Witness Ch. 04

When Elliot and Sharon reconciled Elliot got his sister a job as a Public Service Officer on the front desk at the police station. By then he had risen through the ranks to Deputy Commander of the Braidwood PD but after their parents died in an automobile accident Elliot moved from Braidwood to undertake a career as a detective in the city.

It was just on dark when another vehicle pulled up outside of the ranch house and an attractive woman in a business suit alighted. Sharon raced outside to meet her and the two women kissed unashamedly on the porch.

"Sharon's partner, Bethany," Elliot explained and Poppy smiled at Elliot's discomfort at watching the two women kiss.

Bethany was a lawyer who had met Sharon through work it was explained over a cup of coffee prior to Elliot and Poppy's departure.

Despite everything that had transpired Elliot and Poppy had not really reconciled and an uneasy truce entailed during the drive home. Little was said and Poppy kicked off her heels, pushed back her seat and tried to sleep. Elliot had the radio turned down low, grateful for the caffeine in his system to keep him awake.

Elliot gently woke Poppy when he pulled up outside her apartment block.

"Do you want to come up?" Poppy asked but she said it without conviction.

"I don't think I should," Elliot shrugged.

*****

Over the next two weeks Elliot put ADA Brett Mendelsohn under surveillance. Twice Brett Mendelsohn met with members of Napolitano crime family. To Elliot it confirmed that Brett had given up Poppy and Robert to the Napolitanos. Elliot ascertained that the ADA had purposely recorded Poppy's statement and deliberately leaked it to Napolitanos and then sold them the information that Poppy had a brother in boarding school.

Mendelsohn had likely entered into a conspiracy with the Napolitanos, trading Robert and Poppy's location and devising the kidnapping plan, all for money.

Elliot put all of the evidence he had collected into an envelope and instead of delivering it to the Chief of Detectives or the DA's office he anonymously dropped it at the offices of the Napolitanos lawyers.

Having achieved everything in his power to avenge Poppy he dropped an envelope containing his resignation into the Chief of Detectives in-tray along with his Detective's badge.

Elliot drove to Poppy's corner but she wasn't there. She was likely with a customer.

Latisha Collins dressed in skin-tight leggings and heels with her big hair and heavy makeup, approached Elliot's car.

Elliot rolled down the window.

"You might as well hang a sign that says Five-O around your neck sugar," Latisha leaned on the car door and looked in at Elliot.

"I'm looking for Penelope... for Poppy," Elliot said.

Latisha studied Elliot and broke into a smile.

"If I was cooped up with you for two months I'd probably go all gaga too sugar," Latisha crooned.

Elliot looked at her quizzically.

"Poppy ain't been on the streets for weeks. I checked up on her to make sure she be ok. She's fine but she workin' hard. Got a full time day job bussing tables and works nights cleaning offices seven days a week. That girl gonna work herself to death but she won't come back to the streets," Latisha explained.

"Where is she now?" Elliot asked, his concern evident.

"You the detective, so go and detect," Latisha pushed herself off the car and went back to her corner.

Elliot found Poppy on her hands and knees dressed in coveralls scrubbing the floor of a middle-school classroom. When she heard his footsteps behind her she panicked. She was a woman alone in a school building late at night. She turned around on her knees with her hands raised ready to fight.

Elliot grabbed her wrists to stop her failing at him. She stopped fighting when she realised that it was Elliot. She lowered her head in shame.

Elliot bent down and picked her up and carried her from the classroom. She put her hands around his neck; she was exhausted. He took her to his car and put her in the passenger seat.

"What?" Poppy was confused and disoriented.

She woke up in a strange bed on clean sheets, sunlight streamed through the window, the light dappled by the leaves of the trees outside the window.

A towel, toiletries, cosmetics and clean clothes were laid out on a camphorwood chest at the bottom of the bed. Poppy found the bathroom in the strange house and took a long shower and washed her hair. She put on some makeup, the jeans and t-shirt laid out for her and padded down the polished wooden stairs barefooted where she was met with the smell of bacon, eggs and pancakes. Her hair was still damp and she was carrying a pair of trainers with clean socks tucked into them.

