Discombobulate

Chapter Eighteen

When they arrived at Denise's cabin, Winston had to open her car door. The car didn't have door handles in the back. It was used to keep criminals in. People could only get out if someone opened the latch on the outer door.

"Would you like to come in?" Denise asked. "I moved in two days ago. I'm still unpacking boxes and it might take me a few minutes to find everything."

Winston knew he shouldn't go inside. However, he needed to inform her of Daniel Alberg's relations with Greg Sullivan. It'd be better for her to hear it in a comfortable place.

"If you don't mind, I'd love to. I think you're going to need these." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a red lanyard. Her house keys jingled on the end. Debbie gave them to him while Denise was changing.

"And you'll probably want this." He pulled out her black Nokia. "It managed to survive the fall."

Denise sighed in relief. "I thought I'd have to figure out how to crawl through a window or something. I don't have a spare key yet. I need to add it to my list of things to do."

She took her items and went up the wooden steps. "You'll have to watch out for Dupe."

Winston followed behind her curiously. She had mentioned Dupe twice, but she never explained who Dupe was. She unlocked the door and pushed it open. She reached out and flipped on a light. Her living room lit up. The orange kitten sprang towards her with a welcoming meow.

Winston's heart soared at the sight of the kitten. Dupe slowly neared him with wide eyes. "Can I pick him up?" Winston asked.

"Of course, you can. He doesn't bite, I think. Honestly, I'm not sure. Andy adopted him yesterday before she left. Would you like anything to drink?"

Winston politely declined and scooped the kitten into his arms. "You're so cute!" He cooed. "Look at your little collar with your name on it! It looks good on you. You're a handsome little fella, aren't you?"

Dupe loudly purred as Winston scratched the top of his head. Denise used the distraction to start digging through the last few boxes she had.

She had shoved the documents into a box full of old papers. Her mom insisted on keeping old graded papers and report cards. Even after Denise and Jennifer graduated, she still kept them. Denise had shoved them all into an empty box. She planned to go through everything at a later date. It started in preschool and ended at their senior year.

After squatting on the ground and searching through two boxes, she found the box she needed. She dove in and dug beneath loose papers. The large yellow envelope was in there somewhere.

Dupe continued to purr behind her. She struggled with the cast on her left hand. She couldn't properly pinch papers and move them. Eventually, she reached the yellow envelope. Her mom's boldfaced writing labeled the packet.

Jennifer's Restraining Order

Winston placed the kitten back on the floor. Dupe ran over to Denise and shoved his head along her outer thigh. Denise gave him a quick pat on the head before she returned to her feet.

She bent the small metal clip that sealed the envelope and opened the top. "If you want to come into the kitchen, I can make sure this is all here. I'd do it on the coffee table, but I don't have one yet."

Winston followed behind her. She turned on the kitchen light. She ushered him towards a stool. "Feel free to take a seat."

She dumped the envelope upside down and sorted through the papers. "Here we go, this is the official restraining order. There's also a copy of it. My mom made a copy because she was afraid to lose the first one."