Police Training Ch. 04

It's like trying to get a cat into a bathtub. Hands flying everywhere, fists and nails damaging tender flesh, feet kicking out or bracing against the shower stall walls. Another scream. He gets her turned away from him and slams her into the wall. Her breath leaves her chest in a whoosh. She struggles to turn around. When she attacks again, Nic slams her back into the wall. He restrains her wrists and pins her there with the length of his body.

She screams and struggles. Nic holds her pinned to the wall. He turns the water on and waits for her to wear herself out. She's panting and glaring up at him. "God, I love watching your body when you struggle. I love fucking you when you're angry."

Nic forces her legs apart, Lizzy starts struggling again, but she doesn't have the strength to fight him off. He pulls one of her knees up toward her chest, opening her core. In one swift motion, he slams inside her. The low drawn-out moan forced out of her throat makes him harder than ever. "You are mine, my heart. You belong with me, always." He slowly pulls out and slams back inside the tight sheath. "I will always be there for you. Always protect you. Always make you stronger." With hard swift strokes Nic starts fucking her in the shower. Lizzy fights at first, but soon she's grabbing and fucking him back with abandon. "You are mine, Lizzy. Always and forever mine."

Her back is pressed against the cold dingy wall. Over and over she absorbs the force of his thrusts. She wraps the free leg around his waist, pulling him in further. The cool water splashes down around them, the only thing keeping them from igniting into a ball of flame. Harsh, hard breathing breaks up the sounds of two people fucking.

Lizzy's mind is reeling. Her life has completely changed today. She'll never be the same. She's desperately grasping on to the one thing she can't live without anymore. "Nic. Nic. Nic!" She grabs on with all her might as the world shatters around her. It's several more minutes before Nic cums. Lizzy banging limply against the shower wall, allowing her lover to find his release.

Lizzy slumps down to the floor, Nic tries to hold her upright, but the slickness of the water makes that impossible. He picks her up under the arms and stands her up. "Are you OK, baby? Please talk to me."

She presses her face into his shoulder. "I killed someone. Five someones. I've never killed anyone before." He holds her close, whispering comfort and strength into her ears until she can stand on her own.

"I know, Lizzy. I know. We need to get you cleaned up, OK. Will you help me? Please?" She nods yes. Nic scrubs her down and shampoos her hair. He leaves and comes back with a small knife and a bottle of bleach. Lizzy uses the knife to clean under her nails as Nic washes himself. When she's done, Nic pours bleach over her hands and Lizzy cleans her arms.

After the shower is turned off, and both of them are dried off and dressed, Nic grabs the plastic bag of old clothes and guides her out. This is the most dangerous part, being on the street with Lizzy and a bagful of evidence in the back. Car accident, road block, flat tire, anything and everything could go wrong. There's no real choice, the evidence needs to be destroyed. It's a long twenty-five minutes to get to the other end of the shipyard. He decides to drive around the outside to avoid any guards. The ride in the old jeep is uneventful, thankfully. He hops out and helps Lizzy into a small warehouse that recycles scrap from the yard and makes ingots to resell to manufacturers.

Malcolm is sitting on a work table reading a comic book. "Hey boss. Everything good?"

"Yeah. It's done."

Malcolm hops off the table. "It's all set up. We're ready when you are." Nic hands him the bag of clothes and Malcolm opens one of the large furnaces and tosses the bag in. The blast of heat makes Lizzy take a step back. They watch silently for a few seconds as the flames start to consume the incriminating evidence.

Malcolm motions with his fingers and we follow him to what looks like a small wood chipper. A loud whirring noise when Malcolm turns it on. Nic takes the Shadow and disassembles it, tossing the individual gun pieces into the metal shredder. What comes out the bottom are small chunks the size of her thumb. Those go into a second, smaller, higher pitched chipper reducing them down to the size of the nail on her pinky finger.

Nic climbs up and drops the metal chips (gun chips?) into the basin on top the furnace. We wait for the steel to melt. Malcolm and Nic lift the heavy pipe on the back of the basin and liquid metal flows down a channel into an ingot mold, enough to fill four ingots. Malcolm takes a peek to confirm the contents of the plastic bag are gone, and we leave. Just like that, all evidence is gone. "What about the bodies?"

