Disclaimer: I do not own Law and Order: SVU. It belongs to a genius named Dick Wolf. No profit is being made from this story.

"He listed his home address on the application when I hired him," Hopkins said. He handed the captain another paper. "But he was telling another employee about this cabin he has up in Buffalo the day before he disappeared."

The other officers were hovering around anxiously, waiting for a cue from their captain.

Cragen took command immediately. "Split up," he ordered. "Half of you head for the home, the other half to Buffalo." When they didn't move right away, he turned toward them and bellowed, "NOW, you guys! Get moving!"

Olivia was out the door before he finished speaking.

Elliot stood still, crying softly, as the man read him the obituary he had made. When he finished, the man smiled. "Don't worry about a funeral," he said sweetly. "I'll make sure to let your precinct know where your body is. I'm sure they'll want to find all of you." He shone his light in Elliot's face and watched him sob.

"It's time, Elliot," he said, sounding almost contrite. "Do you want me to kill you before I chop you up? I'd recommend it." Elliot couldn't stop the sobs that heaved his body. The man clicked off the light. "I'll let you decide," he said. "Let me go get my supplies." He headed up the ladder.

Fin screeched to a halt beside the half-dozen other squad cars surrounding the man's home. They quickly flanked the building. "NYPD!" the one next to the door yelled. "Come out with your hands up!" He got drew his gun and waited tensely beside the door frame with the others. "Police, open the door!" the man shouted again. Nothing.

The officer nodded, and Fin moved back as they slammed through the door and swarmed inside. "Police!" officers shouted, scouring the kitchen area. Others moved into side rooms.

"Elliot!" he yelled, desperately. Shouts of "Clear!" from the other officers made his heart sink.

"Check the back!" Munch yelled, running through the house quickly. Officers scurried outside.

Olivia sat in the passenger seat of the car, holding her breath as the captain lead a team of cars through the streets of Buffalo. Please, please…..she prayed silently

Team one, reporting," came an officer's voice through the radio. Cragen keyed his mike.

"Go ahead, team one," he said.

"Nothing on the north side of town, sir," the officer said. "We're heading toward the expressway now."

Cragen bit his lip. "Copy that, team one," he said.

He replaced the mike and continued driving silently. After a minute, he glanced over at Olivia. She was sitting on the edge of the seat, nervously biting her thumbnail. He debated saying something to reassure her, but thought better of it.

Ten fruitless minutes of searching later, another officer's voice blared into the radio.

"Team three reporting….there's an abandoned Fed-Ex truck three miles west of Interstate 6, next to a forest."

Olivia looked at the captain with wild eyes, jumping to attention.

"Copy that, team three," Cragen said quickly. He keyed another frequency as he gunned the accelerator. "All units report three miles west of Interstate 6. Repeat, all units report west of Interstate 6."

"Guys!" Munch burst out of the house and sprinted toward the cars. "Interstate 6!" he yelled at the officers. "Everyone head to Interstate 6!" Fin barely had time to jump in the car before his partner zoomed toward the highway. The other officers sped behind them.

Cars squealed haphazardly to stop and officers jumped out to surround the Fed-Ex truck. A minute of searching confirmed the vehicle empty.

Cragen looked around the area, biting his lip. "The guy said the cabin is secluded," he said. "Search the woods."

When the other teams of officers arrived, they saw the abandoned squad cars and the Fed-Ex truck.

"Captain, we're here," Munch said into his radio.

"Munch, search the woods," Cragen answered as he treaded carefully through the woods. "We're about a half-mile in."

Everyone met up about five minutes later, and they quietly searched the thicket of trees. All was quiet for about ten minutes, until Olivia hissed, "Cabin ahead!" They looked to the right to see a wooded cabin.

"All right," Cragen said, coming to a stop. "Everyone, turn down your radios. Don't make any noise."

The police officers crept through the woods and up to the cabin. A few hand signals indicated for them to surround all the exits. Cragen crept up the stairs and stood next to the door, listening for movement inside. He looked at the officers around him and silently asked if they were ready. Nods confirmed, and he shouted, "POLICE!" before busting through the flimsy wood.

The man pulled his small sack out from the drawer and dumped the contents on the table in front of him. Whistling, he began shining each of his knives until they gleamed.

Olivia's heart pounded in her ears as she swept her gun from side to side, side-stepping quietly from room to room. With each turn, she braced herself to find Elliot or the man. When she reached the end of the hall, she wanted to cry. This can't be it! He has to be here somewhere!

She stood in the empty bedroom, her heart plummeting to her feet. They were too late. How was she going to live without Elliot? She quickly covered her mouth to silence the sob that suddenly escaped. "Search the surrounding area," she heard Cragen say. "I'm not giving up until I find a body."

Twilight was descending as the officers searched through the woods once again. The hopelessness was almost tangible. As he searched, Cragen wondered if he would carry out his promise. What if we do find his body? He pulled out his flashlight as it became harder to see in front of him.

Olivia shone her flashlight in front of her, gingerly putting one foot in front of the other. She couldn't hear the others close to her, but their voices drifted from the distance. A sudden rustling made her whip around fast, and she suddenly fell and dropped her flashlight.

Her heart leaped in her throat as a squirrel darted out from under a pile of leaves. She scoffed at her own foolishness and reached for her flashlight, getting to her feet. A sudden pain in her elbow made her twist to view the spot, and she winced when she saw blood. Great, she thought sourly. She dusted herself off. What the hell did I trip over?

Brushing aside the leaves, she suddenly hit wood. Surprised, she kept pushing brush aside, her eyes widening as she uncovered a door. It's a cellar! She scraped the wood frantically, trying to find the opening. When she found it, she pried the heavy door up. Grabbing her flashlight, she carefully descended the stairs.

"Captain," she said softly into her radio.

Cragen jerked the radio from his hip. "Go ahead, Olivia."

She shined the beam ahead of her carefully as she spoke. "I found a cellar," she said. "I'm checking it out."

The captain quickly radioed the others and took off in her direction.

The man stealthily ascended the rope ladder, his bag of tools over his shoulder.

"Guess who…" he droned, his eyes shining.

He flicked the flashlight on. Elliot began whimpering and struggling wildly. "Now, now," he rasped, grinning. He flicked the light off, then on again. "Better keep still…it hurts more if you struggle."

He stepped closer, flashing Elliot with the light again before flicking it off. His lips curled into a delightful smile as he kept flicking the flashlight on and off. Each time he did, the man would come a little closer. He drew out his knife as he flipped the light off again. "Time to play…." he crooned.

When he flicked the light on again, Olivia was standing in his beam with a look of hatred on her face.

"Game over," she growled, and ejected three bullets into the man's chest.