"I already told you, I spoke to her on the phone. I'm not talking to you guys

anymore."

The policewoman stood her ground, stubborn as ever, and even tried to push through the main doors. The security guards didn't hesitate. They stepped in and held her back right away.

One of the guards, clearly frustrated, said, "Ms. Gomez, if you actually try to force your way in, we'll have to call the police for real."

He pulled her a bit further away from the entrance and pointed up at the building. "Look up there. That's Ms. Blair's office. The lights went out a while ago. She left with the last group, and I watched her car drive past me. I'm not making this up. She left a long time ago, there's no way she's still in her office."

The policewoman glanced at her colleagues, uncertain.

"Are you sure? I heard her on the phone with me just now..."

The guard cut her off, sounding fed up. "You keep talking about the phone. You only heard a voice. How do you know it was really Ms. Blair? I can tell you've been tricked. Ms. Blair isn't someone you can just meet if you show up here. If you've been scammed, you should report it at the station. Don't come here looking for trouble."

She lowered her head, looking defeated. "Did she really lie to me?"

The guard softened a little, sympathy flickering in his eyes. "Ms. Gomez, you didn't lose any money, did you?"

She shook her head.

He let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. As long as you didn't lose any money, it's not the worst. Now, you should go home. It's freezing out here. Don't stay outside too long."

She hesitated for a second, then pulled a sticky note and pen from her pocket, quickly scribbling down her number before handing it to the guard.

He stared at it, startled. "What are you doing?"

She sounded desperate. "Listen, could I ask a favor? Tomorrow's a workday. Ms. Blair should be coming back to the office. If you see her, could you call me or text me? Please?"

He immediately tried to shove the sticky note back into her hand. "No way. I can't. That's against the rules. I'd lose my job if I did that."

She pushed the note back into his hand, her voice dropping to a whisper. "No one will ever know. I swear I won't tell anyone, and won't come here causing problems. You can trust me. I just want to know, that's all."

५

He still shook his head. "No, I really can't. You need to go home."

He turned like he was about to leave, but in a flash, she grabbed his arm. "Wait."

He was startled by her grip. For someone who looked so thin, she was surprisingly strong.

She pleaded, "Seriously, I just want to know when Ms. Blair comes in tomorrow. I promise I won't make any trouble."

Thinking quickly, she added, "I've admired Ms. Blair for years. She's amazing and really want to learn from her just want to know when she starts her day. I'm not here to cause trouble, I swear. I just want to learn from her, that's all."

He eyed her, not quite convinced. "Are you serious?"

"As serious as I can be," she said, nodding earnestly. She held onto his arm, not letting go. "Please, just send me a message when you see Ms. Blair arrive. After that, you'll never hear from me again, I promise."

She even raised her hand, swearing, and gestured for one of her colleagues to hand the guard a pack of cigarettes.

The guard hesitated, clearly torn. It was tough to refuse with her looking at him like that, plus the cigarettes dren thurt Alright, Time. But you have to promise you're not going to come here and make a scene."

"I promise," she said right away, nodding as if her life depended on it.