Chapter 4
Never guessing that it could take nearly a half hour to travel less than five miles, Olivia was ultimately stunned when she saw the house as they crawled up the unplowed driveway. "Oh my God. Elliot, look at this place!" Her nose was literally pressed up against the glass as she looked on in wonder. She turned to her left and said, "Chief, this isn't a cabin, it's a mansion made of timber. Your sister owns this?"
"Yep. Ginny and her husband built it about five years back. It's very popular on the rent lists. Usually it's never empty. You two have lucked out in one sense this weekend."
As they got closer, Olivia could see more details in the faint light given off by the security lamp behind the house and from the cheery light that shone through all of the large windows. From here it looked as if three sections had been set side-by-side on an offset so the first portion sat further forward than the last portion. Snow clung to everything, piled on the gabled roof sections with icicles clinging to the edge of the eaves and even laying in a thick line across the top of the railings that adorned the deck area. It looked like something out of a Lord & Taylor window at Christmas.
Chief Gilson parked the truck, and Olivia opened the door to climb out. She looked over her shoulder and saw that Elliot had not moved. "Elliot. Hey," she said as she opened the other door. He turned and looked at her. "You okay?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah. Sorry. Just thinking," he said as he climbed out of the truck and walked to the back for their bags. Olivia looked on in concern. She'd have to talk to him, but maybe the morning would be better after they'd both gotten some sleep.
"Detective Benson, here are the keys. The heat is already on so you shouldn't have to wait to be warm."
"I don't see tracks, Chief. Is your sister close to here?" asked Olivia.
Gilson laughed. "No, Ginny is the geek of the family and refused to have to be at the beck and call of the necessities of this house. It's completely wired to a network and Ginny can turn on and off multiple areas from her home about three miles from here. All she did was contact the system and instruct the furnace to turn on. Wish I could depend on my email as much as she does that network. It's really amazing. That's why the lights are on and everything. There's logs already in the fireplace and a supply under the deck. Help yourselves to everything there. Especially the refrigerator. All that fresh stock needs to be used up, so enjoy." He shook hands with both detectives and turned and headed back towards the truck. "I'll give you a call in the morning when I know what's going on."
"Thanks, Chief. Drive safe," said Olivia. She turned to insert the key into the lock and opened the door. When they stepped through, Olivia just stopped and looked in awe.
"Wow," she breathed. "This is beautiful. I may never leave."
Elliot just grunted and turned to close and lock the door. He shrugged out of his overcoat and hung it in the front closet. Turning around, he saw Olivia still standing there in a daze as she looked around the entry area and into the great room of the cabin. Elliot had to admit that this was no average ski cabin. The chief's sister must cater to the higher end of renters. He tapped Olivia on the shoulder, and it brought her out of her daze as she turned to him with a questioning look on her face. "Your coat. Hand it here."
"Oh, thanks." Olivia took off her coat and handed it to him. Deciding to leave him alone for a bit, she said, "I'm going to try and find the master bedroom. See you later."
"Okay. Don't drown." He had to grin a bit at the scowl she sent him.
"Try and cheer up while I'm taking a bath, will you? And if you can't do that, at least make dinner." She smiled brightly at his less than amused look.
"Food again, Liv? Have you turned into a bottomless pit without my knowing it, or is this what snow does to you?"
"Just cook, Stabler."
"You may regret those words, partner."
"I'll take my chances," she said over her shoulder as she disappeared through a doorway.
Elliot saw her come back from that room to go up the staircase and snickered at her misdirection. He heard a "Shut up, Elliot" float over the stair rail as she disappeared into the second floor area. A moment later he also heard a faint feminine squeal. Must of found the tub, he mused.
Wandering over to the kitchen, he gave a low whistle. Barring how the future played out, even he'd be willing to stay here forever. He wasn't a gourmet cook by any stretch of the imagination, but even he was very impressed with this kitchen. Dark granite covered the counters and the immense island that stood in the center of the kitchen. Dark stained maple formed the cabinets that offset the stainless appliances. Opening the refrigerator he took stock of the contents. Wow, he thought. The chief wasn't kidding when he said this place was well-stocked. If we're stuck here tomorrow, I'm definitely grilling those steaks. Pulling out the ingredients for omelets, he looked through the cabinets until he found a skillet and started up the range. Hopefully this would appease his partner.
It took a while, but eventually he found the plates and silverware and set out two settings onto the granite bar counter that came off the end of the island. Just as he set out the glasses, Olivia appeared in a pair of track pants and a wool pullover.
