Adding Fuel to the Fire: An Elliot Stabler Story

Chapter Eight

The special victims squad room was exceptionally busy that Thursday night, filled with the sounds of papers rustling, phones ringing, and people talking. They had received a huge break in a hot case, and everyone was working overtime to try to and solve the case before the perpetrator could strike another victim. Tensions were high, and everyone seemed to be moving a million miles a minute.

Elliot and Olivia sat in an interview room, scattering papers all over the table. He glanced up at the clock every few minutes, a pang of sadness and anger filling his gut. It was nearly 9 PM and they were nowhere near being done for the night. He was dreading the impending phone call he would have to make to Johanna to cancel their night of fun.

He was furious that there would be a two-week gap between their last and next meet-up. He was annoyed that he would have to wait another week to see and feel Johanna's body under his. He was worried about how she would react to the news, anticipating a foul reaction similar to his ex-wife's usual one.

"I got something!" Olivia shouted as she stood up, holding a paper firmly in her grasp.

She darted out the room. Elliot quickly followed her, oblivious to what she had just discovered.

"Mason Burke's alibi," Olivia stated simply as she slammed the paper on her desk and began shuffling through papers on her desk. "We never checked out his alibi, and his story was shifty from the start."

By this time, Fin Tutuola and his partner, John Munch, had gathered around Olivia's desk with Elliot, sharing his curious and confused expression. She picked up a small notebook and flipped through the pages carefully.

"Here," she said, more calmly. "He said he was out buying groceries at the time of the rape and murder, but he never showed us a receipt. We didn't bother to follow up with it since we thought we had the guy in custody."

"We're on it," Fin told her, taking the paper she had placed on her desk.

"Let's just go straight to the grocery store; no use in wasting time asking for him to give us a receipt when he probably doesn't have one," Munch suggested as they started to walk away.

"Hey!" Elliot called after them. "If the times don't match up or they don't have a receipt, bring him in!"

"Got it," Fin responded before the partners walked out. "We'll let you know what we find!"

Olivia sighed with relief, running a hand through her hair. Elliot rubbed her back softly, letting her know she could relax for a moment while they waited to hear from their fellow detectives.

"I'm gonna go call Johanna and let her know I'm not going to make it tonight," Elliot informed her with a sigh.

She gave him a sympathetic and apologetic look and nodded her head as he walked away, pulling his phone out of his pocket. She wished there was a way she could continue working on the case alone so he could have his long-awaited date night, but without her likeminded partner, she was essentially useless.

The trill of the phone ringing made Elliot's stomach twist into knots. He was admittedly afraid of what the fiery redhead would say.

"Hey, Stabler," Johanna's perky voice filled his ears. He could tell just by hearing her voice that she was smiling. It made his heart skip a beat.

"Hey, you," he responded softly, realizing how badly he needed to hear her voice. "I've got some bad news."

"What's wrong?" She questioned; the pep in her voice faltered slightly.

"I'm not going to make it tonight," he sighed. "Olivia and I are going to be working all night on this case. I'm so sorry."

He couldn't recall how many times he had repeated those words before, feeling the guilt smack him in the stomach all over again.