SAVING GRACES

Coffee. An interlude.



Chapter Four



Olivia woke with a start. She never slept well in the crib and knew few cops who did. The bunk beds boasted hard, thin mattresses and little room. The atmosphere was dark and dank, and only the most exhausted tried to sleep there. During her brief rest, dreams flooded Olivia’s mind, including vague images of Bobby Goren. Olivia sighed, stretched and rose from the narrow bed. Alex Eames, the state of sleep taking several years from her face, lay deeply asleep in the bunk next to Olivia, who enviously guessed that Alex must be one of those lucky people who could sleep anywhere. Olivia slipped on her shoes and moved cautiously down the long rows of bunk beds. The other SVU detectives were scattered throughout the room. Fin sprawled over one; Munch’s snored in a corner; Cragen curled in a bed not far from the entrance; and Olivia could just make out Elliott’s head edging out from under a blanket. She saw no signs of Goren. Before they fell into their beds, Alex told her with a mixture of irritation and admiration that Bobby probably wouldn’t come near the crib. “He doesn’t sleep that well at the best of times,” Alex said. “And this isn’t the best of times…”



Olivia stumbled into the women’s locker room, a small, dingy place that spoke of the fact that the NYPD was still dominated by males. After using the bathroom, she considered returning to her bed, but a glance at her watch revealed that the others would be rising soon. “Might as well beat the rush,” Olivia thought and headed to the shower. She emerged a few minutes later, the fog in her mind slightly cleared. She ran her fingers through her damp hair and resolved to make it to her apartment for a change of clothes before the day was over. She decided against makeup and climbed the stairs to the main squad room.



The rich, warm smell of coffee reached her before she entered the room. She saw Bobby sitting in front of his computer. Files, reports, and papers covered the desk on which it rested. Aside from his loosened tie and his rolled up sleeves, Bobby looked nearly the same as when Olivia left him several hours earlier. He was the only person in the squad room, and the computer screen’s glow gave his skin an eerie, translucent glow and made him look like an avenging spirit. Olivia moved towards the source of the wonderful coffee aroma. At some point in the night someone—almost certainly Bobby—had made coffee, good coffee. She gratefully sipped the strong, rich liquid as she approached him.



“Hey,” she said softly.



He didn’t immediately respond.



“Uh…good morning?” Olivia said slightly louder.



“Uh…yea…It’s morning?” He roused from his deep study. “There’s…oh…you found the coffee…”



“Yes…thank you. It’s the best I’ve tasted in this place for a long time…Maybe forever.” She sat in a chair next to his desk. “Did you get any rest?” She hoped the question didn’t sound like an accusation.



“Uh…I kinda lost track of time…I…I don’t sleep well in strange places…Not to say that the crib here…I mean…It’s strange to me…” He blinked.



His awkwardness charmed Olivia. “It’s ok…Our crib IS a pretty strange place.”



He favored her with a shy smile, and Olivia again felt that warmth grow behind her heart. “I got lost in the work,” Bobby said. “And by the time I realized what time it was…Making coffee seemed a better idea.”



“I’m not sure Alex will agree with you,” Olivia said gently.



“I’m sure you’re right,” Bobby replied ruefully. “But I may have narrowed things down a little…Here…”



The two detectives studied the records for several minutes. Bobby had accomplished considerably more than narrowing things down a little; he’d discovered a dozen men who were officials in the upper echelons of the police leagues who frequented different games and teams in the area of the city.



“I haven’t checked them completely,” Bobby apologized. “And I’m not sure if all or any of them fit the time period of the disappearances.”



“You’ve been up all night and this is all you came up with,” Olivia laughed.



“Maybe I should’ve gone for the caffeine earlier,” Bobby answered. He felt comfortable with Olivia, a rare occurrence for him with someone he’d known for so short a time.



“Do we know who was the first boy to go missing?” she asked.



“I think…” Bobby reached across the desk for a file, and brushed against Olivia’s arm. He flushed slightly and awkwardly handed her the file. “Uh…Sorry…”



She took a deep breath and cautiously placed a hand on Bobby’s arm. “It’s ok.”



“I…uh…think,” Bobby said nervously. “That…that this may be the first.”



“Anthony Genoa,” Olivia read from the file.



“Yea.” His nervousness left as Bobby discussed the case. “Fifteen. Disappeared after a baseball game in Little Italy…” He lowered his eyes. “Uh…while you check this out…I think…If it’s ok…I might grab a shower…”



“Sure you don’t want to get some sleep?”



He shook his head. “Not enough time.”



Bobby’s move to the shower appeared to be the signal for the other detectives to emerge from the crib. A bleary-eyed Cragen came first, fiddling with his tie as he head to his office.



“There’s coffee,” Olivia pointed. “And it’s good. Goren made it.”



Cragen poured a cup and took a long drink. “That is good,” he said in amazement. “Not only is he a first class detective, he makes good coffee.” Cragen looked around the office. “Where is he? I didn’t see him in the crib…”



“Shower.”



“He didn’t get any sleep.” Cragen examined the papers on the desk Bobby used.



“No,” Olivia admitted. “I’m not sure he wanted to try…”



“He all right?”



