Thanks for the review and the constructive criticism. It will help me in future stories.
99
Olivia stepped out of the taxi, paid the driver and rounded the corner of the crime scene. Her steps became slower as she neared it. Her heart was pounding so loud she thought it would burst and scatter throughout her body. She wanted to run away like a little girl. She didn't want to be reminded how she was brought on this earth.
At times, she wished her mother had never decided to tell her who her father was after all. Why did she have to tell her anything about it? Was it really necessary after all those years? Now, he was thrown back into her life once again. The wounds were ripped open.
The alley, the murder and the surroundings were exactly like before on that fateful night. She remembers the pictures she saw of the incident. They are burnt on her brain forever. The only thing missing was her father. To this day, her mother still has nightmares although she has never told Olivia. But she has always known. Her mother always looks tired like she hasn't slept in days. She sees the terror and fear in her eyes when she hears about a rape on TV.
She has made it a point to never discuss her job with her. She could never hear about this case. It would destroy her. She replayed the scene over and over in her head until it blended together in the end. She had to make sure the police found every hint of evidence. Not a trace was left. It was like the woman never existed—just like her father wanted it. No trails of his sins.
She heard a movement in the corner and immediately pulled her gun. She breathed a sigh of relief. "You scared me." She put her gun away.
Stabler put his hands in the air jokingly and strolled over to her. "I thought you might be here," he explained.
She searched through some trash. "I just wanted to make sure they got everything."
He didn't try to stop her. He let her explore every spot she could find as if they did miss something. "Olivia, they'll let us know as soon as they find something."
She continued to look. "What if they don't? What if he goes free yet again? My mother...what about her safety? She can never feel safe as long as he is..."
He grasped her hand gently. She stopped what she was doing and looked up at him. "It's my job to keep her safe, Elliot. I owe her that."
"They will find what we need. Give them time," he said calmly.
"We don't have time!" she exclaimed.
Just then, the phone rang. Stabler fished his phone out of his pocket and answered his caller, "Stabler... OK, we're on our way." He shut his phone and smiled. "See? I told you. They need us at the station."
Olivia smiled. It was a ray of hope and she was clinging to it.
99
Cragen started to talk as soon as they entered the room. "Close the door," he said uneasily, "Sit down." He cleared away some papers and sat on the edge of his desk. "The perp cleaned up afterwards but they found a small trace of semen on the ground beside her." He chose his words carefully. He paused a moment and went on. "It's a match to your father, Olivia.
She let out a small whimper and started to tremble.
Cragen continued, "Now before anyone starts to jump to conclusions or panic, our next move is to check the institution where your father is and see how long he's been missing. He can't be far. We will track him down. He hasn't been out of long."
Olivia lifted her head and said softly, "Long enough to kill."
99
Benson and Stabler arrived at Kramer's Village. He parked the car and turned off the engine. "You don't have to go in there."
She tore her eyes away from his window. She's driven by so many times but never went in. "I need to do this. I have to face him."
They unbuckled their seatbelts and stepped out of the car. Stabler glanced over at her. "Ready?"
Benson bit her lip. "Ready. Let's go."
Their short walk to the door seemed like forever. The doors automatically opened for them. The lady at the desk peeked up at them from her computer. "May I help you?" She asked warmly.
It took a few seconds for Olivia to talk. "I need to know if..." She couldn't finish the sentence without breaking down.
Stabler seen his partner was having a hard time so he started to speak. "We have reason to believe a Victor Clark has escaped your building. We need to check his room."
The lady looked puzzled. "Victor Clark? I know for a fact he hasn't escaped. He never leaves his room. He won't eat or talk—just stares out the window at nothing from his chair in the corner of the room.
Stabler flashed his badge. "We need to make sure."
She shrugged her shoulders. "I'll take you to him." She handed Olivia some tissues. "I know it must be hard on you sweetheart to see him like this."
She had no idea how hard it really was.
They arrived at the door and she unlocked it. They opened it and peered inside. There he was as she stated—the monster that brought her into this world with so much hatred and violence. The man that made her mother live in shame all these years. She felt her hatred swell up inside of her and rise from her feet to her head. How she hated this man.
She should feel relieved that he was still there but she wasn't. She didn't want him there at all. She wanted him to burn in hell for all the pain he has caused.
She walked over to him and stood in front of him blocking his view. She wanted him to see her disgust. She wanted him to cringe at the sight of her. She had to make him see that he failed in snuffing out her life along with her mother's. She wanted him to see what he has created.
