As Anastasia''s phone slipped from her grasp and hit the floor, just as she had nned, Julie quickly bent down to retrieve it. "Ms. Jewell, you dropped your phone," she said, handing it back with a polite smile. "Thanks, I''m such a klutz sometimes," Anastasia replied with a grateful grin.
"It''s no trouble at all." Julie''s demeanor seemed friendly, but Anastasia sensed she was just trying to get closer to her, maybe to gain some trust.
As Anastasia took back her phone, she carefully avoided the screen, holding it by the edges instead. She shed Julie another smile before heading to the restroom.
Inside, Anastasia checked the screen and saw two fingerprints - definitely Julie''s. She had dropped the phone on purpose to gather those prints, her suspicions about Julie''s odd behavior increasing.
She left the restroom through a side door, borrowed some tape from the cashier, and used it to lift the fingerprints off her phone.
Outside the café, Jason was waiting by the entrance. "I''ll head back to the station now," he said.
"I''ming with you," Anastasia replied. "I''ve got something I need your help with, something to verify."
"What''s going on?" Jason asked, curious.
"I''ll exin in the car." Anastasia nced back into the café and saw Julie still at the table. Julie waved energetically when she noticed Anastasia looking.
Anastasia waved back with a smile before getting into Jason''s car.
Seeing her leave with Jason, Julie felt her suspicions confirmed and snapped a photo for evidence.
Once they were driving, Anastasia spoke up. "That woman in the café, Leonora... she seemed off. How did she know we were friends as soon as you walked in? And there was something familiar about her that made me uneasy." Women''s intuition rarely misses the mark.
Jason, sharp as ever, caught on quickly. "You think that was Julie in disguise? But her face..."
"It''s easy to change your looks these days," Anastasia said softly. "But fingerprints? Those are permanent. When she picked up my phone, she left her prints. Your database has Julie''s fingerprints, right? A match would confirm it." Recalling how tense Julie had been when theyst crossed paths at the supermarket, Jason''s suspicion deepened.
"You know," Jason said with a grin, "they say pregnancy makes you forgetful, but you''re sharper than ever."
Anastasia just rolled her eyes yfully.
Soon, they arrived at the police station, where Jason handed over the fingerprints for analysis.
Meanwhile, at Elysian Technologies...
Herman, fresh out of a meeting, called Anastasia to check in and was rmed to hear she was at the police station. "What''s going on? Why are you at the station?" he asked, his worry evident. "Rx, I''m just here with Jason," Anastasia reassured him, exining the situation with augh. "You act like I''m made of ss, Herman."
With Julie on the run and Anastasia expecting twins, Herman''s concern was understandable.
"Stay put, I''lle pick you up," Herman insisted. "Your dad called earlier."
Anastasia was taken aback. "Did he ask you for money or something?"
"I''ll tell you when I get there. How long until the results are ready?"
"Shouldn''t be long now, Jason said about an hour."
"Alright, I''m on my way."
After hanging up, Anastasia waited a while longer until Jason approached, looking serious. "Anastasia, we''ve got the results."