Part 6
"What do you want to eat?" asked Rafael as he opened the car door for Olivia.
"Whatever you like," Olivia answered indecisively.
"Would you like to try Cuban food? I grew up on Cuban dishes. My parents escaped from Cuba before I was born. There's a small Cuban restaurant around the corner from my apartment. Or… would you rather get Chinese or Italian?"
Before she could answer Rafael's phone rang. She could tell from his conversation that it was one of the SVU team. Finally he said, "Olivia's right here, Amanda, let me ask her."
"Amanda would like to come over to see us. She has some new information about the search for Lewis. Is that okay with you?"
"Yes, yes, that's fine," Olivia replied, heartened that they might be closer to locating and arresting Lewis.
"Can I ask her to join us for supper?" Barba inquired. Olivia nodded.
"Rollins, come on over now and eat with us. We're just stopping for takeout. Cuban food?" he looked at Olivia who nodded again. "No, no, it's no trouble. Well, if you insist you could pick up some beer."
Barba and Olivia returned to the apartment each carrying a large shopping bag. Olivia was certain that Barba bought too much food, but he had said he wanted Benson and Rollins to try several of his favorite dishes. Then again, if there were leftovers, they would never go to waste in Barba's kitchen!
They unpacked the food: eggplant dip and plantain chips for an appetizer; lechon con mojo and ropa vieja for entrees with lots of extra rice, beans, and fried plantains; and coconut flan for dessert.
Amanda entered Barba's apartment and handed a six-pack and two limes to Barba who looked at them with approval.
"Nice place," said Amanda as she gazed at the elegant living room furnishings. She shivered a little when the apartment's cool air hit her. "I wish I had air conditioning in my stifling apartment." Barba raised his eyebrows in amusement.
Amanda walked towards Olivia, intent on giving her a hug. Barba caught Amanda's eye and subtly shook his head. He had noticed that Olivia had flinched in discomfort when Cassidy's mother had embraced her at the ICU.
Olivia sat down tentatively on a leather loveseat, and Barba indicated that Rollins should sit next to him on the couch opposite Olivia.
"Liv, how are you doing? Everyone sends their best. Fin and Nick are fighting and Munch is espousing a new conspiracy theory. The captain has been over at 1PP for lots of meetings."
Olivia smiled. "I'm getting better. Thank everyone for the beautiful flowers." She indicated the large arrangement on the dining room table.
Pleasantries over Rollins launched into the main reason for her visit.
"Well, since Mayer seemed so tight with Lewis, put up his bond and all, we naturally put her Brooklyn apartment under surveillance. I don't mean us, SVU. The chief of detectives took the investigation out of our hands. But the assigned detectives have been good about keeping us in the loop. Plain clothes have followed Mayer for the last few days. Nothing until this morning when she bought a throwaway phone. She walked to a park and spent about twenty minutes on a call. Then she went to an ATM and drew out a considerable amount of cash. They think she may be planning to meet Lewis soon, but she went to the gym this afternoon and then back to her apartment. As far as we know she's still there."
Barba frowned and crossed his hands on top of his head. He seemed reflective. "I've seen this before, a charismatic sociopath like Lewis manipulating a naïve defender. A few years ago a legal aid attorney down south helped her client break out of prison. But Mayer's not naïve."
He hesitated. "If she does help him she'll certainly be charged as an accessory."
Barba suddenly jumped up startling both Olivia and Amanda. "Well detectives, I think we should eat our dinner before it gets cold. And I'm dying for a cold Dos Equis. Come into the kitchen and I'll tell you all about Cuban food and my mother's cooking!"