It's still quite dark outside when the phone on my desk rings for what seems like the millionth time in the past twenty-four hours. I reach for it, almost automatically, ignoring the sounds of my partner reaching for his jacket and leaving before I hang up. I can hardly blame him. The last thing I want is to be out on another call, especially when we've all just got the go-ahead to go home for a day and try to sleep everything off. But duty calls, just as it always does. After a few minutes, I finally do hang up and rise to my feet, reaching for my coat.
It isn't until I'm halfway out of the squad room that I realize Olivia is following me. I hadn't even realized that she was still there, but I'm glad she was. I don't really want to go out on this call alone, and now I don't have to. She takes the keyring I'm holding before I realize what she's doing and runs before I can grab her. I follow her, shaking my head and trying not to laugh, though in truth, I'm actually glad that there is something to be amused about in all of this.
She's already outside and sitting in one of the unmarked cars, waiting for me and impatiently tapping on the steering wheel. When I open the door on the passenger side and get in, she says something about my starting to get too old for this sort of thing. I ignore her and we leave the precinct parking lot, heading to what seems to be the hundredth crime scene in barely a month. Neither of us say anything on the way there, and though the silence grates on my nerves after a while, I remain silent, just watching her. She looks exhausted, but I know that if I say anything about it, she'll probably just snap at me that she can take care of herself and that she doesn't need me coddling her. So I say nothing.
What seems like an eternity passes before we finally reach our latest scene. Bright yellow crime scene tape is already cordoning off the area. And the all-too-familiar red and blue lights of squad cars are flashing nearby. Another sheet-covered body lies there on the cold pavement. Olivia and I exchange glances as we get out of the car, slamming the doors behind us before glancing towards the scene and sighing. Sadly enough, it appears to be the same sort of case that Fin and I caught a few weeks ago…the one that we just barely managed to close. We cross the crime scene tape and split up, Olivia going in one direction to talk to the medical examiner while I go in the other to see what little CSU has to offer us this time around.
One of the techs hands me a small plastic bag. In it is a bracelet…one of those bracelets with the tiny picture frames. I reach into my pocket for a set of latex gloves and put them on before opening the bag and pulling the bracelet out. Smiling faces look back at me as I examine it. Our victim is in all of the pictures, her arms around various figures, all of them looking younger than her. I can only assume that they are younger siblings…maybe cousins…nephews or nieces, maybe. Either way, they all look happy. And I dread having to be the one to inform whoever these people are that they've lost a loved one.
I can tell that Olivia does too. She straightens in her position beside Melinda, sadness quite evident in her eyes and a frown on her face. She motions to me, and I walk over, still clutching the bracelet in one of my gloved hands. Once I'm within earshot, Olivia proceeds to tell me that our latest victim's seventeenth birthday is today. I haven't gotten sick at a crime scene since my days as a rookie, but now I suddenly feel sick to my stomach. I close my eyes and take a breath before opening them again to look at her over my glasses, saying nothing.
What a way to go. I bite my lip to keep from making a sarcastic remark at this point, but I'd have bet my life at that moment that had someone asked this girl how and when she wanted to die, she'd have probably answered in her sleep at some random age. But that age would have been anything but seventeen. Streetlights flicker above the scene, and I glare up at them momentarily before looking back at Olivia once more. She says nothing, waiting for me to say something, but I don't.
Instead, I look at her hands. And when I see that they're gloved as well, I hand her the bracelet that I've been holding onto. She takes it, examining the pictures closely before shaking her head in obvious disgust. But it isn't towards the victim that her disgust is directed…that only happens in rare cases. And this isn't one of those. This time, like almost every other time, her disgust is directed at whoever did this…at whoever took this girl's life prematurely.
It starts to rain then. We watch as CSU starts to panic slightly: they haven't finished going over the scene, and now any trace evidence that they might have missed will be gone before they can actually get it. Hopefully, they already have enough to give us something that can help us in the investigation's long run. I glance up at the streetlights again, watching for a few seconds as they continue to flicker before taking my coat off and handing it to Olivia. She takes it gratefully and puts it on, casting a faint smile in my direction. Melinda, her assistants and the body are long gone, off to the morgue, where they'll be able to find something more than what they've been able to tell us so far. CSU continues to work steadily, still hoping that they'll be able to find us something else. I can tell by looking at them that they want this guy just as badly as I do…and so can Olivia.
We wait for a few more minutes, just standing there in the steadily pouring rain, before exchanging glances and crossing the crime scene tape to go back to the car, saying nothing. This time, I tug the keyring out of Olivia's hands. She doesn't protest. I can see by looking at her that she doesn't feel much like driving anywhere, especially since she knows exactly where we're going. For that matter, I don't really feel like driving anywhere, but since it's only the two of us, I don't exactly have a choice, no matter how much I hate "errands" like this.
We're not that far away from the crime scene when we hit a stoplight…in fact, when I look in the rearview mirror, I can see it. Beside me, Olivia's eyes are closed, and she's leaning slightly against the door, thankfully with her seatbelt on. But just to be on the safe side, I lock the doors as the light turns green and I start to drive again.
And behind us, the streetlights directly above the scene flicker twice more before going out completely.
A/N: Ok...this being bored kick is really fun, I think...whoa...how weird was that? Anyways, SVU is not mine, and I'm sure you all know that by now.