The Widows Harem

Chapter 20 - The Card

Jocelyn

The weekend went by in the blink of an eye. Riley and I helped Vince for most of it since he had Jack. The rental company had found renters for the house already and Vince had about two weeks before he had to be out.

Honestly, he would be out of there with plenty of time to spare.

As we packed, Vince set things aside to be donated or sold. Most of the furnishings were going to the rental since Riley and Tristan didn't have any of those things. Hell, Riley had to buy himself a bedset and mattress. He was also helping update some of the older, worn-out furniture.

There wasn't a lot of time or opportunity for shenanigans.

By the end of the weekend, almost the entire house was packed and ready for the movers I'd hired the following weekend, to come in and start transferring everything over to the rental home. Vince wasn't scheduled to come back until Thursday. The beginning of the work week was hectic, and I was swamped. I was getting home late and starting earlier than normal due to the forward progress on the new building and just random things going on in the workplace that ate up time and mental power.

Wednesday afternoon was the first breather I got. As I sat at my desk, I opened up the weekly news paper and saw an article about Mr. Tucker's business. It had been burned down in an accident, but investigators stated it had been done intentionally. Tucker had set the building on fire himself to get an insurance payout. Tucker was at large and no one could find him.

I don't know why that bit of information made me uneasy.

Regardless, I was just glad we hadn't done business with him.

Eva knocked on the open office door, announcing her presence. "I've got the mail."

"Thank you, Eva," I said, taking the stack and started flipping through everything. Most of it were ads. Some were bills. Others checks. However, there was one envelope that was out of place. It was a colorful one. It was shaped more like a greetings card, or one you would pick out at the store for a birthday. It was addressed to the owners of our company and didn't have a return address.

Curiously, I opened it, thinking maybe Vince had donated some money to a charity or a student and this was a thank-you card.

It was a thank-you card. The front was decorated in a cute font and colors with sparkles. Right as I was going to flip it open, Eva called, saying someone was wanting to speak to a manager. I left the card on the edge of my desk and handled the issue. As I was coming back into my office, I bumped the desk, my hand catching the card just right, and it fell to the ground. Right as it landed, it opened up, and white powder exploded into the air.

I flinched away, my arms instinctively covering my face protectively as I backpedaled out of the office, yelling at Eva to call the police. I didn't think I had inhaled the powder, or if I had, it was minimalistic. Regardless, the substance needed to be investigated and I needed to be checked out.

Police and other first responders were notified. Within minutes, a firetruck was pulling in front of the business and several firemen came charging into the lobby. I recognized the trucks. They were a volunteer fire-department and were located just down the street from us.

As I watched them, I saw one of the firemen tower over all the others. He looked familiar but, before I could take a closer look, one of the other firemen addressed me. "Are you Jocelyn?"

"I am."

"Can you tell us what happened?"

It took just a moment for me to reiterate my story. The fireman nodded his head and then barked, "Lark, get the drug kit and test it."

Lark? My gaze instantly moved to the tall fireman, and it was met by Tristan's green gaze. I didn't know he volunteered for the fire-station. His gaze did a cursory once over, checking to make sure I was okay, before turning to get the kit. "Got it chief," he called over his shoulder, disappearing out the door.

"These things are normally false alarms," the chief started explaining, leading me over to one of the chairs and had me sit down. "It is usually a prank or a scare tactic. The substance is usually flour or some kind of household good that is not harmful."

I hoped it was just that.

"Do you feel dizzy, nauseous or sick in any way since handling the envelope or since the powder exploded?" He asked in due diligence.

"No," I responded as I watched Tristan sail through the lobby with a box in hand. He watched me out of the corner of his gaze and, as if on cue, my phone started ringing. I could already guess it was Vincent. "Can I get this?" I asked.

The chief nodded and followed Tristan. The other firemen dispersed, some going out to the truck while others followed the chief back into the office.

"Vince--

"Are you okay?"

"Yes." I replied with a questioning edge.

"Tristan said they were dispatched to our business. He thought I was there and messaged me the moment he realized I wasn't. What happened?"

I told him the story, knowing I was going to have to get used to repeating it. I still had to talk to police and file a report with them. As I spoke I got up and started pacing, unable to just sit in one place, my mind running a mile a minute as I tried to figure out who could have done this. As I was finishing it up, I could feel the adrenaline starting to subside, and I suddenly had this urge to sit down, my head feeling woozy from the adrenaline crash. Or, at least that's what I hoped it was. "They think it's just a prank," I assured him.

"Have they officially said what the substance is?"

"No," I whispered as I rubbed my temples, my head suddenly pounding, my heart rate picking up. This wasn't normal. "I have to go," I told him, my voice slurring a bit. I had to get the firemen's attention and tell them I wasn't feeling well. I hung up on Vince, his voice still animatedly talking on the other line. I felt bad for doing so, but I was going downhill fast.

I pushed myself onto my feet and started walking towards the hall, intent on getting someone's attention, even as I shuffled and swayed.

Right as I got to Eva's desk, time seemed to slow down. My phone went off as Vincent called me back. My steps faltered so badly I stumbled. I reached out to catch myself on the edge of Eva's desk as my phone dropped from my other hand. It felt so heavy I couldn't hold it anymore.

Somewhere in the background I heard Eva screaming to the firemen for help. At the same instant, Tristan and Chief burst out of the hallway. Tristan caught me right as my legs gave out, and I was on a path to hitting the ground. He laid me down gently, his calm demeanor bellied by the wild look in his beautiful green eyes. They raked over me and took in my deteriorating state. He yelled something, but I couldn't hear him. A few heart beats later, something was shoved up my nose and a substance was sprayed into my nostrils.