I heard some answering growls and muttering around the table.
“Blake,” Will said patiently.
“Why were you there?” I asked, barely looking at him. I knew. Somehow, I knew. “Did Ella see it?” I sighed. “She’s going to need counseling for the things she sees,” I muttered.
“Did you go to find me? Noticed I wasn’t at my apartment? The door was locked, so you probably had to open it, didn’t you?”
He nodded. He went to say something but there was a knock on the door.
Gavin came in looking just as tired as I felt. He stopped short when he saw me. “What happened, Ake?”
“We were hoping you can tell us that,” Paul said. “Can you tell us what you did this evening?”
Gavin looked confused. “When?”
“When you-” I started.
“After our debriefing,” Paul quickly cut in. He knew we had a friendship. I knew he wanted to make sure Gavin wasn’t going to give me an alibi due to that fact.
“Uh sure,” Gavin started. “I hung out with Sierra and Jemmy for a little while, and I decided to get us drinks and snacks at the vending machine. As I was passing the laundry room, I saw Bradford in there with Blake. I could see how uncomfortable she was, so I went in there to see if she was okay. We talked for a while longer, and then I went back to my room.”
“That’s it? Why were you alone then?” Senator Bowen asked me with a raised brow.
“I had to get the rest of our laundry,” I explained again.
“This is ridiculous,” Will finally stood up. “Take the pictures and lock that man up. He assaulted my charge and his story is full of holes.”
“So is hers,” Senator Bowen said. “She has this gift, but she couldn’t defend herself from the assault? Then several witnesses saw Bradford incapacitated on the laundry room floor.”
“I was dizzy, and I felt like I was going to be sick. I don’t know why I couldn’t defend myself initially.” I rubbed my temples feeling a headache coming on.
“You made a face when you were about to take a drink,” Gavin said slowly. “Why did you make that face?” he asked as if he had a theory formulating.
“I didn’t remember opening it,” I said with a frown. “I had my back to him for a little while. Do you think he put something in it?”
“Rohypnol or a generic drug similar to that,” Drake stated through clenched teeth.
“That stuff should stay in her system for forty-eight to seventy-two hours after the drug was ingested. She doesn’t look like she’s suffering from the side effect any longer,” Senator Bowen said skeptically.
“Senator Bowen, you seem to know quite a bit about it,” I said sarcastically as I leaned forward towards him, folding my hands together on the table in front of me. “Tell me,” I said in a loud whisper. “Have you been known to use it before? I heard there was a big shake down in DC recently. A lot of your buddies were busted, weren’t they?”
Jaxson snickered once more.
I was deliberately being confrontational. I didn’t think it would be wise to tell them about my gift right now. How can I tell him I hadn’t called it forth? That it had come up when I needed it to, and that the sick feeling I had dissipated after the gift started to protect me.
Senator Bowen stood up spluttering. “I was happily married for over twenty years, I’ll have you know. It just seems rather convenient that you’re accusing a man with a stellar record. A decorated soldier. A man who fought hard for this country of something he never been accused of doing before. You don’t have any signs of any of the side effects normally associated with the drug.”
“Even the most respected men can have skeletons in their closet. I’m sure some of the men you worked with were the last people you would expect to commit such a crime,” Jace bit out. “There’s only one way to solve this. Draw her blood.”
Paul stood up. “I’m going to get someone to do that right this minute. Senator Bowen, I think you’ve heard enough here. Will you like me to show you to your apartment?”
“I want to know why she was alone,” Will demanded when they left the room.
“I’m sorry, Ake,” Gavin sunk down into a chair. “I thought she was done with the laundry. She asked me to take the guitar back to the dayroom for her after…well after,” he looked at Noah, Remy, Troy, and Jace. “We saw the guys and then I went back to my room.”
“I appreciate you keeping her company, Gavin. The blame isn’t on you.” Will then glared at the four guys. “Why was she less than a hundred feet away from you, and you didn’t even know she was there?”
“Because they were too busy flirting with Adams and her friends,” I snorted.