What do you mean she's gone?" Elliot tried to keep his voice hushed so Noah wouldn't wake up.
Olivia glanced over his shoulder at the sleeping baby before yanking him into the bathroom, and shutting the door. Her hand still gripped his wrist when she spoke. "She wasn't there when they did bed checks."
"Okay," Elliot had to keep calm. Olivia normal kept her emotions to a minimum, but since Ellie was arrested she had been riding an intense emotional rollercoaster. There had to be a good explanation, but he struggled to come up with one. There was no way this was an innocent development. He spit out a half-assed explanation, not believing himself when it left his mouth. "Maybe she needed out. She's probably got some friends…"
"She was a prostitute," she said the words matter-of-factly. "It's not like she had access to wholesome friends."
She had a point. Ellie's inner circle was either dangerous or drug addicted. Any way you looked at it, this situation wasn't good and they needed to find Ellie before she got hurt.
Olivia tossed on the top she had been holding in her hands. She began ripping bathroom doors open looking for a brush that was already sitting on the counter in front of her. Elliot held it out for her, but before she could reach for it her face paled. For a moment he thought she might pass out, but instead, her hand covered her mouth as she hurried to the toilet. She immediately began vomiting.
Elliot reached out to hold her hair, knowing that she wouldn't have time to wash it if she wanted to get out of the apartment quickly. His stomach clenched everytime her stomach wretched. Something had to be wrong. This was the second time in a matter of days that she was puking her guts out. Knowing Liv, it had probably happened more times without his knowledge.
He held her silky brown hair until she seemed settled. She laid her head against the cool porcelain edge, and he let her hair drop to her shoulders. For a moment she breathed heavily, but seconds later she pushed herself up off the floor. He reached for her arm to help her up, but she swatted him away.
She shuffled back to the counter and continued getting ready like nothing happened. She started looking for her toothbrush, but Elliot couldn't leave it alone.
"Liv, you need to get checked out, this isn't normal." He crossed his arms and caught her eyes in the reflection from the mirror.
She glared at him while squeezing toothpaste on her toothbrush. "It is for me. It's not a big deal." She began brushing her teeth, but continued talking almost unintelligibly. "Look. I've come to terms with the fact that, that," she stammered, but took a breath, barreling through. "That he destroyed my digestive track. It's just part of life now okay." She spit into the sink. "Can we not talk about this right now?" Her chocolate eyes were almost pleading.
He dropped his hands ti his side and stepped closer. He tenderly reached for her hand. "I just don't want to get another call telling me you're puking blood." He sighed, and dropped his gaze to the floor. Vulnerability was not his strong suit, but she had to know that her choices mattered."That scared the shit out of me Liv."
The concern in his voice caused her to pause. She stood almost frozen, her eyes fixed on the shiny countertop beneath her fingers. He hoped she would hear what he was saying, and not completely brush away his valid concerns like she always did.
She cupped his cheek with one hand and kissed him quickly. "I'm fine.
He was internally screaming, but they didn't have time to argue. He would bring it up later when things settled…if they ever settled. "Are you planning on taking Amanda?" He stepped away, giving her some space.
Olivia leaned towards the mirror, and began putting on the bare minimum makeup. "I'm sure she was already called." The sound of Frannie's paws clicking against the hard floors in the next room confirmed her assumption. She ran a brush through her hair once more, threw some lipstick into a purse. She caught his morose expression and tried a reassuring smile. She pressed one more quick kiss to his lips. "I gotta go."
-000-
Amanda trailed behind Olivia with her shoes barely on and toothbrush hanging out of her mouth as they hurried to Olivia's car. She managed to at least spit into the street before climbing into Olivia's vehicle.
The air in the car felt stifling as Amand tried (and failed) to not look at Liv every twenty seconds. Her silence made her nervous. Her grim expression combined with her frighteningly quiet stillness meant her mind was in overdrive, and Amanda was willing to bet that Olivia was finding a way to blame herself for what was happening.
Amanda knew that Olivia participating in this missing persons investigation was going to be a conflict of interest. Big time. There was a real possibility Murphy would pull her the second he could, and Amanda knew that would not go down quietly.
Amanda's eyes flicked inadvertently towards Olivia. She wanted to comfort her friend, but Olivia often bit the hand that was extended to her so she waited until Olivia opened the conversation. She never did.
They made it to the halfway house quickly. The flow of traffic on a weekday in the early morning was fluid, and they were able to breeze through their route.
Olivia reached for the door and stepped inside only to freeze, causing Amanda to almost plow into her. She caught herself and fell a step back. Amanda quickly glanced around the entry, trying to find what stopped Olivia so suddenly. That's when her eyes fell on Trevor Langan talking quietly with the woman who kept track of the women taking shelter there.
Liv squared her shoulders and confidently walked towards the pair. Langan's eyes immediately took Olivia in, and Amanda knew that if Elliot was here he would lose his mind.
"Usually the lawyer doesn't show up to things like this," she was terse, but not unkind.
Langan stepped towards Liv. "I'm her emergency contact." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels slightly. "I know it's weird, but she has no one."
