Part 21
On Saturday morning Tess sat at her kitchen table, the file on Philip’s murder open in front of her, so frustrated, she was sure she had permanent frown lines on her young face.
Kyle brought a cup of coffee over and set it down in front of her. She looked horrible but he opted not to tell her that. What good would it do? It certainly wouldn’t slow her down any. She had been awake, sitting at this very table, staring at this same file until two in the morning last night and had gotten up at the crack of dawn this morning to continue. She was hell bent on clearing Max no matter what that required her to do.
“Oh thanks Kyle,” she said rubbing her temple and then reaching for the cup. “I really needed this.”
“I thought so,” he said taking a seat across from her. “Any luck?” he asked.
Tess just shook her head and then went back to the file. She took all of the photos she and Isabelle had taken of the house a few days ago and laid them out in front of her. She then used them to walk through the crime mentally again, using the forensic witness’s statement as a guide. She was missing something, but what was it?
“Ugh,” she screamed.
“Maybe you need a break,” Kyle suggested.
Tess just gave him a look of disbelief. “He’s rotting in there Kyle,” she spat. What did he expect her to do? Go to the spa and relax on an innocent man’s time.
“Ok,” Kyle said. The feeling of walking on eggshells had become very familiar as of late. “How about breakfast then?” he suggested.
“Sorry, what?” Tess asked, too absorbed in the file to have caught his question.
“Have you eaten?” he asked again.
“Oh, no.” She couldn’t be bothered with cooking.
“How about pancakes?” he suggested.
Tess pushed her chair back from the table and turned, giving Kyle her full attention. “I’m sorry…..I’ve been neglectful, I know…but Kyle,” she tried to explain.
“It’s important. I know,” he finished for her. “Neglect me all you want. Just don’t neglect yourself Tess. Your not sleeping enough, you hardly eat. Please don’t destroy yourself.”
Tess got up from her chair and walked over to Kyle who was already starting to mix the pancake batter. “Do you know how wonderful you are?” she asked him.
He shook his head, insecurities of his past still making it hard to believe that she could love him in spite of them.
“Kyle, I don’t know what I would do without you,” she gushed, giving him a soft kiss.
He wrapped his arms around her. “Well, you’ll never have to discover the answer to that.” He pulled her close and gave her a protective kiss on the top of the head.
“Have you talked to Isabelle lately?” he asked as Tess dipped her finger in bowl, and proceeded to lick the pancake batter off her finger.
“No.” They hadn’t talked since that day at the Opal’s. “Thanks for reminding me. I should give her a call.” She grabbed the portable phone and then leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Let me know when the pancakes are done,” she said as she traipsed into the living room.
“I will.” Kyle smiled with relief. Although her conversation with Isabelle was sure to be angst filled, it at least gave her eyes a break from scrutinizing files.
After she left he was reminded of the message on the machine from her boss at McCleland and Heigl’s. He had called yesterday wanting to talk to her.
Kyle new exactly what the call was about. Tess had been hired, primarily because of her intelligence, willingness to work long hours, ability to crack any case she undertook, but since she’d been hired, her performance had been sub par and management wanted answers. The irony was that she was working longer and harder than she had ever had in her life, just not for a case on their payroll. If they only knew.
Kyle was about to holler into the living room to let her know about the message but thought better of it. She had enough to worry about today. He’d tell her tomorrow.
***********
“Not good,” Isabelle replied into the phone when Tess had asked her how she was doing.
“Still haven’t talked to Alex?”
“No. I’m still asleep when he gets up,” she explained. She kept telling herself she’d wake up when he did in the morning but the sleeping pills she was taking were really knocking her out. “And he’s been working late.”
“Well, it’s Saturday. He must be home today,” Tess reasoned.
Isabelle shook her head and then added a “No” into the phone realizing that Tess couldn’t see her. “He’s working” she said looking down at the note he had left on the kitchen table.
Tess sighed. Sure Max’s case was her highest priority but Isabelle seemed to be falling apart. Max wouldn’t forgive her if he got out and found Isabelle broken. Besides, maybe Isabelle could be of some help.
“What do you say to shopping and an early diner?” she asked.
“Really?” Isabelle’s voice rose in cheerfulness at the suggestion. “I don’t want to interrupt Max’s case though…” she said, although she couldn’t deny she was dying to get out of the house. She just felt so lonely.
“Ya, well 2 eyes are better than one, ok? Besides,” she said walking back into the kitchen where Kyle was flipping pancakes in the fry pan. “Kyle thinks I need a break.”
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
“How’d it go?” Liz asked when she answered her door and saw Serena was on the other side. Serena had met with Max at the prison early that morning and Liz had been anxiously awaiting her return all day.
“Good, I…” Serena started to explain but Liz silently signaled for her to be quiet and mouthed the words ‘Billy’s inside with Maria’.
Serena nodded in understanding. “A walk then?” she asked.
“Sure,” Liz replied.
“Maria, I’m going out for a bit but will be back soon,” Liz hollered and then took off before Billy got up off the couch and came to the door. There was no reason why seeing her with Serena would raise suspicions but she didn’t want to take any chances.
“So?” Liz asked as she and Serena walked along the side of the road. “What did Max say?”
“He was worried about you. They both were.”
Liz looked at Serena with question. “Both?”
“Michael was there too,” she explained. “He feels horrible about everything. He wants to see Maria, but Max and I both advised against it. If whoever is watching were to see, it might not be good…..”
Liz nodded. “Did he know anything?” she asked eager for this nightmare to be over.
Serena nodded. “Sean had talked about taking out a private loan. He must have gone ahead with it.”
“Where’d he get the money?”
“We don’t know but it’s most likely dirty money.”
“Oh my god. I just can’t believe that Sean would do that. And get us all involved.” Liz couldn’t believe she had gotten involved with him. What had she been thinking?
“Liz, I know that look. Don’t do this to yourself. In all fairness to Sean, I don’t think he knew things would get this far.”
“Fuck.” Liz would think about this later. For now she had to focus on saving Michael and Maria
“So, did you find about the safety deposit box?” she asked.
“Yes, It was Sean’s. The key is on his key chain ring at Amy Deluca’s,” Serena explained.
“Let’s go there now.” They were finally getting somewhere.
***********
“Damn it. She’s not home.” She hadn’t answered the door and there was no car in the driveway.
“Does she keep a key under a flower pot or something?” Serena asked.
Liz just shook her head.
“Damn.” Couldn’t some good luck come there way? “We’ll come back later then.”
“I just hope she’s here soon. Billy’s been asking to use Sean’s truck.”
“Do you think he knows?”
Liz nodded.
“Ok. We’ll try back later on tonight,” Serena replied ands then pulled an envelope out of her pocket. “This is for you from Max,” she said giving it to Liz. She decided not to mention how concerned Max had been, how his eyes lit up every time he ad talked about Liz. No, Liz was already starting to fall and Serena didn’t want to add to it.
Liz’s face lit up as she took the letter. “Thanks.” It didn’t go unnoticed by Serena.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Isabelle arrived home at 8pm, after a full day with Tess. The house was dark and there was no sign Alex had been home at all. She was glad she had eaten with Tess at that steakhouse in the mall, rather than come home in hopes Alex would be waiting for her. It had been a while since they had eaten a meal at home together.
She put her bags on the kitchen counter, and smiled. She was very pleased with her purchases, especially the new bra and panty set she had bought at ‘La Senza’. She hoped it would get Alex’s attention, maybe even tonight. She’d go run a bath and wait for him in the bedroom in her new apparel.
Just as she was about to pick up her bags and head down the hall she noticed the light on the answering machine blinking, indicating there was a message. Hoping it was Alex, she pressed the play button.
Oh hi, Alex. This is Patty Burns, divorce attorney, returning your call. I can be reached at my office at …..
The woman went on to leave her number and the machine clicked off but Isabelle heard neither. She was still stuck on the word divorce. He had called a divorce lawyer?
No, no, she reasoned to herself. He wouldn’t do that. But what other reason would there be?
All of the color was drained from her face. She picked up her purse and keys from the table and headed out the front door, the warm bath and lingerie long forgotten.
************
“Dr. Milner please. You have to help me,” Isabelle screamed into the buzzer outside of Dr. Milner’s office building.
It was 9pm and he had just closed but she was sure he was still there as the lights were on in his officeon the 4th floor.
Inside the office, Dr. Milner was packing up his belongings, ready to go home.
His secretary poked her head in his office. “Did you hear that? Is she one of your patients?”
Dr. Milner walked over to the window and looked down at Isabelle. He couldn’t remember her name, but recognized her. She was the girl that had insulted him, insinuating he made up sexual abuse when there was none. “She’s no longer one of my patients, Tracy.”
He decided to ignore her and went back to her office to finish packing up his bag.
“Dr. Milner, please. He’s leaving me. You have to help me, remember, please,” Isabelle screamed and banged on the bottom door.
“Dr., don’t you think we should help her?” Tracy asked, feeling sorry for Isabelle.
“In case you’ve forgotten the office is closed for the day,” he replied.
“Surely we can make an exception. I mean the poor girl is falling a part.”
Dr. Milner just shook his head. “Turn off all the lights Tracy.”
Tracy complied and the two took a seat in the dark, ready to make their exit once Isabelle finally decided to leave.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
It was later on that evening. Billy was still at the house. Made every excuse to stay and Liz was starting to get restless. She had walked to Amy’s again after supper and once again found her not home. She had also called her several times.
Liz knew she could easily get a key from Maria had been unable to get her alone to ask for it. She didn’t want to do anything that would make Billy suspicious, at least not yet. Frustration crazing through her, she decided to tale a break and retire to her room to read Max’s letter.
Dear Liz,
If you are reading this it means that Serena has told you where to find both the key and safety deposit box. This whole plan is so dangerous but both Michael and I feel it’s the only option. We just can’t identify who all the major players are and if we get the police involved at this point, I don’t think that you or Maria will be safe.
Remember that Billy is watching your every move. Use that to your advantage but please be careful, he may no a lot more than he’s letting on. I just couldn’t bare it if you got hurt.
Michael and I are slowly working things out. He’s guilt tripping himself right now but I think we both expected that, right? He really wants to reach out to Maria but it’s too dangerous at this point. He’s written her a letter and we are leaving it up to you to decide if and when you give it to her.
I miss you Liz. I miss your letters. I re read the ones you’ve sent me, all the time.
Please don’t do anything that will put you or Maria in danger. I’ll keep Michael safe.
I’ll be thinking of you.
Max
Liz looked at the envelope that contained the letter for Maria. Maybe it was time to tell her what was going on. On the other hand, Maria was a horrible actress and an even worse liar. Is she knew the truth would her behaviors change, give them away to Billy?
Then there was Michael. Maria was dying without him. Keeping the letter from her just wasn’t fair.
Liz shook her head as she agonized over the decision. As bad as she felt about it, she just couldn’t risk it. It would all be over soon. She’d get the key from Amy tomorrow, and with Hansen’s help would lead Billy and the others into a trap. Then Maria and Michael would be safe, she could show Maria the letter, reunite her family. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.
She closed her eyes and tried to relax, despite the fact her stomach was in knots.
She repeated the last line of Max’s letter in her mind, ‘I’ll be thinking of you’ and smiled, eventually falling into a light sleep.
Behind Bars (M/L CC Mature) A/N Sept. 18 [WIP]
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maya
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Thank you's are in previous post.
Part 22
“Liz, I don’t understand why we have to go over to my mom’s at this time in the morning. I mean its 7 am,” Maria whined as she got dressed.
“Look Maria, I’ll explain this to you later. It’s really important and we have to get over there soon. I’ve started breakfast. It will be at the table when you come down.”
As Maria sat at the table eating her toast and eggs she noticed Liz continually glancing at the window. “Are you expecting someone?” she asked.
‘What? Oh no. I just…is Billy coming over today?”
“He mentioned he would but not at this time of day Liz. He’s a late sleeper.”
“Ok. Good.” Liz paced back and forth in front of the door.
“Why don’t you want him over here?” she asked as she finished her juice.
“I’ll tell you later Maria.”
“Listen I’m just not feeling all that well today. Why don’t I just give you the key?”
Liz didn’t like that idea. What if Billy caught wind of what she was up to and took Maria as bait. “Maria, I need you to come. I’ll explain it all later, I promise.”
The two put on their coats and trudged down the street towards Amy’s.
“Why couldn’t we drive?” Maria whined.
Liz figured keeping the car in the driveway would make it appear they were still home. “You need the exercise Maria,” she replied to which Maria just groaned.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
“Man I wish I hadn’t shut Maria out. Lies. You’d think I’d have learned by now,” Michael sighed. He and Max were in their cell feeling sorry for themselves and worrying about the girls. They had laundry duty in 15 minutes, at which time they would have to go by Anderson’s office. They were hoping to sneak inside and find out more information.
“Ya, I know what you mean,” Max sighed. The last 5 years in here had given him a lot of time to think about his childhood. What if he hadn’t kept the abuse a secret? Had admitted it to the school counselor that day he asked. They’d only stayed for their mother but look where that had gotten them. If he’d reported it then maybe his mother would have found the strength to leave as well.
Instead he had kept it between himself, Isabelle and Tess. Alex sort of knew too, not consciously, but it was buried inside of his brain somewhere. He laughed to himself remembering the night Alex has come to the house.
It had been late. Max and Isabelle sat at the kitchen table doing homework when their dad had arrived home in a drunken stupor.
“Why you doing this stuff?” he had said to Isabelle. “You actually think you’ll ever be worth enough to go to college?” he asked with a laugh.
“Answer me,” he screamed as Isabelle continued to avert her gaze.
Smack. His hand connected with the table top.
“Leave her alone. Isabelle go to your room,” Max yelled, jumping up from the table.
“I’m the boss around her SON,” he yelled.
“Oh come on you’d rather hit me, wouldn’t you. Show me that I’m not much of a man,” Max egged him on while Isabelle made her way to her room.
“A man,” the old man scoffed. “Your hardly a boy.” He was finding it hard to keep his balance now.
Max only had to endure fists twice before Philip passed out and fell to the floor.
But when Philip fell Max was shocked to see Alex standing behind him in the open doorway.
The next day at school, Max had tracked Alex down straight away. “Alex, about what you saw last night…” he began not sure how much Alex has seen or what he should say. Had he arrived before or after Isabelle had left?
“What you mean the Law and Order episode?”
‘What?” Max asked.
“Last night I did homework, watched Law and Order and crashed.”
“You mean you didn’t come over to our house at midnight?” Max asked.
Alex just shook his head. No, man.”
Had Alex been sleepwalking? Isabelle had mentioned he had a problem with it, and that it got worse when he was under stress. But did he actually sleepwalk to others homes?
“What’s going on?” Alex asked.
“Nothing. I’m just getting my nights mixed up. I was thinking about that concert we went to…” Max replied trying to think quickly.
“That was 4 days ago.”
“I know, I know, with all this work the days just blur together. Look I’m gonna be late for class.”
“Ok,” Alex replied. “See ya.”
Max headed for class. He’d stop by the library later and do a little research on sleep walking.
“You’re quiet. What are you thinking about?” Michael asked, pulling Max out of his memories.
If he had let Alex in on the secret that morning would it have changed things? “Ah just what you said about Lies. I agree 100%,” was all that Max replied.
********
“Who the fuck do you think he’s talking to?” Max asked Michael as they hid outside Anderson’s office, attempting to listen to his side of a phone conversation.
Michael just shrugged. ‘I can’t make out a damn thing. I hope the girls are doing better than we are.”
Max hoped so too. “Liz should have the key by now and be well on her way. In a few hours Billy, Randy, Paul and hopefully whoever else was in on this damn thing will be behind bars.”
“Do you really think it will happen like that?” he asked.
“There’s no reason it won’t,” Max replied trying to be optimistic. Liz was a strong girl but this was a lot for anyone to handle and there were still so many unknowns.
“If we can get in here after he leaves, we can press redial, see who he called,” Max suggested.
“Are you crazy. For all we know that call had nothing to do with this whole thing. Do you know how much time they’ll add to our sentence if we get caught? ” Michael asked, eyes wide with shock that Max would even suggest it.
“Then I’ll do it alone,” Max replied. His sentence was so long already, what difference would a few more years make?
“I can’t let you do that. Not when this is my mess to clean up.”
As the two men continued to argue, neither noticed that Anderson had completed his call and was now standing at the entrance to the office, staring at them, arms crossed in front of his chest.
“Ahh, look what the cat dragged in,” he said as his lips formed an ever so villainous smirk. He then grabbed both men by the collar and dragged them into the office, locking the door behind them.
-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-__-_--_-
Isabelle stared out the window of her hospital room, sadly. When Dr. Milner had refused her plea for help she had called Tess and broken down into the phone. She remembered nothing from that point on until she had awoken in the hospital this morning.
“Your breakfast is on its way,” Tess said cheerily when she walked into the room. She had barely left Isabelle’s side since she had been admitted the night before.
Tess arrived at the scene to find Isabelle had completely dissociated. She was sitting on the steps, rocking back in forth, tears streaming down her face with no idea what was going on around her. Just like all those years ago Tess had called her name, shaken her, snapped her fingers in front of here eyes, and was met with no reply.
“How are you doing this morning?” the doctor asked Isabelle when he walked into the room.
“Not well,” she replied curtly. He made a note in her chart.
“We gave you a sedative last night. Did it help you sleep?” he asked.
She nodded. She didn’t ask when or if she would be getting out. Frankly, she didn’t care. She had no one to go back to now.
“Miss Harding, can I have a word with you outside?” The doctor asked.
When they were in the corridor he looked at her compassionately. “I need more information on her mother’s condition.”
“Her mother?” Tess asked. “You mean because she might have the same thing?”
