The Distraction:
There is note on the pillow when Elizaveta finally rolls over out of a haze of sleep. Her hair tussles in front of her and her hands search for a warm body only to come in contact with cool paper and an empty bed.
"Gil?" she whispers, voice dripping with sleep, lifting her hair in the process. "Gil?" she calls a bit louder and pushing up on her elbows. When there is no response, she scowls at nothing and yanks the paper off the pillow.
He says he's getting breakfast and that he would be back soon. There is a sudden since of déjà vu and she only stares at the note a little longer before folding it carefully and sitting it on the nightstand. Something doesn't feel right, but she wills herself not to find the flaw in his letter. But it's pulling at her gut, weighing on her conscience until Elizaveta presses her palms to her eyes and shakes her head feverishly.
She wants her brain to stop working, to stop connecting dots but it won't and she isn't that stupid. He wouldn't do it; he wouldn't leave her like this, not after last night. They didn't talk much. It was more of enjoying each other than trying to figure out what was going on. Maybe that was her problem, maybe she should have asked more question. Then maybe, she would feel more confident that he really is going to get breakfast, the anxiety in her chest would dissipate and the anger that's slowly building would be replaced with a reassurance that today would be normal.
She reaches for the letter again, rereading the scratch handwriting. He isn't getting breakfast. She knows for a fact that's bullshit because Gilbert is under house arrest. Elizaveta crumples the note and throws the paper out of their open window. Open window? A gust of winter air makes her shiver and she cocoons herself in the sheets. Why was their window open? Crawling out of bed, Elizaveta goes to investigate. There is a fire escape and below is the dumpster, she tilts her head further out of the window but nothing can be seen in the ally. Quickly, she picks up the tail of the sheet and hurries toward the kitchen. The house arrest bracelet is sitting on the kitchen table accompanied by a butter knife. Elizaveta examines it for a moment, a green light blinking to indicate Gilbert hadn't gone out of his probation range. She carries it as she pushes back the curtain to the window above the skin. Sure enough, Officer Jones' car is still parked in front.
"That bastard," she mutters, throwing the black bracelet on the kitchen table. It bounces before toppling onto the floor. Elizaveta kicks it and it slides into the living room. She kicks it with more force this time and it hits the wall by the door. She kicks it again, and again and again because she wishes she could kick Gilbert right in his balls for leaving her here. She kicks it all the way back into the bedroom where she plops down on the bed, crossing her arms, glaring at the bracelet.
Fine, if he wants to leave, than so will she. Elizaveta dresses quickly. Snatching her phone from the nightstand, she calls Ludwig.
"I need a favor from you," she says once he answers the phone. It's the first snowfall of the winter. Though it's light and hardly sticks to the ground, the winter flakes dance and flutter into her vision as she jogs across the street.
"What is it?" Ludwig asks, "How is Gilbert doing?"
Elizaveta snorts in response but reframes from making any incriminating comments. Not with Alfred stalking over to her. "Give me Antonio's last name." she whispers into the receiver and looks up just as Alfred approaches. "Good morning Alfred. I'm late for something so, have a good day."
Alfred only smiles and gives her a lazy salute. "Drive safely, can't have anything crazy happening to you."
She gives him a look because the statement doesn't really fit the weather. He only offers her a smile and, for once, leaves her to her business. "Wait, what? Wait did you say Ludwig I was a bit distracted." Elizaveta says, giving Alfred one more glance. He leans against his patrol car, hands in his pockets.
"I said Carrideo Hernández. Liz, is something wrong? You sound a bit frazzled?"
"I'm fine." Elizaveta answers quickly and starts her car. "If you hear from your brother, tell him to call me. And thanks Ludwig." She hangs up after that.
In theory, the ride is short, only about fifteen minutes or so. But in that time Elizaveta has tried to call Gilbert to no avail. With every call that only received a voicemail, she'd left messages ranging from anger, worry to fear. If someone had broke into the apartment, surely she would have heard? But why would he lie to her? It didn't make sense. By the time she pulls up to the black gate, Elizaveta is on edge, her emotions rattled and nerves shot. She remembers the code and the gate opens to a long driveway that connects to a house that seems out of place with downtown in the background.
"Hello?" Elizaveta calls as she opens the door, removing her hat and gloves in the process. She hangs her coat in the coat closest. The foyer is pristine as always, so she removes her shoes likes she's done all of her life and hastily makes her way to the stairs. There were no cars in the driveway and Elizaveta prays—actually prays—that no one is home. No soon as she reaches pass the main living area, her mother emerges, a glass of red wine in hand.
"Oh look who finally decided to drop by?" the woman drawls out, cradling the glass to her lips.
Elizaveta rolls her eyes. "I see you found the wine again, mother. And look, it's only a little after two." She starts towards their sitting room and her mother follows, regretfully.
"Save your pretentious attitude, Eliza. Any mother would be drawn to alcohol when their daughter's no good boy toy is a murder." Elizaveta affectively ignores her as she searches rooms. "God, I should have let you close the door when Barry Sullivan came to visit. Maybe you wouldn't be so silly over a good lay. Lord knows if you've seen one penis, you've seen them all."
That makes Elizaveta turn around. "I'm not having this conversation. Where's dad?" she asks but doesn't wait for a response, choosing instead to walk around her mother, bumping the woman's shoulder in the process and going upstairs.
