Chapter 8 – A Welcome Sight
1423 Words
The three survivors woke up early the next day, and none of them had slept well. Andrew was stressed about trying to choose who got to sleep on him and ended up suggesting that they both curl up in his arms. This idea didn't go over well, and when Cassie and Victoria demanded that he pick one of them, they got upset when he didn't. The result was that everyone slept on the hard floor of the cave.
Andrew knew that the two girls had feelings for him. He was worried that such sentiments had blossomed in a very short amount of time, but he still thought about what it would be like to be with one of them. He wished he could date both of them simultaneously, but he had a sense that both Cassie and Victoria were sticklers for monogamy.
“Good morning, Andrew,” Victoria purred when Andrew met her eyes. “I hope you were warm enough last night. I know I sure wasn't,” she said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
Andrew gulped. Victoria was still cross with him.
“I second that,” Cassie groaned as she stretched. “I don't think I slept at all, which makes it two nights in a row without sleep. I hope I don't get sick because of it, right Andrew?”
If Andrew was wearing a collared shirt, he would have tugged at it anxiously. “I'm sorry, girls, but it was only for one night. I have high hopes that we will be rescued today, so both of you get to sleep in your beds tonight,” he said.
Cassie and Victoria sighed but remained hopeful.
Just as everyone started to discuss what on earth they were going to have for food, Andrew noticed movement off in the distance. Two police cars were driving towards the truck's burnt wreckage, their red and blue lights a welcome sight.
“Hey! Look!” Andrew exclaimed as he jogged out of the cave. He started to wave his hands over his head as he made his way to the road. “Over here!” he yelled.
Cassie and Victoria copied his actions and tried to get the attention of the officers. They were out of breath as they passed the truck and collapsed onto the road.
The officers climbed out of their cars, and Andrew went to speak to them right away. He filled them in on everything that had happened, and the officers called for an ambulance to arrive and make sure they were all okay.
After Cassie, Andrew, and Victoria bottles of water, the police started to question them on what went down. They each told their unique side of the story and how they all got together, and also gave the information of their family members so that they could be contacted.
The officers told them that they had gotten calls about an explosion somewhere in the park but had trouble locating it before the fire burned out and the smoke disappeared. They got a helicopter to fly over this morning and were able to see the Turner aftermath of the explosion. With guidance from the chopper, the police were able to find them.
The ambulance arrived and treated the survivors for dehydration while investigators showed up to photograph the scene. Four people had been killed on sight, and a thorough investigation needed to be completed. This almost meant that Cassie, Andrew, and Victoria needed to give official statements down at the police station.
Cassie and Victoria's parents arrived at the scene, and there was much hugging between them all. Andrew got to meet Cassie's father and richest man in Phoenix, Jacob Lambert. He would have also gotten to meet Victoria's father, but he couldn't come because of poor health.
Jacob was in the prime of his life, capable and handsome. He shook Andrew's hand vigorously and promised that he would repay Andrew for saving his daughter's life. He stated that he would ensure Andrew's future welfare if he worked for him at Lambert Manufacturing.
Victoria's mother, Louise Parker, was the only one who came for her. She had expressed interest in having Andrew work for Parker Industries as her husband was seriously ill. She wanted to find someone she could trust to be deputy general manager, and the man who saved her daughter's life was on the top of the list.
Andrew glanced at the two women he had rescued and graciously turned down their families' offers. Although things such as wealth and coveted positions were alluring, he felt inferior if he accepted them. It would be more like receiving a gift rather than working for the reward, and one of Andrew's superior qualities was his work ethic.
Once the trio had recovered enough, Cassie, Andrew, and Victoria were brought down to the station for questioning. Cassie wasn't held that long because the only thing she was a witness to was the explosion and Andrew's battle with the two murderers. When it came to Victoria, her case was more complicated. She detailed how she had been kidnapped and had her bodyguards murdered and went on for over an hour about how heroic Andrew was when he saved her from being blown up.
After all the pieces of Victoria's story were pieced together and that the sole culprits had been killed by the blast, she was free to go. She promised to make a nice donation to the police department because of how nice they treated her.
Both Cassie and Victoria wanted to say goodbye to Andrew before they left and made sure that he got each of their numbers to call them. With a couple of hugs, the women left Andrew at the mercy of the interrogators.
In the interrogation room, the police responsible for interrogating included a young policewoman, Sophia Sanchez, a rookie of the criminal investigation team, and a middle-aged police officer, Anthony Reagan, the captain of the criminal investigation team. It seemed the police were taking this case seriously, judging from their status.
It was Sophia who was in charge of the interrogation. She sat across from Andrew while she took notes with her graceful handwriting. Every so often, she would glance at him before she returned to her writing.
Andrew began to lose his patience. “I have already told you everything that happened. I'm the hero of this story and not a criminal. What else do you guys want to know?”
Sophia glanced at the captain next to her, and Anthony nodded.
“Mr. Morrow, please relax,” she said softly. “This is a serious case, so we have to know all the details. And one of the details we would like to know is how you took down those two knife-wielding murderers using nothing but your fists.”
Andrew frowned. This was indeed a huge loophole. It was easy to tell Cassie and Victoria that he had studied martial arts, but he was worried that the police could investigate him and find out that he had never taken a class in his life. “I was under duress and wildly threw my fists about, so I was lucky that any of my hits landed.”
Sophia smiled. “According to what Miss Parker told us, we were able to identify who the murderers were. They are part of a gang that has plagued Phoenix for many years and are a huge threat.”
Andrew's heart skipped a beat. He didn't realize how truly dangerous those men were, as he had no idea that they were career criminal gangsters.
“According to Miss Parker's statement,” Sophia continued, “she said that you studied martial arts while still in medical school, so are you quite experienced in that kind of combat?”
While Andrew was in med school, he did have a desire to learn martial arts but was unable to due to financial pressure. Instead, he went to work every day after class and had no time for anything else. If it wasn't for that Bruce Lee card, he wouldn't have been able to beat those men.
“I was able to take a few classes before the studio shut down,” Andrew fibbed. “I guess whatever I learned in those few classes I kept with me, and it turned out to be handy.”
“I happen to be interested in learning how to box. Do you have any pointers for me?” Sophie asked.
- Writer
