It was nearly five o'clock in the afternoon by the time they had made the rounds.

Twelve houses including Elliot's lined one side of the dead-end dirt road that snaked through the forest. Some were massive, tri-level structures, complete with hot tubs and finished basements. Others were smaller, single-level cabins, but they too reeked of wealth, from the satellites jutting off the roofs to the expensive cars idling in the porticos. On the other side of the street, the pine forest rose dauntingly.

They had managed to connect with the residents of eight of the eleven homes thanks to luck, the beautiful weather, and typical Sunday laziness. Many of them were outside tending to gardens, playing horseshoes, or reading in colorful Adirondack chairs. Little segue way was needed to initiate conversation and most of the people greeted Olivia warmly and without apparent suspicion.

But none of them offered any useful information.

They were maybe fifty feet from Elliot's house when a silver Mercedes Benz with tinted windows turned into the driveway of Elliot's immediate neighbor. Olivia groaned internally. After hours of traipsing down the lengthy dirt road, she was covered in bug bites and itched desperately. She could feel the sunburn crusting on her shoulders and her feet ached in her sandals. The dirt caked in the sweat on her calves did nothing to help her shake the feeling of unkemptness. All she wanted to do was have a shower.

Beside her, Elliot looked irritatingly unperturbed and energized by the questioning. His clothes were unwrinkled, his sunglasses still sat firmly on his nose, and he didn't appear bothered by the bugs or the heat. The only sign of any strain on his body was the light sheen of sweat that coated his face.

"Hey Gary, how's it going?"

Pausing at the end of the driveway, Elliot waved to the man who had just swung his legs out of the Benz. At the sound of his name, the man looked up, his designer sunglasses catching a thin beam of sun as he returned the wave. Olivia felt a small flutter of butterflies in her stomach as he sent a white-toothed grin their way. He was a good looking man by any standards, with long dark hair worn slicked back, healthy skin, and a trim body.

"Hey Elliot! Good to see you, man." The trunk of the Benz popped up and Gary walked around to the rear of the car to pull out a suitcase. A few feet away at the house, the screen door creaked open and a portly woman emerged, wiping her hands on her apron. Catching sight of Elliot and Olivia at the mouth of the driveway, she also waved. A squirrel ran across the porch as she stepped out, its bushy tail bobbing.

Taking the greeting as an invitation, Elliot trudged down the driveway toward the couple. "Just getting back from a business trip?"

Gary slammed the trunk closed with a metallic thud before turning a full watt grin in their direction. "Yep. Seattle. Just flew back in this morning."

The portly woman from the doorway appeared at Gary's left elbow. Her red hair curled tightly around a face marred by dry patches. She greeted Elliot shyly, but her eyes were on Olivia.

Stepping back, Elliot placed his hand on the small of Olivia's back and guided her forward. "I'd like you both to meet my girlfriend, Olivia. She moved in with me yesterday. This is Gary and his wife Rebecca."

"Wow." Gary grinned and raised his sunglasses just high enough to look at Olivia without impediment. He offered his hand and held hers longer than was strictly necessary. "Nice to meet you Olivia."

Olivia carefully extracted her hand from his and offered it to Rebecca. The redhead's handshake was far weaker and briefer. "It's nice to meet you both. You have a beautiful garden."

Moving back to stand beside Elliot, Olivia pointed to the brick-lined rectangle that stretched along one side of the house. The colorful flowers were in full bloom and the fragrance was thick in the air.

Rebecca's face lit up at the compliment, and she grabbed Olivia's elbow with plump fingers. "You've got to come see it. My magnolias are just starting to bloom."

An appreciative smile curled on Gary's lips as he watched the women walk away, his wife chattering merrily about the garden. Only when they disappeared around the side of the house did he refocus on Elliot.

"Nice job man. She's gorgeous."

Unconsciously crossing his arms over his chest, Elliot shifted his weight and tried to quell the irritation that swelled up like bile in his throat. "Yeah, she is. So how long were you gone for?"

