He smiled at her and mimicked her stance. "And you're a detective."
She chuckled slightly. "Tell me about your job."
"Tell me about yours."
She furrowed her brows and looked at him, trying to read him. He wasn't playing ball like she had hoped he would. He was good. "I thought I was the one interrogating." She sat back and crossed her hands over her chest. "Was I-"
He cut her off with a sharp laugh. She looked at him quisically and he simply shrugged and mimicked her stance again. "Crossing your arms." He paused and grinned sickly. "Defensive. Are you scared of me, detective?"
She was slightly taken off guard, but covered it quickly and smiled at him. "Not at all."
He raised his eyebrows and leaned forward, looking her more directly in the eyes. "You're trying to flirt with me." he stated with a self-satisfied smirk. "So that I'll open up to you about the rapes and murders I supposedly commited." She coughed and leaned back, away from him, the smile fading completely from her face. "Tell me if I'm wrong," he paused, looking at her closely, "Olivia."
Olivia smiled. "Is that a strategy for you, Cory?" she quipped, around a grin, "You use someones first name so they feel," she stalled as he looked away from her, "connected to you?"
His eyes quickly snapped back to hers, "Why would I do that, detective."
She stood from her seat and walked slowly around the table to stand beside him. She yanked his chair out and stopped down in front of him, giving him an intimidating stare. "You did it to detective Munch." she crouched down in front of him, decreasing the angle of their eye contact. "You do it because you know anyone would be disgusted to be connected to a peice of shit like you." she stated her last sentance levely and fixed him with a sweet smile. Slowly she stood and walked away from him. She heard him chuckle behind her and froze at the sound, she thought she had him.
"That wouldent be the intention with you though." he asserted from behind her. "I would be much more disgusted to be connected to someone like you, a product of rape then be connected to a normal person who happens to be a doctor, like myself."
She tensed and squeezed her eyes shut. How did he know that? The question echoed in her head. She felt faint.
"Tell me, Olivia." He continued, still grinning "Did your mother want to keep you or was it a mistake?"
Olivia felt the world spinning around her. He knew her.
"Is that why she beat you? Is that why she drank you away? Did she find out too late?"
She felt the tears coming and squinted her eyes tighter together. She would not show him tears. She would not show him this weakness. So, as quickly as her legs would carry her she walked towards the door but just before she passed through it she heard his voice add one more blow.
"If you ever want to talk I'm always ready for you."
She got through the door and felt instant releif but the solace was quickly replaced with hate and disgust with herself. How did he know that? The words still repeted in her head.
"Olivia?" she heard her Captains attempt to grasp her attension. She looked over at the three men staring at her. Huang wore a face of shock, Cragen a face of concern, and Elliot a face of anger and hatred.
She shook her head and looked down, quickly walking out of the room. She walked over to her desk and grabbed her coat hastily throwing it on before marching swiftly up to the roof, hoping not to be followed.
When she reached the roof she sat on the ledge lettng her legs dangle over the streets below. How did he know that? A lone tear escaped her left eye and she clenched them shut like she had before. She rummaged through her ming trying to peice together a way he could know that about her and found nothing. The only person she had ever opened up to about her mother attacking her was Casey. How did he know that? The words still recited through her mind even as she willed them away. Bastard. She sighed and looked down at the traffic bellow her. She thrusted her heal into the wall. How did he know that? She heard footsteps behind her followed by the slamming of the door. She shut her eyes and cursed whoever was behind her.
"Olivia"
Captain. She was half relieved that it wasnt Elliot, half upset that her time alone was reduced. She heard him walk closer to her and perch on the wall beside her, facing the opposite direction. His loud sigh caught her attension and she looked at him expectantly. "I told Elliot to leave you be." He smiled at her gently, "I thought he was one ot the last people you would want to see"
She gave him a smile of appreciation but no verbal response. She looked back down at the city and the two sat in comfortable silence for about a minute. "I don't want to be taken off the case." she said quietly, kicking at the wall.
