I was at the nightclub when I first saw her. I knew she had to be eighteen to even get in, because the club was rather firm with people who tried fake id's. The man she was with was somewhat older, about twenty five. I didn't know if he'd come with her or had just zeroed in when she arrived. Whichever it was, he was working hard to keep her attention on himself.
Later on I saw them again, arguing. Not serious on her part, she was just having a nice time and didn't want to leave. Dead serious on his part, although he was doing his best to hide that fact. He wanted her out of the club where he could spend some quality time alone with her. I suspected that he was going to be dead out of luck. Her body language simply shouted that she wasn't interested in him in any meaningful way.
They were still there half an hour later, and I gave myself a mental pat on the back. I'd been right. She wasn't really interested in him. Then I saw the look he was giving her, and I could feel little prickles running up my back. She was drinking something, and he was watching her drink it, a smug look on his face.
I signalled a bouncer and told him to watch the pair as I suspected that he'd just slipped her a mickey. The bouncer nodded and wandered off in their general direction. In case I hadn't mentioned it, I'm rather well known at that club, and the staff know that I tip well and don't cause problems. They don't mind doing me the odd favour, especially over something that might reflect on the club's reputation.
Shortly after that another bouncer wandered past and told me to head out back, so I did. My bouncer was standing there, arguing with the guy while the young woman was slumped against the side of a car. Not out cold, but close to it. Hero was saying his date felt ill and he was just taking her home. He didn't notice me coming up from behind.
I just stepped past hero and the bouncer and checked the woman's eyes and pulse. Drugged for sure. She had a small bag strapped to her wrist and I liberated it and checked the contents. Id, a small amount of cash and a phone.
I turned back to hero.
"You know her?" I asked.
He nodded. "Of course. I've been telling this gorilla that. She's my date."
"What's her name?"
"What?"
"Her name. Your date's name. You do know it, don't you?"
"Ah, yeah. It's Helen."
My turn to nod. "OK. And her surname and phone number?"
Hero was silent for a moment.
"Ah, I'm not sure," he finally said. "I only met her tonight."
"I see. Not really your date then. Know anything about who slipped her a mickey? She's been doped."
"Ah, no. I just thought she'd had too many. I was just going to take her home, honest."
"Yeah, I bet you were; just not hers. Mike, why don't you check our good Samaritan's pockets to see if he has any little pills in them?"
Hero did not fancy that. Not at all. He stepped back.
"You can't do that," he said. "I don't have to let anyone search me. I know my rights."
"I know rights, too," I murmured. "Mike has got a really good one. Want to try it?"
It was at this point that Hero decided that things weren't going the way he had anticipated, and he left the field of battle. Another way to phrase that is, he bolted. We let him go.
"OK, Mike. You can head back in but I want that guy posted. He's not welcome back in the club. Meanwhile, I'll see our little sweetheart gets home."
Mike departed and I coaxed my little sleepwalking friend over to where I was parked and belted her in. Checked her address on her id and found it was an interstate address. Looked back through her bag I found a driver's license. Same address.
I decided to check her phone and see what I could find out. I found out that her phone battery was flat with just enough power to turn on, announce it had a flat battery, and turn itself off. Naturally, no charge cord in that tiny little bag of hers.
Leaving her buckled in I returned to the club and saw the manager. I explained the situation and told him I was taking her home. If anyone was looking for her, would he please give them my number?
Then sleeping beauty and I departed.
Arriving home I dumped her on one side of my bed and took off her shoes. Please note that I stopped at the shoes, even though she was a very tempting morsel. I then got in the other side and went to sleep.
You'd think a king size bed would give us both plenty of room. Not so, apparently. I woke up to find Helen plastered against me. I gently eased her off and back to the other side of the bed and went back to sleep. In the morning it was the same situation, with Helen plastered all over me. This time I got up and had a shower, letting her sleep.
I had some breakfast and was checking my email when I heard a squeak. I wandered back to the bedroom and leaned against the door. Sleeping Beauty was no longer sleeping. She was lying in the bed, doona pulled up to her chin, hair tousled, eyes wide and a little frightened.
"Good morning," I greeted her. "Have a nice sleep? After all that exercise you just dropped off like a log. It was amazing."
Now she was looking even more scared, and angry. She was wondering just what had gone on last night in that bed. I wondered if she'd even thought to check that she still had her clothes on.
"What are you talking about?" she demanded. "What exercise? Who are you and what am I doing here? What did you do to me?"
"Come on, sweetheart. You can't have forgotten our night together already. You're seriously hurting my ego."
"I've never seen you before," she almost screamed at me. "Who are you and what did you do?"
"I'm Charles. I'm hurt that you don't remember me. You came home with me last night. I laid you on that bed, then I took off your shoes. Shall I go on?"
Helen was really upset now, and quite white. She frantically shook her head. She really didn't want to know what had happened in that bed.