Chapter 2:
Taste.
The taste of a half burned bagel and hurriedly placed cream cheese. The bitter sensation of coffee from Starbucks just to follow the social standard. 'Next time, cart breakfast.' The Assistant District Attorney thought to himself as he hurriedly flew from the longest line of his life to hail a cab to the courts.
Nibbling on the inside of his cheek unconsciously drew blood that mingled with the cocktail of flavors in his mouth it made him sigh as it seemed today was going to be never-ending.
Sound.
At birth, humans have the natural five senses: Taste, Sound, Smell, Sight and Touch. They seep through channels like eyes, ears, mouth, etc.
For some, one may tend to favor another inconceivably for natural causes or environmental; living and growing up in New York, Sound was definitely a strong player was heightened considerably.
From the blaring sirens outside of patrolmen or ambulance almost every day as the norm, crowded streets filled with the "working" men and women with their customers, or the general life that was the Big City. It definitely was never a dull one as clearly proven with this one particular case: The Ghost Killer so affectionately named for the lack of evidence yet their amazing ability to infiltrate a law enforcement network so intricate, it left many in disgusting awe.
One would think that most would be immune to the subtle sounds of feet scampering across the polished floor of the courtroom for a close seat or the shutter of the camera lens to keep attention; no, it was the sound of matted wood hitting its pedestal that drew musings away from the slight daze put on by the overworked Assistant District Attorney.
"Your Honor, clearly Mr. Barba is not with these proceedings as demonstrated, so I move to a mistrial and allow my client his due process with lack of evidence." A nasally voice belonging to Robert Wheeler, pro bono attorney for many a scheming thug.
The man's very essence screamed "low budget attorney for hire". From his greased back red hair which was thinning at its base and left him with splotches of pale skin; dark rimmed eyes behind large oval glasses that seemed to be almost black color, and his gangly yet strangely tall frame all attributed to a very insecure man. Why he got into law, no one would ever really understand.
Rafael Barba blinked his eyes once then twice before they hardened and narrowed in their refutable way, his navy suit clad frame moving to take its defensive stance to rebuttal. "I was merely lamenting on how you wish you had taken a deal Mr. Wheeler, spare us all the trial."
"Objection!"
"There's nothing to object Mr. Wheeler. "The judge shook his head, exasperated with the pair of attorneys before him. "What say you to this plaintiff's bail Mr. Barba?"
"The people request bail be set to $100,000 and his passport forfeited, he tried to flee to Puerto Rico when approached about his missing girlfriend your Honor."
Robert Wheeler could only choke, while his client; a gangbanger from the BX9 named Ricardo "Mafioso" Mercado, could only stand in the handcuffs around his wrists and an expression of boredom on his features. This case, presumably unrelated to the ongoing investigation of the "Ghost Killer"; was still one of the many on the ADA's plate that was going to be shuffled to another court date.
"Your Honor, that's excessive! He has clear ties to the community, we request ROR to his mother who is very ill." A screech like sound following as if his demand was relevant.
"All good and well Mr. Wheeler, but we have a missing pregnant woman and your client was the last to see her; bail is set to $100,000 and passport will be forfeited. Next case." The gavel was hit once more, this one with more finality as though to move through the process.
The defendant turned his gaze to the judge then sneered towards Barba with a smug expression as he knew a drug dealer would make bail easily. The defense's lawyer moved towards the shorter male's table and slammed his briefcase to call attention to himself.
"You should just dismiss this. Your detective found nothing linking my client to his girlfriend's disappearance. It's all circumstantial."
An eyebrow promptly perked up as he clicked his own briefcase closed and reached for his jacket; clearly a motion of -I am leaving and don't follow me out the door to discuss this-.
A small sigh escaping his lips as he pointed towards Robert. "Let's be clear, your client was seen on a bus terminal on his way to La Guardia airport 2 hours AFTER detectives found his girlfriend's belongings in the trunk of his car. So use your time working your defense instead of antagonizing me Mr. Wheeler. Good day." With that, the shorter of the two turned on his heel and walked calmly from the courtroom without so much as a backwards glance; his priority was to get to Olivia Benson's office promptly.
His phone had rung prior to the trial hearing and only heard recently, the voicemail stating another police officer had been kidnapped and was missing. This was reported by his wife, Elena Lopez; wife of decorated traffic patrol officer, Ernesto Lopez.
The details vague on the phone but the most important piece? He was a Latino male working the barrios at 8 pm the night before and still missing. It was a small part of this serial killer's method of pattern. They were meticulous and definitively punctual that should have given law enforcement the edge.
