Arrested Romance
"Elliot, I saw Maureen downstairs is everything alright?" Detective Olivia Benson sat down by her desk getting ready for another days work at the 16th precinct.
Elliot took a sip from his coffee. "Yeah, Dickie is in the emergency room. Apparently you can fit three raw chickpeas up your nasal cavity."
The brunette chuckled as she sorted out a few loose papers on her desk. "Sometimes I'm glad I don't have have kids. Especially four of them. How are the crew and Kathy?"
"They are all fine, thanks for asking. They are keeping their parents busy with their stunts, boyfriends and bickering." He smiled. "Wouldn't have it any other way though. I just wish I had a bit more time for them. They're growing too fast."
Liv gratefully accepted a cup of caffeine, detective Fin Tutuola offered her. "Yeah, thank god mine is fully grown," he said, "I can't remember how many times I had to take Ken to the A and E. Its in boys DNA to test the boundaries."
"I have a theory on that matter." Detective John Munch interrupted. Before he could say anything else Fin put a hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah, not now partner. Its too early for any of your theories and besides, we have a perp to interrogate." They both disappeared, heading into a squad room where the suspected pedophile was waiting.
Olivia started on her paperwork. There was always a pile of papers that needed attention but with such a busy schedule and countless perps, to chase down and arrest, there was not much time for anything else. She was hopeful that she could get some done this morning. She was interrupted by captain Craigan opening the door to his office. "Liv, what's the status on the Johnson case? I need to view it and sign it off."
"I'm just finishing it up, Cap. I'll have it on your desk in a few." He seemed happy enough with that answer.
"Hopefully it will be a quiet morning so I can tackle my mile high stack of paperwork. We all could use a personal secretary but I'm afraid that suggestion won't hit home for the captain. What do you say, El?" She got no reply. Glancing over to her partners desk she saw him deeply invested in a case file. "Elliot!?" His head snapped up and his whole face resembled a question mark. "That just answered my question."
Elliot looked confused. "What question?"
Liv sighed and got back into work mode. "Never mind."
Her wish came true. For almost three hours there wasn't one phone call or any interruptions and she was down to her last case file when the captain emerged from his office and wanted to speak to Olivia and Elliot in private. "What's up Cap?" Liv asked.
Craigen sighed and put his hands in his pockets. "I just got an anonymous tip about a prostitution ring. All I have is an address. I need you two to check it out but be careful. Don't go busting down any doors until we have some kind of proof. Observe from a distant. Am I clear?"
Elliot reached out for the slip of paper with the address on it. "Crystal clear, Cap."
They headed out the precinct pulling their collars up higher to keep the cold New York winter air out. "I'm driving." Liv said.
Her partner scrunched up his face. "Why?"
"Cause I said so." She held up her hands as Elliot tossed her the car keys.
Elliot rubbed his hands together and breathed frozen digits trying to get some warmth into them. "What idiot made this call. Its been hours and all we've seen is an old lady in a wheelchair passing the building. I'm getting frost bite over here." He kept rubbing his hands.
Olivia, who was smart enough to wear gloves, waved her hands in front of his face. "Ever heard of gloves, partner? They are like socks but for your hands so they don't get cold in the winter. You should try it." She glanced down at her watch. "And for your information, it's been two and a half hours. We'll give it another thirty minutes. Put your hands in your armpits."
They waited. Elliot had given up rubbing his hands, it was useless. They were still as cold as they were an hour ago. "We've got something. Look El!"
A man coming out from the run down house, fixing his shirt and jacket as if he had just gotten dressed. "Its not enough evidence. He could be living there, Liv. We've still got nothing."
Olivia was still looking out the window hoping to see something more they could use. "I know that, El. At least it's a start. We'll give it another hour or so. I'll call the captain and let him know we're staying a bit longer. It will be getting dark soon anyway and we're more likely to see more guys walking out of that hell hole."
She cleared it with the captain and just as she ended the call, another man came out and only a few minutes later another one. She looked over at her partner. "Still think that the first guy we saw lives there?"
"Maybe they are all banging each other." The brunette knew her partner wasn't serious and gestured for him to continue taking pictures. It was quiet after that and nothing else happened. They decided to call it off for now and head back to the station to inform the captain of what they got so far.
"Three men in about three and a half hours." He slammed down the photos on his desk, a bit frustrated. Olivia stepped in.
"Cap, I'm sure we can get more evidence during night time. Scumbags like this think they can get away with it in the dark. I have a feeling there is more to this." Craigen sat down on his office chair and sighed.
