Hey guys. This story was finished over a month ago but I have forgotten to post it up here. Going to put the remaining 15 chapters in the one. Its just easier that way! Hope you enjoy !
CHAPTER SEVEN
Lily had been placed on wing. Obviously she was a runner. Not a tackler. She was glad with this decision as it meant she would hardly get the ball. But if given the chance could run to the tri line. Unfortunately so too had Scotty. The young fit detective as he was could also run. Stillman had decided this and thought it would be most amusing to put them against each other.
The whistle started and the game began. It seemed Vera was a closet champion of football. Fifteen minutes into the game he had already scored two tries. A smile beaming from his chubby face. He was obviously proud. Lily had only received the ball once and with Scotty charging at her she chose to pass it back down the line instead.
"Haha Lil,", he giggled "Come on".
Lily shot him an unimpressed glance, panting at the same time.
Vera scored his third tri, five minutes later. It became obvious that the other detectives were becoming restless with him. The score was 18 – 12 to Team B's favour. Vera called a time out.
"Alright guys. This is the plan. They think were not going to pass to you Rush. When the ball is kicked I want whoever gets it to throw down the line to her. Got it?"
The detectives nodded, returning to the field.
Stillman had possession of the ball, and when the whistle blew he kicked it high, soaring into the arms of Kellman, who began running forward. The opposing team were coming at them when Vera yelled "now".
Kellman ran several metres further before passing to Rush, who was waiting with open arms two metres to his behind diagonal right.
"Run Rush" Vera yelled as she headed straight for Scotty. She was only three metres away from him before she passed it back to Kellman who was keeping up just behind her. He grabbed the ball and avoided Valens grasp by millimeters. Lily flew past him also, ready to back up Kellman if he needed it.
He did too. Stillman was coming in at full force from center, ready to bowl him over. He looked around for support. "Rush?" he yelled more than asked.
"Right here Kellman," she panted.
He threw her the ball just before Stillman took him out, tackling him to the ground.
The score line was in sight with no threat of tackles from anyone. She ran as fast as she could, putting the ball over the score line.
"SCORE", yelled the MC.
The detectives cheered in celebration. Lily was ecstatic. "Thank god," she thought, looking up to see Valens disappointed face.
"Too fast for you am I Valens", she laughed grabbing his shoulder for support.
"Yeah yeah Lil," he replied.
Lily knew she had wounded his pride and felt bloody good about it.
The whistle blew signaling the end of the first half. "Ten minutes people." The detectives returned to their tables in order to cool down a little, guzzling as much water as they could.
Praise was placed upon Lily by Vera "Champion effort Rush. Didn't think you had it in you. But good work".
"Thanks Vera. Did pretty good yourself."
Vera gave a devious smile that suggested he already knew.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Lily headed to the tap near the BBQ to refill her water bottle. While bending down she was approached by a young man of about 25 years old.
"Hi," he stated.
"Hi,", she replied smiling.
"Silly me. I was under the impression that family were not allowed to play in the match."
"Ahh.I don't know. You probably have to check with Detective Vera about that," she replied.
"Yeah. Already did that. That's why I'm a little confused as to why someone's wife is playing".
"Ha," she let out an unavoidable laugh, "You serious?"
"Yes. I am."
It was obvious that he was quite serious. In fact, Lily felt a little uncomfortable at the suggestion. "I am Detective Rush with Philly PD," she stated holding out her hand.
In the past, most people had been surprised to hear that there was a female detective in Philly. She was used to a reaction matched with such a surprise. However, he just stared at her blankly. "Ha. I see. So your Detective Rush", he finally replied, turning and leaving.
"What just happened?" she thought walking back to her co-workers. She decided to blow off any more thought on the matter for the time being.
After ten minutes, the whistle was blown signaling the beginning of the second half. The detectives ran onto the field showing signs of recuperation since the initial half.
Vera being the competitive detective he was, was aching for another tri. Johnson on the opposing team had come at him several times with the ball, hoping for a tri himself. This resulted in Vera trying to rake it out of his hands after a tackle, hoping the referee wouldn't notice. Unfortunately for Vera, he had noticed. Twice to be exact. When it occurred the third time, the ref sent him off the field for 10 minutes, with strong verbal opposition from Vera.
With Vera off the field, the A team made a huge comeback. At half time the score was 24-12. The score had now settled at 24-24 after Johnson had scored two tries.
Vera was now allowed to return to the field, providing some hope to his teammates.
He picked up the football as it was B teams kick-off. It was kicked as hard as possible by Vera, landing in the arms of Scotty, who had already begun sprinting up the wing. Lily could see him coming a mile away. She just stood there with no idea of what to do. Vera noticed his teammate's confusion.
"Rush, tackle him," he shouted.
Lilly looked from Vera who had grabbed her attention back to Scotty.
He was within metres when she took a leap of faith and jumped in the direction she thought he would take to avoid her. Fortunately for Vera, but unfortunately for both Scotty and Lily, she had made the right decision. Scotty had collided full pelt with her, both being knocked to the ground.
Scotty stood up immediately placing the ball on the ground and pushing it between his legs to a fellow player. Lilly was a little slower to get up. By the time she managed to get to her feet, the tri had been scored, again by Johnson.
The final whistle was blown signaling the end of the game.
The crowd cheered as did team A who had come out of it as winners. All players shook hands with each other to congratulate on a well played game, returning to their tables afterwards.
It seemed they were starting a BBQ. Although enjoying the company of her co-workers, Lily would rather not be involved in a family gathering sort of occasion.
"Ah well fellas. I am going to head home and have a shower," Lily stated, brushing the grass off her knees and heading towards her car.
"Hey Rush," Vera followed after her "A few of us are going to go to the first thursdays bar in a couple of hours if your interested".
"Yeah okay. What time?", she asked.
"About 6pm"
"Okay, might see you then", she replied.
CHAPTER NINE
The sun had gone down over an hour ago. The temperature had lowered with it. Lily was seated in front of her tv after having a warm shower. She still had not decided on whether to attend the bar or not, despite being supposed to meet at 6pm.
When Ricki Lake came on the television, she felt that her mind had been made up for her. She grabbed her warmest coat from the cupboard and headed for the short walk to the local bar.
The bar was packed. It seemed that the whole park had decided to come for drinks, besides the children of course. Lily waited for people to move away from the inside of the door before entering. Normally she would not want to be in such a busy drinking environment such as this, but figured she had come this far and might as well meet up with her co-workers.
"Hey Lil", Jeffries yelled with one hand up in the air, signaling for her to join them.
She headed towards them, brushing past fellow detectives on her way there.
"Hey", she stated, sitting down as Scotty moved over for her.
"Hey Lil", they all replied.
"Beer", Vera asked.
"Sure".
Vera poured her a glass of beer and passed it down the line to her.
"Thanks……There's a lot more people here than usual isn't there", she stated.
"Yeah", Scotty replied.
"Hey, where is the boss?", she asked.
Jeffries piped up "Said he just remembered something about the case he wanted to check up on at the office. Should be coming shortly."
"Ahh right."
Scotty turned to Vera "So Vera what's with you and football," he asked "You never mentioned anything about being a pro".
Vera laughed "Im no pro Valens. Just played a little in college is all." Jeffries laughed "Yeah right. You were going crazy on that field."
"Must just be his competitive nature," Scotty joked.
"Anyway Johnson scored one more tri than I did," an obviously disappointed Vera was fishing for compliments on how his tri's had been scored better. It did not work.
"Jealous are we Vera," Jeffries poked.
