Danielle Melnick was, to put it shortly, not amused. She had picked up a case of her own, which wasn't the source of her annoyance. No…the source sat right in front of her.
"You can't," she said, flatly, looking up from her computer. Jack gave her a look.
"Why not?" he demanded. "I can't stand just sitting there and knowing that I…"
"In all the years I've known you, I have never known you to willingly admit to something like this," Danielle said, exasperated. "Why now?"
"Because I'm tired of lying."
"Well, that's what you get for going behind her back in the first place."
"Danielle, you aren't helping."
"I'm not trying to help. What I'm trying to do is tell you that if you tell her, she's going to leave." Danielle paused for a moment and then went on. "Jack, honestly, in this case, what Anna doesn't know isn't going to hurt her."
"But you know how Kelly can get," said Jack, "If she says anything…"
"Then you face it. You know as well as anyone else that you've got a reputation, deal with it."
"How? I don't want her to leave."
"Well, I won't say that you don't deserve it. She waited a long time before she finally got the nerve to take up with you. But you're too damn restless for your own good."
"Are you enjoying this, or is it just me?"
"It's just you. I don't want to see this happening, but you just stuck me in the middle of it all and honestly, I don't appreciate it."
"I didn't know who else to go to. The trial starts in two days, and everyone in the office is too busy."
"You know, if Anna asks me what's going on with you, I'm under no obligation not to tell her."
"I know. I just needed to talk."
Silence. Danielle looked at her computer again and sighed. "You've dug an awful big hole this time," she said. Jack gave her a pained look.
"I know that, too." He trailed off for a moment and then went on. "Do you know what's going on with her, though? She seems…happier, almost."
At this, Danielle offered up a faint smile but shook her head. "I do know, but it isn't my place to tell you," she said. "Anything else?"
"Are you coming to the trial?"
"You know I am if I can, and damned if I don't hand in my license if that jury's idiot enough not to convict."
"I can't imagine you not in a courtroom," said Jack dryly. Danielle laughed.
"Neither can I, honestly," she said. "But I will be there. I think Kelly will be, too, and Trevor, and presumably, Anna is coming with you."
"She is," said Jack, and trailed off for a long moment before speaking again. "You know, Erin's being throwing stuff at Amanda about Becky and the fact that she lied at the two-seven."
"Amanda can handle Erin and if she doesn't, then I will," Danielle said flatly, "Becky has the right not to say anything if she doesn't want to."
"But she told SVU everything. Why would she do that?"
"Because, Jack," said Danielle, "Those detectives aren't the ones that work with you every single day. She doesn't want you to know what happened to her."
"But she knows she can tell me anything…"
"Not that. Anything but that. It's more complicated than you might think."
"I don't really want to think about it."
"Then don't."
Another silence. Jack wondered for a moment whether or not he should say anything, but before he could, Danielle spoke.
"You know, I haven't known Anna as long as I've known you, but in all that time, I don't think I've ever seen either of you happier," she said. Jack sighed.
"It's already been established that I'm not going to say anything," he said, "Even though I think that it shouldn't be kept a secret."
"Some things just aren't meant to be told," said Danielle. "I don't like it, either, but there's nothing we can do about it, and I refuse to see her hurt, especially by you."
It sounded like a warning. Jack ignored this and leaned forward in the chair that he had occupied.
"She picked up a case of her own, y'know. I think she's getting bored."
"Of course she is. We all spend our lives in and out of a courtroom and we've all been out of one for so long that I'm not really surprised."
"D'you think anything will every return to normal again?"
"No. I really don't. Things have changed too much for it to ever really be the only definition of normal. But I do think that they'll slow down when it's all over."
"Well, I guess that's better than nothing."
"Maybe she didn't really have an accomplice, and she's just good at imitating voices."
"I don't think she could've done this on her own."
CSU had turned up and address book. For all the planning that Tara Galinet had done, she'd finally been caught up in her own game. The two-seven was preoccupied with trial preparations, which left Elliot and Olivia to go through it.
"Kit turned up evidence that Galinet couldn't have done it herself," Elliot continued, from where he'd left off. "Any ideas why some of the names in here are highlighted?"
"Let me look…" Olivia leaned down over her partner's shoulder and frowned. "They match the names of the victims that Green gave us."
"Great. An address book turned hit list." A piece of paper sticking up from the back caught Elliot's attention and he pulled it out. "A color code. The ones highlighted in red are the victims."
"Blue is the people that she was looking to go after, then," said Olivia, and looked at the list, frowning. "But what's green? It's not on there."
"Something she doesn't want us to know about," said Elliot. "Ryan Taglien. A lawyer?"
"Galinet's being represented by Erin Fallon, also known as the second ex-Mrs. McCoy," said Olivia.
