Roswell Fanatics

keepsmiling7
Natalie36
mary mary
begonia9508

Author note: A boot legger's turn is any unexpected turn which allowes you to change direction in a short time and space. The ones I have made required a powerful car. I threw the car in reverse. tromped the gas, as I turned the wheel. This caused a spin. then with a little luck and timing I was able to change the transmission to drive and take off. This was much more difficult in the standard shift cars of yesteryear.

Chapter 11

Liz

With Maria out on a date with Michael, I took the advantage to seek some alone time. I knew that she was hoping to be seduced on this date. She couldn’t initiate anything because it would take little to scare Michael off. He already was cautious about the activity in her past. Maria must just be ready to meet his advances and encourage them, if and when they came. Michael had to see past her to the times they had in Roswell.

For myself, any itch I felt would have to go untended. There was no one in my past or in the foreseeable future who could bring any love my direction. For the moment, I chose to walk about the clearing, I saw both the FBI man and Milt in the clearing. They had both been keeping watch on me. That, maybe, was the trouble. I was like an insect under a microscope. There was always someone watching me. As I walked the path near the woods, I kept getting the feeling that I was being watched by something else. When I stopped, I felt that there was a noise. An instant later it was quiet again. Occasionally, I saw small trees back in the forest waving when there was no wind.

Finally, I stopped to rest on one of the many benches along the path. I closed my eyes and in the warm sun I felt as if a dark stranger was approaching me. He extended his hand and I stood. He enfolded me in his arms. As his lips bruised mine, I could only think there is a knight who will rescue me. I felt his hands over my body and then, I felt them against my skin. The bubble burst. I came back to earth.

This was too much. If I kept it up much more, I would find myself at the Forest Roost looking to be picked up by one of the locals. That wasn’t me. I wanted love, but I wanted it to mean something. Question, did love with Sean ever mean anything? I wondered. What about love with Max? I was entering forbidden territory again. When Max and I first came together, he meant everything to me. I couldn’t visualize anything that could drive us apart. When Max and I made love, I wanted him and no other. I just couldn’t believe that he wanted anything any different. Then, the vision of Tess arose. No longer did I see her as a demon tearing my life apart. Max had accepted her. Any fault she had must be shared with Max. Then, I asked a question that I had never allowed myself to think about. Was there anything that Max could do to make me accept him again? I gave my life to him. What could he give me in return?

I shook my head. I stood and looked at the tangled forest in front of me. I still had the feeling of being watched. I couldn’t help it. I cried out, “Max, I gave you everything I had. Why wasn’t that enough?” Whatever was watching me, gave me a feeling of uneasiness. I returned to my cabin.

FBI man with Milt

They called me today. I should keep close watch on the woman. They were almost ready to drop the ball on that scumbag, DeLuca. Sean Deluca had stolen pension funds and mutual trusts which belonged to many poor people. Kyle told me that he had a man on it who was a master. I knew that Kyle had several specialists at his call. If they could track the money, they might be able to get, at least some of it, back. I didn’t know if the woman was a person of concern or if she had information that might help us with him. I know that Kyle said to make sure that nothing had happened to her, either by the local serial killer or the professionals who had attacked her before. Hearing the story, I don’t see how she and that blonde she is living with escaped. I heard there were a passel of thugs all spread out to attack. I haven’t yet heard the real story of how they got away. It bothered me that she was walking so close to the forest. I kept an eye on her and soon, she tired and returned. She wasn’t that bad looking. If I wasn’t working, I might make a play for her myself. There were strict rules about fucking a subject under your protection. I would wait and see what happened after the trial.

Michael

I was careful about what I said to Maria. I am sure that someone was within one hundred yards of us. I am also sure it wasn’t any of those boys from back east. Whoever this was, he was a woodsman. I will call Martinez from the Pueblo to see what he thinks. He might even check it out. He is known as some tracker. When I got Maria home, I saw Liz waiting for us. I know she knew what I was after as well as what Maria wanted. I wish we could, someway piece her life together. I hope Pedro doesn’t get bored and go home, I still need him. I just can’t get over the feeling that something big is about to happen. Well personally, I guess it did. Making love to Maria, even with the fear afterward, felt so good. I hope we can come to an understanding. I think I can overlook her past if she will not hold my contempt for the singing tour against me.

Joseph Martinez, officer of the Jemez Pueblo Police Force

“Hey, Michael, Joe Martinez here,” I had just phoned Michael of the Jemez police. I was going to tease him a bit, but I also, had a serious report to give him. “I drove up to the San Pedro Parks area, sign was easy to read. I sure as hell hope you and your girl were on a thick blanket. Don’t you know that pine needles in the ass, hurt like hell. You were right. I found signs that someone was within 30 yards of the place where you and the lady were partying. He shadowed you about 50 yards away all the way back to your truck. I am sure it was the killer, the same run down shoes and the same method of stalking. I take it he saw your pistol, unless you were stupid enough to go a courting without it. Something held him back. Maybe, he just doesn’t like to attack men. He has run as soon as any men appeared before. The Pueblo council wants me to report any thing I find out about this man. Don’t worry, I cleaned up your part in this.”

The Watcher

I just heard that Michael almost had a run-in with the crazy man. He even had Maria with him. It is obvious what he was doing up there in the wilderness area. Joe Martinez tried to say they were sight seeing. I remember Michael too well. It was just crazy how close Joe said the man was to where Michael was walking. Liz was so close to me the other day. When she cried out, I almost lost my cool. I promised that I would do my job and then, fade away. I don’t want to hurt her anymore. I surely didn’t like the way that FBI man was looking at her. No, that is just wrong! Liz deserves a man who will love her, even if it is just for a minute. If he could bring any happiness to her, I have to accept it and rejoice that someone is giving her love. No one has been near the camp ground since the shoot out. I think I was careless a couple of times. I saw someone looking out their window twice during a storm sometime ago. I want the women vigilant, but I do not want them to be in fear of everything. I will be more careful from now on.

Alex

I just got off the phone with Kyle. My boys have made progress. It is funny that my best hackers, who are still in high school, have traced much of the stolen money. It was deposited to an account under the name of Mr. and Mrs. Sean DeLuca. That must be why Sean wants Liz out of the way. If Liz divorces him, she might have a claim to the account. If she dies, then he would inherit the whole thing, especially if they have no will. Most people her age do not have wills. We have been very careful about finding out where this account is hidden. I wonder why Sean set it up with Mr. “and” Mrs? That means that they both have to sign for it. If he had used “or” then, either of them, could get the money out. Of course again, if Liz is dead, Sean would get everything. Then I realized. If Sean’s name alone was used, then his buddies could make him withdraw the loot. Maybe, he was smarter than I thought.

Kyle got word to me that Michael and Maria were talking. If Michael watches what is near at hand, when he says anything, maybe, they have a chance. That means stay out of the kitchen and away from pots and pans. Kyle knows something about Liz, also. He told me about the attacks and that she was being protected, but that was all. I know that Kyle cares for Liz and I, also, know that Liz will be a large part of taking all those who were working with Sean down. I worry about her life. Not just her physical life, but her quality of life. Her divorce will come through soon.

Maria

It had been several weeks since anything had happened. Don’t tell Michael I said that. What happened between us was awesome! Especially, since I wasn’t sure it would ever happen again. We had been cooped up for some time. My car had been totaled. If we went somewhere, it would have to be Liz who drove. I was trying to talk her into going out to the Forest Roost. If for nothing else, I wanted a meal that we hadn’t cooked. There would have been a time where I would have been looking for guys. Now, I do not want to jeopardize my chances with Michael, but Liz needs someone. I know she won’t go out unless she feels strongly about some one. I can always wish that she would find someone. I wish she could find someone she would like as well as she used to like Max. Liz won’t allow me to say his name.

Liz

Okay, I agreed to take Maria out to eat. We would go early and try to come home before it was too late. I should have known better. I agreed, also, that it would be good to have a meal we didn’t have to prepare. We arrived and were given a table for two. There was quite a crowd. After dinner we were sipping coffee. I wouldn’t drink anything stronger, but I told Maria she could have whatever she wanted. Here I had come to New Mexico to be alone and now, I was spending all my time with my friend from my childhood. I was thinking how I could suggest we leave, when someone came by and whispered to Maria. She turned to me and said, “Chica, they just invited me to sing a couple sets with the band. Do you think we could?”

I knew that Maria dearly loved to sing in front of an audience. I couldn’t deny her this. One set turned into two and two turned into more. It was nearly midnight when we finally left. I had stuck to coffee, but Maria had had more than a few drinks. She could sing beautifully.

Maria

I should be ashamed of myself, but at least Liz was a good sport. When we finally stood up to leave, I really felt it. Liz was right there to help me get to the car. This was the good side of singing. The crowd expected nothing more than a good performance. Yes, I had a couple of drinks. I wasn’t driving. Liz, as usual, was straight as she drank only coffee. It was late and there was no one on the road, or so I thought. We were about half way back to the campground. Suddenly, there was a car coming right at us. He was in our lane and his lights were on bright. Liz honked and wrestled with the steering wheel. Liz tried to pull over, but when she did, the lights, also, pulled over. Liz tried for the shoulder of the road, but at this one place in the road, there was no shoulder. We went off the road and into the ravine.

Through habit, I reached for my purse. I looked at Liz. She was out cold or worse. Her face was bleeding. We were in trouble. Look, I know that you do not move an accident victim. You don’t move them unless you are afraid of something else. We had just been forced off the road. I held on to my purse, because I had broken the law tonight. My baby Glock was in the purse. New Mexico has a strict law and it is a good law. No carrying firearms in establishments that serve alcohol. Even in a robbery if you are under the influence of alcohol, your judgment will be in question, if you draw your weapon. Now, we had been run off the road. Liz was hurt. I didn’t care about what they would say about my judgment. I was going to get Liz out of the wreck and find a place I could defend. It is amazing how the night air and adrenalin clears your head. I had 20 shots, ten in each magazine. I was carrying no extras.

I dragged Liz from the wreck and was looking in the dark for someplace to hide. In the faint moon light and starlight I saw a shadow up at the road walking back and forth. I knew that one of them would soon get a flash light. I needed to know how many people were here and how they were armed. Liz was no help for a while. I hope I hadn’t hurt her further, but better to have troubles that a doctor could look at than to be shot dead.

I heard a voice call, “Hello the car, is anyone hurt?” No way was I answering that.

I saw a light. It played back and forth over the wreck. I cringed further back into the bushes. I heard voices. They were arguing about who would climb down to the car. Someone fired several shots in the brush near the wreck. I just sat tight. There were four people that I could see. That was too many for me to take out with the shots I had available.

The Watcher

I made my rounds and I was troubled that Liz’s car was not at their cabin. I called the FBI contact who was watching over her. He had no idea who I was or where I was. He just knew that I was aware of anything that went on at the campground. “Officer Samuels, are the women secure in their cabin?” I asked over my cell phone.

I thought he was hesitant, “They are safe.” He stated.

“Well, where are they?” I again asked.

“They wanted to go down to LaCueva for a meal that they didn’t have to cook themselves,” he replied.

“And, you let them?” I questioned.

“It was my assessment that nothing has happened for some time, so it probably, would be safe for them to just go out for dinner,” he answered.

“What time is it?” I asked.

“It is 11:00 PM,” he stated. I was sure he stuttered. The fool didn’t have the slightest idea about where they were or how long they had been out.

“Isn’t it a little late for going to dinner?” I asked. About that time, I heard shots in the distance. There were only four of them but shots this time of night and under these conditions worried me. “Alert Jemez Police that shots have been fired just south of the Thunderbird Paradise campgrounds. I am on my way,” I ordered.

That is the trouble with surveillance or protection. When things get dull, many men will let their vigilance down. That is the very time alertness should be highest. The bad guys, many times, aren’t that stupid and they are just waiting until they can strike.

It took a full quarter of an hour for me to run back to that dirt turn off where I had hidden my pickup. I didn’t have to drive far until I found a car pulled off the side of the road with four men standing beside it. I pulled behind the car and got out. “Hey, cowboy, we have everything under control. Just get back in your truck and go about your business,” one of them commanded.

The best way to handle this was to really play dumb. “Are Yu’all all right? Has there been an auto-mo-bile accident?” I asked using my best drawl.

They were not dressed like anyone from around here. True, they could have been tourist, but why were they pulled at the side of the road. I flashed my light down the ravine, and one of them pulled out his pistol. I had seen at the bottom, something that chilled me for certain. Liz’s car was at the bottom of the ravine about 30 feet down. It was on its top and the doors were opened. I couldn’t see if anyone was down there. “Hey, cowboy, I told you to move on. We will take care of things here,” the gunman said.