He nodded. “But her mother doesn’t talk at all. It’s like she’s lost all connection with reality. Isabelle isn’t anywhere near that state.”
“If she doesn’t get some help that’s exactly where she’s headed,” he replied.
Tess shook her head. What Isabelle needed was to find out what really happened that night and that wasn’t going to happen here. Once she found that out and her brother was released she would be able to heal. Why did Alex have to do this to her right now?
“She’s here voluntarily. She can leave at anytime,” Tess argued.
“That’s right,” the doctor said. “If you’re thinking of having her released I advise against it.”
He could tell by the look on Tess’s face that her decision was made. “At least let her stay another night, undergo some tests.”
“Ok,” Tess replied.
Suddenly she heard a male voice coming from Isabelle’s room. “Isabelle. Isabelle. What’s happened to you?”
Tess ran to Isabelle’s room to find Alex hovered over her bed.
“Get out, Alex,” Isabelle whispered.
“I don’t understand. What happened?”
“You have some nerve coming here,” Tess yelled barging into the room.
“Tess, I want some answers. I get a phone call on my cell telling me my wife is here.”
“You didn’t find it odd she didn’t come home last night?” Tess spat.
“I was asleep, I thought she was out with you,” he explained. “The hospital ringing my cell is what woke me up.”
“Go home Alex.”
‘What? This is my wife. You can’t just…”
“Go home and listen to your message machine. Then call me and we can talk.”
“Tess, if you think that I willl….”
“Do you want to make things worse?” she asked.
“Of course not.” Alex looked towards Isabelle who was still looking away her body wracked with sobs.
He would leave for now but he would be coming back.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
“Amy.”
“Mom.”
The girls called out as they entered Amy’s dark house and turned on the light.
They were met with no response. “Hmm. She must still be asleep. That’s not like her,” Maria explained. Her mother usually started her day with 7 am yoga.
“Could she have stayed away overnight?” Liz suggested as they made there way towards the kitchen.
Maria shook her head. “The car’s in the driveway.”
“Where would Sean’s keys be?” she asked.
“Key chain in the top drawer.”
Liz reached into the drawer but it was full of only papers. “Maria, were else would she put it.?” She was starting to feel creeped out and just wanted to find it and get out of here.
Maria jumped in fright when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
She turned around quickly to see Billy standing in the entrance to the kitchen. “Billy, you scared the shit out of me,” she said with a laugh.
He was sporting a grin and dangling a set of keys in the air. “Looking for these?” he asked looking directly at Liz.
Part 22
“Liz, I don’t understand why we have to go over to my mom’s at this time in the morning. I mean its 7 am,” Maria whined as she got dressed.
“Look Maria, I’ll explain this to you later. It’s really important and we have to get over there soon. I’ve started breakfast. It will be at the table when you come down.”
As Maria sat at the table eating her toast and eggs she noticed Liz continually glancing at the window. “Are you expecting someone?” she asked.
‘What? Oh no. I just…is Billy coming over today?”
“He mentioned he would but not at this time of day Liz. He’s a late sleeper.”
“Ok. Good.” Liz paced back and forth in front of the door.
“Why don’t you want him over here?” she asked as she finished her juice.
“I’ll tell you later Maria.”
“Listen I’m just not feeling all that well today. Why don’t I just give you the key?”
Liz didn’t like that idea. What if Billy caught wind of what she was up to and took Maria as bait. “Maria, I need you to come. I’ll explain it all later, I promise.”
The two put on their coats and trudged down the street towards Amy’s.
“Why couldn’t we drive?” Maria whined.
Liz figured keeping the car in the driveway would make it appear they were still home. “You need the exercise Maria,” she replied to which Maria just groaned.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
“Man I wish I hadn’t shut Maria out. Lies. You’d think I’d have learned by now,” Michael sighed. He and Max were in their cell feeling sorry for themselves and worrying about the girls. They had laundry duty in 15 minutes, at which time they would have to go by Anderson’s office. They were hoping to sneak inside and find out more information.
“Ya, I know what you mean,” Max sighed. The last 5 years in here had given him a lot of time to think about his childhood. What if he hadn’t kept the abuse a secret? Had admitted it to the school counselor that day he asked. They’d only stayed for their mother but look where that had gotten them. If he’d reported it then maybe his mother would have found the strength to leave as well.
Instead he had kept it between himself, Isabelle and Tess. Alex sort of knew too, not consciously, but it was buried inside of his brain somewhere. He laughed to himself remembering the night Alex has come to the house.
It had been late. Max and Isabelle sat at the kitchen table doing homework when their dad had arrived home in a drunken stupor.
“Why you doing this stuff?” he had said to Isabelle. “You actually think you’ll ever be worth enough to go to college?” he asked with a laugh.
“Answer me,” he screamed as Isabelle continued to avert her gaze.
Smack. His hand connected with the table top.
“Leave her alone. Isabelle go to your room,” Max yelled, jumping up from the table.
“I’m the boss around her SON,” he yelled.
“Oh come on you’d rather hit me, wouldn’t you. Show me that I’m not much of a man,” Max egged him on while Isabelle made her way to her room.
“A man,” the old man scoffed. “Your hardly a boy.” He was finding it hard to keep his balance now.
Max only had to endure fists twice before Philip passed out and fell to the floor.
But when Philip fell Max was shocked to see Alex standing behind him in the open doorway.
The next day at school, Max had tracked Alex down straight away. “Alex, about what you saw last night…” he began not sure how much Alex has seen or what he should say. Had he arrived before or after Isabelle had left?
“What you mean the Law and Order episode?”
‘What?” Max asked.
“Last night I did homework, watched Law and Order and crashed.”
“You mean you didn’t come over to our house at midnight?” Max asked.
Alex just shook his head. No, man.”
Had Alex been sleepwalking? Isabelle had mentioned he had a problem with it, and that it got worse when he was under stress. But did he actually sleepwalk to others homes?
“What’s going on?” Alex asked.
“Nothing. I’m just getting my nights mixed up. I was thinking about that concert we went to…” Max replied trying to think quickly.
“That was 4 days ago.”
“I know, I know, with all this work the days just blur together. Look I’m gonna be late for class.”
“Ok,” Alex replied. “See ya.”
Max headed for class. He’d stop by the library later and do a little research on sleep walking.
“You’re quiet. What are you thinking about?” Michael asked, pulling Max out of his memories.
If he had let Alex in on the secret that morning would it have changed things? “Ah just what you said about Lies. I agree 100%,” was all that Max replied.
********
“Who the fuck do you think he’s talking to?” Max asked Michael as they hid outside Anderson’s office, attempting to listen to his side of a phone conversation.
Michael just shrugged. ‘I can’t make out a damn thing. I hope the girls are doing better than we are.”
Max hoped so too. “Liz should have the key by now and be well on her way. In a few hours Billy, Randy, Paul and hopefully whoever else was in on this damn thing will be behind bars.”
“Do you really think it will happen like that?” he asked.
“There’s no reason it won’t,” Max replied trying to be optimistic. Liz was a strong girl but this was a lot for anyone to handle and there were still so many unknowns.
“If we can get in here after he leaves, we can press redial, see who he called,” Max suggested.
“Are you crazy. For all we know that call had nothing to do with this whole thing. Do you know how much time they’ll add to our sentence if we get caught? ” Michael asked, eyes wide with shock that Max would even suggest it.
“Then I’ll do it alone,” Max replied. His sentence was so long already, what difference would a few more years make?
“I can’t let you do that. Not when this is my mess to clean up.”
As the two men continued to argue, neither noticed that Anderson had completed his call and was now standing at the entrance to the office, staring at them, arms crossed in front of his chest.
“Ahh, look what the cat dragged in,” he said as his lips formed an ever so villainous smirk. He then grabbed both men by the collar and dragged them into the office, locking the door behind them.
-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-__-_--_-
Isabelle stared out the window of her hospital room, sadly. When Dr. Milner had refused her plea for help she had called Tess and broken down into the phone. She remembered nothing from that point on until she had awoken in the hospital this morning.
“Your breakfast is on its way,” Tess said cheerily when she walked into the room. She had barely left Isabelle’s side since she had been admitted the night before.
Tess arrived at the scene to find Isabelle had completely dissociated. She was sitting on the steps, rocking back in forth, tears streaming down her face with no idea what was going on around her. Just like all those years ago Tess had called her name, shaken her, snapped her fingers in front of here eyes, and was met with no reply.
“How are you doing this morning?” the doctor asked Isabelle when he walked into the room.
“Not well,” she replied curtly. He made a note in her chart.
“We gave you a sedative last night. Did it help you sleep?” he asked.
She nodded. She didn’t ask when or if she would be getting out. Frankly, she didn’t care. She had no one to go back to now.
“Miss Harding, can I have a word with you outside?” The doctor asked.
When they were in the corridor he looked at her compassionately. “I need more information on her mother’s condition.”
“Her mother?” Tess asked. “You mean because she might have the same thing?”
He nodded. “But her mother doesn’t talk at all. It’s like she’s lost all connection with reality. Isabelle isn’t anywhere near that state.”
“If she doesn’t get some help that’s exactly where she’s headed,” he replied.
Tess shook her head. What Isabelle needed was to find out what really happened that night and that wasn’t going to happen here. Once she found that out and her brother was released she would be able to heal. Why did Alex have to do this to her right now?
“She’s here voluntarily. She can leave at anytime,” Tess argued.
“That’s right,” the doctor said. “If you’re thinking of having her released I advise against it.”
He could tell by the look on Tess’s face that her decision was made. “At least let her stay another night, undergo some tests.”
“Ok,” Tess replied.
Suddenly she heard a male voice coming from Isabelle’s room. “Isabelle. Isabelle. What’s happened to you?”
Tess ran to Isabelle’s room to find Alex hovered over her bed.
“Get out, Alex,” Isabelle whispered.
“I don’t understand. What happened?”
“You have some nerve coming here,” Tess yelled barging into the room.
“Tess, I want some answers. I get a phone call on my cell telling me my wife is here.”
“You didn’t find it odd she didn’t come home last night?” Tess spat.
“I was asleep, I thought she was out with you,” he explained. “The hospital ringing my cell is what woke me up.”
“Go home Alex.”
‘What? This is my wife. You can’t just…”
“Go home and listen to your message machine. Then call me and we can talk.”
“Tess, if you think that I willl….”
“Do you want to make things worse?” she asked.
“Of course not.” Alex looked towards Isabelle who was still looking away her body wracked with sobs.
He would leave for now but he would be coming back.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
“Amy.”
“Mom.”
The girls called out as they entered Amy’s dark house and turned on the light.
They were met with no response. “Hmm. She must still be asleep. That’s not like her,” Maria explained. Her mother usually started her day with 7 am yoga.
“Could she have stayed away overnight?” Liz suggested as they made there way towards the kitchen.
Maria shook her head. “The car’s in the driveway.”
“Where would Sean’s keys be?” she asked.
“Key chain in the top drawer.”
Liz reached into the drawer but it was full of only papers. “Maria, were else would she put it.?” She was starting to feel creeped out and just wanted to find it and get out of here.
Maria jumped in fright when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
She turned around quickly to see Billy standing in the entrance to the kitchen. “Billy, you scared the shit out of me,” she said with a laugh.
He was sporting a grin and dangling a set of keys in the air. “Looking for these?” he asked looking directly at Liz.
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maya
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Part 23
Rays from the early morning sun, shone across Isabelle’s hospital bed at exactly the right spot, highlighting her angelic face, her beautiful blonde hair fanned out across the white pillow. Everyone who entered the room had stopped to watch her, the doctor, nurse on duty, even Tess had stopped her pacing and worry long enough to watch; mesmerized by how peaceful she looked. They would comment on this fact as they did observations and routine tests, not knowing how completely wrong they were. Isabelle was far from where peace lived, trapped in a horrific dream, a nightmare.
She found herself wearing one of her latest creations, a red strapless evening gown. Her hair was swept off her face and she wore diamond earrings with a matching bracelet. It appeared she was on her way out for the evening but then she took in her surroundings, dropping her purse in surprise to find herself standing in her old childhood kitchen.
It was like stepping back in time. The kitchen table full of unpaid bills, the back pack she had had at 19 sitting in the middle of it, right beside a copy of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ which had been her English book that year.
She took a step forward, noticing other things that were the same, the rooster hand towels hung over the stove handle, the Christmas photos attached to the fridge by store magnets, the smell of pine sol in the air, her mother had always been convinced it was the only cleaner worth using.
It was like she was in fog. She could see things but they weren’t that clear, as if eye drops were blurring her vision. She took a step forward trying to see if it would improve. It did and that was when she saw him, and the loud thumping began in her chest.
It was Philip, lying on his back on the floor in front of the fridge, blood gushing from his chest, no movement evident in any part of his body.
Her hand jumped to cover her mouth in shock. Was he dead? There was so much blood, it was everywhere. Her head felt heavy, the room seemed to be spinning.
Suddenly Diane entered with a bag of groceries and a smile on her face, whistling to herself. She didn’t notice Isabelle standing there and Isabelle began to wonder if that was why things were so blurry, was she just an observer here?
Diane put the bag on the kitchen table, setting her keys beside it and turned around, heading towards the fridge for a glass of lemonade.
When she saw Philip, she let out a scream so shrill, Isabelle was sure it would break a window, and then threw herself down onto the ground. “Max, Max,” she called, pressing her fingers into the pulse point on his neck, then slinking to the ground with a sob when she had found none.
Max entered the room slowly, dressed in a striped prison uniform, his legs and arms in shackles, carrying a heavy metal ball that was attached to the chains on his legs.
“Mom, what is it?” he asked, his eyes gray with fatigue.
“He’s gone.”
Max began to sob, vehemently, something Isabelle had never witnessed before. Diane rushed to him and took him into an embrace.
Isabelle’s heart broke at the scene, she couldn’t bear to see them in this type of pain. “I’m sorry,” she whispered through her own tears.
Max and Diane broke apart, and turned to look at her. They had heard her and Isabelle’s heart leapt with happiness, wanting to be able to share the pain with them. She reached forward to embrace them but instead of moving towards her, they stayed where they were, crossed their arms across their chest and looked at her with spiteful eyes.
‘What’s wrong?” she asked. “Don’t you recognize me? It’s Isabelle.”
But lack of recognition was not the problem at all. They new who she was and they were angry with her.
“It’s because of you he’s dead,” Diane growled.
“And because of you, I’m stuck carrying this,” Max held the metal ball out to her. “I haven’t seen the outside world in almost 5 years.”
“I’m sorry,” Isabelle sobbed. “But I didn’t ask you to take the blame.”
Max scoffed at this. “What choice did I have? You weren’t strong enough.”
Isabelle tried to defend herself, “What. No I was strong. I am strong…I”, but no one listened. Instead their voices grew louder and picking up speed, began to swirl around her head.
“It’s because of you he’s dead.”
“You put me in jail.”
“It’s all your fault.”
She couldn’t take it anymore. “No, it’s not,” she shouted. “Max, I’m trying to help you. Mom, Mom, I visit you every week. You know that.”
Then before she knew it, Philip was standing in front of her, like a zombie, the wound still in his chest. “I’m not sorry you killed me pumpkin.” That was the pet name he used to call her. “ You know why?” he asked.
Isabelle shook her head, and began walking back in fear, trying to get away from him.
“It’s called revenge and it’s so much better than anything I could ever have done to you. Your mother’s sick, your brother is in jail and you carry around a guilt that is so much heavier than that ball Max is carrying, so much heavier and eternal too.”
Isabelle took another step back. Only a few more and she would be out the door.
“You know, for a while you hid it somewhere deep in your mind, you started your fancy business and made money, thought you were better than we were didn’t you?”
Isabelle watched Max across the room in shame. “No. I never once thought that.”
Philip took another step towards her “You did,” he replied. “But don’t worry about it. I’m here to make sure you will never forget again.”
Isabelle had reached the door but Philip was now standing right beside her, so close he could touch her. His arm moved closer and just as she was sure he would grab her arm, he pushed the front door open instead. “Allow me,” he said with a smile.
Isabelle stepped out, but instead of meeting the walkway as she had anticipated, she found herself falling through a black abyss of nothingness.
“Help, help,” Isabelle screamed as she thrashed in her bed, perspiration on her forehead, her heart beating erratically in her chest.
A small cream hand, reached out and grabbed her own hand. “Isabelle, it was just a dream.” She heard the words whispered calmly into her ear. A cool cloth was run across her forehead. She opened her eyes to see Tess sitting on her bed beside her, smiling down at her.
“A dream. Are you sure? It was so real.” So real, she was finding it hard to catch her breath.
“I’m sure.” Tess nodded.
Isabelle was grateful for the reassurance and began to relax.
“Do you remember what it was about?” Tess asked.
“Oh god, “Isabelle groaned as it all came back to her. “I was at home, the night that dad died,” she said and then began to recount the dream, leaving no detail out.
“So it was a memory wasn’t it? My subconscious way of telling me what I had done, or dad reaching out from beyond the grave.”
Tess shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
“How do you know?” she asked, praying Tess was right.
“You said that you were the age you were now right, not 19?” she confirmed. Isabelle nodded. “Well if it was a memory you would have been 19. No one else was the way they were then either. I mean Max in those chains, that was a little overdone. My interpretation of the dream is that you feel guilty that you built a successful career while your brother was in jail and mother in the hospital.”
“Ok, so why would I feel guilty if I didn’t do it?” she asked.
“Because you’re the only one who’s been successful of the three, even though you all endured the abuse. Although, I’m not sure how true that even is, I mean on paper your life is great…”
“But in reality it’s a mess,” Isabelle finished for her. Her marriage was in shambles, she couldn’t live without sleeping pills and she was lying in this hospital bed.
“I’m not saying you didn’t do it. I’m just saying this dream doesn’t confirm you did,” Tess clarified.
