CHAPTER 1
Lily Woodbridge sat in her car which was parked exactly one block from the scene. She took two deep breaths before releasing her death grip on the steering wheel and exiting the vehicle. She locked it and walked the short distance to her uncle's house.
The crime scene tape was secured around the perimeter and the place was crawling with law enforcement officials, investigators, curious onlookers and the media. A body bag was brought out, placed in a van and shipped off to the morgue for autopsy though she knew the cause of death must have been pretty evident.
Lily composed herself once again before putting on her hysterical/concerned face and approaching the house. A few uniforms stopped her of entering the area and she began making a spectacle of herself. "He's my uncle!" she screamed. "Let me pass! He's my uncle!" she said again while trying to get past them. "What the hell is going on!" she demanded before allowing herself to be restrained by the officers and sobbing loudly. Her targets were the 4 SVU officers present. This was a high profile case and so she knew that all 4 would be there. She just needed their attention for a few moments to put her plan in effect.
It worked. She got the attention of the man whose wife wanted to divorce him, Elliot. Their eyes locked and she sent out her best 'I'm helpless, save me you big, strong officer' vibe and within seconds, he was taking her away from the uniforms and asking her who she was. When she revealed her name and her connection to the victim, he looked at her with sympathy in his eyes and offered her his condolences. She threw herself into his arms and sobbed loudly, clinging to him. He almost pushed hr away but instead ended up putting his arms around her, trying to soothe her.
Once she felt that she'd milked it long enough, she gave him her dewy- eyed look and apologized for her lack of control. He assured her that it was no problem and formally introduced himself. Elliot Stabler, SVU. Lily queried as to why SVU would be called in and he reluctantly told her the details of her uncle's murder. Multiple stab wounds to the chest, abdomen and back and the almost severed penis. Lily gasped loudly as if immensely horrified and proceeded to weep again. Elliot needed no encouragement this time and embraced her. She buried her face in his shirt and discreetly inhaled his scent which was undeniably male. After a few more moments, she stepped out of his arms and began walking away, refusing his offers of a ride. When she was almost safe, the woman called to her. Olivia Benson, her least favourite of the 4 but the one most necessary to convince. Olivia formally introduced herself and asked a few inconsequential questions before giving Lily her card and asking her to come down to the station at a later time and walking away.
Lily frowned slightly as she looked at the card and then placed it into her pocket. This woman was going to be trouble. She counted to 20 steps before she paused, placed a hand on her chest and fainted.