"Why?" her mother calls and follows her. "So you can beg him to let the family lawyer stick up for that lowlife? I told you he was no good fro—"
"Oh, god, can we not have this conversation today, please?" Elizaveta yells from atop the stairs.
Her mother pauses, standing in the middle of the stairway, one arm folded with the other holding her wine. "Yes, of course, dear. Let's all play dumb and hope you don't go to jail for being a conspirator to murder."
She raises a lofty brow and tilts the glass in her daughter's direction. "I thought I taught you better than this, no guy was worth your life." She sighs presumptuously and shrugs. "Sure he has the whole wild thing going for him and those muscles, my god, your father could never get so ripped. I'm willing to bet those things and more explain why you have more than hat hair this morning. Your mother isn't blind. I've had my share of bad boys before settling for your father but I was never stupid enough to go to jail for them."
Elizaveta narrows her eyes, staring at her mother in the worse kind of way before the front door opens and she gladly storms down back toward the foyer. Her mother follows.
"Running away from me isn't going to change facts, Eliza." He mother criticizes. "Why couldn't you be more like Daniel? He's such a good boy."
"Then go harass him" Elizaveta shots back and goes into the sitting area where her father is standing with…"Vash?"
Both men turn to look at her. Vash, dressed in his police uniform, gives her a stern glance. Her father is more delighted. "Lizzie, baby you look horrible. Come, sit down."
"No, dad, I" she exhales wearily and rubs at her eyes. "I need a favor." Vash is still eyeing her but she makes every effort to not look in his direction. "Can we talk in your study?"
"What you have to say, you can say in front of all of us." Her mother chimes in and goes to sit in the chair. "Hello Vash, I didn't know you came by. How's Lili?"
Her tone is so casual and it takes everything in Elizaveta for her not to smack her mother's wine glass to the floor. "Dad," she insists, "Please?"
He looks between her and her mother who is giving him a daring look. Vash is still look at her suspiciously and the silence is only making her more agitated. Finally her father relinquishes, much to her mother's disappointment and he leads her away from them with a caring hand on her shoulder. She sighs once the door to his study is closed and releases the tension from her shoulders. The sigh nearly brings her to tears though she isn't quite sure why and Elizaveta has the lean against the wall for fear that her legs will give out.
"Lizzie…?" Her father asks in concern and that was all it took for her eyes to water and she holds her head down to keep him from seeing. She opens her mouth to speak but the words hitch in her throat. Her knees shake and Elizaveta bends down and grabs them, inhaling deeply to calm herself.
"He's gone dad…" she whimpers out and shakes her head as if to make it false. But it's true and the truth clenches her chest and she grabs and her shirt. When her father's arms pull her up, Elizaveta realizes that she's shaking. When they wrap around her shoulders, she buries her face into his tweeted blazer.
"Where has he gone?" he asks and she shakes her head.
"I don't know and I'm scared to know." Elizaveta admits and pulls back to wipe her face. "But that's why I need your help."
He tilts his head, still holding by the shoulders. "To find him? I don't think that's a wise idea, honey. Now, I'm not saying he's guilty but let Vash and the others do they're job so in case he is, you remain innocent."
"I don't want to find Gil, I want to find some else." Elizaveta pulls away, having composed herself enough to stand on her own. "Vash can finish his job, I don't care but this is for me. Give me Jason's number and I can take it from here."
"The private investigator?" her father looks a bit disgruntled but doesn't show it in his tone. "Lizzie, I can't. " Now it's his turn to sigh and he rubs a hand through greying hair. "It's too danger and suspicious if you go snooping around or whatever it is you're trying to do. Tell Vash if you know something, other wise rest easy and don't do anything you'll regret."
Elizaveta grunts and forces the study door open, "I already have." She says, her frustration getting the best of her now.
"Lizzie, please," Her father calls out to her as she snatches her coat and hat. Elizaveta doesn't bother putting anything on but storms out of the house to her car not willing to listen even as her mother and father calls to her. The car starts with a quiet hum just as he makes it to the porch. She spares her father one last glance before leaving.
Elizaveta refuses to look back or feel bad for leaving. If they won't help than she will help herself. Her phone rings and it takes some maneuvering for her to remove it from her pocket. A snort escapes her nose when she sees and father's number. Elizaveta tosses the phone on the seat and keeps going. It beeps to indicate a message. She glances at it once she reaches a stoplight. With much reluctance she goes to her voicemail, turns it on speaker and lets it play.
"You have one unheard message. First message," her father's voice comes on with a bit of commentary from her mother before what sounds like a door closing. He clears his throat. "I don't know what you're up to. I don't know why you asked me for Jason's phone number. You're my little girl, my only daughter and as a father my sole job is to keep you safe and happy. But it seems keeping you safe may come at the expense of your happiness. Though I value your safety, I'm going to give you this number because I trust that you know what you're doing. Please, be careful, dear and…" Elizaveta blocks out the rest, a wide smile on her face.
A/N: Greetings everyone! For those who didn't know, I finally made the move from US to UK. Ugh, jet lag is kick my ass so my sleeping has sucked. I'm always so tired lol. I've had the great pleasure of having beautiful weather these past few days but today is cold and rainy and I have a runny nose lol. A bit of advise for Southerns wanting to move here: just know 52 degrees isn't actually winter yet lol.
