Categories > TV > Law & Order: SVU > In My Life
In My Life
Chapter 2: Gone
This was not the way that he wanted to come back to her apartment. He had imagined that he might drive over in the morning; perhaps a neighbor that recognized him would let him up as often happened. He would climb the stairs to her building; perhaps he would have even brought flowers with him, camellias; her favorite. He would knock on her door and she would open it, a hint of suspicion in her eyes. She would be wearing a bathrobe or perhaps boxers and a t-shirt or maybe she would have just gotten out of the shower and her hair would be wet and hanging in her face. He would wrap his arms around her tight, apologize for all his wrongs and tell her again and again that he loved her with all his heart and soul. He would tell her that he had loved her for as long as he could remember.
This was not the way it was supposed to be; rushing over frantically in the middle of the night, a CSU team dusting for prints and spraying luminal to search for blood. There wasn't supposed to be a spatter of blood evident on her wall. None of this was how it was supposed to be. He should have never gone home. He should have stayed. He should have pounded on the door until someone let him in. He should have kicked the crap out of who ever it was that had entered her apartment through that broken bedroom window that also wasn't supposed to be there.
He should have been holding her in his arms at that moment instead of wondering where she was and being completely afraid for her. He should have been taking her back to his apartment to console her after having someone break in. He should have been arguing with her about whether she needed him or not. Oh God how he would give anything to argue with her at that moment.
A young CSU tech approached him, causing him to snap out of his thoughts "The only fingerprints we can find are Detective Benson's," the tech informed him.
'Damn it,' Elliot thought. Her last two words still echoed in his head and he knew that they would be there until he found her. Suddenly he felt ill, he needed fresh air. He walked briskly out of the apartment, bumping into Munch and Fin as he did so.
The other two men said nothing to him. They knew how he was feeling; it was written all over his face. They decided to leave him alone and not to approach him without having some good news.
Elliot took a long walk down the stairs of the building and out into the night. The night was mild and a gentle breeze floated around him. As he walked he felt the tears begin to sting his eyes. He failed her, as a friend, as a partner, as anything and every thing that the world had asked him to be, he had failed. He had failed his father by not being the son he had wanted. He had failed Kathy by not being the husband she needed. Now he had failed Olivia by not being there when she needed him. She had been kidnapped and God knows what else and it was all his fault; he wished he had a clue or some sign, a hint to who it was who took her.
By this point he had made his way to the alley that ran behind Olivia's building. He was wandering aimlessly now until something caught his eye, a glint of metal in the faint light cast by the windows of the surrounding buildings. He walked nearer to it and bent down. He was still wearing his latex gloves so he picked it up without fear of contaminating any evidence. It was a badge but as he turned it and allowed the light to twinkle on the surface he realized that it didn't belong to anyone who was NYPD. It was a US Marshal's badge, Deputy US Marshal Andy Eckerson to be exact. Everything clicked in his mind and he knew why the voice had sounded so familiar. It had been Andy, Andy had Olivia. He brought the badge back upstairs for the CSU techs to examine.
He climbed the stairs with a small flame of hope flickering deep within his heart. He entered the apartment and handed the badge to the nearest tech. He turned to see Cragen, Munch and Fin standing around the answering machine, all three men had tears in their eyes that refused to fall. Elliot knew that they had heard the message. Olivia's frantic calls for help were now etched in their minds as well.
Cragen approached Elliot and put a hand on the younger man's shoulder "We need to talk," he pulled Elliot into the hallway of the building.
Elliot didn't like the sound of those words. Sure he had said that he loved Olivia on that message but that meant very little in the grand scheme of things. Then another thought occurred to him. He could be pulled off the case "Captain," he began frantically trying to defend himself "You can't-"
Cragen cut him off "Elliot, we don't have time for this now," he spoke sternly, trying to keep his composure and remain the leader that his detectives needed him to be although this case was tearing him up inside "I'm not gonna take you off the case. You are one of the few people I trust and right now I need you," he paused and looked down at the ground "She needs us to do the best job we've ever done and that means that all my detectives are on the case," he looked up again "but Elliot. That tape is in evidence now. Once the brass gets wind of this, you and Olivia won't be partners anymore."
"I don't care what the brass does," Elliot said defiantly "As long as we get her back safe, I don't give a damn about anything else in the world," with that he turned and went back into the apartment to watch the techs finish processing the crime scene.
Cragen shook his head. He'd known that Elliot and Olivia were in love. He had been in love once and the good Lord had taken his wife away from him. Although when Marge died there had been closure. He couldn't imagine what Elliot was going through right now, knowing that the woman that he loved was gone but not knowing where or what happened to her. That tape wouldn't help them much and it could end up costing Elliot his job. Cragen walked up to the CSU tech who was bagging the answering machine tape.
"Yes sir?" the tech asked, looking up.
Cragen took the tape "You never saw this," he told the young man. He turned and walked away leaving the confused tech just standing there. Pocketing the tape, Cragen joined Elliot and the others in the bedroom where they were all crowded around the broken window. Morales was bagging a few shards "What do we have?" Cragen asked.
"We got some blood," Morales said as he focused on the bag in his hand "and some hair strands," he added.
Elliot bent down to get a closer look at the strands of hair "Bastard," he cursed under his breath. They were long strands of a deep honey caramel blond color. Eckerson had used Olivia's head to break the window "I'll kill him," Elliot said angrily, straightening up.
"Kill who?" Cragen, Munch, Fin and Morales asked in unison.
"Eckerson," Elliot growled "I found his badge on the ground outside." He stared out through the broken glass onto the fire escape. Eckerson wouldn't have needed to break the window; he was trained in sneaking around. He had shoved her head through the window just as another way of showing her that he was in charge. It was just another way of controlling her. Elliot felt the anger building inside him. He needed to take it out on something. He turned and punched the nearest wall.
