Three days later, there were still no leads. Alex had gotten a warrant for a tap on Olivia's phone so that if her attacker called back, they could trace his call.
Olivia had been having difficulty sleeping, so Alex had spent the last two nights with Olivia. Neither of them had been getting more than three hours of sleep. Olivia cried out in her sleep at regular intervals and wake Alex, who would reassure her and sit with her until she fell back asleep, which sometimes took hours. Every time, Olivia would apologize to Alex, who would reply, "Don't be sorry. That's what friends are for." This would inevitably cause Olivia to burst into tears.
The third night, Alex didn't stay over. She told Olivia to call her if anything happened.
Olivia was curled up on the couch, watching television, when the phone rang. Her pulse quickened as she picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Where did your little friend go?" asked the caller. "The blonde one. She's pretty sexy – but not as sexy as you. I'd like to fuck –"
Olivia slammed down the receiver. With shaking hands, she dialed Alex's number.
Alex picked up on the second ring. "Cabot," she said groggily.
"Alex? It's me."
"Olivia? What happened?"
"He called."
"Wow. Okay. I'll call the phone company and have them trace the call. I'll be over there in twenty minutes, okay? If the phone rings, don't answer it."
"Thanks, Alex," said Olivia weakly.
"No problem. See you in twenty."
Twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang. Olivia jumped and pressed the intercom. "Hello?"
"Liv, it's me."
"Okay. Come on up."
A minute later, Alex entered Olivia's apartment. "Wow, Liv, you look awful," she commented.
"Aw, thanks," replied Olivia sarcastically.
"Here, I'll get you a glass of water." Alex rushed to the kitchen and poured one for Olivia.
Olivia smiled to herself. It was one of Alex's more endearing qualities, the ability to take charge in any and every situation.
The phone rang. Olivia recoiled from it, so Alex answered. "Hello?" She listened for a moment, then said, "You are a disgusting, evil bastard who doesn't deserve life. We are going to find you and put you in prison for the rest of your miserable life." Then she hung up.
"Was – was that him?"
"Yes."
"What did he say?"
"Let's just say he has a very foul mouth. The phone company will be calling soon."
As if on cue, Alex's cell phone rang. She answered. "Hello?" She listened for a moment. "Oh. Okay. Okay. Thanks."
Alex hung up and turned to Olivia. "He called from a pay phone. Bastard. Pay phone near here, actually – just down the street."
Olivia's blood ran cold. "He's watching me."
Alex shrugged noncommittally. "Yup. Otherwise he wouldn't know about me. But this actually makes it easier because we know where he is right now. He can see us from where he is. That either means he's in an apartment on the opposite side of the road, and I can be pretty sure that he's not, or he's standing somewhere in the street, watching us."
"So what do we do?"
"Call Elliot, Munch, and Jeffries. It's the middle of the night. There aren't that many people on the street. They wait in the car and pick the guy up when they see him. Simple as that." She started dialing John Munch's number.
"And me?"
"No. You, Olivia, are staying right here."
"With you?"
"Of course."
"Thanks."
Alex put her finger to her lips. "Munch, we need you to come to Olivia's. The stalker. Yup. Okay, thanks." She hung up and turned to Alex. "He's coming." She called Jeffries and Elliot.
All three of them arrived half an hour later. They waited in two separate squad cars, cornering off the street while Olivia stayed in the apartment with Alex.
Ten minutes later, Alex's cell phone rang. "We got him," said Elliot shortly. "We're bringing him to the precinct now."
"I'll be there in ten," said Alex. She hung up and turned to Olivia. "Liv, they've got him. I'm going to meet Elliot, Munch, and Jeffries down at the station, okay?"
"No!" said Olivia, clinging onto this newfound lifeline. "I'm coming with you."
"No, you're not. You're staying here."
Olivia grabbed her coat. "You're not the boss of me. I'm coming."
Alex sighed. "Suit yourself."
Olivia followed Alex out to her car and Alex drove them to the station.
They got out of the car and went inside. "You can watch, but you're not coming in," Alex told Olivia firmly. "Stay on this side of the mirror. I'll be back."
Olivia nodded and swallowed hard. She pulled out a chair and sat down as Alex left, watching the three detectives circle her attacker. She recognized him and it sent shivers down her spine.
"Olivia," said the man, licking his lips. He was looking through the mirror, right at her. She knew he could sense that she was there. "Babe, I know you're watching this. You know I didn't rape you. You wanted it, remember?"
"I didn't," whispered Olivia, even though no one could hear her.
Alex entered the room. "Justin Granger, did you refuse your right to counsel?"
He leaned back on his chair. "Ah, the hot blonde. Yeah, I did."
"You are being held on charges of rape, stalking, harassment, and assault, Mr. Granger."
"There wasn't any of that," he replied. "Olivia wanted it."
Elliot clenched his fists. "You bastard! Olivia didn't want it. No one ever asks to be raped!"
Justin glanced around calmly. "I guess you would be the boyfriend. A bit protective, methinks."
"No. Just a friend."
He laughed. "Livvy has friends?"
"Many," said Alex sharply. "Now you are going to rot in prison for the rest of your miserable life."
"That's nice," he said. "But I want to see Olivia."
"You're not getting anywhere near her," snapped Alex. "So forget about that right now."
"How's this. I'll give you a confession if you give me Olivia."
"No way in hell!"
He shrugged. "Then you have no case."
"Oh, please. We don't need your confession."
"No, it's fine." Olivia appeared in the doorway. "What. Do. You. Want."
Justin's face relaxed into a smile. "Ah. Olivia."
"Olivia!" exclaimed Alex and Elliot in unison.
"No, it's okay. It's worth it."
"I'll give my confession to Olivia," said Justin.
Olivia sat down. "Okay. Talk."
"So first I called you a bunch of times. Then I came into your apartment. We had sex. Beautiful, lovely sex. Best I ever had. Then I left." He looked up innocently at Alex. "Done."
"No, not done," said Alex, noticing that Olivia was trembling. She took Olivia's hand. "You raped her. You did not have 'beautiful, lovely sex'. You raped her. Then you attacked her. You beat the crap out of her."
"Okay." Justin smiled. "I raped her. I attacked her. I beat the crap out of her. Can I go now?"
"No," said Alex. "You can't. Now you're going to stay in this cell and hang out here for three more hours until I can call a judge and get you arraigned."
"Can Olivia stay with me?"
"No," snapped Alex. "She can't. Thank you, Olivia. Let's go. Jeffries, you stay with this piece of trash. Munch, call Cragen."
"Yes, ma'am!" Munch saluted.
Alex put a hand on Olivia's shoulder and led her upstairs, Elliot following close behind. "Good job, Olivia," said Elliot when they were out of Justin's earshot.
"For what?"
"Facing him. That took guts."
Olivia smiled. "Well, we got what we needed."
"Right."
