48 hours
Once again: I don't own anything related to these great shows LO:SVU and CI as well as CSI:NY. I just like to mess with the wonderful characters Mr. Wolf has created. Thanks for all the Law and Orders.
A/N: As always, thanks for the reviews. :D They are truly appreciated! Thanks. :)
37
Adirondack State Park
When his car skidded to a halt Bobby jumped out of the passenger door. One glance at the plates confirmed that it was the same van they were looking for. Together with one of Kilworth's deputies Bobby rushed over to the front door of the cabin. A third man, one of the volunteers for the search, approached the vehicle.
Bobby gave the deputy a sign and stalked over to the window. No one was inside of that room. So they met at the front door again and Bobby tried the handle.
It was open.
Convinced by a strong kick the door flew open and crashed against the wall, making room for the entering cops. Securing with their guns they rushed in. The cabin was deserted.
"Dammit!"
Bobby let the deputy cuss. He was already focused on what the men had left behind. There was a magazine on the table, open, creased. One of the pages was slightly ripped. Bobby put his gun back in its holster and got his flashlight out. Bowing forward he shone the light over the pages and found a speck.
"Hmm… guess he dozed off…" he mused. Then he turned to the cot in the corner. The blankets on it were crumpled. He went over there. "Someone was on this camp bed."
Leaning forward he sniffed the bedding. "Female."
"You can smell that?"
"I can smell a perfume on the blanket. Don't think that the bad guys wear perfume."
"Hmmm… no, don't think so," the deputy agreed. "Over there, in the other room, is another cot with crumpled blankets."
"So one was sleeping over there while the other was supposed to guard them. Where are they now?" Bobby just glanced at the cot. "I can only imagine two reasons for them to leave the cabin in the middle of the night."
"And those reasons are?"
"They got order to get rid of the hostages… or the hostages ran away."
"Let's hope that it was the latter," the deputy grumbled. He watched the big detective scan the room again.
"They left the car key behind," Bobby thought aloud. "So they did not intend to go far… we still need to confirm…" his voice trailed off.
Grabbing the car keys he left the cabin with long strides and went to the van where another cop was peering through the windshield. Bobby put the key in the lock and pushed the sliding door open. In the dancing ray of light he found another blanket and the boxes the burgers had come in. DNA, shot through Bobby's mind. But I'm already ahead again…he chuckled inwardly. Where have they gone?
He hoped that Kathy and Dickie had been able to escape. That would be much better than to assume that the men had taken them somewhere in the woods to kill them. On the other hand it meant that they were on the run, their kidnappers probably close on their heels.
"Fin!" Bobby called him on the radio. "We'll need the chopper. They must be somewhere in the forest!"
"What?!" Fin replied. "In the forest? Why?"
"My bet is that they ran away. We have no idea in which direction, but I suspect that she took off into the woods, so that the bad guys wouldn't track them down on the road."
"Shit!"
That described quite well their situation. They were back to the needle in the haystack.
xxx
Stabler residence
Elliot was frozen in place with fear.
Is that all he wanted? To make me talk? Could I have spared them from his game by talking? His stomach knotted painfully. What will he do now? Will he punish me? What will he do? Or will he turn against the girls?
From both sides his daughters clung to his body. Maureen stared at him, then she got up from the chair in front of the mirror. Joe stopped her, holding her back with a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey! I didn't say that you could leave!"
"Oh, you didn't?" Maureen replied, straightening up to face him.
Joe did not hesitate.
When he raised his hand to slap Maureen hard across the face, his swing was intercepted by an arm, a masculine arm.
Stunned Joe stared at Elliot who had appeared between him and the girl. His blue eyes were sparkling challengingly, his teeth were bared. Every muscle in his body was tense with anticipation. His fists were clenching, the vein in his temple was throbbing, and his breaths came hard. He cursed himself for not intervening earlier. Now he had to respond, no matter what the consequences might be.
For a few seconds more Joe held his gaze, then he stepped back, raising his hands defensively… and he was laughing.
"Don't trip over your chain!" he roared with laughter. Only slowly he calmed down again.
Elliot stood, shivering with rage, and could not begin to process what was going on. He had expected Joe to hit him, he had wanted Joe to hit him so that he could hit back again and again and again… until there was nothing left of the man but a pile of well-tenderized meat.
But now Joe was laughing. And this laughter pierced Elliot's heart. It hurt him more than any blow of the fist could have hurt.
"C'mon, baby! Go to your sisters," Joe told Maureen.
Cautiously Maureen watched the man. Her father still stood between them and when she looked down she now could see the chain attached to his ankle. Her heart was aching for him.
And what did he mean about making dad talk? she wondered.
