Thanks everyone for the great reception of this story. It's very different for me to write a mystery but I'm enjoying it. I hope you will like where I'm taking this ...
...
2. Missing
Elliot felt like a zombie. He'd started calling everyone he and Olivia knew as soon as he thought it was acceptable to call people on a Saturday morning. A lot of them weren't amused to be called out of bed just after eight on their day off. Nobody had heard from Olivia and she hadn't been brought into any hospital ER.
Aside from their Captain, John Munch and Fin Tutuola seemed to be the only ones to grasp the severity of the situation. They both told him they were on their way to Olivia's, as was Cragen. Elliot tried to eat something and couldn't suppress a sad smile when he inspected the contents of Olivia's fridge. How she could live on orange juice and cheese was a mystery to him. He found a pack of crackers in one of the cabinets and managed to eat two. Coffee Olivia had plenty of, and he made enough for all four of them. He was grateful that the guys were coming over. He'd felt completely lost during the night and hadn't slept a wink.
John Munch gave him a friendly hug when he let his boss and co-workers into his partner's apartment. If anyone knew how Elliot felt right now, it would be Munch. He never commented much but Elliot knew that nothing went by the older Detective. He knew how close he and Olivia were. None of the men asked him why he'd spent the night at Olivia's. They understood and it gave Elliot strength. He could only hope that the four of them would be more successful in finding Olivia than he had been on his own so far.
He poured them all a cup of coffee and they discussed their options.
"Ruben thinks Olivia was taken and that her phone was turned off while she was already being transported in a car or van."
Cragen shook his head wearily.
"She could be anywhere by now."
They were silent for a few long moments. They had all seen way too much and knew what random men could do to random women. They knew the darkest side of humanity too well and to think that these horrors might touch one of their own was difficult to swallow. For Elliot, it was impossible to swallow. This could not be happening to them. To her. They had to do something, but what?
"We could go over Olivia's case files. See if there's someone she busted that was recently paroled," Fin suggested.
They all nodded and after finishing their coffee, they headed out. The weekend crew was very surprised to see the team come in on a Saturday while they were off duty, but as soon as Captain Cragen explained to them why they were there, everyone offered to help. They made quick work of all the databases together and came up with a list of suspects that might be up for a kidnapping - or rape or murder, but they left that out of the description for Elliot's sake. Then they cross-referenced the list with people who had recently been released from prison. A few names came up and Elliot was already grabbing his coat.
"Whoa whoa wait," Cragen said sternly. "You are staying here Elliot. Fin, Munch, you grab the list and get going."
"Captain …" Elliot started, but Cragen was adamant and held up his hands to silence his Detective.
"I want no argument from you Elliot. You're too close to her. I don't want to have to make any assault charges disappear. Fin and John will talk to the parolees, not you."
Elliot huffed but part of him knew his boss was right. He was ready to rip somebody's head off and that wouldn't be helpful. Cragen tasked him with another look in the database, this time for recent parolees or prisoners on leave, that weren't necessarily tied to Olivia or their team, but to snatching up women in New York. It didn't exactly calm Elliot down, but at least it gave him something to do.
At the end of the day, they felt like they hadn't gotten a single step closer to finding Olivia. All their suspects either had a solid alibi or were sitting quietly in their homes. Ruben had come in to monitor any activity on Olivia's phone and even on her debit cards but they were all coming up empty.
Elliot had called his ex-wife Kathy to tell her what had happened, because he felt that his family should know. They all knew Olivia too, and he needed someone to talk to. Kathy still was that person, even now that they were divorced, and she was very understanding. She told him she'd light a candle for Olivia in church, and so would the children. He asked her to kiss the kids for him and she encouraged him to get some rest.
"You won't be any good to Olivia once you find her if you don't sleep," she told him, and her quiet faith in him, telling him she was certain he'd find his partner, was soothing.
"Thanks Kath," he said softly, and for the first time in a long time he wished he could crawl into her arms and stay there for a while.
After ending the call he trudged up to the cribs. He wasn't going home. He needed to be here in case there was a development. Olivia was now officially missing for 24 hours and they were putting out a missing person alert. Her picture would be all over the city in no time. Elliot tried not to worry about what the person who took her might do if he or she felt cornered. And he refused to let his mind wander to a different scenario, where Olivia wasn't even alive anymore. He didn't expect to get any sleep but he'd lay down to give his tired body some rest.
…
"Elliot. Elliot."
Slowly, the gentle voice of his Captain started seeping into his conscience. He now felt the man's hand on his shoulder and he opened his eyes, instantly remembering their situation. Olivia. Missing. How long had he been asleep?
"Yeah. Any news?" he croaked, his voice still sleepy, while sitting up on his bunk bed.
