Reliving The Past

Chapter 16

Elizabeth grabs the picture from Dr. Collins. As she looks at the picture, something in her head clicks. Like someone shut off her hearing. She sees the picture of her sitting in her long black coat, she just set the box of popcorn down in the bench next to her. The crisp air moving through her hair. Burning her nose it was so cold. Then the leather glove over her mouth and the hand around her torso. Pulling. Her breathing speeds up. Then the sky of stars run by before she's slammed hard to the ground. Not able to get air into her lungs or out. The sharp things digging into her back.

Elizabeth stands up so quickly and with such force that the chair is thrown a little ways. She takes off for upstairs. She slams the door to the bathroom and starts to get sick. She keeps trying to tell herself that she's not 15 anymore. That it's not February and she's not in the park. But she can't stop vomiting. There's a knock at the door.

"Elizabeth, are you ok? It's me, Lulu. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No! I'll be out soon. Apologize for me please." She continues to get sick.

"Ok. Just let me know if you need anything." Lulu leaves. Elizabeth sits there at the toilet and waits for the sick feeling to pass. She thinks that this shouldn't bother her this much. But it does. Then all of a sudden a clear thought hits her. Where did this picture come from? There were not pictures of her and the dress. She carefully gets up and goes to the sink. She washes her mouth out. Then pulls herself together and goes back downstairs. She still doesn't look like herself.

"I apologize for my behavior. I need to see the photo again please." She's so calm and polite. But not herself. Dr. Collins hands her the photo.

"There are more." She looks at the photo again. She tries to figure out the angle were the photographer was standing.

"Elizabeth, you are strong enough to get through this." Elizabeth looks around at the sound of Lucky's voice.

"Lucky?" She looks confused.

"Elizabeth, I'm on the speaker phone. I didn't want them to show you at first. Afraid it would hurt you too much. But honey, he has pictures that aren't supposed to exist. You need to know what you are up against." Lucky sounding like he did all those years ago.

"Lucky, the angle would have been coming from downtown." Elizabeth says, looking at the picture. Dr. Collins hands her the next one. She looks at it. Tears well up in her eyes. Then she looks at the one that he was on top of her. The look on her face. She stares at it. "I thought that was a car going by. The headlights. Or someone with a flashlight. I couldn't remember most of the things happening around me. The feelings yes. But I didn't remember him standing over me. Lucky, what if Tom wasn't the one that raped me? What if he admitted it because there was no real evidence? What if the real rapist has been out there this whole time? Oh God! He could have been everywhere blending in the back ground." She looks at the picture of her and Sonny at the garage when it was on fire. She thought Lucky was dead.

"Elizabeth, just stay calm. This could just be a ploy to doubt yourself. If he didn't rape you, then how did he know the phrase that your rapist said?" Elizabeth takes the stack of photos. She goes to the kitchen table. She starts to put them in order. Some of the photos were hard to look at, but not nearly as terrifying as the Valentine's Day ones. She looks closer at the bottom right hand corner of the pictures.

"Did you guys notice these letters at the bottom of the pictures in the right hand corner?" She grabs a note pad and pencil and writes the letters down in the order of the pictures.

"Wow, good eye. I didn't see them." Lucky says, looking at his copies.

"Me neither." Nathan says, looking at the new discovery.

"Chalk it up to my artist's eye. And I am taking the guys up on their offer. I'm going to paint again." Ric, Franco and Lulu all smile. They knew her talent.

"Good. You do that honey. But let's find this guy first. Ok?" Lucky says. They can hear him moving around. Elizabeth looks at the row of letters.

"We are just starting. Get ready for a hell of a game." Elizabeth reads the message. "Great! He thinks this is a game." She looks at the pictures again. "Wait a minute. You said these came yesterday. How did they come?"

"There were three envelopes. But these had a stamp. They were sent from Ireland, Greece and England." Nathan says.

"The one of you in your Bra and Franco without a shirt on was sent to me. I know now that it was photo shopped. As is the one sent to who we believe is Jason. But the last big bunch was sent to your mom and dad. He thought your parents should see all the things in your life." Lucky says, at a loss for what to do next.

"Nathan, did you guys get any finger prints?" Elizabeth looks at him.

"No. But there is one thing I need to tell you. Tom Baker was released 6 months ago. I have an officer checking on his address the parole officer has for him. I should be hearing any time now. I'm sorry Elizabeth. The people that handled the case aren't around anymore. There really should have been a note in his file to call you as well. The police knew he raped you. Sorry the department let you down."

Nathan can't seem to look at her.

