Chapter 10: Veracity

Olivia found herself walking to the precinct. She continued inside and felt a little more at ease. The computer monitors were off and everybody went home. She wandered around, running her fingertips along her old desk, now Gabriel's. When she got to Elliot's desk, she saw a file sitting on top. It was the only file on his desk, almost like it was waiting for her. Olivia told herself not to look at it. She didn't want to be proven wrong since she already had a good guess as to what was inside. Olivia gently glided her fingertips along the edge of the folder.

Hesitation. Curiosity.

Olivia emitted a heavy sigh and snatched the folder off of his desk. She began a small pot of coffee and waited until it was done before going to the crib, turning on the light, and sitting on the edge of one of the beds. She rested the folder on her lap. She opened it and began reading it.

Her eyebrows furrowed as her brown eyes scanned the text. She read the same lines over and over again to assure herself the information was correct. Everything Elliot told her was true and as she processed it, all the facts connected. He's lied to her about almost everything. His name, his age, even the amount of real estate he owns.

Olivia lied down, trying to absorb all this information. She had the file pressed to her chest as she stared up at bed over her. She thought about the reason why Gabriel targeted her like he did. How he knew everything about her and where he knew to find her. Most importantly, why she chose to believe someone she's known for almost three months over someone she's know for eleven years. The coffee she poured herself was now cold, but she didn't care. Olivia chose to sleep instead of stay up all night with all these thoughts in her head. Olivia reached over and turned off the lights. She turned on her side and looked at the information again, using the moon as her light. Eventually, she fell asleep.

The next morning, Elliot was the first to walk in the precinct. He noticed a half full pot of coffee sitting on the counter. The only time the coffee pot is used is in the morning and when the squad pulls all nighters. The coffee was emptied in the morning and everybody left early. Elliot began to get suspicious. He looked over and noticed the door to the crib was ajar. He made his way towards the room with his hand over his gun. When he walked in, he instantly calmed down.

He fixed his eyes on Olivia sleeping in one of the beds. Her hand hung over the edge of the bed, her fingers dangling over the untouched cup of coffee and Gabriel's file still situated in her limp arm. The smirk that quickly formed on Elliot's face meant he knew why she was here and what the file contained. He walked over to her and gently slid the file out of her grasp and looked inside of it.

"You were right." Came a sleepy voice. About five minutes of reexamining the file, he heard the voice and looked over the top to see Olivia awake and staring right at him. She sat up and he sat down next to her on the bed.

"How'd you meet him?" He asked, not wanting to acknowledge and discuss the fact that he was right.

Olivia sighed, "I went into another rape counseling group after I left the squad. He was a friend with some of the other girls I met there and he worked there as well. One night, when I became closer with him and the other girls, we all went out for drinks and then he and I just clicked. About a month after that, we began dating." She shrugged and looked away from him, "He made me feel safe after what happened. I guess I fell too fast."

Elliot wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry." She whispered into his shoulder.

"It's okay, Liv." He replied.

"He's lied to me about who he is. His real name is Marcos Silva. He's also the one who's housing fugitives. I know it."

Elliot nodded, already knowing that.

"I should've believed you. Who knows how many other criminals he's helped. Especially with that gun and badge."

"What's the next move?" He asked.

She thought about it, "Let's get him." Olivia said with certainty in her voice.

Elliot smiled and kissed her cheek. He stood up and walked out into the squad room to find it full. Gabriel was there, at his desk, talking on the phone. Fin saw Elliot and rushed over to him.

"We have a problem." He told Elliot, "We can't arrest Gabriel because of his shield. He'll deny everything in front of a jury."

"How? We have the files right here."

"That's not good enough. We need to catch him in one of places other than his own to prove he's been aidin' criminals. Problem is, he has to lead us to the place."

"Can't Juan or Pedro tell us where they live?"

"They're not talking to us after what we did. Plus, he probably saw the file and warned all of the people he's hidin'. They've probably cleared every building Gabriel owns."

Elliot sighed and thought about it, "Maybe Olivia can get us there."

Shortly after Elliot left, Olivia's phone rang. It was Nikki, she was almost crying but it was obvious she wanted to stay strong.

"Nikki, what's wrong?" She asked.

"Last night, Gabriel came home. He was laughing and talking to someone in Spanish. I figured it was you, since you speak Spanish, but her voice didn't sound like yours. When I looked out to see who it was, he was with a lady. He was kissing her. She had black hair so I knew it wasn't you. This morning, she left with Gabriel. She was only wearing a jacket."

It hurt Olivia to hear Nikki describe Gabriel leave with another girl. It pained her even more to know Nikki witnessed this.

"It's okay, sweetie." She said, trying to keep her voice stable, "I'm going to come get you in a few moments. Is the babysitter with you?"

"No, Gabriel forgot I was even here."

Olivia closed her eyes and sighed, "Alright. I'm on my way." She said and hung up.

Elliot came back into the crib when Olivia stood up to get Nikki.

"Olivia we need you to a huge favor for us. We ran into a problem." He said.

"Explain it to me in the car. I need to pick Nikki up." She said

"Is everything okay?" Elliot asked, instantly concerned.

"I don't know." Olivia replied and rushed out. Elliot quickly followed her to the car.