“So how the hell do I remember what really happened that night?” she asked. It was a question she was sick of asking.
Tess looked at her vulnerable friend, having no answer to give. This wasn’t a problem that hours of research at the law library could solve. “I don’t know,” was the only reply she could muster.
Isabelle closed her eyes, willing all of her problems to go away. Would it always be like this, would she always wonder? “I‘d rather be dead, than not remember.” Anything was better than the agony of the unknown.
*********
“Tess, I need to see you,” Alex repeated into the phone for the second time, exasperation in every muscle of his body.
“Did you listen to the answering machine?’ she asked.
“Yes and god it was just a misunderstanding.”
“I’ll be over there this afternoon.”
“I certainly don’t need permission to see my own wife.”
“And send her spiraling into the state her mother is in? Because that’s the direction she’s heading.”
“I resent that. I would never hurt Isabelle….”
“Not intentionally.”
Alex rubbed his temples, where the start of a headache was beginning to take hold.
“If you value her health you’ll realize that I’m the only one who knows what’s best for her right now.” Tess held her ground.
“Ok”
-_-_-_-_-_-_
Anderson pulled the two inmates into his office and shut the door behind him. They looked at each other, having been caught red handed, would they be able to talk their way out of it?
“We were just…” Michael racked his brain for a reasonable excuse but came up with nothing.
‘Sir, this was all me…you see I…” Max began to take the blame but was instantly cut off by Anderson.
“No reason to explain boys, I’ve been expecting you. Please have a seat,” he said pointing to the two seats in front of his desk.
Max and Michael exchanged curious glances and then did what they were told.
Anderson let out a gruff laugh, taking a seat in his own chair behind his desk. “What, you didn’t find it coincidental, that a week ago, you two got put on staff laundry duty, I mean who has ever heard of that, really now.” Again he laughed.
It was true. Max couldn’t believe their luck last week when they had found out about the assignment. Thought it was a sign from above, leading them closer to the truth. It hadn’t even crossed his mind that it had been too good to be true. He gave Michael a sheepish look.
“And that even stranger, 3 days ago, this office was left unlocked and a jar during that time? Gullible.” Gullible, but he wouldn’t complain. It had worked to his advantage beautifully.
Michael gripped the side of his chair, so much self hatred; his knuckles began to turn white. He had always been a skeptic, but when it came to this whole thing with Liz and Maria he had questioned nothing. I guess the old saying is true. When a man is on a mission, he’ll believe whatever he needs to believe. In this case he had needed to believe that there was something he could do to help from in here. Anderson was right. Gullible.
So they’d been duped. The question was, for what purpose. What exactly would Anderson do with them and what did it mean for Maria and Liz?
They didn’t have to wait long to find out. After handcuffing them both to the chairs, Anderson pulled out a TV/Video player combo on wheels, placed it in plain view for them and turned the TV on.
“See, some people might do what I do because of the money. Not me, it’s a perk for sure, but the real fun is in the power…the power over other people’s lives. Letting a cat loose and watching the mice run for their lives.”
“Stop your mind games. Whatever, we’re here for just get it over with.” Max yelled.
“Funny. I’m in charge here. Not you,” he spat. But you’re right, it is time to get started. Get your popcorn out boys; it’s time to watch a little live show.”
Max and Michael watched the screen in front of them apprehensively, not knowing what to expect. The image on the screen was in black and white. They could see a living room, with a small tattered couch in the middle.
The room meant nothing to Max, but Michael recognized it right away. If it had been in color the couch would have been green. He and Maria had made out on it many times in high school. It was also the place he, Maria and Amy would watch TV, while eating dinner on TV trays. He gulped so loud that Max could here.
“What. What is it?” he asked.
“Amy’s living room.”
Rays from the early morning sun, shone across Isabelle’s hospital bed at exactly the right spot, highlighting her angelic face, her beautiful blonde hair fanned out across the white pillow. Everyone who entered the room had stopped to watch her, the doctor, nurse on duty, even Tess had stopped her pacing and worry long enough to watch; mesmerized by how peaceful she looked. They would comment on this fact as they did observations and routine tests, not knowing how completely wrong they were. Isabelle was far from where peace lived, trapped in a horrific dream, a nightmare.
She found herself wearing one of her latest creations, a red strapless evening gown. Her hair was swept off her face and she wore diamond earrings with a matching bracelet. It appeared she was on her way out for the evening but then she took in her surroundings, dropping her purse in surprise to find herself standing in her old childhood kitchen.
It was like stepping back in time. The kitchen table full of unpaid bills, the back pack she had had at 19 sitting in the middle of it, right beside a copy of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ which had been her English book that year.
She took a step forward, noticing other things that were the same, the rooster hand towels hung over the stove handle, the Christmas photos attached to the fridge by store magnets, the smell of pine sol in the air, her mother had always been convinced it was the only cleaner worth using.
It was like she was in fog. She could see things but they weren’t that clear, as if eye drops were blurring her vision. She took a step forward trying to see if it would improve. It did and that was when she saw him, and the loud thumping began in her chest.
It was Philip, lying on his back on the floor in front of the fridge, blood gushing from his chest, no movement evident in any part of his body.
Her hand jumped to cover her mouth in shock. Was he dead? There was so much blood, it was everywhere. Her head felt heavy, the room seemed to be spinning.
Suddenly Diane entered with a bag of groceries and a smile on her face, whistling to herself. She didn’t notice Isabelle standing there and Isabelle began to wonder if that was why things were so blurry, was she just an observer here?
Diane put the bag on the kitchen table, setting her keys beside it and turned around, heading towards the fridge for a glass of lemonade.
When she saw Philip, she let out a scream so shrill, Isabelle was sure it would break a window, and then threw herself down onto the ground. “Max, Max,” she called, pressing her fingers into the pulse point on his neck, then slinking to the ground with a sob when she had found none.
Max entered the room slowly, dressed in a striped prison uniform, his legs and arms in shackles, carrying a heavy metal ball that was attached to the chains on his legs.
“Mom, what is it?” he asked, his eyes gray with fatigue.
“He’s gone.”
Max began to sob, vehemently, something Isabelle had never witnessed before. Diane rushed to him and took him into an embrace.
Isabelle’s heart broke at the scene, she couldn’t bear to see them in this type of pain. “I’m sorry,” she whispered through her own tears.
Max and Diane broke apart, and turned to look at her. They had heard her and Isabelle’s heart leapt with happiness, wanting to be able to share the pain with them. She reached forward to embrace them but instead of moving towards her, they stayed where they were, crossed their arms across their chest and looked at her with spiteful eyes.
‘What’s wrong?” she asked. “Don’t you recognize me? It’s Isabelle.”
But lack of recognition was not the problem at all. They new who she was and they were angry with her.
“It’s because of you he’s dead,” Diane growled.
“And because of you, I’m stuck carrying this,” Max held the metal ball out to her. “I haven’t seen the outside world in almost 5 years.”
“I’m sorry,” Isabelle sobbed. “But I didn’t ask you to take the blame.”
Max scoffed at this. “What choice did I have? You weren’t strong enough.”
Isabelle tried to defend herself, “What. No I was strong. I am strong…I”, but no one listened. Instead their voices grew louder and picking up speed, began to swirl around her head.
“It’s because of you he’s dead.”
“You put me in jail.”
“It’s all your fault.”
She couldn’t take it anymore. “No, it’s not,” she shouted. “Max, I’m trying to help you. Mom, Mom, I visit you every week. You know that.”
Then before she knew it, Philip was standing in front of her, like a zombie, the wound still in his chest. “I’m not sorry you killed me pumpkin.” That was the pet name he used to call her. “ You know why?” he asked.
Isabelle shook her head, and began walking back in fear, trying to get away from him.
“It’s called revenge and it’s so much better than anything I could ever have done to you. Your mother’s sick, your brother is in jail and you carry around a guilt that is so much heavier than that ball Max is carrying, so much heavier and eternal too.”
Isabelle took another step back. Only a few more and she would be out the door.
“You know, for a while you hid it somewhere deep in your mind, you started your fancy business and made money, thought you were better than we were didn’t you?”
Isabelle watched Max across the room in shame. “No. I never once thought that.”
Philip took another step towards her “You did,” he replied. “But don’t worry about it. I’m here to make sure you will never forget again.”
Isabelle had reached the door but Philip was now standing right beside her, so close he could touch her. His arm moved closer and just as she was sure he would grab her arm, he pushed the front door open instead. “Allow me,” he said with a smile.
Isabelle stepped out, but instead of meeting the walkway as she had anticipated, she found herself falling through a black abyss of nothingness.
“Help, help,” Isabelle screamed as she thrashed in her bed, perspiration on her forehead, her heart beating erratically in her chest.
A small cream hand, reached out and grabbed her own hand. “Isabelle, it was just a dream.” She heard the words whispered calmly into her ear. A cool cloth was run across her forehead. She opened her eyes to see Tess sitting on her bed beside her, smiling down at her.
“A dream. Are you sure? It was so real.” So real, she was finding it hard to catch her breath.
“I’m sure.” Tess nodded.
Isabelle was grateful for the reassurance and began to relax.
“Do you remember what it was about?” Tess asked.
“Oh god, “Isabelle groaned as it all came back to her. “I was at home, the night that dad died,” she said and then began to recount the dream, leaving no detail out.
“So it was a memory wasn’t it? My subconscious way of telling me what I had done, or dad reaching out from beyond the grave.”
Tess shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
“How do you know?” she asked, praying Tess was right.
“You said that you were the age you were now right, not 19?” she confirmed. Isabelle nodded. “Well if it was a memory you would have been 19. No one else was the way they were then either. I mean Max in those chains, that was a little overdone. My interpretation of the dream is that you feel guilty that you built a successful career while your brother was in jail and mother in the hospital.”
“Ok, so why would I feel guilty if I didn’t do it?” she asked.
“Because you’re the only one who’s been successful of the three, even though you all endured the abuse. Although, I’m not sure how true that even is, I mean on paper your life is great…”
“But in reality it’s a mess,” Isabelle finished for her. Her marriage was in shambles, she couldn’t live without sleeping pills and she was lying in this hospital bed.
“I’m not saying you didn’t do it. I’m just saying this dream doesn’t confirm you did,” Tess clarified.
“So how the hell do I remember what really happened that night?” she asked. It was a question she was sick of asking.
Tess looked at her vulnerable friend, having no answer to give. This wasn’t a problem that hours of research at the law library could solve. “I don’t know,” was the only reply she could muster.
Isabelle closed her eyes, willing all of her problems to go away. Would it always be like this, would she always wonder? “I‘d rather be dead, than not remember.” Anything was better than the agony of the unknown.
*********
“Tess, I need to see you,” Alex repeated into the phone for the second time, exasperation in every muscle of his body.
“Did you listen to the answering machine?’ she asked.
“Yes and god it was just a misunderstanding.”
“I’ll be over there this afternoon.”
“I certainly don’t need permission to see my own wife.”
“And send her spiraling into the state her mother is in? Because that’s the direction she’s heading.”
“I resent that. I would never hurt Isabelle….”
“Not intentionally.”
Alex rubbed his temples, where the start of a headache was beginning to take hold.
“If you value her health you’ll realize that I’m the only one who knows what’s best for her right now.” Tess held her ground.
“Ok”
-_-_-_-_-_-_
Anderson pulled the two inmates into his office and shut the door behind him. They looked at each other, having been caught red handed, would they be able to talk their way out of it?
“We were just…” Michael racked his brain for a reasonable excuse but came up with nothing.
‘Sir, this was all me…you see I…” Max began to take the blame but was instantly cut off by Anderson.
“No reason to explain boys, I’ve been expecting you. Please have a seat,” he said pointing to the two seats in front of his desk.
Max and Michael exchanged curious glances and then did what they were told.
Anderson let out a gruff laugh, taking a seat in his own chair behind his desk. “What, you didn’t find it coincidental, that a week ago, you two got put on staff laundry duty, I mean who has ever heard of that, really now.” Again he laughed.
It was true. Max couldn’t believe their luck last week when they had found out about the assignment. Thought it was a sign from above, leading them closer to the truth. It hadn’t even crossed his mind that it had been too good to be true. He gave Michael a sheepish look.
“And that even stranger, 3 days ago, this office was left unlocked and a jar during that time? Gullible.” Gullible, but he wouldn’t complain. It had worked to his advantage beautifully.
Michael gripped the side of his chair, so much self hatred; his knuckles began to turn white. He had always been a skeptic, but when it came to this whole thing with Liz and Maria he had questioned nothing. I guess the old saying is true. When a man is on a mission, he’ll believe whatever he needs to believe. In this case he had needed to believe that there was something he could do to help from in here. Anderson was right. Gullible.
So they’d been duped. The question was, for what purpose. What exactly would Anderson do with them and what did it mean for Maria and Liz?
They didn’t have to wait long to find out. After handcuffing them both to the chairs, Anderson pulled out a TV/Video player combo on wheels, placed it in plain view for them and turned the TV on.
“See, some people might do what I do because of the money. Not me, it’s a perk for sure, but the real fun is in the power…the power over other people’s lives. Letting a cat loose and watching the mice run for their lives.”
“Stop your mind games. Whatever, we’re here for just get it over with.” Max yelled.
“Funny. I’m in charge here. Not you,” he spat. But you’re right, it is time to get started. Get your popcorn out boys; it’s time to watch a little live show.”
Max and Michael watched the screen in front of them apprehensively, not knowing what to expect. The image on the screen was in black and white. They could see a living room, with a small tattered couch in the middle.
The room meant nothing to Max, but Michael recognized it right away. If it had been in color the couch would have been green. He and Maria had made out on it many times in high school. It was also the place he, Maria and Amy would watch TV, while eating dinner on TV trays. He gulped so loud that Max could here.
“What. What is it?” he asked.
“Amy’s living room.”
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maya
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-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Where had it come from? One minute he was dangling the set of keys before their eyes, the next it was replaced with a gun. Now he stood before them, aiming it straight at Maria, with Liz standing behind her, coaxing them to walk backwards into the living room.
The last few minutes were like a blur to Liz. When Maria has first seen the gun, she had laughed, mistaking it for a toy. “Cute Billy, really. You need something a little more convincing then that.” Then she felt the barrel pressed against her forehead, it’s weight and coolness and she had known it was real.
“Billy?” she had asked quietly. “What’s going on?” Why did Billy have a gun and why was he in her mother’s house?
“Just shut up and move back,” he had said. But Maria had stood frozen. It was all too much. He was supposed to be her friend. Had even confided he was in love with her, something she had explained she wasn’t ready for, with Michael behind bars and a baby on the way and he had understood completely, he had…..why then was he doing this now?
“Maria,” Liz pleaded, pulling on the back of Maria’s shirt, so that she would move back with her. “Just listen to what he says.”
It was the way Billy looked at her that made her realize the truth, not necessarily of what he was, that was laced with too much confusion right now, but of what he wasn’t. He wasn’t the man that had laughed with her for hours, not cared when her feet swelled, her belly was fat and she had pushed a 5th piece of pizza into her mouth. He wasn’t a friend, caring, looking out for her. He wasn’t any of those things he proclaimed to be and the worst part of it was that he never was. All that truth conveyed just by a look, why was it she had never looked at his eyes before, she asked herself as she followed his instructions and stepped back. The eyes show so much.
They were in the living room. Randy and Tommy were there now. Where had they come from, Liz and Maria wondered as they were pushed back onto Amy’s old green couch, Billy’s gun still directed at them.
It was as they fell back against the cushions, that they saw her, in a chair in the corner across from them, her hands were tied together, and a piece of thick grey tape sealed her mouth shut. She looked exhausted from struggle.
“Mom,” Maria felt anguish as their eyes met. What had they done to her?
Amy tried to reply, but with the tape on her mouth, could only make a sound resembling that of a wounded animal in response.
Liz winced at the sound, almost able to feel Amy’s pain herself. How could things have gone so horribly wrong, she chided herself. Then she took a deep breathe. Things had changed but as long as she didn’t let her fear cripple her, she could still be in control.
She and Hansen wanted Billy to know she had the key. That had been the plan, but not yet. Not until she had retrieved the contents of the box, had them replaced and added a tracking device. A tracking device Hanson could follow.
She had wanted Billy to know, but not until Maria was out of harms way. Now she was right in the line of fire. How would Michael forgive her? How would she ever forgive herself.
She squeezed Maria’s hand. “Liz, what’s going on?” she whispered. Billy was busy doing his own whispering with Randy and Tommy and she needed answers.
Liz took a mental note of her options. Hansen didn’t know where they were, didn’t know there was a change of plans. She was on her own now. She’d have to make some alterations, but it still wasn’t too late.
Before Liz could answer, Billy made his way back to the couch. “So here’s how it’s going to go. You’re going to take me to the money, now.”
“It’s Box 3717 at the New Co-op bank. Just go get it yourself,” she spat.
Billy just shook his head. “See, that isn’t going to work. For one, I need your signature.”
Liz looked at him surprised. She had only recently found out that her name was also on the box.
“Yes, Liz, I do know that Sean put your signature on that box for safe keeping. I know a lot more than you think.”
“What box?” Maria asked.
Billy pointed the gun at her. “Shut up!” Then he looked back to Liz “And second, I need you as my insurance policy in case that Hansen character is snooping around. Although he won’t be expecting us this early, will he?”
Liz nodded eagerly and got up off of the couch. She wanted to get him out of the house as soon as possible to keep Maria safe.
“No way. If Liz is going. I am too,” Maria said, getting up and standing next to Liz.
“Sit down,” Sean growled at her.
“Maria, please,” Liz begged.
“No,” she said stubbornly. “I’m not letting anything happen to you. I don’t even know what’s happening here.” She began to cry. “But I know it’s somehow my fault. I let him into our lives.”