Nic and Malcolm share a look before Malcolm answers. "Chum." What? They smile when they see her face. "Chum. Its ground up meat used to attract predators at sea. Same process as with the gun, just a bit more...messy."

"Lizzy. Malcolm will drive you home. There's some stuff I need to take care of for the next few days. If you need anything, call Mal. He'll give you his number. I can't imagine how hard that was for you tonight. You did great today, baby." He holds her for a while then helps her into a large sedan. Malcolm starts to drive her home as Lizzy watches Nic go back inside the recycling shop.

The drive home is quiet. Malcolm hands her his phone and asks her to call her phone, that way she'll have his number. She does. "Why should I call you? Where's Nic going?" Malcolm just shrugs and says he can't tell her. Lizzy goes inside her building and up to her apartment, there's an empty, numb feeling growing inside her. She takes another shower and crawls in to bed.

Tuesday is her day off, and she spends it in bed. The news says the search for the lawyers has been called off. Soon they will be declared dead. If only they knew.

Wednesday she was supposed to go back to work, but instead, she spends it in bed. After work, Carlos starts banging on the door; someone must have let him into the building. Damn him and that smile. Or he could have used his badge, but she guesses he charmed some old lady into letting him in. More banging. Then the threats are heard through the door. "Answer this door RIGHT NOW Liz, or I WILL call your MOM!"

Grumbling she trudges from the bedroom to answer the door. They stare at each other for a while, before Carlos invites himself in. "Why yes, I would love to come in. And a beer! Yes, that would be wonderful. Oh no, don't trouble yourself, I'll go get it." Liz just rolls her eyes at the sarcasm and plops down on the sofa as Carlos goes to the fridge to get two beers. "So what's up? You're not sick. You usually sweat like a pig when you're sick. And I've never caught you playing hooky before."

I've always been able to talk to Carlos. When he was first partnered with 'the rookie Byrne' he took the time to explain things and ask me how I felt about things. He was a great trainer. And my best friend. "I don't think I can do this anymore."

"No shit. I got partnered with Mittleson today. Stinky bastard. I swear I saw him picking his nose and wiping it under the seat."

Liz manages a small grin at the description of the replacement officer Carlos got stuck with. "No, not that. I don't think I can be a cop anymore."

Carlos chokes on his beer. After controlling the sputtering, he finally speaks. "What! Where the hell did that come from?"

She must have been spending too much time with Nic, because she weaves the truth and lies together flawlessly. "I don't believe in the system anymore, Carlos. How can I? They murdered my papa and got away with it. If it wasn't for dumb luck, they'd still be out there, free." If the system had done its job, I wouldn't have had to kill them.

Carlos tries to get her to see reason. "Liz, you can't let that change who you are. I know how hard it was for you this last year. You have to stay strong."

"Why? What if the yacht hadn't of sunk? What if they got in a car accident, or stabbed walking down the street. They'd call 9-1-1. And we'd respond. Me or my brothers would have to go there and try to save their worthless lives, comfort them and tell them it'll be OK. That's just fucked up Carlos. The whole system is fucked up." I would do anything to keep my family from suffering any more.

"Liz, that's the nature of the job. We don't judge people. The crazy guy swinging a hockey stick at leprechauns could just be a guy who couldn't afford his meds this month. The guy shouting at us over a speeding ticket might have just lost his job, or buried his grandma recently. They could be saints or sinners. It doesn't matter; we still have a job to do."

"It does matter, Carlos. It matters. How am I supposed to look victims in the eye and tell them everything will be OK? How am I supposed to convince a rape victim that testifying will be the best option? How do I comfort the family of a murder victim? Do I tell them we'll catch them and justice will prevail? Carlos, the system is screwed up. Broken. I don't believe in it anymore." That one was 100% truth.

"Liz, just think about this..."

"I have been. Trust me; it's all I've been thinking about. And I just can't do this anymore. I don't want to be a cop. I'm going to resign tomorrow."

Carlos is floored. We spend the next few hours talking and drinking beer. Carlos tries his hardest to change her mind, but she has arguments for everything. She really had been thinking about this for a while. In the end, this conversation helps her make up her mind. Cops have to have a certain drive, and she just doesn't have that anymore. Carlos isn't very happy about it, but he tried his hardest and couldn't come up with anything to change her mind. He says he isn't giving up on her yet, but if she needs anything he'll still be there for her. That's what partners are for.

