The Underbosses Psychiatrist (M/M)

17 - Chapter Seventeen - Zev Martin's Point Of View.

Three days later..

I don't know what part of me thought that this would end with just the first box. By box two it wasn't a question of what was in the box but more of who was in the box. Maddox had the second box brought to Dr.Kingsley's office and only a few of us were present. I didn't have to be the one to open the box this time. That job was left to only one person, Dr.Kingsley. I could really say I wasn't jealous of the fact he got to open the box and get the first look at the contents. Watching the letter get pulled out and set aside, He started to pull out the plastic wrapping and shreds. He stepped back before turning to those of us that watched.

"Its a pair of feet, female feet."

Taking a deep breath I did my best to mentally prepare myself to see a pair of women's severed feet. Nothing about the feet stood out to me as someone I would remember or know. The arm had been of someone I had gone to school with before the attack, surely this also had to be like that. Trying to think back I was drawing a blank. Snagging the letter first I ripped open the letter and read the few sentences.

How did you like my last gift? What about this one? Do you remember her, she walked in our lives often.

That got my brain rolling. I grabbed a pen and a paper off Dr.Kingsley's desk and started to write down all the names of anyone who had been a woman and in our lives often. There were a few people. It wasn't until Maddox reached into the box and pulled out a long red sparkly nail that I found myself knowing exactly what women in my life these feet once belonged too.

Loria Cooper.

She had always had bright red sparkly nails, she had never once changed the colour. It was a custom colour she had made. I knew the colour anywhere. Loria had testified against Nathan in the trial that found him guilty. I felt the tears on my cheeks. That woman was the nicest person to have ever been in my life. She had been our neighbour when we first moved into our apartment and she quickly became a friend of us both.

"The owners of these feet----"

"Her name is Loria Cooper."

"I wouldn't---"

"Her name is Loria Cooper. That nail is the same colour and length they were when she was younger. She had been our neighbour and she testified against Nathan. I know its her. That nail polish is a custom colour."

I couldn't help but feel like this was all my fault that she was dead. He was killing people from our past and I had no way of knowing who was next. The best thing I could do was reach out to everyone from our past and warn them they weren't safe because of Nathan. Alexi snagged Dr.Kingsley's laptop and i heard a bunch of typing.

"Miss Cooper's feet were removed after death and by the colouration of the toes she was killed by a lack of oxygen."

"Anything else the feet tell you Dr.Kingsley?" Maddox said looking from a distance.

"I got something!" Alexi said turning the laptop around.

On the screen was a news article about Nathan Harris. It was talking about the fact he was being released despite his crimes and the dangers he was to the public. At the bottom of the article was a photo of Loria and a quick few sentences about her. Alexi did some more digging spitting out bits of information as he found it.

"Loria was writing a book based on the trial and attack."

That was news to me. I hadn't heard a thing about that and it wasn't like I didn't talk to Loria. I had only spoken to her a few weeks before the attack that levelled my clinic. We had bumped into each other at the courthouse oddly enough. I was providing my professional opinion on the ruling of a custody battle in which both parents had a mental illness.

"Zev! She has a whole section about you on her blog!"

I snatched the laptop from Alexi and scrolled through the whole section. Alexi was right. Loria had a whole section about me. She had basically outed my entire life story on the blog she wrote. I felt sick to my stomach. I wasn't even mad about it honestly just shocked by both this and the fact she was dead. Every blog post about me I read through was honest and down to the point. She knew everything about me. All my awards and mentions were written about and celebrated through her words. The last blog post in that section was the same day that Nathan was released. It was an open letter.

Dr. Zev Martin,

I'm beyond proud of you Zev. You might have never known this but I wanted to write your story and preach for you. Your awards and mentions are amazing, you've worked so hard to become the doctor you are. I've always covered everything you've done. Your story started out of a tragedy and mine could end as one. He called me. This is my last post about you. It has to be.

Thank you, Loria Cooper.

I handed the computer back to Alexi the letter still there. He read it and looked at me. He did a bunch of typing before he spoke,

"Loria wrote a letter to Zev, She says here that he called her and that this was the last post about Zev, it had to be. I think she knew he was coming to get her and going to make her pay for what she did. This post was posted from a cellphone and at two pm."

"Do you think he might have been trying to get her then and this is like her last words?" I said.

"Very well could be. She might have had it written and to publish at a button push."

Sickness flooded my stomach. This was getting worse and it would only get graver, If he was going after all my friends or people I knew I was going to be receiving plenty more boxes. I couldn't even begin to apologize to her soul for the monster that Nathan is and was. In anger, I punched the only part of the wall that wasn't concrete and urge to do it, again and again, was there.

"I hope you plan on fixing that."