Winter Season

Explain

“Hi,” he smiled. It was a forced smile she could tell. Her voice was irritated from crying so much. He handed her a bottle of water, hot but wet. After the fire was burning, he came over and sat down in front of her. “So this was what all the secrecy was about?”

When she tried to talk, it came out as a croak. After taking another drink of water, she tried again. “I was under a gag order until the investigation was over.” She didn’t look up from the bottle. “I was doing such a great job burying this investigation with moving and hanging out with you that when Bell asked me what I did, it all came flooding back. Hence, the nightmares and I say nightmares because you are not always with me.” She smiled a sad sorry smile.

“I understand but I must say I’m a little hurt.”

“I know. I’m sooo sorry.”

“Can you talk about it now?”

“I suppose. I guess this letter is closure?”

He held her hands, “do you want to?”

“I guess I need to. I haven’t told anyone other than the investigators.” She took a deep breath. “Lt. Yerki wasn’t my partner and why he went with me on that day, I still don’t know. I have ran a million scenarios in my mind as to why he was there. I was doing traffic patrol on that particular day and he was working on some drug case but until that day our paths never crossed. They really had no reason to. I assumed I was being tested. So everything I did that day was to the letter. Text book.” She took another drink of water.

“I pulled over a car for speeding. We both go out, my job was to approach the driver, as my backup, his job was to cover any passengers. Instead, he stood against the hood of our car. Which struck me as odd but he was the lieutenant. I hesitated for a moment because of his odd behavior then continued to approach the driver. The whole time thinking what a cocky bastard he was. Before I made it to the driver’s door, the car slammed backwards into Lt. Yerki, crushing his legs. As I reached for my gun, I was shot six times. The car pulled forward and as Yerki began to fall, it slammed backwards again crushing him. Then sped away.

“My vest absorbed three of the shots and three made it through. But internal affairs felt that because of the nature of the shots that made it through my vest, and the deliberate attack on Lt. Yerki, that I must have known or was a conspirator in the attack.”

They sat there in silence for a long time. Esther unable to speak and Oscar didn’t know what to say. He finally got up and returned with more wood for the fire.

She continued, “the night I had the nightmare at your house, I saw the fear in your eyes when I came ‘round.” She shook her head, “I can’t tell you how,” she fought back tears, “horrifying it was to watch someone get killed and be useless. Totally useless. I have yet to encounter a sound like that of his legs being crushed. I was driving an older car, built nothing like some of todays cheap crap.” She paused for a moment. “I honestly thought that would be the end of it. He could have lived after that. But as I was being shot, I watched in slow motion the car slam backwards again. From the position I was in it looked like the cars bumper struck him right here;” she put her hand on her chest just below her neck. “His head snapped forward and it sounded like someone breaking a twig.” She mindlessly made that motion with her hand. “Then his head slammed backwards so hard it made an indention in the hood of the car. That’s when the screaming stopped. The next thing I knew I woke up in the hospital.”

“But with the letter, it’s all over with now? Right?”

“I assume that’s the case. I pray.”

“With you being investigated, why did they let you move? I figured you would have to stay in New York.”

“I had to sign 9 million papers. Once a week I have to call in. Can’t turn the location servers off on my phone. Any disruption in service had to have an asap explanation. Moving had its strings.” She snickered. “I almost had to wear an ankle monitor.”

He looked as if he could throw up. “Are you going back?”

The flames of the fire reflected in her eyes as she looked at him. “No.”

A wave of relief washed over him.

Winter Season