“Hey, don’t get testy. I was just offering to help,” I stated. Then, I clumsily dropped my flashlight. As I recovered it and stood up, I had drawn my 45 and they hadn’t seen it at all. They were concentrating on a cowboy that couldn’t hold on to a simple flashlight. I shot the gunman right in the chest. They must have had bulletproof vest, just like the cops because he buckled, but he didn’t go down or leak blood. I fired three more in exactly the same place. No one can take that kind of pain. The vest protects, but when shot with something like my 45, they hurt like hell. I thought he was lucky. If I had been carrying a 44 like that friend of Michael’s, it would have gone through that vest like butter.

In the distance, I heard a siren. The other three men grabbed the one I shot and dragged him into their car. They pulled a boot-legger’s turn and were back up the mountain in a flash. I had to get out of there, also. If it was Michael, I didn’t want to be recognized. I only drove a little way until I found a place where I could stash the pickup, then I hoofed it back to the accident scene. I stayed hidden, but I had to know the condition of the women. When I got back, Michael was out of his police cruiser and working his way down the ravine. I heard him prowling around the wreck and then, I heard him call, “Maria.”

L-J-L 76
begonia9508
Natalie36
keepsmiling7
marymary

Chapter 12

Michael

It had been quiet for some time. Again, Pedro was thinking of returning to Espanola. A call came in. It was a surly voice who said, “Shots were reported south of Thunderbird Paradise campgrounds. The DeLuca women went down to LaCueva for dinner. I am sure everything is all right, but I wanted to report the shots.”

I knew that there was an FBI man at the campground who was supposed to be watching the women. He shouldn’t have let them go out alone. I wondered who reported the shots. I wondered, also, who had the pull to make the fed call us if it wasn’t his idea. The feds had a real reputation of covering their own asses when they screwed up.

This time, it was red light and siren all the way. I wanted them to know that I was coming. I saw a small flashlight lying at the side of the road. I stopped. It was as if someone had left the flashlight to attract my attention. Looking down the ravine, I saw what I was sure was Liz’s car. I quickly made my way down to the wreck and looked in. There was no-one inside. I called out, “Maria, Maria, it is me, Michael.”

I heard an answer. It was faint and there was a moan associated with it. I flashed my light around. Then, thinking she might still not trust the voice, I turned the light on myself. Then, I heard the voice again and saw some bushes moving. “Over here, Michael, Liz is hurt,” the voice said.

When I saw Liz bleeding and heard her moaning, I shouted, “Pedro, get an ambulance moving. She is hurt.”

Maria

I was sitting beside Liz. In the dark, I had no idea if she was bleeding or not. I did know that if we were found, we both would be in for a bleeding. After the shots, which were not near where we were hiding I heard a voice. Even through that hick accent, I knew that I should know that voice. I was just too brain dead to think.

I heard a single shot, followed by several more. No bullets were cutting through the brush, so I assumed that there was trouble up above. I didn’t know what it was, so I just held tight. Soon, I heard a siren. I hoped that this would be Michael and once again, we would be safe. That is, we would be safe if Liz wasn’t dying. I saw flashlights above and heard someone crawling down the ravine. I just sat tight until I knew who that was. Michael calling me was the sweetest sound I had heard in a long time. I answered, but my reply was feeble. I was so frightened. He called again and this time, he shined the flashlight on himself. I answered louder and soon, he was beside us. I heard more crashing as someone else was coming down the ravine. Soon, two flashlights and Michael and that friend of his, Pedro, were checking us out for injuries. I was bruised, but all right. I am sure Michael smelled alcohol on my breath because he asked, “Maria, were you driving?”

“No, Michael, Liz was driving and we were run off he road. Some men were trying to find us. They shot several times into the brush. Michael, someone ran them off. I couldn’t see who it was,” I answered him.

When the ambulance finally arrived, It was determined that I should go to the infirmary, but Michael didn’t want me to. “There isn’t anyone to protect her there,” he said.

Pedro had stopped her bleeding, but Liz was heading for the hospital in Albuquerque. I heard Michael request the Albuquerque City Police give her protection. Michael said, “Some one tried to kill her.” He looked at me and said, “They will send someone to sit with her until we get things sorted out.”

Michael took me home with him and I saw Pedro smile. I wondered what wicked thoughts that old man was thinking.

Kyle

I just had a call from the watcher. He was letting his personal feelings show. I should censure him for that, but he was right. Samuels was a fool and unfortunately, that is the kind of agents the agency sends on simple jobs like protection. The watcher and I agreed that I would fly to Albuquerque to sit with Liz until she was out of the hospital. I called Tess in. She had been in our bedroom waiting for me. “Look, honey, Liz was hurt. She is central to an investigation we are conducting on that no good husband of hers, Sean DeLuca. We already had one agent let us down. It is felt that I need to be there to direct her security. I will be gone a few days, a week at the most.”

I kissed her and she smiled, “Take care of her. I have already caused her enough trouble.”

Tess

I knew Kyle was working on a case, but I didn’t know it involved Liz Parker or rather DeLuca. In a way, Liz had always been a curse to me. Not from anything she did, but the way I reacted to her.

My life growing up was a mess. My parents hadn’t said “No” to me that I could ever recall. They were caring parents. If I had a sharp knife or pointed scissors in my hand, they gently took them away, but they never disciplined me in anyway.

It wasn’t long after our sessions in sex educations in grade school, that while playing in the yard with a boy my own age that I dared, “I will show you mine, if you show me yours.”

He wasn’t into “Girls have cooties.” In fact, he was very interested in this dare. It is one thing to look at pictures, but another thing to see real live subjects. In the next few years, we played the “I will show you mine…” several times. We even began to explore as far as our immaturity would let us.

My first date was with a boy three years older than me. He was delighted that after the movie I didn’t say ‘no’ anymore than did my parents. My next few dates were more of the same. Sex was a titillation, but it didn’t have that much emotional meaning. My parents did catch on to this and soon, I was lectured by a doctor and instituted on the pill.

I knew that Michael and Maria were sleeping together. They had a strong, if difficult, relationship. What was a surprise, was that in our senior year, Max Evans, a boy I had known all my life, and the perfect Miss Parker started living in an apartment together. I understand they had approached both parents openly and explaining that they intended to make love and they did not want to do it behind anyone’s back. They intended to move in together next year in college, so this was just the inevitable.

As I said, I had known Max all my life. No, we hadn’t ever played doctor or I will show you mine, but we had been taken, by our parents, to shows and outings so we were good friends. Max had loaned me several recordings, several years ago. Since his life was changing or, maybe, I wanted to see if sex had changed him, I felt I should return the recordings.

Max met me at the door. He explained that Liz was working late today at her parent’s restaurant. He invited me in and offered me a Coke. All the years I had known Max, I always thought he had a ramrod up his ass. Now, he was openly living with his girl friend. I just had to tease him. It started with me posing intimate questions about his love life. He blushed so cutely. If I knew Liz parker, she was never as aggressive about sex as I was. The more Max blushed, the more I teased him. I was clearly making him uncomfortable. Finally, I hiked up my skirt and straddling his knees, I sat, facing him in his lap. I grabbed his face and started very hot kisses on his lips. He struggled and kept telling me I had to go, but the temptation of my body was already so hot. As he was saying, “You need to go,” he was pulling my blouse out of my skirt.

Finally, he just said, “Come on, Tess,” and he led me into the bedroom. It wasn’t until later that I realized what I had done. I had raped Max. He tried to tell me no, but my body was just too much for him.

Liz came home early.

After that, everything fell apart. I had begun to find an interest in Kyle, a jock at our school. He had a reputation with the girls, but with him, I was starting to feel something that I had not felt before. Word traveled fast. By the time I was home, Kyle had packed up all his things and left. It was years before I had the chance to approach him again. Of course, Max and Liz broke up. Max’s sister Isabel was furious with Max as was her boyfriend, Alex. Everyone was still upset about the violent break up of Maria and Michael. There wasn’t anything in Roswell for me, anymore. I guess I had done enough damage. I took off to a college, in a place that no one had ever heard of.

It was years before I had the chance to see Kyle again. We were still taking things probationary. If Kyle needed to protect Liz, I owed her that.

Kyle

I flew into Albuquerque that morning. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but the watcher was there just outside her room. “Aren’t you afraid you will be recognized?” I asked.

He nodded, “Yes, there is that chance, but I wasn’t about to leave her safety to a stranger.”

I looked at him, “What now?”

“I have to head back up the mountain. There is still a lot of danger up there, but I think it is the safest place to put her. Michael has Maria with him and we will have to find out what to do with Liz,” he explained.

I chuckled, “The boss reamed Samuels a new one. He always was a lazy bastard and after this, he may find himself on permanent desk duty.”

The watcher looked at me, “What do you hear from Alex?”

“As soon as Liz’s divorce is final, we are ready to go,” I answered.

He said something that had not been said for many years. “How is his wife?” I noticed that he choked on her name.

“She is fine, Max. When this is all over, you ought to go back home. You screwed up royally. I don’t think you can pick up all the pieces, but you should repair what you can,” I said as tenderly as I could. Max was under a lot of guilt. I had put him in the watcher job because I knew that nothing would stop him from protecting Liz. Max had made it clear that she was to never know his part in her protection.

“I am out of her life, now. I saw what a mess I left her with, that she tried to clean up by marrying Sean. It is better that she never see me again. Take care of her, Kyle,” Max said sadly.

I looked at Max, “You know that Tess is living with me now?”

Max nodded, “She had a lot of growing up to do. I am just sorry that I let her drag me down while she was growing up. I don’t have any ill feelings toward her anymore. It wasn’t long after that conversation, that my watcher, Max, just disappeared.

begonia9508
Natalie36
Keepsmiling7

Author note: Liz's dream is probably the most important item in the personal part of this story.

Chapter 13

Liz

The car was flying through the air and then rolling. That is about all I remember about the accident. I do remember Maria pulling me out of the wreck. There were gun shots from somewhere.

In my mind, I was back in the cabin cowering in the corner with Maria. I watched as each bullet made a pockmark on the wall. Each of those pockmarks were intended for my heart. It was so dark. I think I opened my eyes, but it was still dark. I heard a voice. I couldn’t tell what it said, but I knew that it was Max. Now, I was back at the wreck. It was cold. Maria had tried to care for me as much as she could. I heard that voice again. This time it was marked by gunfire. My mind went back to that voice. I thought about how much I loved it. No, I hated the voice and him, also. He had violated my trust. I never wanted to see him again. Then, the dreams swept over me. We had loved each other since grade school. I remember plotting how we would get our parents to agree to us living together during our senior year. The plans had been so carefully made. The surprising thing was that they worked. There were admonitions to be careful and to practice safe sex. Our parents seemed to know we belonged together and they had a little pride that we didn’t want to be sneaky about it.

The siren sang until there were no more lights flashing in the windows. Then, I only saw the reflection of the red lights as we proceeded to the city. When we arrived at the hospital, there were many crowding around me. I dropped off from consciousness, many times. I was in a room, alone at first. Then, a policeman sat down in the corner and proceeded to read. I heard voices outside my room. One, I could swear, was Max. That was silly. What would Max be doing here? For an instant, I wondered what he had majored in when he attended Stanford. No, Max was out of my life. It was better that way. Soon, Sean would be out of my life. Maybe, I should just give up men all together. I was glad that Maria might have another chance with Michael.

I heard another voice that I thought I recognized. Kyle walked in.

Kyle

I saw her eyes fluttering. “Hey, babe,” I said.

She looked at me and for a second I don’t think she knew who I was. That was only a brief time as she answered. “Hey, Kyle, how are you doing?” she asked very weakly.

“I heard you were in trouble and I just dropped by,” I lied.

She looked around, “Is there anyone else with you?”

“No, just me. Were you expecting someone else?” I asked.

Liz would say something. Then she would drift off for five or maybe ten minutes. Then, she would start the conversation as if there was no break in between. “I thought I heard someone. I can’t think who it was. Maybe someone from my past?” she said feebly.

Is there someone from your past you want to want to talk to?” I asked. “I can get them if you want.”

She, again, drifted away. It was almost fifteen minutes when she again said, “No, I guess there is no one from my past who would want to see me or who I would want to see either.”

This time, she went into a deep sleep. I nodded to the cop in the corner and showed him my badge and Identification. Then, I took another chair and placed it in the other corner and silence settled in.

Liz

I was dreaming. I was living with Max. We had gone to Harvard together. we had both been hired by a biological company. and we had worked together for several years. I was going to quit in a few months because I was going to have our first child. We always traveled to Roswell for Christmas. There, we stayed with his folks. This time, both sets of folks were excited about the upcoming grandchild. Isabel already had two children, but this was the first time for my parents to be called grand anything.

Kyle and Tess came by. I always felt uneasy around her. I had no idea why. Maria and Michael had called. They would be home in a few days. I was thinking that it was good that they had gotten back together. That assault thing was just a misunderstanding. Maria had mentioned her cousin, Sean. He was back in jail. Seems he had married a woman and stolen her money. My mind drifted away.

