|
|
Liz was walking along the docks. She needed time to think and since Lucky was at Kelly’s she thought that this was the best place for her. She was mulling over her conversation with Nik. He really wanted to have a relationship with Lucky. She knew what a joy it could be to have a strong sibling relationship and she wanted Lucky to be able to experience it too. Nik is the same age that Sarah would have been. Liz got tears in her eyes. She had to make sure she was making this decision for Lucky and not for herself. Did Lucky really want to know Nikolas or did she want to live vicariously through his potential relationship with his brother?
Liz sighed and made her way over to a bench. She sat down and was watching the activity on the docks. She didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize her relationship with Lucky but she felt that Nik was right, he and Lucky had a chance at being friends and they shouldn’t let their last names stand in the way.
Liz was lost in her thoughts, she couldn’t help but think about Sarah and wondered what her sister would have thought. She would have wanted Nik to be happy, she never did get over him and constantly told Lucky that Nik was not the monster he portrayed him to be. Maybe she had been right all along. Her efforts went unnoticed, but maybe Liz could change that. “Oh Sarah, just when we find friendship I lose you. I need you to help me.” Liz felt the tears welling in her eyes and wiped them away. Liz decided that today was not the day to make the decision, it was definitely one that needed to be tossed around for longer than one afternoon.
She was just starting to get up when she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. There it was, that inexplicable feeling of being watched again. She looked around and didn’t see anything. “Hello? Is anyone there?” The fear was returning and she felt the desire to run. No one answered, but she knew she wasn’t alone. As calmly as possible she stood and left the docks.
The man in the shadows couldn’t conceal his disappointment. He had almost been close enough to touch her and now she was gone. She was so beautiful and looked so sad. He wished everything had worked out like he had planned. He could be comforting her right now. Instead he would have to wait until after the next phase was complete. He sighed and came out of hiding.
The guard who had been watching Liz was about to leave when he saw the man come out of the shadows. He couldn’t hide his surprise. He had seen this man with Liz and her friends on several occasions, now judging from the scene he just witnessed, it seemed he had more than a casual acquaintance with Liz. The guard opened his cell phone and dialed. After a brief pause he said, “Mr. Morgan I need to see you immediately.”
Chapter 49
V was alone in her living room when her pager went off. She couldn’t believe her dumb luck. She had just put in a 12-hour shift and was looking forward to a hot bath and a cup of tea followed promptly by a long night’s sleep. She sighed and looked at the number, it was dispatch. V picked up the phone and dialed the number she knew by heart. She waited three rings and the phone was finally answered. “This is detective Androwski responding to the page…What do you mean you couldn’t find anyone else?…I understand about the commissioner, but what about the other detectives, they couldn’t all be busy…<sigh>alright, what’s the address? You better be right Myrna this better be quick.” V hung up the phone and moved into the bedroom to change back into work clothes. “Later” she said with a sidelong look at her bed.
The call was regarding a strange smell from a neighboring house. Apparently the resident of the house hadn’t been seen for a few days and now there was a smell coming from the house. V knew that if this was what she thought it was she wouldn’t be home for quite sometime. She was praying that the residents went away on an impromptu trip and accidentally locked the cat in the house without food or water, but her experience told her that this was probably not going to be the case, besides cats were very resourceful creatures.
She arrived on the scene only to be confronted by an angry neighbor. “First that man rapes one girl then murders another, now this!” V was taken aback by the woman screaming at her from her kitchen window. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” The woman laughed. “I told that operator whose house this is, I knew she wouldn’t remember. This is Theodore Murty’s house! I swear what more are we supposed to endure.” V turned away and said under her breath “I have a feeling this is it lady.” She approached the front door and was overwhelmed by the stench. The curtains were drawn on the windows. She kissed her night off one final good bye and tried the door. She found it unlocked and entered.
She had to curb the urge to vomit. In front of her was the body of Theodore Murty hanging from a rope tied to the rafter on the high beam ceiling. Her attention was immediately drawn to the table. There were three envelopes. As she approached she noticed they were all addressed to different people. She picked up the one that said PCPD first. She carefully removed the single sheet from the envelope and read:
I CAN’T LIVE ANY MORE. I LOST MY JOB AND MY FAMILY. I DID NOT COMMIT ANY CRIME AND I HOPE YOU DON’T GIVE UP SEARCHING FOR THE ONE WHO DID. PLEASE DO NOT TAKE MY SUICIDE AS AN ADMISSION OF GUILT. FAR FROM IT, IT IS A TESTAMENT TO MY INNOCENCE. FIND THE REAL CRIMINAL SO MY FAMILY CAN WALK DOWN THE STREET WITH THEIR HEADS HELD HIGH.