Cragen sat down next to him and Elliot noticed that there was defeat in his features. He felt his chest constrict. This wasn't good. His Captain's brown eyes were sad when he looked at him.
"I'm sorry Elliot."
The words, spoken softly, sliced through his heart and Elliot didn't want to hear them. He jumped up and turned around to slam his hand into the bunk above his. He barely registered the pain and he hit the bunk again, making it shift slightly, even with his Captain still sitting on the lower bed.
"Elliot," the older man said, now standing up, but Elliot couldn't look at him.
He didn't want to listen. He couldn't hear him say the words. She couldn't be gone. Not Olivia. Not his partner. Not when she was coming over to his place …
"No!" he yelled before everything faded to black.
When he opened his eyes again, he was standing at a crime scene in the middle of Central Park. There were a lot of people buzzing around but all he could see was the sheet covering the body of the victim. It was her. He knew even before Melinda lifted up the sheet to let him see her. Melinda wiped a tear off of her own cheek with the back of her wrist while looking down at the beautiful woman underneath the sheet, but Elliot refused to look at her. It wasn't her. He knew it was, but it couldn't be. Not Olivia …
"Just tell me it was quick," he heard Munch ask Melinda.
"I'm sorry," Melinda said, wiping her cheek again. "It was slow and brutal. She was alive and awake for all of it."
Everything went black again.
Elliot didn't hear anything anyone was saying. They were praising her but he didn't want to be here. Not at this cemetery. Not at her grave. Kathy was standing next to him, holding his arm, and he knew she was the only thing keeping him upright. She wasn't holding on to him for her own sake but for his. He wanted to rip his arm out of her grasp and run back to the station, where his partner would be waiting for him. She'd smile at him, ask him what took him so long and then joke about who was driving to their next location. Her desk couldn't be empty. She was supposed to be there. She couldn't be gone!
Elliot sat up in bed, gasping for air. Where was he?
He looked around and saw that he was in the cribs. He checked the time out of habit. 3 AM. What day was it? Why was he here? He got up and walked out of the cribs and down to the squad room, not caring that his clothes were rumpled and he wasn't wearing his shoes. It was quiet in the building and Elliot looked in Cragen's office. His commanding officer was sleeping on the foldout bed in his office, waiting for news like he was.
It had only been a dream. A horrific dream, reflecting his deepest fears. The fear that Olivia was dead and that he would never see her brown eyes and her beautiful smile again. The fear that he'd never be able to tell her how much she meant to him.
Elliot leaned against the door frame of Cragen's office and closed his eyes. There was still hope. They hadn't heard from Olivia, but they hadn't found a body either. There was still hope. He decided to let the Captain sleep and went back to bed as well.
...
"Elliot. Elliot."
He frowned. He felt like he'd been here before. He heard a voice calling his name, only it wasn't the Captain this time. It was Fin. Elliot opened his eyes and sat up quickly.
"Yeah," he croaked. "What's up."
"El, we just got a phone call. They'll talk to nobody but you."
Elliot looked up at his co-worker and frowned. He was confused.
"Who?" he asked.
"They didn't say. They're calling back in five. Guy says he has information for you. We're pretty sure it has to do with Liv."
He was wide awake instantly. Someone wanted to talk to him and it could be about Olivia. Suddenly he could breathe better and he jumped up.
"Lead the way," he told Fin, who smirked before walking out of the cribs in front of him. Elliot's legs were still a bit wobbly but he wasn't going to miss this call.
Captain Cragen was already waiting for them at Elliot's desk when he and Fin walked into the squad room, and Ruben and a co-worker were setting up their equipment on the desk behind his.
"That phone?" Elliot asked, pointing at his own phone.
"Yes," Cragen confirmed. "He called on your line. He should be calling again any moment now."
"Everyone in position?"
"Yes, they're ready to trace the call as soon as it comes in," Munch confirmed, his hand resting on his own phone so he could pick up as soon as Elliot did to listen in on the call.
It was eerily quiet in the squad room after that, and they all jumped when Elliot's phone started ringing again. Elliot sat down in his chair and took a deep breath before reaching for the phone. He looked at his co-workers, who were also his friends, and then picked up, as did Munch.
"Special Victims unit, this is Detective Stabler."
"Detective Stabler. Well well well. It's been a long time."
Elliot frowned and glanced at Munch, who was listening to the voice intently. Munch shrugged, not recognizing the voice either, and Cragen signaled Elliot to keep talking.
"Who is this?" Elliot asked.
"That's not really important right now, Detective."
"Alright. Why are you calling?"
"Very simple, Detective. I have something you want."
…
Dun dun. More soon. Reviews are life.