Wasted

Ella sat up in the hospital bed, quietly glancing toward the police officers in her room. The man, Voight, from last night seemed to be the leader of the troupe- he was surrounded by an air of superiority. Behind him stood five others, four men and a woman, each watching her from the floor with a slight pity on their face. She closed her eyes painfully as a twinge of fire shot from her elbow to her wrist.

"Your arm is broken," Voight broke the silence. "Best take it easy for a while."

Ella nodded slowly, still watching them. The dark haired man stepped forward. "I'm Detective Dawson," he introduced himself, "we're here today because we need some descriptions on the suspects, can you do that for us?"

"Yeah." Ella's voice was almost robotic. "Will is tall, about six foot two and around one hundred-eighty pounds, short brown hair- brown eyes."

The man nodded and wrote down the information. "Okay, and the others?"

"Joseph Mitchell," she swallowed hard to contain her emotions, "he's five feet ten, one hundred-forty pounds. Brown hair and eyes, he has a scar running through his eyebrow, his left one." She glanced to Voight who she found watching her intently. "Then there's Paulie, you know him."

"Yeah," he answered. "But we need you to tell us again."

"He's a little over six feet, probably and close to three hundred pounds. Shaggy brown mullet."

Voight looked to Detective Dawson and nodded, then turned to Ella. "Okay, now when they took Lauren did they say anything about where they were going?"

Ella nodded and licked her dry lips. "Yeah, said they were going to stay in the city for a while, since nobody would expect it." She blinked slowly and whispered, "You have to find them," she begged. "Please."

"Them?" asked Voight.

"They took my children- my twins."

"We'll find 'em," Dawson spoke up.

Single file the officers left the room, but still Voight lingered behind, one hand on his hip. "I'll make sure they get what they've got comin' to them, don't you worry about that. Just rest, you'll see your family soon."

"Thank you," Ella buried her face in her hands and began to cry.



"So we've got three grown men that we know of, that have the family captive somewhere in the city." Lindsay recited as she taped the three mens' pictures on the whiteboard.

"First there's William Cooper," she pointed to the first man. "Lauren's ex-husband; now from what we've gathered she left him, reasons unknown, and he's set out to take revenge on her- he's tracked her down twice, this makes the third. She claims he's threatened murder." She then moved down the line. "This is Joseph Mitchell, Ella Mitchell's husband and father of the children they have captive. He worked as a third grade teacher back in Georgia. And lastly, Paulie Turner, job unknown but he is a resident of Chicago."

"So what've we got to work with?" Ruzek asked, leaned against his desk, his feet crossed at the ankles.

Voight walked to the board. "The only thing we know right now is they're in the city. We need eyes everywhere, so we'll split up and keep look out for these three. If anyone gets any hits you report back to me immediately. I've got a call to make."

He walked into his office and dialed his home phone number, tapping his fingers lightly on his desk.

"Hello?"

"Justin," he sighed into the receiver. "I need you to stay home today and watch the house, I heard someone sneakin' around last night."

"Sure, Dad." He yawned. "Lauren at work?"

"Yeah," he lied easily. "She had an early shift. I'll see ya when I get home, son."

He shoved the phone into his pocket and grabbed his badge from the top desk drawer.

"He doesn't know?" Erin asked quietly, peeking into the office with a small frown.

Voight's eyes met hers and narrowed. "Thought I told you to split up?"

"Forgot my phone," she held the small device up. Just before she turned to leave, she threw him a sympathetic look. "Justin's going to be really upset that you didn't tell him."

As if a weight had been placed on his sternum he replied. "What he don't know won't hurt him." He pointed to the door. "Now go."

He watched her turn and slam the door, shaking her head as she looked back to him.

Everyone gets a dose of disappointment today.



Lauren attempted to remove the rope that bound her wrists together tightly. With a muffled cry she tried with all her might to pull them apart, to no avail, and gasped as her head lolled back onto the wall she sat against. She stretched her legs out and winced as her knees popped angrily. Her eyes were used to the dark, for she'd been surrounded by it for hours.

Her dry mouth ached from the unwelcome object that unhinged her jaw, a dirty white cloth tied around her entire head. She tried to soothe her throat by swallowing, but was choked by the fabric.

Suddenly light flooded the small brick room, burning Lauren's eyes harshly.

"Well, well," William's chuckle brought chills up her spine. "Looks like the princess can't help herself, can she?"

Just wait, you miserable bastard.

"Word around town's your policeman is lookin' for us."

He will find me.

"Just to let you know," he seethed as he crouched before her, his eyes burning with fury, "you get stabbed for every step he makes inside this building."

Please hurry, Voight.