V instantly felt sympathy for this man. He had been broken by a system that could never be perfect. She put the remaining envelopes in her pocket and went outside to await reinforcements. Mac arrived followed by Dara. She explained the situation to them and showed them the note. Dara looked like she was going to faint and Mac turned as white as a sheet. “What is it? Do you really believe that he was innocent?” Dara met V’s eyes, “I think that he was very innocent.” As Dara walked away V looked at Mac questioningly. “There were more letters, one to his family, and one to Elizabeth Webber. What should we do with them?” Mac sighed, he knew that the Webber girl would be devastated and would be hard hit considering the confrontation she had had with Murty several days earlier. He sighed knowing what had to be done. “V, you are so good with people I think you need to deliver the letters. Stay with Elizabeth when she reads it, I have a feeling that she will need a shoulder.”
V nodded and left to find Liz at Kelly’s. She knew that this would hit Liz hard. She couldn’t imagine what she would have done if she had confronted the man she thought was her rapist only to learn that he was innocent. If Liz had gotten on with her life she knew that this information would definitely set her back. She hoped that Liz was a strong person who could handle such a blow so soon after her sister’s death.
Liz had been filling salt and pepper shakers behind the counter. She looked up at the sound of the bell on the door. A wave of dread came over her when she saw who had entered. She knew that V was there to see her. When V finally met her eyes her heart sank. This was something terrible. She looked around for Lucky, but he had run an errand for Ruby and had yet to return. V approached and Liz gripped the counter for security. “What is it?” she asked her voice barely above a whisper.
“Elizabeth, do you have a moment to come outside with me. We need to talk.”
Chapter 50
V followed Liz out the door and sat on a bench across from Kelly’s. She didn’t quite know how to begin. She was about to take this girl back to the day she was. She hoped that what was about to occur would not undo all of the progress Liz had made in her recovery. She knew that if necessary she would bring her own personal experiences into this case in order to help Liz.
Liz looked up at V from her seat on the bench with questioning eyes. “Well what is it.” V sighed and began “We found Theodore Murty dead in his home a few hours ago. It seems he committed suicide a few days ago. He left three notes behind. One to the PCPD and one to his family.” V paused trying to gauge Liz’s reaction to the news, her face was pale, but her eyes remained clear. “Who was the third note addressed to?” Liz knew the answer but prayed that she was wrong. She was filled with a sick sense of dread.
V merely handed Liz the note. “I have to ask that you read this now, it may contain pertinent information to your case.” Liz sighed, in her heart she knew that this was not going to be an “I’m sorry for the pain I caused you” letter, she knew it was going to be much worse than that. Liz opened the envelope with shaking hands. She lifted out the single sheet and began to read:
DEAR ELIZABETH,
I NEED YOU TO KNOW THAT I AM INNOCENT. I DIDN’T HURT YOU OR YOUR SISTER IN ANY WAY. WE WERE BOTH VICTIMS HERE. DON’T THINK THAT BECAUSE I AM DEAD YOU ARE SAFE. WHOEVER DID THIS TO YOU IS STILL OUT THERE AND WILL MORE THAN LIKELY STRIKE AGAIN. HE DOESN’T HAVE WHAT HE WANTS YET. PLEASE BE CAREFUL.
DON’T BLAME YOURSELF FOR MY FATE. I HAD NO OTHER CHOICE. DEATH IS BETTER THAN GOING TO PRISON FOR CRIMES I DID NOT COMMITT. I DON’T BLAME YOU FOR YOUR ACCUSATIONS OR YOUR HATRED, I ONLY HOPE THAT SOMEDAY YOU ARE SHOWN THE TRUTH AND YOU LIVE THROUGH IT.