Only slowly she realized that she was expected to follow Joe's order. Reluctantly she retreated from the relative security behind her father's back and joined Lizzie and Kat on the big bed.
Joe still was chuckling. Obviously he enjoyed his game, having a ripping good time. As his eyes were hidden behind the glasses he could not join Elliot in the staredown. What a bummer.
"You can go to them," Joe said. "C'mon! Go!"
But Elliot did not trust this peace. His thoughts were chasing each other. That's what all of this was about? Why isn't he punishing me? Will he hurt the girls? Don't! Oh, please! Don't! He swallowed. I could have saved all of them from his torture and humiliation just by fucking saying something? He could not stop thinking about it.
Where's the catch? he wondered. I can't let my guard down. He's up to something… just… what is it?
Joe chuckled.
"Hmmm… well, I guess you're right," he said cheerfully, interpreting Elliot's expression. "Someone has to pay for it. What a shame that I can't punish you. You gotta be in good enough shape to testify in the morning." Under his mask Joe grinned viciously. "Shush! Back to bed with you! And don't talk!"
Tentatively Elliot made a few small steps toward the bed, not leaving Joe out of sight. But then Joe turned and Elliot realized who he had thought of when he spoke about punishments. He gasped.
"Stop!" Maureen yelled out to Joe. "He didn't do anything!"
Keep quiet! Elliot shot her an angry glance when he started for the door, not thinking for a second of the chain which held him. Before he could reach the entrance his bond tightened and brought him down, almost making him crash into the doorframe.
"Ugh!"
The pain was bearable. What hurt Elliot beyond belief was the humiliation which swept over him like ocean's surf… especially as he now heard John's grunts of pain when Joe beat him.
NO! he sobbed inwardly. Don't do that to him! Don't!
But there was nothing he could do. He lay on the carpet and stared up at Doc and another guard. Due to the masks he could not tell if they were amused or angry, but he suspected that they had a good time torturing him.
Please, he mouthed tonelessly. Please stop.
His silent pleas were ignored. Instead they picked him up and dragged him back to the bed. Doc patted his uninjured shoulder, then they left the bedroom, sure that none of them would try to escape.
Liv! he thought. Where are you? Are you still searching for Kathy and Dickie? Please hurry! Feeling odd thinking that, Elliot sagged down on the edge of the bed. I can't do that… I can't be strong anymore… I… just… can't! Liv!
It was a silent outcry that echoed inside of his body, shaking him to the core and he broke down crying, hiding his face in his hands.
"Dad?" Lizzie whispered, tentatively reaching out for him. "Daddy?"
Kathleen rubbed his back in circles and Maureen… she sat right next to him, wrapping her arm around his shoulders and pulling him into her embrace. Surprised she felt tears wet her neck as he buried his face in the crook. Soothingly she let her hand run over his short hair. Without even noticing, she was softly crooning.
xxx
Adirondack State Park
Fearfully Kathy squeezed Dickie's hand. She tried to gather what was left of her energy. Somewhere down below was the cabin and they had to find it.
This must be the direction, she thought. But it's hard to tell. All these rocks we have to evade… we could drift off to the side.
"Mom? How far away is it?"
"It must be in the valley," she replied. "I can't see the bottom."
Neither one of them could make out where they were going. It was still so dark that they could not see the branches that kept slapping them in their faces.
"Ugh!"
Hearing him grunt, Kathy grabbed tighter, but Dickie's hand slipped out of hers when he made a false step and tumbled down the slope.
"Dickie!" Kathy yelped.
A trunk stopped his fall. He groaned with pain, because he had hit the tree with his hip. It hurt like hell, at least right now.
"Dickie!? Are you okay?"
Kathy could only follow the whimpers he made. When she found him, she pulled him into her arms and held him tight.
"Ouch! Mom!"
"Shhh…" she tried to soothe him. "It's okay. Mommy's got you. Shhh. Where does it hurt?"
"Here," he moaned, rubbing his side. "Ooouuuch."
Trying to find the injured part, she let her hand brush over his side and reached his hip. When she pressed just a little he groaned again.
Damn! Hope he can walk! I don't know if I could carry him!
"Awwww. Shhh. Calm down, honey. Come, lay back in my arms. It's okay."
Smoothing her hand over his short hair she hugged him from behind and he slowly relaxed against her body. It felt good to have him so close. His warmth spread through her and eased her own pain and insecurity.
Lord, help us, she prayed. Please lead us to the cabin. We need some rest and a phone to call the police. Kathy swallowed. Don't think of Elliot, she reprimanded herself. Don't think of him and the men with the guns. Don't think of the girls… A sob escaped her and she felt Dickie shudder. Oh, that hurts so much. I can't panic now! We have to get out of here.
