Don stared straight ahead in his usual professional way as Olivia and Elliot finished their story he put out a cigarette and stared straight ahead calculating his thoughts, "so to summarise there are two children out there in our district, we don't know if they're alive or not."
Olivia nodded as she closed her eyes as the feelings of worry she had since last night grew within her, she dealt with situations like this more often the most people and it never got any easier. The thought that Noah and Alisha may have been outside all of last night and died from the cold was enough to bring tears to her eyes.
"And" Don continued, "if they are found it is suspected they have been victims of psychical abuse, neglect and possible sexual abuse."
Olivia could sense the tone in Don's voice and she leaned forward in her chair, "I know it sounds like this case is something we should hand over to a different department, but there is something about this case that just sounds familiar to me. I have this feeling that this case is something that our unit should become directly involved with."
"Are you saying it could be linked with another case of yours Olivia."
Olivia nodded as she carefully thought about her argument, "there has been a foster carer, a man on my caseload that has been suspected of sexually abusing the children who were placed into his care who have been afraid of talking to the police, and I think that..."
"Olivia" Don interrupted, "that's a hunch."
"It could be connected."
Don shook his head, "i'm sorry Olivia you haven't got enough."
Olivia nodded she was smarter than this she knew the chances of these cases being related were one in a hundred.
Don was distracted for a second by the weather suddenly shifting before he said, "I suggest we notify the other departments and put out a missing persons report for each of these two children."
Elliot saw the pain on Olivia's face and he quickly covered her hand with his own. Olivia without a second thought held on to Elliot's hand tightly, "if they are found" Elliot said, "then what will happen."
"Once these children are found" Don stated, "I will request that the children be brought here since we're the ones who discovered this in the first place it would be a good move for us to attempt to develop some level of trust with them before we ask them some questions."
"I can do that" Olivia said.
"Me to" Elliot added.
"Very well now i'm sure both of you have a great deal of work to do."
An hour went by and Elliot came to Olivia's desk, "so about our session in court this afternoon I want to check that everything I am presenting is" Elliot saw Olivia staring ahead with fog filled eyes and he nodded in an empathic manner, "your still preoccupied."
"Elliot I can't stop worrying" Olivia whispered as she locked her fingers together, "they could be anywhere... I shouldn't even be here."
"Okay" Elliot put his hands on Olivia's desk, "is all the information for this afternoon's court session in this folder?"
Olivia quickly opened the folder and skimmed through each document until she was satisfied, "yes it is"
"Alright i'll tell Don your feeling unwell and need to go home, while i'm doing that you go out and continue searching for these children."
Olivia felt a strong resolve burning inside her as she stood up and grabbed her belongings, "Elliot thank you but its better if I tell him."
"He's in a meeting Liv, your track record is perfect this won't hurt your reputation."
"Okay" Olivia said with a quick smile, "thank you."
"Find them" Elliot said, "and i'll join you as soon as I can."
"What would I do without you?"
"I hope you never have to find out" Elliot said as he walked towards Don's office.
"Me neither" Olivia whispered as she picked up her coat and disappeared on to the street. Olivia walked to where she last saw the children and decided to give the place one more sweep, she looked at the ground checking for any sign of the children no bags Olivia thought to herself, no cookie crumbs and no signs of clothing or footprints. Then Olivia remembered something that gave her a small glimmer of hope she had given Alisha one of her coats last night to wear it might have just been big enough to cover the two of them, "unless its been stolen" Olivia's whispered, her eyes lit up as she pulled out her phone and called 911, "yes I need the police my coat has been stolen."
Olivia searched for hours until it was finally dark. Olivia didn't want to stop she wanted to keep searching, but inside she knew that it was no use she didn't have a torch, she was to fatigued to concentrate and there had been no calls back about her missing coat. Her imagined plan of the New York police department either finding her coat which would give Olivia some clue as to where the children had gone or telling her if the coat had been stolen from the children by someone else had failed. Her plan of confronting a person who may have stolen the coat from the children and demanding to know where he/she had seen the children had failed to, in the end she had accomplished nothing. Elliot had not called her to say he could assist and Olivia didn't feel like ringing him up to ask him. Elliot had helped her last night with trying to track the children down, he did to much for her already.
