CHAPTER 36

"Olivia." Elliot called out as he pulled back the shower curtain. He was stark naked.

"Ah" Olivia was startled, instinctively she tried to cover herself.

"It's just me." He said with a soft smile as he stepped into the shower. Olivia relaxed once she understood that Elliot was safe to be vulnerable with. "Were you expecting someone else?" He teased her turning her to face him.

"No, Diam just not use to be married." She laughed putting her arms around his neck. She leaned into kiss him softly. "You know-" She said in between their kissing. "Were a little out of balance don't you think?" She said smiling.

"What do you mean?" He asked confused but not yet alarmed.

"Well-" She playfully ran her finger down his chest. The warm water soaking both of their bodies. She was at his belly button. "You walked my happy trail – when do I get to walk yours?" She smiled as her hand stroked him.

"Well, as good as that sounds there's a problem?" He said turning the water off and grabbing for a towel.

"What?" Olivia said. She was starting to take offense. Am I not doing something right? She questioned herself.

"We have to meet Ryan now. He's waiting for us." Elliot placed the towel around her and helped her out of the shower.

"What's wrong El? Why do we have to go now?" She stopped him by grabbing his hand.

"Tell me." her voice was desperate.

"I honestly don't know." He told her placing his hand on her cheek. "He just said there was a problem. That we had to go now." Elliot stepped in the other room to allow her to get dressed.

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"Olivia! How are you?" Ryan said standing as Olivia and Elliot approached him. Elliot was insulted that Ryan didn't say hi to him. He squinted his eyes.

"Good to see you too Ryan." Elliot said reminding Ryan of his manners that he was obviously lacking.

"Keep your depends on Elliot. I was getting to you. How are you?" Ryan said placing several case folders on the counter. He reached for a large rolled piece of paper. What was it? Maybe a blue print or something similar?

"Ryan? What's all this for?" Olivia asked

"Olivia, my wife called me a couple of days ago. She had just finished a conference dealing with old crimes more like cold case files and such. One of the common denominators was that more often than not the cold cases were linked with other cases providing more evidence." Ryan paused to take a quick gulp of his starbucks frapaccino. When his taste buds were satisfied he placed the half full container next to several others.

"Wow- Ryan? You an addict or what?" Olivia said pointing to his stockpile of empty Starbucks coffee cups.

"It allows me to work later." Ryan said spastically as he opened a file folder. "Olivia I want to double check the parameters of your specific case." He said looking at her waiting for her acknowledgments.

"Okay..." She said hesitantly.

"He attacked you in your home correct?" He asked avoiding her eye contact. He knew this was going to suck for her.

"Ryan? How do you know this?" She asked him.

"LaRue gave me a copy of your case file, when I explained my hunch he thought you would be okay with it...anything to catch him right?" He looked at her and Elliot.

"Are you okay with this?" Elliot asked her softly.

Olivia shifted nervously in her seat and replied. "Sure go ahead." She whispered.

"Okay, so in your home?" Ryan continued pencil in hand.

" Yes, my apartment." She replied looking at the ground. She started playing with her wedding ring on her right hand.

"He burned you with his cigarette correct?" He asked her.

"Yes." Olivia was biting her lip. As Ryan check appropriate boxes on his paperwork.

"He cut and stabbed you?" He was ready to check the next box. Olivia nodded her head in agreement but could not look at either man in the room.

"He carved the date of the attack into your abdomen after he raped and beat you?" Ryan's voice was much lower.

Olivia's eyes were watering. Elliot had enough. "Ryan! Come on is this necessary?"

"I am just double checking before I open up this can of worms Elliot. I don't want to be the one to rehash this crap but it is necessary with what I am about to show you two so unless your a monkey get off my back Detective." Ryan was equally frustrated

Elliot stood "You piece of sh-" he was reaching for Ryan.

"Both of you cut it out!" Olivia screamed in frustration.

"Elliot - can't you see he likes to pull your chain and you let him do it every time?" Olivia was frustrated. Elliot knew she was right. He sat back down slowly eyeballing Ryan.

"Ryan?" Olivia addressed him. "How about we just say that everything you have is accurate okay?" Her legs were bouncing up and down as she sat in her chair. Elliot felt like an idiot.

"Sure Olivia." Ryan said. "Here's the deal. I ran the parameters of your attack I got some matches." Ryan pulled out the large rolled paper. He ran his fingers through it straightening it. He placed his frapaccino in one corner to hold it down and case files in the other three.

"This is a map of where Olivia lived when she was attacked." Ryan began to explain his diabolical theory. " See this red arch I've drawn here?" He said pointing to the mark he made with a sharpie.

"Yeah what gives?" Olivia asked.

"Well...they're connected by motive." Ryan looked at them surprised that they were lost.

"Uh...Ryan? Were not overachievers...explain this." Elliot said

"Well, I was looking at this map and I realized that this arch, if it continued, would go into another jurisdiction. I called my wife and had her run the same parameters through the F.B.I's computer..." Ryan's voice trailed off he slowly unrolled another map, refusing to look at either of the detectives that were in front of him.

"What's this?" Elliot asked looking closer at the map.

"It's the entire state." Olivia said mortified at the red marks made on the chart.

"Olivia," Ryan's voice was barely audible. "My wife gave me two pages of cases that matched your case." He hung the map on a dry erase board usually used for brainstorming. "It took me awhile." He said using magnets to secure the map. "But I managed to chart each attack and this is what I got." Ryan stepped back allowing Elliot and Olivia to observe his wicked creation. "I thought it was the number 08." He said stepping back to the board to trace the square letters. "But then I realized that..." Before he finished Olivia spoke.

"Then you realized..." Her voice was tense, cracking under the terrible realization she just had came to. "That it wasn't a number." She walked to the board. "It's not Zero Eight" She pointed to the board and then faced Elliot biting her lip and shaking "It's my initials... O.B"