AN: I own nothing.

Chapter 7

Olivia returned to the station and told everyone what Taylor told her. Cabot rubbed her face. This case was proving much more than she originally expected. "If we go ahead and charge Emerson using the DNA evidence Novak will tear me to pieces in court. She'll point out the stalking and the theft and the poison and claim that we took no action to protect this girl. We'll all be in trouble. And I think we all agree-Emerson is innocent. But, if we drop the case and word gets out that she's Liv's sister…well we all remember what happened with Simon.."

"I have to agree with Cabot," the captain turned to Liv, "This is the type of stuff IAB lives for. If we drop the charges on this girl they'll be crawling up our asses"

"So what do we do?"

"I can probably get the trial put off for a week or so. Find something other than the fruit spray to link these to Marsden. Drill the Emerson girl; find out where she was for the third murder. And bring her down here to make an official statement about those texts."

"Stabler, you and Munch need to go pick up Marsden. Fin bring Emerson in here to take her statement."

"I'll go find Novak. Fin, don't let her talk without us." Cabot left.

Cragen then turned to Olivia. "Not a word to Marsden. Not a word to Emerson about Marsden. Make sure they're not in the room together. Have you told the girl anything?"

"No captain I would neve-"

"Let's keep it that way. You can stay on this case, but only to clear Emerson. You are not to say anything to Marsden. Am I clear?"

"Crystal."

Novak and Taylor reviewed her statement before Fin took it. The attorney allowed her to say the exact same thing she said to Liv in the apartment. Liv and Cabot joined them.

"We'd like to talk about the day you were poisoned, Miss Emerson. If you cooperate we're willing to lessen or even dismiss the charges." Novak nodded her head. She and Taylor had already been over that, she knew the story would make Taylor seem even more innocent.

"Okay, when we were in the apartment right before you passed out you said something about someone running into you. Can you tell me about that?"

"I was walking home from a café I'd stopped out. Some guy was walking really fast towards me, I moved to get out of his way but he swerved and rammed into my shoulder. Hard. I fell down."

"Did you feel him inject you?"

"No. But I know it was him."

"Did you feel any stinging? Like you were just given a shot?"

"My rib area was sore. I thought it was just from the fall. But after a few minutes I was fine."

"When was this?"

"Like thirty minutes before you showed up at my apartment."

"Where were you coming from?"

"I told you. Some café."

"How long were you there?"

"Twenty five, thirty minutes maybe."

Benson looked up at Cabot. If Taylor was were she said she was, she couldn't have killed the last girl. Novak smiled smugly, she knew the this case was falling apart with the quickness.

"Is there anyone who can vouch for you? Did you talk to anyone there?"

"I think they'll remember me. I spilled tea everywhere."

Benson updated the Captain and her partner. Emerson's alibi checked out. She was only unaccounted for the first murder.

"We have absolutely no case against this girl. If we're lucky, she won't file a suit against us."

"So all of that evidence was really planted?" Stabler still seemed suspicious.

"It appears so. I'm dropping the charges." Cabot left to meet with Novak and her client.

"Okay, I want Emerson sent home and a patrol car placed outside of her building. Elliot have you and Munch gotten anywhere with Marsden?"

"Actually..we couldn't find him. I talked to some of the employees at the Fruit Shack. He didn't go in today, he wasn't home, and his closets were empty."

"That is just wonderful. You and Munch find Marsden. But people, let's keep this quite. We've already done enough damage. The last thing we need is the rat squad making things worse. Liv, take Emerson home. Make sure her apartment's safe." The detectives set off to follow their captain's orders.

The ten minute ride back to Taylor's apartment was awkward to say the least. All Liv wanted to do was tell Taylor the truth. Explain to her about Marsden. Explain about Simon. About her. She wanted to get to know her. All Taylor wanted was to get out of that car. Get out of the car away from Liv, away from the murdered girls, away from everything. She wanted everyone to leave her alone and let her go to LaGuardia and be an art student. They made their way through the lobby to the elevators, Taylor in the lead, walking briskly. She wanted to get this over with. She knew that the detective was just making sure she was safe, but she felt as if her personal privacy had been invaded way too much this past week. Taylor angrily jabbed the 12 button, and the detective noticed her tense, defensive posture.

"We're just trying to keep you safe."

"I know that." Taylor snapped at Liv. Taylor unlocked and opened the door. Kitchen: Clear. Sitting room: Clear. Bathroom: Clear.

Bedroom: Taylor felt her heart stopped as she trailed the detective into her bedroom. Photos, magazine clippings, papers cluttered the floor. Taylor bent down and picked up the paper closest to her left foot.

Han Dynasty V. Eastern Roman Empire: a comparative essay. Taylor recognized it as an essay she'd written the previous school year. Her eyes then caught a photo that had been lying beneath the essay. She was looking at her thirteen year old self, covered in fake blood and dark makeup. Halloween.

"What the fuck…" Taylor's voice caught in her throat, she bent down to pick up another picture.
"Don't! Don't touch anything." Liv caught Taylor's hand and pulled her upright. Tears were swelling in the girl's eyes and began to spill over.

"Why is he doing this to me? How did he get in? Where did he get this?" Liv took the now hysterical girl and led her to the sofa.

"Taylor. Taylor, I need you to calm down. Shh, shhh. Are you sure no one else has a key."

"Nooo. No one does! I don't know how-I-I-I" Taylor was falling apart at the seams. She'd held herself together this long. Sticking it through, proving her innocence. But that was just the beginning. She was terrified.

"Okay, Taylor. We're going to go back in there and see if you recognize any of that stuff, okay? We're going to figure this out, I promise." All Taylor could do was nod. Liv pulled out a pair of gloves and slid them on. "Remember, don't touch a thing." Liv ventured back into the room while Taylor lingered in the doorway. Liv began sorting through the mess, picking out all of the pictures. "This is going to take forever." She pulled out her walkie "SVU to central, I need backup." She took a stack of photos to show Taylor. There were pictures of her from when she was three up until yesterday as she was leaving the police station.

"I've never seen those in my life." Her voice was horse.

"Okay how about these?" The detective held out a stack of what appeared to be schoolwork.

"Yeah..I mean it's all mine. But I didn't bring those with me. I haven't seen some of that stuff since freshman year." Taylor sounded more confused and unsure of herself than when she was in interrogation. She started shaking again. Liv surprised both of them and wrapped her into a tight hug. What was she supposed to do? Her sister was breaking down right in front of her. "Why would anyone do this? Did the Fruit guy really do this?" Liv didn't want to think about it, but she knew it was Marsden. She remembered Simon showing her a newspaper clipping about her that her father had kept. But this was extreme. She knew that she would be disobeying her captain's orders, but she knew Taylor deserved an explanation.