#
I found Owen pacing the hallway outside his apartment.
"Are you okay?" I asked. I peeked around him into the open door. Four uniformed police officers were systematically searching every inch of his apartment.
"No. I'm not okay. I know you're not going to want to hear this, but I have a theory about why this is happening," Owen said.
"Why wouldn't I want to hear your theory?" I crossed my arms and leaned against the hallway wall.
"Because I think somehow your father is using his connections to create these search warrants and send the cops over here." He saw my face and held up his hands. "Hey, I said you didn't want to hear it, but think about it. He doesn't want me around you. He'd be happy to discredit me in any way possible."
"That doesn't mean he would stoop to illegal measures," I said.
"That's why I think it makes sense that it’s him. He can do all of this and make it seem perfectly legal," Owen said.
I ran both hands through my hair and had to strain not to pull any out. "So, you brought me over here to throw me in the middle of some psychotic made-up dispute between you and my father?" I asked.
Owen stopped pacing and pried my hands off my head. "No. And it’s not psychotic. Your father blames me for a lot of things, now more than ever."
"He can't blame you for me quitting my nursing program. And even if he did, this would make no sense as retaliation," I said.
"I don't think it’s about the nursing program," Owen said. He bit his lip.
"You mean you think this is about what happened with Sienna? He blames you for her death?" I pulled away. "Look, Owen, this isn't what I needed tonight. I'm sorry this is happening to you, but I am certain it has nothing to do with my father."
He caught my hands and pulled me back. "You're right, I know. I'm sorry. I just have no idea who else would be after me like this."
"Didn't we already talk about it and you thought it could be another player literally trying to throw you off your game?" I asked. "Or, to counter your insane accusation of my father, why don't I point out that it could very well be Anya. A little jealousy might go a long way. She seems like the type that would pay a powerful lawyer."
Owen looked as if he had swallowed a tack and then he cleared his throat. "But the first time happened before Anya started acting jealous, so it couldn't be her. And I'm sorry to mention your father, but it could be possible."
I was glad when the police filed out of the apartment because it stopped us talking. They walked by without even speaking to Owen, so it was obvious they did not find what they were looking for inside. It took three whole minutes of pounding silence before either of us moved to enter the now-abandoned apartment.
"Do you have any idea what they were looking for?" I asked. "Last time they brought in a K-9, right? They're searching for drugs?"
"Yes," Owen said. He came inside and shut the door firmly behind him. "Someone must be tipping them off that I'm using drugs."
"So, it makes sense if it’s one of your neighbors, doesn't it?" I asked.
"I've never had any issues with my neighbors. I'm on a first name basis with everyone, including the landlord," Owen said. "The only complaint I've ever heard was that we get a lot of visitors."
"What did you say to that?"
"I pointed out that Jasper and I were both young, single men with active social lives. It was a reasonable explanation," Owen said.
I tried to lighten the mood. "So, you had a steady stream of interesting visitors, huh?" I wagged my eyebrows at Owen, but he was not amused.
"Friends, gamers, and people Jasper works with," he said. "They were never loud or stomping around at inconsiderate hours."
"So, regular friends. Except for the random clients and freelancers that Jasper brings by, right?" I asked. "You once told me you had not seen him with the same person twice for a month."
"Yeah." Owen shrugged. "Jasper meets a lot of people."
"And, they never stay around for long, do they?" I asked. "They hang out here for a bit and then head off to a bar or somewhere, right? Do you ever go with them to the bar?"
"It’s not really my scene," Owen said.
"So, you don't know if he goes off and actually hangs out with these people or if they just leave at the same time?"