It was sad. We were all at my parents funeral. There were two boys that I was shepherding. They both had light brown eyes and hair. They had been crying because Gramps and Gram had died. I had been explaining that when people get old, they died and went to heaven. I was having a hard time getting them to understand. They both asked if they could go to heaven next Christmas to visit Gramps and Gram.

My mind drifted again. Then, I saw two boys all grown up. One was in a tux and he was nervous. “I told you that getting married would change you,” the younger said.

I felt a hand in mine and I looked up. There, looking at me with soft brown eyes, his hair now peppered with gray, was Max. He guided me to the auditorium of the church and a young man with piercing blue eyes, escorted me to our place in the church. I was amazed at how much Kyle and Tess’s son had grown.

I walked into the hospital and looked at the old man sitting up in bed. “Liz, old girl, it has been a wonderful trip. The doctor says I have only hours to live. Did the kids come home?” he asked.

“Father, of course they did. They will be in to see you shortly. The twins have both grown a foot.” I was holding his hand and I couldn’t hold back the tears.

As he was drawing his last breath, every one was crowded around him, Isabel and Alex and their children, Maria and Michael and little Mike, Kyle and Tess and their two boys; along with our own boys and grandchildren. He looked up at me and smiled. “Forgive me, Liz, for anything I ever did against you. I never stopped loving you.”

Then, I seemed to just drift into darkness. It was a darkness, not scary or filled with doubts. It was a darkness like the end of a perfect motion picture, one where you were satisfied that the show had been worth the price.

Kyle

When I came in from breakfast, I noticed that Liz’s eyes were open. When she noticed me, she reached for my hand. “Kyle, I had the most wonderful, but confusing dream. None of us had ever broken up and we had such a wonder life, raising our children and such. As Max lay dying of old age, he asked for my forgiveness. I didn’t understand that. What did I have to forgive him for? The four of us always got together once a year. We watched our children grow and we were all friends. I just don’t understand what he wanted forgiveness for?” She was looking at me for explanation.

I was the jock. Explaining things had always been Liz’s job. I had an idea. “Liz, what would have happened if you hadn’t come home early that night? What if Max had gotten Tess out of your house and managed to clean up your bed? What would have happened if you had never known about their infidelity?”

She looked at me. “That is the way our lives might have played out,” she said.

I smiled and said as I squeezed her hand, “Then, the infidelity wasn’t that important in the grand scheme of things, was it?”

Liz lay there. I could see her mind working. She had several things to think about. She didn’t say anything for about two hours. Then, she asked, “Kyle, how hard would it be to contact Max?”

Michael

I have no idea what I am going to do with Maria. I brought her home and she slept in my bed. It isn’t the biggest bed in the world. I guess if we become a permanent couple, I will have to buy a bigger one. This job in Jemez was only for a limited time. I am going to have to find a job somewhere with a future. Kyle left school and went right into the agency. I don’t want to work for the feds, but maybe, I can find a job somewhere in New Mexico.

After last night, the day was calm. I finally got off duty about 6:00 PM. Maria was waiting for me. I was dead tired. I had been up most of the night and now, I felt exhausted. Maria stood when I came in. I don’t know what she expected. I kissed her, but I am sure that I was far from a hot date that she was probably used to.

Maria led me into the bedroom. That is the last thing I wanted now. “Babe, take off your clothes,” was her command.

How did I tell her that I was exhausted?

I was down to my shorts when she pushed me back on the bed. “Turn over,” she commanded. Maria walked out of the room and I lay there wondering what was next. I felt damp warm towels on the back of my neck. Then, she approached from the foot of the bed and climbed up sitting between my legs. I felt her small fingers running along my back. She worked down to my butt and back up. She took the warm towels and rubbed my back with them. The damp warmness was making me sleepy. I barely felt it when she stood up and began to massage my legs.

Suddenly, the alarm went off. I awoke with Maria spooned against my back and her hand inside my shorts. She leaned over and kissed me. Then she jumped up to use the bathroom. While I was taking a shower, she busied herself in the kitchen. This was a first. I skipped supper because I had fallen asleep, but I was served a whopping breakfast of coffee, pancakes, and bacon. As Maria returned from her turn at the shower,
I thought, ‘she is taking to this domestic thing’.

Liz

The vivid memory of my dream was disturbing to me. I remembered a saying attributed to Ben Franklin who said, probably, copied from others, “Keep one eye shut before marriage and both eyes shut after marriage.”

I remembered laughing, as did all the other students in the class, when the professor made that statement. Now, I wondered, ‘did this statement have a message for me?’ Kyle asked me, “Then the infidelity wasn’t that important in the grand scheme of things, was it?” I was so devastated when Max was caught with Tess. Was my reaction right? Should I have just carved Max a new one and made him work to make up to me later? Would groveling on the floor have been sufficient? I had walked out, cutting off all possibility for any dialog. Was this correct? It was just that I thought our love was so perfect. I hadn’t left room for any imperfections.

I thought, was it my pride that was hurt? Was the cost of a wounded pride worth the price of the hell I spent watching Sean loose everything, including my own respect? Was it worth whoever was trying to kill me, now? I was sure that Max would have tried to protect me, no matter what. When Kyle came in that morning, I tried to smile at him through all my bandages and bruises. Really good friends never went very far away. It struck me. What was Kyle doing here? How did he find out I had been hurt so rapidly? Who was Kyle?

Kyle

It was said, I don’t remember by who, that the subconscious is ten points higher in IQ than the conscious. Liz Parker was one of the smartest women I ever knew. That was one reason why I didn’t get too hurt when she dropped me for Max. I don’t know much about my mother. She left when I was very young, but my dad gave me a lot of street smarts. I didn’t take much to science and such in school. I did cultivate friends such as Alex, who were smart in different things. Even Max, after he stood and let me take a swing at him, became my friend. I do not know if it was from being adopted or not, but Max could blend in almost any place. You wouldn’t know he had ever been there. Max said that he had just learned to hide behind the trees. That came from some councilor that he visited when his parents were worried about him.

I damned near broke my hand when it contacted Max’s jaw. He went sprawling and all my anger left. Hey, kids are dumb. That is why we call them teenagers instead of adult people. Decking Max and then lifting him up by the hand, paved the way for getting back to Tess when the opportunity came. When I decked Max in that bar, there was a gasp of amazement. Max had been well liked. As I helped him up, cheers went up as I said, “We are just two brothers settling our childhood differences.”

When she came back, Tess tried to tell me some psychological bull crap, but I placed my hand on her mouth and said, “Woman, do you return of your own free will?”

She was surprised. I think she had been practicing what she was going to say to me for a long time. When we went to bed that night, I found our love sweeter than ever. Tess definitely had improved with becoming an adult.

This brings me back to Liz. Her dreams had told her something. I am sure she had been harboring the fear that she shouldn’t have lost Max over what had happened. Liz just wouldn’t admit it. What would happen next, I had no idea. My job was to protect Liz and get her cooperation when we tackled the bank account, as well as those we hadn’t already nailed, those who were with Sean in the caper.

Max was strongly adamant that he didn’t want to bring any more grief to her. I might have to break my hand again, to gain his attention. Grief might be, not ever seeing Max again, for Liz. I wondered if a kick to the shinbone or ass, would be as effective. It wouldn’t hurt me as much.

It was announced that Liz could return home by the end of the week. This would let me meet the time limit I set with Tess. I would return home hungry for Tess. I didn’t want to give her the slightest desire to stray. If Tess wanted to tease someone, let it be me. Not too much teasing, mind you. I had too much desire for the real thing. Liz would soon be back under the watchful eye of her unknown protector. He was the man who had loved her always.
---------------------------------
It is early for holloween but i want the story to finish somewhere around the holiday. Ninth Floor

genes of the King is a story about discovering the power and danger of their heritage.

begonia9508 you are correct
DestinyDreamer anytime you want to chat or email about a story, feel free to give me a PM. the school teacher in me is strong.
mary mary
Natalie36
keepsmiling7

Author note: You get a better view of the serial killer. He is more and more like some of the evil people we have lurking in the wilderness areas. The highest praise one policeman can give to another is, "He is good enough to ride the river with." This dates back to the Texas Rangers who patrolled the Rio Grande. it meant a man who would always be at your back when things got bad.

Chapter 14

Liz

I was met by Michael. He drove me home. “Maria is staying with me, right now,” he said. “She will probably move back with you when she knows you are back.”

There was something in Michael’s eyes. “Michael, I dearly love Maria, but you belong together. Let her visit me, but you should encourage her to remain with you. If you both work hard enough, you can be back together for keeps,” I told him. I think I saw a sign of relief. Michael wanted her to stay with him.

It was lonely when I returned to the cabin. I had promised myself that I needed to sort things out. I hadn’t made much progress in that direction. I would be free of Sean, soon. I would return to my maiden name and thoughts of Sean would be consigned to just being an affair gone wrong. I won’t say that I wouldn’t miss Maria, but I was happy for her. I would miss her skill with a pistol if trouble formed, again.

Michael came by every day or so and he brought Maria over for the day several times. He informed me that there were some very important people who wanted to talk to me. It was something about setting the damage that Sean had done right.

The police, including the Pueblo police, were keeping an eye on strangers. That was difficult during tourist season. They settled on stopping any rented car that was filled with men. If they had New York accents, their papers better be in order. I am sure that Microsoft was pissed that six of their executives had to stand out in the rain while the Jemez police ran their identifications, their home addresses and the place where they held reservations for their retreat.

Maria had given a sworn deposition, in front of a magistrate, about the murder she witnessed. This removed a lot of reason to continue to try to kill her.

Someone must have kicked the FBI man, Samuels, in the tail, because he stayed near me most of the time. I had lost my car in the wreck, so if I needed groceries, he drove me. Maria and I did go out to eat a couple more times. We were always escorted by Michael. Joe Martinez from Jemez, Richard Sanchez from Cuba and Pedro, Michael’s friend had taken vacation time and had gone on what they called a “Snipe hunt.” I knew what a snipe hunt was. You go into the forest with a greenhorn or what we now call newbie, and tell him to wait with a bag to catch the snipe. Then, you all go home leaving the poor fellow there all night alone. I always thought it kind of cruel.

Michael explained that this was to throw off any FBI because the three men intended to go into the San Pedro Wilderness to look for the serial killer. They thought he might be hiding there. Michael didn’t ask, if they found him, would they bring him back.

Serial killer

Those bastards burned and destroyed my home and everything I had. They found my newspaper clippings about the killings. There were mementos of my accomplishments. Every group of clippings represented the life of a girl, a girl who had died to build my reputation. Each death was a building block to my reason for being. Whether I used knife or felt their life flow through my fingers as I strangled them, they each contributed to my sense of well being. I felt strong as I sat there looking at their bodies. What seconds before, had been warm and alive was now cold and dead.

I missed her that night, the little witch. She hurt me and got away. It wasn’t my fault. There was someone else there. I hit him with a rock and ran off. I hope I hurt him. He deserved it. She must be a powerful woman. I saw the other one in the cabin back in the hills. She held them off for four days. Then, she was brought down to live with the one I want.

I saw the other group, the group at the campgrounds. I saw them shoot the caretaker. They were smart. They would have gotten the women if that stranger hadn’t interfered, he and that Hispanic fellow who hangs out with that Jemez cop. Now the one I want is alone, again. There is a new caretaker, but he isn’t smart. I can get by him easily. The old caretaker has to be careful now. He spends a lot more time inside his home since he has been wounded. I will watch and learn her ways. When I am ready, I will take her. I might just keep her for a while. I will have to find a new place to live.

Tess

Kyle made it back, just like he promised. I know not to hold him to such promises. He has a job and, occasionally, the job takes longer than he expects. Kyle says that Liz is cut up and bruised and I felt sorry about that. He also says that she will get better. That is good.

Kyle is sending me to a shrink. I shouldn’t call her that because she is a nice person. She makes it easy for me to talk to her. She says that to understand my present, I must understand my past. We talk about infidelity. She says I am making great strides because I don’t seem to want to go to anyone but Kyle, now. She says that I feel comfortable around Kyle. I was looking for attention and security when I was young. I certainly didn’t get much of that from my parents. When I was playing those sex games, I was trying to get caught. Now, I am not sure about that one. I remember, “I will show you mine, if you show me yours.” It was just fun when I found a boy who wouldn’t run from me. I admit that when I was dating, that was probably letting boys take advantage of me. What did I want to prove when I seduced Max? The shrink says I was trying to ruin what I could never have. That is not exactly true. Maybe, it was then; but now I have Kyle. That is exactly what I saw Max have with Liz that time. Yes, I did ruin it, for them.

