Pretty Poison
(Chapter Sixteen: Roses, Are Red)
Olivia walked into the apartment and kicked off her shoes. She tossed her keys on the table beside the lamp and pressed the button on the answering machine to play back the one new message.
"Liv, it's me. You left your phone on your desk. I just wanted to call and make sure you made it home okay. And to let you know that I called Kathy and checked on Noah and the other kids. Noah is currently being entertained by Elizabeth, while Dickie and Eli play video games. I got messages form both of the older girls they are fine. Maureen is in class and Kathleen is at work. All is well. Give me a call when you get this. I love you, baby."
She smiled and picked the cordless phone up from the charger as she made her way down the hall and started a hot bath.
"El, I just got your message."
"I told you there was nothing to be worried about," he said calmly. "What are you doing?"
"Running a bath," she said as she tossed a towel on the counter and stepped out of her black slacks.
"How do you feel?"
"Better. I don't know what was going on. But I feel fine now. A little tired. But otherwise, fine."
"Good. You get some rest. I have to go for now. I'll call you later. I love you."
"Okay. I love you, too."
She hung up the phone and shut off the water as she slipped into the tub. She exhaled deeply as she smoothed her fingertips over the goose bumps that now surfaced on her skin from the heat of the water. She picked up a damp wash cloth and tipped her head back placing it over her face to help her relax.
After a twenty minute bath, Olivia wrapped herself in a towel and carried the phone down the hall to the bedroom where she put on a pair of pajama pants and a tee shirt. She laid down on top of the bed and closed her eyes trying to fall asleep. But sleep didn't come. After half an hour of trying unsuccessfully she sat up in the bed.
"This is crazy," she said aloud. "I am fine."
She walked to the closet and put on a pair of jogging pants, then picked up the phone.
"Kathy, it's Liv. Listen I wasn't feeling well earlier and I came home early. But I am fine now. I'm gonna go ahead and come get Noah. I'll be there shortly."
She hung up the phone and slipped her tennis shoes back on as she dialed Elliot's cell number. But it went to voicemail.
"You have reached the voice mail box for Detective Elliot Stabler. Please leave your name, number and a message and I will call you back as soon as I can."
She listened for the beep then began her message. "Hey there Detective Stabler," she said in a seductive voice, "you sure sound sexy. Maybe if you aren't too awful busy later you could stop by for a visit. You can read me my rights and frisk me, don't forget the handcuffs." She laughed as she broke character. "No, I was just calling to let you know that I took a hot bath and I feel much better. I think I am going to go get Noah. I have already called Kathy to let her know. I will see you later. I love you."
She hung the phone back on the charger and grabbed her car keys and was out the door again.
After picking up Noah from Kathy's, Olivia realized they were almost out of diapers and stopped off at the corner store on her way home. She grabbed a few things for the house, but couldn't help but feel as if someone was staring at her. She looked around, but the only person in sight was a man two aisles down with a cane and a bad leg. She shook it off and went on with her shopping. She carried her son to the cash register and unloaded the items from her basket onto the conveyor.
Olivia made small talk with the teenaged cashier who talked baby talk to Noah and went on and on about how adorable he was. Then a clerk from the store carried out her groceries for her as she buckled the baby back into his carrier. She tipped the young gentleman then climbed into the car and headed home.
Inside Olivia put away her groceries, then sat down for some one on one time with her baby boy. She sat on the sofa and nursed Noah for a little while, then carried him to the nursery to change him and get him ready for a bath. After his bath Olivia laid down across her bed with the baby.
Before long, Noah was asleep. But once again, Olivia found herself restless. She climbed from the bed and piled pillows around Noah so he wouldn't roll off. She walked down the hall toward the nursery and sat in the rocking chair for a while to pump some breast milk for bottles later. She carried the milk into the kitchen and placed it into the refrigerator.
Just then she heard a knock at the door. She shook her head and smiled. Elliot must have stopped by to check on her. He must have left his keys in the car with Fin. She reached to open the door, but as she did something told her to look through the peek hole first. She leaned forward and looked through the door, but all she could see was the front of a hat.