Cragen took a moment to let this new information sink in. She'd been kidnapped by a Fed, a Fed who was good at making people disappear. The US Marshals new how to set someone up with a new identity, a new life and they knew how to make it so no one ever found that person again.
"Where is the badge now?" Morales asked. He wanted to make sure that all the evidence was in order. He would have processed the entire scene himself if he could have. He worked with the other techs and even respected some of them but Olivia's disappearance was just too big to leave to anyone else.
"I gave it to Millie," Elliot told him.
Morales rushed out of the room and up to Millie Vizcarrando. He reached out his gloved hand to her "Give it to me Millie," he said sternly.
She looked at him with nothing but confusion written on her face "Excuse me?" she said indignantly.
"The badge Elliot found," Ruben told her "hand it over."
Millie pulled out the bag that she had put the badge in "Here," she told him as she shoved it into his hands "Why are you so uptight?"
"A detective was just kidnapped and you want to know why I'm uptight?" he asked her. He grabbed her by the shoulders tight and shook her.
"Ruben," she whimpered slightly from the pain "You're hurting me."
He let her go instantly "I'm sorry Millie," he told her, inside he was kicking himself for having just done that to her "I've just been on edge lately and this case is just a little..."
"I know," she put a hand on the side of his face and quickly looking around to see that no one was facing in their direction brought her lips to his "This is hard for all of us," she whispered as she pulled away "But," she continued in a slightly louder tone "That still doesn't explain why you don't trust me with evidence."
"I'm having a hard time trusting anyone," he told her. He turned and walked back towards the bedroom "Nothing personal."
Millie stood stunned for a moment. 'Nothing personal?' They had been dating for three months now and everything had become personal. She loved him and how caring he could be sometimes and sometimes she could picture herself with him for the rest of her life or at least that's what she told herself. But she hated that he could be so harsh sometimes but she knew that that's what made him a good cop. She had been thinking lately though that maybe she should end it and his actions just now were only serving to support her theory; they could just be the out she wanted. She knew she had a lot to think about.
Ruben entered the bedroom and saw that Cragen, Munch, Fin and Elliot were all talking in hushed tones. He quickly assessed the room and decided that there was no new evidence he needed to collect and turned to leave once more. It seemed wrong to intrude on the conversation of these four men. Ruben knew that they were the closest thing that Olivia had to family and this discussion was obviously not meant for his ears. So he left, quietly shutting the door behind him to give them some privacy.
"We're gonna find her Elliot," Munch reiterated firmly as he placed a hand on Elliot's shoulder.
"I should have never left her. I should have-" Elliot's pity party was cut off by Fin.
"You can stand there and think of all the things you could have done but it won't do anyone any good," Fin shot out "If this guy was as determined as he seems to be, he would have found a way to get rid of you anyway," he turned to leave the room before calling back over his shoulder "Get off your ass and do something besides blaming yourself. I'm sick of hearing it."
Elliot wanted to run after Fin in that very moment and punch him but he knew that he had a point. None of this blaming himself was helping Olivia. He turned to Cragen "Let's get started."
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"Coming!" Casey yelled at the frantic pounding on her door. She placed the empty beer bottle down on the counter and it promptly toppled to the floor and shattered "Shit," she muttered as she stepped as carefully as she could over the glass and headed towards the door.
"Casey!" Elliot yelled from the other side of the door "Open up already," he muttered to himself.
"Jesus," Casey complained to herself as she unchained the door. She saw Elliot standing on the other side looking like a man on a mission. She was not in the mood for whatever SVU needed her to do tonight, maybe she would have been in the mood three or four beers ago "What do you want?" she spat.
Elliot took in the semi dazed look in her eyes, the way her words came out slightly slurred "Are you... drunk?" he asked. This was not the time. God, of all the nights that Casey could get plastered, why did she choose tonight?
"I'm not drunk," Casey protested "I just had maybe like one too many." She opened the door and beckoned Elliot to enter.
He did so reluctantly. His eyes were immediately drawn to the broken glass on the floor. He rolled his eyes, now was not the time. He couldn't deal with this "Casey," he turned to her "I need you."
That wasn't the smartest choice of words on Elliot's part but it did get Casey's attention. She blushed and giggled "I'm sorry," she told him "You just aren't my type."
Elliot scratched his head, confused. Suddenly it hit him "No!" he began abruptly "No not like that," he found himself stumbling for words "It's Olivia," he finally blurted out.
"Excuse me?" Casey was finding it impossible to follow Elliot's train of thought. She made her way to the coffee machine and clumsily began preparing a pot. She put the grounds in the filter and filled the pot with water but instead of poring the water into the back compartment of the machine she simply put the pot on the burner. She didn't notice her mistake however and leaned against the counter, scrutinizing Elliot through red rimmed eyes.
Elliot watched in amusement; he couldn't remember seeing Casey drunk before or at least never this drunk. He moved towards the coffee machine and promptly corrected her error. Getting some actual caffeine in her would be a lot better than just plain hot water.
"So," Casey began as she fell laughing against his shoulder "You need me and Olivia? Does your ex-wife know about these strange compulsions of yours?"
Elliot bit his lip and tried to suppress the urge to do one of two things. He was ready to laugh his head off or punch something he wasn't sure which. He only knew that neither was a good idea right now. He gently moved away from Casey and left her to lean against the counter once more. He decided to just tell her "Olivia's been kidnapped."
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Three hours and about a dozen cups of coffee later Elliot dropped Casey off at her office to draw up a warrant for Eckerson's apartment. Elliot sat in the car waiting for Casey; it was his job to drive since she was 'still somewhere between buzzed and faced'.
