Velasco and Churlish sat at Churlish's desk, watching the video feed that the bar had finally sent over. Churlish clicked play and rested her head in her hands while they began viewing the tape.
There were two feeds playing simultaneously. One covered the greater part of the bar area, and the other focused on the tables and booths.
Velasco leaned back in his chair so he could reach for his bottom desk drawer. He slid it open, and Churlish instantly recognized the sound of a bag of chips being opened. She glanced over in enough time to see Velasco pop the first chip into his mouth. Once he chewed and swallowed, he held out the bag. "Want some? I got more in my desk."
Churlish shook her head and returned her focus to the screen. "I'm good." She gave him a quick side eye. "You realize it's only like 9am, right?"
He shrugged. "Chips are good anytime of day."
She rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the screen. They sat in relative silence—with the exception of the crunch of Velasco's chips. The cameras caught what appeared to be a pretty typical evening at the bar. Patrons would come and go. Couples, singles, groups, all would enter, stay for a bit, and leave. It took some time, but eventually Churlish clicked her mouse to pause the video. Velasco perked up and leaned forward as she pressed a finger to the screen. "That's her." The view was partially obscured by a couple tangled up with one another, but for a brief moment, a blonde ponytail caught the dim lights, and they could clearly see the profile of their victim's face.
Churlish clicked the mouse, and the video began to play. Liz didn't make eye contact with anyone beyond the bartender. She quickly showed her ID and ordered a drink. Her eyes remained on a paper napkin she had found at the edge of the bar. After a minute or two, she began shredding the napkin and then shredding the shreds.
She only looked up when the bartender slid her drink into her waiting hands. She gave a sheepish half smile, clearly embarrassed by her mess of paper. The bartender didn't seem to mind. He just scooped the pile up and dumped it in a nearby trash bin before serving another patron.
Churlish carefully watched every man in the corners of the frame, hoping to find someone paying too much attention to the blonde at the bar. No one stood out. Her eyes returned to Liz, who had ordered a second drink. They watched the bartender mix the drink—nothing appeared amiss. He handed off the drink without a second glance.
"Woah woah, wait." Velasco sat up quickly and leaned in closer to the screen.
Churlish hurried and clicked the mouse. Velasco's finger tapped the screen. "Thats not the same guy."
"What?" Churlish asked, not quite following his train of thought. She leaned in closer.
"That's not the bartender that was there serving her first drink."
"Wait, really?" She double clicked and enhanced the image. The man looked similar. Dark hair, same uniform and apron. But Velasco was right. The face was different. "Why would they change midshift?" Her eyes scanned the image, but she couldn't spot the other bartender.
"I mean, he could be on break or using the bathroom." His eyes meticulously combed the still image. "Do we have cameras for the back door or bathrooms?"
Churlish minimized the video, and opened the folder that contained the digital copies of the security footage. She double clicked the one labeled camera 3. The video began to play, and it appeared to be the camera that monitored the bathroom hallway.
"Fast forward to, like, five minutes before the bartender change."
She did what he asked, and they silently watched footage of random patrons entering and exiting the bathrooms.
"You seeing anything?" Velasco asked impatiently.
"No, not really." Churlish responded. "I don't see anything."
They waited a few more minutes, but the bartender never showed.
"Let's leave this one for now. Find that back door feed. Maybe he needed a smoke."
Churlish nodded and scrolled through the list of files. Her brow furrowed. "Do you see a back door feed?" She scrolled back to the top. "I'm not seeing it."
"Let me see." He stepped in close, and Churlish rolled her chair back to give him some space.
He scrolled for a minute before letting out a heavy sigh. "No back door cam," Velasco mumbled. "Great." He clicked the screen a couple more times. "These were the only files?"
Churlish nodded. "Two months of backlog, but no back door feed."
Velasco stepped back and folded his arms. "The thing is, now I gotta see it."
Churlish leaned against her desk and began tapping her pen. "What are the odds they have the footage? I'm betting it's long gone."
Velasco turned so he could lean against her desk. "Yeah, they aren't stupid. I doubt they kept anything from the feed. A warrant won't get us something that no longer exists."
The pair sat silently for a few moments before Churlish asked, "What now?"
-000-
Olivia groaned. Her limbs felt cemented to the couch cushions. She could feel the sunshine pouring through the window, and she knew they had slept late. She blinked her eyes open as the body beneath her began to stir.
Her eyes remained open while she rested her head on the firm wall of his chest. He brought his hand up and threaded his fingers into her hair; his large hand held her firmly against him. He rotated his head, resulting in a symphony of pops.
"Next time Katie gets the couch," he grumbled. His other arm draped over her back, and he dropped a light kiss on the crown of her head. His hand drifted lightly up her spine and back down. "You doin' okay?"
She wasn't entirely sure how to answer. On one hand, she was sleeping in the arms of the man she loved for twenty years, but she also had spent the past few days reliving her worst nightmare.
She opted for honesty. "I don't know."
He nodded. His fingers combed through her sleep tossed hair. "I know the feeling," he admitted.
She felt some validation knowing that she wasn't the only person living in a state of constant emotional instability. It might be for a different reason, but she knew this nightmarish situation was a level of helm for him. He spent his life protecting his kids, and despite his efforts, one of his babies was hurt anyway.