She placed her palm against the door and called out, "who's there?"
"East Side Florist, ma'am. I have a delivery for an Olivia Benson."
Something didn't feel right about this and Olivia reached down for her gun as she reached to open the door. But she left work in such a hurry she had left her gun in her desk drawer. Her off duty weapon was in the glove box of her rental car in the parking lot. She was alone with the baby and unarmed.
She raised up to look through the hole at the man again. "I don't want a delivery, thank you." She bit her lip nervously and watched as the man attempted to look through the hole at her.
"Aww ma'am. Somebody paid a lot of money for these beautiful roses. I am sure he'd be really hurt if you refused them."
She leaned against the door for a moment. He was probably right. She was probably over reacting and Elliot probably sent the flowers because he knew she wasn't feeling well earlier.
"Just leave them by the door," she ordered the man.
"Yes ma'am," he replied.
And Olivia watched as he sat them down and disappeared from her sight. She listened for a few moments as the footsteps moved away from her door and she heard the elevator door close.
She opened the door cautiously and picked up the vase with the large arrangement of roses. She smiled and stepped back inside locking the door behind her and sitting them on the table. She searched them for a moment until she found a card, but it was unsigned.
Olivia shook her head and smiled as she picked up the phone again. She dialed Elliot's cell number as she walked back to the bedroom to check on Noah, sleeping like an angel.
"Hello," Elliot said as he focused his attention on the wall to wall traffic in front of him.
"Hello," she repeated. "What are you doing?"
"We got a lead on the car that chased you down. Well kind of."
"You do?"
"The plates on the car are stolen. But Munch is playing with his computer game now trying to clean up a few of the images of the car. There is a parking sticker in the window. If we can see what it says, we might be able to see where the car was stolen from. I am assuming if this moron is smart enough to steal the plates he stole the car also. I am on my way back from Jersey, from talking with the man the plates are registered to."
"Listen I know you are busy, I just wanted to call and thank you for the beautiful roses."
"What roses?"
"Don't be coy, Elliot. Who else would have sent them? They are only the most beautiful red roses I have ever seen."
"Liv, I swear. It wasn't me."
"That isn't funny."
"Olivia, I am not trying to be funny. When was the last time I sent you red roses?"
"Well," she thought for a moment, "never."
"No. When I send them I send white, because I know they are your favorite. I didn't send them."
"What the hell? Then who…" there was a click and the phone line went dead. Olivia looked down at the receiver in her hand. "Elliot?" She said pressing the talk button on the phone to switch lines, but there was nothing. "Fuck," she said as she grabbed her stomach feeling an all too familiar pain.
She doubled over for a moment leaning against the wall in the hallway as she heard another knock at the door. She raised her eyes to look at it as she panted in panic.
"Whose there?" She asked as she tried again to look through the hole in the door.
"East Side Florist, again ma'am."
"Now what?"
"I am afraid I need you to sign for the delivery. I forgot to have you do that before. I need the signature for my records."
"Look, I am really busy. Can't I come in later and do it?"
"No, ma'am. I am afraid my boss wouldn't like that much. I need the signature on the slip or I don't get paid for the delivery. I could lose my job."
"I am sorry. I can't right now."
She listened to the silence for a moment. Then there was another angry pound on the door.
"Come on lady, I aint got all day!"
"I said no! And if you don't leave right now I am calling the police!"
"Now you wouldn't do a thing like that," he said then was quiet for a moment.
"Yes, I would! Go away!"
"No, Olivia. You wouldn't call the police," the voice said calmly and deeply, "because you're phone is out."
"Oh my God," she whispered as tears rolled down her face.
"Please go away," she mumbled against the door.
She raised up to look through the hole at the man once more. This time she saw his face. This time she remembered where she had seen him before. The mysterious man outside her door was the crippled man from the supermarket. He was the man who had chased her through town days earlier and nearly run her off the road. And he was the man who was in the hotel room with she and Elliot the night Noah was conceived.