"Yeah yeah fellas. Give it a rest would ya", he smirked.
Lily noticed that the beer jug was close to empty "I'm going to grab a fresh jug," she stated heading for the bar.
"Two jugs of heavy thanks Bill", she stated to the bartender.
"Fancy seeing you here," someone behind her stated.
Lily turned around to find it was the same young man that had approached her at the tap at the BBQ. He smelt of cigarettes and way too much beer.
"Ah, hi", she replied looking back, making sure she was within sight of her collegues.
"Can I ask you a serious question Miss Lily Rush?" he asked.
"It's Detective Rush and yes I suppose you can", she replied.
"What would you do if I told you that I think the only place for women is in the kitchen and the bedroom, he asked. His hand had now moved to her wrist. He was holding it very firmly against the counter of the bar. Lily winced in pain, looking back and forth from her hand to the man standing before her.
"What are you doing," she asked.
"What does it look like?... Take this as a word of warning, Detective," his hand pressed her wrist even harder against the counter "I want you to leave the homicide squad and go back to where you belong. Got it?" and with that he left. Not just the counter, but the bar also.
She held her wrist with her free hand, rubbing it softly. She turned around to find that her co-workers where still swept up in their conversation about Vera and his football antics. Where had this man come from? She thought. She had been working in the homicide department for years.
She paid for her jugs and took them back over to the table, placing them down. She now felt unsafe in this environment and just wanted to go back home.
"Ahh fellas. Im going tohead off," she stated.
Scotty noticed an unfamiliar expression on her face. "Everything alright Lil?", he asked.
"Yeah everythings fine. Seems that last beer knocked me around a little more than I thought," she replied smiling, although quite unconvincing.
"Want me to walk you?"
"Nah. I think I'll just catch a cab," she replied.
"See ya Rush," Vera replied as she grabbed her coat and headed for the door.
CHAPTER TEN
Lilly entered her house ten minutes later, jumping into the shower to clear her thoughts and her body of the smell of cigarettes and alcohol. What a day! She thought. She was so tired, but could not help but think about the young man who had approached her at the bar. Where was he coming from? What was his motivation for threatening her? She had never met him before today and yet his warning had been severe.
She jumped out of the shower putting on her pyjama's and nightgown and hopped into bed with her two cats, deciding not to think about the matter anymore. There surely was no way in hell she was going to leave the department and that was final. For her.
Lily arrived over an hour early to work on Monday morning. It was odd, however, as all her co-workers were already there in Stillman's office.
"What's going on?" she asked entering.
"Ah Lil, I was hoping you would be here early. I asked Vera, Valens and Jeffires to come in early on Saturday night. Was assuming you would turn up around this time anyway."
She nodded. Scotty gave a smirk.
"Jeffries said you remembered something on Saturday night. Did anything come of it?" she asked.
"That's what I wanted to talk to everyone about. You two," he said pointing to Lily and Scotty, " said that the fourth victim had stayed in a backpackers pub before heading onto the highway to hitchhike to the next city, is that right."
"Yeah," Scotty replied.
"Well on Saturday night I came in and noticed that two other victims had been residing in the exact same pub. Now, I might be going out on limb here. But this seems like this is the strongest connection we have between the victims."
"Very true," said Jeffries.
"So Scotty and Lil, I want you two to head to the backpackers bar. See what information you can find for us. Jeffries and Vera I want you to talk to Mrs Grayson, see if you can find out whether her daughter stayed there. It might jog her memory on a few things."
"No problem," replied Vera, who followed his colleagues out of Stillman's office.
Lilly and Scotty were walking out the office doors when a man came walking past them, heading up the escalators. Lilly swung around and watched him, a surprised and shocked look on her face. The man walked out of sight as Scotty touched her arm "Everything alright?"
"Ahh…yeah, yeah everything's fine. Lets go", she replied. It was the man from the bar. What was he doing here. He had obviously had another agenda as he had not even noticed her.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Lily and Scotty arrived at the backpackers pub half an hour later. Upon entering they heard the continuous chatter emanating from several tourists sitting in the bar. It was a dirty and musky sort of place, smoke filling the air. It looked like it had been turned from a biker bar into what it was now. The only decorations were the various screen printed pictures covering the East and West walls.
"Mr Phillips?" Scotty asked the man standing behind the bar.
"Yes. Who wants to know?" he replied, looking them both up and down.
"I'm Detective Valens and this is my partner Detective Rush."
"Partner hey?" he questioned looking Lily up and down "That all?"
Lily rolled her eyes. Yeah, she thought, like I haven't heard that one before.
"You seen these girls before?" Lily asked as she opened up her folder, placing the photographs on the bar counter.
"Yeah. Yeah I have. These are the girls from the paper. Murdered on the highway heading out of town."
"Okay Mr Phillips. What we mean is did you see them before they turned up dead?" Scotty asked.
"Nope, never."
"Hmmm. That seems quite odd to us as we have information that suggests all victims stayed at your pub before leaving to hitchhike out of state," Lily stated.
"My pub? No, I don't own this pub. I just work here for my father when he needs the extra hands."
Both Lily and Scotty were frustrated at him having wasted their time.
"Right. Where would we be able to find your father?" Scotty asked.
"At the moment he is out buying groceries for dinner. Should be back in a couple of hours or so," he finished.
"Well when he does return let him know we dropped in and to give us a call when he gets back," Scotty stated handing Mr Phillips his card.
Back at the office, Stillman had already begun debriefing Vera and Jeffries on what they had turned up. Lily and Scotty walked in taking a seat.
"Mrs Grayson wasn't of much help at all. She didn't know where her daughter had stayed last. But she did say that her daughter had planned to stay in backpacker's accommodation to save on cash," Vera stated.
"Well we can assume for now then that she did stay there," Stillman concluded.
"So what did you two find out?" he questioned Lily and Scotty.
"Nothing of much help at all. Mr Phillips wasn't there. We just got the run around from his son who was working there at the time," Scotty replied.
"Were waiting on a call from Phillips senior before going back down," Lily finished.
"Right so what have we concluded of the killer so far," Stillman asked.
"Well he preys on women Young women to be exact," Jeffries stated.
"Yeah, and foreigners. Those that are traveling by themselves," Vera followed on.
"These women seem to be easy prey. It takes a while longer to find them cause nobody has noticed them missing," stated Scotty.
"He seems to have a real hatred for his victims. The way he………the way he cuts them is very personal. It's like he is trying to teach them a lesson," Lily stated.
A fellow detective stuck his head into Stillmans office "Rush…phone for you …line 2."
"Thanks. Excuse me for a moment", she said leaving the office.
"Detective Rush here," she answered, after picking up the phone.
A husky voice replied "Correct me if I am wrong Miss Rush, but did I not tell you to leave the homicide department? And yet here you are bright and early Monday morning. I get the feeling that you are not taking me seriously. And you donot want to know what I do to women who don't take me seriously."
She replied softly, not wanting to draw attention to herself "You can threaten all you want. I don't give a damn what you think or what the hell you want for that matter. You might as well stop with your threats because the day I leave the department will be the day I retire."
There was a long pause, before he continued.
"Ever been cut Miss Rush? Its amazing how easily the skin parts when a knife is pressed upon the skin hard enough. That first droplet of blood. So red. So sweet tasting." The husky voice on the other end just laughed. A haunting sort of laugh. She placed the phone on the receiver.
Scotty came up behind her "That Mr Phillips?"
"Ahhh…nooo," she replied.
Scotty's phone began ringing "Detective Valens speaking………. Right……………Is now a good time for you?...Excellent see you shortly."
