Obsession (5/13)

Chapter five

I stand on the other side of the road, careful not draw any attention, and watch as you come out of your ex-husband's building.

I wasn't expecting you to have the day off, and that's why I followed you out of the precinct. I usually wait until you walk out the door, dressed in your uniform, and sit behind the wheel of your RMP, so I sensed something was different when I spotted the car still in the parking lot half an hour after the start of your shift.

Took me a minute to realize you'd probably told them about the letters. That hurt, but it was partially my fault. I swear I'm going to be more careful next time.

The NYPD doesn't need to be involved in this. And they sure don't know who they're dealing with.

I can tell you're upset. No doubt Fred's been his usual stupid self and did something to piss you off, but the thought that I might have something to do with it sends a rush of excitement through my body.

Something's changed in the way you look, walk, dress. And all because of me.

You look around a lot now, eyes darting nervously from one person to another, biting you lip like you usually do when you struggle to keep your emotions under control.

I'm not worried though. You've always been strong. The type that bends but doesn't break. That's one of the things that attracted me to you in the first place. Makes me damn proud of the woman I chose to spend my life with.

I know you're thinking about me, my love. And I promise the wait is almost over.

One day.

One more day and we'll be together again.

"Lieu, can I talk to you for a sec?" Bosco asked his superior as he rummaged through some files in the roll call room.

"Boscorelli." The older man looked up and acknowledged him. "If you're asking me to assign you to another partner then the answer is no. Blake's a good kid, you just need to give him some time."

"No, sir. I... that's not it."

"Where is he?"

"He's waiting by the vending machines."

Swersky nodded his head. "What can I do for you?"

Bosco took a deep breath and started to open his mouth, then paused, raking a hand through his short hair.

"Sir, is it true what I heard about Officer Yokas? That she's been uh... receiving these letters and you think it might be something serious?"

The Lieutenant folded his arms across his chest, a sour expression on his face. "Yes."

Bosco's stomach sank. "How, I mean when... what happened?"

Swersky walked over to one of the chairs and sat down. "Close the door."

He did as instructed, then took a seat next to his superior. "What do you have?"

"Slow down, Boscorelli." The man held out one hand to cut him off. "We're not even supposed to have this conversation."

"Come on, Lieu. It's me. I wanna help."

"What exactly do you know about this?"

Bosco leaned back in his chair and shrugged. "Just what I told you. I overheard two detectives talking in the locker room. They didn't even realize I was there."

Swersky shook his head in frustration. "So much for discretion."

"Lieu, what are you gonna do?"

The man sighed. "I'm afraid there's not much we can do right now. I assigned two of the best detectives to the case, but with no fingerprints or other solid leads finding this man is next to impossible."

Bosco straightened himself, moving to the edge of the seat, his right leg bouncing up and down in a nervous gesture. "So what, are you gonna wait for this bastard to make another move?"

"Calm down, alright? I don't want anything to happen to her either. I'm just saying it's difficult to work without a lead."

Bosco stood up and started to pace the room. "I wanna be part of the team."

"Forget it."

"What if he tries to kill her, huh? What if something happens? I need to be there." He said, his eyes pleading for him to understand.

Swersky rose to his feet and walked up to him. "No. What you need is to calm down and focus on your job. She needs to know we're there for her."

"How's she doing?"

A half smile curved the man's lips. "I think you know her better than I do. Always the tough one, trying to pretend everything's fine. But I can tell she's just as upset as we are."

"Will you keep me up to date with the investigation? That's all I'm asking you, Sir. I need to know what happens."

"I will."

Bosco nodded his head. It wasn't exactly what he wanted, but it was something. He turned around and walked to the door, ready to leave.

"Boscorelli. I don't know what happened between you and Yokas, but I think she could use a friend right now."

He nodded again. "Thanks, Lieu."

Faith stepped inside her apartment building, her chest tight with worry as she wondered what the man's next move would be.

Am I gonna find another message? She asked herself. Or is he hiding somewhere, waiting for me?

The thought that the two armed cops sitting in the unmarked car across the street would rush upstairs to help at the first sign of trouble partially eased her fear, but it wasn't enough. She knew how these things worked. One minute, a handful of seconds and it'd be too late.