Thursday at 10:47 AM, Liz walks into her captains off and resigns. Almost an identical conversation, albeit shorter than last night, takes place. This one goes just the same. Captain Sherman suggests a leave of absence, and to use up the little of what's left of her personal time. The captain says if she changes her mind, then she could always come back. And if she doesn't, then she'll get 60% paycheck for a few weeks. To her credit, the captain did think of the one thing Liz hadn't even considered yet. How was she to pay her bills? She accepts the offer, but leaves her badge and ID on the captain's desk. It doesn't take long to clean out her locker and soon she's back home.

To say she feels happy would be a lie. Relieved would also be wrong. The closest word to describe it would be numb. She's avenged her father. She's quit a job she no longer believes in. Nic has disappeared. Everything is gone.

She just wants to talk to Nic. His phone still goes right to voice mail. It's been three days; it seems like forever. Where is he? Why doesn't he want to talk to her? Not knowing what else to do, Liz crawls into bed. She's been spending way too much time there lately. It's safe and warm. She can pretend her world isn't coming apart at the seams.

*******

Liz's still snuggled in her bed on Thursday night, letting the bits and pieces of her world shatter around her. She hasn't spoken to Nic since Monday night. She hasn't answered her phone either since god-knows when. Mental exhaustion is making it difficult to breathe, much less carry on with a normal life. She hears the locks on her front door; someone's coming. She doesn't care. Nothing matters anymore.

The bedroom door opens; Liz is too drained to even look over her shoulder to see who it is. Someone is in her room. It isn't until the person walks to the other side of the bed that Liz can see who it is: Mom.

Silently she climbs under the covers and holds her daughter, still unsure of what is happening, but a mother's instinct tells her something is very wrong. The phone calls started almost immediately after Liz emptied her locker. No one's been able to get a hold of her. Liz doesn't react. She doesn't pull away or embrace her mom. For the longest time, they just lay there, together. Mom is trying to give strength and love without knowing why. Liz is waiting for her world to collapse.

Quietly, only the fact that her mom was inches away let her hear what her daughter said. "They didn't die in the shipwreck."

Mom looks at her, not immediately understanding the reference to the men who murdered her husband after so many months. "What? They're alive! When did you hear this?"

Liz's voice holds no emotion. "They didn't die off the coast of Florida. They were executed in the cargo hold of a ship in New York harbor."

Her mom rolls over onto her back, trying to think. Is this true? Or is her daughter hallucinating? Does she need psychiatric help? She rolls back to face her daughter. "Liz, how do you know this? I haven't heard any of this."

For the first time, Liz makes eye contact with her mom. "Because I'm the one who executed them."

Mom stares at her daughter then rolls onto her back, her hand covering her face as she digests this new information. She rolls back to face her daughter. Her mouth opens and closes, but nothing comes out. She doesn't know what to say. Liz goes into a monologue describing every detail of the event from the dark hallways of the gently rocking ship to the five men duct taped to metal chairs. The order of their deaths, if they groveled, and how many bullets were used for each one.

A thousand questions fly into her mind. Mom's tone is as flat as Liz's. "You found the shooters? How?"

Nothing left to lose now. "I've been sleeping with Nikolai Kerchenko."

Mom's eyes get huge. "Nikolai Kerchenko! The son of Andovan Kerchenko?" Liz nods and her mom rolls onto her back again. This would be kind of funny is her world wasn't ending. Nothing ever shocks her mom and she's done it like three times already. "I'm in love with him." That was new. Where did that come from? Does it matter anymore? Why won't he talk to her?

"Since the charity auction?" This is a lot to take in in one day. Moms not even sure which is the worst thing her daughter told her.

"No, mom. I slept with him before that. It was while I was in the academy. I swear I didn't know who he was. When I found out, I tried to stop, I did. My head said it was wrong, but my heart said it was right."

"Baby, he's dangerous. A killer."

"He is. And now I'm a killer too. I'm not a cop anymore. I can never be one again."