"Well, how the hell does that work? Talk about a conflict of interest." Elliot trailed off and then after a moment went on. "Taglien's still out there. All of these other people are still at risk."
"You think he has a list, too?"
"He's got to, but Galinet confessed, so I don't really see a point."
"Since when is there a point to murder?" Olivia looked down at the list again and sighed. "Is there an address for him?"
"No. At least Galinet was that smart. What else did the two-seven give us?"
"Nothing much. Anything else has to do with the murders. Rebecca didn't tell them much."
"This seems a lot more complicated than it should be."
"Well, since when is anything ever easy?" Olivia sat down at her own desk and then spoke again. "Nina Cassady told me that she found Galinet by switching around the letters in the alias she was using."
"What are the odds that we could do that again?" Elliot asked, and Olivia shrugged.
'I don't know, but it's always worth a shot."
"Let's try it out then."
"So, how's the case coming?"
Anna looked up at the sound of Trevor's voice and made a face as he walked into her office.
"Remind me to shoot you for making me partner this is way too much work," she replied.
"Do you want me to handle some of it?" Trevor asked, and Anna shook her head.
"No, I can handle it," she said. "I'm just kind of tired, is all. You need anything?"
"Well, Danielle called me because Kelly Monahan called her and she wants the four of us to meet up."
"Right now?"
"Anna, it's two in the afternoon. Have you eaten at all today?"
"I'm trying to prepare an affirmative defense so that I'm not rushing when it gets close to trial."
"Well, it can wait and if need be, I'll help you."
Anna gave an exasperated sigh. "If you're going to coddle me, I'm going to be annoyed with you," she said, but rose to her feet anyway.
Trevor shook his head at her. "I'm not trying to coddle you," he said, "But I will make sure that you don't run yourself into the ground. Shall we go?"
They did. The place they went to was halfway between their building and the one where Kelly and Danielle worked. They were already there when Trevor and Anna showed up.
"Suppose we're not all too weighed down that we can't meet up," said Kelly mildly. She had just gone back to working in the office, Danielle had said, Anna thought, and said nothing as she sat down. Danielle gave Kelly a look that Anna didn't notice, but Trevor did, and said nothing about it.
"Any of you have trial dates yet?" he asked, after a moment, to break the silence.
"Set for the same time as Galinet's trail begins," said Danielle. "I just found out. It was the only available date that Judge Bradley had."
"Still waiting," said Anna, "What about you, Kelly?"
"Haven't picked up a new case yet. Probably will when all of this is over." Kelly trailed off and after a few moments, went on again. "Any idea how long Galinet's trial is due to last?"
"Depends on how long Erin plans on drawing it out; she's famous for that," said Danielle. "Hopefully, she'll remember that she has a heart and decide to let this one drop once she figures out she doesn't have a case."
Anna snorted. "She turned down the deal Amanda Fellowes offered her; apparently Galinet would rather take her chances at trial."
"Idiot move," said Trevor, "High-stakes case like this, she'd have been smart to take it."
"Amanda's determined to see her fry," said Danielle, "I won't say that I don't agree."
"I don't think any of us would agree with not wanting her to fry." Kelly took a sip from the cup in front of her and made a face as her cell phone rang. She got up.
"I'll be right back," she said, and then was gone. This left Anna lone with Trevor and Danielle, both of whom stared at her, and she stared back.
"What?" she asked. "It's already awkward enough sitting here while I'm pregnant with her ex-husband's baby."
"Anna, have you even told him yet?" Trevor asked, but Anna shook her head.
"I'm not sure he needs to hear that on top of everything else," she said. Danielle gave her an incredulous look.
"Are you joking?" she demanded. "Anna, I know it's still early, but sooner or later, you'll start showing, an dif you haven't said anything…"
"Just let me worry about it," said Anna, cutting her off. "I'll tell him. Just…not now."
"Not now what?" Kelly reappeared, just in time to have heard this last comment. Danielle sighed.
"It's nothing. Something concerning the defense Anna's working on. That's all."
"Oh." Kelly sat back down where she had been, and ran an idle finger over the rim of her glass. "Anything else that we need to discuss?"
"Not that I can think of," said Trevor, "Any other news from the DA's office, though? "
"So much for nothing," said Anna. "Other than the trial, no. Amanda thinks that she might be replaced as Homicide bureau chief, though."
"By who?" Danielle asked. Anna shrugged.
"I'm not sure. She didn't say. Someone from the Major Crimes bureau, I think."
"Amazing how we all know so much more about the DA's office now than we ever did before," said Trevor, dryly. "Of all the things I never thought I'd worry about…"
But the same things that Trevor thought he'd never worry about were the same things that Connie Rubirosa was currently worried about. And she was less than amused.
"Your honor, this is ridiculous. Ms. Galinet was arrested, she was informed of her rights…I don't see the issue," she said.