"Well that was just Mr Phillips. He said he just got in and would be happy to talk to us now………………… Lil'? You listening?" he asked.
She wasn't. She was lost in a deep train of thought about how far this young man was prepared to go to make a point. She knew he had just been talking, but what if he was going to take it further? She shivered. She couldn't help but make a link between the case she was working on and what he had threatened to do. She knew she had to tell Stillman but decided to postpone it until later.
"Rush!" Scotty deepened his tone of voice and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Ahhh…what?...yeah I'm listening."
"Mr Phillips is ready for us now", he repeated.
"Oh…..," she replied grabbing her coat and following Scotty to the elevator.
CHAPTER TWELVE
"Mr Phillips?" Scotty asked as he walked up to the bar.
"Yes, that's me", replied the elderly gentleman before them.
"I am Detective Valens and this is my partner Detective Rush. Were from homicide. Do you own this bar?"
"Why yes I do. Owned it nearly 15 years. Just about paid it off too," he smiled.
Lily smiled back. This man did not seem capable of committing murder. Not only did he seem genuine, but was not physically mobile enough.
"We are looking into the murder of several young women," Lily stated..
"Oh that. Yes terrible thing that is. I've been watching it on the news recently. Not exactly doing wonders for my bar. But then, that's not really what is most important"
"We have reason to believe that all four victims stayed at your pub the night before their murders," Scotty continued.
The elderly man looked shocked. "Oh no. No I hope not. That would be ………terrible."
"Mr Phillips, do you keep any records of the tourists that come in and out of the accommodation you have set-up here?" Lily asked.
"Ahh yes I do. Just a moment and I will get them for you," he turned around and opened a filing cabinet he had underneath the bar. "What years do you need exactly?" he asked.
"Early 1999 to the very recent," Scotty responded.
"Right. Well there will be a few books to give you. But you are welcome to take them for the time being.
"Thankyou Mr Phillips," Lily answered pulling out her folder and once again laying the victim's photos on the bar "Can you tell us whether you have seen any of these girls before?."
"Oh well I guess I can take a look. But I must tell you that the chances are quite unlikely as I hardly do any work in the bar these days. I am trying to limit myself to the accounts. Plus my son, Brian, and my employees get on much better with the customers. Must be an age thing," he smiled.
Lily thought for a moment. Hadn't Brian said that he hardly worked in the bar? "So your son, Brian, he works in the bar quite a bit?"
"Oh yes," he replied "Does nearly everything for me these days. Getting old you see."
"Well thank you for your time Mr Phillips. If we have any more questions we will be in contact," stated Scotty.
It was dark by the time Lily and Scotty returned to the office. Jeffries and Vera had gone early and Stillman was busy with detectives from another area of the department. Lilly and Scotty sat down at their desks, ready to go through the records provided by Mr Phillips.
"Ive got Miss Grayson here," Scotty said after 5 minutes.
"So the assumption was right. She did stay at the pub also. I have Miss Gordon, Miss Bradshaw and also Miss Bligh," returned Lily "The bar is definitely the key. I think that Mr Phillips son, Brian, has something to do with it."
"I agree. He lied to us about how much effort he does actually put into the business. There's deception there," Scotty concurred.
"I also noticed that when he talked about the highway the victims were found on he stated that it was leading OUT of town," Lily continued "That strikes me as a little odd."
Scotty nodded "Well I guess we can't bring him in until tomorrow, so we might as well call it a night."
"Okay. To tell you the truth, bed sounds too good to be true at this point," she said running her hands over her face and through her messy locks of hair. She had drained herself mentally with everything that had happened today. A good night's sleep was just what she needed.
She decided to catch a cab to her place as opposed to catching the train as she usually did. It was something she had got in the habit of doing in the last couple of days, since Mr Madman had reared his ugly head. Entering her apartment she could not help but feel a little worried at what she might find in there. But upon entering, her home seemed to be just as she had left it. Her cats had come straight to the door at the sound of her coming in. They curled themselves around her thin legs.
"Okay. Okay kids. I know your hungry."
She placed her bag and coat down on the kitchen bench, opening the cupboard to get their food.
After feeding her cats, Lily walked to the bathroom, stopping in front of the mirror to stare at herself for a few moments. "God I look shocking!" she exclaimed to herself. She looked weathered and a little tense. She turned on the shower, removed her constricting clothes and jumped in.
"Ahh….," she thought as the warm water flowed over her pale naked skin "That feels sooo good."
Just at that moment Lily heard what sounded like plates crashing in the kitchen. She got out of the shower, threw on her pyjamas and grabbed her gun.
When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw what the cause of all the noise was. Olivia was next to the kitchen bench, licking a broken plate. Remnants of breakfast earlier that morning. The cat stared at both her and the gun, as if to say "what?"
"Cool it Lily," she thought "He's just all talk. Nothing is going to come from his threats."
Unfortunately, her reassurance did not settle her nerves. She climbed into bed, her mind ticking over with various thoughts brought on by the long day. One hour later, she was sleeping like a baby.
Lily awoke not long after to darkness and the strangely familiar haunting laugh she had heard on the phone earlier that day. Was she dreaming? she thought. The knife held to her throat confirmed her worst fears. "Wakey, wakey", he said "Told you I would show you, didn't I".
Lily's mouth was covered with his hand. She could not speak and wouldn't know what to say if she could. She lay there with a terrified expression written all over her face. The man removed his hand from her mouth, raising it up and landing a stiff and forcefull blow right to the left side of her face, knocking her unconscious.
"Ha. Easier than I thought", he remarked smiling.
Please note: Material contained in the remaining chapters is not suitable for chidren.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The basement was dark, cold and smelled like dead animals. She was unable to open her eyes. It seemed as though they were covered with some sort of tape. Her wrists and ankles stung with pain as she tried unsuccessfully to move any part of her body. She had been tied to the bed by all four limbs. A rag had been tied around her mouth and duck tape placed over her eyes. Her body ached as though it had been dragged behind a moving car. She could feel a sticky substance, which she assumed to be blood, on her fingers. What happened? she thought. How long had she been passed out? And where the HELL was she?
Distant footsteps on the floorboards above broke her train of thought.
The basement door swung open, followed by a deep and croaky voice.
"Awake now are we darling?'".
Lily Rush was facing a personal struggle. It was about to get far worse than she could ever imagine. The man who had knocked her unconscious in her own bedroom now stood over here in a place she had not seen before. Memories of what had happened to her came flooding back. How he had stood over her bed, waking her up only to knock her out again. She was in the worst situation possible. No-one had any idea what had been happening to her this past week. She never mentioned it to Stillman. It was only now that she realized how foolish a mistake that was.
The young man knelt down on the floor beside her, holding a knife into what little light there was in the room. Tears welled in her eyes, she was determined for him not to see how scared she really was.
"Now we are going to play a little game Miss Rush. It's called 'I am going to remove the tape from your mouth and your not going to say a fucking word.' Got it?"
She nodded in agreement. He placed the knife against her pale flesh, pressing ever so lightly. With one quick motion he pulled the tape from her mouth. She gave no reaction to the pain it caused. It was little comparison to the rope burns around her wrists.
"Wh….Why are you doing this to me?" she asked softly, not wanting to anger a man who at this moment was in control.
"I do the talking. You shut your mouth. You don't speak unless you're spoken to," he replied, the knife pressing harder against her throat. "You are going to have to learn real quick how things are done around here."
He stood up, removing the knife from her throat and placing it between her sleeve and her bare skin. She closed her eyes in terror, waiting for the pain. It did not come; however, instead he slashed at her pyjamas. "Now that's better isn't it? A woman can't perform her wifely duties clothed now can she?"