Olivia smiled. “Cap, you’ve already got a family of detectives…You want more?”



Cragen smiled. “Any one of you is a handful. I’m not looking for more responsibilities. But Goren’s captain asked me to keep an eye on him. The Brady case took a lot out of him, and he’s just back from leave to bury his mother.”



“Yea,” Olivia said. “I heard him thank Fin for coming to the funeral.”



Munch, his red eyes hidden by dark glasses, lurched into the office. “Coffee…must have coffee,” he murmured. He poured a cup and took a long drink. “This…is…not…the…usual…stuff.” He took another drink. “This…is good.” He stared at his cup in amazement.



Olivia struggled not to laugh. “Goren made it. He also did a lot of work last night.”



“Captain,” Munch said gravely as he sat at his desk. “You have my permission to make Goren and Eames part of SVU.”



“Sorry,” Cragen said. “I’m afraid Captain Ross would put up a fight.”



“Hey, what’s this talk about transfers?” Alex said as she walked to the coffee. “Is this fresh?” she asked eagerly.



“Yea,” Munch said. “Made by your partner…and the best stuff we’ve had for a long time.”



“Ah,” Alex said after taking a drink. “My partner is a man of many talents…and speaking of him.” She glanced around the squad room. “Is he actually getting some sleep?”



“’Fraid not,” Olivia answered. She was reluctant to rat out Bobby, but even more reluctant to lie to Alex. “He was up when I got up here…He told me it was too late when he finally thought of sleep.”



Alex frowned.



“He did narrow down the list of people we might want to consider,” Olivia added quickly.



Alex walked to Bobby’s desk and gazed balefully at the documents there. “Well, Bobby at least tries to get something out of his insomnia.”



Bobby feebly attempted to sneak in the office, but Alex saw him. He glanced hopefully at Olivia. “Sorry, she knows,” Olivia said.



“She would’ve found out,” Bobby said as he poured a cup of coffee. “Last cup…I’ll make more.”



“Definitely,” Munch said. “You definitely need to make more coffee.”



Bewildered, Bobby turned to look at Munch.



“Don’t worry, partner,” Alex laughed. “Just make the coffee.”



A cranky Stabler and Fin stumbled into the office.



“Damnit, Fin…You could’ve left me some hot water…”



“If you’d gotten your butt out of bed instead of complaining for five minutes, you’d have had plenty of hot water,” Fin shot back. “Besides, there wasn’t that much left when I got there.”



Munch shook with trying not to laugh, and Alex and Olivia pointedly avoided each other’s eyes.



“I’m sorry.” Bobby’s soft voice broke through the small storm. “I…I must have…”



Stabler ignored him. “And there’s no damn coffee.”



Bobby’s guilt increased. “I’m sorry…I…I took the last cup…I’m making more…” He waved the empty pot in surrender.



“You take the hot water…You take the coffee…You…” Stabler fumed.



“May have broken the case,” Olivia said. “And if you give him five minutes, he’ll make you the best coffee you’ve ever had in this place.” She turned to Bobby. “Don’t mind Elliott. He’s always cranky in the morning when he hasn’t had his coffee.”



“What’s Fin’s excuse?” Alex asked dryly.



“Fin,” Munch replied in an equally dry tone. “Doesn’t have an excuse. He’s always cranky.”



Fin glared at Munch.



“The coffee’ll be ready soon,” Bobby said apologetically.



Stabler sat heavily at his desk. “What about the case?”



“I’m glad you remembered we have a case,” Cragen said. “While he made this wonderful coffee, Goren also managed to narrow our list of potential suspects.”



Bobby reddened as he handed coffee to Stabler and Fin. “It…it’s not that much…And I’m not sure how it will help us find Michael Flynn.” He returned the pot to its resting place and sat at his temporary desk.



Stabler, appeased by his caffeine infusion, whispered to Fin. “He doesn’t handle praise well, does he?”



“Never has.” Fin shook his head. “Day he got his Medal of Honor you would’ve thought he was going to his execution.”



Shiny pieces of metal rarely impressed Stabler, but he made an exception for a Medal of Honor. “I didn’t know he had one of those…All I’ve heard is…”



“That he’s a freak…a genius who doesn’t feel anything…a guy who’s one step away from being a perp…” Fin spoke softly, but raw anger filled his voice. “I’ve heard it all…And he doesn’t deserve any of it…”



As Fin and Stabler spoke, Alex sat across from Bobby. “Looks like you did some good work…But I really wish you’d gotten some sleep.”



Bobby stared at the computer screen. “I…I don’t think I would’ve gotten any if I tried…”



“Are you ok?”



He didn’t look at her, but his fingers ceased typing. “I…I’m ok…You don’t… think I’m off on this?”



“No,” Alex said firmly. “I think you’re on to something…Everyone here thinks that.”



“Thanks,” he whispered.



“The only thing I’m worried about,” she said cautiously. “Is that you take care of yourself. You get some rest, ok?”



Their eyes met briefly. “Ok,” he said. “I promise.”



“Ok…but know that I’ll keep an eye on you.”



“I’m counting on it.”



End Chapter Four