The Watcher/Max

The mountain is quiet. I heard that Pedro and his friends returned. They had destroyed the place where they were sure the serial killer lived. They brought back newspaper clippings, which the experts are studying. They, also, brought back a pile of journals, that I hear, are strange reading. The serial killer experts are going over what they gave them. They hadn’t been able to catch the killer. At least, I do not think they did. Pedro is a canny man.

Liz is alone. I worry about that. I talked to Kyle and he said it was her choice. Now she knows about the investigation on Sean. Samuels is just as careless, as always. He pretends to be attentive, but he turns his back to the forest too many times. No killer is going to come storming out of the recreation center. He should be worried about someone sneaking in from the outside. Until they gave them the clippings, the FBI hadn’t taken the serial killer seriously. They considered the investigations of local cops just that, local incompetence.

I had seen traces of the killer where I was hiding. I couldn’t follow any of them. I was to guard the woman. I was to protect Liz, the girl of my dreams. I had to admit to being careless a few times. I couldn’t help it. I would sneak up, to lean against the wall of the room, in which I knew she slept.

I hadn’t seen any of the boys from back east. I think the local police and their road blocks had scared them off. Maria was with Michael. Attacking her would be stupid. Small town police train and train for that one time they get to blow the hell out of a criminal.

When I checked last with Kyle, he said that I still had a few weeks to go. Eventually, I would be relieved and she would be cared for by someone else. I would just disappear until the next covert job.

Liz

The mind is a very weird organ. Several times, I have dreamed that I could hear Max breathing just on the other side of the sheet. A few weeks ago, I forbade my memory from ever recognizing that name, Max. Since the convalescence in the hospital, I think of him a lot. I, now, hear from Kyle all the time. It turns out that his interest in me is not just chance. Kyle is working on the case against Sean. Kyle and Michael, they are my two sources of information of what might affect my life.

Maria didn’t appear to have any important news nor did she intend to have any. Maria told me that except for being with Michael, she didn’t care about the world. Samuels has been complaining that I am asking to go to the store too often. The summer is nearly over and I want more variety in my food. I want more fresh things like meat, vegetables and fruit.
I told Kyle about Samuels and I am sure he straightened him out. Samuels had been surly to me for the last two weeks.

Kyle

“Look Max, it isn’t my call. The director wants you in Albuquerque for a briefing. He says we already have an agent assigned to the woman and that should be enough for the moment. There hasn’t been a peep from anyone about her.”

Max burned my ear. “Look, Kyle, I will kill that son-of-a-bitch director if something happens to Liz. I can’t put my finger on it, but I think something is about to happen. You tell Samuels that if he fucks up, I will get that damned Apache friend of Michael’s to help me skin him alive.”

“Max, I will convey to Samuels the essence of what you say. I can’t do anything about the director, but if you kill him, you go to jail and the one they replace him with is a real jerk.” I had my orders to give to Max.

Actually, I agreed with Max. Maybe, it was just that the case was about to be wrapped up and for me, I knew that something had to be done about Liz. Max wouldn’t allow me to talk about that. He still insisted that he would just disappear. I tried to explain that things changed and Liz deserved a chance to, at least, talk to him. He just as stubbornly stated that he had hurt her enough and he must leave. Sometimes, I think it was Max’s own pride that he, himself, had hurt. His weakness of being distracted from Liz, when their relationship was so new, had broken his trust in himself.

Right now, I knew that Max would be in Albuquerque for maybe, one or two days. I informed Michael that there was a change in Liz’s security. He had no knowledge about Max, but Michael listened to me when I said it was beyond my control.

Liz

Of course, I had no knowledge about any change in security. I didn’t know that Max had been watching over me all summer. I was lonesome so when I heard they had a special program at the recreation center this evening, so I went. They had some hootenanny folk singers from the university. I was too young to see the originals, but I had heard tales of the camaraderie that existed at the sings long ago. They were good and they had booklets so we could join in. If I had known it would be this much fun, I would have called Maria and had Michael bring her by. Tom Dooley, Charlie on the MTA, was Puff the Magic Dragon really about dope or not? These were things I remember my father talking about. He was a singer in his day. It was midnight when I returned to my cabin. I had already angered Samuels by telling him I wanted to go to the store by 8:00AM tomorrow.

Kyle

“I don’t care, get Max out here and answer the phone!”

I heard that female voice, “I am sorry, but he is in conference with the director. They left word that they were not to be disturbed.”

I never insulted women, but, “Look you damned bitch, get his ass out here to the phone or I call the Albuquerque Police and tell them you are all smugglers in a drug ring.”

I heard a sniff, “You do not have to get insulting. I will see what I can do.”

It was several minutes when I heard, “Yes, Max here.”

“Look, Max, quit that damned meeting. Get your ass to LaCueva quick. Liz has been taken.”

There wasn’t a single word. I can imagine that anyone who stood in his way would be sucking on the business end of that 45 he carried.

The next call was to Michael. Look, Michael, I just sent an agent to help you. No, he is not like Samuels. Michael, Max has been working undercover all summer watching out for Liz. If he doesn’t crash and kill himself, he will be there within an hour. I don’t know what help he will want. I would send Samuels off for something a long ways away, if I were you. If Max sees him, he might just take a pot shot at him.

I was a thousand miles away and trying to direct an operation. I got a call from the Albuquerque district asking why I hadn’t followed protocol and notified them. I explained that I was saving the life of one of their agents. Samuels was from the Albuquerque district.

Max

When I was at the academy, there was a story about a New Mexico State cop who had made it from Albuquerque to a town called Ponderosa in 20 minutes. Now Ponderosa is a town about half way to LaCueva. I don’t know how close I was to his record. When I hit the curves, I drifted like a NASCAR driver. I alerted Jemez, and the Pueblo that I was on the way. There was a click on my radio and Jimmy Yates said, “I am already here at the crime site.” I clicked the radio twice and kept driving like a mad man.

The car skidded terribly on the gravel and grass road. I would have to retrieve my pickup soon. It had better tires.

“Is there any sign that she is still alive?” were the first words out of my mouth.

Jimmy nodded. “If he was to kill her, it would be close. He wants his work to be found.”

“Is Pedro, the friend of Michael’s still around,” I asked.

The old man stepped forward, shaking hands he said, “You be the watcher ain’t you.”

I just nodded. Michael stepped forward and shook hands. “Martinez will be here as soon as he gets his gear together. We called Richard Sanchez already. He reports he is on his way. The three will go in, Joe, Richard and Pedro. That is unless you feel up to going along.” he stated.

“Michael, a lot of water has gone under a lot of bridges since we last saw each other, but Liz Parker-DeLuca, or whatever, is still my one true love. If your buddies don’t want me I will go alone.”

I looked around. I saw Pedro nod. “You kept watch the whole summer and didn’t get caught. I think you will do, to ride the river with.”

Michael stood and placed his hand on my shoulder, “Max, when you find her, you make sure you tell her what you just said. About being your one true love and all. If you don’t, you will find that I still can kick your ass and if I can’t, I will get Pedro to help.”

It took another hour to organize, but soon, the four of us were off. The killer was on foot and if he transferred to another means of travel, we would call in for help. Martinez and Sanchez were the best trackers and were leading. The trail was simple, so far. If we lost the trail, we would fan out and look for signs. Trailing was not following footprints, it was thinking like the quarry. We didn’t bother looking in deep ravines. No woodsman would be walking there. We were watching for any sign that something had gone by. Of course, there were wild animals and they, also, left signs. We had to sift through this information.

Liz

My hands were tied and he had a rope around my neck. He had a willow switch that he applied against my backside, if he wanted me to hurry. We took a break at the edge of a clearing, a little back in the trees where he could watch our backtrail. He forced something in my mouth and, with hand motions, he commanded me to chew. I guess it was some kind of jerky. Finally, when I was through, he forced me to drink water. Then, he yanked my pants and panties down and commanded me to squat. Like a dog, he was training me to answer nature calls at his command.

When he first grabbed me, he knocked me out. I don’t imagine that was very difficult because I was still suffering from a concussion. It was morning when he threw water in my face and I was made to stand. He had carried me far enough that I didn’t recognize anything. He didn’t say anything. I guess he could talk, but I had no proof of that. Toward afternoon, at least by the sun, I was wearing out. He applied the switch over and over to keep me going.

Finally, I just collapsed. When I woke up, it was dark and I was fastened to a stake. My hands were still tied. I was cold, but I was sure that was no concern to my captor. As I lay there and shivered, it was more than from the cold. This was most likely the man who had killed so many women. He was the one who had tried to attack me when I first came to the campground. The only women who had gotten away from him had done this with the help of men folk. I thought of what Michael had said about Loma Coyote. Once their predecessors had been outlaws so when they thought one of their women was endangered, they banded together and fought him off. It had been the same with the hippy community at Madrid. Even the presence of Michael had deterred him from attacking Maria. He had caught me alone. Samuels, the FBI man, supposed to protect me, was pouting because I wanted him to get up early and take me to the store. What about that mysterious stranger? I heard Pedro and Michael calling him the watcher. He had saved me once or twice. Where was he, now?

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genes of the King is a story about discovering the power and danger of their heritage.
Ninth Floor a story for halloween

keepsmiling7
Natalie36 I follow Greywolf's stories a lot. He shows good and bad with the FBI. It has been my experience that there are many different abilities shown in the FBI. The group as a whole are very into accountability. That causes individuals to avoid responsibility that they think might tarnish their reputations. It also causes the organization to assign members of lesser ability, to jobs where they consider there is less danger. The FBI does not yet, consider the serial killer. They only have evidence collected by local authorities. it is also seen that the command level is not in touch with the field officers.
mary mary
begonia9508 please see my note to Natalie36

Chapter 15

Max

We had lost him twice. Martinez would climb up a hill and just sit there. He was trying to think where he would go if he was the kidnapper. After a while, he would point in some direction and so far, he was right. He kept mumbling. “One of these times, I am going to miss.”

We figured that he was 12 hours ahead of us. He had allowed Liz to rest, but we had to rest, also. Martinez came up to me and said, “We need to catch up, but we must not allow him to know how close we are. We have to hope he has some place to go to ground.” I knew that meant a place prepared to live in. “Soon after he stops, we have to be near. As long as he isn’t scared and he keeps moving, he will keep her alive. It is when he goes to ground that we need to worry,” Martinez continued.

Martinez was a realist. He was expecting me to be a realist, also. That was hard. I was pretty sure that Michael had told Pedro Baca all about me. That would include my relationship to Liz. Pedro already knew me as the mysterious watcher. We had supped at the table of combat together that night at the Thunderbird Paradise. He was still watching me because no one could trust them selves under the pressure I would be under.

No mention was made about Liz’s mental state or if he abused her in anyway. We were trying to save her life. It is strange how a man worries about rape at a time like this. Martinez was right. I had to be a realist. There would be councilors later to care for her. Now, we have to worry about just getting her out of this alive.

Liz

He yanked me to my feet. Then, he stuffed something in my mouth. It was hard to chew. Probably, it was some sort of Hard tack or a dried biscuit. A long drink of water and again, he pushed me to the side of the clearing, yanked down my pants and made me use the toilet. He offered no sanitary amenities. Well, I don’t know if I wanted him wiping my butt. Then we were on the trail. Like I have seen in the movies, he was switching me with that willow limb. Now, I remember it was a Lawrence of Arabia movie, I remember the characters switching the camels constantly to remind them to keep moving. That is what he was doing. He hadn’t spoken a word to me since I was kidnapped.

Michael had said that there was a wilderness somewhere to the northwest of the Thunderbird Paradise campground. Pedro and the others had entered the wilderness west of here. That is where this man had watched Michael and Maria. Michael said they had found his home and they had burnt it to the ground. Michael, also, said that they had found a lot of evidence to say that this was the serial killer. I understood the wilderness was of considerable size. He would probably go back to another place in the wilderness to hide. It was obvious that he was not a man of civilization. He was taking me back to his world. For what reasons, I did not know. Every other woman who had met him had been killed.

He was taking things a little slower today. Yesterday, we were practically running. Now, we are walking fast. He gives me breaks and commands I go to the toilet when we break. That is just so demeaning. Again, I wish I knew what he wants me for. Does he intend to kill me? Does he intend to keep me for a slave? Maybe, it is best that I don’t know. For now, I just do as I am told, with the constant whipping to remind me that he is in charge.

Maria

Michael returned. I knew that something had happened to Liz. When I heard, I exclaimed, “Michael, I should have stayed with her.”

“No, babe. If you had been with her and he wanted her, he would have just shot you. You were the dangerous one. You had the gun. He might have just waited until Liz was alone for a minute. What I can’t understand and Kyle won’t tell me is, Liz was supposed to have real tight security. Someone fucked up. That FBI guy who let you go off alone to the diner was there, but according to Kyle he was only for show. Kyle assured me he had the best taking care of her. He wouldn’t say further,” Michael explained.

