Intersecting Lines Book 3

11 Rescuing Cabenson Part 4: Jane's Day

Jane's viewpoint

Ana and I had parked ourselves in a coffee shop near 1 Police Plaza, the NYPD headquarters, passing some time while we waited for the LAPD bureaucracy to shudder into gear. Ana had rung her fellow Special Agent; Jordan Shaw of the Bureau's New York office late last night, explained the situation and arranged for us to meet up with her mid-morning.

Shaw was apparently something of an in-house legend within the Bureau, she'd been involved in a series of cases where she'd profiled and arrested serial killers, rapists and other scum. In person she turned out to be both warmer and friendlier than I expected of a senior bureau agent; in my experience many of them had the standard bureau-regulation stick up their asses, not Jordan though, she was smart, attractive and remarkably down to earth, I liked her.

Her take on what had happened during the child sex trafficking case had been pretty horrible; it was obvious that it had hit her pretty badly as well. In fact it seemed that everyone running that investigation had taken it hard, the whole team had taken time off, the head of the New York Crime Lab, a Lieutenant named Taylor, had taken a couple of weeks leave and gone travelling with his son; Beckett and Castle had taken a week off after the last of the kids had died and basically fled to his place in the Hampton's while Shaw had taken some time off herself and found herself hovering over her young daughter way more than was normal for her, she just needed to know she was safe and protected from the monsters out there.

Shaw had told us it was an appalling case, one of the worst she'd dealt with, not so much for the way the kids had died, she'd seen much more dreadful children's deaths dealing with serial killers and other monsters, but from the large number of young victims and the sheer horrifying helplessness they'd all felt as one by one those children had died, with nothing anyone could do to save them.

They'd been looked after in one of the city's best hospitals, receiving the best possible round-the-clock care available from a dedicated team but they might as well have bled out on the street for all the good it had done. One by one each child had died slowly, in agony, heavily dosed on painkillers to hold the pain at bay. Twenty young kids died during that case, most of them while the team had stood watch over them as they had passed away, more than enough to mess with anyone's head; hearing the horror all over again I found myself saying another small prayer to never face a case like that.

We'd explained why we were here and what we were trying to do to help Liv; she'd just looked at us, nodded slowly and asked what she could do to help. We'd thanked her and told her we hoped that it wasn't needed, but would she be prepared to put in a good word for Liv if it was needed, to which she'd agreed without hesitation.

Shaw was curious about us both, it turns out she'd reviewed the case files on Hoyt back when he'd escaped and come after me the first time but the local Bureau agent running the case, that useless ass Dean, hadn't felt the need to bring her in on the case even though she was considered one of the Bureau's go-to people when dealing with psychopaths and serial killers, so she knew a little about me and a lot about Hoyt but she didn't know Ana at all.

I had no doubt she'd be pulling up Ana's file as soon as she got back to her office, I didn't think she'd give us any trouble there though, even though Ana had wandered into the local office's territory without a word of explanation. I explained that we were both friends of Olivia and Alex and we were here trying to help them both, at which she'd just nodded at and asked how she might help.

We'd chatted for a while before Shaw took her leave, she had cases to run but insisted that if there was anything she could do, that we should call her, passing across her card and taking ours. Another two cups of coffee passed over quiet conversation and occasional texts with Maura and Nat before my phone rang; it was Brenda letting me know that we were good to go.

Ana headed into 1PP to talk to Alex's boss Michael Cutter while I grabbed a cab down to the Sixteenth Precinct to call on Liv's boss Captain Cragen.

The building reminded me of some of the precinct's I'd worked out of back in Boston as a uniformed cop, back before I'd escaped into first Vice and then Homicide. The same air of tired bureaucracy, filled with overworked cops trying to make some sort of difference.

The badge helped get me through to see Captain Cragen without too much wasted time, a big guy named Tutuola coming and getting me, giving me the once over as he escorted me through the building and into an office overlooking the SVU unit's area, leaving me sitting opposite a tired-looking, late middle-aged man in a rumpled suit. He looked like an old school officer, a street cop who'd climbed the ladder on the strength of his record, not by kissing ass and manipulating the work of others to make him look good; he reminded me a bit of my old boss Cavanaugh back in Boston Homicide, before he'd turned into a dick about Maura and I that is.

Cragen had been cautiously polite but obviously surprised to get an unexpected visit from a LAPD detective. I'd explained that I was here about Olivia Benson and his eyes had narrowed as he tried to work out my angle as I hastily explained that it had nothing to do with a case, that I was here as a friend.

"Rizzoli…Jane Rizzoli, I know that name" he mused. I expected him to bring up the Hoyt case, or the Bobby Merino shooting, that's what most people in law enforcement think of when they hear my name, but he surprised me as he spoke.