"El, you have got to try that tub. I tell you, all the troubles will float away," she said as she sat down. "You can cook. I'm impressed."
"Well, maybe I'll soak in that tub tomorrow morning or something. I would tonight, but somebody's been hogging it while I've been slaving away down here."
"Very funny. It's all yours now. And while you're in it, I'll try to resist the temptation to drown you."
"Eat first, Liv, or you'll be up scavenging around midnight. I'll just grab a shower in the other room. I'm assuming there is a shower, right? I'm sure you've reconned the entire upstairs...especially the bathrooms."
"Yes, there is a shower. Enjoy it," Olivia said as she cut her omelet up.
Elliot looked at her thoughtfully while chewing a bite of his omelet. "I'm sorry, Liv," he said quietly, looking down at this plate.
"For what?" she asked around a mouthful of omelet. "You know, this is good."
"For being a prick today. And thanks. If we're still stuck here tomorrow, there are huge steaks in the 'fridge that have our names on them."
"Sounds delicious. And no problem. Go cool off."
"Thanks. Leave the dishes. I'll finish them after my shower if you want to get some sleep."
"You cooked, I'll clean," Olivia shooed him away.
He nodded, stood and took his plate and glass to the sink. On his way back he hesitated as he passed behind Olivia. Stopping, he leaned down quickly and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Thanks for putting up with me, Liv." He straightened, walked to the entryway, grabbed his bag and headed up the stairs.
Olivia smiled a little before she finished eating, then rinsed the plates and glasses and placed them in the dishwasher. Filling another glass with ice water from the refrigerator, she turned off the lights to the downstairs area and headed upstairs. She was looking forward to curling up in that bed in the master bedroom. She was surprised that Elliot hadn't commented on the little squeal she let out earlier when she saw this room. But she knew he wasn't quite all here. Maybe I shouldn't have forced him to call Kathy, she thought as she changed into her pajamas. Something bad had clearly happened on that phone call, and she had a feeling it was the ultimate in bad. But until Elliot said something, she'd just play along. The kiss on the cheek had surprised her, but she'd forced herself not to react too much. The main reaction being that she wanted to drag him up to this room with her. Sighing, she thought to herself, don't go there. That was the problem. Seeing this room, that thought came first and foremost. Waking up in the morning, wrapped up in those brawny arms. A fire burning happily in the small corner fireplace. Quit it – that is definitely out of bounds.
Looking around the room, she took stock of the interior. The bed was a high-ended sleigh bed made of darkly stained walnut and rounded metal form inserts. The duvet was a rich burgundy, hunter and navy combination of fabrics that looked warm without even touching it. A large highboy stood along one wall, and a series of walnut built-ins formed an area for an entertainment system that would make anyone drool. A walk-in closet lined one wall, and after peeking inside, she'd decided that it was almost as large as her bedroom in her apartment. Maybe they could just leave me here, she thought with a grin. She walked into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face and studied the room. Ah, my sanctuary. The Jacuzzi tub really was wonderful and if she hadn't known that Elliot was cooking downstairs, she probably would have soaked for at least another hour.
Before going downstairs earlier, she had peeked into the room where Elliot would sleep and decided that as nice as it was, there was no way she was giving up the master. She'd grinned as she'd thought of what he'd say if he knew about the 60" television that was on the wall in her room. Hmm, that could be very devious. Maybe when, and if, he's in a better mood. An image of a them laying on the bed with a bowl of popcorn and a DVD playing on the screen had popped in her head.
Bringing her thoughts back to the present, she turned off the lights and crawled under the covers. Snuggling down on her side, she listened for other noises and could faintly hear the shower still running down the hall. Taking comfort in knowing that Elliot was here too, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes and let the sound of the water send her to sleep.
Down the hall, Elliot was just finishing his shower. At this point, even he had begun to take notice of the interior of the room and the furnishings. The bath had a glassed-in shower stall that really sent his imagination into overdrive. The apparently unlimited hot water had relaxed him to a point where he stopped dwelling over his conversation with Kathy. At this point, all he could do was wait and see what she did in the morning. Granted, he never thought their marriage would fall apart like this, but he could see how Kathy had always had problems with his job, even before being partnered with Olivia. Olivia. Considering how decadently this room was decorated, he could only imagine what the master bedroom looked like. And then thinking of that, his mind slid over to the side that pictured his partner all wrapped up under the covers. Or, maybe even in that tub, he grinned at the thought. He grabbed a pair of sweats from his duffle and turned off the lights. He wasn't all that tired, just very relaxed from the shower. Looking at the 30" LCD television mounted on the wall, he thought about seeing what games were playing, but a huge yawn surprised him and he decided against it. Crawling under the covers, he laid back and sank into the flannel cotton that already felt warm. Sleep eventually caught up with him and he was soon out for the count.