"Open the God damned door!" The man yelled as he pounded against it. Olivia ran down the hall toward the bedroom. She scooped up Noah into her arms and frantically searched for a way to escape. But there was no time.
She pulled the extra pillows from the bed and carried the baby into the bathroom. Three minutes later she stood in the hallway with a knife in her hand and watched as the man busted in the door gaining entry to her apartment.
He pointed a gun in her face, her gun. The off duty weapon from the glove box and demanded she drop the knife. He leaned toward her and Olivia swiped it at him cutting across his arm. He moved forward backing her up into the living room where she stumbled backwards almost falling. As she did he hit her across the face with the gun and grabbed her.
He pulled her to the ground and they struggled as he tried to get the kitchen knife from her hand and she swung it wildly, covering them both in small cuts. The man got her down on the floor and got the knife from her hand. He held her down for a moment and stared into her eyes.
"You remember me now, don't you?"
"I remember you. You were the one who couldn't get it up back at the hotel room," she yelled as she spit in his face.
He slapped her hard across the face and adjusted her to hold her tighter.
"Now Detective Benson, that isn't very lady like. Especially toward a gentleman who just spent a large amount of money to buy you your favorite flowers."
He lowered himself over her as if her were about to kiss her.
"My favorite flowers are white roses, dick head!" She screamed as she buried her knee in his groin and raced toward the door.
But she didn't get far. Only a few feet away before he grabbed her ankle and pulled her to the ground again. He flipped her over and tried to pin her to the floor again as she hit him in the nose with the heel of her hand feeling it break as blood poured all over the carpet. "Fuck you!"
She turned to go again, but he leaped toward her taking her down once more. This time he pinned her on the floor on her stomach and had a hand full of her hair in his fist. "Listen bitch! I would love nothing more than to put a bullet in your head right now! But I am trying to be a little understanding! I just want what I cam for! What is rightfully mine!"
He flipped her over and picked her up by the throat slamming her against the wall and holding her there. Olivia gasped for air and couldn't breathe. She stared into his eyes as she felt tears roll down her face.
She clawed at his hands in panic unable to breath, operating now on adrenaline alone when everything in her body wanted to collapse from the lack of oxygen.
"What do you want?" She breathed with almost no sound as he loosened his grip just before she passed out.
He held her there against the wall limp like a rag doll. She was weak and completely at his mercy as her bottom lip quivered and she knew what he would say.
"My son."
Half an hour later Munch and Fin arrived at the apartment followed by two uniformed officers. The moved around inside, but there was no sign of Olivia or the baby. The apartment had been trashed and there was blood everywhere. The nursery had been tossed and all of the furniture in the apartment flipped and scattered.
"Someone was looking for something," Fin said looking at the busted pieces of bed frame all over the bedroom.
"You can't tell me someone breaks down a door, trashes an apartment and kidnaps a woman and her baby in broad daylight and no one saw anything!" Munch growled.
"This is New York. People who see things end up dead," Fin reminded him. "They probably locked their doors and listened to her scream. Nobody even tried to help her."
As they were talking, Fin's cell phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and looked back up at Munch. "It's Elliot. What the hell am I gonna tell him?" He opened the phone and placed it to his ear as they walked around the apartment searching for any clue as to where this mystery man may have taken Olivia and her son.
"Elliot, I have some bad news. He got her. Baby's gone, too. I am so sorry, man. I got a dozen uniforms on their way and the building sealed off. Somebody has to know something and we are going to find out what it is."
Just then John Munch looked up from the floor. "Shhhhhh!" He said demanding silence in the room. He walked back down the hallway toward the bedroom to the sound of a baby crying.
"Do you guys hear that?" He asked the officers as they spanned out in the nursery and bedroom trying to find the baby. Munch followed the muffled cries into the bathroom off the master bedroom. He listened and leaned down opening the cabinet under the sink. There in a pile of clean towels from the linen closet surrounded by pillows was little Noah.
"Elliot," Fin said, "we got Noah."