Elliot and Sharon were sitting at the kitchen table. She had no idea what day it was but she knew where she was.

Elliot kicked back the chair and strode over to her. He hugged and kissed her unashamedly in front of his sister who politely left the room.

"Why did you bring me here?" Poppy asked.

Elliot didn't answer; he just moved the bangs out of her eyes.

"It's Saturday. The weekend," Elliot said.

Poppy had never been more confused in her life.

"You don't have to work weekends anymore," he smiled down at her but Poppy remained dumbfounded.

Suddenly the outside door slammed open and Robert burst into the kitchen his face flushed, grinning like a Cheshire cat. Charlie the Labrador followed him and began bounding around the kitchen excitedly.

"They have horses Poppy! And they have a dog! And I have my own room... well I do if you let me stay," Robert ran up to his sister and hugged her.

Elliot gave Poppy and Robert some space and took Charlie outside. Five minutes later Robert burst through the door and he and Charlie ran out back towards the stables.

"So you kidnapped my brother?" Poppy said but she was smiling.

She held a cup of coffee and she sat down in the cane chair across from Elliot.

"The Dean allowed me to take Robert for the weekend knowing that you will be joining us. We had a frank and honest conversation which I'm sorry to say resulted in the Dean falling down a few times but he has agreed to halve Robert's tuition fees and will not require any ancillary services from you any longer," Elliot said purposely.

"How did..." Poppy began but Elliot silenced her by putting a finger on her lips.

"You didn't have to say anything Poppy. I knew as soon as you got into the car. I think I know you as well as I know anyone," Elliot said.

"So what now?" Poppy sighed.

"Robert seems to like it here and it's close to his school. He wouldn't have to board," Elliot pursed his lips.

Poppy looked concerned.

"Are you going to take custody of Robert away from me?" Poppy began to panic.

Elliot burst out laughing and once again Poppy was perplexed.

"No. I'm proposing you move in here. Just for now until we find our own place," Elliot smiled.

"I'm confused Elliot. What about my apartment? What about my jobs?" Poppy began to realise what Elliot was proposing.

"What about them? You and Robert can live here with me, Sharon and Bethany. Bethany has an opening for a legal secretary. It's not charity, she really needs one and you can continue your studies," Elliot beamed.

"What about you? How are you going to work, it's too far to commute," Poppy's head was still spinning.

"I have my job back at Braidwood PD. They were looking for a replacement Deputy Commander and it just turns out I'm available," Elliot's smile was beginning to annoy her.

"So you kidnap me and my brother and bring us here and make me an offer I can't refuse. It seems to me like you've been planning this for a little while," Poppy's emerald green eyes flashed anger at him.

Elliot liked it a little when Poppy got angry. He liked the fire in her. He liked the fight.

"Go and get some breakfast and think about it. You have nothing to do all weekend but think about it. Sharon has gone to pick up Bethany, we have the place to ourselves," Elliot stood and picked up her empty coffee cup.

She followed him into the kitchen and made herself a plate of the delicious food left warming on the stove. She didn't realise how hungry she was and Elliot watched amused as she ate two full plates.

"You'll get fat," he teased her.

She threw a pork rind at him.

"Where are these horses?" she pushed back her chair.

It was just as well that the house was big. Sharon and Bethany had the master bedroom but Elliot, Poppy and Robert each had a room of their own and even then there was still one spare bedroom. After a barbeque dinner they retired to their respective bedrooms. Robert had gone to bed early; Charlie and the horses had tired him out.

Elliot couldn't sleep knowing that Poppy was sleeping only just down the hall from him; his need for her was a deep ache.

He thanked god when his bedroom door opened and her perfume preceded her.

Poppy was dressed in a t-shirt and panties because she had none of her own clothes with her. She took them off before slipping under the sheets.

Elliot lifted his arm and Poppy snuggled up to him.

"Do you really think this will work?" Poppy asked.

"Why shouldn't it?" Elliot whispered; the house was quiet.