Liz felt a tug at her heart. She looked at Billy. “Let her go. You don’t need her. I’m taking you to the box,” Liz pleaded.
“No way. She’s how I know you will keep your end of the bargain. Randy and Tommy will keep her safe as long as things go according to plan”
“She’s 8 month pregnant,” she protested. Billy was more of a monster than she had ever realized.
Liz eyed the gun carefully, wondering if she could over power him. It appeared that Randy and Tommy were unarmed. If she could just distract him, get him to look away for an instant than maybe she could….
Billy must have read her mind. “And if you want her to stay that way, you won’t do anything stupid. If it makes a difference, I have 2 other insurance policies. You can never have too many”
Liz looked at him wondering what he meant. Did he have Brian too?
“Max and Michael,” he said with a grin.
“They are in jail. Think again,” she replied smugly. What a bluffer he was.
“Yes, but it is where they are in jail that’s important.” When she looked at him in confusion he continued. “You see, they’ve found there way into an officers office and been caught. It’s unfortunate really. If they were to threaten or attack him, he’d have no choice but to defend himself. Shame really. Of course, that all depends on what happens today and whether you cooperate.”
Liz swallowed hard. Everyone she loved was now at risk and depending on her. How had things gotten to this point?
Maria had found her voice again. “Liz, what’s going on and how is Michael involved in this?”
“I need a minute with her,” Liz said to Billy.
Billy just shook his head. “What, you think it’s going to jeopardize your plan. That I’d tell a pregnant woman to over throw your two men?”
“No, but we have very little time.”
Liz looked to Maria. If things went badly, Maria would die without knowing the truth, without knowing that Michael had tried to contact her.
“Look. You are going to let me talk to Maria.”
“I could just shoot her right now.” Billy suggested.
“Then you’d have to wait for hell to freeze over to get the money.”
“I’d find another way.” He was smug.
“Doubtful,” she challenged him. “Besides, for all we know, you’re going to kill us all anyway, even if we follow your orders, so I’m willing to risk it. I need 10 minutes with her, alone.”
Billy looked at her as if assessing his options and then gave in. “5 minutes, we will be standing in the entrance ways. Don’t try anything.”
After the three men exited the room, Liz ran to the couch and kneeled in front of it. “Maria, look we don’t have much time. This all has to do with Sean. He hid money that wasn’t his and we’ve been in danger because of it.”
“And Billy?”
“He was using you to get that key.”
Tears welled up in Maria’s eyes. Liz squeezed her hand in her own. “We will get through this and you will be with Michael again,” she reassured her.
Maria looked down in shame. “He doesn’t even want to see me.” And she had foolishly put him in danger.
Liz smiled. “That’s where you are wrong. He does want to see you. He and Max have been helping me out with all of this. He asked to see you but we just couldn’t allow it right now.” She reached in her purse. “He did want me to give you this though,” she said handing her the letter.
“Liz,” Maria said. “Why didn’t you tell me?” She knew their friendship had been on unstable ground but didn’t know it was this bad. Was there no trust left between them?
“I wanted to keep you safe. I’m sorry,” she explained and she really was, for so many things. Why had she and Maria turned to others with their loneliness, instead of each other?
“Time is up,” Billy yelled from the doorway.
“Liz,” Maria said not wanting to let go of her hand.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine Maria. I need you to look after yourself. Do whatever they tell you, promise me. Don’t try to be a hero.”
Maria nodded. “I love you Chica.”
“I love you too,” she said as they embraced. “I have a detective helping me. It’s all good,” she whispered into her ear and Liz followed Billy out the door.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Max and Michael sat silent and pale, paralyzed with fear, their eyes glued to the screen. Nothing was going according to plan. The girls were hostages and there was nothing they could do to help.
“You thought you were so smart leading us into a trap…so we played along, knowing it would help us in the end. You showed us what you wanted us to see but what you didn’t realize was that we also had ears everywhere.”
The conversations Max had had with Serena, his talks with Michael. All their plans had been heard. Maria and Liz were not safe.
Anderson was having so much fun with this. “So, shall we take bets. Will Liz lead Billy to the money? Will he let her go or kidnap her or kill her? Amy and Maria can both ID three of the men involved, what will be done about that?”
“I’ll kill you,” Michael screamed. He was still cuffed to the chair but that didn’t stop him. He got up, taking the chair with him, and charged towards him. Anderson was too fast for him, pulling out his baton and smacking Michael across the knees, so that he fell back in pain.
“Michael, Liz is smarter than they’ve given her credit for. She’ll find a way.” Max tried to reassure him but also needed reassurance himself. All he could picture was Liz lying face down on the floor of the bank a bullet through her chest, a bullet he might as well have put there himself, after all it was his grand ideas that had caused all of this. How did they foolishly think they could pull it off?
After moving Michael and his chair back to it’s place Anderson turned the screen back on. “Now, let’s tune in again and see how poor Maria makes out alone with Randy and Tommy.”
Their eyes found there way to the screen again. They didn’t want to watch, it was too painful but at the same time it was too painful not to. They watched Randy and Tommy tying Maria’s arms together as well as her feet. They watched Amy struggle from the other side of the room, unable to help her. For the first time, they really understood the punishment that was prison, it wasn’t the 4 walls that surrounded them or the isolation at all, but the lack of freedom to defend the ones they loved.
Anderson smiled at himself. While the boys were busy watching the screen, their reactions provided him with his own live entertainment. Wasn’t power wonderful?
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
“So it was just a misunderstanding?” Tess asked. She and Alex were sitting in Alex and Isabelle’s kitchen. After she had been given a light sedative to help her sleep, Tess has decided to go and talk things through with Alex.
“Rory, a colleague of mine is having real problems with his wife. Patty Burns, the lawyer that left the message, she’s an old friend of mine. I told Randy I’d give her a call and see if she could handle his case.”
“So you’re not leaving Isabelle? Cause she said you two had pretty heated words not too long ago and you had given her an ultimatum.”
Alex sighed. “It wasn’t an ultimatum. I was tired and frustrated. That’s all. She’s put this wall up between us, doesn’t want kids. She goes overboard on everything. I mean if a normal person heard that message, she would at least ask me about it. Not jump to conclusions and dissociate. Right?” he asked, not knowing what to believe anymore.
Tess just nodded her head. “I think the guilt of Max being in jail has taken its toll.”
“But why would she be guilty? She’s done all she can for him and he doesn’t make it easy.” Everything was about Max. When would she accept that he was paying for his crime and allow herself to go on with her life?
Tess wished she could make Alex understand what Isabelle was going through. Maybe if she told him, put some of the pieces together, he’d be able to give Isabelle the support she needed. “Oh Alex, I know it’s not my place to tell you but there’s something you really need to know.”
Tess began the long and sorted tail, starting with the day she had met Isabelle in the school bathroom.
When she was finished, Alex, looked like the wind had been knocked out of him.
“The bastard…and Diane…god, to let her children suffer like that..,” he said with disbelief. Isabelle is a million times stronger than she ever was. ”
Tess couldn’t agree more. “She wasn’t well. And Isabelle isn’t either”
“God. And I’ve made things so difficult, pressuring her for a child when she’s been dealing with all of this. God, I’ve been a horrible husband.”
Tess reached out and took his hand. “You didn’t know.”
“I should have known it was something big, that she needed me, with the way she’s been acting, but I couldn’t see past my own needs that weren’t being met.”
“Alex, please don’t blame yourself.”
“And she didn’t tell me. After all these years. The 4 of us spent that summer together and I was the only one who didn’t know.” If she couldn’t confide in them then their marriage was in worse shape then he thought.
Tess put her hand on his arm again. “You just get so caught up in the lie…..get in it so deep…that you can’t find your way out.”
“Speaking from experience?” he asked. Tess had admitted her own part in the story, the fact she had been abused and Max had saved her.
Tess nodded.
“Why did you tell me?” he asked.
“So you’d understand where she’s coming from. I did it for her.” She just hoped she wouldn’t loose Isabelle’s friendship over it.
Alex nodded. It did make things clearer. At least he knew where she was coming from. “Thank you.”
“She’ll tell you soon. Until then…”
“I won’t say a word, Tess.”
Where had it come from? One minute he was dangling the set of keys before their eyes, the next it was replaced with a gun. Now he stood before them, aiming it straight at Maria, with Liz standing behind her, coaxing them to walk backwards into the living room.
The last few minutes were like a blur to Liz. When Maria has first seen the gun, she had laughed, mistaking it for a toy. “Cute Billy, really. You need something a little more convincing then that.” Then she felt the barrel pressed against her forehead, it’s weight and coolness and she had known it was real.
“Billy?” she had asked quietly. “What’s going on?” Why did Billy have a gun and why was he in her mother’s house?
“Just shut up and move back,” he had said. But Maria had stood frozen. It was all too much. He was supposed to be her friend. Had even confided he was in love with her, something she had explained she wasn’t ready for, with Michael behind bars and a baby on the way and he had understood completely, he had…..why then was he doing this now?
“Maria,” Liz pleaded, pulling on the back of Maria’s shirt, so that she would move back with her. “Just listen to what he says.”
It was the way Billy looked at her that made her realize the truth, not necessarily of what he was, that was laced with too much confusion right now, but of what he wasn’t. He wasn’t the man that had laughed with her for hours, not cared when her feet swelled, her belly was fat and she had pushed a 5th piece of pizza into her mouth. He wasn’t a friend, caring, looking out for her. He wasn’t any of those things he proclaimed to be and the worst part of it was that he never was. All that truth conveyed just by a look, why was it she had never looked at his eyes before, she asked herself as she followed his instructions and stepped back. The eyes show so much.
They were in the living room. Randy and Tommy were there now. Where had they come from, Liz and Maria wondered as they were pushed back onto Amy’s old green couch, Billy’s gun still directed at them.
It was as they fell back against the cushions, that they saw her, in a chair in the corner across from them, her hands were tied together, and a piece of thick grey tape sealed her mouth shut. She looked exhausted from struggle.
“Mom,” Maria felt anguish as their eyes met. What had they done to her?
Amy tried to reply, but with the tape on her mouth, could only make a sound resembling that of a wounded animal in response.
Liz winced at the sound, almost able to feel Amy’s pain herself. How could things have gone so horribly wrong, she chided herself. Then she took a deep breathe. Things had changed but as long as she didn’t let her fear cripple her, she could still be in control.
She and Hansen wanted Billy to know she had the key. That had been the plan, but not yet. Not until she had retrieved the contents of the box, had them replaced and added a tracking device. A tracking device Hanson could follow.
She had wanted Billy to know, but not until Maria was out of harms way. Now she was right in the line of fire. How would Michael forgive her? How would she ever forgive herself.
She squeezed Maria’s hand. “Liz, what’s going on?” she whispered. Billy was busy doing his own whispering with Randy and Tommy and she needed answers.
Liz took a mental note of her options. Hansen didn’t know where they were, didn’t know there was a change of plans. She was on her own now. She’d have to make some alterations, but it still wasn’t too late.
Before Liz could answer, Billy made his way back to the couch. “So here’s how it’s going to go. You’re going to take me to the money, now.”
“It’s Box 3717 at the New Co-op bank. Just go get it yourself,” she spat.
Billy just shook his head. “See, that isn’t going to work. For one, I need your signature.”
Liz looked at him surprised. She had only recently found out that her name was also on the box.
“Yes, Liz, I do know that Sean put your signature on that box for safe keeping. I know a lot more than you think.”
“What box?” Maria asked.
Billy pointed the gun at her. “Shut up!” Then he looked back to Liz “And second, I need you as my insurance policy in case that Hansen character is snooping around. Although he won’t be expecting us this early, will he?”
Liz nodded eagerly and got up off of the couch. She wanted to get him out of the house as soon as possible to keep Maria safe.
“No way. If Liz is going. I am too,” Maria said, getting up and standing next to Liz.
“Sit down,” Sean growled at her.
“Maria, please,” Liz begged.
“No,” she said stubbornly. “I’m not letting anything happen to you. I don’t even know what’s happening here.” She began to cry. “But I know it’s somehow my fault. I let him into our lives.”
Liz felt a tug at her heart. She looked at Billy. “Let her go. You don’t need her. I’m taking you to the box,” Liz pleaded.
“No way. She’s how I know you will keep your end of the bargain. Randy and Tommy will keep her safe as long as things go according to plan”
“She’s 8 month pregnant,” she protested. Billy was more of a monster than she had ever realized.
Liz eyed the gun carefully, wondering if she could over power him. It appeared that Randy and Tommy were unarmed. If she could just distract him, get him to look away for an instant than maybe she could….
Billy must have read her mind. “And if you want her to stay that way, you won’t do anything stupid. If it makes a difference, I have 2 other insurance policies. You can never have too many”
Liz looked at him wondering what he meant. Did he have Brian too?
“Max and Michael,” he said with a grin.
“They are in jail. Think again,” she replied smugly. What a bluffer he was.
“Yes, but it is where they are in jail that’s important.” When she looked at him in confusion he continued. “You see, they’ve found there way into an officers office and been caught. It’s unfortunate really. If they were to threaten or attack him, he’d have no choice but to defend himself. Shame really. Of course, that all depends on what happens today and whether you cooperate.”
Liz swallowed hard. Everyone she loved was now at risk and depending on her. How had things gotten to this point?
Maria had found her voice again. “Liz, what’s going on and how is Michael involved in this?”
“I need a minute with her,” Liz said to Billy.
Billy just shook his head. “What, you think it’s going to jeopardize your plan. That I’d tell a pregnant woman to over throw your two men?”
“No, but we have very little time.”
Liz looked to Maria. If things went badly, Maria would die without knowing the truth, without knowing that Michael had tried to contact her.
“Look. You are going to let me talk to Maria.”
“I could just shoot her right now.” Billy suggested.
“Then you’d have to wait for hell to freeze over to get the money.”
“I’d find another way.” He was smug.
“Doubtful,” she challenged him. “Besides, for all we know, you’re going to kill us all anyway, even if we follow your orders, so I’m willing to risk it. I need 10 minutes with her, alone.”
Billy looked at her as if assessing his options and then gave in. “5 minutes, we will be standing in the entrance ways. Don’t try anything.”
After the three men exited the room, Liz ran to the couch and kneeled in front of it. “Maria, look we don’t have much time. This all has to do with Sean. He hid money that wasn’t his and we’ve been in danger because of it.”
“And Billy?”
“He was using you to get that key.”
Tears welled up in Maria’s eyes. Liz squeezed her hand in her own. “We will get through this and you will be with Michael again,” she reassured her.
Maria looked down in shame. “He doesn’t even want to see me.” And she had foolishly put him in danger.
Liz smiled. “That’s where you are wrong. He does want to see you. He and Max have been helping me out with all of this. He asked to see you but we just couldn’t allow it right now.” She reached in her purse. “He did want me to give you this though,” she said handing her the letter.
“Liz,” Maria said. “Why didn’t you tell me?” She knew their friendship had been on unstable ground but didn’t know it was this bad. Was there no trust left between them?
“I wanted to keep you safe. I’m sorry,” she explained and she really was, for so many things. Why had she and Maria turned to others with their loneliness, instead of each other?
“Time is up,” Billy yelled from the doorway.
“Liz,” Maria said not wanting to let go of her hand.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine Maria. I need you to look after yourself. Do whatever they tell you, promise me. Don’t try to be a hero.”
Maria nodded. “I love you Chica.”
“I love you too,” she said as they embraced. “I have a detective helping me. It’s all good,” she whispered into her ear and Liz followed Billy out the door.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Max and Michael sat silent and pale, paralyzed with fear, their eyes glued to the screen. Nothing was going according to plan. The girls were hostages and there was nothing they could do to help.
“You thought you were so smart leading us into a trap…so we played along, knowing it would help us in the end. You showed us what you wanted us to see but what you didn’t realize was that we also had ears everywhere.”
The conversations Max had had with Serena, his talks with Michael. All their plans had been heard. Maria and Liz were not safe.
Anderson was having so much fun with this. “So, shall we take bets. Will Liz lead Billy to the money? Will he let her go or kidnap her or kill her? Amy and Maria can both ID three of the men involved, what will be done about that?”
“I’ll kill you,” Michael screamed. He was still cuffed to the chair but that didn’t stop him. He got up, taking the chair with him, and charged towards him. Anderson was too fast for him, pulling out his baton and smacking Michael across the knees, so that he fell back in pain.
“Michael, Liz is smarter than they’ve given her credit for. She’ll find a way.” Max tried to reassure him but also needed reassurance himself. All he could picture was Liz lying face down on the floor of the bank a bullet through her chest, a bullet he might as well have put there himself, after all it was his grand ideas that had caused all of this. How did they foolishly think they could pull it off?
After moving Michael and his chair back to it’s place Anderson turned the screen back on. “Now, let’s tune in again and see how poor Maria makes out alone with Randy and Tommy.”
Their eyes found there way to the screen again. They didn’t want to watch, it was too painful but at the same time it was too painful not to. They watched Randy and Tommy tying Maria’s arms together as well as her feet. They watched Amy struggle from the other side of the room, unable to help her. For the first time, they really understood the punishment that was prison, it wasn’t the 4 walls that surrounded them or the isolation at all, but the lack of freedom to defend the ones they loved.
Anderson smiled at himself. While the boys were busy watching the screen, their reactions provided him with his own live entertainment. Wasn’t power wonderful?
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
“So it was just a misunderstanding?” Tess asked. She and Alex were sitting in Alex and Isabelle’s kitchen. After she had been given a light sedative to help her sleep, Tess has decided to go and talk things through with Alex.
“Rory, a colleague of mine is having real problems with his wife. Patty Burns, the lawyer that left the message, she’s an old friend of mine. I told Randy I’d give her a call and see if she could handle his case.”
