If she denied knowingly ingesting the substance, the officer explained, the case could not be closed as a simple possession charge. It would escalate. The source of the drug would have to be determined. How it entered her system. Whether it had been administered without consent. That meant an investigation.
Security footage. Witness statements. Interviews. Subpoenas. The restaurant would be formally pulled in. Her home could be inspected. Everyone present that night could be questioned. Until then, the charge stood.