Lilly closed her eyes. "Oh god no, please. Anything but that," she thought.
'Oh don't worry Miss Rush. We'll give it a bit a time before it goes that far. There are many lessons you need to be taught. I'll be savin the best for last," he laughed hauntingly.
He made her physically sick. She just wanted to roll over and vomit, but the ties around her wrists said she wasn't going to be able to have that luxury.
He grabbed what looked to Lily like a camera of some kind, pointing it down at her and taking a photo. "Mmmm…yeah," he said a wicked grin on his face "Them boys are gonna love this shit."
It was 10:30 am Thursday morning and it was freezing cold outside. Stillman called all detectives into his office.
"Lily not here?" he asked.
"Nah boss," Scotty replied.
"She ring in sick?"
"Ahh..I haven't heard from her boss," Scotty stated.
"Hmm….that's odd. Right well how bout you drive past her house and pick her up on the way to Mr Phillips bar. Then you can pick him up and bring him in for more questioning."
"No problems boss," Scotty said heading for the door.
Valens arrived at Lily's house 15 minutes later. He had been knocking for a few minutes, without a reply. He picked up the phone and called Stillman "Yeah boss, Valens here. No answer from her door. I'm gonna head on to the bar and pick up Mr Phillips."
"Right," Stillman replied.
Scotty arrived at the bar to find that Mr Phillips junior was not there. He had gone for his usual jog the afternoon before and not returned. "I was just about to call you Detective…" Phillips senior stated.
"Look Mr Phillips it is imperative that we find your son. We need to have a few questions back at office. We have been provided with a warrant. Can you tell me where he usually jogs?" Scotty asked.
"Yeah down past West Philly Park. Just does the circuit down there. Should I be worried?" the old man questioned.
"No. Not just yet," just as Scotty replied, his phone rang.
"Valens."
"Scotty any luck finding Mr Phillips?" his boss asked.
"Nah. Seems like he went out for a run and didn't come back yesterday afternoon," he replied.
"Right. Well leave that for the moment. I need you to meet Jeffries, Vera and I at Lily's apartment."
"Is everything alright?" Scotty asked.
"No. Not at all Scotty. I've received a photograph."
"Of what exactly?" questioned Scotty.
"I don't want to go into it. Just meet me there ASAP."
Scotty had a million thought running through his mind. He didn't know what was going on, but he didn't have a very good feeling about the situation at all.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Lily did not know how long she had been laying there. After the young man had taken the photograph, he had left the room closing the door and turning off the dim light. It seemed as though she had been there for eternity. She was glad with the peace it gave her, but was still terrified that sometime soon he would return.
She was trying to piece together all the events from the previous week in order to find out just who this man was, when the basement door swung open and the dim light was turned on.
"You won't believe just how busy that darn post office was today. Felt like I was never going to fucking get back here," he stated, sitting down next to her.
She turned away from him, closing her eyes. He grabbed her head reefing it back to face him "Didn't your mother ever teach you to look at a person when they are talking to you?"
She just stared at him, biting the insides of her check so hard she could taste blood.
"That's better now isn't it?" he continued "Now I am going to untie your hands and legs. Don't even think about trying anything. The second you do, I'll just feel the urge to turn the last lesson into the first. You understand me?"
She nodded "Yes. I understand."
"From now on I want you to address me as sir. You are to say please and thank you. Manners are always important for a woman. If you obey my rules these lessons will not be so hard."
She nodded again. He pulled out his knife startling her for a split second. He cut away at each piece of rope, one by one, until she was free from her restraints. She sat up, leaning against the head of the bed, inspecting her wrists. They were a fiery red and stung like that of a thousand bee stings.
"Stand up."
As she did so, he grabbed her wrists once again tying them behind her.
"Hope your ready for lesson number one Miss Rush," he stated, leading her roughly towards the basement door.
Scotty arrived at Lily's apartment shortly afterwards, exiting his car to find her apartment swarming with police officers. He ran in trying to find his colleagues. He asked an officer standing in Lily's kitchen who directed him up the stairs to her bedroom.
"Boss," he said tapping Stillman on the shoulder "What's going on?"
"Ah Scotty. Good to see you got here so quick," he replied "Shortly after your initial call earlier I received a photograph hand delivered by couriers."
He paused for a short while, not knowing exactly how he was going to explain the photograph he had received. He knew that the best thing to do was to keep it to him self. There was nothing to be gained from showing anyone else. The point had already been made by the assailant.
"Just show me the photograph boss," Scotty pushed.
"I'm sorry Scotty. I don't think I should do that. Best if I keep it to myself," he replied.
"I don't think it is. There may be some information that I can draw from it," replied Scotty.
Scotty looked towards Vera and Jeffries, who both had their heads down. They too had pushed Stillman to see it, but had quickly regretted it upon inspection of the photograph.
"Here," Stillman passed the photo to Scotty "But I am warning you that it is quite disturbing."
Scotty took the photo and held it up to the light. It was Lily. In a way he had never seen her before. Her eyes were closed, yet she did not seem to be sleeping. She seemed to be squinting from the flash of the camera. Each limb had been tied with some sort of rope to the posts of the bed. He was in shock and could not look away. She lay there helplessly with only her underwear and her torn pyjamas covering her. Upon closer inspection he noticed the blood around her wrists and ankles, and also that on her face.
"Oh my….god," he stuttered handing the photograph back to Stillman "I……….Why….."
Scotty now felt completely uncomfortable and ashamed that he had seen his partner in such a compromising and humiliating position. He understood exactly why Vera and Jeffries had kept their heads lowered. He wondered how someone could do this to Lily, when he couldn't even stand to look into her eyes in the photograph.
Vera started "It seems that nothing in the house has been disturbed. The only sign that anything has taken place is here on her bed. There are a few droplets of blood on the pillows."
Jeffries continued "It seems that there was no sign of a struggle either."
"Did you receive anything with the photograph?" Scotty asked, his voice containing both anger and frustration.
"Yeah. A piece of paper with which I presume to e a rhetorical question," Stillman replied.
"Which was?" he asked
"It said "A woman?"" Stillman replied
Scotty was still in shock. He could not move. He didn't know why someone would want to do this to his partner. One thing he did know, however, was that he didn't want to look at that photograph EVER again.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Humiliation. That was to be Lily Rush's first lesson. It was not one of which she expected. Not the way it was to be carried out anyway. Had she not been humiliated in front of this crazy man in the first place?
The young man had led her through the basement door to what looked to be yet another dark and musty basement room. There was more light in this room than the one before and it smelled a little better. Not much, but a little. The walls were painted black and the only thing in the room was a chair placed up against the far wall.
"Sit down," he stated.
She walked towards the chair slowly. He grabbed her around the waist pulling her closer to him very tightly. "What the fuck did I tell you woman. You respond with what?"
"Yes Sir," she whispered, gritting her teeth, "I respond with Yes, sir."
"Now that's better ain't it?" he asked.
"Yes Sir," she replied.
He let go of her, giving her a small shove towards the chair. She turned around and sat down.
"Now I want you to listen. And a want you to listen good. The last thing you are going to remember is this room and what I have said to you inside of it. When you wake up, whenever that may be, you will keep your mouth shut like a good woman does."
A sense of urgency past across her. What was he going to do? Wake up? Why would she be asleep in the first place?
"And for god's sake stop thinking would you. Women don't think and when they do, that's when the trouble starts," he interrupted.