"I have no intention of taking you off the case." he said in a meek voice. "I want you taken off but I respect you too much but it is obvious that he's after you Olivia." he paused and looked at her, waiting for her to meet his gaze. Slowly she did. "So, I am demanding protective detail." She opened her mouth to protest but he cut her off, "No questions asked"
She nodded and looked back down at the streets, giving the wall one last hard kick. "Yeah. Yeah"
"I've already ordered the detail. They should be there now." he touched her shoulder, "You've got the day, I want you rested and ready for work tomorrow. I want you at your best." he concluded with a squeeze of her shoulder.
Slowly he stood and began to walk towards the door back down to the squad room. She watched him as he stopped before the door and looked back at her. "Oh, and I'll make sure Stabler leaves you be for now." She nodded and looked away. "Get some rest, detective"
She walked into the precinct the next day feeling much more revitalized yet having defeated no demons over the night. Elliot had stayed away and that was good. She had no desire to see him and was dreading seeing him today. His questions and concerns awaited her and she wasnt looking forward to them. She carried in a box with various year books and things from her high school. She needed to find out the link between her and Ligman.
"Morning." she said, as she passed Elliot who was leaning back in his chair with his hand behind his head, and plopped the box down beside her desk, sitting down in her chair.
As he heard her voice he whipped around and looked at her, his chair giving as stressed creak as he did so. "Hey, how are you?" he said with a forced attempt to cover his overwhelming concern. "Fine." she retorted, not wanting to get into it with him.
"You wanna tal-"
"No, Stabler, I want to work." she quipped giving him a horrid glare and turning on her computer.
"Sorry." he said, looking down and his linked hands. "So what's in the box"
"My year books." she stated distractedly and she focused on opening the box.
He snorted, "Planning on reliving some old memories?"
She looked up at him with an incredelous look on her face, "No, Elliot, I'm planning on linking that badtard to myself." She shook her head at him and gave him a look of disgust. He was such and asshole sometimes.
He cringed at his ignorance and gave his appology while rolling his chair over beside her. "Do you need any help?"
She hauled the box up on the other side of her desk, away from him, "No. Now, fill me in on what happened with Ligman after I left, yesturday."
Elliot sighed and scratched the back of his neck, "He gave his alibi and we let him go"
She rolled her eyes, "He's playing with us. What was his alibi"
Elliot rolled back over to his side of their joined desk and leaned back, much like he was when she arrived. "He was at his mothers house." Elliot paused in revolt to the pitiful excuse, "Fixing the shed"
"Son of a bitch." Olivia barked, rubbing her temples. She opened her mouth to continue her rant but was cut off by Cragen exiting his office.
"We got another." his shout rang through the squad room.
"Chopped?" Olivia asked, with dread.
Cragen shooke his head no, "Found her in and alley way behind a bar, just around the corner"
Elliot slammed his fist down on his desk. "Fuck"
Elliot and Olivia approached the alley where the body was found. Elliot lifted the the crime scene tape allowing Olivia to pass and then following.
"What do we have?" Olivia asked Warner, who was crouched over the body. Elliot looked down at the woman and felt his fis involuntarily clench in anger at the sight. The face was unidentifiable due to blood and bruiding and a peice of clothing hung from her right shoulder. Her leg was propped up by a pile of bricks and one of the bricks lay beside her head, covered in blood. He would not let this bastard get Olivia.
"Well, she died from blunt forse trauma, I'm presuming from this," she pointed to the brick, beside the womans head, "but I can't say for sure until I do the octopsy. She was severely raped, bruising and blood covering her genital area. And she suffered from many lacerations on her knees and hands"
Elliot followed a trail of blood over to a dumpster nearby. "So he dragged her from here, and the he raped her from behind"
"And she faught." Warner stated, with a nod, looking from each detective to the other. "As he dragged her from the dumpsted she grabbad at the ground causing these lacerations." she raised the womans hand palm up showing cuts on her hands.
"But she's intact." Olivia affirmed, "That's not Ligmans M.O"
"The body's not what links her to your case." Warner declared handing Olivia a book "This was found on her stomach"
Olivia frowned and opened the book reveiling a note attatched to the first page,
Dear Olivia,
You will find what you're looking for in here, my dear.
No hard feelings.