Chapter 26 Ch. 18.2
"We're conducting a search of the premises. Official warrant was issued this morning."
Another officer came around the corner holding a ziplock bag filled with fine white powder.
"Found this in the laundry room cabinet."
"That’s flour. It’s literally baking flour. We ran out of counter space and put the spare pack in there."
"We'll still need to run it through our lab," the officer said. "Can't be too careful."
She felt her hands curl into fists. "Taste it. It's literally fucking flour! You can't just—this is my home. You can't just treat us like—"
"We have a warrant," he said simply.
"Fine. Take it for testing or whatever the hell it is."
"We definitely will."
Zara bit her lip and pushed past them to the kitchen. The drawer had been dumped, too. She found the telephone book under the table, pages bent and wrinkled.
She flipped through it with shaking hands until she found Mr. Drew's number.
The lawyer.
She stepped outside to call him, gripping her phone tight to keep it from slipping. As the phone rang, her eyes wandered back to the house.
Her home didn’t feel like hers anymore.
He didn't pick up which annoyed her, so she sent a text to him.
Zara stared at her phone for a few seconds before finally pressing Noah’s name and holding it to her ear. It rang twice before he picked up.
"Yo," he said.
"Noah," she said quietly, trying not to let her voice shake. "Can you come over?"
There was a short pause. "Yeah, sure. Where are you? Are you at home?"
"Yes. I just... I need someone to follow me to the police station."
"The what now? Who did you kill?"
She didn’t say anything.
"Oh... that... Okay, I’m on my way," he said quickly.
Ten minutes later, Noah was at her front door, slightly out of breath, his cap turned backwards and his bag hanging from one shoulder.
"Hey," he said, glancing at her face. "You look like you have't done anything but pace around all day."
"You’re very observant," she said, grabbing her jacket.
"I know. It’s my gift. Also, what the hell is going on?"
"I’ll explain in the car."
They took a cab to the police station. Noah kept glancing at her the whole time, making weird faces now and then, probably trying to get her to smile. He even tried doing impressions of her dad.
"Zara," he said, in a serious, dramatic tone. "You must channel the wind. You must become the wind. You are the wind."
She rolled her eyes. "Stop."
"I’m just saying, if your dad starts handing out sage wisdom, I’m going to need to record it. Might turn it into a podcast."
She looked out the window. "He got arrested."
Noah was quiet for a while. "I know. I saw the stuff. I didn’t want to believe it."
"He didn’t do it," she said quickly. "He wouldn’t. He didn’t."
"I believe you."
When they got to the station, it was chaotic outside. Reporters crowded near the entrance, their cameras pointed in every direction. Zara pushed past them with Noah behind her, shielding her from elbows and microphones.
Just as they reached the front of the building, the glass doors opened and her father stepped out.
"Dad!"
He looked up at her voice, his face tired. A man in uniform followed him out and spoke briefly with the crowd, confirming that Santiago had been released and was not in possession of any banned substances. That didn’t stop the flood of questions.
"Coach Santiago! Are you saying you had no idea what Ethan Hunter was taking?"
"Is it true that the powder found in your house was planted?"
"Do you believe Ethan is using performance enhancers?"
Her dad raised his hand, trying to get them to calm down.
"Ethan is just a gifted athlete," he said. "And I have no reason to doubt his innocence. He has always proven himself through hard work and dedication."
Zara walked closer, staying just behind the reporters. She looked at her father, waiting for him to notice her. When he finally did, his face softened slightly.
They walked to the car together. Zara climbed into the front seat while Noah slid into the back.
Her dad started the engine and glanced at her.
"You didn’t have to come. I’m fine."
"I had to see for myself."
They drove in silence for a bit.
Then Zara asked, "Have you ever thought that maybe Ethan isn’t innocent? Not drugs but—"
Her dad frowned. "Zara. Don’t start with that nonsense."