He just sat there. He stared right through her. It was as if she wasn't there. At this moment, her sanity and life depended solely on him. She licked her dry lips and swallowed the huge lump in her throat.
When Stabler and the nurse went into the hallway to talk, she tried to coax him into speaking. "Say something, you SOB. You know who I am. You helped bring me into this world even though you never intended for me to see the light of day."
He continued to stare. He didn't move a muscle. Her fury turned her into a person she has never seen. "You remember my mother don't you? The one you tried to kill years ago? You didn't finish the job, you bastard. Here I am. What are you going to about it now?"
She waited for an answer but his expression never changed. She didn't exist then. She doesn't exist now. She was getting ready to say more when Stabler and the nurse walked back in. The nurse continued her conversation. "... so as you see, the nurses check on him every hour so he couldn't ever leave for a minute. No need to check on him. He never leaves that chair."
Olivia kept her eyes on him as she walked away from him. "You always need to watch over him."
The uneasiness grew as they walked down the hallway. This development brought few answers and even more disturbing questions. The biggest mystery of all is if he has been there this whole time, then who killed that woman?
99
"Incompetent boobs!" Stabler ranted, "How could they make such a mistake?"
Stabler raged on and on but Benson wasn't listening. She was disappointed. She wanted him to be guilty so she could be the one to catch him and put him where he belonged this time. She had to be the last person he saw before he was carted off to rot in prison. She would prove to him that she does exist. He couldn't deny her that.
She started paying attention to Stabler again when he brought the car to a screeching halt in the parking space and furiously growled "They are going to hear from me!" He slammed the door so hard the car almost broke into pieces.
Everyone looked grim. "What's up?" Stabler asked. Cragen lifted himself up out of his seat slowly. He looked years older than he was. He wasn't in any hurry to relay the next bit of information. "The lab called right after you left. I didn't call you because I knew Olivia needed piece of mind for herself. It seems they made an error on the sample of semen."
"No kidding!" Stabler said irritated. "What a waste..."
Cragen raised his hand at him and Stabler abruptly became quiet. "I have no idea how the mistake was made and frankly, I don't care right now. We have to start all over. It was a match to Jacob Taylor. Here's his address. Munch, Tutuola...find him and bring him in."
99
Olivia stepped out of the taxi, paid the driver and rounded the corner of the crime scene. Her steps became slower as she neared it. Her heart was pounding so loud she thought it would burst and scatter throughout her body. She wanted to run away like a little girl. She didn't want to be reminded how she was brought on this earth.
At times, she wished her mother had never decided to tell her who her father was after all. Why did she have to tell her anything about it? Was it really necessary after all those years? Now, he was thrown back into her life once again. The wounds were ripped open.
The alley, the murder and the surroundings were exactly like before on that fateful night. She remembers the pictures she saw of the incident. They are burnt on her brain forever. The only thing missing was her father. To this day, her mother still has nightmares although she has never told Olivia. But she has always known. Her mother always looks tired like she hasn't slept in days. She sees the terror and fear in her eyes when she hears about a rape on TV.
She has made it a point to never discuss her job with her. She could never hear about this case. It would destroy her. She replayed the scene over and over in her head until it blended together in the end. She had to make sure the police found every hint of evidence. Not a trace was left. It was like the woman never existed—just like her father wanted it. No trails of his sins.
She heard a movement in the corner and immediately pulled her gun. She breathed a sigh of relief. "You scared me." She put her gun away.
Stabler put his hands in the air jokingly and strolled over to her. "I thought you might be here," he explained.
She searched through some trash. "I just wanted to make sure they got everything."
He didn't try to stop her. He let her explore every spot she could find as if they did miss something. "Olivia, they'll let us know as soon as they find something."
She continued to look. "What if they don't? What if he goes free yet again? My mother...what about her safety? She can never feel safe as long as he is..."
He grasped her hand gently. She stopped what she was doing and looked up at him. "It's my job to keep her safe, Elliot. I owe her that."
"They will find what we need. Give them time," he said calmly.
"We don't have time!" she exclaimed.
Just then, the phone rang. Stabler fished his phone out of his pocket and answered his caller, "Stabler... OK, we're on our way." He shut his phone and smiled. "See? I told you. They need us at the station."
Olivia smiled. It was a ray of hope and she was clinging to it.