“So you’re not leaving Isabelle? Cause she said you two had pretty heated words not too long ago and you had given her an ultimatum.”
Alex sighed. “It wasn’t an ultimatum. I was tired and frustrated. That’s all. She’s put this wall up between us, doesn’t want kids. She goes overboard on everything. I mean if a normal person heard that message, she would at least ask me about it. Not jump to conclusions and dissociate. Right?” he asked, not knowing what to believe anymore.
Tess just nodded her head. “I think the guilt of Max being in jail has taken its toll.”
“But why would she be guilty? She’s done all she can for him and he doesn’t make it easy.” Everything was about Max. When would she accept that he was paying for his crime and allow herself to go on with her life?
Tess wished she could make Alex understand what Isabelle was going through. Maybe if she told him, put some of the pieces together, he’d be able to give Isabelle the support she needed. “Oh Alex, I know it’s not my place to tell you but there’s something you really need to know.”
Tess began the long and sorted tail, starting with the day she had met Isabelle in the school bathroom.
When she was finished, Alex, looked like the wind had been knocked out of him.
“The bastard…and Diane…god, to let her children suffer like that..,” he said with disbelief. Isabelle is a million times stronger than she ever was. ”
Tess couldn’t agree more. “She wasn’t well. And Isabelle isn’t either”
“God. And I’ve made things so difficult, pressuring her for a child when she’s been dealing with all of this. God, I’ve been a horrible husband.”
Tess reached out and took his hand. “You didn’t know.”
“I should have known it was something big, that she needed me, with the way she’s been acting, but I couldn’t see past my own needs that weren’t being met.”
“Alex, please don’t blame yourself.”
“And she didn’t tell me. After all these years. The 4 of us spent that summer together and I was the only one who didn’t know.” If she couldn’t confide in them then their marriage was in worse shape then he thought.
Tess put her hand on his arm again. “You just get so caught up in the lie…..get in it so deep…that you can’t find your way out.”
“Speaking from experience?” he asked. Tess had admitted her own part in the story, the fact she had been abused and Max had saved her.
Tess nodded.
“Why did you tell me?” he asked.
“So you’d understand where she’s coming from. I did it for her.” She just hoped she wouldn’t loose Isabelle’s friendship over it.
Alex nodded. It did make things clearer. At least he knew where she was coming from. “Thank you.”
“She’ll tell you soon. Until then…”
“I won’t say a word, Tess.”
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maya
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Thanks for the noms!
Fav supporting potrayl of Tess
Fav supporting potrayl of Isabelle
Fav supporting potrayl of Tess
Fav supporting potrayl of Isabelle
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maya
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Hello,
Just wanted to say thank you so much for nominating and voting for me. I was really suprised to win an award for my potrayl of Isabelle in this fic. Thank you!
Just wanted to say thank you so much for nominating and voting for me. I was really suprised to win an award for my potrayl of Isabelle in this fic. Thank you!
Last edited by maya on Fri Jan 12, 2007 10:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Part 24
It was 10 am and Hansen was getting worried. Liz has said she would go to Amy’s first thing and then meet him at the donut shop on 3rd. He’d been waiting for over 2 hours and was beginning to feel jittery. He wasn’t sure if it was the result of the 4 cups of black coffee he had swallowed or his detective sixth sense, but where the hell was she?
He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Brian’s cell. When Brian answered, he didn’t bother to start with any pleasantries, just jumped straight to the matter at hand.
“Hey, have you heard from Liz, yet?” Hansen asked.
“No. I thought she was with you?” Brian’s heart rate quickened.
“No. Still waiting and she’s not answering her cell,” Hansen explained. He was hoping that she had called Brian and told him she had been delayed.
“Something isn’t right, I mean she should have been in and out by now,” Brian replied, his own anxiety rising.
“Shit!” Hansen cursed into the phone. The plan was too risky. When Liz had explained what had been happening, he had suggested they turn the box over to the police. Liz had flat our refused, explaining that the people she loved would be in danger. The only way to ensure they would all be free was to flush the bad guys out to the police and the only way to do that was bait. She and Hansen would go to the box today and remove the contents, refill it and add a tracking device. That way they could follow both Billy and the box to whoever was higher in the chain.
“What if Billy was one step ahead of her?” Hansen asked.
“I’ll go over to Liz’s. If she’s not there, I’ll try Amy’s.”
“I’ll head straight for the bank. If you find Liz…”
“We will meet you there,” Brian finished for him.
Both men hurried to carry out the task they had agreed to, praying for speed, because somehow they just knew they wouldn’t be fast enough.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
In Anderson’s office, the angst was at an all time high as the men watched Maria interacting with Randy and Tommy, while Amy continued to struggle while bound and gagged in the corner.
Michael wished Maria would just be quiet. He couldn’t hear what she was saying, there was no sound on the video but he could see her talking a mile a minute. What on earth would she be talking to them about, he wondered?
Max was deeply disturbed by what he was seeing too, but his mind kept wandering to Liz. Had she made it to the bank? Had Billy hurt her? God, he hoped she was ok.
“Still don’t want to make bets?” Anderson asked and both men replied with a glare. Ah, it was just so fun to push buttons. Why stop, when things were just beginning to pick up speed.
“That girl of yours has a motor mouth, doesn’t she? If I was Randy, I’d slap her so hard, she’s never talk again,” he said with a laugh, gaining satisfaction as he watched Michael’s anger boil.
“Shut the fuck up. You have no idea what she’s been through. What do you go home to at night, some hag?” Michael hissed back.
“Michael, don’t react. You’re just egging him on,” Max said. He felt bad for Michael but was also annoyed that he was making things worse.
“Oh please do,” Anderson laughed.
“Maybe, I can make a deal with him, for Maria?” Michael whispered to Max.
Max groaned. Had Michael lost his mind? “He doesn’t give a shit about anything. He’s a sociopath. You’ll never reason with him,” he whispered back. Didn’t Michael get it?
“I have to try something. You just don’t get it. The woman you love isn’t in danger,” he growled back.
That comment wounded Max deeply, he tried to mask his feelings but Michael picked up on them right away. ‘Wait a minute…the letters..the, are you in love with my sister?” he asked.
Max could only nod. Why bother denying now.
The lump in Michael’s throat had just gotten bigger. Max was in love with Liz. He really wasn’t sure how he felt about that.
“Stop your whispering ladies, it is no fun for me if I can’t hear,” Anderson growled.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
“Just tell me what is going on?” Maria asked for the fifth time.
“Oh, as if Liz didn’t fill you in,” Randy said in disbelief.
“She said that Sean was involved and that it had to do with some money in a safe deposit box.”
“Money?” Randy laughed.
“Well what is it then?” Maria asked as she struggled against the bands that held her hands in place. She had known both Randy and Tommy for years and didn’t feel that intimidated by them. Maybe she could get answers out of them and then convince them to turn themselves in.
“Look Maria, either shut up or your mouth will be taped shut like your mothers.” He felt bad having to be mean to Maria, but things had gone so far that there were no other choices.
Just as Maria was about to protest, there was a knock at the door.
Randy and Tommy shared a knowing glance. They would just ignore it and whoever it was would go away.
A few minutes later there was another much louder knock. “Liz, you in there?” It was Brian’s voice and Maria recognized it right away.
“Brian, Help,” Maria screamed.
“Why are you making things worse?” Randy made his way towards Maria, intending to tape her mouth shut but instead Tommy signaled for him to follow him to the door.
A few minutes later, the door was knocked in. As soon as Brian made his way into the house, he was knocked over the head with a pot and his unconscious body was carried into the living room and set down on the couch next to Maria. Then his hands nad feet were bound.
“What did you do to him?” Maria asked in horror. Another person she had brought into this horrific mess.
“It’s just a boo boo. He will wake up soon with a bad headache,” Randy explained feeling sick at having hurt yet another person.
“Actually, I’m glad he decided to pay us a visit. He brought this with him.” Tommy held up a hand gun. “Now, our little problem of no weapon is solved.”
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
“Why are we just sitting here?” Liz asked Billy. They had been parked a block from the bank for over an hour.
“Aww, anxious to get in there, Liz?” he asked with surprise.
That wasn’t it at all. She hoped she’d find a way to stop him before then. “I just want to know what’s going on.” Liz needed to be in control at all times and now she found herself in a position where every shred of it was gone.
“We are gonna wait until noon.”
“Why?” she asked suspiciously. Was one of his partners showing up?
“Because,” he explained. “The bank will be busy with lunchtime customers. We won’t draw as much attention.”
Liz let out the breathe she was holding in. Maybe that could work to her favor. There would be more people she could alert to her situation, but how and if she did what consequences would Maria suffer?
“Smart, eh?” Billy asked.
“You’re a genius.” Liz rolled her eyes.
“Cut the sarcasm,” he said, holding the gun at her.
“Like you’re going to get me this far and then shoot me.”
“Your right”, he grinned, “but once we get that box, all bets are off.”
Liz wished he would just shut up, so she could think her way out of this. She also wished she knew what the hell was in that box.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
A groggy Brian, tried to focus on the image beside him. “Ma..rr..iia?” he asked. His vision was slightly blurred and he felt queasy.
“Brian, thank god, your ok.”
“Where are we?”
“My mom’s house. Do you remember how you got here?” she asked him.
He nodded as things began to come into focus. “I was looking for Liz…trying to get to her before…..”
“Your too late,” Maria pointed towards Randy and Tommy.
“Nice you could join us Brian and thanks for the gun,” Tommy smiled.
**********
“Please untie my legs at least. I’m 8 month’s pregnant and my feet are swelling. Please, it’s really uncomfortable,” Maria begged Randy. He was always the most sensitive of the two and she could tell he was least comfortable with the situation.
He approached her, “I can’t remove them but I can do this,” he said loosening them. “Is that better?” he asked with guilt in his eyes.
Maria nodded.
“How about me?” Brian asked, pointing towards his own bound feet.
“No way,” Randy said.
“I know you don’t want to hurt us. Please let us go. Technically, you haven’t done anything, other than hold us here. Your sentence would be light,” Maria begged.
“You’re forgetting we have a gun now,” Tommy piped up. “That takes things to another level.”
“What gun?” she asked. “As far as we are concerned you have no gun.”
Brian nodded at Maria, happy with the way she was playing things.
Seeing she had Randy’s attention she continued her tact. “We have known each other forever, I know you just got caught up in the wrong crowd….”
Randy’s features took on the look of a little boy. “That is what happened,” he whispered. “We were just looking to make money. No one was supposed to get hurt. I mean Michael was my best friend, I didn’t want him to go to jail…..”
Maria was floored. What were they saying about Michael? “Wait, Michael, what does he being in jail have to do with this?” she asked.
“Randy, don’t you dare,” Tommy warned.
“No, we should tell her. You know their going to take her out anyway…” Confession was good for the soul and he knew he would feel better if he told her.
“Sean wouldn’t give the stuff back, even when he was found out. Our boss, he told us to just get it back but we couldn’t find it, we ransacked his whole place. We figured he put the key with Michael’s things, so we needed to get them both out of the house. It was the night before you were going to move in together.”
“You asked him out to Lindsay’s.” Maria was beginning to put the pieces together.
“Billy was gonna ransack his place. But Michael, he kept wanting to leave early to get home and finish packing. He wasn’t drinking much and we had to stall him, so we put something in his drink, to disorient him, loosen him up a bit.”
“And you let him drive like that?” Maria asked with rage?
He nodded guiltily. “We didn’t know. I was having a lap dance at the time.”
“Ya, you couldn’t just do your job for one night, could ya?” Tommy asked.
“You weren’t there either.”
“I was in the can!” he yelled. “Idiot!”
“But they said that his blood alcohol level was above the limit. Did the drug magnify it?” she asked.
Brian jumped in. “No, it might put him in a more altered state, but it wouldn’t change the alcohol level.”
“How do you know?” she asked.
“My uncle is a cop.”
Maria thought about it for a minute. “Well, I don’t get it.”
Tommy came over and filled in the rest. “We paid off one of the officers to alter the report.”
“So you’re saying that Michael, only hit that deer because you drugged him?”
Both men nodded.
He was innocent and she might not even live to tell him.
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Part 24
It was 10 am and Hansen was getting worried. Liz has said she would go to Amy’s first thing and then meet him at the donut shop on 3rd. He’d been waiting for over 2 hours and was beginning to feel jittery. He wasn’t sure if it was the result of the 4 cups of black coffee he had swallowed or his detective sixth sense, but where the hell was she?
He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Brian’s cell. When Brian answered, he didn’t bother to start with any pleasantries, just jumped straight to the matter at hand.
“Hey, have you heard from Liz, yet?” Hansen asked.
“No. I thought she was with you?” Brian’s heart rate quickened.
“No. Still waiting and she’s not answering her cell,” Hansen explained. He was hoping that she had called Brian and told him she had been delayed.
“Something isn’t right, I mean she should have been in and out by now,” Brian replied, his own anxiety rising.
“Shit!” Hansen cursed into the phone. The plan was too risky. When Liz had explained what had been happening, he had suggested they turn the box over to the police. Liz had flat our refused, explaining that the people she loved would be in danger. The only way to ensure they would all be free was to flush the bad guys out to the police and the only way to do that was bait. She and Hansen would go to the box today and remove the contents, refill it and add a tracking device. That way they could follow both Billy and the box to whoever was higher in the chain.
“What if Billy was one step ahead of her?” Hansen asked.
“I’ll go over to Liz’s. If she’s not there, I’ll try Amy’s.”
“I’ll head straight for the bank. If you find Liz…”
“We will meet you there,” Brian finished for him.
Both men hurried to carry out the task they had agreed to, praying for speed, because somehow they just knew they wouldn’t be fast enough.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
In Anderson’s office, the angst was at an all time high as the men watched Maria interacting with Randy and Tommy, while Amy continued to struggle while bound and gagged in the corner.
Michael wished Maria would just be quiet. He couldn’t hear what she was saying, there was no sound on the video but he could see her talking a mile a minute. What on earth would she be talking to them about, he wondered?
Max was deeply disturbed by what he was seeing too, but his mind kept wandering to Liz. Had she made it to the bank? Had Billy hurt her? God, he hoped she was ok.
“Still don’t want to make bets?” Anderson asked and both men replied with a glare. Ah, it was just so fun to push buttons. Why stop, when things were just beginning to pick up speed.
“That girl of yours has a motor mouth, doesn’t she? If I was Randy, I’d slap her so hard, she’s never talk again,” he said with a laugh, gaining satisfaction as he watched Michael’s anger boil.
“Shut the fuck up. You have no idea what she’s been through. What do you go home to at night, some hag?” Michael hissed back.
“Michael, don’t react. You’re just egging him on,” Max said. He felt bad for Michael but was also annoyed that he was making things worse.
“Oh please do,” Anderson laughed.
“Maybe, I can make a deal with him, for Maria?” Michael whispered to Max.
Max groaned. Had Michael lost his mind? “He doesn’t give a shit about anything. He’s a sociopath. You’ll never reason with him,” he whispered back. Didn’t Michael get it?
“I have to try something. You just don’t get it. The woman you love isn’t in danger,” he growled back.
That comment wounded Max deeply, he tried to mask his feelings but Michael picked up on them right away. ‘Wait a minute…the letters..the, are you in love with my sister?” he asked.
Max could only nod. Why bother denying now.
The lump in Michael’s throat had just gotten bigger. Max was in love with Liz. He really wasn’t sure how he felt about that.
“Stop your whispering ladies, it is no fun for me if I can’t hear,” Anderson growled.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
“Just tell me what is going on?” Maria asked for the fifth time.
“Oh, as if Liz didn’t fill you in,” Randy said in disbelief.
“She said that Sean was involved and that it had to do with some money in a safe deposit box.”
“Money?” Randy laughed.
“Well what is it then?” Maria asked as she struggled against the bands that held her hands in place. She had known both Randy and Tommy for years and didn’t feel that intimidated by them. Maybe she could get answers out of them and then convince them to turn themselves in.
“Look Maria, either shut up or your mouth will be taped shut like your mothers.” He felt bad having to be mean to Maria, but things had gone so far that there were no other choices.
Just as Maria was about to protest, there was a knock at the door.
Randy and Tommy shared a knowing glance. They would just ignore it and whoever it was would go away.
A few minutes later there was another much louder knock. “Liz, you in there?” It was Brian’s voice and Maria recognized it right away.
“Brian, Help,” Maria screamed.
“Why are you making things worse?” Randy made his way towards Maria, intending to tape her mouth shut but instead Tommy signaled for him to follow him to the door.
A few minutes later, the door was knocked in. As soon as Brian made his way into the house, he was knocked over the head with a pot and his unconscious body was carried into the living room and set down on the couch next to Maria. Then his hands nad feet were bound.
“What did you do to him?” Maria asked in horror. Another person she had brought into this horrific mess.
“It’s just a boo boo. He will wake up soon with a bad headache,” Randy explained feeling sick at having hurt yet another person.
“Actually, I’m glad he decided to pay us a visit. He brought this with him.” Tommy held up a hand gun. “Now, our little problem of no weapon is solved.”
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
“Why are we just sitting here?” Liz asked Billy. They had been parked a block from the bank for over an hour.
“Aww, anxious to get in there, Liz?” he asked with surprise.
That wasn’t it at all. She hoped she’d find a way to stop him before then. “I just want to know what’s going on.” Liz needed to be in control at all times and now she found herself in a position where every shred of it was gone.
“We are gonna wait until noon.”
“Why?” she asked suspiciously. Was one of his partners showing up?
“Because,” he explained. “The bank will be busy with lunchtime customers. We won’t draw as much attention.”
Liz let out the breathe she was holding in. Maybe that could work to her favor. There would be more people she could alert to her situation, but how and if she did what consequences would Maria suffer?
“Smart, eh?” Billy asked.