"Okay, you and Elliot are on steakout duty tonight. Take as many photos as you can. If there is something going on, I know you will find it. Just be careful and stay warm. Its gonna be a cold one. Go home, get some sleep, come back when it's dark and head out again. Hopefully you can give me something solid to go on." He looked up at his two best detectives. "If you find nothing, I'm gonna have to call it off. We don't have time or the finances to go chasing false claims."
Elliot headed towards the door. "We will cap."
"I see you took my advice on wearing gloves, El. You're learning fast." Olivia grinned and took a sip of her steaming cup of black brew.
"I had a good teacher. I even brought a scarf too." He proudly showed her the blue scarf that was half hidden under his jacket.
"Your mum would be proud." Olivia replied.
The dark was slowly creeping in and it dropped a couple of degrees. Two hours into their watch, a black SUV with tinted windows pulled up just outside the front door. Two men stepped out, one of them opened the door to the backseat. Olivia was quick with the camera, snapping shots rapidly. Three young girls appeared, high heels short skirts and dolled up. There was no doubt in the detectives mind what they were looking at.
Elliot quickly scribbled down the car's registration number. The crew made their way up the narrow staircase and a young woman opened the door and let them enter. Before closing it again, she quickly scanned the area to make sure it was safe. Making the whole situation look even more suspicious.
"I think we've got what we need but we should stay for another hour or so just in case." Liv didn't want to take any chances and Elliot agreed. Only ten minutes later three men came into view from around the corner of the building, heading up the stairs. Liv quickly zoomed in on the camera and took a dozen of pictures. She saw something, a glare that lasted for a second coming from one of the men's waist. The streetlamp must have reflected onto it and there was no doubt in Olivia's mind of what it was. A gun.
She turned to Elliot. "Did you see That?"
The male detective was watching with deep interest. "Yup. Looked like a gun to me." He turned to his partner of almost fifteen years. "Did you get a picture of the gun? We need proof, Liv. They're not just gonna take out word for it."
Liv went through the photographs and zoomed in on the man's waist. There is was. Not as clear as she wanted it to be, but you could easily make out that it was a gun. "Sure did. I'll call it in."
They were close to the building yet keeping a safe distance. Submachine guns, assault rifles and sniper rifles were being checked and secured before they were handed out to the squad. Bulletproof vests could be seen on every squad member and thick uniforms to keep the cold out. Every precaution has been taken and the adrenaline was oozing. It was time to make their bust.
The SWAT team skillfully made their way towards their target. The SVU squad could not enter until it was safe to do so, so for now they were kept tagging behind. In just a few seconds he'll would break loose. Olivia braced herself. Taking a deep breath she tightened the hold on her gun.
The front door was now busted open and the crew quickly made their way inside. Olivia and Elliot waiting to be cleared to enter. "NYPD, drop your weapons, put your hands on your head and stay put. Do not move. I repeat, drop your weapons and do not move."
Olivia heard screaming, crying and angry male voices. No shots had been fired and the SVU detectives was clear to enter. Inside the SWAT team had already secured the place. Two guns were lying on the floor and they were quickly put away into evidence bags to be scanned for prints. Munch, Fin and Craigen stepped inside, handcuffs ready for arrest.
Olivia took a quick look around the room. There were six girls in total. All looking scared and about to run. "Its okay, we're not here to hurt you." Liv held her hands up to show them that she meant no harm. "You'll have to come with us to the station. No one is goin to get hurt but we need to leave now." Her voice was stern. She gestured them to come along. "Come on, its okay."
Hesitantly the young girls, who couldn't be older than seventeen tops, were slowly escorted out of the premises by the SVU team. When the group of girls had moved from their spot Olivia caught a glimpse of blonde hair before it disappeared behind a corner. "Hey!" Olivia, gun in hand, followed suit and caught up with the woman trying to escape. "Stop it right there. Put your hands on you head and turn around, slowly."
The blonde stopped dead in her tracks, shoulders slumped in defeat. Cautiously placing her hands on her head, she slowly turned around. Olivia's brown eyes met clear blue. The blonde hair reached below her shoulders. The detective could tell straight away that she was not one of the girls they just escorted out. This must be their Madame or pimp. She was dressed in tight black jeans, stilettos, a sleeveless top that didn't leave much to the imagination and jewelry to accessorize. Olivia guessed she must be in her mid thirties.
The brunette spoke first. "What's your name?" The gun was still pointed towards the smaller woman.
The blonde fixed her eyes on Olivia's. "Amanda. Amanda Rollins."
Grabbing her cuffs Olivia brought the hands down and swiftly cuffed her. "Amanda Rollins, you are under arrest for endangering the welfare of a minor. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can, and will, be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you can't afford one, one will be appointed to you."
That was all Olivia could charge her with at the moment, since she had no proof or evidence of which role Amanda played in all of this. The blonde was taken outside and placed into a squad car.