Kathy sat and let her hand run through his hair over and over again while she was cooing a simple melody.
Just a moment longer…
Knowing that they could not afford to sit and dwell in their despair and pain, she still was tense. In her lap she felt Dickie relax and she knew that he was about to fall asleep.
"Dickie! Honey! Don't doze off," she chuckled. "C'mon."
"But, mom," he whined. "I'm so tired."
"I know. When we find the cabin we can sleep. C'mon. It can't be that far away."
"Okay…"
So he let himself be pushed up again and stood, trembling, as his mother scrambled to her feet. He reached out for her and hugged her. Soothingly she rubbed his back.
"We gotta go," she said and took his hand.
Cautiously they continued to climb down the slope, hoping that they could find the cabin.
xxx
Lavender residence
Olivia's face was tear stained. She did not even notice that the salty drops were streaming down her face. What they had to ear-witness was heartbreaking. It had to be hard for the SWAT members who did not even know Elliot, but for her and Cragen it was pure torture to listen in to what was spoken over there in the bedroom.
How Huang could remain so calm and silent she could not understand. He was sitting in front of the surveillance equipment, still listening intently, not a single muscle twitching in his face.
This sight knotted up her insides even more.
Cragen's cell phone rang and he answered it. His expression turned from worried to relieved and over skeptical to worried again.
"That was Fin," he explained when he finished the call. "They found the van and the cabin where the men held Kathy and Dickie…"
"That's good news!" Olivia panted.
"It would be if the cabin wasn't deserted. No one was there when Bobby and the deputies arrived. Now they are searching the surrounding forest for them.
"Oh no!" Olivia sank down on a chair. "Why can't we have the least bit of luck. We need to end this! El's on his last legs! We have to help him!"
"We would risk the lives of his wife and son if we go in now," Huang replied, sounding almost as defeated as she felt, the first sign of emotion he showed.
"Well, as soon as the local search and rescue team gets there with their dogs, they're going to search on the ground. Fin is still on the chopper, searching from the air." Cragen sighed. "I hope they find them, soon. In the mountains it must get cold at night."
"If they're not there, then they must have escaped and Mendoza's cronies are looking for them!" Olivia insisted, sounding quite enthusiastic. She felt her spirits return. "As long as we find them or catch Mendoza's men before they find Kathy and Dickie, they're safe. We can move in NOW!"
"But we can't assume they haven't already been caught again," Huang said evenly. "Or maybe they have them in one cabin and just parked at another because Mendoza has figured out that we are watching him and his men."
"Until we have them safely in hand, we can't assume anything," Cragen added.
"But we have to take that chance!" Olivia insisted.
"With your partner's life?" Cragen asked, stunned. "You want to gamble with his life as well as with Kathy and the kids' lives?"
"Right now everything seems to be calm over there," Huang said. "And I think we can assume that it will remain calm until it's time to get up again." Eyeing her closely he noticed of course how agitated she really was. She needed some rest.
"Why don't you lie down for a while?" he asked.
"You don't think I could sleep now, do you?" Olivia exploded. "No! I could not… and I don't want to, either!"
"You should at least rest for a while," Huang told her, "so that you're fresh and ready as soon as we get the message that they have Kathy and Dickie."
But Olivia did not want to hear about that. She got up and started to pace again, willing the phone to ring with the good news.
"Olivia," Cragen addressed her. "Olivia, please. You're making me seasick."
So she dropped down on the sofa. Leaning in the corner she let her thoughts ramble. In her mind's eye she saw mother and son running through the woods. If the search parties could just find them soon...
Dwelling on these depressing thoughts, her body gave in to exhaustion and, hanging in the corner of the couch's armrest, she fell into a restless sleep.
xxx
Stabler residence
There were no sounds that indicated what was going on in the other room. John remained silent and Joe did not show up again. Doc passed the door to the bedroom and peeked in, but except for that, Elliot and the three girls were alone.
As a matter of fact Elliot needed that.
Still he sat on the edge of the bed, Kat crushed in the embrace of his left arm, Lizzie leaning against his back, and Maureen on his right side, her arm wrapped around him and stroking his hair. Softly crooning she tried to soothe not only her sisters but especially her father.
That Joe had beaten John to punish him left him still agitated. His daughters cuddling up to him calmed him down a bit, but their close contact also fueled his fears.
Maureen did not know what was going on inside her siblings' heads, but she racked her mind trying to figure out what exactly had happened to bring her dad to this point. Seeing him like this scared the crap out of her and she was sure that it was scaring Lizzie and Kat, too.
His right arm was snaked around her waist and he clung to her as if she was a safety buoy.
Maybe I am, she thought. It's possible that we're keeping him on track, that he knows that he could keep us safe so far.
