Pretty Poison
(Chapter Twenty: Recollection)
Olivia rolled over in the bed and opened her eyes. She felt Elliot's finger tip as it started at the base of her spine and traced slowly all the way up her bare back until it reached the back of her neck. Elliot rolled in against her and placed a soft kiss in the place where his finger had stopped.
Olivia laughed and smiled at him.
"I love you," he mouthed without sound.
"I love you," she mouthed in reply.
Elliot kissed her tenderly, then they made love once more. Afterward Elliot wrapped her tight in his arms as they watched the sunrise through Elliot's bedroom window.
"This is it, right here. This is as good as it gets," Elliot said with a smile.
Olivia smiled. "Sex in the morning?"
Elliot laughed. "That and just being here with you and our little boy. Knowing that you are both safe and warm and loved." He kissed her forehead. "I guess after almost losing you I realized exactly how lucky I really am. I mean I have always known it, but you really think about these things when this wonderful life you have made is threatened."
"Yeah," she said softly as she sat up.
"Where are you going?"
"I have to feed Noah," she said as she buttoned his shirt over her nude body. "Then I need to get to work."
"You are kidding me, right? We both finally have a weekend off and you want to work? Not to mention your son has not seen you in three days."
"I know that. I wont be long. Trust me, I want to be with Noah, too. But I am serious, El. I have to get to work on this while it is still all fresh in my head, before it gets too cold."
"Get to work on what?"
"This isn't over, Elliot. If I am right, and I am pretty sure I am Carl Madigan wasn't the rapist."
"Liv, we have finger prints and hair samples that put him in the hotel during each of the attacks and his bloody hand print on the wall of your apartment."
"He said he didn't hurt them. He was trying to protect them."
"And you believe him?"
"He didn't hurt me."
"Then how did your blood end up all over the apartment?"
"I fought him off. I posed a threat and he was defending himself. We kind of beat each other up. He was trying to protect me. He said the other guy was following me and he had seen him in my building. That is why he took me, to prevent this other guy from raping me."
"He still hurt you."
"Elliot, he was sick."
That is an understatement!"
"No, I mean mentally something was wrong. I'm not sure what. At the apartment he called me by my name. But he talked about our son, our baby. But back at his farm house he called me Jessie. Like he was living in the past. Something about me triggered a memory and took him back to that time with Jessie."
"Liv, who the Hell is Jessie?"
"The girlfriend. She was pregnant. And the other man raped her. Our rapist raped her. We have to find him."
"The dead girlfriend?"
"Yes."
"As in the one he murdered?"
"It was accidental. He walked in on that man raping her. He got the gun and tried to shoot the rapist, David somebody…"
"David Abrams?"
"Yes. He raped Jessie and Carl walked in on it. Carl tried to shoot David Abrams and there was a struggle. The gun went off and shot Jessie. It was accidental. She died and he went to prison. When he got out he realized that Abrams was still doing this. He was going after Abrams to try and stop him from hurting these women."
"So if what you are saying it right, Jessie was the first victim?"
"I think so."
"So Abrams rapes Jessie, but he doesn't rape anyone else for the six years that Carl is in the pen for killing her? The he just happens to start it up again after Carl is released? It doesn't make sense, Liv. Our guy is a serial rapist. He wouldn't be able to stop for six years."
"Unless he was working somewhere else."
Elliot raised his eyes to look at her.
"Think about it El. With all of the media attention in this area it would make it hard for people not to recognize him, especially if he is working the same hotel. So maybe he goes somewhere else to find his victims."
"If that is the case then Jessie may not have been our first victim."
"You don't think she was?"
"It seemed too clean. He talked to her in the bar, drugged her and raped her. The only thing that wasn't clean about it was the fact that her boyfriend walked in on them and ruined it for him. I think he had raped before. But until that night he didn't involve the boyfriend or husband. I think that was a turning point for him and he started drugging the men as well to control them. Some of these women reported seeing only one man and some reported two."
"He was in all the room during all three of these attacks," she said puling the file from the nightstand and dropping it on the bed. "He gave me details from all four cases. I think maybe the woman just don't remember."
"You said there was only one man in the room with us."
"I said I only remember one. But he was there Elliot. He told me details about… about us and sex. He was there."
"But he wasn't the man who watched us while he…"
"No," she cut him off. "That was a different man. A dark haired man. And he touched me while we were making love." Olivia looked down at her watch. "I need to go in and talk to Warner. She should have our autopsy results by now. She said she would have it done first thing this morning."
"Nope," Elliot said kissing her lips. "You can't work this case, Liv. You are too personally involved. I'll go talk to Warner and you stay home and relax. Spend some time with your son. I have a uniform parked right outside."
"Is that really necessary?"
"If what this man is saying is true, then our rapist is still out there. And you are the only attack where he wasn't able to complete his mission. He is liable to try again. I am not taking that chance. You have a uniformed shadow until we get this guy off the street."
"I'm gonna go feed Noah and get some coffee started. Do you have time for breakfast before you go?"
"Baby, it is Saturday and technically my weekend off. I will make time for breakfast."
Olivia leaned across the bed and kissed him tenderly.
"Why don't you go ahead and get your shower, by the time you finish up your son will be fed and ready to start his day. Then daddy can play with him while mommy cooks breakfast for the grown ups."
"Sounds great."
She smiled, picked up Noah from the bassinette and headed toward the bedroom door. Elliot stood up naked from the bed and walked across the room to find clothes for after his shower. He turned and winked at Olivia from across the room and she blew him a kiss before she moved into the living room to change the baby and feed him.
Elliot entered the dining room and sat at the table to talk to her while she cooked breakfast. "I have something of yours," he said taunting her.
"You do. Would it possibly be my son?"
"That and this," he said pulling her diamond ring from his shirt pocket.
Olivia smiled and reached for it. "I didn't want him to get it. I wasn't sure if I would ever see it again if he got a hold of it."
"Munch found it under the sink beside Noah." Olivia watched as Elliot slipped it back onto her finger. "There," he said with a smile. "I have been holding it until I could put it back on your hand where it belongs."
"Thank you. I have really missed it. I have missed a lot of things."
"I should get going. I want to go talk to Warner and find out what Warner has for me. I'll be home in a few hours."
Elliot kissed her tenderly then kissed his son.
"Daddy loves you buddy, be good for mommy. If you need me, call me. I will be right here."
"Okay," Olivia said smiling at him with her big brown eyes.
"I love you baby," Elliot said kissing her again.
"I love you, too."