Before he knew it, his dazed thoughts brought him to the back of a cab and tossing the directions to SVU. A hand lifting to rub at his forehead and temple as a headache seemed to brew, eyes lingering on an old worn watch that nestled on his right wrist; the lines of the minute hand ticking so slowly yet the seconds were gone in a blink as was the ride to the correct precinct.
Smell.
Inside the precinct smelled of so many different avenues, it was hard to tell them apart. From the leftover Chinese food on Fin Tutuola's desk as he hovered over his computer and clicking through slowly through crime scene photos, next came Dodds with his cologne that was potent and mixed with pine aftershave made for a bomb on his face – it was enough to wrinkle a nose at as he stood by a board with multiple string lines, Amanda Rollins (Currently away) yet "new mother" smell lingered with hints of baby spit up, to finally Dominick 'Sonny' Carisi's desk that had stacks of folders, law books and empty coffee cups.
The youngest detective had grown on him. Like a weed. The other always asking him inquisitive questions that sometimes made HIM second guess. His intelligence to his advantage, not to mention his handsome smile that matched those glass blue eyes would make most weak and let him score 100 on a test.
He knew long ago his sexual preference was to men; however, he knew when to play his cards. This was work after all. Work affairs never tended to end well. Rafael's fingers moved to unconsciously trail against the edge unknown to the others in the room since they seemed to be focused on what laid before them.
What made him pause was the body currently occupying said desk seat, and peeked to see a woman with greying black hair. Her eyes were a soft brown that seemed to hold such warmth and vibrancy in the day and now seemed to hold despair and small glimmer of hope? She only gazed at him silently as if analyzing him: it was a habit all Latinos seemed to have with one another before she spoke, "Is this…. your desk?" Her voice gentle and clearly reflecting pain.
"No Senora Lopez, it is not. I'm Rafael Barba, Assistant District Attorney. I am here to see Olivia Benson in regards to your husband and his disappearance linked with that of our investigation." He cleared his throat, catching himself before mentioning "murderer, defiler or torturer" to scare her.
"Por favor….my Ernesto would never return late from his shift. He…. someone has him. Please save him." Her voice rose an octave as she spoke, bringing Dodds and Tutuola's attention away from their areas to the ADA who seemed at a loss.
He only prosecuted the criminals, he did not bring them to actual justice. His heart went out to the poor woman who went back to looking at her phone as if hoping for a phone call that he knew may never come.
Olivia peeked out of her office, her hand waving him in and Barba followed to the beckoning. "Barba, thanks for coming."
"Sorry I wasn't here sooner."
"We have a couple of suspects in custody that match the description given by the witness-"
"You mean the paranoid nun who claims homeless people are angels in disguise and policemen are Satan's…what did she say…" He tapped his chin then deadpanned. "Satan's hellhounds?"
The Captain of the Special Victims Unit could only run a hand through her hair as the man took a seat in one of her chairs. Her feet moving to pace in the office as was the normal for her.
"She was able to make out a lean frame and glasses!"
"How do we know she's not with them Olivia?"
"It's all we have to work with Barba. Look, Mrs. Lopez wants an answer to her husband's disappearance…and I want to know why these two are skulking around after our crime scenes? To relive the moment? Maybe they saw something? I don't know and we don't have enough to hold them…"
Rafael let out a sigh of his own, almost deep rooted and exhausted before he heard the phone ring on Olivia's desk. It made him tense unconsciously as she slowly reached for it. Time seemed to almost immediately stop as the receiver was nestled to her ear.
On the other side of the phone was Carisi's Staten Island accent came through on the other side, it made the ADA close his eyes and mildly fantasizing about that voice speaking more roughly, perhaps with passion and filled with a clear motive for control. After all, any time he allowed the other to trail along with him to court, Sonny ended up being more of a lingering shadow that echoed his words and only nodding at his processes. The one in clear control at times was Barba and now seemed to not be one of those moments.
Sight.
By the end of the conversation, the daydream turned into a horrific nightmare. He knew. Ernesto Lopez was dead and brutally assaulted the same as the others.
Suddenly flashbacks of those horrific pictures of men and women; Puerto Rican, Guatemalan, Ecuadorian, Panamanian, and all over South/Central American descent were raped repeatedly PRIOR to death…. only for the evidence to be destroyed from the use of an object to violate once more. Depending the location, the perp used whatever was readily available on a police officer: Their police baton. The exception had been the judge up in Queens who had been violated by broken piece of fence. It was the ultimate humiliation and be awake throughout the entire experience before having their tongues removed to avoid sounds of screams, painful distortion of their faces and choking on their blood.
His hazel eyes suddenly peeled open to see Olivia getting off the phone and discussing with Fin to be the bearer of the bad news.