Thoughts of rape went through my mind. Anytime a woman is taken against her will, that is the foremost thought. I asked Michael about that.

“Babe, we don’t know. It is best that we are just near when they rescue her. She will need friends when they get her released,” he said.

“Michael, will he kill her?” I asked.

Michael shook his head slowly, “Maria”, that is the first time today he didn’t call me babe, “We just don’t know why he kidnapped her. According to Kyle, if he wanted to just kill her, he would have done it within a few minutes, an hour or so at the most, after he took her. That woman who was killed near the campground was taken that night, after midnight, and Liz said she heard a scream about 2:00AM. The killer had no other intention.” Michael sat there for several minutes.

“What, Michael, what are you not telling me?” I asked.

“Maria, I am not supposed to say anything.” Michael clammed up. There was still something that he wasn’t telling me.

“Michael, I am her best friend. Tell me if you know something,” I pleaded.

“Well,” he started. “You know how we all lost track of Max? It seems he was taking psychology at Stanford. He got picked up by some military types. I don’t even know if he ever finished his degree. Anyway, they sent him to school to study hostage situations. According to Kyle, Max is an expert on hostages, protection and high-powered things like that. Max went with the rescuers. Joe Martinez, the Native American tracker, Richard Sanchez, the hunter, Pedro the professional hard man for the police, and Max make up the rescue party. Maria, the killer is not coming back, but they think they have a good chance of getting Liz home alive.”

Kyle

Why in the fuck did that dumb shit, Max, go after Liz? Well, if it had been Tess, you can be sure they would have to tie me down to keep me here. I might have even gone after Liz if I had been there. I am sure that is the way Max feels. Max is supposed to be the best. Michael told me about the others. Joe Martinez is a good cop. The Pueblo has charged him with avenging the Indian girl who was killed. Richard Sanchez is a deer hunter, he thinks like the game he is after. They say he gets a trophy buck even on seasons when hunting is poor. Pedro Baca, well everyone knows Pedro. They were putting him in one man stations where any help was an hour away all of his life. He was resourceful and cunning. Now, I was told that Max was the best. That is what I passed on to Michael. I just hope that team is up to the challenge. I hope they bring her back alive.

Alex

I just got off the phone with Kyle. We have Sean down to rights. He pleaded to simple fraud. We, now, can charge him with money laundering, maybe, postal violations and violation of the Rico Act, that is actions associating with criminal organizations, maybe even with a broader interpretation. Sean’s plea was to a much lesser crime in the state court. Now, he will face additional charges in a federal court. We might even get some of the money he stole back.

That was offset by the news that Liz had been kidnapped.

I told Isabel. “Izzy we don’t know yet what happened. Kyle is back east and he only knows what they tell him. He told me to pass on to you that she had been taken. When she is rescued, he wants everyone who loves her to huddle around her. She is going to need friends.”

“Alex, what if she is killed?” the frantic Isabel asked.

“Izzy, don’t go there. If she is killed, we can’t do anything. We have to believe she can be rescued. Kyle stressed that,” I told her.

Isabel looked at me. “If she is killed, what will that do to Max? If she is rescued, he needs to know. Max is still desperately in love with her. Even if it is decided she wouldn’t want to see him, he should know. How do we get in touch with him?” she asked.

I just shook my head. I had asked Kyle several times about Max. He had always been evasive. I think Kyle knows something, but he certainly isn’t telling. “Izzy, Michael and Maria are up there near where she was taken. They will let us know as soon as they learn something.”

I had told her what I could, but my own feelings were starting to fester. Maria and Liz had been my friends in grade school. I was a stringy geek, even then. Maria had a right cross that laid out many a boy who bothered me. In high school, Physical Education was torture. I think high school P.E. was for dirty old men who liked to watch naked boys in the shower. I managed to get an exemption from the class with the understanding that I was being trained for a different sport. That sport was personal defense.

When Max hurt Liz so long ago I meant it when I told him to leave or I would beat him to a pulp. That last year, I had my first permanent job with a computer company and also, I received my black belt in personal defense training. The programming made me wealthy and the personal defense gave me confidence. That is when the girl who accepted me was finally asked to be my bride. No one had a reason to be ashamed to be seen with me. Of course, Isabel and I were already a close couple. We wanted to be like Max and Liz. That is, until Max betrayed her.

Liz

The pain from running is horrible. We go through the same ritual every morning. I keep going because he applies the whip frequently. That willow branch would not ordinarily be anything other than a nuisance. It is the constant application that hurts so much. The pain becomes dull. I just go because that is my purpose. My purpose is to please him. He says nothing to me. Maybe, he can’t speak. He just keeps me moving. He is slowing down and I think he is looking for something. Several times he has bound my hands behind my back and staked me out while he leaves. I think he is looking for some landmark. Maybe, we are near the end of our trail. To stop walking will be good. Then, I will have to face what fate he has for me. Sometimes while walking, I have visions of Max, as if he was close. I have now realized that no one is near me, especially Max, no Maria, no Michael, no anyone. Sean will win. My divorce would come through next week. Sean will be out of prison, soon. He is so charming that they will call him a model prisoner. He might even get a governmental pardon.

With his knowledge, someone will put him in charge of banking somewhere. “Poor Sean. His wife tried to divorce him, but she disappeared before it could be declared final. Wonder what happened to her?” Well, the wife might be dead by that time. Everyone the old man had contact with, so far, had been killed. This was a change for him. He was keeping me alive for something.

Then I saw it. In a sheltered meadow, he had constructed a dugout. That was a dwelling half under and half above ground. The top was covered with branches, then covered again, with dirt. He went through his ritual of making me tend to personal necessity. Afterward, he took me inside and tied me to a stake. Again, my hands were behind my back and I was left there alone while he disappeared.

Later that night, he returned and built a fire. This was the first time I had been treated to a fire. The dwelling was smoky and I could see some updraft to a smoke hole in the roof of the dwelling. Now, I would learn my final fate.
------------------------
genes of the King is a story about discovering the power and danger of their heritage.
Ninth Floor a story for halloween

DestinyDreamer
Begonia9508
L-J-L 76
keepsmilling7

Chapter 16

Officer Joseph Martinez

The Anglo was keeping up. Baca said he had been trained by military somewhere. What bothered all of us was what would happen if we, finally, found the woman’s body despoiled like that of Silvia Jojola back at the pueblo. Would he go crazy or would he break down. Baca said that the gringo was a couple at one time with the woman. I wasn’t worried about the killer; he wasn’t returning. When I said that Sanchez had shrugged and Baca had nodded. I had understood that Baca, also, thought that facing courts for something done back in “God’s Country,” would be a waste of money and time. The man was insane. That was all right, we would just end him like a rabid dog.

At first, I was afraid that the Anglo would go high and mighty law dog on us. Baca just said, “When we get there, step back and see what he wants to do. I think that he might be the first to shoot. Michael says the Anglo has guilt issues toward the woman, anyway.

I think we were getting close. This evening, I climbed up a hill. Sitting there I thought, this is about as high as was practical. He would have to lay in a supply of wood for the winter. He would have to find a supply of meat, also. Then, I realized what made me think of firewood and meat. I smelled smoke. Very faint and in the dark, I couldn’t tell from which direction it came. We would have to wait until daylight to get bearings. I was sure somewhere in a shelter, the kidnapper had a home. Shelter would probably be a wooded area that was free from any chance of avalanche. It would make the best use of natural materials and be hard to spot. Living in the area of the shelter would be what I would look for. No man can exist without leaving his mark, someway.

Kyle

According to the agency, every day a subject went missing, lessens the chance greatly that they would be alive. She had been gone four days now. Pedro, Michael’s friend and mentor, told him that in this case the longer he kept her alive, for whatever purpose he had, the better chance we had of rescuing her. If he went to all of this trouble to keep her alive for this long, then, whatever he had in store for her would be fairly complex and hopefully, prolonged. Alex had Sean all sewed up. Michael had most of the gang bangers from both St. Louis and the east coast in jail for assault. All we needed, now, was a happy ending for Liz.

Tess

Kyle didn’t say much. He didn’t say much about his work, ever. He said that if I decided to be the wife of an FBI agent, I would have to be used to that. Wife of an FBI agent, that wasn’t much, but the wife of Kyle was. That wasn’t exactly a proposal, but it did assure that I wouldn’t be thrown out of bed for eating cookies. Gosh, I hadn’t heard that expression since college.

Now, the serious part. Kyle did say that Liz DeLuca had been kidnapped by a serial killer. That was scary. The man was wanted for five or six killings all ready. If Liz was killed, I never would be able to make peace with her. Kyle would still probably marry me, but we would never be accepted, by all those we grew up with. I had decided that the neighborhood and barbeques was the way I wanted to go. I needed to make peace with Max, also. If something happened to Liz, Max would never know any peace.

Isabel

I had two questions for my husband. I am afraid that they were the same two questions I had before. Was there any word about Liz? Was there any word about Max? I was deathly worried about Liz. My parents were starting to ask every day about Max. Of course, they didn’t realize that they had asked the same questions the day before. They lived in a world that renewed itself every morning.

Alex had been working on something with Kyle. He wouldn’t tell me anything but I got, from words I heard as I passed his office, that is was something to do with Liz’s almost, ex-husband. He had led her down such a terrible path. I knew that Max, for many reasons, blamed himself. I just wish I could find Max. There were several things he needed to tend to. I noticed that Alex called Kyle everyday. Usually, they talked for a long time. Now, I imagine that he only asked for news about Liz.

On a whim, I called Maria. She was staying with Michael. “Maria, how are you holding up?” I asked.

“Not good, Isabel. I don’t know how much you know about this summer but Liz and I were attacked at our cabin. I was attacked back at the cabin I was living at earlier. Then, we were run off the road. This is the second time the serial killer has attacked Liz,” she explained.

“Why did you stay there, for god’s sakes?” I asked. “Why didn’t you go to Albuquerque or maybe, even Roswell?”

“Isabel, some folks wanted to kill me. In Albuquerque, I wouldn’t have seen them coming. Turns out that some different folks want to kill Liz. The serial killer is just what was left. Michael and I are talking about getting together permanently. If we do, then, I want to live someplace where girl-scout cookies are the most exciting thing that happens the whole summer.”

We chatted for a time; then, I prepared to hang up asking once more, “Let me know the minute you have any information about Liz. And, Maria do you have any idea where Max is these days?” I thought that Maria sounded evasive as we rang off. I knew that she would send me news about Liz the minute she had it. That only left, ‘what did Maria know about Max?’

Max

Pedro and I were left in camp. Richard Sanchez and Joe Martinez had gone up ahead. They had taken their soft moccasins. Joe told me that we had to know exactly where the man was holding Liz. We had to pounce on him like a wild cat. His words not mine. I was nervous sitting there.

“Max, this is best. Joe is a tracker and Richard has an uncanny ability to think like what he is tracking. They will find the man and check on Liz.
If they get a sure shot, they will take it. Other than that, they will return and we will decide how to get her free. Michael says you were a couple in high school. What happened?

I answered him, “I fucked up and that was the trouble it was with an old friend and Liz came home and caught me. It was the stupidest thing I ever did.”

“Michael just got his head split. It sounds like you almost lost your balls. What was with you kids in Roswell? Too much alien juice?” he asked.

Pedro was right. Not alien juice, but rather arrogance. Most teens were experimenting with love in high school. Liz and I were ready to say, “I do,” before I was ready to say, “I don’t,” at least to Tess. There wasn’t a reason in the world for me to have invited Tess in that day. I could have taken the recordings and thanked her, maybe, even telling her that Liz wasn’t home yet. No, I had to show off our apartment. I was a grown man and the master of an apartment. Of course, she shared blame with me for what happened, but it would have only taken me to stop it. At that time, Maria was still at the “what do you want to do, when you grow up,” stage. Unfortunately, she stayed at the stage for some time. She was ungoverned enough that when she felt insulted, she struck out.

I needed to talk to Kyle some day. Why did Tess stray if he had been so great? “Yes, Pedro, we were all so screwed up.”

Joe Martinez

I crept forward an inch at a time. I would wait until the old man looked down or looked away. I knew that Richard was just below the crest of the hill. He had his Springfield, with a 6 to 18 power scope. We didn’t want to shoot until we knew the situation with Liz. That is what I was doing. If the old man saw me, Richard would drop him like a stick. A soft point 30 caliber bullet would take his head off, or so I hoped. If the man had hid Liz or her body some place, we wanted to try to have some knowledge about it. I wanted to get close enough to hear her or something. Still, if I was seen I didn’t want to chance getting shot by that old fart. That is what Richard Sanchez was doing, following the old man’s every move with the crosshairs in his scope,

Finally the old man finished whatever he was doing and went into the dugout. I was close enough that he could hear two people inside. “Don’t you ever talk?” I heard her ask.

