Bear with me - I love these guys and they are relatively safe with me.
So lets see where they wake up, then we can start to see why. Thanks for reading!
CHAPTER 11
New York
Fin opened the door to Cragen's office, he didn't bother knocking, he walked straight in and slammed a folder down on the desk.
Cragen looked at him in surprise, noting that Melinda had walked in, in a much less dramatic fashion, and was standing next to him. "Fin, Melinda...what is this?"
"Olivia's medical report. You know how we didn't check it? How we took what the doctors said without damn well checking? You know how we thought Munch was losing it along with Liv?" Fin said, his frustration and anger unmistakable.
Cragen stared at him, puzzled, waiting for him to continue.
"We screwed up. We all screwed up. We failed Liv. We failed Munch and we damn well failed Elliot."
"Why?" said Cragen as he opened the folder, his eyes quickly scanning the paper inside. "What am I looking at?"
"The timeframe. The concentration and...absorption rate?" he said, turning to face Melinda.
"The concentration in her blood - it doesn't fit the timeframe - they make observations and estimates on quantities and states of the contents that are lavaged - for that rate of metabolism to have taken place she would have had to take those pills 3-4 hours before it was reported that she did."
"What does that mean?" Cragen asked, confusion giving way to a growing feeling of unease.
"It means," Melinda said, as she glanced at Fin, and then returned her focus to Cragen, "that the tricyclics were consumed after being broken down - almost like food in a blender - and taken in one go. There is no reason Olivia would have done that - when people overdose they swallow pills."
Cragen stood up and walked around the desk to stand in front of them both, "you're saying she didn't attempt suicide?"
"If she hadn't made it - we would be investigating a homicide." she said.
Cragen stared at Melinda, stunned, "christ, I got her certified."
"We gotta find them cap, they're going headlong into something big with no backup." Fin said.
Cragen turned to look at him, "If you know where they are, be straight with me. They could be in serious danger if everything they've been saying is true."
"Mexico." Fin said pausing as he gave Cragen a moment to absorb his announcement.
Cragen closed his eyes and sighed "Damn it."
Looking at Fin, he shook his head, "Tell me honestly Fin - you think Munch and Liv are right about the rest of it too? About Elliot?"
"Yeah. I gotta say I do. I've tried to show them facts - put it in front of them that's he's dead - but I can't. Their evidence is better than the coroner's office. Stabler ain't dead."
Mexico
Munch groaned as he began to rouse, shifting uncomfortably, lifting his head from the cushioned surface he was laying against.
Opening his eyes, he flinched at the pain in the back of his head. Instinctively he moved to raise his hand to the source of the pain but was immediately met with the resistant tug of handcuffs on his wrist.
He twisted around and struggled to sit up, shifting and testing the handcuff and the strength of the bar it was connected to.
Realising it was securely attached. He pulled himself up, the handcuff restricting him from managing to do more than sit. His senses returned fast as he took in his surroundings, and he winced at the pain in his shoulder as he moved.
He was seated on a plush sofa - the only oddity being the metal bar on the wall beside it through which the handcuffs were attached.
Not dead, just kidnapped.
The room was clean, bright and comfortable. Reminiscent of an expensive hotel suite. His mind swam in confusion as he struggled to work out how he could have gone from a car crash to a hotel suite.
A car crash.
Panic flooded through him as he remembered searching for Olivia's pulse - the last thing he could recall.
The pain in his head was causing his vision to blur and impacting his ability to organise his thoughts. He struggled to remember what had happened.
Olivia wasn't moving. She was bleeding. She was taking the tragic love story too literally.
But he had found a pulse. He was sure of it. She wasn't dead.
His thoughts were interrupted at the sound of a key turning in a lock and the heavy door opening.
Munch watched, tensing as the door was pushed open. His mind briefly registered from his quick glimpse of the area outside, that it was not a hotel. It was dark, the walls a dull grey colour and the floor appeared to be concrete.
He had no further time to digest the stark contrast between the interior of the room and the glimpse of the bigger picture, as two men walked in quickly, closing the door behind them.
One wore a dark grey suit and hung back, standing in front of the closed door. His eyes remained on Munch but he didn't speak.
Munch moved his gaze warily from him to the second man who approached him instantly and stood in front of him placing a bag down on the carpeted floor.
"Good to see you're awake. I'm a doctor and I'm here to check you over. You had a car accident. Do you remember that?" he said as he took a small light and shined it in Munch's eyes one at a time.
Munch flinched and pushed the light away "Where's Olivia?"
"Olivia?" the doctor asked somewhat vacantly, as he leaned over and looked at the wound on the back of Munch's head.
Munch grit his teeth as the doctor touched the back of his head.
"I put four stitches in, and pulled a lot of glass out of you, you have a fracture and significant bruising that will be causing some moderate pain around your shoulder for a while, but you'll be fine. You're surprisingly resilient - doesn't look like you even have a concussion." he turned to the man standing at the door. "Can I uncuff him?"
Munch watched in confusion as The man at the door simply nodded and then opened the door, slipping out and closing it behind him.
"Where am I?" he asked as the doctor quickly unlocked the cuffs.
The doctor placed the light back in his bag and closed it. "My colleague will bring you something to eat."
Munch stood up carefully, dizziness and pain slowing his reactions considerably. "Where am I? Where's Olivia? She was driving the damn car, you know who she is!"
The doctor moved to the door, ignoring his questions. He left the room momentarily - but not quite long enough for Munch to regain his senses and make a move for the door.
He returned carrying a tray and placed it on the tabled in the centre of the room. "I trust this will be to your liking. Enjoy."