"Not only did my client not know that Kelly Monahan was acting as an agent of the police, she was coerced into a confession," Erin said bluntly.
Silence. Elizabeth Donnelly eyed both lawyers in front of her for a moment and then spoke.
"Explain," she said. Connie glared in Erin's direction.
"Ms. Galinet's only claim to being coerced is that she was 'afraid' of Detective Green," she said. "She would have confessed whether or not he'd been in the room."
"If I had been treated the way she was at arrest, I would be afraid, too," Erin retorted. Elizabeth looked over at her.
"Is your client going to issue a complaint of police brutality against Detective Green, Ms. Fallon?"
"Not at this time, Your Honor."
"Then I resent the implications that you're making. Why, then, is your client afraid of him?"
"For the record, I don't stand with her views for one second, regardless of the fact that she's my client," said Erin. "Her reasoning is that he is predisposed to violence."
"On what grounds?" Connie demanded. "The fact that he isn't white? Your Honor, this is the most idiotic thing I've ever heard…"
"I'm inclined to agree with you," said Elizabeth. "Ms. Fallon, has your client informed you that those are her specific reasons for feeling as if she were coerced?"
"Yes, Your Honor," said Erin, "She has, and like I said, I strongly disagree with her."
"Well, in that case, the confession is in, and by default, so is the arrest," said Elizabeth. "You would do well, Ms. Fallon, to inform your client that her issues with people of a different race will not come into my courtroom."
The silence that fell told both Connie and Erin that they had been dismissed, and so they turned and left the chambers.
"Your client," said Connie, "Is only trying a last ditch attempt to save herself, and it is not going to work."
"Yes, I told her as much, but she didn't want to hear it," said Erin. "I wouldn't have offered up that reasoning otherwise; I think she's nuts."
"Well, you're running with mental disease or defect as a defense, so that doesn't altogether surprise me," said Connie.
"That reminds me," said Erin, and pulled an all-too-familiar blue packet out of her pocket "I'm filing a motion for a hearing to have her evaluated by a shrink to see if she's fit for trial."
"You won't have to bother if you agree to let her be seen by one of ours."
"Who?"
"Most likely Elizabeth Olivet."
"I'll see what I can do."
Somehow, telling SVU everything about what had happened had made her feel as if she were losing control all over again. She had taken her refuge on Staten Island, and it was there that she remained, communicating with the world that wasn't Staten Island through the phone.
"The trial starts like, the day after tomorrow," said Rebecca, to Brittany Stone, who sat in Manhattan on the other side of the line.
"Breathe, maybe. I don't know. Never thought it would happen, you know?" came the reply. Rebecca sighed.
"I don't get it," she said. "Both my dad and your dad are prosecutors, and yet nothing's ever happened until now. Why?"
It was a good question, Brittany thought. As it was, she wasn't altogether sure that she had an answer. "I don't know," she said, again. "Maybe someone just decided the people were ruining their lives."
"They ruined their own lives. What does it have to do with you, or me? We're not the ones putting them away."
Good point, Brittany mused, but said nothing about it. "You know, my dad told me once that if anything were to happen, it would be more likely to happen to me," she remarked.
"Well, that's an awful thing for Ben to say," said Rebecca. "Why would he tell you that?"
"I asked him the same thing," said Brittan. "And he told me that sometimes these people are so convinced that the state and by default the prosecutors, are so out to get them, so out to hurt them, that by the time they leave, the only thing they can think about is trying to find a way to hurt the one who put them away as much as possible."
"And that way would be their families," said Rebecca, and gave a frustrated sigh. "It makes sense, but at the same time, it doesn't."
"Well, hey. Our dads are lawyers. Since when does anything make sense?" Brittany asked in reply.
This remark drew a half-hearted smile from Rebecca that she knew Brittany couldn't see, but didn't particularly care. "So what happens if it doesn't really seem like the prosecutor's been hurt? Then what?"
"What do you mean?" Brittany asked, slowly. "You're not saying what I think you're saying, are you?"
"I don't know what I'm saying," said Rebecca. "I do, but then I don't, and it's all one really big mess right now. I'm not sure. Dad's not talking to me, Anna says he's got stuff to do in Manhattan, and I know she wants to talk to me, but it's like she's afraid to or something."
"She's a defense attorney, probably doesn't want to overstep her boundaries," said Brittany. "That's the only reason I can think of. There's a lot of stuff going on. Maybe everyone's just trying to figure it out."
Silence. Brittany had a point, and Rebecca knew it, but that didn't mean she had to like it, and in all honesty, she didn't. Things were complicated, all right, but if anyone should have been trying to figure it all out, it should have been her. And yet it wasn't.
"You still haven't answered my question," she said, finally. "What happens if they don't end up hurting their target at all?"