Olivia opened the door to her apartment and looked out the window showing the night sky illuminated by the lights of New York and the glow of stars as she hung up her work attire in her closet and changed into casual comfortable clothes, "I hope Alisha and Noah are okay wherever they are" she whispered. She looked at the snow on the pavement and gasped as she saw two children who had been on her mind all day huddling together near a lamppost wrapped in Olivia's coat. Olivia put on shoes before she quickly ran down the stairs and opened the front door of the apartment complex to the outside. She slowly walked towards the two children until she saw Noah turning around and gasping as he saw the same detective from last night coming towards them, "Noah" Olivia said with a kind smile, "Alisha."
Alisa turned around with Noah and stared at the woman who had been so nice to them last night, the woman the little girl was afraid of because Olivia was a detective, "Livy."
Olivia walked over, "hey you two."
Noah stood up and held out his arms in front of Alisha, "don't come any closer."
"Alright" Olivia said as she bent down to Noah's height, "I won't come any closer."
"You won't?" Noah whispered.
"Instead of me coming closer to you, why don't you two come closer to me."
"It's a trick" Noah said as he held Alisha's hand.
"If you come closer towards me, i'll give you some food."
"Food" Alisha said with a eager look on her face.
"You see that light" Olivia said as she pointed her finger at the window from her apartment, "that's where my home is why don't you come with me and i'll get you something to eat."
"No" Noah said as he shook his head.
"Noah" Olivia said in a firm voice, "I know you're starving, its raining you two need to come with me."
"What will you do?" Alisha whispered.
"I'll give both of you some food, and a place to sleep that isn't cold, a nice bed."
"No" Noah whispered.
"Noah" Olivia said with a warm smile, "please let me help you."
Alisha looked at Olivia and sniffed, "you won't hurt Alisha."
"I won't hurt Alisha or you."
Alisha looked at Olivia with big shiny eyes and ran into her arms. Olivia gently picked the girl up, "I want to go with you" the girl whispered.
"Okay dear" Olivia looked at Noah with a warm smile who slowly walked towards them.
Olivia carried Alisha upstairs while Noah slowly followed keeping his eyes fixed on Olivia. Olivia opened the door and put Alisha down as she and Noah looked around them, "I know it isn't much" Olivia said.
"Its magical" Alisha whispered, she looked like she had step foot into Disneyland.
Olivia sniggered, Elliot had always told her that her apartment was to empty and looked to much like her office, "i've never been told my apartment was magical."
"Its clean" Noah said as Alisha nodded, "and its warm... its nice."
"I see" Olivia said, "well have a look around." Olivia watched the children disappear into the bathroom before she went to the kitchen racking her brain, trying to think of a hot suitable meal for the children. She put hot water into a saucepan and looked at the cupboard, "I knew I should have gone shopping" she muttered to herself as she took out a packet of pasta, "I hope the kids will like this." Olivia poured it into the saucepan and heard a small gasp she turned around and saw Noah looking at the pot and protectively hugging Alisha, "Noah what's the matter."
"Don't cook Alisha."
Olivia sighed as she put down the empty packet, "Noah listen to me I am not going to eat you or Alisha and that pot with boiling water on the stove is pasta I am cooking for you two."
"You will eat us" Alisha whispered as she ran to Olivia and pulled at her trousers, "don't eat Noah he doesn't taste like chocolate I do cook me for dinner."
"I don't eat kids" Olivia whispered as she ran her hand through Alisha's dirty brown hair, "because kids taste like sweaty socks."
Alisha looked at Olivia and smiled slowly, "no we don't."
"Yes" Olivia said with a smirk, "kids taste like sweaty socks and stinky feet."
Noah started to smile to, "no kids are tender and chewy with barbeque sauce."