He looked at the clock on the dashboard; it was 1:35. It had only been four and a half hours since he had last seen Olivia, four hours since he had last heard her voice. What if he... no he couldn't think that way. He hated himself for having failed her. He remembered the way she had looked when they had stood by the car. She had been scared of what they had just done and she had run. Damn it why had he just stood there like an idiot? He should have run after her right away. He should have called after her. There were so many things he should have done and now he might never... again he couldn't think that way. For her sake he couldn't let himself think like that.
If they... when they found her he would never let a day go by in the future without letting her know how much he loved her. He had waited eight years and he thought that perhaps if he hadn't waited so long, she might be in his arms tonight. He wanted more than anything at that moment to feel her hair running between his fingertips, to hear her sweet voice in his ears and to breathe the sweet scent that she possessed. The tears came silently but they came fast as he waited for Casey to return.
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Casey got the paperwork together. Her head was pounding from the alcohol, caffeine and fatigue but she couldn't stop for anything, not now. Olivia had been abducted; Casey knew just as well as any of the detectives did that the longer they waited, the less chance they had of finding her alive if at all.
Why did she decide to dull the pain tonight of all nights. Sure Jason had just broken up with her that evening and done it over the phone no less. But that was no excuse for getting wasted on a night when she was going to be needed for something so important. It didn't matter how many times she tried to tell herself that she couldn't have known that this was going to happen; she still felt like a complete idiot for doing it. She felt some comfort knowing that the pain she was feeling in her head at that moment was well deserved.
She gathered the folder into her arms and opened the door to her office. She groaned and squinted when the harsh florescent lights assaulted her blood shot eyes. Quickly she rushed out to where Elliot was waiting in the car.
She slipped into the passenger's seat as gracefully as she could. She turned to Elliot "Now to find a judge that'll sign a warrant on such limited evidence," she told him. She leaned back in her chair and sighed heavily "To Carson's, driver," she instructed in a slightly sarcastic tone. She hoped she could find Judge Davis there. He often was on Friday nights; it was her best chance at getting the warrant signed.
"A bar," Elliot began incredulously "Casey you aren't helping by just getting more and more smashed." He was angry that Casey could even think about going to a bar when things were so desperate.
"Look," Casey spoke angrily as she looked him straight in the eye "Do you want this warrant signed or not?" Elliot simply nodded, stunned into momentary silence by Casey's sudden outburst. Casey continued, unwavering in her rage towards Elliot at that moment "No judge in their right mind would sign a warrant where the only piece of evidence is an ID that could have ended up where it was found any number of ways," she grabbed Elliot's shoulder and pulled him close to her so that she was whispering, almost hissing in his ear "So we need a judge out of his mind and if we're lucky Judge Davis will still be at Carson's and he will be drunk enough to accept what I tell him but not too drunk to write his name." She released him and turned to face forward. She spoke one last word to him in a short curt tone; she wasn't in the mood to deal with any of his bullshit "Drive."
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Ruben slung his coat over the back of one of the kitchen chairs. He had been processing the evidence from Olivia's apartment and had been hell bent on doing it himself. He didn't trust anyone else with this job. Finally at one in the morning Captain Siper had made him go home. She had told him that there were plenty of other competent techs that could do the job and that he needed to get home and get some sleep. Siper had known that Ruben had been working thirty six hours straight by that point and she had gone so far as to order him to go home.
He walked to the sink and turning on the tap, splashed cold water on his face. The sudden coolness was relieving as drops ran down his cheeks and soothed his overworked mind if only briefly.
He was careful to be quiet in his movements so as not to wake Millie. Cautiously he stepped into the bedroom expecting that Millie was already asleep. He was surprised when he found her wide awake, standing beside the bed and zipping up her duffle bag.
"Millie sweetheart," he began as he approached her. He reached his arms out to her to envelope her in a tight hug but she shrugged him off.
"Not now Ruben," she told him as she picked up the bag "Not ever again," she turned and began to walk out of the apartment.
He followed her to the door, he just couldn't stand losing her not tonight when the world proved that it could tear down everything that the badge stood for; that even the strongest woman could fall victim to a demon disguised as a man "Millie," he placed a hand on her arm "I'm so sorry about earlier... I didn't mean to hurt you like that. You know I would never-"
She cut him off with fire in her voice and eyes. She was tired of shacking up with this man. He was too clean cut; too much of a goody two shoes. It had taken him forever to ask her out because he was afraid of endangering their jobs. He still walked on eggshells around Siper and the others and she was sick of it. She never really liked him; she had only felt sorry for him. The first date was a pity date and she had stayed with him just for the sex but the sex wasn't worth putting up with the rest of him "Goodbye Ruben," with that she was gone in a blur.
Ruben ran after her and caught up with her at the door to the elevator "Millie," he pleaded in hushed tones so as not to disturb his neighbors "Just stay the night. Maybe things will look different in the light of day," he reached a tentative hand towards her upper arm once more.
"No!" she shot back. Millie didn't care if she woke any of Ruben's neighbors up; she just didn't care "It's over you idiot," she spat at him "Get that through your thick head." The elevator doors opened and Millie was just about to step in when she turned and shoved Ruben hard against a wall "Pathetic," she muttered as she stepped inside and the doors closed after her.
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Elliot pulled up in front of the bar. Casey, who hadn't said a word to him for the entire drive, got out and headed inside. He stared after her, not caring at all that they weren't speaking. Truthfully there was only one person on his mind, only one thing he cared about. Whether or not he was talking to Casey was irrelevant as long as she got the warrant signed.
The second they had the warrant he was going to hunt Eckerson down and kick the crap out of him. He didn't want to think about the things that could be happening to Olivia at that moment. Years of experience had taught him what men like Eckerson were capable of and the thought made his stomach turn. He couldn't stop hating himself for allowing this to happen.
