Background, Chapter Seven

Sorry for the delay. I sort of forgot about this, seeing as I've only gotten eight reviews lol :P Please review


"When are we going to talk to this Mr. Allen? He did it," Olivia said. She and Elliot were sitting at their desks, with Cragen standing in between them, thumbing through Kayla's journal, which was a simple blue and black composition book.

"Well first off, you two are going to read every single thing this kid wrote in here. If you just go and start asking the guy questions, it's going to look pathetic. The only material we have is from a couple of students, neither of which has ever actually had this guy. It's not enough for Liz White to have seen Kayla walk into the class," Cragen explained, tossing the book to Elliot.

"I think Fin was doing the background check on the guy," he said, looking over the book. It had lyrics scrawled on the cover, hard to read, both for it's black marker on blue/black cover, and for the small, messy scrawl that it was written in.

Just then, Fin and Munch walked up.

"Um...Not much on this guy," Fin explained, sounding rather confused.

"What exactly is 'not much'?" Cragen demanded.

"Nothing. And not nothin' as in no previous arrests, but nothing as in no one under the name Wyatt Oliver Allen having existed in New York, at any time."

"That doesn't make...any sense," Cragen muttered, "are you sure you didn't do something wrong?"

"Well I got a little confused between typing in his name and hitting submit, but I think I managed it, captain," Munch said smugly, smiling to show Cragen that he was just kidding. Mostly, anyway.

"While I figure this out, you guys look through that journal," Cragen said, walking away.

"Talked to some teachers at the kid's school. All basically said the same thing-got good grades. Fell a little about six months ago, attendance has been a bit rocky in the past two months, but otherwise no big problems. One teacher told me she saw bruises on Kayla, reported them to the school's social worker, but doubts anything ever came through with it. This is the same school where Billy Nichols' father managed to beat him for two years before someone took the last of two dozen threats seriously, and after he was in critical condition. Umm...A male teacher of hers-her English teacher, Mr. Tomas, remarked that she's always been a little edgy as far as physical contact went, but the past few months she got even weirder about it. One time he bent over her and took her pencil to write something in the margin of a paper and she started fidgeting real bad, breathing heavy, pulling the sleeves on her sweatshirt down. He said he was scared she was going to have an anxiety attack so he stepped back," Fin read from his notes.

"There's obviously a common theme between everyone's statements. Two months ago. Something happened two months ago, and that something is why she's dead," Munch observed, tossing his notes at Olivia.

"Period one: Human Anatomy. This teacher said...Maintained B average all year. Was quiet. Six unexcused absenses in the past two months; ten excused absenses in the same two months. Period two: Honors Spanish II. Teacher has been gone for four months due to car wreck, but the substitute that has been in there for three months said good student, good grades, talks a little bit. Grade fell from hundred average to high B the last couple of months. Never asked for tutoring or anything. Period three: US History. Teacher said same thing as English teacher. She got so tense around him that he eventually stopped going over there to help. Suspected something was wrong at home, tried to talk to her once but she said everything was fine-student told teacher otherwise, and teacher reported story to counseling center. Doubts anything ever came. Period four: English. Period five: Psychology. SAme thing. Period six: Trigonometry. Maintained a C. Hovered on D mark. Stopped coming in for tutoring about-"

"...Two months ago," Munch interrupted Olivia's reading. "What did this student have to say?"

"Umm...Something about she knew Kayla's family, and knew that Kayla hadn't been at the house in a long time."

The four sat in silence, as Olivia scanned through Munch's childish handwriting. Then something stood out.

"'English teacher saw Kayla go into Allen's class at least half a dozen times, after school had let out. Saw him drop her off about a half mile away from school some mornings. He finally confronted Allen, told him if he wasn't careful people were going to spread rumors, and would he happen to know why Kayla's been so 'out of it' lately? Allen brushed Tomas off, told him he was overreacting and that the kid needed tutoring. Tomas never pursued anything else about it.'"

"Why? If it was so innocent, why drop the kid a half mile away?" Fin said, shaking his head.


Cragen shook his head. He was at his desk, in front of the best software currently availible by the federal government, and he couldn't find the name of a teacher. He had tried every single spelling possible of Wyatt Allen. The guy wasn't in there.


"The journal goes for about four months back. First entry just talks about her staying in..." Elliot stopped, "Fin, what was the name of that teacher? The one who confronted Allen?"

"Umm...Tomas."

"First name...?"

"Trey. Trey Tomas. Why?"

"The first entry in here says: 'For the past week I've been at my English teacher's house...Better than nothing, I guess. But not much.'"

"So Mr. Tomas isn't as innocent as he wants to portray," Olivia remarked with her eyebrow raised.

"This doesn't mean anything, Liv-" Elliot started but Cragen interrupted.

"First thing tomorrow someone needs to get to that school and ask them how the hell they did a background check on someone who doesn't exist," he exclaimed angrily before leaving the room once again.