“You’re a genius.” Liz rolled her eyes.
“Cut the sarcasm,” he said, holding the gun at her.
“Like you’re going to get me this far and then shoot me.”
“Your right”, he grinned, “but once we get that box, all bets are off.”
Liz wished he would just shut up, so she could think her way out of this. She also wished she knew what the hell was in that box.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
A groggy Brian, tried to focus on the image beside him. “Ma..rr..iia?” he asked. His vision was slightly blurred and he felt queasy.
“Brian, thank god, your ok.”
“Where are we?”
“My mom’s house. Do you remember how you got here?” she asked him.
He nodded as things began to come into focus. “I was looking for Liz…trying to get to her before…..”
“Your too late,” Maria pointed towards Randy and Tommy.
“Nice you could join us Brian and thanks for the gun,” Tommy smiled.
**********
“Please untie my legs at least. I’m 8 month’s pregnant and my feet are swelling. Please, it’s really uncomfortable,” Maria begged Randy. He was always the most sensitive of the two and she could tell he was least comfortable with the situation.
He approached her, “I can’t remove them but I can do this,” he said loosening them. “Is that better?” he asked with guilt in his eyes.
Maria nodded.
“How about me?” Brian asked, pointing towards his own bound feet.
“No way,” Randy said.
“I know you don’t want to hurt us. Please let us go. Technically, you haven’t done anything, other than hold us here. Your sentence would be light,” Maria begged.
“You’re forgetting we have a gun now,” Tommy piped up. “That takes things to another level.”
“What gun?” she asked. “As far as we are concerned you have no gun.”
Brian nodded at Maria, happy with the way she was playing things.
Seeing she had Randy’s attention she continued her tact. “We have known each other forever, I know you just got caught up in the wrong crowd….”
Randy’s features took on the look of a little boy. “That is what happened,” he whispered. “We were just looking to make money. No one was supposed to get hurt. I mean Michael was my best friend, I didn’t want him to go to jail…..”
Maria was floored. What were they saying about Michael? “Wait, Michael, what does he being in jail have to do with this?” she asked.
“Randy, don’t you dare,” Tommy warned.
“No, we should tell her. You know their going to take her out anyway…” Confession was good for the soul and he knew he would feel better if he told her.
“Sean wouldn’t give the stuff back, even when he was found out. Our boss, he told us to just get it back but we couldn’t find it, we ransacked his whole place. We figured he put the key with Michael’s things, so we needed to get them both out of the house. It was the night before you were going to move in together.”
“You asked him out to Lindsay’s.” Maria was beginning to put the pieces together.
“Billy was gonna ransack his place. But Michael, he kept wanting to leave early to get home and finish packing. He wasn’t drinking much and we had to stall him, so we put something in his drink, to disorient him, loosen him up a bit.”
“And you let him drive like that?” Maria asked with rage?
He nodded guiltily. “We didn’t know. I was having a lap dance at the time.”
“Ya, you couldn’t just do your job for one night, could ya?” Tommy asked.
“You weren’t there either.”
“I was in the can!” he yelled. “Idiot!”
“But they said that his blood alcohol level was above the limit. Did the drug magnify it?” she asked.
Brian jumped in. “No, it might put him in a more altered state, but it wouldn’t change the alcohol level.”
“How do you know?” she asked.
“My uncle is a cop.”
Maria thought about it for a minute. “Well, I don’t get it.”
Tommy came over and filled in the rest. “We paid off one of the officers to alter the report.”
“So you’re saying that Michael, only hit that deer because you drugged him?”
Both men nodded.
He was innocent and she might not even live to tell him.
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maya
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- Posts: 246
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A/N Thank you for all the feedback. Sorry I don't have time to post individual replies today, but know that you are all appreciated. I know the delay has been long but I have been going through some rough stuff and appreciate your patience.
Break Me and Stow Away have also been updated, so please check them out as well.
Maya
Part 25
Isabelle was home from the hospital and Alex was spoiling her silly. First he had baked her favorite meal, then rented 2 chick flicks to watch with her. Then he had taken her on a nice walk so they could enjoy the nearby gardens.
“I’m sorry,” he said to her for the millionth time as they walked through the gardens. “I should have realized that you needed help, instead I was only concerned with my only happiness.”
“Stop apologizing. You had every right. I haven’t exactly been a barrel of laughs. I can’t even begin to imagine how hard this has been for you.”
“Isabelle, you know you can tell me anything,” he said hoping she would come clean.
“I know Alex,” was all she said in response. God, it was so frustrating, knowing what he did and not being able to admit it. He silently reminded himself that he couldn’t push. She would tell him in time. In the meantime, he had to find a way to help her.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
“Randy, you can turn yourself in. I mean it when I say we will vouch for you.” Maria begged, once again.
Randy’s face contorted as if in pain, “It isn’t the police we’re worried about. Don’t you get it?”
Maria shook her head, she didn’t get it. This whole thing was just so cryptic.“Whoever you’re working for, can’t be bigger than the police,” she argued.
“Yes, they can,” Randy argued back.
At this point Tommy entered the room, looking very agitated. “They haven’t gone in yet,” he said to Randy. “She better not do anything to turn this sour.”
“Who are you working for?” she demanded. She was determined to find out everything she could so that she could clear Michael. No matter how slim the odds, she would make it out of here, he just had to know the truth.
Tommy glared at Randy. “You idiot, sharing more secrets with Maria?” he asked.
“I want her to understand, why we have to do this,” he whined. He really was the weak link here, Maria thought, if she could just get him to talk…
“She doesn’t have to understand a thing. We need to follow our orders and keep our mouths shut. You can do that can’t you?”
Randy nodded glumly. “Now, come help out.” He motioned him towards the kitchen.
Maria let out the breathe she was holding in when the two men left the room. Then she looked to Brian guiltily. She felt horrible. All Brian had wanted was to be set up on a date. He had been new in town and hadn’t had a chance to meet many people, so was thrilled when she had set him up with Liz. Now she wished she hadn’t. “God, Brian, I am so sorry I got you involved in all of this. I mean you came here for an advertising job and have wound up a hostage.”
Even though the situation was grave, Brian couldn’t help but chuckle. “Sante Fe has certainly turned out to be a lot more exciting than I ever dreamed.”
“I really am sorry,” she repeated, but knew words just weren’t enough.
“Maria, believe me, I am exactly where I want to be.” He gave her a smile.
“Wow, you must really have it bad for Liz.” It seemed that so many men did; Sean, Max, Brian.
Brian smiled, then whispered to her so quietly that even Amy couldn’t hear. “When they come back, ask for a glass of water.”
“Why?” Water was the last thing on her mind.
“Just trust me.”
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Michael and Max were glad that Randy and Tommy were gone from the room even though they knew it was only temporary.
“Who is that guy?” Michael asked, referring to Brian.
“He’s the guy Liz has been dating,” Max replied glumly.
‘Sorry, Man,” Michael said patting him on the shoulder. “Can he be trusted?”
Max nodded, knowing he couldn’t give specifics with Anderson in the room.
“It’s a little too late to ask who can be trusted, isn’t it?” Anderson laughed. “Besides, all of your partners in crime are tied up at the minute and won’t be able to save the day.”
All, except for Hansen, Max thought. If they had heard all of his conversations, they must have known about him, did that mean they had him too?
“It really is too bad that we can’t watch what is happening with poor Liz at the bank on this monitor. I would just love to watch you two squirm a little more,” Anderson sneered. He was having so much fun.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-__-
Hansen, made his way to the bank and got into position. He knew something had gone wrong when he hadn’t heard from Brian. He assumed that meant that Liz and Billy were on their way here, he only hoped that when they arrived he could do something to intercept them.
*********
It was time. Billy didn’t have to tell her, the way he looked at her, she just knew. “Now, you are going to walk in there and pretend nothing is wrong. I won’t have the gun out like I do now, but It’s still on me and I won’t hesitate to use it. Got it?” he asked, shoving it in her face as a reminder.
“Got it,” she glared. She wasn’t afraid of the gun. She was afraid for Maria, Brian, Max and Michael. Would her actions jeopardize them? She said a silent prayer as she opened the car door and walked with Billy up the stairs to the bank.
As they opened the door, Liz felt the room spinning around her and she mentally chastised herself for it. She had to hold it together now; too many lives were dependant on it.
“Can, I help you?” An older, dowdy looking woman asked them when they approached the reception desk.
“Yes,” Liz replied, “I’d like access to safety deposit box number 317,” she explained, trying to look as calm as possible.
After the lady checked for her name in the file and asked for a piece of ID, Liz and Billy followed her to the other side of the bank and through a large door, into a back room which housed the safety deposit boxes.
**********
Hansen had seen Liz and Billy enter the bank and had entered behind them, keeping a safe distance. He approached the receptionist.
“I need to get in there. Liz Parker is in danger.”
“Are you with the police?” she asked.
“I’m a retired detective,” he explained.
“Retired? Well, I’m sorry sir but I can’t help you.”
“Damn it,” Hansen screamed as he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. “Sherrif, it’s Hansen……..we have a bit of a problem.”
************
“I need a glass of water,” Maria said when Randy came back into the room.
“Not know Maria, I need to think.” He began to pace the living room.
“She’s pregnant and she needs some water, for god’s sake,” Brain yelled.
“Alright, alright,” Randy moaned and left the room to fetch it for her.
*************
“My god, Maria, she doesn’t look too good,” Michael said as he and Max continued to watch the screen. “Why is she panting like that and what is he doing?”
“I don’t know,” Max said, also puzzled by what he was seeing.
“Holy shit, oh shit, oh shit,” Michael yelled.
“What? What?”
“Maria, she’s in labor.”
*************
“Oh my god,” Maria screamed as another contraction bore through her. Amy helplessly watched her daughter racked in pain. She was supposed to help her through this and now wasn’t even sure any of them would survive, even her grandchild.
“Fuck, fuck,” Randy and Tommy yelled as they paced back and forth in front of her.
“What are we going to do?” Randy asked.
“Nothing.”
“She’s in labor,” he argued.
“Not our problem.”
“Oh, no, no, no,” Maria whined.
“What is it?” Randy asked.
She looked to Brian who nodded at her. She could only hope they would get away with this. “My water just broke.”
*************
“Well here it is,” the bank employee said as she put the safety deposit box down in front of them. “I’ll leave you to it for a few minutes.”
The moment she left, Billy lifted the lid and opened the box. “What the fuck?” he said with surprise as he pulled out the contents. ‘What is this?”
In his hand was a small ring box and an envelope. Billy tore the envelope open and began to read the card inside.
Dear Liz,
If you’re reading this, then things went sour. That’s why I left this here, I knew that eventually you’d find it. I was planning to propose once this whole thing was behind me. I’d take you up to our favorite place and…
Billy stopped reading and opened the ring box to reveal a large solitaire. He threw the box against the wall and yelled, banging his fists against the row of safety deposit boxes.
For Liz, the room was spinning again as a zillion things went through her head. Sean was going to propose to her? She wouldn’t have guessed in a million years. And Billy, he hadn’t found what he was looking for. What would he do know?
Billy stopped his rampage, composed himself and then swiftly pulled out his gun and aimed it right at her. “No more games bitch, where the hell is it?”
Break Me and Stow Away have also been updated, so please check them out as well.
Maya
Part 25
Isabelle was home from the hospital and Alex was spoiling her silly. First he had baked her favorite meal, then rented 2 chick flicks to watch with her. Then he had taken her on a nice walk so they could enjoy the nearby gardens.
“I’m sorry,” he said to her for the millionth time as they walked through the gardens. “I should have realized that you needed help, instead I was only concerned with my only happiness.”
“Stop apologizing. You had every right. I haven’t exactly been a barrel of laughs. I can’t even begin to imagine how hard this has been for you.”
“Isabelle, you know you can tell me anything,” he said hoping she would come clean.
“I know Alex,” was all she said in response. God, it was so frustrating, knowing what he did and not being able to admit it. He silently reminded himself that he couldn’t push. She would tell him in time. In the meantime, he had to find a way to help her.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
“Randy, you can turn yourself in. I mean it when I say we will vouch for you.” Maria begged, once again.
Randy’s face contorted as if in pain, “It isn’t the police we’re worried about. Don’t you get it?”
Maria shook her head, she didn’t get it. This whole thing was just so cryptic.“Whoever you’re working for, can’t be bigger than the police,” she argued.
“Yes, they can,” Randy argued back.
At this point Tommy entered the room, looking very agitated. “They haven’t gone in yet,” he said to Randy. “She better not do anything to turn this sour.”
“Who are you working for?” she demanded. She was determined to find out everything she could so that she could clear Michael. No matter how slim the odds, she would make it out of here, he just had to know the truth.
Tommy glared at Randy. “You idiot, sharing more secrets with Maria?” he asked.
“I want her to understand, why we have to do this,” he whined. He really was the weak link here, Maria thought, if she could just get him to talk…
“She doesn’t have to understand a thing. We need to follow our orders and keep our mouths shut. You can do that can’t you?”
Randy nodded glumly. “Now, come help out.” He motioned him towards the kitchen.
Maria let out the breathe she was holding in when the two men left the room. Then she looked to Brian guiltily. She felt horrible. All Brian had wanted was to be set up on a date. He had been new in town and hadn’t had a chance to meet many people, so was thrilled when she had set him up with Liz. Now she wished she hadn’t. “God, Brian, I am so sorry I got you involved in all of this. I mean you came here for an advertising job and have wound up a hostage.”
Even though the situation was grave, Brian couldn’t help but chuckle. “Sante Fe has certainly turned out to be a lot more exciting than I ever dreamed.”
“I really am sorry,” she repeated, but knew words just weren’t enough.
“Maria, believe me, I am exactly where I want to be.” He gave her a smile.
“Wow, you must really have it bad for Liz.” It seemed that so many men did; Sean, Max, Brian.
Brian smiled, then whispered to her so quietly that even Amy couldn’t hear. “When they come back, ask for a glass of water.”
“Why?” Water was the last thing on her mind.
“Just trust me.”
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Michael and Max were glad that Randy and Tommy were gone from the room even though they knew it was only temporary.
“Who is that guy?” Michael asked, referring to Brian.
“He’s the guy Liz has been dating,” Max replied glumly.
‘Sorry, Man,” Michael said patting him on the shoulder. “Can he be trusted?”
Max nodded, knowing he couldn’t give specifics with Anderson in the room.
“It’s a little too late to ask who can be trusted, isn’t it?” Anderson laughed. “Besides, all of your partners in crime are tied up at the minute and won’t be able to save the day.”
All, except for Hansen, Max thought. If they had heard all of his conversations, they must have known about him, did that mean they had him too?
“It really is too bad that we can’t watch what is happening with poor Liz at the bank on this monitor. I would just love to watch you two squirm a little more,” Anderson sneered. He was having so much fun.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-__-
Hansen, made his way to the bank and got into position. He knew something had gone wrong when he hadn’t heard from Brian. He assumed that meant that Liz and Billy were on their way here, he only hoped that when they arrived he could do something to intercept them.
*********
It was time. Billy didn’t have to tell her, the way he looked at her, she just knew. “Now, you are going to walk in there and pretend nothing is wrong. I won’t have the gun out like I do now, but It’s still on me and I won’t hesitate to use it. Got it?” he asked, shoving it in her face as a reminder.
“Got it,” she glared. She wasn’t afraid of the gun. She was afraid for Maria, Brian, Max and Michael. Would her actions jeopardize them? She said a silent prayer as she opened the car door and walked with Billy up the stairs to the bank.
As they opened the door, Liz felt the room spinning around her and she mentally chastised herself for it. She had to hold it together now; too many lives were dependant on it.
“Can, I help you?” An older, dowdy looking woman asked them when they approached the reception desk.
“Yes,” Liz replied, “I’d like access to safety deposit box number 317,” she explained, trying to look as calm as possible.
After the lady checked for her name in the file and asked for a piece of ID, Liz and Billy followed her to the other side of the bank and through a large door, into a back room which housed the safety deposit boxes.
**********
Hansen had seen Liz and Billy enter the bank and had entered behind them, keeping a safe distance. He approached the receptionist.
“I need to get in there. Liz Parker is in danger.”
“Are you with the police?” she asked.
“I’m a retired detective,” he explained.
“Retired? Well, I’m sorry sir but I can’t help you.”
“Damn it,” Hansen screamed as he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. “Sherrif, it’s Hansen……..we have a bit of a problem.”
************
“I need a glass of water,” Maria said when Randy came back into the room.
“Not know Maria, I need to think.” He began to pace the living room.
“She’s pregnant and she needs some water, for god’s sake,” Brain yelled.
“Alright, alright,” Randy moaned and left the room to fetch it for her.
*************
“My god, Maria, she doesn’t look too good,” Michael said as he and Max continued to watch the screen. “Why is she panting like that and what is he doing?”
“I don’t know,” Max said, also puzzled by what he was seeing.
“Holy shit, oh shit, oh shit,” Michael yelled.
“What? What?”
“Maria, she’s in labor.”
*************
“Oh my god,” Maria screamed as another contraction bore through her. Amy helplessly watched her daughter racked in pain. She was supposed to help her through this and now wasn’t even sure any of them would survive, even her grandchild.
“Fuck, fuck,” Randy and Tommy yelled as they paced back and forth in front of her.
“What are we going to do?” Randy asked.
“Nothing.”
“She’s in labor,” he argued.
“Not our problem.”
“Oh, no, no, no,” Maria whined.
“What is it?” Randy asked.
She looked to Brian who nodded at her. She could only hope they would get away with this. “My water just broke.”
*************
“Well here it is,” the bank employee said as she put the safety deposit box down in front of them. “I’ll leave you to it for a few minutes.”
The moment she left, Billy lifted the lid and opened the box. “What the fuck?” he said with surprise as he pulled out the contents. ‘What is this?”