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Casey scanned the smoky room. Judge Davis was easy to spot. He was sitting on a stool at the end of the bar, animatedly chatting with the bartender. She made her way cautiously towards him, making her best effort to avoid the gazes of far gone bar patrons who seemed pleased at the sight of the new comer. Taking a seat on the stool next to the judge, she turned to face him "Judge Davis," she began tentatively.
A slow, drunken smile of recognition spread across the judge's face "Ms. Novak," his speech was only slightly slurred "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
She opened the folder that she held in her hand and spread it out on the bar in front of the inebriated judge. She handed him a pen "I need this warrant signed," she smiled nervously. It was the moment of truth. If she could convince Judge Davis that the warrant contained probable cause then they were golden.
The judge took the pen that was offered to him and without a second thought or even asking a single question, signed his name "There you go," he told her as the bartender placed another drink in front of him.
"Thank you," Casey said quickly as she slid off the stool and headed for the door. It seemed to her that getting the warrant signed was too easy; he hadn't even asked any questions. She hoped that it wouldn't come back to bite them in the butt later. She tried to put the thought out of her mind and headed for the car.
She got in, holding the open folder up for Elliot to see, she spoke emotionlessly to him "Got it."
Elliot pulled out his cell phone and called the captain to let him know that they had the warrant and to meet them at Eckerson's apartment. He hung up, turned the car on and sped off, the silently building tension in the car threatening to burst at any moment.
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"Police, open up!" Elliot didn't even wait for a response from the other side of the door before he kicked it down. He ignored the stares that he received from his colleagues as he entered the apartment with his gun drawn. The detectives spread out in different directions and began to search the apartment. Elliot's heart fell a little further with each call of 'clear' that was heard as each room yielded no signs of life. When the search was complete all of the detectives and Captain Cragen converged in the living room.
"We should get a CSU team in here," Cragen began.
"There's no point," Elliot was angry "He wouldn't have brought her here; he would have known that this would be the first place we'd go," he slammed his hand down on a nearby table with such force that a photo album toppled to the floor, falling open for all four men to see.
Munch was the quickest of the men to put on gloves and retrieve the album "Dear God," he murmured as he slowly turned the pages.
"He's been stalking her," Fin said in realization.
Elliot took the album and looked through the pictures. The photos documented Olivia's day to day life; they were even time coded. There were pictures of her on the sidewalk outside her building, with Elliot as they investigated various crime scenes, most of the pictures were of both her and Elliot. "He's been stalking both of us," Elliot whispered.
Upon further inspection of the apartment it became obvious that Eckerson had indeed been stalking the both of them. Notebooks where he had tried to work out the schedule of each detective down to the minute were found in the drawer of his nightstand. Journals with stomach turning entries were hidden under the bed. Andy's obsession seemed to go back years, starting just after he and Olivia had ended their relationship. According to the journals, tonight had been the planned night because Eckerson knew that Elliot would be in court and hadn't expected him to take Olivia out to dinner; a change that in the end had probably aided his plan more than hindered it.
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Elliot stood on the roof of the precinct, staring down at the city. He wondered if she was still even in the city. Most likely not; New York may be a big city but Elliot knew that Eckerson wouldn't be so dumb as to think he could hide in it for long. He sighed heavily as he leaned against the railing, his head in his hands. Knowing that Eckerson did it was worthless without knowing where to look.
The door leading onto the roof opened softly and Casey stepped out. She walked over to Elliot and tapped him on the shoulder "We're gonna find her," she assured him. She had been mad earlier in the evening that Elliot couldn't trust her judgment but truthfully she had given him very little to trust. She wasn't angry anymore.
He glanced over at her briefly "Yeah," was all he said before his gaze shifted back to the streets below.
Casey silently handed him a piece of paper then turned to head back inside. At the door to the stairs she paused "We will," with that she had disappeared inside the precinct.
Elliot looked at the paper that Casey had given him. He did a quick double take and then rushed down the stairs back to the squad room.
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Her head hurt. That was the first thing she was aware of. She reached a hand up to touch the spot and found a rather thick wad of gauze fashioned into a makeshift bandage. She slowly opened her eyes. Where ever she was, it was dark. She sat up slowly on what she figured was a cot. The pain in her head begged her to lie down again instantly though.
The chirping of crickets could be heard and she knew that she was no longer in the city. The events leading her to be where she was came back to her and she knew she had to get away if she could.
She sprang up from the cot once more, ignoring the pain this time even as it screamed at her. She reached a wall and in the dark began to feel around. Her hands met with a window sill. Judging from how high off the ground it was she deduced that she was in a basement. Her fingers fumbled clumsily in the dark with the lock on the window when she heard footsteps from somewhere behind her.
She managed to open the window and hoist herself onto the high up sill when the basement room was flooded with light. The window screen gave way easily and she was almost through. She could see trees, very tall trees and not a sign of another building for miles. She breathed in cool night air that was fresh and smelled of grass and leaves, unlike the city smells of gasoline and garbage.
Suddenly rough hands yanked her back inside. She landed hard on the floor looking straight up into Andy's face. The bright light in the basement only made her head pound more furiously but still she managed to struggle against him.
Andy pinned her wrists together using only one hand. He put his full weight on her stomach and soon she found fighting back almost useless. He smile at her "I'm glad you're awake," he told her in all honesty.
"Get, off, of, me," she venomously spat out each word, masking her fear with her anger.
He saw right through her words; the fear in her eyes spoke louder than anything else. He knew she was afraid of him and he planned to use that fear. He simply smiled down at her once more as he shifted his weight off of her only to pick her up and carry her back to the cot.
She tried to fight him off once again but again she was unsuccessful. Before she knew it, she was tied to the cot and the reality of what he was about to do set in. She squeezed her eyes shut.
TBC
A/N: Ok, cliff hangers don't come more evil than this one. Please review and give me feedback. Also, I know I'm evil so you don't need to remind me.