"Is Carisi and Rollins coming back? I need to see if they found any new leads out there…besides the new body obviously."
"They'll be here soon. Carisi drives like a bat out of hell let me tell you." A weak laugh escaping her as she mused, her hand going to caress the picture of her young son that resided on her desk.
"How's Noah?"
"He's good. Heh. As good as can be with Mommy pulling overtime like crazy."
Barba's expression was solemn, placing a hand on her shoulder to squeeze as he reached for a file on her desk to review it once more and get her eyes away from it. "I'm sure he is proud of you so the time together is that more precious."
The Captain only tossed her head back to genuinely smile and laugh, eyes crinkling in mirth, "Are you getting sentimental on me after all this time?"
"I'll take serious offense to this Captain. Don't test me." He chuckled as well, the two sitting in silence for what seemed another hour and huddled over the file before he heard some scuffling outside the office.
Both peeked out the convenient window to see the docile woman get to her feet in agony, rage and pain; perhaps all three, regardless she was shaking her fists at Fin and Mike. She then pulled at her hair as she sinking back into the chair and sobbing. Her shoulders shaking and making her look that much smaller.
"Hardest part of the job I would say." Olivia mentioned as she then blinked her eyes owlishly as the wife of the now deceased victim got back up and smacked Dodds right across the face that it twisted his face to the side, probably because it was unexpected.
Barba only winced as she ran out towards presumably elevator to leave and leaving the new Sergeant in her stead and Fin looking at a loss. "She's got quite the arm."
"I stand corrected. Never tell a woman bad news, THAT'S the hardest part of this job." Shaking her head, she noticed her two detective return looking like watered rats. Feet carried her automatically to the door to the office as she stepped out and about to speak before Rafael pulled her attention back to a detail in the file that seemed to have been missed.
Following behind Olivia, the ADA noted the locations of the victims and mentally was making a connection that made him stop her mid-way and keep her aside. "Liv, take a run at those "witnesses". Tell them that there will be a reward for them for their cooperation."
"What reward?"
"Your suspects didn't do it, he or she wouldn't have gotten caught so easily…but they DO know something." He mused to her as he closed the file with a satisfied expression. "They may, if I'm falling into this glimmer of hope, have been decoys. So their reward? Not going to prison as accessories to murder."
"Should we do it tonight? My detectives have had quite the night."
"Keep them booked on drug possession charges-"
"….How did you know they had drugs when we got them?" Her eyebrows raised in surprise.
He shook his head, handing her back the file. "They always do Liv. We'll look at them tomorrow."
Both had secretive expressions till he turned on his heel to see the squad in kind of disarray, eyes honing in on Carisi almost instantaneously which he cursed himself mentally for. The other's mouth was open and his expression a dopey one which he had to call him out on. "Carisi!"
"Huh? Oh uh sorry Councilor." Was the sheepish response, a crooked grin on his face that seemed to make it all okay.
Olivia cleared her throat. "Okay, it has been a long day for all of us. Dodds and Fin, take the two junkies to central booking, we're keeping them overnight on the drug possession. Rollins, go home to Jesse, and Carisi? I want you to make the report for the latest victim. Take the spare laptop and work from home."
"But Captain I can do it better here-"
"Go. Home. It's an order." She mused as she patted Rafael's shoulder as she trailed back towards her own office to pick up her items and head home to her son; the light in her life of darkness.
Touch.
As everyone seemed to scurry towards their desks to pick up belongings save for Dodds and Fin who went to handle their now witnesses or accessories; it left only the attorney and hot-headed detective in the squad room.
It seemed that Carisi seemed oblivious to his standing presence as he muttered incoherently beneath his breath, his hands reaching to place folders and such into a satchel hurriedly. The action making Rafael shake his head, lurch forward out of his own volition and place his hands atop those larger ones.
The texture of chilled yet coarse hands beneath his own, the slickness of the raindrops lingering and the tiny pulsing of blood circulating as it should have been enough to make him pause in that stance.
The younger clearing his throat, blue eyes turning to face the ADA who seemed to suddenly stop him. "Uh, everything alright Councilor?"
"Yes. Don't put them away like that, you'll displace them."
A blink of those irises before a sheepish expression came on as if ashamed for his rushing. "You're right 'am sorry."
"How about this. You pack them fast and neatly, and I'll treat you to a drink before you head home to write up the report? I need one anyway and am not fond of drinking alone. You meet strange people." A smirk playing on the Latino's face but on the inside he was punching himself out for such a blatant invitation to a younger yet charming detective who was probably straight as a nail considering his religious views.
It took Carisi literally a minute to stand up straighter and nod, "You're on Barba."