"When you wake up you are to keep your mouth shut. You have no idea of the connections I have. You talk about anything and I'll know," he continued "This is your first test. Pass this and there may be no more. But if you should speak one fucking word to anyone then you will find yourself right back where you started and that last lesson we talked about will become the ending to every lesson…………………….."
He had a perverted look in his eye. Looking her up and down as if he were imagining just how much enjoyment he would gain from that lesson. She felt disgusted at the mere suggestion.
"You are to leave the department, like I instructed in the first place. Do not give any explanation whatsoever. Do you think you can do that Miss Rush?"
Lily just stared at him. Her eyes threw daggers into his very soul. She wondered whether he was giving her another chance at redeeming herself. Could he be that stupid? She thought. "Yes……Sir," she stated.
To some extent he had broken her. But Lily Rush was strong. Very strong. You cannot rip away in two nights what took decades to create.
He pulled a cloth from his pocket which stank of some sort of chemical and placed it forcefully over her mouth. A muffled whimper escaped before her head dropped between her legs and she fell into unconsciousness.
Stillman, Jeffries, Vera and Valens returned to the station. The car ride back had been filled with complete silence. Each detective lost in his own thoughts regarding their fellow detective Lily Rush. The image in the photograph burned into their minds as they all tried so hard to forget.
Stillman was the first to speak upon arrival. "We don't actually have anything do we at this point."
All detectives thought for a moment before Vera stated "No boss. The blood from her pillows has gone in for analysis. But chances are it I going to come up as Rush's."
"Prints were found. They are being run through right now. But I have the feeling that they aren't going to be the perp's," Jeffries continued "He seems to have done a pretty good job in covering his tracks."
"Okay. Well what about Lil's demeanour. Anyone noticed anything different lately?" Stillman asked.
Scotty being the one who had spent the most amount of time with her thought for a moment. "Not really boss. You know Lil. She usually keeps things to herself pretty darn well."
"Yeah. I suppose you are right Scotty," Stillman agreed.
"The only viable option, it seems, is that it may have something to do with the case," Jeffries stated "I mean she doesn't seem to have a hectic home life or anything."
Stillman thought for a moment then stated "Well look. Let's assume for now that it has got to do with the case. I want everyone on it. Try to find Mr Phillips. Lets hope when we find him, we'll find some info on Lily."
"Right boss," Scotty replied almost running out of the office, followed closely by his two collegues.
Once the detectives had left his office, Stillman closed the door. It was something he had never done before. He closed the blinds also. He sat down in his chair and looked towards the ceiling for a few moments before placing his head in his hands.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
That night in Philly was an extremely cold one. Jeffries and Valens had traveled back to Mr Phillips bar in the hope that he had seen his son. But Phillips senior had not heard a peep from his eldest son.
They were becoming desperate. The mere thought of Rush out there with that crazy lunatic sent shivers down their spines. Jeffries suggested that they talk to the bartenders in the hope that they had seen Phillips Junior. Scotty agreed that it was a good idea.
The man behind the bar seemed quite nervous. Scotty had the feeling that he knew something. Maybe not everything, but something. And they were grasping for anything.
"I'm Detective Jeffries. This is my collegue Detective Valens. We were wondering if you had seen Mr Phillips in the last 24 hours?"
"No. No I haven't. Haven't seen him in ages," he replied.
He seemed like a weedy sort of kid. Young and naïve.
"Mr Phillips Senior know you got a record?" Scotty asked.
"Yeah. Yeah he does."
"Right. Well you wont mind if we ask him the details then," Scotty carried on.
Jeffries looked towards Scotty to see what he was getting at. Immediately, he knew that Scotty had sensed something from this kid and was pushing him. Jeffries gave Valens a smirk and turned around with him, heading back to the kitchen.
"Wa….Wait. Look just wait a second," the boy yelled.
Jeffries and Scotty gave each other another smirk and turned around to face the boy.
"So….You gonna tell us where this Mr Phillips is…..or do we have to go speak to ya boss about the record," Scotty stated smartarsedly.
"Look. I dunno if he's there now. All I know is that, sometimes, he stays with his Aunt up on Forty-Fifth street somewhere."
"You got a name with that son?" Jeffries asked.
"No. Sorry. No name. Look he's probably not even there. But I swear that's all I know."
"Thank you," both detectives replied exiting the pub.
As soon as they had both entered the car, Scotty called Stillman to get the exact address.
"Yeah Scotty. We are one step ahead of you. Vera and I tracked down the Aunt after a lead Johnson phoned in with. Mr Phillips is already here. Thought you might like to conduct the interview."
"Sure thing boss," Scotty replied "See you in ten."
Jeffries and Valens headed straight back to the station. Both were ecstatic that Phillips was now in custody, hoping the lead would get them closer to finding Rush.
The first things she noticed was the stinging in her wrists, the noise and the smell of fresh air.
The sound of a bustling city echoed in Lily Rush's eardrums. Cars, music, people chatting and the distant noise of a plane coming in for a landing.
The numb feeling in her body hit like a sledgehammer. She was cold. So cold in fact that she could hardly feel her body. She felt naked and very exposed to the elements around her. Slowly her eyes began to open. Her vision was somewhat blurred and yet she seemed to be blinded by the bright lights.
Gradually her vision came back and confirmed her worst fears. She had been dumped in the middle of Philly with only the bare essentials of clothing clinging to her. She was tied to what seemed to be a pole by her hands, the pressure once again being placed upon her wrists. Her feet were not able to touch the ground. She was suspended in mid air, her back pressed against something hard and long.
"Hey. Hey you alright Miss?" a stranger seemed to appear from nowhere.
He ran onto the street, yelling for help.
Soon after another man joined him, shocked by the pale, slender and partially naked woman in front of him.
He grabbed her by the waist, holding her close to his body, while the first stranger untied the rope which held her wrists to the power pole.
The second stranger lay her down on the pavement, covering her with his jacket. "It's going to be alright Miss" continued the first "The ambulance will be here soon."
Lily didn't know what to say or think. She was barely conscious and did not even possess enough energy to support the weight of her own head.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Upon interrogating Mr Phillips, they found that he had indeed killed the four tourists. The chair Scotty had thrown across the room at him may have had something to do with it, along with all the evidence pointing towards him and the fact that they were accusing him of a kidnapping that he had, in fact, not committed. The detectives had gone through countless jugs of coffee leading to quite a few leads being uncovered. Mr Phillips senior's car was found to match the one sighted by a witness. After much threatening, the current bartender had admitted to seeing Phillips junior talking to at least one of the women.
Phillips had given no motive as to why he had killed them, only stating that he saw foreigners as a delicacy right here at home. Stillman had shaken his head behind the interview screen knowing that this piece of trash would obviously be pleading insanity and thus receive a lighter sentence than what he was entitled too.
Normally the office would be in a much lighter mood after they had solved such a terrible case. Unfortunately, however, the end of this case had brought the end of hope of finding Lily. They had nothing. So, after a sixteen hour shift Stillman had sent them home.
XXXXXXXX
Scotty opened the door to his apartment. It had taken him several minutes to fit his key properly into the front door, a task which usually took only seconds. He and his fellow detectives had worked a sixteen hour straight day, yet he was in no mood for sleep. He had seen cases like this. After all, he had worked in the homicide department. He knew the drill. Victims of kidnappings that provide no leads end up dead. It was as simple as that. How he wished Mr Phillips had kidnapped her, then there would still be a chance.
