Chapter Three

There was nowhere to park on the street. There were expensive little sports cars and luxury sedans with Hanover Day stickers on the back parked up and down the street. Elliot circled back around and parallel parked down the block from Rebecca's house.

Elliot raised a hand to knock, but the door opened before he could. A boy stepped out, fumbling with a pack of cigarettes.

Elliot held a finger to his lips, signaling the boy to be quiet, and the detectives slipped past the boy into the party.

There were about twenty kids talking, laughing, and dancing to the beat of hip hop music. No one noticed the two uninvited guests in all the chaos.

"Look at this. Dancing, beer pong, card games. You got yourself a regular frat house here," Olivia said, announcing their presence.

The kids all had the same deer-in-headlights look. Three boys tried to make a break for it. The detectives caught them easily, cuffed them.

Elliot walked into the living room to turn the stereo off. He saw a bong on the coffee table and picked it up. "Detective, look at this."

"You guys are breaking the law all over the place," Olivia said. "You're busted. Let's go."


Casey was used to late night phone calls. It was part of the job. Rapists and murderers didn't sleep and so neither did she.

When she got to the precinct at eleven seventeen pm, Casey saw that it wasn't a rapist or murderer this time. It was her half-sister.

"Mackenzie, what are you doing here?" Casey asked.

Olivia looked from the teenager she was currently leading back to the cage to the ADA in surprise. "You two know each other?"

"Yeah, she's my sister," Casey told Olivia.

Elliot scrubbed a hand down his face. "She didn't tell us who she was."

He wouldn't have arrested Casey's sister if he'd known who she was. He had found the ADA annoying at first, but they'd developed a good working relationship. Casey was one of them now and they took care of their own.

Elliot had used his shield to take care of his own daughter's arrest and he would do the same thing for Casey's sister if he could. Unfortunately, it would be difficult in this case. They couldn't arrest everyone at the party except Mackenzie.

"Uh, Casey, she was at a party and she was drinking," Olivia said awkwardly.

Casey looked around in astonishment, noticing the other teenagers in the squad room for the first time. Michael Malone was in the holding cell and he wasn't alone. There had to be a dozen teenagers there. "All of them were drinking?"

"Drinking, smoking pot, you name it," Olivia said.

"Mackenzie wasn't smoking, just drinking," Elliot qualified.

"Uh, that we know of," Olivia added.

"I wasn't smoking," Mackenzie said.

"Ok." Casey took a few seconds to think, then zeroed in on Mackenzie. "Where's Mom?"

Mackenzie shrugged, shook her head. "I don't know."

"We've been trying to reach her, but she's not answering," Elliot put in.

"The other kids' parents are all on their way," Olivia added.

"I'll try her again." Casey already had her cell phone out.

Laura didn't answer, which was typical. Of course, when Laura needed something, she just kept calling until Casey answered. "Mom, it's Casey. Mackenzie was arrested. Call me back."

The message was blunt, short and to the point.

As Casey was leaving the message, Olivia looked away to give her some semblance of privacy. She spotted Jennifer with a distinguished looking man. "Jennifer. What are you doing here?"

"You know her, Jennifer?" Richard looked down at his daughter, frowning slightly.

"Detective Olivia Benson," Olivia introduced herself. "And, yes, your daughter helped us by answering a few questions."

"I'm Richard Grant. My son…" Richard trailed off, seeing Mackenzie. "Mackenzie?"

Mackenzie glanced at her mother's fourth husband, the man who had been more of a parent to her during his short, two-year marriage to her mother than her own parents. She gave him a small smile. "Richard. I think Josh is back there." Mackenzie looked over her shoulder at the holding cell.

"Joshua Grant," Elliot murmured, putting it together. "He's in the holding cell. Right this way."

"Don't say anything," Richard ordered Mackenzie. "Do you understand me?"

Mackenzie nodded. "I understand."

"Good. I called a friend of mine from law school. He should be here soon. He'll take care of this. Jennifer, stay here." Richard went with Elliot, leaving Jennifer fuming. Her father had been so worried about Mackenzie that he had barely remembered she was there.

"He's my dad, not yours," Jennifer wanted to make sure Mackenzie knew. "Where's your gold-digging whore of a mother?"

Olivia gasped "Jennifer!" Olivia chided, eyes darting to Casey since it was her mother Jennifer was talking about. Casey winced in spite of herself at the accurate description of Laura. Her mother was a sore point for her.

"Aw, did you miss her? I'll tell her you said hi," Mackenzie said, pretending it didn't bother her, when really it did.

"I can't believe his friend is going to help you. He's not even married to your mom anymore. Why can't she get you a lawyer? Your sister's a lawyer. Why can't she help you?" Jennifer demanded.

"I can call a defense attorney for you, but I don't think you need one," Casey said to her sister in a soft, husky voice.

Mackenzie looked over at Casey, her brow creased. "That's your great legal advice?"

"You're fifteen. You're a minor. You don't have any priors." Casey narrowed her eyes at Mackenzie. "You don't have any priors, right?"

Mackenzie shook her head. "No, of course not."

Olivia watched their ADA do a good impression of a defense attorney, frowning. "Casey, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Annoyance registered on Casey's face. "Can it wait?"