"Well" Olivia picked Alisha up and smelled her the girl giggled, "yep anything that smells like socks will taste like socks."
Noah chuckled, "Alisha doesn't stink that much."
"Noah you both stink and you both need a bath."
"Bath?" Noah said he looked at Alisha she was smiling from ear to ear as she played with Olivia's hair.
"How about I give Alisha a bath and you can watch television then you can take a bath."
"Um" Noah whispered.
Olivia rubbed her nose with Alisha's nose, the girl giggled in response, "Alisha will be just fine, i'll keep the door open in case you want to come in."
The little boy nodded, "okay."
"Alright" Olivia carried Alisha into the bathroom and ran the bath, she looked at the little girl hopping up and down, "you look very excited."
"I like baths they're fun."
"Well" Olivia helped Alisha remove her shirt and gasped as she saw dark purple green bruises on the girl's torso, "Livy" Alisha whispered.
"Honey" Olivia gently touched one of the marks, "how did you get these."
"The bad kids person" Alisha said softly.
"Bad kids person."
Alisha looked at the tiles,"when I don't do as i'm told the bad kids person comes."
"I see" Olivia whispered as she tried to smile at the child she gently put her hand on the girl's cheek, "do you think i'm going to do the same thing to you."
The girl nodded slowly, "if i'm bad."
"Alisha I am not going to hurt you or Noah no matter what you do."
Alisha took Olivia's hand and her eyes filled with tears, "Alisha I am not going to hurt you."
"Liv" Alisha said softly.
"Yes."
"Sorry."
"Sorry for what?"
Alisha looked at the red marks on Olivia's knuckles, "I bit you."
"Its okay, your teeth aren't that sharp."
"You won't punish?"
"No dear i'm not the bad kids person and even if I was I wouldn't hurt a wonderful little girl like you now let's get you in the tub." Olivia removed the rest of Alisha's worn thin clothes before she lifted the girl into the bath and began to softly wash her arms. Olivia rubbed the dirty marks off Alisha's cheeks and could see the difference she was making, Alisha was looking like a whole new child.
"Okay i'm going to put some shampoo in your hair."
Alisha flinched as Olivia poured the shampoo in her hand, "shampoo is bad stuff."
"It stings if it gets in your eyes so close your eyes tightly." Alisha scrunched up her face as Olivia gently rubbed the shampoo in the child's hair before she washed it out with a small cup, "there all clean."
Alisha reached out her soap covered arms and touched Olivia's face with her hands, "are you really not an angel?"
Olivia smiled warmly, "i'm a detective."
"Are all detectives as nice as you?"
"Well maybe not as nice as me but all detectives I have met are nice."
"Mr M said they weren't."
"Can you tell me who Mr M is?"
"He's" Alisha whispered, "um"
"He looked after us and other kids." Olivia turned around and looked at Noah standing in the doorway looking as pale as a slab of rock.
"What did he do" Olivia whispered.
"Gave us food and told us to do things" Noah replied.
"Noah how did Alisha get these bruises?"
"The man with the belt" Noah said, "it was my fault."
"Noah" Olivia said softly as she walked towards Noah and bent down to his level, "it is not your fault you didn't want Alisha to get hurt."
"I did the wrong thing" Noah muttered, "and the man with the belt punished us both."
Olivia felt hot anger boiling inside her, she made a silent vow to herself that whoever these men were she was either going to see them imprisoned or strangle them with her bare hands, "Alisha Noah can you tell me where these men are?"
Alisha let out a gasp of fear and Olivia quickly dashed back to the little girl, "no more talking about bad men please no more talking."
"Okay" Olivia whispered as she gently rubbed Alisha's head with her hand waiting for her to calm down, "okay" she said again as she picked Alisha up from the tub and wrapped her in a towel before she turned to Noah, "alright Noah do you want to have a bath here without me."
"Yes" Noah said, "I mean yes please."
"Alright" Olivia said she gently reached out a hand Noah flinched at first until he felt how gentile Olivia's hand was on his shoulder and he slowly relaxed, "call me if you need anything."
