Title: Too Little. Too Late.
Author: Ebony-Jayne
Notes: A particularly difficult case lets the squad in on the mind of a teenage girl and into the private life of one of their own.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the show or the storylines on the show. I do, however, own the characters that I make up so please don't steal them. Any resemblance to anyone or anyplace is a coincidence.
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Chapter One: Alleigh
"Alleigh Jade Halloway, 14 years old yesterday. Friend came around and found her like that," an ageing police officer told Detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler.
"Parents?" Olivia inquired, trying to avoid looking at the young girl hanging from the rafters in a musty old garage.
"Holidaying in France. We've got a number for them, we just didn't know if you guys wanted to do it or if you wanted Victims Services to," the officer told them. Olivia looked at Elliot.
"I'll do it when we get back to the unit," she sighed.
"Ok," the officer left them to speak to Dr. Melinda Warner the coroner.
"Detectives," she greeted.
"What've we got?" Elliot asked her.
"Well. I'm not sure. What I do know is that the rope was tied around her neck and she was strung up post mortem. No bruising see?" Warner pointed at the girl's neck. "Can't tell you much more until after the Autopsy," she shrugged apologetically.
"Sexual assault?" Olivia asked.
"Not sure yet. You got her because she's a minor," Warner said, reading Olivia's eyes.
"Ok. Can we get her down from there?" Elliot asked. Olivia looked over at her partner and saw that he was struggling with this. She knew he was thinking of his own three daughters. His youngest daughter Elizabeth and only son Dickie were only a little younger than Alleigh Halloway.
"Yeah," Warner nodded.
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"Elliot," Olivia's soft voice penetrated the awful dream Elliot was having. "Come on El, you gotta wake up," she coaxed.
"Yeah, I'm up, I'm up," he opened his eyes slowly. "Why the urgency?" he asked sitting up on the cot he was sleeping on in the crib.
"Warner just paged me. She's done with the autopsy," Olivia smiled a little, reaching out a hand to pull him up.
"Oh right, right," Elliot nodded following Olivia out of the dark room.
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"Cause of death is asphyxia. Found cotton fibers in her throat. Someone put a pillow over her face until she stopped breathing. No signs of recent sexual assault. Lots of old scarring though. She's been abused in the past," Warner said sadly. "Pretty badly too. The other thing is this," Warner said lifting the sheet up over the girls thighs.
"Oh my god," Olivia had to look away. "What the hell is that?"
"Whoever killed her slashed up her thighs badly. Some of these cuts would have needed stitches should she still be alive," Warner told them. Elliot grabbed the sheet and pulled it back down over Alleigh's legs. He could see that this was affecting his partner deeply.
"So asphyxiated, mutilated, and raped in the past. I think we need to have a chat with the parents," Elliot said.
"They'll be here in the morning. I guess it's time we went to see Casey," Olivia sighed.
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"No I can not do that. I wont do that. Your client broke the law. He raped a young woman and I have all the evidence I need for a conviction. I have no interest in doing a deal with your client. I'm sorry but I'll see you in court," Casey told Travis Michaels.
"Fine. See you in court Novak," the guy walked out the door pausing briefly to throw a final insult over his shoulder. "You really are as big a bitch as they say you are. You're depriving five little girls of a father." He stomped off down the hallway past a mildly shocked Elliot and Olivia. Casey stuck her head out the door and smiled at the detectives gesturing them in.
"Travis Michaels. I went to law school with him. He's still bitter because I passed my bar exams first time and it took him several tries to pass his," she told them mildly.
"Right," Elliot sniggered. "New case: Alleigh Halloway, 14 year old girl found hanging in her garage. Cause of death was asphyxia from being smothered. She was cut to pieces pre-mortem and strung up post mortem," he told her.
"Oh man," Casey cringed. "Sexual assault?" she asked.
"Sometime in the past she was but not recently," Olivia told her.
"Ok. I'm trying a case for Munch and Fin at the moment. Keep me posted," Casey told them.
"Sure. See you," Olivia turned and left the office.
"Bye Olivia," Casey called after her. "Out of curiosity Elliot, where was she cut?" she asked the other detective.
"On her upper thighs mostly. There were some on her arms as well but not as many. Her thighs were an absolute mess of gashes. There were literally hundreds of them there alone. Maybe 20 or 30 on her arms," he told her. "Why?"
"Just curious," Casey repeated her earlier excuse.
"Ok. I'd better catch up with Liv. She hasn't had any sleep in 48 hours and if I make her wait too long she won't be a happy lady." Elliot smirked at Casey.
"Ok. Bye Elliot," Casey smiled.
"Bye Casey," Elliot replied.
As she was left on her own in her office Casey made a decision. She was going to have a look at the cuts on Alleigh Halloway's body. She had a gut feeling that she knew more than Olivia and Elliot and her conscience wouldn't let her keep it that way.
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