They spend the rest of the night in the bed, talking. Mom gets brought up to speed on everything in Liz's life, and Liz gets a real confidant. She told a little to Candice, but no one's ever gotten the whole story before. She talks about the first meeting, and the charity auction, how Nic makes her feel safe and loved. His huge ego and his humor. For the first time that night, her mom sees life in her daughter's eyes.

*******

Friday morning, mom has to leave. She's in charge of breakfast at the homeless shelter today. She gets Liz to promise not to do anything drastic before talking to her. She also has to figure out what to tell Malachi, definitely not the execution part, but he needs to know about Kerchenko before it blows up. Before leaving she tells Liz she can't stay in bed all day, it's not healthy. "Go to a park, or walk along the river. Just go out and do something, anything, just don't stay in this apartment all day." A grumbled 'Yes mom.' is as good as she gets, but it'll have to be enough. "I love you, baby. Everything will be OK." With one last kiss on the forehead, mom leaves her little girl's apartment.

Liz did promise to get up, but she didn't say when. So it's several hours before she finds the energy to roll out of bed. After a quick shower and a change of clothes, she leaves the apartment for the first time in days. No knowing what else to do, Liz rides the subway for a few hours. It's almost 2PM before she comes up for air. Right in the financial district.

She can't be sure if that was chance or if subconsciously this is where she wanted to be. She looks around to get her bearings, before making the short three block walk to the building Nic's office is in. Even though it's July, the dreary sky makes the heat and humidity almost bearable. If she had watched the news she would know when the storm clouds are supposed to open up. The sky mimics her mood.

She walks into the glass doors of the upscale office building. Her shorts, sandals, and faded Serenity T-Shirt that says 'I aim to misbehave' are jarringly out of place. For an instant, she reconsiders her next move, but she needs to see Nic. She hasn't heard from him since that night. The night she avenged her father. A little pang of self-depreciation pipes up; maybe he doesn't want to see you anymore. Maybe he just wanted to destroy you. She pushes that thought away.

After finding out what floor Kerchenko Int'l is on from the platinum directory plaque on the wall, Lizzy heads for the bank of elevators. The looks she gets remind her she is way underdressed for this building and she sticks out like a sore thumb.

She's alone in the elevator. The bland music, wooden panels, and slowly closing doors remind her of a coffin. Everything hurts. Nic will be here, and everything will get better. He always makes her feel better. Just a little bit further.

A ding sounds and the doors open. The reception area is polished and sophisticated; dignified sculptures and aesthetically perfect flower arrangements on classically graceful tables. The immaculately dressed receptionist, a woman in her 40's, with flawless hair smiles at Lizzy as she exits the elevator. The smile doesn't reach her eyes as she judges the ragtag attire. "May I help you, miss."

Unsteadily, she walks to the desk. "Ummm. Can I see Mr. Kerchenko?" Oh yeah, that was a wonderful first impression.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"Ummm, no. If you tell him I'm here, he'll see me." I just have to get past the Doberman guarding the door.

"May I see your ID?"

Instinctually Lizzy goes for her badge, only to find it missing. Another long second before she realizes why it's missing. She fumbles around in her clothes until she finds her driver's license and with shaky hands gives that to the woman.

The receptionist looks over the license and hits a button on the phone. "Mr. Kerchenko, I'm sorry to bother you. There's a young girl here to see you, she doesn't have an appointment. Elizabeth Byrne." All Lizzy hears is silence as she waits for Nic to tell the receptionist to let her in.

The woman clicks another button on the phone. "I'm sorry, miss. Mr. Kerchenko doesn't have any time available for you today. Would you like me to validate your parking?"

Her heart cracks, tiny bits of her world shatter and rain down around her. Did he do this all just to destroy her? She's ruined her whole life. The receptionist obviously doesn't like Lizzy standing in front of her desk and is trying to get her attention. "Miss, shall I call security?"

She has to go. She won't give Nic the satisfaction of losing it where he can enjoy it. It's difficult, but she turns and stumbles back into the elevator, standing there, forcing herself to breathe. Nothing happens. Why? Why did he do this? A button, she's supposed to press a button. She presses the button next to the star. The coffin. She's in the coffin again. It's so hard to breathe. There's a chime, and the doors start to close, sealing her inside. Just before the doors meet, the pale hand of death reaches for her.

***********

I know! The ending. You hate me, right? Just wait til next week... giggles evilly.

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