Ellie turned to look up at Carson, tears in her eyes, “Dale…”
He kissed her forehead then kissed her lips. He deepened it when her hold on him grew desperately tighter. Reluctantly he broke the kiss, “Don’t worry, everything is going to be alright.”
She nodded, giving him a final kiss.
“Why am I being punished for Carson’s wife being a serial killer? For all we know her sister could have helped.” Gwen prodded.
Ellsa took several steps to her, “Helped with what?”
Gwen’s lips rose in a smile, “Kill the boyfriends you’ve shared. It was only a matter of time before you killed Carson. For all we know the plans are set, but catching you two ruined them.” Her smile widened when she saw how irate the twins had gotten. “Or are they postponed? Ellsa still hasn’t had her share of him, since Carson hates her too much to screw her.”
Ellsa took a step towards her, “Shut up!”
Gwen laughed, “Knowing Carson, he’s probably screwed both of you. Ellie must be the better twin in bed, they all seem to want her more! You could always ask for another opinion, I’m sure Daniel would love to have a go.”
Ellsa’s hand flew up, back handing Gwen across the face. When Gwen recovered and tried to punch Ellsa, Ellie pulled her back and caught Gwen’s fist, sending her down on the floor with a hard right across the jaw.
“Finally!” Kris cheered, jumping up.
Carson pulled them both back, placing Ellie squarely behind him. After a few seconds on the floor, Gwen jumped up, her eyes blazing for blood.
With a loud hoot, Kris said, “There, now your lips match your hair!”
Ellsa gave a wicked laugh as she walked away, “Our dad wanted a son and Ellie was it. I’ll wait for you downstairs.”
After a few failed attempts to get past Carson to Ellie she marched over to Richard, “I want to press charges!”
Ellie went to move forward, but Daniel held her back, “Speak to my lawyer!”
“Will both of you just calm down!” Richard yelled.
“Yeah Sting Ray, Stacey-Ann can’t see her mom go all gangster.” Daniel joked. He knew Ellie would jump to Ellsa’s defense. It was routine, Ellsa would start the fights and Ellie would have to finish. But the red head deserved it.
Ellie moved to Carson’s side and tugged at his arm so that he could bend a few inches for her to reach his ear, “I need to talk to you. I’ll wait for you at home.” She whispered.
He nodded and gave her a kiss, his eyes on Gwen the entire time, just waiting for her to make a move against Ellie.
She took Stacey-Ann from Daniel and left, Kris in tow.
“Agents, we’ll be in touch.” Daniel announced, but before he could go far Carson stopped him.
“Daniel, did you by any chance, before I came into the picture, happen to date my wife?” He stressed on wife.
“We went on one date? Why?”
“Be careful. The last two guys spent five minutes with her and they are dead. Whoever is killing them, is taking out everyone she dated.”
Daniel’s face creased for a moment and then he nodded. “I’ll put you on speed dial just in case. By the way, Ellsa has someone watching Ellie just in case too.” With that he bowed out leaving the team alone to deal with the complicated case.
Gwen grabbed the mandate from Richard, “This can’t be possible. They can’t force me out of the case.”
“They can’t, but I can. You are sitting this out due to your personal relationship. You too Carson.”
Carson cursed under his breath, “Can I at least watch from the sidelines?”
“Sure.”
Daniel came back, his face flushed with anger. Kris was behind him, gasping for breath. “We have a problem,” he announced.
“What’s wrong? Is something wrong with Ellie?” Carson asked, completely worried.
“Ellsa took her and the baby. She said she doesn’t trust you to protect the last of her family,” Kris gasped out.
Carson lunged at Daniel and grabbed his collar, “You let her!”
Daniel pushed him back, “We had no idea what she was planning. Ellie and Stacey-Ann went with her in her car. And then she texted Kris telling her they are leaving town.”
“She’ll be fine Dale. They left with her bodyguard. She’ll bring them back when all of this is sorted out.”
“Kris, why did you let her go? Do you have any idea how this looks?”
“Like a family that isn’t willing to be the victims of a badge and a gun again. Just solve the case.” Kris grabbed Daniel’s arm and dragged him out.
“What is she talking about?” Doran asked.
Carson just punched the board and stomped to his office.
Audrey went after him, “I’ll fill you guys in later.”
Audrey turned on the light to Carson’s office. Since Ellie and their daughter had left with Ellsa, they hadn’t heard from them. The only person they had seen was Ellsa and she apparently had no idea where they were. She too was the one who reported them missing, which everyone thought was incredulous. As far as they knew, she was playing with them, but her tears and panic were very convincing.