There was a grunt, nothing else. “You can’t talk or you do not want to talk?” again I heard her ask.

I just as carefully backed out of my position and it was over an hour before I was back with Richard on the other side of the crest. Richard patted his pack. “You go back and make sure you are back by dawn. I will break out the night scope and keep watch. If he does something I think is dangerous, I will chance a shot. Otherwise I will wait for morning and the rest of you.”

It was almost midnight when I said with a low voice, “Hello the camp.” They stood and I walked into the dark place we called camp, no fires, no lights of any sort.

“He has a dugout. There is no way we can get him if he goes to ground. He gets back in that dugout the woman is dead,” I told them plainly.

“Richard says he can take his head off with one shot. I have just seen too many elk dead on their feet still travel quite a ways. Here is my suggestion. We start now. We travel with red flashlights. They aren’t seen very well at night. We meet up with Richard and when he takes the woman out to use the toilet, we hit him. Let me sneak down as close as I can to the dugout. If possible, I will grab the woman and drag her in the dwelling. Richard will try to take that magic head shot, but Pedro and Max, you will charge down the slope as soon as you hear Richard shoot. Don’t count on any cooperation from the woman. She had been beaten down for four days. He is the one she depends on for everything. She might fight for him. That is why I want to get her into the dwelling. letting you guys stitch this boy a hundred new ones.” I finished. I turned to Max. It was unnecessary, but I wanted everyone on board. “How does that fit with you army boy?” I asked.

“I trained with the Navy Seals. Army boy hardly fits. What you say makes more sense than anything else I have heard today,” Max answered.

Max

We broke out the red filters. We kept fairly close and traveled in silence. At night, in this clear air, sound would travel for miles. There was a silver streak on the horizon by the time we got to the hill where Richard waited. Joe started immediately for his place as near the dugout as he could get. Halfway there, a family of birds of some kind fluttered up from the ground squawking. Joe froze. A head stuck itself out of the dugout. He looked around, but Richard made a noise like a fox or coyote yipping and the head disappeared. I hope he just thought some predator had lost its breakfast.

When Joe felt he was close enough, he signaled with his hand. We all just waited. Soon, my heart stopped. Liz, her hands tied behind her back, was led with a rope around her neck a short distance from the entrance of the dwelling. My blood boiled as I saw the man yank her pants down and force her to squat. I was forgetting to breath. When the man yanked her up and pulled up her pants, he straightened and I heard the crack of the sound barrier and then the distance boom of the shot. The old man went flying backwards. Joe jumped up and scooped Liz up in his arms turning and making a dive for the entrance of the dugout. Pedro and I were running down the slope. I heard another sonic crack and then, the boom. The old man was trying to rise. This time, Richard was just trying for body shots.

The old man must have been made of pure gristle and sinew. He absorbed two more body shots. Dead man walking. That was a term from the war. I had heard it used to mean other things in prisons. I wasn’t in any war, but those I trained with used it. The man was dead, but he didn’t know it, yet. I had my 45 out and so did Pedro with his 44. I stopped and was making body shots. I heard a scream from the dugout, but right now I was too busy. I also heard a stream of cussing, first English, then Spanish and then, some other language which I assume was the one Joe grew up with.

Pedro was taking leg shots. Dead or not they can’t walk if you shoot their legs off, that big 44 could do that all right. We had him down. As I walked up, all he would do was snarl and growl. Not a single articulate sound was made. He looked at us with pure hatred. I looked at him as I would any dangerous animal that had to be destroyed. He died in a state of pure hatred.

Richard was seen making his way down to join us. Pedro and I heard a terrible commotion coming from the dwelling. I entered. Joe was wrestling with my one true love. Her hands were tied, but she could surely bite. Joe was just trying to protect himself as he kept her from running away. I reached over and grabbed her around the stomach. Pulling her back to me, I whispered. “Liz, my love, it is me. Settle down, you are safe now.”
--------------------------------
genes of the King is a story about discovering the power and danger of their heritage.
Ninth Floor a story for Halloween

Coming soon, "Divorce." Who was at fault? Is the single dating life what they both really want?

DestinyDreamer
Natalie36
keepsmiling7
L-J-L 76
begonia9508
mary mary


Chapter 17

Liz

I found a way to solve all my problems. Commit myself to a psychiatric ward, let them put me in a coma and when I get out, all my problems would have been solved.

Last days of captivity, Liz

When I awoke, I had no idea of how many days my ordeal had been. I was taken out on my leash and made to perform my personal duties. Then, I was taken back and a rope was fastened to my ankle. I was handed the inevitable jerky, followed by the water. It had been so long since I had a bath that I wasn’t aware of the smell anymore. Neither could I smell him, either. There was nothing in the dugout that I could use to get away. I had tried to loosen my bonds, but I couldn’t. Outside of my reach, there was a fire where a pot was boiling. He would return from time to time with wild onions, tubers and sometimes, small animals. He skinned and gutted the animals. Then, he threw them in the pot.

I do remember that the last few days, I had been thinking that I had no idea where I was. If I was to escape, I had no idea which way to go. Without the old man, I wouldn’t have anything to eat or drink. If something happened to him while I was tied up, I would die in the dugout to be found many years later. I was seeing how much I depended on the old man.

Sometimes, a few thoughts would drift through my mind. There was something about Maria, but try as hard as I could, I couldn’t picture Maria or think of what she meant to me. I had to sleep on my stomach because my backside and butt were raw from the constant switching. I know that now, my thoughts were totally centered about the old man. I had no idea what he intended for me, but I would accept whatever fate he chose.

Had I had a life before he became my guardian? I could remember little of that. Mostly, I was so tired. My life went from morning to night dictated by the old man. The other women’s deaths did not rest on me at all. I was worried, at first, because the old man never spoke. I don’t know if he couldn’t or that he had been alone for so long that he had forgotten how. He wasn’t stupid. The first days when I tried to get away he always thwarted my attempts.

Back in the hospital again remembering the ordeal

Now lying here in bed and having been brought to the hospital by the police helicopter. I wonder why I didn’t think of Max any time. I didn’t think of rescue at all. As we got further and further from civilization, I just centered my mind on pleasing the old man. The doctors had all asked if I was raped. Sexual assault was the farthest thing from my mind. The old man showed no interest in my sex the whole time. That is not to say that if I had remained with him for a longer time, he might not have required me to perform.

The old man was nervous. Since he wouldn’t talk, I had no idea what bothered him. He kept looking out across the meadow and growling. He was so like an animal that I wondered if he wasn’t keeping me for a pet. It was like we were not even of the same species. That was probably the first logical decision I had made in days. Of course it was wrong, but I had arrived at it with some sort of logic. Toward morning, we heard a flock of birds take to the air. They did it suddenly and the old man jumped to the door. He stayed a long time looking across the meadow. The barking of the fox belayed his fright.

It was time for him to take me out on my leash. I puddled at the edge of the clearing. I noticed that he kept constant vigil across the meadow. The old man did not talk and no sounds of civilization were being heard. I had settled into the mindless existence of a domestic animal. The loud crack, which they later told me was the sound barrier, followed by the boom of the rifle, startled me. I saw the old man go flying backward. I lost my mind for a while. The petitioner is lost without her god.

A strange man hit me and was carrying me over his shoulder back into the dugout. I fought as much as a woman whose hands were bound could. I bit and kicked. He made an awful fuss. I couldn’t concentrate on what he was trying to say because there was a war going on outside the dwelling.

Finally, the noise stopped. He had pinned me on my stomach and I was lying on my butt and back. The pain was terrible. I was screaming. Then, I felt more hands. They wrapped around my stomach and lifted me off he ground. “Liz, my love, it is me. Settle down, you are safe, now.” The word safe did register, as did the sound of the voice. I hadn’t heard that voice for over ten years. My mind was still foggy. If he pulled me close to him, the pain from my raw rear was so bad I screamed. He relaxed his grip, but he wouldn’t let me escape. In true Pavlovian fashion, I became docile. I had learned to await my fate when faced with pain as the alternative. It was several minutes before I turned to face my captor. When recognition finally dawned, I buried my face in his chest and cried. I was crying because I was now reborn. I was a new-born baby and Max was holding me.

A lot of this had to be told to me later. The helicopter ride to the hospital, me never letting go of Max nor he me. The pleading of the doctors to let him go and the darkness in the room where they were caring for me, was not all from my memory, but from stories later gleaned from those around me.

Now, I remember that golden silence I knew when I was here in the hospital before. That is where I learned what my life could have been if Max and I hadn’t broken up. It was to wait to see what brilliance I would experience this time. I was chained to rocks. My name was Andromeda. The dragon was breathing on me. The dragon only ate virgins. I was trying to explain to him that I would give him indigestion, me being married and all. Suddenly, the dragon disappeared in a puff of gun smoke and fire. Max was standing there. He turned away. I cried out for him to return. I couldn’t tell if he did.

I was standing at a clearing in the campground. I was watching as a figure walked down from the trees. The figure was clothed in black. His face was hooded and I was screaming in fright. He stripped off his hood and I saw it was Max. I thought, does he care for me any longer? He disappeared.

I heard voices. I should know who they belonged to. I didn’t. The voices wouldn’t stop and they wouldn’t become clear so I could see who was there.

I woke up. There was light. There was no one here. Had the old man gone off and left me to die? I felt of my neck. Yes, there was something fastened to it. It didn’t feel like the rope of before. I started to scream. Before I could get it out, I saw a face. It was the face of a stranger. “Beware of offending strangers for they may be an angel among you.” Where did that come from? I was fairly sure I couldn’t tie it to any religious writing that I had studied.

The possible angel smiled and busied herself tending to me. I looked and saw that I was connected to a mass of equipment all dials showing something that I didn’t understand. Then, I heard a voice that was more familiar. I heard Kyle. He and Max were standing at the door.

Kyle smiled, but Max was nervous. “I will leave if you want me to,” he said quietly.

I reached for his hand. Why would I ever want Max to leave? Didn’t I have a locket that said, “Max and Liz forever.” I felt at my throat. There was a bandage there, but there was no locket. So I guess it was in a drawer somewhere. I tried to talk. Now, I understood how hard it was for the old man to try to talk. I hadn’t said much since I was kidnapped. I have no idea how long I have been here. I croaked out, “No, Max don’t ever leave me again.” Later, Max chuckled over that. I had thrown him out. He hadn’t left me that time.

Kyle was nervous. He talked to me a bit. Then he said, “Liz I need you to do something. It should be something for you, but if you can’t do that, please do it for me.”

I looked at Kyle, “What, Kyle?” I managed to hoarsely ask.

Kyle held out his hand. A blonde figure walked in. “Liz forgive, accept or overlook, if not for her, or yourself, please do this for me.” He said.

I looked at her. It took several minutes to see that this was the woman who had slept with Max. She had taken his love when it was supposed to be just for me. My anger rose. Then, there came a peace. That Liz who was filled with anger had died. She was buried beside an old man in an unmarked grave high in the wilderness. The re-born Liz extended her hand and gripped that of Tess. We both said, almost at the same instant, “I am so sorry.”

Max came back under the firm grip of his sister, Isabel. The man who had stormed my captor was as frightened as a wild animal. He looked as if a single thing was said to startle him, he would flee. Isabel and Max just stood there. They waited until I opened both of my arms to him. I now had my true love in my grasp.

Physically, my health quickly improved. I had lots of suggestions that I needed counseling. I probably needed it for lots more than just the kidnapping. The kidnapping had brought many issues to the surface that I needed to face. When they let me out of the hospital, I returned for the first time in over ten years to Roswell. My parents dead, the Crashdown gone and a Chunky Cheeze had been built in its place. Roswell was like a strange city. Almost nothing of my past remained.

Then, that tall lanky geek came running toward me. Behind him walking at a more dignified pace was Isabel. There was one thing I could hang my life on. Isabel and Alex took me in. Alex had an envelope which was addressed to me. It contained a key, an address and a stack of hundred dollar bills. “Compliments of the FBI. Kyle wants you to settle for the moment here in Roswell. You will probably be called to testify about what you know about Sean’s business. They will probably want you to help them in opening some accounts that Sean stashed the stolen money in.”

That was it. My homecoming was an envelop with some cash and a key. I was welcomed by the former ice queen and my long time friend, her husband. I had to ask my self, “How much better off was I now than I had been when I left the east to spend a quiet summer relaxing in the mountains of New Mexico?”

Michael was still back in the Jemez Mountains. I assume that Maria was still with him. Max was nowhere to be found. Someone said that the Agency had called him back. I was in Roswell, but it was a Roswell that I did not know. The apartment that the key opened was more oppressive than even the dugout. I was surrounded by strangers. There were times, back in my cabin in the mountains, before Michael moved Maria in with me, that I felt loneliness for just the sound of a human voice. Now, I could hear the elements of humanity through the thin walls and all I could desire was peace.