"Wait" Noah said.
"Yes."
"Are you the witch from hansel and gretal?
"No I" Olivia stammered before she saw the grin on Noah's face and she smiled, "i'm not the witch from hansel and gretal and the wtich wanted to make the kids fat before eating them not clean them in a bath before eating them... smartypants." Alisha giggled with Noah as Olivia chuckled, "i'll have pasta ready for you when you come out Noah."
Half an hour went by Olivia had dressed Alisha in one of her oversized tea shirts Noah had insisted on wearing the same filthy clothes that he had worn before and Olivia had not been able to persuade him to dress in her clothes even the least girly clothes Olivia could find Noah refused to put on. Like the previous night Olivia had constantly reminded the children to slow down while they were eating their pasta she was relieved that the children liked it considering Olivia was a terrible cook who usually burnt whatever food she made. Olivia had turned on the television and after switching to a children's movie channel which Olivia liked to watch sometimes Alisha had jumped on to the coach with Olivia and snuggled up to her side while Noah sat on the carpet by Olivia's feet. Olivia looked at Noah sitting on the carpet staring blankly at the television screen, "I bet the couch is more comfortable why don't you sit with me and Alisha."
Noah looked at Olivia with wide eyes, "no thank you misses Livy."
"That's the first time anyone has ever called me that."
"Oh" Noah muttered, "sorry."
"Just call me Liv dear."
"Okay" Noah said.
"You sure you don't want to sit next to me."
Noah stood up and looked at Livy closely, "there is nothing in my pockets nothing that can hurt you."
Noah slowly sat on Liv's other side and crossed his arms protectively. Olivia stared sadly at the little boy she could sense there was a great deal of pain inside Noah, "Noah can I talk to you about mr M?"
Noah shook his head, "please don't."
"Okay but Noah sooner or later we will need to talk about it."
"Not now" Noah said.
"Okay not now we can just relax and watch the television." Olivia looked at Alisha falling asleep in her arms, "I think I better put Alisha to bed."
Noah stood up to and watched Olivia carrying Alisha to her bedroom and putting her down, "this is where you will sleep tonight when you get tired."
Noah pulled the blankets up to cover Alisha, "goodnight Alisha."
Olivia watched the interaction with warm feelings, "you are really good with Alisha."
Noah looked up at Olivia, "I promised Mrs Harris I would look after Alisha."
"Where is Mrs Harris know?"
"At the orphanage."
"The orphanage?"
"Mrs Harris asked the older kids to look after the small kids and Mrs Harris asked me to look after Alisha and teach her things and protect her because she didn't have any friends."
Olivia bent down to Noah's height and gently put a hand on the boy's shoulder, "Noah your only eight years old don't you have anyone protecting you and looking after you."
Noah brushed Olivia's hand away and glared at her, "I don't need anyone to protect me."
"Everyone does sweetheart."
"What do you know" Noah yelled before he ran out of the bedroom, Olivia sighed before she felt a small hand on her leg and she looked at Alisha, "don't be mad Liv Noah is the nicest boy in the world."
"I know he is dear."
"Livy."
"Yes sweetheart."
"I'm glad you found us" the girl whispered as she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.
"Goodnight" Olivia whispered before she closed the bedroom door and went out into the living room she looked around for Noah and found that the bathroom door was locked, Olivia knocked on the door, "Noah when you want to go to bed just go into my bedroom okay." Olivia didn't get an answer and feeling very tired herself she went back to her couch and after setting up the bed and putting a blanket down before she heard a sniff and turned around to find Noah crying, "honey" Olivia whispered as she walked over and gave the little boy a hug, "its alright its okay."
"I'm sorry" Noah said.
"You've done nothing to be sorry for sweetheart" Olivia held Noah for a long time waiting for Noah to settle down before she finally pulled back and smiled at the child.
"Thank you for helping Alisha and me" Noah said.
"I promise you Noah everything is just going to be just fine, i'll make sure it is."
