This is my first story ever so if it's terrible, just blame it on my novice abilities. Enjoy or at least pretend you do.
Warning: The period between times and places may get confusing. Oh, and any spelling errors toward the end were made purposely.
******January 15, 2013
She awoke in a cold sweat. The nightmares just keep coming. She turned her head to look at the neon light coming from the clock on her nightstand which read 3:47. Outloud she asked directed at no one in particular, "Is one night of sleep too much to ask for?" She knows the reason for these sleepless nights full of nightmares or in reality, full of memories. You'd think after over 30 years, she would have forgotten but the strength of the memory is as if it only happened yesterday...
*******August 23, 1977
The court room was all a buzz. Elizabeth Donnelly had just won the Henderson case which had been going on for 3 months. She was about to give up hope when her star witness, Jane Harving had turned up dead in her home the night before. She'd been stringing the jury along for the past 3 months by using little bits of unsuccessful evidence but today Arthur Gold, the presiding defense attorney came to her before the trial started.
"Liz, your next witness is Jane Harving right?" he said in his all too famililar texan accent.
I looked back at my assistant with a look of bewilderment wondering how in the world such a top prosecutor such as Arthur could miss out on the detail that the witness was dead. It should be all over the ledger by now.
"That's right", I said while painting on a steel facade. This was too good to be true. "Well, my client want to make a deal. I'm against it but he saw one look the the witness list and asked for a deal faster than a jackrabbit. How about we drop it down to man 2?
"Man 2? Are you crazy? Henderson stalked 4 women, raped, them and then murdered them. He's not getting anything less than 1st degree manslaughter. You're lucky I'm not asking to put a needle in his arm."
"Fair enough, Liz. I'm not happy about it but Henderson doesn't want the court to hear the girl's testimony, so we'll take the deal.
Suddenly someone calling her name broke Liz out of her reverie.
She looked over her shoulder to see David Thomas, a man who happens to be very persistent to an exasperating level. As he approached me, I had a feeling that it wasn't going to be easy to get rid of him nicely.
"Elizabeth, I heard you won the Henderson case. How bout' I take you out for a celebratory drink?" "I'm not sure that's a good idea, David. It might give the wrong impression and you know how I don't like mixing business with pleasure, plus don't you have some skirts to be chasing or something?," I asked with a satisfied smirk hoping he would get the hint.
"Come on, Liz. It's just a drink with a colleague. You know you want to go and I'm not going stop asking until you agree. Plus, Saturday is my skirt chasing night," he said while wearing a cheshire grin.
God, this man can be impossible. I think his ego makes up for the size of his manhood or lack there of. "Fine, I'll get my things then we can head down to Clancy's Bar down the street." I hated seeing the self satisfied grin on his face and the way he always looks at me as if I'm a pastry. I'm going to make this as quick as possible.
As we walked into the bar, I was grateful that there was plenty of people there so I wouldn't have to be alone with David longer than I had to on the way here. We went an sat on the stools at the bar.
*I'll have a Dewar's neat, what would you like Liz?" I pondered whether I should just have a glass of water but realized that after spending time with him, I was going to need a drink. "I'll have a dry martini, two olives." Then a couple of defense attorneys came up and congratulated me for winning the case.
"So Liz, I heard Arthur is taking it pretty bad about losing the case especially since he just found out that your star witness was dead. He wondered how you kept such a poker face while talking about the girl. I just smiled and answered him with "I'm a damn good prosecutor, and Arthur would be broke if he tried me with a game of poker." After a few more people came up and congratulated me, there was once again the awkwardness feeling David's eyes trail over me. I just hope I can get out of here soon.
About an hour later, David was three sheets to the wind and I still had all my senses. Well, most of them anyways.
"Come on Liz, let's dance," David said in slurred words. Before I had a chance to refuse, he had a hold of my arm dragging me to the dance floor. Damn, he had a strong grip. I figured I better get this over with. He'll probably be passed out soon anyways.
I felt him draw my body closer to his as we were nearly compressed together. "You know David, it is possible to dance within an inch from a person," I said hoping he'd let loose of his hold on me but he didn't.
As I felt his hands slide down towards and then on my derriere, I decided that dancing time was over and shoved him away and rose my hand to slap him but before my hand reached his face, he grabbed ahold of my wrist and pulled me back against him. I struggled to get free but it was no use.
"David, let me go now or you'll be sorry," I said with as much forcefulness that I could muster. "Awww, Liz,yuub beeeen playin hard ta get fur far too long.
"I think the lady said to let go," said a voice behind me. I strained to turn to see who the voice belonged to but David's grip was too tight. "I don't believe this is any of your business, Cragen." Ahh Donald Cragen, thank god. Maybe he can arrest him. God, that'd be a dream come true.
"I'm making it my business and if you don't let her go, you're going to have to answer to me and I'm sure that everyone in this bar wouldn't mind helping me kick your ass." This made David loosen his hold on me and turn to Donald. He began to swing his arm at Donald but as his arm lurched forward, he began to stumble and Donald took this as his chance to uppercut him. David fell straight to the floor and not responding to anything.
I turned to Don and said, "Well, I knew he'd pass out sometime. I just didn't know how or when." This made Don chuckle and then he motioned for me to come sit with him leaving David on the ground. As we sat down I thanked him by saying, "Thanks for saving my virtue and bruising your knuckles for me, Captain." "Anytime, Lizzie but I'm sure you would have eventually left him some scars to remember your heels by," he said smirking.
Hmm. Lizzie? Nobody calls me that except my father. I like it, I thought smiling to myself. Whoa get a hold of yourself girl. This man is married. Wait, why am I worried. We're just friends...