One of the men appeared under the door. He just stood there, apparently staring, though that was hard to tell because of his sunglasses.
Yet he made Elliot nervous again. He stirred and tried to push the girls further back on the bed and gestured them to crawl under the covers.
"Dad?" Kathleen asked uncertainly. "Are you coming to bed, too?"
Elliot swallowed. He was dead tired, still he was too stirred up to settle down and try to sleep. The prospect of sharing the bed with his daughters, having them safe at his side was a good one. He ushered them to climb deep under the covers on the window-side of the bed, and he finally lay down on the other.
When he held up the cover a bit to slip under it, Kat and Lizzie snuggled up to him. With his left arm he hugged them tight. His right shoulder hurt as he lay down on his right side. But he did not care. He had his girls in his arms.
"Night, Dad," Lizzie said.
But Elliot could only smile and nod at her and hug her even stronger.
"Dad?" She actually sounded confused.
The way she looked at him hit him hard and tears shot into his eyes almost instantly. How he longed to be able to talk with her and Kat and Maureen. Painfully this yearning constricted his insides. Silently the tears ran down his cheek.
"Daddy? Are you crying?" Kathleen asked, sounding worried.
Swallowing hard Elliot wiped the tears away and forced himself to smile. There was nothing he could do but hug her again.
"He's glad that we're all together, Kat, that's why he's crying," Maureen explained in a soft whisper.
"Is that right, Dad?" Lizzie wanted to know.
Once more he had to gulp down his anxieties, but he nodded. When he looked at Maureen he tried to project all the love and pride he felt with his look and his crooked smile.
She slightly nodded and smiled sadly back at him. Then she resumed stroking his hair. Her crooning slowly relaxed all of them.
Softly crying Elliot finally fell into a restless sleep.
xxx
Adirondack State Park
Stumbling over the rough ground Kathy and Dickie made it up to the edge of the wood where another clearing opened.
"Look, Mom! The trees are getting thinner," Dickie cheered. "There must be a clearing up ahead. Let's go, mom!"
Kathy reluctantly lifted her head. She was so exhausted that she thought she would fall asleep the second she dared to sit down.
"I think I see the cabin," Dickie whispered when there was just one row of trees left between them and the woods. "Mom! Mom, look!"
He was about to run over to the small house but lightning fast Kathy dropped to her knees and clamped Dickie's mouth shut with her palm.
"Wait a second," she hushed. "Let's make sure that we did not run in a circle."
Rubbing his upper arms, she tried to encourage him. She led him along the edge of the clearing to the front of the cabin. There was a silvery shimmering SUV in the driveway.
"Okay, stay behind me," she ordered and stepped out into the clearing.
That was when a dog started barking. Dickie clawed at her hand.
"That must be a big one," he said.
"That must be at least two of them," she replied when another one joined the barking.
They could not hear if someone was inside. Whoever might be in there should have been awake by now, because the dogs became more and more excited. They were running around, barking their heads off, and pawing at the door.
"I don't want to go there," Dickie whined.
Kathy could understand his reluctance. Still, there had to be someone somewhere. The dogs did not lock themselves up in the cabin.
"Who's there!" someone yelled, the voice coming from the house. "Get off of my property!"
In pale moonlight the steel of a rifle was shining when the man stepped out of a door on the side of the cabin. Kathy swallowed.
"Sir?!" she addressed him cautiously, "Sir, can you…?"
…help us, she had wanted to say, but she chose to duck when the rifle was trained on her.
"What…?" Dickie yelped when she pulled him back into the undergrowth.
"Back off!" the man shouted and shook his weapon. "Get lost if you know what's good for you!"
Kathy ran as fast as she could, dragging her son along. No, no, no… she thought. This is a nightmare! Why didn't he help us? They heard the dogs bark but the sounds faded as they ran. Thank God, he did not let them loose. Still they were on the run… and she had no idea where to go. Tears ran over her face and she heard Dickie pant behind her.
Kathy would have been even more scared if she would have known what was going on higher on the slope they just were coming from.
"What's up down there?" one man said to the other in Spanish. "Who's out here in the middle of the night except for our two friends?"
"No lo sé," the other answered that he did not know. "Let's check it out."
So they started to run again.
"They can't be that far ahead," the first one panted. He was shining with his flashlight, so he saw the root in time and avoided it. But his friend was not as lucky.
"Mierda!" the guy cussed and fell.
He rolled down the slope and hit a rock. It gave an ugly smashing sound and the other man skidded to a halt. Running the short way up again, he let the ray of light roam until it flashed over the body of his comrade. One look at his head told him without doubt that he could not help him. His lifeless brown eyes stared directly into the flashlight.
tbc…