Chapter 2: Gone
This was not the way that he wanted to come back to her apartment. He had imagined that he might drive over in the morning; perhaps a neighbor that recognized him would let him up as often happened. He would climb the stairs to her building; perhaps he would have even brought flowers with him, camellias; her favorite. He would knock on her door and she would open it, a hint of suspicion in her eyes. She would be wearing a bathrobe or perhaps boxers and a t-shirt or maybe she would have just gotten out of the shower and her hair would be wet and hanging in her face. He would wrap his arms around her tight, apologize for all his wrongs and tell her again and again that he loved her with all his heart and soul. He would tell her that he had loved her for as long as he could remember.
This was not the way it was supposed to be; rushing over frantically in the middle of the night, a CSU team dusting for prints and spraying luminal to search for blood. There wasn't supposed to be a spatter of blood evident on her wall. None of this was how it was supposed to be. He should have never gone home. He should have stayed. He should have pounded on the door until someone let him in. He should have kicked the crap out of who ever it was that had entered her apartment through that broken bedroom window that also wasn't supposed to be there.
He should have been holding her in his arms at that moment instead of wondering where she was and being completely afraid for her. He should have been taking her back to his apartment to console her after having someone break in. He should have been arguing with her about whether she needed him or not. Oh God how he would give anything to argue with her at that moment.
A young CSU tech approached him, causing him to snap out of his thoughts "The only fingerprints we can find are Detective Benson's," the tech informed him.
'Damn it,' Elliot thought. Her last two words still echoed in his head and he knew that they would be there until he found her. Suddenly he felt ill, he needed fresh air. He walked briskly out of the apartment, bumping into Munch and Fin as he did so.
The other two men said nothing to him. They knew how he was feeling; it was written all over his face. They decided to leave him alone and not to approach him without having some good news.
Elliot took a long walk down the stairs of the building and out into the night. The night was mild and a gentle breeze floated around him. As he walked he felt the tears begin to sting his eyes. He failed her, as a friend, as a partner, as anything and every thing that the world had asked him to be, he had failed. He had failed his father by not being the son he had wanted. He had failed Kathy by not being the husband she needed. Now he had failed Olivia by not being there when she needed him. She had been kidnapped and God knows what else and it was all his fault; he wished he had a clue or some sign, a hint to who it was who took her.
By this point he had made his way to the alley that ran behind Olivia's building. He was wandering aimlessly now until something caught his eye, a glint of metal in the faint light cast by the windows of the surrounding buildings. He walked nearer to it and bent down. He was still wearing his latex gloves so he picked it up without fear of contaminating any evidence. It was a badge but as he turned it and allowed the light to twinkle on the surface he realized that it didn't belong to anyone who was NYPD. It was a US Marshal's badge, Deputy US Marshal Andy Eckerson to be exact. Everything clicked in his mind and he knew why the voice had sounded so familiar. It had been Andy, Andy had Olivia. He brought the badge back upstairs for the CSU techs to examine.
He climbed the stairs with a small flame of hope flickering deep within his heart. He entered the apartment and handed the badge to the nearest tech. He turned to see Cragen, Munch and Fin standing around the answering machine, all three men had tears in their eyes that refused to fall. Elliot knew that they had heard the message. Olivia's frantic calls for help were now etched in their minds as well.
Cragen approached Elliot and put a hand on the younger man's shoulder "We need to talk," he pulled Elliot into the hallway of the building.
Elliot didn't like the sound of those words. Sure he had said that he loved Olivia on that message but that meant very little in the grand scheme of things. Then another thought occurred to him. He could be pulled off the case "Captain," he began frantically trying to defend himself "You can't-"
Cragen cut him off "Elliot, we don't have time for this now," he spoke sternly, trying to keep his composure and remain the leader that his detectives needed him to be although this case was tearing him up inside "I'm not gonna take you off the case. You are one of the few people I trust and right now I need you," he paused and looked down at the ground "She needs us to do the best job we've ever done and that means that all my detectives are on the case," he looked up again "but Elliot. That tape is in evidence now. Once the brass gets wind of this, you and Olivia won't be partners anymore."
"I don't care what the brass does," Elliot said defiantly "As long as we get her back safe, I don't give a damn about anything else in the world," with that he turned and went back into the apartment to watch the techs finish processing the crime scene.
Cragen shook his head. He'd known that Elliot and Olivia were in love. He had been in love once and the good Lord had taken his wife away from him. Although when Marge died there had been closure. He couldn't imagine what Elliot was going through right now, knowing that the woman that he loved was gone but not knowing where or what happened to her. That tape wouldn't help them much and it could end up costing Elliot his job. Cragen walked up to the CSU tech who was bagging the answering machine tape.
"Yes sir?" the tech asked, looking up.
Cragen took the tape "You never saw this," he told the young man. He turned and walked away leaving the confused tech just standing there. Pocketing the tape, Cragen joined Elliot and the others in the bedroom where they were all crowded around the broken window. Morales was bagging a few shards "What do we have?" Cragen asked.
"We got some blood," Morales said as he focused on the bag in his hand "and some hair strands," he added.
Elliot bent down to get a closer look at the strands of hair "Bastard," he cursed under his breath. They were long strands of a deep honey caramel blond color. Eckerson had used Olivia's head to break the window "I'll kill him," Elliot said angrily, straightening up.
"Kill who?" Cragen, Munch, Fin and Morales asked in unison.
"Eckerson," Elliot growled "I found his badge on the ground outside." He stared out through the broken glass onto the fire escape. Eckerson wouldn't have needed to break the window; he was trained in sneaking around. He had shoved her head through the window just as another way of showing her that he was in charge. It was just another way of controlling her. Elliot felt the anger building inside him. He needed to take it out on something. He turned and punched the nearest wall.