*****
Bright sunlight shown through the windows as a very rude noise filtered in through his sleep. Reaching towards the noise, his hand landed on a phone.
" 'ello," he croaked as he pressed 'Talk'.
"Detective Stabler? It's Chief Gilson. How are you this morning? Did I wake you?"
Elliot rubbed his hand over his eyes to wipe the sleep from them. "Yeah. Couldn't find an alarm, Chief. Guess this really is a vacation house."
The chief laughed on his end. "Look, I wanted to let you know that the DA called this morning. His car is stuck under about a foot of snow in Boston. He won't be here until late tonight."
"Ah, crap," Elliot said as he struggled to sit upright, the blankets sliding down his bare chest. The cool air hitting his skin definitely woke him up. "What time do you think, Chief? Or at this point should we just wait until tomorrow?"
"I think you should just wait until tomorrow. Look, enjoy the house. Use the equipment that's there and go skiing. Have a good time. Oh, and your captain called. Seems that one of you forgot to check in last night. He sounded pretty pissed after I assured him that you and Detective Benson were still in one piece. You might want to give him a call. Now."
"Ah, yes, sir. Sorry to get you chewed on, Chief. All we did was raid the 'fridge and fall asleep. Do you mind if I use the land line here to pay the piper?"
"No problem. I know the feeling of being a mother hen to the chicks."
"Right," Elliot said. "Bye, Chief." He hung up and immediately dialed Cragen's cell.
"Cragen," was the terse acknowledgement.
"Hey, 'Cap. It's Elliot." He cringed and waited. Why couldn't Olivia have picked up the phone first? He wouldn't yell at her.
"What the hell is the matter with you?"
"I'm sorry, Captain. We both forgot. I know that's no excuse, but yesterday was the day from hell."
"Oh, really? You should have tried having my day. I had two detectives in court all day and another two going to Vermont to pick up a rapist. The two that weren't getting along because one of them decided to act like an overbearing jackass and tell his partner that he wasn't going to let her do something. I was having visions of you trying to keep Olivia from killing you."
Elliot actually chuckled at that thought. "I'm not laughing at you, sir. It's just that that image isn't too far from the truth. I don't even know if she's speaking to me yet today. Besides, it's not her that was being a problem. That didn't start until another phone call."
"Yeah, right. Before I forget, there are several boxes sitting up in the loft with your name on them."
"Ah, shit. She did it," he muttered. "She actually did it."
"Kathy, I assume?"
"Yes, sir. Could you just have someone stack them out of the way? I'm sorry that my personal life is being brought in to the shop, Captain. I didn't intend for all of this to happen."
"I stacked them back in the corner. Elliot, I'm sorry. No one ever intends for this to happen. Have you told any of this to Olivia?"
"No, sir. Haven't seen her yet this morning. I was a real prick yesterday and I'll bet she locks me outside today since the sun is out."
"Talk to her, Elliot. She's got her own guilt to deal with since she asked to send the two of you up there."
"What do you mean, 'Cap?" Elliot was thoroughly confused.
"After that debacle of a case yesterday and your tantrum in the office, she asked for the two of you to go on this run to get the two of you out of the office a bit. I didn't have anyone else so I couldn't say no. I'm sorry if all this brought everything to a head with Kathy."
"That's okay, Captain. I think it was getting pretty threadbare at home. Look, you should know that we probably won't be back until late tomorrow night."
"That's what I gathered after talking to Gilson. He said they're treating you both right after all this hassle. What'd he mean?"
"Oh. His sister owns a cabin, and instead of sending us to a hotel, he basically handed off the keys. And cabin is such an inadequate word for this place. I think I could stay here forever...any maybe I should since I don't have a home to return to."
"Sounds nice, Elliot. You know, you're more than welcome at my house. It's way too empty with Marge gone."
"Thanks, Don. I appreciate the offer. Right now my concern is my partner, considering what you told me. I knew for some reason she thought this trip was her fault and I know I should tell her about Kathy, but if I tell her—"
*****