YOURS,
THEODORE MURTY
By the time Liz got to the bottom of the letter the letters on the page were a blur. She broke down in sobs knowing that what was in the letter was the truth. She hadn’t told anyone about her scare on the docks the other day, but now she was certain that she hadn’t been alone, and she knew that it wasn’t Mr. Murty in the shadows. The fear had returned. Liz looked around and saw faces watching her. The realization that the monster who hurt her was still out there hit her hard “oh God, what am I going to do know?” she asked no one and everyone.
V watched the emotions cross Liz’s face. V sat down next to her and wrapped her arms around her. “Liz, I am so sorry, I wish this didn’t have to happen. You need to be strong now, there are people who love you and they will care for you. We will find the guy who did this.” V said the last words making a solemn oath to herself that she would do just that. Liz needed her help to recover from this latest onslaught of trauma.
V was still holding Liz when Lucky walked up. He was obviously in a hurry and gave a cursory glance in her direction. He did a fast double take when he registered the situation and immediately was at Liz’s side. “Liz? Honey what is it?” He crouched down and put his hands on her knees. Liz jerked away and yelled “No! Don’t touch me! I don’t deserve you! Just get away from me before I hurt you too!”
Lucky was shocked and tried again. “Liz, you know that you can trust me…What happened?” Liz looked at Lucky with an expression he had never seen before. “Don’t touch me Lucky. I’m poison, just leave me alone. Go back to your dad’s, I don’t want to see you here again.” Lucky felt as if he had been punched in the stomach. “Liz…Please talk to me.” Liz looked him in the eyes and said firmly “JUST GO! I don’t want you here.”
V looked at Lucky. “Maybe you should just give her some time. Leave her for now, I won’t let anything happen to her. Reluctantly, Lucky stood and made his way into Kelly’s. V saw him turn and look at Liz with tears in his eyes one last time before he shut the door. Her heart broke for the young couple.
Chapter 51
The man hadn’t seen Murty for some time and was having difficulty identifying a pattern in his life. He decided that he would go to his home and wait for him to show himself. After seeing his angel on the docks the other day he was getting more and more anxious to have her again. He needed her.
He pulled up to the curb outside the Murty house at 3:00 a.m.. He immediately noticed that the flowers looked slightly trampled and the lawn needed to be mowed. “Ah, I’m getting to you huh? Can’t face the neighbors even to do your yard work.” He had an evil grin on his face. He loved altering the lives of others to suit his needs.
Slowly he began to scan the rest of the house taking in every detail. Aside from the lawn and shrubbery being in total disarray, the trashcans from the previous week’s pick up had not been taken in yet. Now he was getting concerned. The trashcans were still empty and the pick up in this neighborhood was four days ago. How does one go four days without generating any trash? Could Murty have skipped town without him knowing? A car entered the road from an adjacent street and he saw it. The headlights illuminated the yellow police tape in the doorway.
Puzzled the man turned on the car radio. Immediately the announcer’s voice began to grate on his nerves. He didn’t usually listen to the radio, and now he remembered why. He hit the scan button searching for the 24-hour news station. “Today’s top story in Port Charles is the suicide death of Theodore Murty. Murty was the suspected rapist/murderer slated to stand trial next week for his crimes.” His death comes as a shock to the community and law enforcement officers as well. Commissioner Scorpio said that with his arrest the case was closed.” The man slammed his hand on the steering wheel. His scapegoat was DEAD!!! How could this be happening? Everything had been falling into place nicely and now it was all ruined. He started the car and threw it into gear. He was going to solve his problem once and for all. His elaborate plan went out the window in favor of a simpler version of the demise of Lucky Spencer.
<V’s apartment>
Mac and V were sitting in her apartment. V had brought Liz here and had finally gotten her settled. After many tears the girl had finally fallen asleep. “You told the media that you closed the case? Probably a good idea if this guy thinks that we are not going to investigate further he will be more likely to strike again, and sooner rather than later. What are we going to do to protect Liz and those close to her?”
Mac rose and closed the door to the bedroom, he didn’t want to take any chances of the girl over hearing their conversation. “Jason Morgan has guards on Liz. Frankly, these men are much more adept at staying out of sight than a PCPD detective would be. I need your opinion, should I allow Jason to guard Liz? I am planning on talking to him tomorrow, I never thought I would even consider allying myself with Morgan!” V sighed “Mac you are right. Our men would stand out causing whoever did this to retreat maybe never to resurface. You need Jason.”
