STRANGER THINGS HAVE HAPPENED_JIM HOPPER

019

So, she'd devised a plan to catch the police chief in his web of lies. All you have to do is give someone enough rope, and they'll eventually hang themselves with it, right?

It began with a strategically placed phone call to the precinct. "Hey, it's Halloween. How about after work, you come over and help me pass out candy?" The flirty tone was there, an implication that she wasn't just inviting him over for a night of handing out sweets.

"I can't. We're going to be busy all night keeping these kids in check," he dismissed her offer absentmindedly, the sound of rustling papers echoing throughly the line.

Well, that was some premium bullshit, at worst a house would be egged tonight, and she knew it. "Okay," Ana said, trying to suppress the doubtful timber edging into her voice. "Well, if something changes, let me know. I love you."

"Yeah," came his short reply, and the line went dead. Hopper hadn't even bothered to return the sentiment, and the acknowledgment made her heart clench.

Now, there's one trick, just one, to catching someone in the act. It's so simple that it doesn't get the appreciation it truly deserves. You follow them. Wherever they go, you go, except don't pursue too closely and definitely don't keep your headlights on. That's just standard operating procedure.

And that's just what Ana did on Halloween night. She followed Hopper's cruiser deep into the woods where it parked alongside a remote cabin. He'd never once mentioned owning a cabin, that son of a bitch!

After watching him enter, Ana crept slowly through the darkness. Not a leaf crunched nor branch broke underneath her careful footing. She was quieter than a mouse stealing cookies on Christmas Eve. She even managed to avoid the well-concealed trip wires surrounding the property, but you don't date a cop for nearly a year without learning at least some tricks of the trade.

Standing in front of the weathered wooden door, she had to steel herself for the worst. Nothing good could lie on the other side. And, Ana Thompson had to ask herself at that moment, was it worth it? Was knowing the truth worth sacrificing everything she wanted to believe? Was being right more important than being blissfully ignorant? More important than being happy? The answer in her head was a resounding yes, and so she pushed open the door.

No one on the other side was ready, especially not Hopper, who sat on the worn out couch amongst a pile of candy. "What are you doing here?" His shock was palpable, his eyebrows rising exceedingly high on his forehead.

Ana had zero interest in answering his question. Hopper was the one who needed to provide justification for his actions, not her.

A television playing from behind the closed bedroom door drew her attention away from him, though. "Who else is here?" Ana demanded, making her way further into the cabin. The front door slammed shut behind her, rocking the small structure.

Hopper was on his feet instantly, trying to stop her progression towards the bedroom door with his body. "No one," he insisted, his voice sounding of a barely contained frenzy.

Bullshit! This place was lived in. There were two places set at the dining room table. This wasn't a residence he visited alone, Ana was sure of it. She tried to sidestep him, but Hopper followed each way she went. They were locked in a erratic dance of deterrence. "I swear to god, Hop, if you don't move I'll fucking make you!"

Could Ana physically overpower him? Definitely not, but she was certain a well-aimed punch to the junk would grant her a few seconds of leeway. At least she'd evade him long enough to discover exactly what he was hiding in the other room.

The sudden commotion in the living room eventually drew out the mysterious third party. Ana wasn't sure exactly what she had been expecting, likely another women he was having an affair with behind her back, but it damn well wasn't the girl who had been presumed dead for the better part of a year.