Coming out of the elevator, her eyes immediately searched the hallway, looking for something, anything out of the ordinary. To her surprise, everything was quiet and familiar.

Releasing the breath she'd been holding the entire time, Faith slowly made her way to her apartment, senses alert, ready to jump into action if necessary, yet feeling somehow relieved as nothing caught her attention.

Maybe he'd decided to leave her alone tonight.

Unlocking the door, she switched on the light and paused, once again looking around for any sign of intrusion. She found none. The living room was as messy as she'd left it a few hours before, and a nervous laugh escaped her throat.

You worry too much, she thought as she shook her head.

Yet she found herself carefully inspecting every inch of the place before walking back to the living room and taking off her scarf and jacket.

Figuring she was going to stay awake for at least a couple more hours, she went to the kitchen and started to fix herself a cup of hot chocolate when she heard a knock on the door.

A cold chill ran down her spine and she shuddered, the all-too familiar sense of dread knotting her stomach and making her stop in her tracks, the hand holding the mug frozen in mid-air.

Slowly lowering her arm, she put the mug on the counter and jumped as another knock broke the silence.

Her mouth dry and her heart threatening to jump out of her chest, Faith took a deep breath and hesitantly inched toward the door, mentally chastising her self for not locking it a few minutes before.

"W-who is it?" she asked, her voice wavering.

"Faith, honey, it's me."

Relief washed through her as she recognized the old lady from next door. She smiled again at her own nervousness and quickly opened the door. "Mrs O'Connor."

The woman smiled back, pulling her pink robe closer around her body. "I'm sorry to bother you this late, but I was going to bed and I thought I heard you come back."

Faith nodded her head. "What can I do for you?"

"A guy was looking for you, and... and I told him you were probably at work so I offered to give it to you..."

"Give me what?"

"The package."

Faith tried to focus on the woman's words, but they made no sense.

"Hold on, Mrs O'Connor. Who was looking for me?"

"A man. He had a package for you. I'd just come back from the store when he asked if I knew who you were." She shook her head, remembering how stupid she'd thought the question was. "I said of course, son. She lives right next to me. And then I told him how happy I am, how safe I feel having a cop as my neighbour."

Faith was staring at her, a confused expression on her face.

"Anyway, he told me he had something to deliver, so I said I would take it and then give it to you when you got back." She pointed to a rectangular box sitting on the floor. "Is it your birthday, honey?"

Faith followed her gaze and frowned as her eyes came to rest on the beautiful, white box. The hair in the back of her neck started to rise. "Uhm... no, ma'am."

"Sorry I put it down, but I'm not as strong as I used to be..."

"It's okay, Mrs O'Connor. Thank you very much."

She knelt down, her fingers lingering on the blue ribbon on top of it as she tried not to panic. Dizziness swept through her and she reached for the doorframe.

The woman patted her on the shoulder. "I'm glad you found another man, darling. God knows if you deserve some happiness."

"G-goodnight, Mrs O'Connor." Faith muttered, picking up the box and walking inside, locking the door behind her.

Calm down, Faith. She urged herself, although her rapidly beating heart told her it was another gift from her mysterious stalker. She leaned on the closed door, the box still in her hands, for the longest time, debating whether or not to call the precinct or alert the cops outside.

Eventually, she felt her knees buckle and let her body sag to the floor.

She'd tried to act like she had it all together, but truth was not knowing what lied ahead, not being in control scared her more than anything, and she wished for the umpteenth time she had someone to turn to.

Faith Yokas, the strong and independent woman who barely needed anyone and seemed to hold all the answer, had turned into one of the helpless victims she saw every day on the job. All in a matter of days.

And her instincts told her it could only get worse.

Stretching her legs out in front of her, she rested the box in her lap and slowly opened it, her stomach flittering in anticipation.

What she saw inside made her whole body still. Her face drained of all color and she closed her eyes, wrapping her hands around her waist defensively as the box quietly slid to the floor, the silk black dress falling unceremoniously out of it.

TBC...