"Nathan, it isn't your fault. If that were the case, then I was at fault. I didn't go get examined before showering. I should have called the police right away like Lucky wanted to do. But this gets us nowhere. Because then it comes down to I should have just went to the dance alone. I should have never been in that park at that time of night alone. Then Lucky should be blamed for not going with me. See, it's a silly cycle that is a waste. I had every right to be there. In that dress at that time of night. He chose to attack me. Wait. Lucky, if Tom didn't rape me, then how did he know in the studio? This is going to bug me until we figure it out. But maybe this is all a mind game. I'm starting to feel a little bit like I did that summer. Am I making another mistake about who raped me? This could be part of the game. Damn! I'm starting to feel like this was Mr. Murty all over again Lucky. I'm thinking that this started way back in 1998. Valentine's Day. I don't think my rape was so random after all." Elizabeth stares at the pictures.

"Ok, Elizabeth, we need to talk about this. What do you mean about this Mr. Murty?" Dr. Collins asks.

"I thought he was my rapist. He lent me a handkerchief when I was crying after talking to Gale. He handed me his handkerchief and when I got it close to my nose, I could smell that AWFUL spicy soap smell. It made me want to vomit. I staged an accident with a spilled water glass and got out of there. Lucky and I investigated him. When the police said they were closing my case due to lack of evidence, I went on my own to Mr. Murty's house and planned to confront him. I went in with a knife. But I got disoriented and Lucky came up behind me. I was scared and I stabbed him on accident. After we found out he had an alibi, I decided that I wouldn't take the law into my own hands. Sorry again about that Lucky. Thankfully Richard was there and fixed him up. But it did get you a couple weeks at Grams. IN a bed." Elizabeth smiles.

"Yeah. But I gave you the knife and helped stoke the fire. So I was just as guilty, if not more. The look on Mr. Murty's face when she told him about her rape, I think he felt almost as bad as I did." Lucky sounds sad.

"But that incident helped us with getting the internship at Downtown Faces. Which led to us getting Emily's blackmailer. So it wasn't a total bust." Elizabeth deliberately leaves out the confession from Tom.

"Wait a minute. You interned at Downtown Faces? How did I not know that?" Maxie asks, distracted.

"Yeah. But you were so young and I had only seen you a few times. Anyway, why didn't we ask Mr. Murty what type of soap was used? If we had a name, then that's more info." A cellphone rings. It's Nathan's.

"West."

"Sir, there is not one at this address. No one has lived here in 5 years. There are piles of dust. Cobwebs everywhere. And the windows haven't been washed in years. There is no sign of Tam Baker." The office says.

"Thank you officer. I need you to go back to the station and contact his parole officer. Get his info and inform him that the DA will be coming for him!" Nathan yells. Angry and frustrated. Elizabeth looks over at Nathan and waits. "Elizabeth, I'm sorry. The officer says he never lived at that address. We are going to bring the parole officer in and question him. This is unbelievable."

"How can a parole officer not report his disappearance for 6 months?" Lucky says.

"I don't know, but I sure as hell am going to find out. This man is dangerous. More than we thought." Nathan begins to pace to get this thoughts under control.

"Nathan, its ok baby. You are doing a great job. Liz knows that you didn't get lazy in your job. She knows that you weren't even here when this all went down. And you had no idea what was happening." Maxie puts her arms around his neck and strokes her hand all over face.

"Nathan, you are a great cop. You and Dante. You guys are a great pairing. I know this isn't your fault. Only Tom is to blame. Then and now. So he got me scared nearly to death. But now I'm done. Once I know my boys are safe and sound, he's started this fight, but I'm going to finish it. I'm not that scared little girl anymore. He might have gotten to me for a few minutes, but he has threatened my kids, family and friends. I'll make sure Tom finds me. And then we get down to business." Elizabeth looks so different. She almost looks robotic.

"Elizabeth, I am happy you are ready to fight, but I don't like this. I don't want him to get to you. If he is worse now than he was then, you could be seriously hurt or even killed. You have the boys to think about." Lucky says, a little scared.

"Lucky, he has taken too much of my life. He sent those pictures to my parents for crying out loud! He's trying to make me afraid to live. I have to show my boys that you have to stand up to bullies. Yes, I admit I can't do this alone. But I am not going hide in a corner and waiting for someone else to take him down. He has this coming Lucky. I have to do this. I will do it with the help of the cops. But I can't just be that scared victim again. I don't want to feel like that again. You understand, right Lucky?"

"Yes, I do. But I worry that I can't be there to protect you like I tried to be all those years ago. No offense to Dante and Nathan." Lucky says.

"No need to worry Lucky. I will be with her. I will protect her with my life." Franco says, looking at Elizabeth.

"Wait, I can protect her." Ric says, going to stand next to Franco.

"Liz, I would protect you. You know that I am here to protect you. Mr. Corinthos hired me for that reason." Kevin says, going to stand next to Elizabeth.

"Wait! I am going to think about how I want to approach this. I need to get these pictures put away. Then I need to get my boys. Bring them back. Get them packed up and spend some quality time with them. When I put them to bed, I will think of a way to catch whoever this is." Elizabeth goes upstairs and everyone watches after her.

A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. Thanks for reading and reviewing. Next chapter soon to come.