Cragen took a moment to let this new information sink in. She'd been kidnapped by a Fed, a Fed who was good at making people disappear. The US Marshals new how to set someone up with a new identity, a new life and they knew how to make it so no one ever found that person again.
"Where is the badge now?" Morales asked. He wanted to make sure that all the evidence was in order. He would have processed the entire scene himself if he could have. He worked with the other techs and even respected some of them but Olivia's disappearance was just too big to leave to anyone else.
"I gave it to Millie," Elliot told him.
Morales rushed out of the room and up to Millie Vizcarrando. He reached out his gloved hand to her "Give it to me Millie," he said sternly.
She looked at him with nothing but confusion written on her face "Excuse me?" she said indignantly.
"The badge Elliot found," Ruben told her "hand it over."
Millie pulled out the bag that she had put the badge in "Here," she told him as she shoved it into his hands "Why are you so uptight?"
"A detective was just kidnapped and you want to know why I'm uptight?" he asked her. He grabbed her by the shoulders tight and shook her.
"Ruben," she whimpered slightly from the pain "You're hurting me."
He let her go instantly "I'm sorry Millie," he told her, inside he was kicking himself for having just done that to her "I've just been on edge lately and this case is just a little..."
"I know," she put a hand on the side of his face and quickly looking around to see that no one was facing in their direction brought her lips to his "This is hard for all of us," she whispered as she pulled away "But," she continued in a slightly louder tone "That still doesn't explain why you don't trust me with evidence."
"I'm having a hard time trusting anyone," he told her. He turned and walked back towards the bedroom "Nothing personal."
Millie stood stunned for a moment. 'Nothing personal?' They had been dating for three months now and everything had become personal. She loved him and how caring he could be sometimes and sometimes she could picture herself with him for the rest of her life or at least that's what she told herself. But she hated that he could be so harsh sometimes but she knew that that's what made him a good cop. She had been thinking lately though that maybe she should end it and his actions just now were only serving to support her theory; they could just be the out she wanted. She knew she had a lot to think about.
Ruben entered the bedroom and saw that Cragen, Munch, Fin and Elliot were all talking in hushed tones. He quickly assessed the room and decided that there was no new evidence he needed to collect and turned to leave once more. It seemed wrong to intrude on the conversation of these four men. Ruben knew that they were the closest thing that Olivia had to family and this discussion was obviously not meant for his ears. So he left, quietly shutting the door behind him to give them some privacy.
"We're gonna find her Elliot," Munch reiterated firmly as he placed a hand on Elliot's shoulder.
"I should have never left her. I should have-" Elliot's pity party was cut off by Fin.
"You can stand there and think of all the things you could have done but it won't do anyone any good," Fin shot out "If this guy was as determined as he seems to be, he would have found a way to get rid of you anyway," he turned to leave the room before calling back over his shoulder "Get off your ass and do something besides blaming yourself. I'm sick of hearing it."
Elliot wanted to run after Fin in that very moment and punch him but he knew that he had a point. None of this blaming himself was helping Olivia. He turned to Cragen "Let's get started."
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"Coming!" Casey yelled at the frantic pounding on her door. She placed the empty beer bottle down on the counter and it promptly toppled to the floor and shattered "Shit," she muttered as she stepped as carefully as she could over the glass and headed towards the door.
"Casey!" Elliot yelled from the other side of the door "Open up already," he muttered to himself.
"Jesus," Casey complained to herself as she unchained the door. She saw Elliot standing on the other side looking like a man on a mission. She was not in the mood for whatever SVU needed her to do tonight, maybe she would have been in the mood three or four beers ago "What do you want?" she spat.
Elliot took in the semi dazed look in her eyes, the way her words came out slightly slurred "Are you... drunk?" he asked. This was not the time. God, of all the nights that Casey could get plastered, why did she choose tonight?
"I'm not drunk," Casey protested "I just had maybe like one too many." She opened the door and beckoned Elliot to enter.
He did so reluctantly. His eyes were immediately drawn to the broken glass on the floor. He rolled his eyes, now was not the time. He couldn't deal with this "Casey," he turned to her "I need you."
That wasn't the smartest choice of words on Elliot's part but it did get Casey's attention. She blushed and giggled "I'm sorry," she told him "You just aren't my type."
Elliot scratched his head, confused. Suddenly it hit him "No!" he began abruptly "No not like that," he found himself stumbling for words "It's Olivia," he finally blurted out.
"Excuse me?" Casey was finding it impossible to follow Elliot's train of thought. She made her way to the coffee machine and clumsily began preparing a pot. She put the grounds in the filter and filled the pot with water but instead of poring the water into the back compartment of the machine she simply put the pot on the burner. She didn't notice her mistake however and leaned against the counter, scrutinizing Elliot through red rimmed eyes.
Elliot watched in amusement; he couldn't remember seeing Casey drunk before or at least never this drunk. He moved towards the coffee machine and promptly corrected her error. Getting some actual caffeine in her would be a lot better than just plain hot water.
"So," Casey began as she fell laughing against his shoulder "You need me and Olivia? Does your ex-wife know about these strange compulsions of yours?"
Elliot bit his lip and tried to suppress the urge to do one of two things. He was ready to laugh his head off or punch something he wasn't sure which. He only knew that neither was a good idea right now. He gently moved away from Casey and left her to lean against the counter once more. He decided to just tell her "Olivia's been kidnapped."
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Three hours and about a dozen cups of coffee later Elliot dropped Casey off at her office to draw up a warrant for Eckerson's apartment. Elliot sat in the car waiting for Casey; it was his job to drive since she was 'still somewhere between buzzed and faced'.
