Collared
West 37th St
11.40 am Thursday 26th October 2006
"Here we go," Finn Tutuola said into his coat-cuff. "Coming up on you now."
Olivia Benson turned to look in the shop window next to her. Behind her own reflection she saw Edward Walters walk past. She turned and fell into step behind him. Ahead, Munch turned and stood in Walters' way.
" Edward Walters?" Munch asked, badge out.
Walter turned and tried to run but Olivia was right behind him. She twisted his arm up behind his back and slammed him down on the sidewalk.
" Edward Walters, you are under arrest," Olivia said. Munch bent down and helped her haul Walters to his feet. "For felony stalking. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney …"
"Fucking bitch," Walters snarled. "I made bail, you stupid bitch."
"One will be appointed for you. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used as evidence against you – including that, smartass." She shoved him in the back of the patrol car and shut the door on him.
"From call out to collar, four hours," Stabler said to her as he and Olivia got in the unmarked for the ride back to the precinct.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Olivia said. "We've got nothing to tie him to Firienze."
"You don't think he's a wrong guy?" Elliot asked, pulling out into the traffic.
"He's a wrong guy," Olivia said. "I just don't think he's the only wrong guy in Manhattan."
"Point," Elliot conceded. "But we can lock Walters up for stalking, we can maybe make the case on Annie Levy."
"And we can sweat him while we got him," Olivia said.
"Which I'm looking forward to," Elliot said with a grin.
He wasn't smiling back at the station house when Cragen told them that Walters was invoking his right to counsel. " Larry Heinlin is on his way over now," Cragen said. "We're playing this by the book."
"I can still talk to him, though, Captain!" Elliot protested.
"I'm not giving that mutt's lawyer any wiggle room on technicalities," Cragen said. "You want to play it fast and loose with Miranda and explain that later to Jack McCoy?"
"What's with him, anyway?" Elliot asked. "Came down to the scene and started telling me what I should and shouldn't be doing."
"The DA's Office is taking a close interest in the investigation," Cragen said, his tone telling his officers how little that pleased him. "There's nothing we can do about it, so get used to the extra scrutiny."
"Did anyone call Casey and tell her we were bringing Walters in?" Olivia asked.
"No, but I called over to One Hogan Place and left word for Jack McCoy," Munch said. "As per his very explicit instructions."
"Oh, jeez," Elliot said.
"Hey!" Cragen said. "Keep your head in the game, Elliot. That goes for all of you. Everyone's on edge with this one. I'll handle the office politics and the DA – you just keep your heads down, work the case, be polite."
"Problem is," Olivia said to Elliot a few hours later, "We haven't got that much case to work." She leafed through the papers on her desk. "Preliminary forensics, zip. Hopefully a little more will turn up when they finish running the samples – sometime next month! Meanwhile … "
" Walters has no alibi," Elliot said. He stretched. "He shaves his hair. Everywhere. He used a condom for his previous attack. It's consistent."
"The fact that he didn't leave forensic evidence before doesn't mean the lack of forensic evidence makes it him this time," Olivia said.
"Indeed, Elliot, that is what philosophers like to call a syllogistic error involving the illicit process of the minor term." Munch said, strolling past on his way to the coffee urn. "All cats have four legs. My dog has four legs. Therefore – "
"Shut up, John," Elliot said.
"It's the most common form of logical error and beloved by the so-called journalists on Fox News, or as I like to call it – "
"Shut up, John," Olivia said absently. "OK, we have no witnesses who saw him go into the building. John, did the canvass teams get statements from everyone?"
"Yeah, it's a good time of day to catch people at home," Munch said. "You know what's odd? We got no-one who saw him go in – we got no-one who saw Mary go in either. And she's noticeable."
"Bodega owner?" Elliot asked.
"Groceries were hers, looks like bought on the way home," Munch said. "Her prints, the bodega owner's prints, some other miscellaneous ones. She walked out of the shop and as far as we can tell she disappeared – until the super goes downstairs to put the bins out this morning."
"So what are we left with? Let's hope forensics can find something? Let's hope Mary wakes up and can ID him?" Elliot asked.
"Let's hope Mary wakes up." Casey said from the doorway of the squad room, "In the meantime, let's do what we can to keep him off the street."
"Right sentiment, wrong pronoun," Jack McCoy said, right behind her.
"Great." Elliot rolled his eyes.
" Jack, can we discuss this privately?" Casey asked McCoy.
"Nothing to discuss, Casey," McCoy said. He pushed past her and set his briefcase down on Olivia's desk. "I heard enough to know we're not even close to a charge for what he did to Mary. What else have you got?"
"I think there is something to discuss, Jack," Casey said, fists on her hips.
McCoy ignored her. "Detectives?"
"We've arrested him for stalking in the first," Elliot said.
"In the first? Let me see the paperwork," McCoy said. He scanned the forms Olivia handed him. "Aggravated by menacing – protected employees – very creative. Who caught this in Complaints?" He turned to the last page, looking for the name.
" Tony Ravich signed the forms," Olivia said, "But your ADA Markham drew them up."
Olivia had thought to be doing Markham a favor, making sure she got props for her work. She was unprepared for the glare McCoy gave her. "That's the last thing she has to do with Walters except as a witness, is that clear?"
" Crystal," Elliot said, and when McCoy turned that glare on him Elliot gave him a big innocent grin. "So what do you want us to do?"
"Send him to the Tombs. I'll get him arraigned in the morning."
"I can handle that for you, Jack," Casey said.
" Chen will handle it," McCoy said shortly.