Munch stared in confusion at the contents of the tray - two covered plates and a jug of water.
"I'm in Mexico - you're American. Who are you?"
"A doctor. Eat, get your strength up."
"I'm not touching that. Where am I, and where is Olivia?"
The doctor turned and swiftly exited the room. Munch moved to the door but his hand only just touched the handle before he heard a key turn in the lock and bolt slide across.
Grabbing the door handle and pulling, be realised immediately that the door was more secure that it looked. It barely moved as he pulled it.
Sighing he gave up quickly on the door and cast a glance around the room.
It was then that he noticed the drawn curtains on the opposite wall. Approaching, he pulled them apart, unsurprised when he did not find a window behind them.
He have a humourless as laugh as he took in the concrete slabs behind the curtain.
"A VIP prison." he said. Shaking his head. "I hope Olivia has been afforded the same luxury."
Olivia woke suddenly, gasping for air and panicking as she struggled to work out what was happening and where she was.
Panicking, she realising that she was soaking wet, and reached back trying to grab at the hands which had a firm grip on her neck and hair.
She had no time to think as she was pushed under the water, Instinctively flailing as she was held firmly down.
Her mind was in sheer panic, as she opened her mouth in instinct, to scream.
As water filled her mouth she coughed and struggled until finally the pressure holding her down ceased. Scrambling to get up, she got to her knees and held on to the side of what she now realised was a metal tub.
Gripping the side tightly, she hauled herself out and onto the hard stone floor. Coughing hard, she looked up, her eyes connecting with the person who had held her under the water.
"Now you're awake." he simply stated, his cold gaze fixed firmly on her.
"Where am I?" she rasped, trying to catch her breath, "Where's Munch?"
He stared back at her, observing with no outward reaction. His cold, emotionless stare went right through her, unconcerned with her condition.
Unmoving. Silent. His eyes bore into her, as she tried to shake her shock and disorientation off fast. Getting to her feet she took a deep breath, coughing again as she exhaled. Attempting to get her bearings quickly, she walked over to him, shivering from shock and cold.
Standing a short distance from him, she stared back at him, determined to show him that she was not going to let him intimidate her.
"I said, where the hell am I? And where is Munch?"
Olivia stared hard at him, her frustration and unease growing by the minute, as he remained silent and stationary, observing her almost casually.
"Damn well answer me!" she yelled.
Finally, he gave a very slight smirk as his eyes roamed up and down her body. Olivia became suddenly aware that her clothes were clinging tightly to her now that she was soaking wet, and her unease quickly increased.
She stood her ground, until abruptly, he turned, opening the door, and beginning to walk through. Olivia wasted no time and bolted towards the door, ignoring the headache which seemed to jar with her movement. The guard was faster though, and anticipated her response. Spinning around he grabbed the back of her hair into his fist and slapped her across her face with his other hand. The back of her head burned as the force of the blow prevented her from falling out of the tight grip his fist held on her hair.
Hauling her back into the room, he knelt down, pulling her violently down with him as he held one hand tightly around her throat, the other pushing her head closer to the tub of water.
"You don`t fight. You don't try to escape. You don't ask questions. The next time I hold you under the water I might not show you the same mercy. So shut the hell up and stay in your cell, bitch. "
Olivia dropped to the ground as he suddenly released his hold on her. Clutching her neck, she turned and watched as he abruptly left the room, slamming the door with a loud bang, followed immediately by the sound of a bolt sliding.
Olivia got to her feet quickly and glanced around the room. It was dark - there was barely any light, and her eyes struggled to make out the shapes in the room. There was clearly a mattress on the floor, but there did not appear to be any other furniture other than the tub, still filled with water.
Still coughing, and wincing at the bad headache that she assumed must have been caused in the car accident, she ran her hands through her hair, trying to remove as much excess water as she straight to the door she pulled and pushed but it remained unsurprisingly, firmly closed and un moving.
Turning around, she walked into the middle of the room and tried to calm her racing thoughts and figure out what had happened.
Backing up, she stood against the cold concrete wall, her eyes remaining focused on the outline of the door. The room was freezing and a chill went through her as she hugged her arms around herself and shivered.
Glancing at the mattress she took note of its condition - it was grubby and old, with a dark red stain covering most of the bottom half of the mattress.
Turning her head so that mattress was not in her line of sight, she slid slowly down to the floor until she was sitting, bringing her knees up and hugging her arms around them to try to keep warm. Her focus didn't leave the door for a second. She needed to be prepared. She couldn't afford to let her guard down.
She had to find Munch...and Elliot.
New York
Cragen stood in front of the squad - consisting of Fin and several detectives borrowed from other units. He felt that he had been gathering more rookies with each day that his own squad had fallen further apart. Joining them now though, we're more experienced detectives on loan to him. Their priority was now in locating their missing detectives.
"Detective Stabler has been missing for seven weeks. He was presumed dead, but evidence has come to light to suggest this is not the case. Detectives Benson and Munch were following a lead on his location, and as of last night, 17:00 hours, attempts to further communicate with them both have failed. We are treating all three detectives as missing at this point. At their last communication, they were in Mexico, we have their last known coordinates and we are lasing? Working? with the Mexican authorities. At this end, we need to continue the work that Benson and Munch were doing and find a lead. Detective Tutuola will assign our open cases to some of you, the rest, I will assign tasks."
He sighed. They had all their resources pooled now, but inwardly, he feared it could be too late. And that feeling sickened him.
The last few chapters are almost finished but not quite ready yet. I'll try not to leave it too long before the next update.