Lifting his arms above his head in a stretch, Gary yawned. "About a week. Flew out last Monday. Big business in Seattle right now man."

"So I guess you didn't hear about that girl they found in the woods?" Elliot worked hard to sound casual, but inside he felt desperate for something, anything, that they could use. A shred of information that would justify the time they had spent today.

"I did." Reaching down, Gary pulled up the handle of his suitcase and twisted the luggage tag between his fingers. "Becca told me. Such a shame."

"The detectives questioned everyone in the neighborhood earlier this week. They think it was someone on the street."

Gary considered that for a moment before shaking his head. "No way. Not in this neighborhood. Who do they think we are? It was probably some pervert from the city."

Still shaking his head, Gary turned around and started wheeling his suitcase toward the house, signaling the end of the conversation and effectively dashing Elliot's hope of getting anything useful. "Nobody on Mountainside would do anything so horrible. The police are just wasting time nosing around here."

"That was a complete waste of time."

The sun had inched even closer to the water by the time Olivia extracted herself from Rebecca's clutches. The short return journey to the cabin was a bit cooler, but the sunbeams reflecting off the lake were still blinding. Small whitecaps crested on the water, barely visible through the mosaic of leaves that fluttered in the breeze.

"Not entirely." Leaning on the granite counter of the breakfast island, Olivia gingerly removed her sandals, wincing as her heel burned. "If nothing else, it proved to me that I am right to be here."

"How do you figure that?" Dropping down on the couch, Elliot rubbed a hand over his face tiredly. The movement dislodged a drop of sweat from his forehead and the wood frame creaked in protest under his weight.

Olivia limped over to the refrigerator and opened the shiny appliance. The blast of cool air was shockingly refreshing. "People's unwillingness to talk about the murder speaks volumes, don't you think? It's a very closed community here, and I think one of your neighbors is hiding something. Now initial contact has been made, I can worm my way in. You want a beer?"

"Yeah."

Removing two beers from the fridge, Olivia used the magnetic bottle opener to pop the caps. "We managed to get ourselves invited to some neighborhood events. We'll get to know the people better, be able to dig a little deeper. It wasn't a total loss."

Handing Elliot the perspiring bottle, Olivia dropped onto the couch beside him, drawing her legs up onto the cushion and peeling her damp hair off the nape of her neck.

"I think they were shocked I actually agreed to come to the events," Elliot grunted, taking a long swig of the amber beverage. "I always avoided them at all costs before." Gary's reaction to Olivia flashed before his eyes. "And they like you."

"What's not to like?" Olivia retorted with a grin, poking his muscled thigh with her big toe. "I'm a good influence on you."

Rolling his eyes, Elliot reached forward and lowered his bottle to a coaster. Rifling around in a drawer under the scarred coffee table, he drew out a red and black notebook and pen before settling back into the cushions.

"Modest, Liv." Opening the notebook, Elliot popped the cap off the pen and held it at the ready. "Okay, talk to me about what we've learned."

Stretching, Olivia began reciting the findings of their casual, afternoon canvass. As she relived the experience, her eyes lost focus and she gazed off into the distance. He wrote as she talked, squinting down at the paper in concentration. Even after her voice had faded, he kept writing, his brow furrowing slightly and the very tip of his tongue peeking out the corner of his mouth.

Olivia couldn't help the small smile that spread across her lips. "You're right into this, aren't you El?"

"Hmm?" Elliot didn't look up, his attention still locked on the paper.

"You're getting right back into the SVU frame of mind. Why the heck did you retire in the first place? I can't understand it!"

The comment was uttered jokingly, but the second it came out of her mouth, Elliot's face visibly hardened into stone and she wished she could take it back. Sitting up straight, Elliot tossed the notepad onto the table carelessly. The wire-bound book slid across the table and knocked the TV remote onto the floor with a clatter. Avoiding eye contact, he stood suddenly and strode into the kitchen, leaving Olivia sitting stunned on the couch.

"There are a lot of things you don't understand Olivia. I'm going to start the barbecue."

The sound of the screen door snapping shut signaled his abrupt departure.