In his hand was a small ring box and an envelope. Billy tore the envelope open and began to read the card inside.
Dear Liz,
If you’re reading this, then things went sour. That’s why I left this here, I knew that eventually you’d find it. I was planning to propose once this whole thing was behind me. I’d take you up to our favorite place and…
Billy stopped reading and opened the ring box to reveal a large solitaire. He threw the box against the wall and yelled, banging his fists against the row of safety deposit boxes.
For Liz, the room was spinning again as a zillion things went through her head. Sean was going to propose to her? She wouldn’t have guessed in a million years. And Billy, he hadn’t found what he was looking for. What would he do know?
Billy stopped his rampage, composed himself and then swiftly pulled out his gun and aimed it right at her. “No more games bitch, where the hell is it?”
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maya
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Previously:
Billy stopped his rampage, composed himself and then swiftly pulled out his gun and aimed it right at her. “No more games bitch, where the hell is it?”
Part 26
“Where the hell is what?” Liz asked while she scanned the room for a way out.
Billy’s eyes were ablaze as he took another step towards her. “Don’t fuck with me. I’ve checked all of Sean’s things, Michael’s too, the garage has been swept top to bottom. The only explanation is that you have it.”
Liz wanted to ask what this “what” was, but was afraid she would only fuel his anger. Was it possible that Sean didn’t have it, that these criminals had misjudged him? “Maybe he didn’t have it.”
Billy threw his head back in a cackled laugh. “Oh he had it alright, was the last one with it, and he never made the drop he was supposed to. What do you think he was killed for?”
What was he talking about? “Sean was in a car accident. What are you…” she took a step towards him. Nothing was making sense.
“No!” Billy yelled. “Stop changing the subject. I really don’t want to do this, but what choice do I have?” She hadn’t delivered and he couldn’t leave any witnesses. He was now standing directly in front of her, the gun not 5 inches from her temple.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
“We can’t take her to the hospital,” Tommy explained to Randy for the millionth time but Randy couldn’t listen, wouldn’t listen, he just continued to pace the floor, hands on his head, muttering, “We went to school with her, Amy used to buy us ice cream. Michael taught me to ride a bike. We can’t just do nothing.”
“She might not die,” Tommy reassured him. Not yet anyway, he thought but did not say aloud. “She can just have it here.”
“Here, are you crazy?” Maria screamed, breathing heavy, her forehead shiny with perspiration.
Amy struggled against the ropes that bound her arms. There was no way she would let her daughter deliver in their living room with two dumb criminals.
“It could be breach, or there could be millions of other complications,” Brian explained. ‘She needs a hospital now.”
Randy flashed a sympathetic look Maria’s way. He was breaking, of that she was sure.
“You know the rules,” Tommy sneered at Randy when he caught wind of the glance.
“Randy, please,” Maria begged.
“But Maria, they’ll kill us. You don’t understand.”
“No they won’t. We will make sure the police know the truth, that you didn’t want to, your hand was forced. Who are these people?”
“The Mirolta Brothers.” Just saying the name caused Randy to shiver.
“Mirolta Brothers?” Maria asked. Was that supposed to mean something to her?
“A huge crime family, Maria,” Brian explained. Obviously she didn’t read the newspaper.
“The hugest,” Randy explained.
“You’re telling me the mob is in New Mexico?” If she wasn’t 8 months pregnant, with an innocent boyfriend in jail it would almost be funny. Mob in New Mexico was about as believable as the idea a few in town had that some aliens had survived the 47 crash and were living among them. But this was true.
“So now you know why we can’t help you Maria. Please understand, we never intended for you to get hurt, any of you, but now this is the only way we can protect ourselves,” Tommy explained, sounding almost remorseful. But Almost wasn’t enough.
“It’s not the only way,” Brian said.
“And what would you know, your just some advertising office boy,” Tommy spat back.
Brian stood up slowly, his hands still tied behind his back and looked at Randy. “Come over here and reach into my pocket. Make sure that what you find you keep only in the palm of your hand,” he said eyeing the cameras, he had known where they were since the second he had entered the living room.
Randy looked to Tommy for assistance. “Do it.”
Randy pulled out the badge and examined it closely. “Your FBI?” he asked eyes wide.
“Yes, and I’m here to offer you a deal.”
Maria’s jaw opened wide and she let out a gasp.
“Shit! Shit!” Tommy screamed as he kicked the table in anger. Things were so screwed up now, there would be no going back.
*********
Max and Michael couldn’t take their eyes off the screen. It looked as though some sort of exchange was going on. What were they all looking at?
“What the fuck?” Anderson growled and then the screen went blank.
*********
“How did you know that camera was there?” Randy asked, dumfounded after he had smashed it at Brian’s request.
“Instinct.”
Maria, Amy and Brian were untied and sitting at the kitchen table with Randy and Tommy. “Lets be clear, this doesn’t mean we agree to anything,” he said pointing the gun at them as a reminder.
“You’re just listening. I get that,” Brian said, putting his hands in the air as if to say, “you’re the boss.”
“Well, I hope this doesn’t take long, I really need to get to the hospital,” Maria whined as she faked her way through another contraction. Was all this faking really necessary, she wondered, but one look at Brian told her he wanted her to keep it up. “When you said you were exactly where you were meant to be, it was never about Liz, was it?” she asked.
Brian shook his head. “We’ve been trying to get at the Miroltas for a while. We knew Sean and Michael were involved with them. When Billy suddenly materialized in your life, I knew I had to get close to you. Liz was the obvious way,” he explained.
“What exactly are the Miroltas up to and how is Michael involved?”
Not knowing how much Brian knew, Randy and Tommy choose to keep their mouths shut rather than volunteer information.
“We don’t have much time Maria. I’ll explain it later,” Brian said.
“What exactly are you offering us?” Tommy asked.
“No jail time. We want them, not you.”
“We only know who our contacts are, we’ve never actually met anyone high up. What are we talking, testimony?”
“What we need is for you to pretend nothing has changed. The exchange with Billy is in play. We will follow you to them.”
“But the cameras. They’ll know something is in play.” Just as the words left Tommy’s mouth, his mouth his cell phone rang.
“Blame it on the faulty set up,” Brian explained. “Whoever installed it, didn’t know his stuff.
“This won’t work,” Tommy argued. “What’s stopping us from killing you all right now?” he asked smugly.
“You’re out of choices. You thought no one knew of your involvement but the FBI knows I’m here, they know who you are. If we all don’t walk out of here alive, you’ll be guaranteed a sentence.”
"And if this plan of your doesn't work, we'll all be on their hit list."
"Don't you think I know that?" Brian replied. They had tried to be so careful, had been planning to go after things a different way, but these kidnappings had forced them into early action and he only hoped he could keep everyone safe.
“Shit, shit,” Tommy cursed as he picked up the phone and followed through.
When Tommy hung up the phone Brian gave his first order. “We have to get Maria and her mother to the hospital.” He only hoped that Hansen had gotten through to Billy.
“You could have told me you were FBI, saved me all this stress,” Maria whispered with a sly smile.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
“No, wait!” Liz screamed, just as Billy was about to pull the trigger. “Maybe I do know where it is!” she exclaimed.
“Where?” he asked skeptically.
“I’m not that dumb, if I tell you, you’ll just kill me. I’ll take you there,” she said looking towards the door.
“No funny stuff,” he said as he followed her out the door, covering the gun with his jacket. Once he found it, as per the original plan, he would kill her.
Billy stopped his rampage, composed himself and then swiftly pulled out his gun and aimed it right at her. “No more games bitch, where the hell is it?”
Part 26
“Where the hell is what?” Liz asked while she scanned the room for a way out.
Billy’s eyes were ablaze as he took another step towards her. “Don’t fuck with me. I’ve checked all of Sean’s things, Michael’s too, the garage has been swept top to bottom. The only explanation is that you have it.”
Liz wanted to ask what this “what” was, but was afraid she would only fuel his anger. Was it possible that Sean didn’t have it, that these criminals had misjudged him? “Maybe he didn’t have it.”
Billy threw his head back in a cackled laugh. “Oh he had it alright, was the last one with it, and he never made the drop he was supposed to. What do you think he was killed for?”
What was he talking about? “Sean was in a car accident. What are you…” she took a step towards him. Nothing was making sense.
“No!” Billy yelled. “Stop changing the subject. I really don’t want to do this, but what choice do I have?” She hadn’t delivered and he couldn’t leave any witnesses. He was now standing directly in front of her, the gun not 5 inches from her temple.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
“We can’t take her to the hospital,” Tommy explained to Randy for the millionth time but Randy couldn’t listen, wouldn’t listen, he just continued to pace the floor, hands on his head, muttering, “We went to school with her, Amy used to buy us ice cream. Michael taught me to ride a bike. We can’t just do nothing.”
“She might not die,” Tommy reassured him. Not yet anyway, he thought but did not say aloud. “She can just have it here.”
“Here, are you crazy?” Maria screamed, breathing heavy, her forehead shiny with perspiration.
Amy struggled against the ropes that bound her arms. There was no way she would let her daughter deliver in their living room with two dumb criminals.
“It could be breach, or there could be millions of other complications,” Brian explained. ‘She needs a hospital now.”
Randy flashed a sympathetic look Maria’s way. He was breaking, of that she was sure.
“You know the rules,” Tommy sneered at Randy when he caught wind of the glance.
“Randy, please,” Maria begged.
“But Maria, they’ll kill us. You don’t understand.”
“No they won’t. We will make sure the police know the truth, that you didn’t want to, your hand was forced. Who are these people?”
“The Mirolta Brothers.” Just saying the name caused Randy to shiver.
“Mirolta Brothers?” Maria asked. Was that supposed to mean something to her?
“A huge crime family, Maria,” Brian explained. Obviously she didn’t read the newspaper.
“The hugest,” Randy explained.
“You’re telling me the mob is in New Mexico?” If she wasn’t 8 months pregnant, with an innocent boyfriend in jail it would almost be funny. Mob in New Mexico was about as believable as the idea a few in town had that some aliens had survived the 47 crash and were living among them. But this was true.
“So now you know why we can’t help you Maria. Please understand, we never intended for you to get hurt, any of you, but now this is the only way we can protect ourselves,” Tommy explained, sounding almost remorseful. But Almost wasn’t enough.
“It’s not the only way,” Brian said.
“And what would you know, your just some advertising office boy,” Tommy spat back.
Brian stood up slowly, his hands still tied behind his back and looked at Randy. “Come over here and reach into my pocket. Make sure that what you find you keep only in the palm of your hand,” he said eyeing the cameras, he had known where they were since the second he had entered the living room.
Randy looked to Tommy for assistance. “Do it.”
Randy pulled out the badge and examined it closely. “Your FBI?” he asked eyes wide.
“Yes, and I’m here to offer you a deal.”
Maria’s jaw opened wide and she let out a gasp.
“Shit! Shit!” Tommy screamed as he kicked the table in anger. Things were so screwed up now, there would be no going back.
*********
Max and Michael couldn’t take their eyes off the screen. It looked as though some sort of exchange was going on. What were they all looking at?
“What the fuck?” Anderson growled and then the screen went blank.
*********
“How did you know that camera was there?” Randy asked, dumfounded after he had smashed it at Brian’s request.
“Instinct.”
Maria, Amy and Brian were untied and sitting at the kitchen table with Randy and Tommy. “Lets be clear, this doesn’t mean we agree to anything,” he said pointing the gun at them as a reminder.
“You’re just listening. I get that,” Brian said, putting his hands in the air as if to say, “you’re the boss.”
“Well, I hope this doesn’t take long, I really need to get to the hospital,” Maria whined as she faked her way through another contraction. Was all this faking really necessary, she wondered, but one look at Brian told her he wanted her to keep it up. “When you said you were exactly where you were meant to be, it was never about Liz, was it?” she asked.
Brian shook his head. “We’ve been trying to get at the Miroltas for a while. We knew Sean and Michael were involved with them. When Billy suddenly materialized in your life, I knew I had to get close to you. Liz was the obvious way,” he explained.
“What exactly are the Miroltas up to and how is Michael involved?”
Not knowing how much Brian knew, Randy and Tommy choose to keep their mouths shut rather than volunteer information.
“We don’t have much time Maria. I’ll explain it later,” Brian said.
“What exactly are you offering us?” Tommy asked.
“No jail time. We want them, not you.”
“We only know who our contacts are, we’ve never actually met anyone high up. What are we talking, testimony?”
“What we need is for you to pretend nothing has changed. The exchange with Billy is in play. We will follow you to them.”
“But the cameras. They’ll know something is in play.” Just as the words left Tommy’s mouth, his mouth his cell phone rang.
“Blame it on the faulty set up,” Brian explained. “Whoever installed it, didn’t know his stuff.
“This won’t work,” Tommy argued. “What’s stopping us from killing you all right now?” he asked smugly.
“You’re out of choices. You thought no one knew of your involvement but the FBI knows I’m here, they know who you are. If we all don’t walk out of here alive, you’ll be guaranteed a sentence.”
"And if this plan of your doesn't work, we'll all be on their hit list."
"Don't you think I know that?" Brian replied. They had tried to be so careful, had been planning to go after things a different way, but these kidnappings had forced them into early action and he only hoped he could keep everyone safe.
“Shit, shit,” Tommy cursed as he picked up the phone and followed through.
When Tommy hung up the phone Brian gave his first order. “We have to get Maria and her mother to the hospital.” He only hoped that Hansen had gotten through to Billy.
“You could have told me you were FBI, saved me all this stress,” Maria whispered with a sly smile.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
“No, wait!” Liz screamed, just as Billy was about to pull the trigger. “Maybe I do know where it is!” she exclaimed.
“Where?” he asked skeptically.
“I’m not that dumb, if I tell you, you’ll just kill me. I’ll take you there,” she said looking towards the door.
“No funny stuff,” he said as he followed her out the door, covering the gun with his jacket. Once he found it, as per the original plan, he would kill her.
Last edited by maya on Mon May 28, 2007 10:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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maya
- Addicted Roswellian
- Posts: 246
- Joined: Sat Aug 20, 2005 2:44 pm
- Location: Wherever my heart takes me
A/N Wow. Everyone seemed suprised by Brain being FBI. I assure you that was not thrown in at the last minute. I had planned it from the start. If you read back you will see that he was meeting with Hansen etc. and knew alot more than the average advertising office worker would. LOL
We are coming to a close on the Michael part of the story and will soon be moving on to Max and Isabelle and of course the Dreamer part of the story.
I am trying to update as often as I can but I start screenwriting school in just 10 weeks and still have a lot to do to get ready and I have to make that my priority. I am doing my best to finish my fics up though.
This next part is dedicated to Lairabehr4 - my thoughts and prayers are with you sweetie!
Sirio
Dreamer<3 - they have the key. That is what opened the safety deposit box. It is what Billy thought was in it that they are really after.
roswelldreamer4life
Blink1lit
VeronicB
tequathisy
Natalie36
raemac - thanks for the bumps!
Allie Xie
roswell3053
Shadowlynxbehr
Alien_friend
sprayadhesive
FSU/MSW-94
Part 27
Tess cuddled up to Kyle on the couch, enjoying a lazy afternoon. “It’s been a while since we’ve been able to do this,” Kyle sighed contently. Tess had been spending most of her time crusading to save Max and more recently Isabelle.
“I know,” she replied guiltily. “It seems I’m always apologizing for neglecting you, so I won’t insult you by doing it again.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it Tess. You know I understand.” To a degree he did but lately he found himself wondering, if he was behind bars would Tess work as hard to get him out as she was for Max?
“I know you didn’t, it just reminds me of what a shitty fiancé I’ve been.” She put her head in hest chest. “God Kyle, I hope I didn’t make a mistake telling Alex.”
“You saved her marriage by telling him. One day, she’ll thank you.”
Tess wasn’t so sure especially when she reminded herself that Isabelle’s last grudge against her had lasted for over four years. “I just hope she tells him soon.”
“Why don’t you convince her too?”
“I’ve tried, believe me, but I’ll try again.”
Good, Kyle thought to himself. Maybe Alex would remember something that could point them in the right direction. If nothing else, he would be someone Kyle could confide in about this whole mess.
Although he would never admit it to Tess, Kyle was struggling, he was trying to be understanding, but his entire life was in limbo, waiting on the fate of a man he’d never met before, a man Tess had been in love with, the infamous Max Evans. He wanted nothing more than this case solved and Max freed so that he and Tess could walk down that aisle and start their life together.
“So now that Isabelle is somewhat under control, what’s your next step?” he asked.
“There’s nothing in the files, Isabelle and her mom remember nothing. I may have to go back and talk to Max.”
“He didn’t tell you anything before. Why should another visit be any different?”
“Maybe if I show him what his lies have cost Isabelle and Diane….” Tess knew it was a long shot but she couldn’t live with herself it she did nothing.”
“Do you want me to go with you?” he asked. He felt the little green monster rearing its ugly head.
“What? Oh no, I mean, I don’t think having someone there he doesn’t know would help,” she explained.
“Right, Ok,” he replied, gritting his teeth. He was finding it really hard to read her lately and he wasn’t sure if it was because of her or his own insecurities.
“I’m not going to go for another week or so. My case load is insane and I want to work on getting Isabelle to open up to Alex a bit…”
“Right,” Kyle replied. As Tess continued to ramble on about her plans, Kyle found himself imagining what things would be like once she had solved Philip’s murder. Once Max was free, Tess would have appeased her guilt by saving Max as he had once saved her. Max would be invited to the wedding, hell Kyle was even prepared to shake his hand and thank him for all he had done for his girl. At that point, Kyle was sure Tess would understand when he put his foot down, after all, their new life would have no room for Max Evans.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Brian looked to a panting Maria, who was sitting in the passenger seat beside him. “Maria, you don’t have to keep that up. You’ll tire yourself out,” he whispered.