He looked at the clock on the dashboard; it was 1:35. It had only been four and a half hours since he had last seen Olivia, four hours since he had last heard her voice. What if he... no he couldn't think that way. He hated himself for having failed her. He remembered the way she had looked when they had stood by the car. She had been scared of what they had just done and she had run. Damn it why had he just stood there like an idiot? He should have run after her right away. He should have called after her. There were so many things he should have done and now he might never... again he couldn't think that way. For her sake he couldn't let himself think like that.
If they... when they found her he would never let a day go by in the future without letting her know how much he loved her. He had waited eight years and he thought that perhaps if he hadn't waited so long, she might be in his arms tonight. He wanted more than anything at that moment to feel her hair running between his fingertips, to hear her sweet voice in his ears and to breathe the sweet scent that she possessed. The tears came silently but they came fast as he waited for Casey to return.
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Casey got the paperwork together. Her head was pounding from the alcohol, caffeine and fatigue but she couldn't stop for anything, not now. Olivia had been abducted; Casey knew just as well as any of the detectives did that the longer they waited, the less chance they had of finding her alive if at all.
Why did she decide to dull the pain tonight of all nights. Sure Jason had just broken up with her that evening and done it over the phone no less. But that was no excuse for getting wasted on a night when she was going to be needed for something so important. It didn't matter how many times she tried to tell herself that she couldn't have known that this was going to happen; she still felt like a complete idiot for doing it. She felt some comfort knowing that the pain she was feeling in her head at that moment was well deserved.
She gathered the folder into her arms and opened the door to her office. She groaned and squinted when the harsh florescent lights assaulted her blood shot eyes. Quickly she rushed out to where Elliot was waiting in the car.
She slipped into the passenger's seat as gracefully as she could. She turned to Elliot "Now to find a judge that'll sign a warrant on such limited evidence," she told him. She leaned back in her chair and sighed heavily "To Carson's, driver," she instructed in a slightly sarcastic tone. She hoped she could find Judge Davis there. He often was on Friday nights; it was her best chance at getting the warrant signed.
"A bar," Elliot began incredulously "Casey you aren't helping by just getting more and more smashed." He was angry that Casey could even think about going to a bar when things were so desperate.
"Look," Casey spoke angrily as she looked him straight in the eye "Do you want this warrant signed or not?" Elliot simply nodded, stunned into momentary silence by Casey's sudden outburst. Casey continued, unwavering in her rage towards Elliot at that moment "No judge in their right mind would sign a warrant where the only piece of evidence is an ID that could have ended up where it was found any number of ways," she grabbed Elliot's shoulder and pulled him close to her so that she was whispering, almost hissing in his ear "So we need a judge out of his mind and if we're lucky Judge Davis will still be at Carson's and he will be drunk enough to accept what I tell him but not too drunk to write his name." She released him and turned to face forward. She spoke one last word to him in a short curt tone; she wasn't in the mood to deal with any of his bullshit "Drive."
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Ruben slung his coat over the back of one of the kitchen chairs. He had been processing the evidence from Olivia's apartment and had been hell bent on doing it himself. He didn't trust anyone else with this job. Finally at one in the morning Captain Siper had made him go home. She had told him that there were plenty of other competent techs that could do the job and that he needed to get home and get some sleep. Siper had known that Ruben had been working thirty six hours straight by that point and she had gone so far as to order him to go home.
He walked to the sink and turning on the tap, splashed cold water on his face. The sudden coolness was relieving as drops ran down his cheeks and soothed his overworked mind if only briefly.
He was careful to be quiet in his movements so as not to wake Millie. Cautiously he stepped into the bedroom expecting that Millie was already asleep. He was surprised when he found her wide awake, standing beside the bed and zipping up her duffle bag.
"Millie sweetheart," he began as he approached her. He reached his arms out to her to envelope her in a tight hug but she shrugged him off.
"Not now Ruben," she told him as she picked up the bag "Not ever again," she turned and began to walk out of the apartment.
He followed her to the door, he just couldn't stand losing her not tonight when the world proved that it could tear down everything that the badge stood for; that even the strongest woman could fall victim to a demon disguised as a man "Millie," he placed a hand on her arm "I'm so sorry about earlier... I didn't mean to hurt you like that. You know I would never-"
She cut him off with fire in her voice and eyes. She was tired of shacking up with this man. He was too clean cut; too much of a goody two shoes. It had taken him forever to ask her out because he was afraid of endangering their jobs. He still walked on eggshells around Siper and the others and she was sick of it. She never really liked him; she had only felt sorry for him. The first date was a pity date and she had stayed with him just for the sex but the sex wasn't worth putting up with the rest of him "Goodbye Ruben," with that she was gone in a blur.
Ruben ran after her and caught up with her at the door to the elevator "Millie," he pleaded in hushed tones so as not to disturb his neighbors "Just stay the night. Maybe things will look different in the light of day," he reached a tentative hand towards her upper arm once more.
"No!" she shot back. Millie didn't care if she woke any of Ruben's neighbors up; she just didn't care "It's over you idiot," she spat at him "Get that through your thick head." The elevator doors opened and Millie was just about to step in when she turned and shoved Ruben hard against a wall "Pathetic," she muttered as she stepped inside and the doors closed after her.
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Elliot pulled up in front of the bar. Casey, who hadn't said a word to him for the entire drive, got out and headed inside. He stared after her, not caring at all that they weren't speaking. Truthfully there was only one person on his mind, only one thing he cared about. Whether or not he was talking to Casey was irrelevant as long as she got the warrant signed.
The second they had the warrant he was going to hunt Eckerson down and kick the crap out of him. He didn't want to think about the things that could be happening to Olivia at that moment. Years of experience had taught him what men like Eckerson were capable of and the thought made his stomach turn. He couldn't stop hating himself for allowing this to happen.