"Because of who I am. Because of what I am," Poppy stared up at the ceiling lit by the moonlight coming through the window.

"You're not that any longer. This is a fresh start in a new town, no one here needs to know about your past," Elliot replied.

"That addresses the situation with who I am but not what I am," Poppy said flatly.

"What are you? You are a beautiful, kind, considerate woman who I am deeply and unashamedly in love with. You decide who needs to know you're a trans woman but the way I see it it's no one else's business," Elliot sighed.

"Wait... go back to that part about being deeply and unashamedly in love," Poppy said, her voice trembling.

Elliot rolled over and straddled Poppy, his knees either side of her, his body supported on his elbows.

"I love you Poppy. I can't live without you. You don't have to move to Braidwood if you don't want to. You don't have to change your way of life if you don't want to but nothing can stop me loving you. I know because I've tried," Elliot kissed her cheek.

"But..." Poppy tried to reply but Elliot cut her off.

"You were angry when you asked me if you were going to live in the suburbs, cooking and cleaning and waiting for me to come home and was I going to be a brother-in-law to a junkie whore's son. I don't want that. But what I do want is for you and Robert to live here with me and for Robert to keep attending the Grosvenor School and for you to do whatever you want but the offer of the job with Bethany is real," Elliot continued.

"How long do I have to make up my mind?" Poppy asked.

"Only the rest of your life because that's how long I intend to love you," Elliot smiled down at her.

Poppy put her arms around Elliot's neck and pulled his face down to hers so they could kiss.

"This place is as quiet as a church," Poppy whispered when the bed creaked as they kissed.

"Then we will have to make love slowly," Elliot grinned.

His penis was hard and pressing against Poppy's, pre-seminal fluid lubricating their hard shafts.

"Can you do that?" Poppy grinned up at him cheekily.

She wriggled under him so that his glans was nestled in her sphincter.

"Let's see," he lowered his face and kissed her, sliding his tongue into her mouth at the same time that he slid his penis into her anus.

Poppy suppressed a gasp and when he was fully inside her she locked her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck and let him press his body against hers. His cock was stretching her anus, delightfully grinding her sphincter and pressing on her prostate. She mewed softly and hung onto him as he slowly began to fuck her.

Elliot valiantly held on for what seemed like Poppy to be an eternity, edging her to the brink of orgasm and then backing off but eventually he couldn't control himself and he began to fuck her with long hard strokes and Poppy moaned beneath him.

The bedsprings creaked and complained as Elliot ground his cock deep inside Poppy's anus and ejaculated which timed perfectly with her own orgasm as she spent herself against her lover's belly.

They clung to each other as they writhed and wriggled their slick bodies against each other.

In the bedroom next door Sharon looked up from between Bethany's legs and smiled knowingly and then went back to her task, making Bethany squirm and squeal when Sharon's tongue lapped her tender clitoris.

Poppy and Elliot lay in each other's arms uncaring about the scent of sex that permeated the air. Later that night Elliot perched Poppy on the seat under the window and took her again, the moonlight illuminating her beautiful face which was contorted with passion.

They went back to bed and fell asleep exhausted and when Elliot awoke he found Poppy leaning over him. He looked up at her quizzically.

"I love watching you sleep," she smiled down at him.

"Then why don't you do it on a permanent basis. If you live with me you can do it every night," Elliot teased her.

"Ok then," Poppy smiled and lowered her face to her lover and kissed his lips.

*****

At an undisclosed location somewhere in the city the Commission consiglieres met to discuss their bosses' business matters. The Dons had voted unanimously that Assistant District Attorney Brett Mendelsohn was to be quickly and quietly eliminated for his role in manipulating the Luca Tattaglia prosecution for his own financial gain. It was ironic that the contract was awarded to Luca Tattaglia who carried out the task discretely. Brett Mendelsohn simply disappeared from the face of the earth. There were no witnesses to his dying screams.

The End

(Or maybe not... I'd like to visit Poppy again sometime in the future and see how she gets on)

Author's Note: As always, your comments and critiques are always welcome and gratefully accepted

Michele Nylons, Feb 2021