Shit! I am so so so sorry for not posting this yesterday, I've been really busy and it just flew out of my mind. But no excuses. I'm really sorry – especially as this may not exactly be a very happy chappy... this is where the omnipotence I mentioned in the summary comes in. Cue evil laugh. Anyway, if I forget again (which I will try really hard not to do), please someone send me a message! Ok. Sorry again. Here it is...
- - -
Chapter SEVEN – Demands
"Yep... ok... thank you Mr Culot, we'll be in touch." Olivia snapped her phone shut. "Our 'Thomas' is Thomas Fry, eighth grade. Excels in maths, economics and business studies, quiet type – never in trouble. Oh, and he's not in school today, turn around." She told Fin, who was driving them back to Anderson.
"You got an address?"
"Yeah, 31st and Park – go down Broadway and cut back across, it'll be quicker this time of day."
Wordlessly, Fin swung the car around the Columbus Circle, and pelted down Broadway – almost back the way they had come from the precinct. Olivia rested her arm on the open window; it was hot, the sun was out and it was beginning to feel like summer. Perfect weather for bringing in fourteen year old murderers, she thought to herself, glumly.
"Principal said this kid's never been in trouble. He's quiet and kind. Isn't this just... weird though?"
"What?" Said Fin, stepping on the gas as the road got clearer.
"How an eighth grader rings up a tenth grader to get rid of a body of a five year old – after she's been raped by god knows how many people."
"Bringing back high school memories?"
"Not exactly." Olivia sighed. "The last time we had a case like this all parties involved were twenty years older... Hold up – I think it's about here..."
"Can I help you?" Asked the doorman to the Frys' apartment building, as they flashed their badges.
"We're looking for the Frys, apartment 216. They in?" Said Fin, hitting the door buzzer for 216.
"No, they're both away on business until tomorrow"
"You know 'em personally?"
"Good tippers. And they've got a nice kid too."
"Thomas? Where's he?" Asked Olivia. The doorman looked at her as if she was being excessively stupid.
"School?"
"If he was, we'd be there." Said Fin, impatiently. "So try again."
The doorman sighed. "There's an arcade on 5th – near the subway at 28th St. But you didn't hear it from me!"
- - -
"Look for a kid who should be in school" Said Fin, as they stepped into the arcade. Olivia surveyed the room.
"They all should be in school."
Placing his hand squarely on the shoulder of a kid crossing the room in front of them, Fin stopped the boy in his tracks.
"You know a kid named Thomas Fry?"
The kid looked confused. Confusion turned to fear when Olivia flashed her badge. The kid pointed to two boys hunched over an electric pinball machine, deep in conversation. One of them looked like the quiet type who would be good at maths; sharp features, short hair and glasses. The other was wearing expensive jeans, a designer shirt and equally flashy shoes.
"Go on, get out of here – get to school." Said Fin, sending the kid away.
"Who's that he's with?" Asked Olivia. Fin shrugged, but before they could get closer, the two boys finished their conversation, and the well dressed one left. Thomas turned his attention to the pinball machine, idly flicking the paddles.
"Need a quarter?" Asked Fin, looming over him.
"Thomas Fry?" Said Olivia, fencing the boy in by coming around his other side.
"Yeah... who are you? What do you want?"
In response, both Olivia and Fin showed their badges. Thomas Fry looked like he might just wet himself.
- - -
"You miranderised him?" Asked Cragen. Fin, Olivia, Alex and the Captain were all assembled in the office, all standing in a line and watching Thomas Fry fiddle with the edge of his t-shirt as he sat waiting in the interview room.
"Sure. The kid may be fourteen, but he'll have seen enough cop shows to know his rights inside and out – including the right to be silent." Replied Fin, stoically.
"And right now he's using it." Added Olivia.
"So we have to wait for his parents and his attorney." Said Alex. "Sorry, but we can't touch him."
"Parents are away on business until tomorrow morning." Sighed Olivia.
Alex narrowed her eyes, thinking hard. "Do we have anything on him apart from Vermani's testimony?" She asked the room, directly catching Olivia's eye as she did so. They all shook their heads. Alex looked back to the glass. "Then we don't have a lot. Any jury is going to see Vermani as the kid who did it and blamed it on someone else. You have to release this Thomas boy."
"He said he was staying with his aunt in Chelsea before he clammed up." Said Fin. Cragen nodded.
"I'll ring her, get the kid picked up. You all get home, we're not going to get much more done today, and I want to start the moment the parents step off the plane tomorrow." He said, walking to his desk and picking up the phone. Alex, Olivia and Fin shuffled out of the office.
Alex had taken two steps into the squad room when she came face to face with Elliot, who was on his way to the Captain's office with some files.
They both froze. Olivia's eyes flickered from one to the other. Neither made a sound. Finally, Alex just stepped away, without saying a word. No apologies – but no arguments either.
"Um, you want to come back to mine tonight?" Said Olivia, finally, into the heavy silence.
"Mm, love to." Responded Alex instantly; the prospect of a long night's sleep in Olivia's arms a very welcoming one indeed. "I need to pick up some stuff from my office. Is your car here?"
"Yeah. I'll drive you."
"Ok – I'll just go to the bathroom... meet you outside."
They smiled at each other, and Alex slipped out. Immediately, Elliot sidled up to Olivia.
"I'm sorry." He grunted, quickly.
"I'll pass it on." She looked at him. "You ok?"
"Yeah, yeah. Fine. See you tomorrow."
- - -
"Christ, what a day..." Groaned Alex, walking in after Olivia and tossing her keys onto the side table. She dropped her bag, and allowed herself to be wrapped up in Olivia's arms. "Elliot was just being a complete asshole..."
"Yeah well he said he's sorry" Said Olivia, quickly. She was tired, hungry, and she didn't really want to get into it.
"Not to me he didn't." Replied Alex, shortly. Olivia stepped back.
"But he said it to me, right after you left."
"Well good for you, but he hasn't said two words to me by way of an apology, and, quite frankly, I don't care."
"So what, you're not going to forgive him?" Olivia's tone held barely masked accusation, and Alex could hear it.
"He doesn't need forgiving, he needs to loosen up, to relax – hell, he needs to get laid" Laughed Alex.
"Oh come on Alex!"
"What? The man's uptight as anything, ready to lash out into friend, colleague or suspect, whichever comes first, and usually it's the suspect, which means I have to defend his gung ho attitude in court, and more often or not I have to deal because the confession came only after your partner 'roughed them up' first!" The words were coming out faster than Alex could think about them, and it showed on Olivia's face.
"Well fuck you Alex! What gives you the right to be so self-righteous? You're the clever lawyer and we're the dumb-ass cops, is that it?"
"For fuck's sake Olivia!" Exclaimed Alex right back. "Would I be here if I thought you were just a dumb-ass cop?"
"That's what you think of Elliot though, isn't it?"
"Well so far he hasn't proved me wrong."
Olivia shook her head in disbelief. She was getting riled up and angry, and she hated how Alex the lawyer always seemed to win arguments. Mind you, this was their first one, and right now Olivia didn't even care if it was the last too. "What do you want Alex, huh? Do you want to make yourself feel better, by slagging off everyone else? Everyone who's beneath you? Is that it?"
"Jesus Olivia! What is wrong with you?"
"Me? Me? You started this Alex – not me – YOU!"
"Fine, and I'll finish it." Snapped Alex, picking up her bag and not looking back as she walked out.
No sleep for her tonight then.