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Casey scanned the smoky room. Judge Davis was easy to spot. He was sitting on a stool at the end of the bar, animatedly chatting with the bartender. She made her way cautiously towards him, making her best effort to avoid the gazes of far gone bar patrons who seemed pleased at the sight of the new comer. Taking a seat on the stool next to the judge, she turned to face him "Judge Davis," she began tentatively.
A slow, drunken smile of recognition spread across the judge's face "Ms. Novak," his speech was only slightly slurred "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
She opened the folder that she held in her hand and spread it out on the bar in front of the inebriated judge. She handed him a pen "I need this warrant signed," she smiled nervously. It was the moment of truth. If she could convince Judge Davis that the warrant contained probable cause then they were golden.
The judge took the pen that was offered to him and without a second thought or even asking a single question, signed his name "There you go," he told her as the bartender placed another drink in front of him.
"Thank you," Casey said quickly as she slid off the stool and headed for the door. It seemed to her that getting the warrant signed was too easy; he hadn't even asked any questions. She hoped that it wouldn't come back to bite them in the butt later. She tried to put the thought out of her mind and headed for the car.
She got in, holding the open folder up for Elliot to see, she spoke emotionlessly to him "Got it."
Elliot pulled out his cell phone and called the captain to let him know that they had the warrant and to meet them at Eckerson's apartment. He hung up, turned the car on and sped off, the silently building tension in the car threatening to burst at any moment.
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"Police, open up!" Elliot didn't even wait for a response from the other side of the door before he kicked it down. He ignored the stares that he received from his colleagues as he entered the apartment with his gun drawn. The detectives spread out in different directions and began to search the apartment. Elliot's heart fell a little further with each call of 'clear' that was heard as each room yielded no signs of life. When the search was complete all of the detectives and Captain Cragen converged in the living room.
"We should get a CSU team in here," Cragen began.
"There's no point," Elliot was angry "He wouldn't have brought her here; he would have known that this would be the first place we'd go," he slammed his hand down on a nearby table with such force that a photo album toppled to the floor, falling open for all four men to see.
Munch was the quickest of the men to put on gloves and retrieve the album "Dear God," he murmured as he slowly turned the pages.
"He's been stalking her," Fin said in realization.
Elliot took the album and looked through the pictures. The photos documented Olivia's day to day life; they were even time coded. There were pictures of her on the sidewalk outside her building, with Elliot as they investigated various crime scenes, most of the pictures were of both her and Elliot. "He's been stalking both of us," Elliot whispered.
Upon further inspection of the apartment it became obvious that Eckerson had indeed been stalking the both of them. Notebooks where he had tried to work out the schedule of each detective down to the minute were found in the drawer of his nightstand. Journals with stomach turning entries were hidden under the bed. Andy's obsession seemed to go back years, starting just after he and Olivia had ended their relationship. According to the journals, tonight had been the planned night because Eckerson knew that Elliot would be in court and hadn't expected him to take Olivia out to dinner; a change that in the end had probably aided his plan more than hindered it.
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Elliot stood on the roof of the precinct, staring down at the city. He wondered if she was still even in the city. Most likely not; New York may be a big city but Elliot knew that Eckerson wouldn't be so dumb as to think he could hide in it for long. He sighed heavily as he leaned against the railing, his head in his hands. Knowing that Eckerson did it was worthless without knowing where to look.
The door leading onto the roof opened softly and Casey stepped out. She walked over to Elliot and tapped him on the shoulder "We're gonna find her," she assured him. She had been mad earlier in the evening that Elliot couldn't trust her judgment but truthfully she had given him very little to trust. She wasn't angry anymore.
He glanced over at her briefly "Yeah," was all he said before his gaze shifted back to the streets below.
Casey silently handed him a piece of paper then turned to head back inside. At the door to the stairs she paused "We will," with that she had disappeared inside the precinct.
Elliot looked at the paper that Casey had given him. He did a quick double take and then rushed down the stairs back to the squad room.
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Her head hurt. That was the first thing she was aware of. She reached a hand up to touch the spot and found a rather thick wad of gauze fashioned into a makeshift bandage. She slowly opened her eyes. Where ever she was, it was dark. She sat up slowly on what she figured was a cot. The pain in her head begged her to lie down again instantly though.
The chirping of crickets could be heard and she knew that she was no longer in the city. The events leading her to be where she was came back to her and she knew she had to get away if she could.
She sprang up from the cot once more, ignoring the pain this time even as it screamed at her. She reached a wall and in the dark began to feel around. Her hands met with a window sill. Judging from how high off the ground it was she deduced that she was in a basement. Her fingers fumbled clumsily in the dark with the lock on the window when she heard footsteps from somewhere behind her.
She managed to open the window and hoist herself onto the high up sill when the basement room was flooded with light. The window screen gave way easily and she was almost through. She could see trees, very tall trees and not a sign of another building for miles. She breathed in cool night air that was fresh and smelled of grass and leaves, unlike the city smells of gasoline and garbage.
Suddenly rough hands yanked her back inside. She landed hard on the floor looking straight up into Andy's face. The bright light in the basement only made her head pound more furiously but still she managed to struggle against him.
Andy pinned her wrists together using only one hand. He put his full weight on her stomach and soon she found fighting back almost useless. He smile at her "I'm glad you're awake," he told her in all honesty.
"Get, off, of, me," she venomously spat out each word, masking her fear with her anger.
He saw right through her words; the fear in her eyes spoke louder than anything else. He knew she was afraid of him and he planned to use that fear. He simply smiled down at her once more as he shifted his weight off of her only to pick her up and carry her back to the cot.
She tried to fight him off once again but again she was unsuccessful. Before she knew it, she was tied to the cot and the reality of what he was about to do set in. She squeezed her eyes shut.
TBC
A/N: Ok, cliff hangers don't come more evil than this one. Please review and give me feedback. Also, I know I'm evil so you don't need to remind me.
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