They convinced Carson that something bad had happened to his family, but they didn’t take his suspicion away from her. She was up to something, he just knew it.
Ellsa said she took a cab and gave Ellie the car. When Carson asked about the text, she admitted to it, but Ellie never got to the agreed meeting point. The last time she saw Ellie was at the entrance of the building before they both left, separately. No one could dispute it because the building’s surveillance backed her story. Kris was too busy yelling on her phone to notice them both leave.
Carson spent months wondering if the killer took his family or if Ellsa had lied to him. But Ellie wouldn’t voluntarily disappear and leave him behind. She loved him and they were a family. She would find a way to let him know where they were and if they were okay. She did trust him? But was she able to do so?
Ellsa was always around Carson with the excuse of helping him find Ellie. To make things worse, the murderer hadn’t moved on to victim number five. Richard and Doran didn’t think it was a coincidence that Ellie and the killer had disappeared at the same time. They were more convinced each passing day that Ellie was the suspect and her plans were disrupted when they called her out. They too didn’t believe Ellsa. Gwen’s fuss was becoming more believable.
Carson was however determined to prove them wrong. They moved on to other cases, but he stuck with it for three months, alienating everyone on his team except Audrey.
She placed a hand on his back and stirred him awake, “Carson, someone is here to see you.”
“Ellie?”
Her heart dropped. “No, Ellsa.”
Ellsa stepped around Audrey to stand next to Carson, “Hi. I came to see how you are doing?”
Carson lifted his head for a moment to glare at her then put it back down, “What do you want?”
She put her hands on his back and began to lustfully explore his back muscles. “I told you Ellie didn’t love you as much as I do. Maybe Gwen was right. Maybe she was the…”
Carson shot off his chair pushing her off him. “My wife is not a murderer and if you hadn’t taken her away from me I could have already proven that!”
Ellsa took a safe step away. “This was the last place I saw her! It’s not my fault she decided to run away.”
Carson stalked to her, murder in his eyes, “get out of my office Ellsa!”
“But Dale…”
“Get out!” He bellowed drawing the attention of everyone outside his office.
Ellsa’s attitude quickly changed from day to night. “You know what? I’m glad Ellie is dead and never coming back!”
“She loved me, and she will come back to me!”
Ellsa laughed, “Loved? You’ve finally accepted that she’s dead. She’s dead and yet you are the one who’s rotting. Call me when you decide to visit the land of the living again,” she announced, as she left.
Carson sunk back in his seat, plopping his head on the table.
Audrey pulled him up and placed a plate of pizza in front of him. “I was beginning to think you were falling for her lies.”
Carson pushed the plate away, “I was hoping she’d slip and say something. Like where they were, not that she’s dead.”
“You too think she did something to them, don’t you?”
Carson nodded and for the first time he broke down crying, his pain stricken heart too fragile to stay strong any longer. “What if they are really dead Audrey? Ellsa was the one who was with them last, what if she killed them?”
Audrey hugged his head to her chest, “Don’t say that!”
“You haven’t found her and she hasn’t called Kris in three months. She used to call her twice a day. I have the large phone bills to prove it!”
“What’s wrong? Why is he crying?” Kris stuttered. She ran the few feet to his desk. “Tell me what’s wrong? Is it Ellie and the baby?”
“We don’t know. We haven’t heard anything yet,” Audrey answered. Kris too had become a wreck. She called her every hour asking for news of Ellie. They both resembled junkies going cold turkey.
Kris dropped in the chair, despair and sorrow taking its place back on her face. “It’s been too long. Maybe she is dead.”
“Please don’t say that!” Audrey begged.
“What other explanation is there?”
“Why don’t you two go home? I’m sure Seth is waiting for you Kris.”
Kris smiled weakly. “Seth is probably updating Ellie’s twitter and Facebook accounts. We’ve got a number of false leads but, he’s still hopeful.”
“And you aren’t?”
Kris stood up, “I’m tired. Call me when you have news.” She staggered out, her head hanging low.
“Carson, why don’t you go home?”
“To the memories of my wife and daughter? I don’t think so. Audrey, thank you for taking care of me, but I’d like to be alone.”
Audrey nodded. “If you need anything, just call.” She walked out, closing the door and leaving Carson alone with his tormenting memories.
He curled up on the couch hugging Ellie’s and Stacey-Ann’s picture against his chest. He’d tried everything he could to find them and now a sickening feeling was settling over him.
Acceptance.