good jeans, an evening top and her hair tied up in a ponytail. Jody noticed her near the entry and squeezed through the crowd holding her cocktail overhead. Running her eyes down Emma’s outfit, “What the? You won’t get a bloke looking like that.”

“I’m not in the mood.”

Emma found a dark corner at the back of the club to sit and drink her iced water. Alone she watched Jody bouncing around the dance floor with some bloke. Quietly observing people coming and going. Being on the outside, you notice just how weird people are. The crazy outfits, hairdos, the drunks trying to dance in six-inch heels, and the other illicit activities going on in the corner. Why do I come here? I’m getting too old for this.

As the hours went by, three blokes had bought her drinks. She left them as the waiter had placed them on the table. I’m not falling for that trick again. From the other side of the room, she noticed Jody had got lucky and left early with her main dance partner. Haven’t seen Jake yet. The hours ticked by and her eyes were getting heavy. Stuff it I’m going home.

Her club visits would go on for the next few nights, again he didn’t show. Jody didn’t join her for the last couple of nights as she needed to catch up on sleep for work. On her third night of sitting in the darkness, she had grown bored with watching partygoers fall over each other. Her eyes drifted down to her phone. Staring back at those photos trying to remember something about that night.

Suddenly someone dropped down on the seat beside her, sitting casually facing her, one arm on the table and the other on the back of the bench seat, “Emma, how are you feeling?”

Glancing up, every muscle in her body tensed. She pulled back, “Jake, you got a nerve to show up here?”

His face went blank, he dropped his arms and stared back at her, “What?”

“Why did you drug me Saturday night?” She snapped back.

He jolted back as his eyes widened to the point where they almost fell out of his head, with his hand on his chest, “Drug you? No way! You were getting sleepy. I helped you to the taxi.” 

“If it wasn’t you, who did it?”

Swiping his hand around the room, “Could have been anyone, the waiter brought you several cocktails that night.” He leant towards her, “You didn’t give me your number so I couldn’t check if you had got home safe.”

I don’t give out my number to everyone who asks. She stood up grabbing her purse. “How can I believe you?”

“You put my number in your phone, but you couldn’t remember yours.”

With her eyes fixed on his face, she pulled out her phone. Using her thumb she scrolled through her contacts. His face stood out on the screen beside the words Jake Nelson. Her heart sank.

“Why would I drug you, pay for your taxi and send you home alone?” 

“Do you have the taxi receipt?” Her anger was subsiding but she was no closer to knowing who was at fault.

“Yeah, taxi eighteen. He is here every night.” He held his phone up showing her the booking receipt, “Go ask him.”

Emma looked back into his eyes. Should I trust him? If he were guilty, he would have cut for it by now. “You’re coming with me,” she said as she pushed off through the crowd.

The footpath was equally packed as she strained her neck to see around the line of patrons in the taxi queue. The second cab in the line, “There he is.”

Emma grabbed Jake's arm as she hurried up to the cab. Someone was climbing in the back door but she didn’t care. Tapping on the driver's window she asked in a raised voice, “Did you take me home Saturday night?”

“Remember I paid the fair and gave you a big tip,” Jake said leaning over Emma’s shoulder.

The driver looked at Emma and back at Jake. “Are we leaving,” yelled the couple in the back of the taxi. Before the driver could say anything, Emma peered over the back seat and yelled, “Shut up I’m talking.”

Looking in his rearview mirror before going back to Emma, the driver got jittery. “Yes, you were the third one who was too out of it to remember your whole address. Lucky, I know this suburb—” The driver's head jolted as the guy in the back seat hit his headrest. “I have to go,” the driver said as he wound up the window.

Emma stood there watching the taxi pull away. Staring up the road, she got a big head slap from behind, “Get in line,” the smell of alcohol and smoke wafted from a face covered in melting mascara. 

Stepping back from the hustle, she turned to Jake, “I’m sorry for accusing you of drugging me. I wish I knew who did it.” Looking back at the line of people trying to get into the club, “You know what, I’m over nightclubs, want to get a coffee?”

He leant forward to hear her over the rabble, “Nothing will be open now, let’s make it dinner tomorrow, six o’clock at The Ocean Way.”  His alluring smile had returned. Dinner? I wish I knew what we talked about Saturday.

She nodded with a warm smile, “I’ll see you then.”

He stepped forward, and reached out for a quick friendly hug, followed by a gentle kiss on her cheek, “Don’t forget to text me your number.”

Her heart skipped a beat. Flicking out her phone, with a hit of a few buttons, she said, “Call me,” as she headed off down the street. Looking back over her shoulder he had disappeared into the crowd. 

***

The following evening Emma walked out of her bathroom. Her high heels clicked on the tile floor. She adjusted her little black dress which accented her gold earrings. Her long blonde hair flowed over her shoulders. Grabbing her clutch purse, she glided into the kitchen for one last drink of water.

“Well, where are you going?” Jody asked.

She smiled as she put the glass on the dish rack, “Dinner.”

Arriving at the restaurant, Jake was already seated. He rose as she approached pulling back her chair. Placing her purse on the table, her eyes followed him around the table. His white ironed shirt framed his broad shoulders. The spicy tones of sandalwood from his aftershave lingered in the air.

Once seated he leant forward, “I have some good news. They caught the guy drugging the women at the club.”

Her eyes widened, “Wow, how?”

“I spoke to Alex the club manager after you left last night.”

“He had arranged for security to investigate the hidden camera footage; a waiter popped pills in several drinks that night.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Don’t know, the cops will have to work that out. The manager reported him this morning.” Jake said as he handed her the drinks menu.

She gazed back at those warm hazel eyes as she took the menu in hand. Her thoughts went back to all those photos on her phone.  We were having so much fun. Shame I can’t remember any of it. How could I have thought he had drugged me? 

The End