He strolled over to his kitchen and opened the refrigerator. He was not hungry either, but could not help starring into it as though he was starving. Several minutes passed before he realized what he was doing. He closed the fridge and headed to his couch to watch television. He couldn't imagine doing anything ever again while his partner was somewhere out there suffering.
XXXXXXXXX
Stillman had decided to stay in his office. If any news came through, he wanted to be the first to hear. He was seated at his desk. In his hands he held the photograph that had been sent earlier. Exactly how much earlier it had been sent, he could not remember. He could not help but stare at it in the hope that Lily would smile out of it at him and tell her that she was okay. The longer he stared, the more disappointed he became when the smile never came.
Suddenly, the phone rang. He jumped with fright, taking only milliseconds to answer it.
"Stillman."
"Detective Stillman?" asked a voice on the other end of the line.
"Yes."
"It's Johnson, from homicide," Stillman's heart sank. If Johnson was calling it meant only one thing.
"I don't know how to tell you this. But it looks like we may have found Detective Rush's body."
There was silence for a few seconds before Stillman replied "Well have you or haven't you Johnson?"
"Yes sir. We have."
There was an even longer pause of silence "Right…….Okay….where are you?" he asked.
"23rd Avenue," replied Johnson.
Stillman hung up the phone. His hands were shaking, his jaw dropped. He contemplated for a short while as to whether or not he should ring his detectives and let them know. After all, they had had a very long and tiring shift. Placing himself in their shoes, however, he chose otherwise. One by one he made the worst call imaginable to his detectives, the news of a fellow officer's death.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Stillman called Vera and Jeffries. Both had very similar reactions to the news, just plain old pure disbelief. Vera was very skeptical "If I haven't seen the body Boss, then it hasn't happened."
Jeffries, on the other hand, was shocked and could not say a word. Both had stated that they would meet him at the crime scene. Stillman sat at his desk contemplating exactly how he was to tell his youngest detective that his partner's body had been found. Part of it was nerves and part of it was procrastination in order to avoid going down to 23rd Avenue to see something he really did not want to.
The phone rung for what seemed like an eternity, before a groggy sounding voice answered on the other end. "Yeah…ah Scotty….Valens here……"
"Scotty. It's Stillman," he stated "I………..I'm ringing…" His voice caught in his throat. He could not bring himself to say it.
"What? Is everything alright? What's happened? They found something?" Scotty, on the other hand, could not stop talking.
"Lily's body has been found. I'm sorry Scotty. Were meeting down at the crime scene at 23rd Avenue now. I can understand if you don't want to be there," Stillman stated with restraint.
There was a longer than usual silence. "Scotty…….Scotty……….you there?"
He wasn't. Upon hearing the address, he had dropped the phone and headed straight for the door.
XXXXXXXXX
All four detectives seemed to arrive at the same time fifteen minutes later. All were lost for words. Stillman led the walk to Johnson who was standing at the entry to an alleyway.
"Johnson," he said giving a nod "Where is she?"
"Right through there," he pointed towards a motionless figure on the alleyway ground several metres away.
Stillman walked slowly towards her, his detectives following closely. Her body was in quite a distorted position. It lay face down in a pool of bloody water. Her hands and feet tied together at her back. The blonde hair was now red with blood stains. That perfect suit was now torn and stained with what seemed to be oil and blood.
Jeffries kneeled beside her body. He placed one hand on the ground, the other he balled into a fist and placed in his mouth.
Scotty could not keep still. He proceeded to pace. Back and forth. Back and forth. A million thoughts going through his mind.
Stillman just stood there as if he were made of stone, taking it all in.
Vera turned to Johnson and asked "This how you found her?"
"Yeah. It is," he replied.
"Have you touched the body yet?" Vera asked
"No. Crime Scene haven't finished processing yet," was Johnson's confused reply.
"To hell with crime scene," Vera stated, kneeling down next to the body and turning it onto it's side.
The other detectives looked away quickly, not wanting to see their collegue in such a position. Their gazes were pulled back by the sound of Vera cursing.
"You fucking piece of shit Johnson," Vera grabbed Johnson by his coat slamming him against the alleyway wall "This ain't her. Since when do you tell victim's families bullshit like this. It ain't her dammit." He pulled Johnson off the wall and pushed him onto the ground.
"What the hell are you talking about? It looks exactly like her. Same shape, same hair and it's her bloody suit."
Stillman looked at the face, expecting it to be Lily's. But it wasn't. From the back the body was a dead ringer to Lily's. And it was her suit. But from the front, it most certainly was not Lily.
"It ain't her…………….. It ain't her" Vera whispered before walking out of the alleyway. He walked several metres further before sitting on some steps a few houses up.
Stillman watched Vera walk off, before turning his gaze to Johnson. A look of disbelief was strewn across his face. Johnson just shrugged not knowing exactly what to say.
"Detective Stillman?" a young police officer asked. He received no reply, Stillman could not take his gaze off of Johnson. "Detective I believe you should take this call. It's West Philly Hospital."
Stillman grabbed the phone off the young officer, breaking eye contact with Detective Johnson. "This is Stillman."
"Ah Detective. I am ringing to inform you that just a little over an hour ago a woman by the name of Lily Rush was brought here in an ambulance," the nurse stated.
Stillman was still in shock and now skeptical due to his recent experience. "And how exactly can you be so sure that it is my detective?" he asked.
The nurse replied "Because, sir, she awoke not long ago and told me."
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Stillman was the first to arrive at West Philly Hospital. He walked up to the emergency counter and introduced himself to the lady who had spoken to him just ten minutes earlier on the phone.
"Hi. I spoke to you earlier in regards to one of my detectives," he stated.
"Ahh yes. Detective Stillman. Miss Rush is sleeping at the moment, but you may see her. She asked me to tell you to wake her up. She is in Room 9B," the nurse replied.
"Great," Stillman stated as he headed towards Lily's room.
He arrived at Room 9B, Lily's room. He hesitated for a brief moment and considered the fact that this may not be her, once again. He wouldn't be able to handle it if it was not her. Turning the handle to the door, he popped his head inside, sighing with relief. It was her. His hardest working Detective was there before him lying on the hospital bed fast asleep.
He placed his hand over hers "Lil'. It's Stillman."
Her eyes opened very slowly. Her eyelids weighed several thousand pounds, or at least that is what they felt like.
"Hi boss," she whispered.
"You okay? Is there anything I can get you?"
Lily's eyes were drawn to the window leading into the hallway. Stillman turned around and followed her gaze. Vera, Valens and Jeffries were standing in the window, their faces were filled with a mixture of shock, relief and concern.
"Yes," she whispered softly "Please close the blinds?"
Stillman knew the type of person Lily was. She did not want to have people worrying over her. He nodded and walked towards the window, mouthing "sorry" to the detectives behind the glass. He closed the blinds and sat back down next to Lily.
"There is one more thing boss," she continued, her voice shaking "I need to give you something but I do not want any arguing or further talk on the matter."
"Anything," was his reply.
"I need you to take this and accept it," she stated handing him an envelope.
Stillman began to open it before Lily placed a hand on his and stated "Not now. Please wait until you're back at the office."
"Okay Lil'." He folded the envelope in two and placed it into his pocket. "Can I send Scotty in to see you? I'm sure he would like nothing more than to make sure you're okay."
"I'm sorry boss. But I can't. I would prefer to be left alone for the time being," she replied, turning her head to the side.
Stillman nodded, taking it as his queue to leave. He wasn't going to poke around asking questions at this point when he knew Lily was not in the mood to share. "I'll be back to check up on you tomorrow."
Lily just nodded in confirmation and watched as her boss left the room. If she had anything to do with it, she thought, she wouldn't be here tomorrow.