99
Cragen started to talk as soon as they entered the room. "Close the door," he said uneasily, "Sit down." He cleared away some papers and sat on the edge of his desk. "The perp cleaned up afterwards but they found a small trace of semen on the ground beside her." He chose his words carefully. He paused a moment and went on. "It's a match to your father, Olivia.
She let out a small whimper and started to tremble.
Cragen continued, "Now before anyone starts to jump to conclusions or panic, our next move is to check the institution where your father is and see how long he's been missing. He can't be far. We will track him down. He hasn't been out of long."
Olivia lifted her head and said softly, "Long enough to kill."
99
Benson and Stabler arrived at Kramer's Village. He parked the car and turned off the engine. "You don't have to go in there."
She tore her eyes away from his window. She's driven by so many times but never went in. "I need to do this. I have to face him."
They unbuckled their seatbelts and stepped out of the car. Stabler glanced over at her. "Ready?"
Benson bit her lip. "Ready. Let's go."
Their short walk to the door seemed like forever. The doors automatically opened for them. The lady at the desk peeked up at them from her computer. "May I help you?" She asked warmly.
It took a few seconds for Olivia to talk. "I need to know if..." She couldn't finish the sentence without breaking down.
Stabler seen his partner was having a hard time so he started to speak. "We have reason to believe a Victor Clark has escaped your building. We need to check his room."
The lady looked puzzled. "Victor Clark? I know for a fact he hasn't escaped. He never leaves his room. He won't eat or talk—just stares out the window at nothing from his chair in the corner of the room.
Stabler flashed his badge. "We need to make sure."
She shrugged her shoulders. "I'll take you to him." She handed Olivia some tissues. "I know it must be hard on you sweetheart to see him like this."
She had no idea how hard it really was.
They arrived at the door and she unlocked it. They opened it and peered inside. There he was as she stated—the monster that brought her into this world with so much hatred and violence. The man that made her mother live in shame all these years. She felt her hatred swell up inside of her and rise from her feet to her head. How she hated this man.
She should feel relieved that he was still there but she wasn't. She didn't want him there at all. She wanted him to burn in hell for all the pain he has caused.
She walked over to him and stood in front of him blocking his view. She wanted him to see her disgust. She wanted him to cringe at the sight of her. She had to make him see that he failed in snuffing out her life along with her mother's. She wanted him to see what he has created.
He just sat there. He stared right through her. It was as if she wasn't there. At this moment, her sanity and life depended solely on him. She licked her dry lips and swallowed the huge lump in her throat.
When Stabler and the nurse went into the hallway to talk, she tried to coax him into speaking. "Say something, you SOB. You know who I am. You helped bring me into this world even though you never intended for me to see the light of day."
He continued to stare. He didn't move a muscle. Her fury turned her into a person she has never seen. "You remember my mother don't you? The one you tried to kill years ago? You didn't finish the job, you bastard. Here I am. What are you going to about it now?"
She waited for an answer but his expression never changed. She didn't exist then. She doesn't exist now. She was getting ready to say more when Stabler and the nurse walked back in. The nurse continued her conversation. "... so as you see, the nurses check on him every hour so he couldn't ever leave for a minute. No need to check on him. He never leaves that chair."
Olivia kept her eyes on him as she walked away from him. "You always need to watch over him."
The uneasiness grew as they walked down the hallway. This development brought few answers and even more disturbing questions. The biggest mystery of all is if he has been there this whole time, then who killed that woman?
99
"Incompetent boobs!" Stabler ranted, "How could they make such a mistake?"
Stabler raged on and on but Benson wasn't listening. She was disappointed. She wanted him to be guilty so she could be the one to catch him and put him where he belonged this time. She had to be the last person he saw before he was carted off to rot in prison. She would prove to him that she does exist. He couldn't deny her that.
She started paying attention to Stabler again when he brought the car to a screeching halt in the parking space and furiously growled "They are going to hear from me!" He slammed the door so hard the car almost broke into pieces.
Everyone looked grim. "What's up?" Stabler asked. Cragen lifted himself up out of his seat slowly. He looked years older than he was. He wasn't in any hurry to relay the next bit of information. "The lab called right after you left. I didn't call you because I knew Olivia needed piece of mind for herself. It seems they made an error on the sample of semen."
"No kidding!" Stabler said irritated. "What a waste..."
Cragen raised his hand at him and Stabler abruptly became quiet. "I have no idea how the mistake was made and frankly, I don't care right now. We have to start all over. It was a match to Jacob Taylor. Here's his address. Munch, Tutuola...find him and bring him in."