Beyond The Shadow Of A Doubt

(Chapter Eight: Guilty Until Proven Innocent)

Elliot waited patiently for his department appointed attorney to arrive. He sat alone at a table in the front of the courtroom and watched the double doors nervously. His fate now laid in the hands of some schmuck who was barely out of law school.

The room was a buzz with the whispers of everyone who came to see the sex detective who was accused of rape. He looked around the room at the faces of strangers, wondering which ones thought he was guilty and who believed in his innocence.

"We are ready to begin, Detective Stabler. Where is your attorney?" the judge's voice boomed from the front of the room.

"I'm not sure, your honor. I was to be provided an attorney by the department. I guess he is running late."

Elliot sat nervously and stared at the back of the room and a gangly young man burst through the large double doors. Every person in the room stared at the stranger as he fumbled with files and spilled the contents of his briefcase all over the floor as he made his way toward to the front of the room.

"You have got to be kidding me," Elliot mumbled with a smirk as he knelt to gather some of the stray papers.

"Thank you…." the man said tucking them back into his briefcase.

"Detective Elliot Stabler, I believe I am your client."

"Elliot Sta….yes," the man replied pushing his Buddy Holly glasses up the bridge of his nose as he extended his hand to shake Elliot's. "It's nice to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine," Elliot said as the man stood to brush off his Bargain Basement suit. "Listen, do you think you can take care of this," Elliot asked looking over his shoulder as the judge stared at them.

"I just got the case this morning, so I am not really familiar with the details. I am going to ask for a continuance."

"Are we ready to proceed?" the judge asked leaning forward to stare them down.

"Yes, your honor," Elliot answered when his attorney didn't reply.

Casey hung up her cell phone as Olivia stepped out of the bathroom towel drying her hair.

"Is everything okay?" Liv asked.

"Yeah. Elliot met with his lawyer this morning and the case was continued so they have more time to prepare."

"So Elliot is being released?"

"Not exactly," Casey said as she cleared her throat. She drew a deep breath and exhaled. "Apparently, there was an episode in the courtroom."

"Oh, Elliot, no."

"Yeah. I guess he wasn't happy with the fact that his court appointed lawyer didn't seem to know what he was doing. Elliot spoke out in court, this judge is kind of a hard ass."

"And Elliot is bull headed," Olivia added as she exhaled.

"The judge slapped him with contempt and ordered him to spend the weekend in jail," Casey said as she picked up her jacket.

"You're leaving?"

"I am gonna go see what I can do to try to get that partner of yours out of trouble."

"Thanks Case," Olivia replied giving her a tired smile.

"I'll be back in a few hours and we'll order some dinner from that amazing room service menu."

Olivia settled on the sofa as she flipped through the channels on the television. She exhaled and stood up as she began pacing around the room trying to imagine everything that Elliot must be going through at this moment. She stood on the balcony for a little while just watching the city buzz around below her. Not knowing what was going on with him was driving her crazy and she had to do something about it. She pulled her hair up and tucked it under a hat, slipped on a jacket and some dark glasses and was on her way.

Elliot laid on his back of the cell reading the graffiti on the empty bunk above him. He listened as footsteps made their way down the concrete walk and stopped in front of the barred door of his cage.

"Stabler, you have a visitor!" the man announced.

"A visitor?" he asked standing as the man cuffed him and opened the door.

"She said she's your sister."

"I don't have a…." Elliot began as the man lead him out into a little booth with a glass window and a telephone. "Liv?"

"You've got ten minutes," the man reminded him as Elliot picked up the receiver.

"Olivia, what the Hell are you doing here?"

"I had to see you," she whispered pulling off the hat and allowing her long dark hair to fall around her shoulders. "You don't belong here. This is all my fault," she whispered placing her palm against the glass as he placed his against it on his side.

"None of this is your fault. This is just a big mix up and it will all be cleared up on Monday."

She watched as Elliot smiled and it broke her heart.

"It isn't that bad," he replied. "They were kind enough to give me my own cell. It's a lot like my first apartment….cozy, I believe is how they described it," he joked as she began to smile. "It's like a vacation. I sit around all day and I have been catching up on my reading."

"Reading?"

"Yeah, I have found some very colorful work by a man named Dash. He has a little trouble with spelling and uses poor grammar, but has shows some talent in writing poetry."

"Elliot…."

"Don't worry about me. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine."

"You shouldn't be here. We talked about the risk."

"I called around and no one would tell me anything. I had to know you were okay."

"Where is Casey? She is supposed to be waiting with you."

"She went to talk to some people and see if she could help you out of this mess."

"Liv, are you sure you weren't…."

"I wasn't followed. I took four different cabs and rode around for over an hour before I came here."

Elliot stared into her eyes.

"Olivia, how are you doing….really?"

He could see tears welling in her eyes and it killed him not to be there to protect her when she needed him the most.

"I'll be okay. I'm scared for you. I miss you."

"I miss you too, sweetheart. Go back to the hotel and lay low. You'll be safe there. Casey will work this out. I trust her, Liv. She is on our side."

"I'm going crazy just sitting around."

"I know, but right now the most important thing is keeping you safe. I have Munch and Fin trying to track this guy down. Casey is trying to help me out, right now we just have to be patient and wait."

"Okay," she said nodding in agreement.

"Time's up, Stabler!" the guard called from behind him.

Elliot looked over his shoulder at the man, then returned his attention to his best friend on the other side of the glass.

"Hey," he said as she raised her big brown eyes to look at him, "this will all work out. I promise."

"Yeah," she sighed.

"I love you Liv," he reminded her wishing so bad that he could just hug her tight and hold her until she felt safe once more.

"I love you too," she replied watching as he hung up the phone.

She sat and watched as the guard cuffed Elliot and took him from the room once more. Olivia sat quietly for a moment, then twisted up her hair and put her hat back on.

Olivia was sitting on the sofa staring out the window when Casey returned.

"How did it go?" Olivia asked standing at attention.

"Not so good. That judge seems hell bent on keeping Elliot in jail until the trial."

Olivia looked disappointed.

"No luck at all, huh?"

"I'm sorry."

"You tried. I just know how hard this must be on Elliot. He says is isn't that bad, but he would never tell me if it was."

"You spoke to him?"

"Yeah, I sort of went to see him this afternoon."

"Liv, you are not supposed to leave this hotel room. I promised Elliot that I would make sure you were safe. Now I am not completely sure what is going on with you two, but I know Elliot enough to know that if he feels the need to hide you away like witness protection there is a damn good reason why. I can't keep that promise if you are out running around the city every time I step out the door."

"I had to see him Casey. I can't keep sitting here not knowing what is going on with him. You don't understand."

"Look, I know the two of you are close."

"He is the only family I have, Casey. I can't just leave him in there to rot. If it were me in there…."

"He would do anything for you," Casey said sitting down beside her on the arm of the sofa. "I'm sorry I snapped on you. But he is right, you know? Out there, that is where the bad guys are. And for whatever reason, Elliot thinks you should stay in here."

"I know. So what is your plan?"

"I did manage to get control over the case."

"I thought they wouldn't let you…."

"I had to call in a few favors. I tried to get a different judge, but that isn't going to happen. So I have the rest of the weekend to plan a bullet proof defense."

"How does it look?"

"Not good. This case is going down hill fast. With this many dead girls, a jury is going to want someone to pay for this."

"But Elliot didn't do this! He would never do anything like this!"

"I know that. But he is a cop, Liv. I'm afraid the jury will jump to convict him at the slightest notion he could possibly be guilty. As far as they are concerned he is guilty until proven innocent. So I really have my work cut out for me."