He was good looking, reckless and very interesting. I was sitting in the restaurant thinking about my life. I had no idea where Max was. We never had talked about why he betrayed me or why I threw him out. I only had the money that Kyle had arranged for me.

As I was finishing my coffee, a shadow passed over me. I looked up. At first, visions of Sean passed before me. I should have taken that as a warning. “You look lonely,” he said, “and if you aren’t lonely, I am.” Then, he sat down. I started to protest, but he was so smooth that the protestations died in my throat. We started talking about college life. He was a biologist, also. He hadn’t graduated from Harvard, but he was from Princeton. This started a good-natured discussion about the two colleges and their relative reputations in the academic world.

When I left the restaurant, I actually felt happy. Who could tell what the feeling of a good discussion could bring me? We had exchanged names. His was Brighton Freedman. His friends called him “Buddy.” I had no idea how soon I would meet him again.

I had gone to the city library. I wanted to find some books on biology. This also gave me a chance to catch up on issues of Nature, a magazine for professional scientists. On leaving, I saw him sitting there surrounded by several news magazines. He had a notebook opened and he was buried deep in the effort of reading and taking notes. I couldn’t resist. I walked up and asked, “Any word when the world will end?”

He looked up surprised, “Hey, no I am looking for trends in industrial science. The southern part of New Mexico is a location where many things are happening.”

We talk about a few more things then I left. I was surprised at how good I felt after talking to Buddy. The thoughts of Max had moved to the back of my mind. The next two weeks there was news that the feds were reopening their case against Sean. They said that I should be prepared to travel back east soon.

Buddy called me last night. He wanted to take me out on a date. There was no one else around and the more I thought about it the idea of a date, appealed to me. I hadn’t been out with a man since Sean had been arrested. I had to think a bit. Dating as an adult was different from dating as a youth. Sex would be very much the main intention. Well I guess that the college guys I had gone with believed this as well. In college, it was understood that no really serious relationship could happen until graduation. Yeah, we might sleep around a little, but really steamy times would have to hold off until we were free from school obligations. At that time, school was most important.

How much attraction did I have toward Buddy? I had seen Max only a few hours. We hadn’t spent any private time together. Before my car accident, I would have said that I never wanted to see him again. Kyle had asked me to make peace with his girl friend. It was clear that, soon, she would be his wife. Maria had called the other day. For the strangest of reasons, I didn’t want to tell her anything about Buddy. In a few months, a position was going to open up in the Roswell Police Force. Michael had applied for it. It was pretty sure that he would get it. Michael had a degree in criminal science. Most any small police force would be glad to get him. Maria was gushing about all of us being back together like old times. She never asked what my feelings were about Max. I had talked to Isabel and Alex once, but Alex was all wrapped up in his work for Kyle. We didn’t get around to discussing our futures.

My mind was drifting away from Roswell. After all the trauma of this summer, I wanted to find a new life. It now seemed that even those I still loved would drag me back to that other life. Roswell seemed closed to me. When I first took an interest in Buddy, I swore to myself, that I would accept him for what I saw and not try in any way to compare him to anyone else. I had seen in Sean everything so different from the good years with Max. That had ended up so wrong. It was hard not to see in buddy, those things that Max and I had in high school.

Now, Buddy seemed so caring. He was almost apologetic about asking me out. He acted like he was afraid I might refuse. Max was gone, where I have no idea. Why shouldn’t I spend time with a man like Buddy or rather Brighton Freedman? We went to dinner and then, to a Country Western club. I had never been really into C&W, but with Buddy, as he made almost bumbling attempts at dancing, I had a good time.

Lunches and dinners together, trips to the library, and walks as we talked about our dreams were our dates. He hadn’t yet mentioned about us going to bed together. He was so shy about that. Finally one day, he said, “Liz, do you think you could go away with me for a weekend?”

I thought, yes, I was ready. Somewhere, there might have been a voice which said, “Max, who?”

------------------------
genes of the King is a story about discovering the power and danger of their heritage.
Ninth Floor a story for Halloween

Coming soon, "Divorce." Who was at fault? Is the single dating life what they both really want?

DestinyDreamer
mary mary
keepsmiling7
Natalie36
begonia9508

Chapter 18

Liz

Ruidoso, that was the place for vacations in the southern part of our state. You had to travel north a bit and then back west into the mountains. The whole town was a like the Thunderbird Paradise campground, but much more so. The town catered to vacationers. A lot of the town catered to very wealthy clients, but there were many reasonable cabins also. Kyle had called and told me to be ready to travel back east on Monday. He said I would be needed sometime next week. I explained to Buddy and he assured me that we would be back in plenty of time. “Liz, let’s make this your preparation for the week you will spend being manhandled by the court. You won’t have to face such a trial after our weekend,” he said as he kissed me.

I was dreading going back to face the things I had fled from, so Buddy sounded like he had the right idea.

At the last minute Buddy called and told me that we would have to wait until after supper. Something had come up and he couldn’t leave as early as we planned. It was dark when he came by. I didn’t have anyone to tell goodbye to,so we were off in the dark. I hadn’t told anyone that I was going away for the weekend. This was mine alone. Nobody else had any business knowing about my relationship with Brighton Freedman.

Kyle

I had called Liz. I told her that I would be in Rowell on Monday to escort her back to the court in Virginia. Why Virginia? That was known only to those who arranged those things. Probably someone felt we would be in a more favorable position with the judge there. I was leaving early because I wanted to talk with Isabel and Alex. Tess wanted to return to Roswell for our home base. I would have no problem getting posted in the southwest. I wanted to see what they thought of us returning to the neighborhood. I didn’t want Tess to get her feelings hurt. If Alex and Isabel were cold to the idea I would just explain that it was not possible for us to live in Roswell at this time.

It was a surprise when Max walked up to me at he airport. “Word is out that they will make one more try at Liz. Aquarius has been offered the contract,” Max said.

Now, everyone in any law enforcement knows about Aquarius but no one living has ever seen him. It is said that he takes his killing very seriously and very personal. He always kills his victim at very close range. It is thought that he cultivates some rapport with the victim and when he has them alone then without any remorse or feeling he kills them quickly. His killings are all executions. For reasons known only to him, his victims are always dressed as for a party or a dance. Women were his specialty.

I had tried to call Liz to tell her I would see her soon. She was not available either at her home phone or her cell phone. It now looked like I was going to have Max’s company for the trip out west. I called Isabel, “Izzy, see if you can find Liz. She might be in danger again. If you find her or you learn anything about what she is doing get the police to contact me by phone on the plane. Max and I are heading to Roswell.

We were waiting to exchange planes at Chicago when I got a call from Isabel on my cell phone. “Kyle, I was hoping I could catch you between planes. Liz has disappeared. One of her neighbors thinks they heard someone pick her up Friday evening. It was dark and they said they heard two people talking as they walked out to the car. They heard the trunk slam and they think they put some luggage in the trunk. No one saw the man to recognize him. Again they think she has been stepping out with some man recently.”

That could be Liz just going on with her life. I knew that she was disturbed. Liz was trying to decide what she would do with her future. When you faced as much as she had this summer you are very jealous about the few pleasures you find. She and Max hadn’t talked. Maybe she found someone who would talk. Liz needed someone to confide in. If she found someone else who brought her comfort, it was no ones fault but Max’s. I tried to tell him to get straight with Liz before he left for back east, but no, Max insisted he would talk with Liz when all of this was over. Maybe, she was just taking a vacation before going back to Virginia with me.

Maybe, this was the way Aquarius worked.

I had no sooner hung up on Isabel than I heard Max, “Yeah, Michael. If that friend of yours, Pedro, is there, can you get him on a state police plane? The agency will foot the bill. Send him to Roswell. He can help me. Liz is gone again. We don’t know if she has been kidnapped, but she might be in real trouble.

Max

I was hoping to have a chance to talk to Liz after the court hearing. I thought that once this was out of the way, there would be time for us to see how we felt about each other. Of course, when I helped rescue her, she felt gratitude. That was only natural. Since I wasn’t in Roswell, maybe she went looking for someone else to offer her comfort. There were two ways this could play out. First, Liz found herself a new interest and she would return after the court hearing to him. Or second, Aquarius had found her and we would only know when someone discovered her body. I had to learn a lot quickly. Pedro was the one person I knew who would have the experience to do this.

Michael

I wanted to be open with Maria. Keeping things secret was one of the troubles that we had before. The trouble was that when she heard that Liz had disappeared again, Maria was just illogically unreasonable. “Michael, someone needs to be looking for her,” Maria cried.

“They are babe. Kyle and Max are heading for Roswell and I just sent Pedro down there to help them. If she can be found, then they will do it. This time, though, we are worried about a contract killer. No one knows anything about him,` but he was offered a contract to kill her,” I explained.

Maria looked at me through tear filled eyes. “Is that no good cousin of mine, Sean, responsible for this? I would never have thought he would be responsible for killing someone,” she moaned.

I gathered Maria into my arms. “Sean was playing with boys much bigger than he ever was. They probably are responsible for the men coming to find her in Jemez and this, also.” I didn’t want Maria to take on a ration of shit because of her cousin. Personally, I thought that I should have pinched his head off when we were kids, or encouraged Alex to do that. Alex hated Sean and Sean always took a swing at Alex calling him Alice.

Maria

Damned Max. He said he was waiting for the right time. Well now, maybe, he will never get a time at all. Kyle told me that Max jumped at the chance to go back east. I think that was because Max was afraid. Michael knows something that he is not telling me. He sent Pedro to Roswell and he would only do that if he was really worried.

Liz

We drove through the night. It was almost midnight when we pulled into Ruidoso. We were driving up a narrow road. Buddy stopped and in the headlights, I saw him dial in a combination and the gate swung open. After another short drive, we had arrived. Buddy carried in our luggage and turned on the electricity. He made no mention of who owned the cabin. I think that I assumed that it was his for some reason. It was late and we were both tired. Buddy pulled back the bed covers and we each changed into sleep wear. I was just wearing my sleeping boxers and a tee top. Buddy only slept in his boxers. I closed my eyes and, suddenly, it was morning.

I stepped outside. I was reminded of the cabins I had stayed in earlier this summer. Each cabin had memories that were terrifying. Looking back at this cabin, I wondered what memories it would have for me after this weekend.

I returned and Buddy was fully dressed and making coffee. He handed me a frying pan with a smile. I went to the frig and got out some eggs. This was like it was when Max and I started out living together. With Sean, I can’t remember him ever offering to share any duties. Buddy and I, working at the stove, would bump each other from time to time. We would look at each other and laugh. The very closeness of us both being at the stove became an erotic moment.

After breakfast, we walked hand in hand, up a trail. The trail was distinct, but overgrown enough to say that no one had been here for a long time. We walked to an overlook. You could see for miles. The sky was smoky from the pollution of the cities. Right here, the air was cool and like drinking spring water. We sat hand in hand as we each lived in our own thoughts. In the cool mountain air my future, for the first time in many years, looked good. Buddy was a new interest. He had no baggage from the past. I had obligations, but when I was through testifying, could I return, not to my old life in Roswell, but a brand new life with a man who I thought loved me?

Buddy seemed to be overcoming his shyness. He leaned over and kissed me. It turned into a lingering kiss, one of those kisses which left time to dream. Yes, that is the first time I had dreamed during a kiss for a long time. Sean would always peck at my cheek and then, go on about his business. I found myself trying to think back to what it was like with Max. That wasn’t fair to Buddy. I had agreed to come with him over the weekend. I shouldn’t let the past with Max get between us.

When we returned to the cabin Buddy had his arm around me and I was leaning against his chest. Not a word was spoken. We just walked into the bedroom. For a while, we sat in the bed kissing. Then, his hands found their way under my sweater. My own hands were now in his shirt. It had been so long since a man had made tender love to me. In the last few months before he was put away, Sean had more of the jackrabbit tendencies. That is, “Slam, Bam, thank you, Ma’am.” Then, because he said I wasn’t cooperating our contact became just incidental.

Kyle

Max and Pedro had been scouring the town for information. Sure, a lot of people remembered Liz. When they showed a photo of her, there were always nodding of heads. “Yes, she had been there. No, she wasn’t alone. The guy she was with? No, I can’t recollect much about him. He was a guy. Nothing much to remember about him. He paid cash for everything.”

“Was he Anglo, Hispanic, Oriental?” I asked.

One man shook his head, “No, I don’t think he was African American. Well, maybe not. You know with dyed hair and all, who knows what he might be. Matter of fact I don’t think I looked at him much.”