Olivia nodded, accepting the answer easily enough. She focused her attention on the woman, but she hadn't opened her mouth before Trevor leaned in and held her elbow. Amanda tried to control the widening of her eyes but she was certain she wasn't successful. She silently thanked God Elliot wasn't here.
"Where's Noah?" He asked quietly.
"At home with Elliot," she brushed him off, and his brow furrowed.
"When was the last time anyone saw her?" Olivia asked.
"Wait," Langan interrupted, "Like Elliot Stabler?" He asked incredulously.
Good lord this wasn't the time for this. Olivia acted like she didn't even hear him, and waited for the other woman's response.
Trevor's eyes turned to Amanda, seeking answers. Amanda wouldn't normally play into that sort of thing. Liv's life was her business, but Langan was a lawyer and he wasn't going to drop it. She gave him a curt nod which only made his brow furrow deepen.
Clearly, he was hung up on Liv, and, while Amanda thought about making a move on him she really didn't want to be his rebound.
"Around 6pm. I talked to the other women that we roomed close to her, but they said she hadn't been around since then."
"Are there any women she's friendly with. Ones she might talk to?"
The woman shook her head. "She hasn't been here long, and these women aren't really the trusting kind."
Amanda spent her time observing the interaction but she had a question. "Did she list a former place of residence or anything?"
"I have that," Trevor jumped in. He stepped forward and began frantically scrolling through different screens on his phone."
"I mean obviously she wouldn't be able to go back to that exact place, but if she relapsed or something that could give us an idea of the neighborhood where she has contacts."
"Got it," Trevor almost shouted. "I'll text it to you," he said as he eyed Olivia, and Amanda raised and eyebrow.
Again, Olivia paid him no mind. "Great thanks." She said with her eyes on her phone. She turned her attention to Amanda, "you think Fin's awake?"
"No," Amanda almost laughed. No way Fin would be willingly awake at this time.
She scrolled to his contact as they exited the building. "Too bad, I need to see if he still has any contacts in narcotics.
-000-
Olivia parked, and took a second to lean hee head back against the headrest. She needed to breathe. Her insides felt like they were slowly dying, but she had to keep moving. She glanced down at her phone to confirm the address that Fin sent her after they confirmed the address Trevor gave her.
"That our guy?" Amanda's voice remained low as her eyes tracked a sketchy figure leaning up against the bricked building across the street.
"Looks like it." Olivia reached for the door handle, and Amanda followed her lead.
The pair approached the man, and once they were close Olivia pulled the picture of Ellie up on her phone. The man looked like he wanted to bolt, but before he could do that Olivia spoke. "Fin said you uh, could hook us up with what we need."
The man's eyes widened slightly in recognition of Fin's name. He tilted his head towards the alley and Olivia led the way.
Once they were secured in the darkness of the alley, Olivia turned and held out the phone for the man. He reached out and took the phone from her hand, studying the picture closely. "That's Ellie. My crew has dealt to her for a few years."
He handed the phone back to her and she stuffed it into her pocket. "Have you seen her?"
"Yeah actually. I thought she moved or somethin, but then she showed up tonight looking to score." He leaned against the wall. "I didn't have what she needed so I sent her down the street to one of my guys."
"Anything after that?"
He shook his head. "Nah, she took off once she got what she wanted.
Olivia's heart dropped. There were a million places she could have gone from where they stood. They had no place to start.
The man pushed himself off the wall. "I can't say for sure, but a lot of her crowd gather in an old vacant apartment two blocks down."
"Thank you," she breathed out in relief.
She motioned for Amanda to follow as they exited the alleyway. Before they stepped into the street, the man called out, "Say hello to Fin for me…it's been way too long."
His voice held a poignant sort of sadness, and she wondered if Fin would have been working the same corner if he had stayed in narcotics. She would be forever grateful that her friend made the switch. She couldn't imagine where she would be without Fin.
-000-
There was something about abandoned buildings that made Olivia's adrenaline spike. She wasn't sure if was the hidden nooks and crannies, or the innate danger of the potential inhabitants.
The ground floor apartment was easily accessible. The door pushed open without turning the knob. With guns drawn, and flashlights in hand she and Amanda began their sweep of the area.
The first two rooms were filthy, but clear. Dirty mattresses lined the floor, and garbage crunched beneath their feet with every step. The amount of debris strewn all over made it nearly impossible to walk silently. She carefully avoided the used syringes. It would be a miracle if they could get out of here without hepatitis.
A low moan caught their attention and both of their flashlights flicked in the direction the sound. They lithely stepped in the direction of the sound, but the apartment remained eerily quiet.
They both approached the room where the sound originated. With their backs to the wall, Olivia reached out for the door knob. She turned it quietly and pushed the door open.
Olivia let out a slow quiet breath, willing her adrenaline laden body to pause before she turned the corner. She felt Amanda behind her, providing cover. Their flashlights swept across the room, illuminating the space around them. Olivia's beam skirted the corner of the room before she froze. On the other side of the room lay a woman's body. Her back was facing them, but Olivia knew who it was…and she wasn't breathing.
-000-