They heard Liz begin to stir in the other room. V walked in as saw Liz drenched in sweat thrashing on the bed. “NO! Leave me alone…Please not again!” Liz was in the throes of a terrible nightmare and V was immediately at her side. “Liz, Liz…it’s okay.” V gently laid her hand on Liz’s cheek hoping that the contact would bring her out of her dream. Liz merely screamed and thrashed away. “Don’t touch me! Lucky…Lucky help me!” Mac came into the room. I called Lucky, he is on his way. V was still trying unsuccessfully to get Liz calmed down. She was in a full sweat and V could see the pain on her face.
Just as suddenly as it started Liz calmed and was sleeping peacefully again. She never woke up. V hoped that when she did she would be ready to see Lucky.
Chapter 52
Lucky was alone in his room above Kelly’s. He couldn’t stop thinking about Liz. She had only been gone a few hours, but to him it felt like a lifetime. Everywhere he looked he saw her. He opened the closet and he could smell her perfume lingering on her clothes. He sat on the bed and found Boris under the covers. He couldn’t think and needed to get out. Just as he was about to leave his phone rang. “Yeah” he hoped it would be Liz and was mildly dissappointed when she heard V’s voice.
<Jason’s Penthouse>
Jason had just returned to town in order to deal with
the new information he received from Paul, the guard he had on Liz Webber.
He immediately picked up the phone “Reynaldo, get Paul here immediately.”
Jason closed the phone and went upstairs to change and kiss Michael good
night. When he returned downstairs Paul was waiting for him.
“Sir, I assume this is about the incident that occurred down at the docks the other day.” Paul proceeded to recount for Jason the events at the docks. Liz going down there alone looking rather distracted, her sudden angst and departure. “I knew that something had scared her, I just wasn’t sure what. I hung around for a few minutes after she left and I saw him.”
“You saw who?” Jason hoped this would be the breakthrough he needed. Paul revealed the identity of the man and Jason’s jaw dropped. “Are you sure that is who you saw?” Jason turned away from Paul to hide his uncertainty. Paul confirmed the identity once more and Jason’s heart sank. How was he going to handle this one? He picked up the phone and dialed a number.
<Kelly’s>
The man heard footsteps and quickly removed himself from sight. Lucky rounded the corned and walked up to the car. He opened the door and got behind the wheel. He had been too distracted to notice the puddle under the front driver’s side wheel. He started the engine and sped away. The man in the corned smiled uncontrollably. That was easier than he had expected.
Lucky rounded the corner and hopped on the highway. He had to get to Liz, V said that she was ready to see him. He knew that the next months would be difficult for them both, but he loved her and he needed her to know that he would still be there for her no matter what. As he approached the exit to V’s he eased off the accelerator, he knew from experience that this off ramp was particularly tricky with the curve. As he headed onto the ramp he applied the breaks only to feel the pedal go to the floor. Panic set in as he tried in vain to apply the breaks. He lost control about halfway through the curve and screamed “No! Liz!” His last conscious thought was of his beautiful Elizabeth. Everything went black just as the cell phone in his pocket started to ring.
<Jason’s Penthouse>
Jason hung up the phone and turned to Paul. “Have you told anyone else about this?” Paul looked taken aback at the question “Of course not sir, not without clearing it with you first.” Jason sighed with relief. “Good, I no longer want you to watch Liz Webber, I want you to follow him instead. If anything unusual occurs I want you to call me at once.” Paul nodded “As you wish sir.”
Paul left and Jason put in a call to the guard he had on Lucky. The guard picked up on the first ring. “Tommy where is Spencer?” Tommy had seen the accident and had been just about to call 911 when the phone rang. “Boss, there has been some kind of accident here, it looks pretty bad, Lucky’s car flipped at least six times and is now at the bottom of an enbankment off Route 78!”
Jason was rocked to the core, he had been too late.
“Tommy call 911, I’m on my way.” Jason opened the door to leave only
to find Mac Scorpio talking to Reynaldo. “Mac, good to see you, but
I don’t have time right now.” Mac needed to talk to Jason now before
he changed his mind and wasn’t about to let Jason get away that easily.
Next
Part
A
Love to Last... Menu
Main
Menu