His plan was to drop off Maria at the hospital, under the pretense of admitting her so that she would be safe, then take Tommy and Randy, who were currently in the back seat to meet Hansen at their previously specified location.
“Oh god, oh god, oh god,” Maria screamed as Tommy and Randy sat in the backseat white as ghosts, over the prospect of Maria not making it to the hospital in time as well as battling the Mirolta brothers.
“Maria?” Brian asked with confusion, why was she continuing with such an elaborate show? “What’s the problem?”
Perspiration covered her forehead. “My water,” she turned to look at him, “It just broke.”
He laughed. “You can’t say that twice.”
She flashed an angry look his way and then he suddenly clued. in. “You mean you’re….” and he pushed the accelerator to the floor.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
The screen was still pure fuzz. Max didn’t know whether to feel relief or fear. Part of him was dying to know what was happening in the Deluca house, the other part glad they could no longer watch it, he wasn’t sure he could survive watching Maria or Amy die while he was powerless to stop it.
After jiggling around with the electronics for a few minutes to no avail, Anderson was going crazy. “What the fuck is going on?” he screamed, then pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, flipped it open and began to dial furiously.
“What’s going on?” Michael demanded.
Anderson, didn’t respond, instead he paced the corner of the room. He had gotten a hold of someone and was talking into his phone so quietly that Max and Michael couldn’t make out a word.
Max’s heart was racing a mile a minute. He knew he had to remain calm. There was nothing they could do from in here. That was the whole point after all, wasn’t it? Anderson’s office was a torture chamber, the live video feed the weapon.
Michael continued to jiggle the cuffs that locked his hands to the chair. It was getting him nowhere, but the illusion that he was trying, rather than passively observing, was the only thing keeping him in the world of sanity.
“Michael,” Max hissed sternly, motioning towards Anderson with his head. They couldn’t hear a damn thing with all the racket that Michael’s struggling was producing.
“This isn’t good,” Michael hissed back as he continued to try to break free.
“We don’t know that. Maybe the tape malfunctioned,” Max suggested.
Michael shook his head. The only explanation was that someone had stopped it. “Give it a rest Max.” He wasn’t buying that. “Maybe all you can do is sit there and pray, I have to try to get to Maria. She’s in labor for Christ sake and all of this is my fault.”
Max sighed heavily. He resented the accusation that he was being passive. He was hurting just as much as Michael. All he could think about was Liz, god was she still at the bank, had Billy gotten what he wanted and if so had he gotten rid of her?
“And how the hell are you gonna get to her?” he whispered back. Michael was doing his usual action without thinking. Someone had to be level headed.
“We can take him,” Michael explained.
“Take him?” Max whispered back. “We’re handcuffed to these chairs.” He then looked towards the distracted Anderson, “How exactly?”
“We’ll have one chance. Barge at him, both of us. You push him over, I’ll turn around and bash his skull with this chair.”
Max wanted to bash Michael’s skull for his stupidity. “He has a gun.”
They both looked to where the gun sat on his desk.
“If we get to him before he can get to it…”
“Michael, do you know how much time you’ll serve?” Max protested.
“So they add time to my sentence. Who cares. It’s all about Maria now.”
“If we get Anderson, then what?” Max asked.
“We find a way out of here.”
Max gulped. That would be the hardest part. It wasn’t as if they could just waltz out.
“Are you with me?” Michael asked. “All that stuff you said about the sentence…you know that we know too much…” he trailed off.
Max nodded. He didn’t think they had a hope in hell of escape but if they didn’t he knew damn well it wasn’t a longer sentence they would be facing. The three of them would not be living through the night. It was either Anderson or them. He only hoped they wouldn’t too late for Liz. “Just watch for my signal.”
Michael nodded.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Liz exited the safety deposit room slowly, with Billy close behind her. They passed the woman who had let them in. “Did you find everything?” the woman asked. Was it just Liz or did the woman look nervous?
Liz nodded as she looked around the bank. “Yes, I did.” It had been so busy when they came in. Now there was no one standing in line. Only one teller stood behind the counter, who gave her a sympathetic smile as she passed by. What was going on? It seemed like everything in the bank was staged.
Then Liz saw a man approaching her. It was Hansen. Billy didn’t seem to recognize him as they made there way around the corner, heading for the door. As they passed Hansen, Liz shook her head in an attempt to signal him, to stop him from intervening. He couldn’t interfere now, if he did., she feared that Billy would follow through on his threats to hurt Maria and Max and Michael. She needed to get out of this bank with Billy, lead him to what he was looking for and find a way to get the others free.
Here eyes pleaded with him and it seemed like he had understood as he continued to walk, passing right by them. Something wasn’t right though, had they evacuated the bank she wondered as they finally rounded the entrance to the front doors. If so that would mean that…
“Drop your weapon. Put your hands on your head.” The Sherrif was standing in front of them with 5 of his men, all holding guns in their direction.
No, no, no, this couldn’t be happening.
They turned to run the other way only to see Hansen behind them. Billy pulled out his gun, pulled Liz against him and held the gun to her head. “ I’ll shoot.”
“Don’t do it son. It’s over,” the sherrif said.
“The hell it is.” Billy’s hand was on the trigger.
“Please just let us go. They have Maria and Michael and Max,” Liz pleaded with Hansen.
“No, Maria’s safe. She’s at the hospital in labor.”
Relief flooded Liz’s veins. “Wait, I don’t understand.”
“We struck a deal with Tommy and Randy,” the sherrif explained.
“No, no, you’re lying,” Billy yelled. “They would never do that. They know that…”
“We know the Mirolta brothers are dangerous, but we have a plan to flush them out. All you have to do is follow our orders. We are offering you the same deal. No jail time.”
“No. They’ll kill me. You’re just the law. The law means nothing to them. In fact some of you,” he looked at the other cops, “probably work for them.”
“Nope. My team is clean,” the sherrif declared. He knew he couldn’t be sure, but he’d say whatever he had to.
“They already know something is wrong. They haven’t heard from me…”
“They won’t find out as long as we keep this from the press. You’re gonna call and check in on them, tell them you found it and you’re ready to do the drop. Can you do that?”
“Billy, come on, you can do this,” Liz coaxed him.
Billy was crying. “I can’t. I…I didn’t want anything to happen to Maria, but Liz, you don’t know…”
“It’s ok. Maria will understand.” Liz wanted to kick him in the balls for being such a pussy, but she’d save that for when they were all safe. “Just put down the gun and let me go,” she pleaded softly.
“Ok, ok,” he loosened his grip on her and gave her a push towards the sherrif. He then turned the gun on himself.
“Oh come on, you don’t want to do that now. I told you we have a deal.” Hansen said.
“This is a hell of a lot better than what they’ll do to me,” Billy replied.
Hansen knew it was a bad move, but he lunged for the gun. Looking back on that day he would always wish he hadn’t, that he had had just let the boy die, after all, they could have carried out the plan without him. But he had seen so many lost souls get caught up in mob crime that didn’t get a second chance, he didn’t want another added to the list.
Somehow before the gun went flying out of Billy’s hand it went off. In that moment everything became slow motion as they rushed towards where Liz Parker had fallen to the floor. He would always regret that moment, because Liz Parker had been shot.
We are coming to a close on the Michael part of the story and will soon be moving on to Max and Isabelle and of course the Dreamer part of the story.
I am trying to update as often as I can but I start screenwriting school in just 10 weeks and still have a lot to do to get ready and I have to make that my priority. I am doing my best to finish my fics up though.
This next part is dedicated to Lairabehr4 - my thoughts and prayers are with you sweetie!
Sirio
Dreamer<3 - they have the key. That is what opened the safety deposit box. It is what Billy thought was in it that they are really after.
roswelldreamer4life
Blink1lit
VeronicB
tequathisy
Natalie36
raemac - thanks for the bumps!
Allie Xie
roswell3053
Shadowlynxbehr
Alien_friend
sprayadhesive
FSU/MSW-94
Part 27
Tess cuddled up to Kyle on the couch, enjoying a lazy afternoon. “It’s been a while since we’ve been able to do this,” Kyle sighed contently. Tess had been spending most of her time crusading to save Max and more recently Isabelle.
“I know,” she replied guiltily. “It seems I’m always apologizing for neglecting you, so I won’t insult you by doing it again.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it Tess. You know I understand.” To a degree he did but lately he found himself wondering, if he was behind bars would Tess work as hard to get him out as she was for Max?
“I know you didn’t, it just reminds me of what a shitty fiancé I’ve been.” She put her head in hest chest. “God Kyle, I hope I didn’t make a mistake telling Alex.”
“You saved her marriage by telling him. One day, she’ll thank you.”
Tess wasn’t so sure especially when she reminded herself that Isabelle’s last grudge against her had lasted for over four years. “I just hope she tells him soon.”
“Why don’t you convince her too?”
“I’ve tried, believe me, but I’ll try again.”
Good, Kyle thought to himself. Maybe Alex would remember something that could point them in the right direction. If nothing else, he would be someone Kyle could confide in about this whole mess.
Although he would never admit it to Tess, Kyle was struggling, he was trying to be understanding, but his entire life was in limbo, waiting on the fate of a man he’d never met before, a man Tess had been in love with, the infamous Max Evans. He wanted nothing more than this case solved and Max freed so that he and Tess could walk down that aisle and start their life together.
“So now that Isabelle is somewhat under control, what’s your next step?” he asked.
“There’s nothing in the files, Isabelle and her mom remember nothing. I may have to go back and talk to Max.”
“He didn’t tell you anything before. Why should another visit be any different?”
“Maybe if I show him what his lies have cost Isabelle and Diane….” Tess knew it was a long shot but she couldn’t live with herself it she did nothing.”
“Do you want me to go with you?” he asked. He felt the little green monster rearing its ugly head.
“What? Oh no, I mean, I don’t think having someone there he doesn’t know would help,” she explained.
“Right, Ok,” he replied, gritting his teeth. He was finding it really hard to read her lately and he wasn’t sure if it was because of her or his own insecurities.
“I’m not going to go for another week or so. My case load is insane and I want to work on getting Isabelle to open up to Alex a bit…”
“Right,” Kyle replied. As Tess continued to ramble on about her plans, Kyle found himself imagining what things would be like once she had solved Philip’s murder. Once Max was free, Tess would have appeased her guilt by saving Max as he had once saved her. Max would be invited to the wedding, hell Kyle was even prepared to shake his hand and thank him for all he had done for his girl. At that point, Kyle was sure Tess would understand when he put his foot down, after all, their new life would have no room for Max Evans.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Brian looked to a panting Maria, who was sitting in the passenger seat beside him. “Maria, you don’t have to keep that up. You’ll tire yourself out,” he whispered.
His plan was to drop off Maria at the hospital, under the pretense of admitting her so that she would be safe, then take Tommy and Randy, who were currently in the back seat to meet Hansen at their previously specified location.
“Oh god, oh god, oh god,” Maria screamed as Tommy and Randy sat in the backseat white as ghosts, over the prospect of Maria not making it to the hospital in time as well as battling the Mirolta brothers.
“Maria?” Brian asked with confusion, why was she continuing with such an elaborate show? “What’s the problem?”
Perspiration covered her forehead. “My water,” she turned to look at him, “It just broke.”
He laughed. “You can’t say that twice.”
She flashed an angry look his way and then he suddenly clued. in. “You mean you’re….” and he pushed the accelerator to the floor.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
The screen was still pure fuzz. Max didn’t know whether to feel relief or fear. Part of him was dying to know what was happening in the Deluca house, the other part glad they could no longer watch it, he wasn’t sure he could survive watching Maria or Amy die while he was powerless to stop it.
After jiggling around with the electronics for a few minutes to no avail, Anderson was going crazy. “What the fuck is going on?” he screamed, then pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, flipped it open and began to dial furiously.
“What’s going on?” Michael demanded.
Anderson, didn’t respond, instead he paced the corner of the room. He had gotten a hold of someone and was talking into his phone so quietly that Max and Michael couldn’t make out a word.
Max’s heart was racing a mile a minute. He knew he had to remain calm. There was nothing they could do from in here. That was the whole point after all, wasn’t it? Anderson’s office was a torture chamber, the live video feed the weapon.
Michael continued to jiggle the cuffs that locked his hands to the chair. It was getting him nowhere, but the illusion that he was trying, rather than passively observing, was the only thing keeping him in the world of sanity.
“Michael,” Max hissed sternly, motioning towards Anderson with his head. They couldn’t hear a damn thing with all the racket that Michael’s struggling was producing.
“This isn’t good,” Michael hissed back as he continued to try to break free.
“We don’t know that. Maybe the tape malfunctioned,” Max suggested.
Michael shook his head. The only explanation was that someone had stopped it. “Give it a rest Max.” He wasn’t buying that. “Maybe all you can do is sit there and pray, I have to try to get to Maria. She’s in labor for Christ sake and all of this is my fault.”
Max sighed heavily. He resented the accusation that he was being passive. He was hurting just as much as Michael. All he could think about was Liz, god was she still at the bank, had Billy gotten what he wanted and if so had he gotten rid of her?
“And how the hell are you gonna get to her?” he whispered back. Michael was doing his usual action without thinking. Someone had to be level headed.
“We can take him,” Michael explained.
“Take him?” Max whispered back. “We’re handcuffed to these chairs.” He then looked towards the distracted Anderson, “How exactly?”
“We’ll have one chance. Barge at him, both of us. You push him over, I’ll turn around and bash his skull with this chair.”
Max wanted to bash Michael’s skull for his stupidity. “He has a gun.”
They both looked to where the gun sat on his desk.
“If we get to him before he can get to it…”
“Michael, do you know how much time you’ll serve?” Max protested.
“So they add time to my sentence. Who cares. It’s all about Maria now.”
“If we get Anderson, then what?” Max asked.
“We find a way out of here.”
Max gulped. That would be the hardest part. It wasn’t as if they could just waltz out.
“Are you with me?” Michael asked. “All that stuff you said about the sentence…you know that we know too much…” he trailed off.
Max nodded. He didn’t think they had a hope in hell of escape but if they didn’t he knew damn well it wasn’t a longer sentence they would be facing. The three of them would not be living through the night. It was either Anderson or them. He only hoped they wouldn’t too late for Liz. “Just watch for my signal.”
Michael nodded.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Liz exited the safety deposit room slowly, with Billy close behind her. They passed the woman who had let them in. “Did you find everything?” the woman asked. Was it just Liz or did the woman look nervous?
Liz nodded as she looked around the bank. “Yes, I did.” It had been so busy when they came in. Now there was no one standing in line. Only one teller stood behind the counter, who gave her a sympathetic smile as she passed by. What was going on? It seemed like everything in the bank was staged.
Then Liz saw a man approaching her. It was Hansen. Billy didn’t seem to recognize him as they made there way around the corner, heading for the door. As they passed Hansen, Liz shook her head in an attempt to signal him, to stop him from intervening. He couldn’t interfere now, if he did., she feared that Billy would follow through on his threats to hurt Maria and Max and Michael. She needed to get out of this bank with Billy, lead him to what he was looking for and find a way to get the others free.
Here eyes pleaded with him and it seemed like he had understood as he continued to walk, passing right by them. Something wasn’t right though, had they evacuated the bank she wondered as they finally rounded the entrance to the front doors. If so that would mean that…
“Drop your weapon. Put your hands on your head.” The Sherrif was standing in front of them with 5 of his men, all holding guns in their direction.
No, no, no, this couldn’t be happening.
They turned to run the other way only to see Hansen behind them. Billy pulled out his gun, pulled Liz against him and held the gun to her head. “ I’ll shoot.”
“Don’t do it son. It’s over,” the sherrif said.
“The hell it is.” Billy’s hand was on the trigger.
“Please just let us go. They have Maria and Michael and Max,” Liz pleaded with Hansen.
“No, Maria’s safe. She’s at the hospital in labor.”
Relief flooded Liz’s veins. “Wait, I don’t understand.”
“We struck a deal with Tommy and Randy,” the sherrif explained.
“No, no, you’re lying,” Billy yelled. “They would never do that. They know that…”
“We know the Mirolta brothers are dangerous, but we have a plan to flush them out. All you have to do is follow our orders. We are offering you the same deal. No jail time.”
“No. They’ll kill me. You’re just the law. The law means nothing to them. In fact some of you,” he looked at the other cops, “probably work for them.”
“Nope. My team is clean,” the sherrif declared. He knew he couldn’t be sure, but he’d say whatever he had to.
“They already know something is wrong. They haven’t heard from me…”
“They won’t find out as long as we keep this from the press. You’re gonna call and check in on them, tell them you found it and you’re ready to do the drop. Can you do that?”
“Billy, come on, you can do this,” Liz coaxed him.
Billy was crying. “I can’t. I…I didn’t want anything to happen to Maria, but Liz, you don’t know…”
“It’s ok. Maria will understand.” Liz wanted to kick him in the balls for being such a pussy, but she’d save that for when they were all safe. “Just put down the gun and let me go,” she pleaded softly.
“Ok, ok,” he loosened his grip on her and gave her a push towards the sherrif. He then turned the gun on himself.
“Oh come on, you don’t want to do that now. I told you we have a deal.” Hansen said.
“This is a hell of a lot better than what they’ll do to me,” Billy replied.
Hansen knew it was a bad move, but he lunged for the gun. Looking back on that day he would always wish he hadn’t, that he had had just let the boy die, after all, they could have carried out the plan without him. But he had seen so many lost souls get caught up in mob crime that didn’t get a second chance, he didn’t want another added to the list.
Somehow before the gun went flying out of Billy’s hand it went off. In that moment everything became slow motion as they rushed towards where Liz Parker had fallen to the floor. He would always regret that moment, because Liz Parker had been shot.
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