Chapter 4
"Sierra is under the care of her doctor. It is important that she not be upset any further."
"We'll do our best," Bobby promised. The detectives waited in the sterile sitting room, milling around, examining the art on the walls. At last, the woman's assistant led her into the room. She looked exhausted, and had the dilated stare that came from a powerful cocktail of medications.
"Detective Eames, Detective Goren," the assistant said. Sierra offered them both a limp hand and her assistant helped her to sit on the couch. Bobby sat beside her, so as not to intimidate her with his size. Alex sat in the loveseat cattycorner them.
"Sierra, I know this is a difficult time for you."
"Sade is only ten years old," she said. "I…" her eyes got teary. "I was going to take her to the museum for her birthday this week!"
Bobby scribbled a note in his binder. "Can you tell us what happened?" he asked her.
"She… she was at the park with the nanny and her friends. Marjorie, the nanny," she explained, "she said she looked up and they were all on the swings, and when she looked back again, Sade was gone. She called for her, but she didn't answer. She talked to her friends, and they all said they saw her talking to a boy, but when Marjorie and the other children and nannies looked, there was no sign of Sade or of the boy. She called the police."
"Had Sade been spending a lot of time online?"
"The other detectives asked me that."
"I know, and I'm sorry. Some of the questions we ask will probably cross over with what they asked."
"Yes. She liked to play computer games when she wasn't doing homework. She played on that playhouse site a lot."
"Did you monitor her on the site? Do you know who she was chatting with?"
"I'm traveling a lot, and when I'm not on tour, I'm either recording or rehearsing. I left a lot… too much, really… in the hands of the nanny."
"Is this Marjorie's contact information?" Bobby asked, showing her the address and phone number he had in his notes.
"Yes, that's right."
"Do you recall anyone, any names, of people Sade chatted with on that site? Take your time. Anything you can remember would be helpful."
The woman closed her eyes and thought. "Nimble? It seemed like that's what she said. Somebody named Nimble."
Bobby holed up with his laptop in the interview room. He had to dig into the personnel records of his fellow officers, and that was something best done in private. Alex spoke with the nanny, and got the names of the other nannies and children who had been there the day of the abduction.
It was nearly 6 p.m. when Bobby realized he hadn't seen her for a while. He closed up the computer and carried it out to his desk. Logan walked by, and Bobby caught him by the arm. "Logan, have you seen Eames?"
"Yeah, she just headed down the hall that way a few minutes ago," he said.
Bobby walked down the hall in the direction of the bathrooms and was there to meet her when she came out. She was pale, except for her rosy cheeks. "Oh, Alex, you're sick, aren't you?" He asked.
Wearily, she closed her eyes and nodded. He helped her to a bench near the restrooms and sat her down. "Wait here. I'll get our stuff and take you home."
She barely made it out of the car before she vomited again. Bobby went around and steadied her, holding her hair back out of her face.
Alex was horrified that she had gotten sick in front of him, horrified that she needed his help, and feeling too rotten to do anything about it. She let him walk her up her steps and into the apartment.
Bobby left her in her room long enough to go retrieve their things from the car, and to hose off the driveway. Alex's apartment was a duplex, and she often said her neighbors would complain if she so much as left a clod of dirt on the pavement.
When he went back inside, she had managed to get out of her clothes and was lying on the bed in boy shorts and a tank top. She was shivering.
Bobby knew exactly how she felt. He covered her with the blankets and even found a spare blanket in the closet. As he tossed that one over his friend, he asked, "Where do you keep your medicine?"
"Bathroom cabinet," she mumbled.
"Okay." Bobby found a fever reducer and shook the pills into his hand. He stepped out into the kitchen and came back with a glass of water. He had to force her to sit up to take the pills. Once she was tucked in again, he went out to the living room and fired up the laptop to continue his research.
After she threw up again, he called Logan. "Mike," he said. "I'm gonna need some help."
"Okay. What?"
"I need someone to work with me the next few days."
"Where's Eames?"
"Sick as a dog."
"Oh. Caught it from you, did she?"
"Unfortunately, yes. And our case has to keep moving. If you can come over here, I can go over it with you."
"Over where?"
"Eames' place."
"I'll put my biohazard suit on," he joked. "Be there in an hour."
"Thanks."
Once Mike had arrived with a bag of necessary groceries, Goren went over the case with him. Logan didn't like the idea of scrutinizing the officers, but he agreed to keep his mouth shut. He set off with a mission to interview all the nannies and kids that had been present at Sade's abduction.
He heard her heaving again, and Bobby quickly set the laptop down and ran in to help her. Alex was over the toilet, her hair sloppily wrapped in a pony tail. By the time he arrived, she was nearly done.
Bobby wet a washcloth and handed it to her. She wiped her mouth with it and just sat there, feeling the cool damp cloth against her skin. He helped her back to bed, and she refused the blankets this time. Bobby gave her a fresh washcloth and laid it over her hot forehead.
"No good deed goes unpunished," he mused aloud, grateful for the care she'd given him and feeling guilty that she was suffering now.
Bobby had gone over the personnel files of every officer in SVU, and was relieved to find nothing to indicate they would have anything to do with the crimes against the children. He was now reviewing the other employees of the department: secretaries, IT, custodians, etc.
At one in the morning, he called it a night. He went to check on Alex and found her tossing and turning in the sheets. He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "What do you need, Alex?" he asked softly.
He had to ask her more than once, but she finally answered in a weak voice, "Hold me."
Bobby climbed into the bed and let her rest against his chest.