Max

That was the way it went everywhere. People remembered Liz`` but no one remembered anything distinct about the man she was with.
On an off chance, we went to the library. I hit as near pay dirt as we had found to this point. “Yes she comes in often,” was said as the middle aged lady handled the picture I gave her. “I noticed she always looked so lonesome. It was nice when she stopped by to talk to that nice Mr. Stevens. He was such a nice man, so polite and all. He seemed kind of shy around girls. She stopped to talk and they spent several minutes talking. I was so happy for both of them.” the librarian had noticed. Now to see if I could get a description out of her. I wonder how nice she would think he was if I told her he was suspected of being Aquarius, the professional assassin.

“He was tall. He was almost a head taller than her.” I had to think. Liz was five foot three. What was a head taller, maybe six feet?

“He had a very soft, shy voice. He had beautiful hands. He had mysterious gray eyes.” She went on. He was dressed in casual clothes but they fit him very well,” she went on like that.

I didn’t know if she was still talking about Aquarius or some Hollywood star. I think a couple of times, she did get them mixed up. It was obvious that she found the man attractive and with motherly feelings, she was happy that he had hooked up with Liz.

What she gave us would go into Aquarius’ file for next time but nothing that would help us now find Liz now.

I had just walked in to report to Kyle what I had found. Pedro was right behind me. Before I could say anything, Pedro addressed Kyle, “Hey, boss man, I need two hundred dollars, all in twenties,” he announced.

Kyle turned to Pedro. Kyle knew Pedro, but he hadn’t the closeness that the rest of us had being with Pedro in a gunfight. “What do you have?” Kyle asked.

“Maybe nothing, but maybe, it will pan out to the first real lead we have so far,” was Pedro’s cryptic reply.

Pedro fairly grabbed the money as he called over his shoulder, “Hey, Max, sign for me.” Pedro was gone in the night.
--------------------------
genes of the King is a story about discovering the power and danger of their heritage. Their question is why do they have such a dangerous gene? There is no one to tell them how to use it safely. It is like giving a loaded gun to a child.
Ninth Floor Halloween is almost here and the story is coming to its dangerous conclusion.

Coming soon, "Divorce." Who was at fault? Is the single dating life what they both really want?

DestinyDreamer
Natalie36
mary mary
begonia9508
keepsmiling7


Chapter 19

Pedro

Me and army-boy were heading for the mountains. Boss man was still back in Roswell shaking his head. I don’t really blame him. I had just taken two hundred dollars and spread it around among some street people. In return, I asked for information of where connected people from back east might hide out. The man they had in tow looked like he had been through a meat grinder. “How good is this information?”

Jimmy, the blade looked up at me. “I threatened to dock him if he didn’t give us good information. We will hold him until you return. If the information is bad, he will sing soprano for the rest of his life. The fear of loosing his balls should insure some of his information.”

I handed Jimmy Kyle’s card and phone number. “If his conscious Improves or he changes his mind, this man will get word to us.” Jimmy just nodded.

Now, army-boy is driving a four-wheel drive pickup and we are headed for the resort town of Ruidoso. “Hey, what are you going to do if this guy is just a traveling salesman? He is putting it to the girl for which you have a hard on. That hardly justifies a full assault. Things might just get worse, in that case for you and the little lady.”

“But, I will have a chance to apologize. If he is Aquarius and we don’t go, I will have lost her forever. I do hope your information is good,” Max replied.

“Me too,” I muttered. For a while, we drove in silence.

Liz

No matter how I told myself that I would not think of Max while I was with Buddy, I still had thoughts of the short time before he was with Tess to remember. This was the time I was sure that, “Max and Liz, forever” would be our Motto, ‘til death did us part. The tenderness of Buddy was like those times except that then, we were children. Now, I was an adult. Max had had his chance. He went off somewhere without talking to me. I had no idea of whether I meant anything to him or not. I couldn’t help, but mean something to Buddy.

Buddy was just too gentle and we were just so compatible that I was sure that this time, I had found my true soul mate. I asked my self, was what I thought Max and I had long ago, not real? I decided that whatever it had been, it was now long gone. If there had still been anything then, Max wouldn’t have been able to leave. Who says that there is only one possibility for a soul mate? I was falling deeply in love with Buddy.

After lunch that Saturday, we left again for a hike. This time Buddy took a blanket. One part of me wondered about that, but the real part knew what the blanket meant. Buddy wanted to make love to me again, but he had no intention of having a “piece on earth.”

We had hiked up to a little clearing where Buddy spread the blanket out. I was reluctant but Buddy said, “Liz, this is all private land. There isn’t anyone around for miles. Here we can make love under the natural sky and with the freedom God intended.”

I had to admit that standing naked outside in the open had a mixture of wickedness and innocence. Seeing Buddy standing across from me, also, naked led to a thrill as we investigated each other’s bodies and then, made love. The cool breeze, which blew the sweat off our bodies, made me tremble.

That night, Buddy made our supper. He didn’t allow me to be in the kitchen at all. We did not share chores for this meal. It was an oriental dish that I couldn’t identify. Buddy only asked if I enjoyed it. We sipped wine and danced to recordings that Buddy had brought. We didn’t even make it to the bedroom. We, finally, collapsed on the thick rug that was thrown before the small fire in the fireplace. The fire was just enough to take the chill off the air. I don’t remember the night. I only remember that I was happier than I had been since high school.

It was late when I woke up Sunday morning. I felt groggy the whole morning. Buddy had packed most of our stuff and he broke out his final surprise. He had a Sunday lunch all prepared. It was just heat and enjoy. “Remember, Buddy, I have to be back in Roswell, tonight. Kyle will be by for me early tomorrow,” I reminded him.

“I wont forget, Liz. Everything has been taken care of,” he answered.

After dinner, I was even more groggy. It was dark when my mind returned to me, partially. Buddy had insisted I bring a party dress. The whole weekend, I wondered when I would be called on to dress in it. As I lay in the bed, I saw that I had been dressed as if going to a party. I tried to sit up, but none of my limbs obeyed me. I could croak out a little and I called Buddy.

He entered the room with a perplexed smile on his face. “I am sorry, Liz.
There are people who do not want you to testify against anything your husband did. They do not care about him, but it would lead to things that would implicate them. The medicine didn’t work properly. You were never supposed to wake up,” he said.

“What about this weekend?” I asked.

“It was a wonderful weekend, Liz. Like all things, it had to come to an end,” he replied.

“Didn’t I mean anything to you?” I asked.

“Of course you did, Liz. This is not personal. I gave you the best weekend you could have in which to end your life. Liz, this is strictly business. I will miss you a lot,” he said.

I guess this made him feel better, but I had dodged danger all summer and now, I was going to die in a manner and place that no one else knew about.

Max

I was driving while Pedro sat with the sketch map in one hand and a folded topographical map in the other. He would nod when the two maps coincided. But, he, also, frowned a lot when the sketch map did not follow the real one. We were through the town of Ruidoso and made an indicated turn off from the highway, if you could call the road on which we had been driving a highway. We came to a narrow road that Pedro insisted I take and soon, it led to a locked gate.

Pedro took out his big revolver and checked the loads. I was wondering if he intended to blow the lock off. That would not be a way to make a stealthy approach. My fears were belayed as he went to the back of the truck and opened a toolbox that Kyle had placed in the bed of the truck. He took out a 36-inch pair of bolt cutters. Pedro carefully cut the lock in two places. Soon, we were on our way. I was driving slowly because I didn’t want to make too much noise as we made our approach. That comment of Pedro’s came back time and time again to haunt me. What if we did find that Liz had made a friend and they were just out on a passionate weekend? Was this Liz the same one I knew when I was in high school? What if Liz wasn’t even here? What if the map was bogus?

Apologies could be made and tempers could be mollified. If, indeed, Liz was with Aquarius, then she might even now be dead. “Amigo,” Pedro said softly. “If it is Aquarius, are we taking him back?”

For the briefest time, I looked at Pedro. He had called me amigo or friend. I was unsure of what he wanted me to say. “Pedro, we didn’t take the old man back.”

He nodded. I had answered his question. I was sure that Aquarius would not give up without a fight. Pedro wanted that fight to end with us. Pedro looked at me again, “Amigo, if, God forbid, she is dead, can I count on you to not do something stupid?”

I took my time answering this one. If that bastard took my one true love away from me, I would be furious. Pedro was meaning would I, at least, leave a reasonable doubt that we hadn’t executed him ourselves? If he got shot in the middle of a rescue, then there would be few questions. If he was found shot in the head at close range, both of us would be in a pickle. I took another moment to look Pedro in the eye and nodded. He settled back. He now, trusted me.

Pedro motioned for me to pull over and we hid the truck in the middle of some trees. The rest of the way was on foot.

Hostage situations can end up several ways. The best is you save the hostage, you kill a few bad guys and every one is happy. That is when you are a hero. If you are approaching a group of bad guys, you can very easily be ambushed. People get killed on both sides, the hostages suffer and this is considered a SNAFU. Look that one up on google. You can arrive too late and the hostage has already been killed. In that case, all bets are off as to how you treat the bad guy or guys. If the hostage means as much as Liz did to me, there is only one acceptable solution. That is why the agency would have removed me, if they had any idea how close I was to the hostage. Kyle had covered for me. In his way, Kyle loved Liz also. The next few minutes was what all my training was about. Pedro had his part Apache heritage and he felt that what he was doing was just natural. If he could get away with it, he might be tempted to take a scalp.

We made our way to the cabin. Looking in I saw Liz. She was dressed in a beautiful dress. I had never seen her so beautiful, nor so helpless. Watching her, we saw that she was drugged so she could hardly move.

When we left the truck, I had seen Pedro take another package from the tool box. It was wrapped in canvas and I didn’t question. Now, Pedro unwrapped it and I saw that it was a strange rifle. The barrel had a bore of almost two inches. It was a grenade launcher, or flare gun, depending on how you called it into use. From his pocket, Pedro took what I was sure was a shell loaded with a flash-bang. That was a grenade, which made a tremendously loud noise and was filled with a powder that made an almost sun-like flash. For a few seconds, even professionals would be distracted by it’s explosion.

Liz

A cold calm descended upon me. I had fallen in love with Buddy and he in return, was going to kill me. This was a time when I could not hope for any rescue. As I lay here, not being able to move at all, he took a strange pistol out of a case. The front end had a very tiny hole. The barrel was almost 2 inches in diameter. I was to learn that it was a highly suppressed, or silenced, pistol. “Close your eyes, Liz. It will be over in an instant,” Buddy instructed. Buddy, or Brighton, was an expert. I was assured that I would just go from a thinking, living being to a corpse, my mind relegated into oblivion. This is the end, Liz Parker-DeLuca. Only my religion would carry me past this point. I had to hope that my religious training was correct. It would be a shame to not have anything left of my life. Suddenly, I heard a terrible sound, accompanied with a flash. Buddy said it would be silently over, but my ears were ringing and my nose was bleeding. I saw the light even through closed eyes. I could barely hear them but there were several other shots. I opened my eyes in time to see Buddy crumple, blood spouting from everywhere. The next sensation was, in my paralysis, to feel my body lifted and my face curled against a mighty chest. As I was rolled against the chest, I saw, for the second time, Max. He had rescued me again, which I knew was impossible.

This was truly a summer to remember. For the third time, I woke up in a hospital. This time, Max was sleeping in a chair right next to my bed. I mumbled something and he was awake instantly. He reached over and pulled the nurse request cord

Kyle and Max would be with me from now on until the hearing was over. Under Kyle’s supervision, the file on Aquarius was closed. No one questioned Pedro or Max. Aquarius had been killed in the action of rescuing me. It was nice to have all the attention Max and Kyle gave me. Of course, Max and I still didn’t have that much needed time alone. My experience with Aquarius had shown me things about being seduced. I needed Max to understand that, as well as me understanding his fling with Tess.

Epilog by Liz

Now we were all now in Roswell. Alex and Isabel were having an outdoor potluck party. According to Kyle, this is what Tess expressed that she most wanted, a neighborhood with family parties and barbeques. Tess was still a little cold toward me. I think she thought I still wished her harm because of my anger before.

Michael and Maria had married. Michael requested that no one give them anything cast iron for wedding presents. I noticed that many times when he had contradicted Maria before, Michael now, held his tongue. Max and Tess were cordial to each other, but they also avoided being pushed together or being alone in each other’s company. Kyle was the agent of the southern New Mexican district of the FBI. My Max settled down to a psychology practice and consultant for hostage intervention. We were married and I am teaching in Roswell. I remembered that dream, or whatever it was, when I was in the hospital after my automobile wreck. Now we were living the life we all think we were intended to. The difference is, that Max does not have to apologize for anything. We have talked so much that we know everything about each other’s lives. We won’t have perfect lives, but we will leave room to forgive and move on. Love is not perfect. Love is living with the imperfections and not giving up.