Stillman left the hospital room walking down to the visitor's area where Scotty stood, hands on his hips, waiting for an explanation.
"So can we go and see her?" he asked.
"Sorry Scotty. She doesn't want to see anyone," was Stillman's reply.
Scotty shook his head "But…."
"Sorry Scotty, no buts. That's how she wants it……….. Now that we know she's going to be okay, how bout we all head home for some rest."
"See you in the morning Boss," each replied as they left.
XXXXXXXXXX
CHAPTER TWENTY
Lily lay in the hospital bed. She was finding it extremely hard to sleep. It was not from the pain anymore, but rather the thoughts filling her head. The nurse had stated that she wanted her to stay in the hospital for a few days for observation. The thought of having to stay in this chemical smelling place any longer made Lily feel even more uncomfortable.
"How are you feeling, love?" the nurse asked as she walked into her room.
"Fine thank you," Lily stated quietly "I was wondering if you would be able to tell me exactly when I am able to leave on my own account?"
"Now love I really suggest that you stay here for a couple of days. It seems as though you have had a rough few days," the nurse retorted.
"I'm sorry. I don't think you understood what I asked. When may I go home?" Lily asked in the nicest possible way. Not wanting to insult the lady who was currently caring for her.
"Well you have no severe injuries. Mainly just surface wounds and bruises. If you come back to get your bandages changed every day, you should be fine to leave tomorrow after Doctor Verosa has attended to you."
"Excellent," Lily stated, a smile crossing her face for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. The earlier problems she faced trying to get to sleep now seemed to fade away as she knew the quicker she fell asleep the quicker she could leave.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The next morning, Detective Stillman ordered the three detectives into his office.
"Whilst we have found Lily for the most part well, I am afraid that I have some bad news to pass onto you all."
Jeffries and Vera looked at one another with confused expressions. Scotty's mouth just opened and he placed his hands on his hips, waiting for the explanation and ready to complain when it had come.
"Last night when I was talking to Lily she handed me an envelope. She has decided to resign from the Homicide Squad for good," Stillman stated.
"But boss…….." started Scotty.
"Let me finish Scotty," he continued "For the time being we are to leave her alone. I promised her there would be no arguments on the topic. I would appreciate it if you would join me in following through with that."
Scotty sighed, placing one hand on the back of his neck. He was frustrated at the fact that he was not able to voice his opposition. Vera shook his head, exchanged glances with Jeffries once again and exited the room.
Vera, Jeffries and Valens met up straight after in the break room, coffee's in hand. The were ready to discuss the recent happenings with each other, whether or not the boss liked it.
"Something else is going on here. I can feel it," Vera started.
"I can feel it too," was Jeffries reply.
"I am going to head down to the hospital. Try and get some sort of explanation from Lily," Scotty said.
Vera turned and looked at him "Didn't you hear what the boss just said?"
Jeffries took a stab also "Don't do it, Scotty."
Scotty couldn't understand what the hell was happening to everyone. Has everyone gone mad? He thought to himself. Why is it that nobody seems to care about what was happening? Like it or not, he thought, I am going down there. He walked out of the break room, coffee in hand, shaking his head.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Scotty walked up to the hospital reception, providing a friendly greeting to the nurse behind the desk "Hi, I'm Detective Valens. I'm here to see Detective Rush. Can you please tell me which room she is in?"
"Oh I'm sorry love. Miss Rush checked out not twenty minutes ago," the nurse replied.
"Checked out? I was of the understanding that she was to be here for several days?" he asked.
"Well she was supposed to be love. But I think she really wanted to go home."
Scotty could feel a mixture of anger and frustration rising within him.
The nurse noticed this and attempted to explain "Unfortunately there is no law that makes it compulsory for patients to reside here if they wish to leave on their own accord."
Scotty just nodded and headed back to his car. "Well that's it!" he thought. It was now extremely obvious that she only wanted to be alone. "And maybe," he thought "It was also the best thing for her."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Lily had opened the door to her apartment and was ecstatic at hearing the comforting sounds of her two best friends.
"Hello girls," she whispered scooping the two cats into her arms.
She placed them down and headed for the shower. She stood in front of the mirror and observed the damage done by her sick young psychopath. Her face was bruised. She had black rings around her eyes. Mostly from lack of sleep, but also from the rough demeanor of her attacker. The hospital nurse had placed butterfly clips on her forehead where she had been hit and knocked unconscious. Her wrists were covered with bandages and plastic tape. Looking down at them brought back memories of being tied to that bed for so long, unable to move anywhere. Suddenly she realized she wasn't doing herself any favors thinking about the experience of the past few days. She turned on the shower tap, removed her clothes and jumped into the warm flowing water, determined not to let that psycho occupy her mind any further for the time being.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Lily awoke to the sound of her beeping alarm. It was 9am. She had slept for almost 24 hours straight. It was something that she had never done before. And the pounding in her head told her that it was something she never wanted to do again. She rolled over to find that Olivia and Tripod had stayed beside her all night. Funny how cats always seem to know when their owners are feeling under the weather, she thought to herself.
She slowly got out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. Looking down at her wrists she noticed that the bandages covering them had become loose throughout the night. She made a mental note that at some point today she would have to make her way to the hospital to have her bandages replaced.
She walked to her closet and picked out a casual pair of jeans and a white business shirt. Taking off her pyjamas she put on the recently chosen outfit. Looking in the mirror and satisfied with what she saw, she fed the cats and headed for the front door.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
It had just hit 9:30am at the station and Scotty Valens was working on the remainder of the paperwork from the tourist serial killer. He had been trying to finish it off for the past two days, but with the worry he possessed for his partner he was finding it difficult. He decided to head to the break room and make himself his third cup of coffee for the morning.
Jeffries and Vera were sitting at the table in the break room, both mulling over the day's newspapers.
Vera turned to Jeffries "So has the boss actually said anything about interviewing Rush?"
"Nah. Nothing has been said to me. But I'd assume he'll be going some time today to get a statement," was Jeffries reply.
Scotty entered the break room, only catching the last part of their conversation. Still, he new exactly what they were talking about.
"Well if that's his plan, he's gonna find it a little difficult because she checked out yesterday morning," Scotty stated.
Both men were surprised that she had checked out so early and surprised at the fact that Scotty had not heeded their warnings.
"You went to the hospital Valens?" Vera asked.
"Ah yeah," Scotty immediately realized he had set himself up.
"Now why would you go and do a thing like that after……" Vera was interrupted by Jeffries tapping on his shoulder.
"Holy crap. Look who's here," Jeffries stated pointing towards a blonde woman walking through the office.
"Is that Lil'? What is she doing here?" Vera asked, knowing full well that nobody knew.
They watched as she made her way from the elevator to the door of Stillman's office. She and Stillman seemed to have a very short conversation, after which Lily turned around heading back for the elevator.
Vera walked straight up to Stillman, followed by Jeffries and Vera, and asked "What's going on boss?"
"That was Lil. Seems as though she has had a change of heart and would like her job back," Stillman answered.
Scotty was ecstatic at the thought that he would once again be working with his partner. Vera and Jeffries smiled at the prospect also.
"She starts back tomorrow," continued Stillman.
"Tomorrow? Boss don't you think it's a little early? I mean only two days ago she was in the hands of a psycho. Now she is coming back to work?" Scotty asked.
"You know Lil', Scotty. If she says she is ready. Then she is ready," he replied.
Scotty reasoned for a moment, then stated "I suppose you're right."