She laid her cheek on his chest and relished the feeling of his calloused fingers running through her hair. Their brief moment of silent contemplation was interrupted by an explosion of giggles from Olivia's bedroom.
Elliot shook his head, and Olivia could feel his smile more than she could see it. "They make quite a ruckus when they're together. No one can get Lizzie out of her head like Kathleen can."
"It's good to hear any sort of happiness. It's been," she sighed, "it's been pretty dark around here." His fingers continued their rhythmic brushing. "Katie's struggling."
Elliot's hand paused, but quickly resumed its motion. "She takes the whole world on her shoulders. This..." he shook his head. "This will be tough. She's always been so protective of her siblings. Something like this happening." His voice cracked. "I know she blames herself."
Olivia let her fingers trace random patterns over his chest. "She does. It's going to take time and reassurance." She tilted her head so she could see Elliot's face better. "You raised some good girls, El. They love each other and want to be there for each other." She felt emotion begin to bubble in her chest. "Lizzie won't ever have to be alone-unless she wants that. They take care of each other." She swallowed deeply. "And, uh, it's rare to see kids that love each other like yours." She took a slow breath and tried not to think of the things Lizzie will have that she never had the opportunity to possess. "You did good with them. Liz will have what she needs. It will take time, but she has so many people cheering her on and lifting her up."
And I wish I had that. She thought.
Elliot considered her words and toyed with the ends of her hair. "You and I both know that it wasn't me. I wasn't… I wasn't what they needed me to be."
Olivia sighed before she rolled over him so they were stomach to stomach, her face hovering over his. "You weren't perfect, El, but they didn't need perfect. She made sure his eyes were focused on hers before she continued. She needed him to hear her. "They just needed you, and I promise that even if you weren't physically present every day, they knew they had a dad who cared about them."
Tears welled in his eyes, and she cupped his cheek, letting her thumb brush the moisture spilling over. "You weren't perfect, but you were their father. They watched you every day, and they learned about bravery and loyalty without you saying a word. The learned how to care about people and defend the ones they loved." She dropped her forehead so it rested lightly on his. "That doesn't just magically happen. Kids mimic the actions of the adults in their lives, and look at what beautiful humans you and Kathy created." Another peel of giggles brought a smile to her lips. "They take care of their own, and that," she dropped her lips for a quick kiss, "that is all you."
Both his hands reached for her face, and he lifted his head to kiss her slowly. It was soft and sweet and deep with meaning.
When they finally broke apart, he whispered, "Thank you."
She grinned playfully. "I got you, Stabler." She dropped another quick peck to his lips. "Always will."
He smiled warmly in return. "You and me. It will always be you and me."
Just as she considered kissing him again or snuggling back into his side, her phone began buzzing, nearly dropping off the anger coffee table. She groaned but kept her positioning on his stomach and chest while reaching for her phone.
Her heart beat nervously when she saw it was Velasco calling. She begged the universe for good news.
"Benson," she answered.
"Hey Cap," he paused. "Uh, me and Churlish ran into a snag, and we aren't quite sure where to go from here. Thought you might have some ideas."
She rolled off of Elliot's chest and sat up. Elliot remained in his prone position on the couch, with her sitting on the edge in front of him.
"What's going on?" She dropped her head into one hand, already feeling a headache coming on.
"The bar sent us the footage. We've been reviewing it. Something seemed off with the bartender, and we wanted to check all the cams," he explained. "Problem is, they obviously withheld one camera feed, and I don't think it was an accident."
"Shit," she mumbled under her breath.
Elliot's hand snuck over and began rubbing the now tensed muscles of her lower back.
"Go back and ask for it anyway. Worst-case scenario that will give us a read on him. While you are there, try to see what's out that back exit. They've got to be binding something, even if it's not related to the assault." She shook her head. "It would be nice to have that feed, but we're going to have to work around it."
He head flipped a little when Elliot clamored into a sitting position, motioning for her to drop the phone for a sec.
"What?"
"I've got those feeds." She felt her eyebrows shoot up. "I mean, I don't have them, but, uh, I have access to them."
She lifted the phone back to her ear. "I'm with Detective Stabler. I'm putting you on speaker."
She dropped her phone from her ear and hit the speaker button. Her eyes lifted to Elliot, and she nudged him to explain further.
"Yeah, uh, I..." His hand rubbed the back of his head nervously, and Olivia knew he was contemplating how much trouble he would get for admitting what he was about to cop to. "I checked the bar before you guys did. I, uh, figured we needed all the feeds, so," his eyes met hers as he explained. "I asked Jet to pull them. She had the footage before you guys got there."
Olivia wasn't sure if she wanted to smack him or kiss him.
"Uh, Liv, I mean, the captain here will send you her contact info. Tell her what you're looking for and that I sent you her way. She's a genius at this stuff. She'll help you with whatever you need."
Liv lifted the phone up. "I'll send you that now. Let me know what you find."
"Copy that Cap," Velasco reaponded before the line went dead.
She quickly pulled up Jet's information and sent it to Velasco.
Her eyes narrowed in Elliot's direction, and his hands immediately rose defensively. "I'm staying out of it. Promise. I got that before, well, before I decided to actually listen to you."
She tried not to laugh. "Oh, you're actually going to listen to me, huh?"
He smiled brightly. "I'll do my best, Captain."