"No, it can't," Olivia said flatly.

Once Mackenzie was in the cage with the other kids, Olivia pulled Casey into the hallway.

"What the hell was that?" Olivia demanded.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Casey said, playing dumb.

"You sounded like a defense attorney out there," Olivia said.

"Oh, please," Casey scoffed, "anyone with a law degree would tell her exactly what I just told her."

"She was drinking and she's underage," Olivia reminded her.

"And if she hadn't been drinking with Michael Malone, she wouldn't be here right now," Casey said.

"But she was," Olivia said. "Casey, she might know who provided the alcohol the night Kaley Hagan died."

Casey shook her head. "She won't tell us anything."

Olivia stared at Casey. "You interviewed her?"

Casey met the detective's gaze, held it. "I asked her where the party was."

"You shouldn't have done that," Olivia said.

Casey shot Olivia a look. "She's my sister and what I talk to her about is none of your business."

Olivia raised her eyebrows. "It is if it affects the case."

"She didn't tell me anything," Casey said through gritted teeth.

Cragen poked his head around the corner. "There you two are. Trevor Langan is here and so are the parents."


All of her friends were being released into the custody of their parents and her mother was MIA.

Paige hadn't left without her. And Josh was still there, too. They were there for her, even when her own mother wasn't.

"Mackenzie." Paige's blue eyes glittered with sympathy.

"She can come with us," Josh said.

Richard looked down at his son, nodded. "I'm her stepfather."

"No, you're not. You divorced Laura," Jennifer whined.

"I'm sorry," Cragen said sincerely, "but you're not a parent or legal guardian."

Paige looked at her mom pleadingly. "Mom, do something."

Mrs. McCormick shook her head, looked at Mackenzie apologetically. "There's nothing we can do. I'm sorry, Mackenzie."

Mrs. McCormick was planning on paying Mackenzie's mother a little visit, but she decided to keep that to herself. She didn't like Laura Brown and she knew she might be wasting her time.

"You guys should go. I'll be fine." Mackenzie struggled to smile, but it looked like more of a grimace.

"Are you sure?" Paige asked.

Mackenzie nodded. "Yes. Go home. We're not having a slumber party in a jail cell."

"Here's my card if you need anything." Trevor passed a business card to Mackenzie through the bars of the cage.

"Thank you." Mackenzie stuffed the business card in her pocket.

Casey locked eyes with Cragen. "Can I have a minute?"

Cragen nodded. "My office."

It wasn't hard for Casey to convince Cragen to let her take her half-sister to her office. She tried to convince him to let her take Mackenzie home, but he didn't go for that. They couldn't release the teenager, not without a parent or legal guardian. This way they still had her in custody – the custody of the ADA.

"Ok, here's the deal, you can go to my office with me, or you can spend the night here." Casey gave her sister a smug smile.

There was a brief flicker of surprise in Mackenzie's eyes. "Your office."

Surprised, Olivia cut her eyes to Cragen, who nodded his approval. She shrugged and opened the cage.

Mackenzie let out a sigh of relief and smiled at Casey. "Thank you."

"Come on, let's get out of here," Casey said, putting her hand on her half-sister's shoulder.

"Casey?" Cragen called after her, and she turned to look at him, her brow furrowed. "If anything happens, I'm holding you personally responsible."

Casey nodded slowly, led Mackenzie to the hallway.

Elliot followed them. "Casey, it's late. Your office is all the way across town. I'll take you."

"Who said chivalry is dead?" Casey said.


Casey had a stack of case files on her desk. She was an overworked, underpaid public servant. If she was going to be stuck in her office all night, she could use the night to make a dent in the paperwork she was behind on.

She sat down at her desk and opened a file. Mackenzie sat down across from her.

"Can I use your phone? Is that allowed?" Mackenzie asked.

Casey looked at her watch. "Who do you want to call at…twelve twenty?"

"Paige," Mackenzie replied. "I just want to tell her I'm ok."

Casey nodded. "Go ahead."

Mackenzie picked up the phone, dialed. "Paige?"

"Mackenzie! Where are you?"

"I'm not in jail. I'm in Casey's office."

"I'm glad you called. Your mom's in the Hamptons."

Mackenzie frowned. "What? You talked to my mom?"

Casey froze at the mention of Laura and looked over at Mackenzie.

"No. My mom went over there to talk to her and the doorman said she was in the Hamptons."

Mackenzie let out a short breath, shook her head. "She's in the Hamptons. She's not going to let a little thing like me getting arrested ruin her romantic vacation."

"Mom's in the Hamptons?" Casey said as soon as Mackenzie hung up the phone.

Mackenzie nodded.

"And she's not coming back?" Casey looked at her half-sister in disbelief, frowned.

"If she doesn't, what's going to happen tomorrow?" Mackenzie asked.

"At arraignment? Trevor will enter a plea for you and Judge Donnelly will release you and your friends to your parents." Casey sighed, shut her case file. "I don't know what will happen if Mom isn't there. It's highly unusual."

"I could go to jail," Mackenzie said.

"Yes," Casey answered honestly. "But I'm not gonna let that happen if I can help it."

"I didn't help you, so why are you helping me?" Mackenzie wondered.

"Because you're my sister," Casey said.