Stillman nodded, turned around and walked back into his office. Vera, Jeffries and Valens returned to the break room to finish off their morning coffees. All were happy at the thought of being able to continue working with a colleague such as Lily. If only they realized the extent of danger she had just thrown herself into.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
As soon as the elevator doors closed, Lily grabbed the rails. Images of what the young man had promised to do to her were now flooding her mind. She knew that it would not take very long for him to find out, and when he did, he was going to be mad. Really mad. She decided to stop in at the hospital and get her bandages replaced before heading home for more rest. Somewhere deep inside, however, she knew that rest was not going to be happening any time soon.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
Lily had an almost sleepless night. So to did Scotty as he was trying to figure out exactly why his partner would hand in her resignation and then ask to be reinstated. He thought briefly that it may have been the situation that she had just been through. Maybe she was just confused and scared and decided to hand it in on a whim. That, however, did not seem like the sort of thing the Lily Rush he knew would do. She was always calm and collected. Even after the incident with George, she seemed to keep it all under control. Could this have been worse?
He knew even if it had been worse, it was something he nor any of his colleagues would ever know. In her statement regarding what had happened in that attic with George she neglected to say exactly what was discussed regarding herself. He was sure, this time also, that she would do the same. After several hours of playing the last few days over in his head, he drifted off to sleep. It was a luxury not experienced by his partner.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
At 8am the next morning, Vera arrived to find everyone at the station with their head down in paperwork.
"Coffee Vera?" asked Lily who was standing at the break room door as he passed by.
"Yeah. That'd be great. Thanks," he replied, following her in "So how you feeling this morning Rush?"
"A lot better than I was yesterday. That's for sure," she replied smiling "Just glad to be back."
Vera grabbed the coffee that Lily was holding out "Good. Good. Well if you need anything, just ask."
She just smiled as a sign of thanks, following him to her desk, as he left the room.
"Glad your back, Lil," Scotty stated genuinely "This paperwork's a real pain."
"Oww Scotty. Thanks your so sweet," she replied rolling her eyes.
The few hours before lunchtime were taken up in menial tasks such as completing the serial killer case file and compiling files and documents. Lily looked at the clock, and upon realizing it was lunch time, began to ask the boys for their lunch orders.
"You're right Lil'. You stay here. I'll go fetch em," Scotty stated. He just wanted her to remain in the office where he knew she was safe. After all, that psycho was still out there.
"Scotty it is fine. Please," Lily replied. She wasn't about to waited on hand and foot until this fella was caught.
Once she had received the lunch orders, she made her way to the elevator, then to the local deli just down the road. She pulled her coat tighter around her waist in the hope that it would warm her up a little more.
She had only gotten several blocks from the station, when she felt something pressing against her back, and a very familiar voice echoing in her ear.
"Ha. You silly little bitch. You had your chance. More than one too," he stated, directing her into the nearest alleyway. He pushed her against the alleyway wall, holding her there by one hand. He traced the gun down her neck and then to her blouse "Do you remember that little lesson sweetheart?" he stated wetting his lips with his tongue and moving the gun down even lower. "I get hard just thinking about it. Been long for you? Cause I'm like a dog that has been staring at a sweet succulent bone for too long." He gave an evil laugh. One that she remembered from not too long ago.
She smiled back. It was something he was not expecting "Look you piece of shit. I'm not going to be bullied by anyone. You got that? Not even a sad little man like yourself. So if you want to take me. Take me. I'd like to see you try."
Lily had a reason to feel cocky. She knew what she was doing. However when once again receiving a blow to the face, reopening an old wound, she was a little doubtful.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
He had forced her into his car. They had been driving for what seemed like an eternity. It seemed as though he loved the sound of his own voice, for he would not stop talking. The car slowed down as they entered what appeared to be a national park on the outskirts of Philly.
"You ready for me?" he turned towards her, looking her in the eyes with that same sick expression he had previously.
She chose not to reply and just lowered her head.
"That's what I thought. Not so fucking cocky now are we?" he gloated.
He stopped the car and went around to Lily's side. She saw what he was going to do and attempted to climb into the driver's side. Unfortunately it only made it easier for him to pull her from the vehicle. He grabbed her by the feet. She kicked at him, trying to avoid his grasp. He yanked severely at her legs, pulling her out of the car with a loud thud. Her ankles stung with pain from the rope burns that were still fresh. He began dragging her towards what she believed to be a group of thickly covered trees. Her hands dug into the ground, but appeared to give no hold whatsoever.
Her mind was occupied with thoughts of what he was about to do to her. Lily thought she had had it all worked out. Where are they? She thought to herself.
Just when she thought all may be lost, the loud sound of sirens began screaming only several hundred metres away. "Thank god," she whispered to herself.
"What the hell have you done you little bitch?" he yelled at her. "How the hell could they have known? I know you didn't tell them anything."
Lily just smiled. She was just grateful that the police had been able to track them this far. She dreaded to think of what may have happened if they had not. Three officers now stood pointing their guns at the young man.
"Down on the ground," one of the officers yelled.
He held his hands in the air, then proceeded to lay down on the ground. He was pulled up, placed against a police car and handcuffed.
Stillman walked up to Lily :"Now can we get you to a hospital? He asked.
"Now you may," she replied.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Several hours had passed at the hospital before Valens, Vera and Jeffries turned up to check on their colleague. This time, Lily had had no problems in seeing them. She smiled proudly as they entered the room.
"Hi," she stated.
"Hi, Lil," Scotty replied, concern written all over his face, "How are you feeling?"
"Fine," she replied. She decided to change the subject, not wanting to focus on how well she was recovering. She turned to Stillman and asked "So did we find out what this perp's motive was?"
"Yeah we did and your not going to believe it," Stillman replied.
"Okay, want to fill me in?" Lily asked.
"His name is Tim Johnson. Ring any bells?" he continued.
Upon hearing his last name, Lily had put it together. He had been at the football match and at the pub afterwards. Not to mention the fact that she had also seen him going into the station for a personal agenda.
"Don't tell me he's related to Detective Johnson?" she asked.
"Younger brother actually. It seems he was brought up by a pretty harsh father who brainwashed him with crazy ideas about women."
"Right," she nodded "And when he finally realized at the BBQ that woman had taken his brother's job, he decided to act upon it."
Stillman nodded in confirmation. Lily just shook her head. "If that's all the motive some people have these days, then the world isn't really a safe place for anyone."
Scotty piped up. The thoughts in his own head in trying to piece together the previous situation were killing him "I just don't understand how it got to this point. I mean first you hand in your resignation, then you ask for your job back and then you are taken once again. And how did you know Stillman that he was going to go for her again?"
Stillman and Lily exchanged glances, both slightly smiling at one another. "Here. It's Lil's resignation," Stillman handed Scotty a piece of paper.
It read:
Please keep this to yourself. And only to yourself. The man that kidnapped me has stated that I must hand in my resignation or he will come for me again. Please take this as my resignation. In two days time, I will come back to the office and ask for my position back. From this time onwards I would like surveillance placed upon me. He will come for me and soon as he knows that I have my job back. There is some link to the office, as to who that link is I am unsure. Who he is and where he will take me is unknown. Lily.
Scotty's jaw dropped "Holy crap."
Lily asked "So what does Detective Johnson think of all this?"
Stillman answered "He had no idea. I think he is feeling an enormous amount of guilt in regards to what his brother did to you."
"Right," she replied "Well I am heading home now. Have to see my cats and get some much needed rest."
Vera, Valens, Jeffries and Stillman all nodded. All were happy in the knowledge that now she was safe. Really safe.
THE END