Sweet Revenge (Cocoa Narel Chocolate Shop Mysteries Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

simple, but I found myself lost almost immediately. I’d walked down the hallway and taken the second right, as he’d said, but found myself at another intersection of hallways, both of which seemed to lead to more hallways and doors.
    I’d been in shock on the way in, and I thought I still was, so I didn’t remember the layout whatsoever. I sighed and picked a direction at random, hoping for the best. Luckily, I found the exit, and the officer I assumed was in charge of phones. I wondered if that was a full time job.
    “Hello,” I introduced myself, though her expression remained completely deadpan. “I’m Narel. I was told you could place a call for me.”
    “What’s the number?” the officer asked, her expression unchanging. She looked somewhere between annoyed and bored. I told her, and she asked me to wait a minute. After a brief moment she handed me the phone. “You have two minutes,” she said flatly before returning to some kind of paperwork.
    I took a deep breath. I’d decided to try and call Carl. If he wasn’t sick of collecting me from strange places, he’d be able to come quickly, and I trusted him. He was close to my only friend these days, and I didn’t want to annoy him, but I also needed to get out of this police station. It was more than I could walk, even now that I was in a much better shape than ever.
    The longer it rang, the more nervous I got. Eventually I heard his voice and breathed a sign of relief.
    “Hello, this is Carl. I can’t come to the phone right now. Please leave a message after…” I hung up before he could finish and clenched my fist. I didn’t blame him for not being able to answer, but I really needed to get through to him, now more than ever.
    The police officer looked up at me and raised one of her eyebrows. “It rang out,” I explained, trying not to sound as defeated and desperate as I felt. “Can I try again?”
    She nodded. “I’ll have to call, though.” She reached for the phone. I complied and handed it to her, recited the number again, waited until she punched in the numbers, and then took it back as she handed it to me. I thanked her quietly and waited, trying not to panic. It occurred to me that I could call a taxi or even ask an officer for a lift home, and I calmed down considerably. I sighed, realizing how much the stress and shock was getting to me.
    “Hello?” It was Carl, and he sounded out of breath.
    “Carl! Thank goodness.” I said it far more loudly than I’d meant to, startling the officer behind the desk.
    “Narel? Sorry, I left my phone in the other room. What’s…”
    I cut him off before he could finish. “Carl, I’m sorry to interrupt, but I only have two minutes. Can you please come and get me from the police station?” I felt rude, especially since I was asking a favor of him, but I didn’t want to waste the call.
    “What?” he exclaimed. “Is everything okay?”
    “Yes.” I thought for a moment. “Well, no, not at all. I’ll tell you when you get here.”
    “Okay, I won’t be long.” He hung up as soon he said it, but he didn’t sound angry. I sure hoped he wasn’t.
    I handed the phone back to the officer who took it without so much as looking at me. I thanked her and sat down in a nearby seat. It was a quiet town and was getting fairly late, so nobody else had come in the entire time I’d been here. I figured it was for the best if a police station didn’t seem particularly busy.
    I waited about fifteen minutes before Carl burst through the front door, looking around desperately.
    “Narel!” he exclaimed as soon as he spotted me. He ran over and gave me a painfully tight hug. “What happened?”
    I sighed. I’d spent all night explaining the story over and over, but I couldn’t just leave Carl in the dark. “Look, I’m fine. I went on a date...”
    “What!” He interrupted. “You went on a date! With whom?”
    “Do you remember Guy, from high school?” I asked. “He was one of The