Silly Bride

Chapter 149

to reveal the two vials of drugs inside.“Would you care to explain this, Ms. Garland?”Winnie was sandwiched between two officers at the back of the patrol car.“I’m not an expert on the nature of these two samples, so allow me to contact my lawyer and doctor friends when we arrive at your station. I’m sure they’ll be able to provide you with a reasonable explanation then,” she replied blandly.Half an hour later, Winnie was brought to the police station in Avenport’s Northern District alongside her briefcase.Over ten minutes passed when Josiah and her lawyer also joined her there, arriving one after another.While the two of them were liaising with the police, Winnie drank coffee inside the reception area.It was only until she had patiently downed the last drop from her cup that the police captain from earlier walked out alongside her lawyer.“You’re free to go now, Ms. Garland. Please excuse us for this disruption to your schedule,” said the police captain amicably.In spite of those delays to an important undertaking, Winnie proved to be understanding of his position and thus did not vent her frustrations on those officers.Instead, she took the initiative to shake the captain’s hand.“You’re too kind, officer. Assisting your investigations is my duty as a citizen. We can take pride in the fact that we have responsible policemen such as yourself serving us in this city. Quite to the contrary, it was I who had caused you much inconvenience.” The police captain did not expect such magnanimity from Winnie. With this level of ability to keep things in perspective, it’s no wonder she’s able to take charge of the entire Garland Group at her tender age.As a man who was nearly a decade older, he could not help but be impressed by her.“We are grateful for your understanding, Ms. Garland. If only there were more people like yourself in society, then there wouldn’t be a need for paranoid people like us. Please. Allow me to see you out.”“After you then!” Winnie let the captain to lead the way.After some consideration, she half-jokingly asked, “That reminds me. I kind of wonder who filed the report. Surely it couldn’t have been someone who’s out to get me?”“We are sorry, Ms. Garland, but the source is anonymous. Even if we knew anything about him, we are not at liberty to share this information, so we hope you’ll be able to understand where we’re coming from.”“Of course!” Winnie only casually asked, being quite aware of their concerns about the potential revenge their informant might seek against them.Previously, Josiah had already explained that those samples had received authorization from the state, and Winnie was transporting them abroad expressly for use in an academic exchange program with Yartran’s First Institute of Applied Toxicology.After the police captain had clarified the situation, he, too, had his suspicions that Winnie could very well have been the target of malicious intent.This young Ms. Garland had been riding on a high recently. With her background and marital status a constant feature in all the major headlines every single day, she is a hotter commodity than even the most popular celebrities in the country. Given such circumstances, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if she managed to unknowingly draw the ire of one or two enemies along the way.“Tell you what, Ms. Garland. Should you ever come across anything suspicious in the future or encounter someone who means you harm, please don’t hesitate to come to us.”“Here’s hoping that such a day never comes,” Winnie replied smilingly.When she exited the gates to the police station, Josiah’s car was already waiting outside by the entrance.With that tiny briefcase in hand, Winnie opened the door to the backseat and hopped in.Josiah could not refrain from turning back to glance at her. “Seriously? Are you really going to treat me as though I’m your driver? Is the privilege of being my co-driver not good enough for you?”Winnie observed Josiah’s eyes through the reflection in the rearview mirror while she replied indifferently, “It’s far too dangerous for me to ride shotgun, as I’m worried someone might be waiting in ambush by the side of the road and looking to suddenly ram into us. My odds of dying while seated next to you would be much greater than if I were to sit behind you.”The two of them exchanged looks briefly through the rearview mirror, but Josiah quickly rescinded his gaze.His lips lifted in a somewhat self-deprecating fashion while he started up the engine. “What? Don’t tell me that you’re suspecting me of reporting you. Do you think I’ve lost my mind?”“I wouldn’t say that. Turning me in and preventing me from leaving wouldn’t exactly work in your interest. But I have to ask, did you share information about my flight schedule today with anyone else?” Winnie asked in a business-like manner.Without even pausing to think about it, Josiah responded strongly, “Of course not. Why would I want to do that? Do you think I’m crazy?”“In that case, do you think it could have been Louis?” Winnie pressed further.Josiah remained as steadfast as ever. “That would be even less likely. He doesn’t even have any plausible motive for it. Besides, he’s been busy as heck; he probably won’t even be able to remember your flight number.”Winnie nodded in agreement. “I don’t suppose that either one