According to Fin, Parker's not cooperating but it's obvious he knows something. Naturally, they arrested him. As fucking Chachi drags him though the precinct with entirely more force than necessary Olivia exits her office. Eyes Parker. Calls Fin to her office immediately.
Did you hit him? Or did Nick?
He was resisting arrest.
Olivia decides she believes him. She can afford that much gullibility.
Everyone decides to watch the interrogation, which is being handled by Fin and Rollins.
The fatal flaw to this, Elliot thinks, is that Olivia finds herself—everyone's worst nightmare—standing between himself and Chachi—the ex and the missus. She has realized it, too, he thinks because she's looking between the two men, pinching the bridge of her noise as if to fend off a coming headache. Preemptively. Nothing has been said yet—give it five, he thinks to himself—but soon the testosterone levels are going to blow the roof. And he knows it and everyone knows it and—temper, temper, Stabler—they're both going to deserve it.
They settle in to watch the two detectives work.
Fin tries the sympathetic approach; that he understands, they were just prisoners, they don't really count. Amanda makes mention that one of those 'prisoners' is their Sergeant and it counts now, doesn't it?
They can drop the obstruction of justice chargers if he does them a favor.
Tell us about Harris.
He gives them that same, halted story. He doesn't know anything, he's got nothing to tell them. They remind him he still works in the prison system. That they will have him fired so fast it'll make his head spin—and they'll talk to the prisoners and tack on sexual assault. His choice. He can lose his job or lose his job and go to prison. What, they ask him, does he think happened to Harris? Crime, like dark hair, sometimes runs in the family. Brothers and sisters, specifically. The prisoners at Sealview may well be connected to the prisoners at Rikers.
Let your imagination do the rest.
Amanda turns to Fin. Asks how long he can serve for Obstruction of Justice. How long he can serve for sexual assault and did they mention the prisoner whose butt he grabbed is a Sergeant in SVU?
The deal stands—why even is there a deal, thinks Elliot—until they leave the room. Then it's gone and fifteen years in prison for you, Parker.
Liv answers her phone and then pinches the bridge of her nose again. It almost looks painful. She tells them that they have a vic at Bellevue. She looks between them. Shakes her head—she's not sending them together.
Stabler, she says, with me
He gives Nick a smug grin; she gives Nick instructions to step in if need be. And as she walks out of the squadroom she hears, "Fin! Take a walk!" This brings fond memories to the forefront for Elliot because he remembered Cragen saying the same thing. To him, mostly. He is pleased to find that he and Liv still fall into step beside each other. By the time they enter the hospital they are completely in sync.
Olivia introduces herself and then Elliot—her partner Elliot, he inwardly rejoices—and tells Jennifer that they need to ask her a couple of questions. The girl falters. Asks Olivia to repeat her name.
He talked about you.
And fuck, he thinks, fuck. This is exactly what he knows Liv was afraid of. Other people getting hurt so he could get to her. And he knows this is how Lewis got his hands on her and he knows she'll suffer it again to protect.
He said you ruined him; embarrassed him.
Olivia closed her eyes, believing she was to blame for this. She starts to ask her questions, somewhat distantly and the girl says something that positively makes Elliot's heart soar.
It's not your fault. It's his.
Liv has heard the platitude. She's given it. She's even accepted it. But she doesn't accept that this fourteen year old girl had to go through this. She can't. But she gives her assurances anyway, that they're going to find him, get him, convict him and he's not going to like the consequences. Stabler's been undercover at Oswald Penitentiary so the Feds owe him one—and Harris is going to Oz, labeled as a child molester. He'll get his, they try to assure her. She appears to be.
They go back to the house, visibly upset. They know exactly who did this and, presently, had no way of getting him, unless something was coaxed out of Parker. They return to find Rollins and Fin in the box, Chachi talking to Parker.
Rollins tried getting submissive and sexual and I tried getting angry. Right now we think the sympathetic approach will work the best.
Amaro is telling Parker he gets it. He thought she was a prisoner and they're in prison because they lost their rights. They literally have no rights. That his Sergeant—that bitter tone legitimate, Stabler wonders—went UC at the time. That, fortunately, he wasn't in the unit at the time. The brass is on their case since it was one of their own—and how was Parker supposed to know that, really?
He's got to talk to Harris, he tells Parker. He needs his side of the story so he can help him as best he can. And he is so convincing that Parker gives Harris up. Fin starts to complain. He and Rollins spent an hour in there, Amaro's got the information in twenty minutes. Elliot finds himself suspicious. Most UC's aren't even that good of actors.
Getting all buddy-buddy with a sex-offender? Elliot says in a light tone, belied by the threat on his face.
To find the guy after Liv? Absolutely.
Well, you're some actor.
Fin is frantically trying to find Olivia, who went to get the warrant for the address Parker gave. This is a problem. She's the only one who can possibly get between them without further repercussions.
No one is completely sure who threw the first punch.
Rollins looks absolutely thrilled in a 'Ooh, they're fighting it out on the ice' kind of way. Her smile just widens and widens.
Kaboom.