"You're the cop from Boston, Liv's mentioned she had a friend up there named Rizzoli" He paused, obviously thinking then spoke. "I saw the convoy shoot out footage, aren't you in Los Angeles now?" I smiled and nodded.

"I'm with the LAPD now, but yeah, that's me" I said as Cragen nodded and sat back.

"What can I do for you Rizzoli?" he asked. I sat forward and started my pitch.

"I'm here about Benson. I've spoken to Alex Cabot and I understand that Liv's not likely to be returning to work anytime soon and definitely not here in SVU" He stared at me for a while before speaking, his words and tone defensive.

"Olivia Benson is probably the best cop to work in Special Victim's this city's ever seen. I've every confidence that she'll be back on the job as soon as she's able" I nodded; he'd given the stranger the supportive pep talk, now we needed to face the hard facts.

"No argument from me, but I understand it's not me you have to convince, it's the shrinks and the politicians" As I finished he looked away for a moment, before he swung in his chair and looked out his window over his detectives working outside.

"What do you know?" he asked.

"Enough" I stated. "From what Alex has told me, Liv won't be allowed to pass a psych evaluation to come back here and Liv told me that they'll try and reassign her somewhere else, probably processing overtime forms in admin or something similar" I shrugged and continued. "Apparently the investigation she was part of indirectly exposed a number of powerful people who'd been customers of that paedophile pimp, making a lot of enemies" He nodded slowly; not looking at me then spoke quietly, looking out over his team as he did.

"I understand that they're looking at a posting to administration, though I've suggested Intelligence would be a much better use of her talents" He shook his head as he continued. "I was told that my 'suggestion' would be considered" He grimaced, telling me how he felt about that. I shook my head, stupidity!

"Shit, what a stupid waste, she's a cop, not a paper pusher" I said, watching as he turned in his chair to face me as he spoke; I don't know if it was at my words or my tone but his voice was harsh.

"You're telling me that Rizzoli? You don't think I know that?" I could tell he wasn't happy so I backed off, no use pissing the man off when I needed his help.

"Yeah, sorry" He frowned at me.

"So what the hell are you doing here?" he asked. "What's your angle?" I nodded, time to lay it out.

"We may be able to offer an alternative that works out" I said, drawing a question.

"Like what exactly?" I pulled out my cell phone as I replied.

"Let me send a text and you should be getting a call that explains everything. What's your direct number?" I asked. He looked at me through narrowed eyes for a few seconds before reciting a string of numbers. I texted them to Brenda's cell and sat back.

"What sort of game are you playing here Rizzoli?" Cragen asked.

"No game here, I'm just a friend of Liv's, trying to help her out" I explained. He sat there for a moment, his eyes boring into me as I tried to sit there impassively. It wasn't easy, he was obviously worried about Liv, my appearance was a surprise and I got the impression he wasn't one for surprises. I just hoped like hell Brenda could convince him to support us.

The phone rang and his eyes flicked to it before glancing at me. I sat as impassively as I could as he picked it up.

"Cragen" I could see him straighten in his seat, his eyes flashing to me. "How can I help you Chief Johnson?" He listened for a moment then spoke. "Yes, she's here now, I'll put you on speaker" He pushed a button on his phone and spoke up as he placed the receiver down.

"Can you hear me Chief Johnson?" he asked. Brenda's honeyed accent filled the room; I was damned glad to hear it.

"Yes I can, thank you Captain"

"What exactly is all this about?"

"I understand that following a particularly difficult case, Detective Sergeant Benson has been stood down on leave, a chance to recover from the events of that case" Cragen nodded as he replied.

"That's correct" Brenda's voice was reassuringly confident.

"I'm also informed that Sergeant Benson is suffering from burnout from more than a decade in SVU and the psychological trauma of that particular case and is unlikely to be cleared to return to your unit"

"You're well informed Chief" I could hear the smile in Brenda's voice.

"Why thank you for that Captain. As I was saying, I understand that the chances of Sergeant Benson returning to Special Victims are very likely non-existent and that the psychiatric evaluation she is being forced into will recommend she be assigned to somewhere else within the NYPD, which I'm led to believe will almost certainly be a posting that, due to the political factors involved, will see her punished for her success. Would that be your evaluation of the situation Captain?" He looked at me, nodding slowly as he replied.

"Yeah, it's looking that way. I just told your Detective Rizzoli here that they were looking at a transfer off the streets, probably into Administration"

"I'm sure we'd both agree that'd be a dreadful waste of an outstanding officer" I smiled at the way Brenda had phrased it, so polite. Cragen's response was a lot more civil too.

"Hell yeah, she's a front line cop, a good one, it's just that more than a decade in SVU's burnt her out, especially this recent case"

"I completely understand, I do Captain. I couldn't contemplate working in Special Victims, I have the very greatest admiration for those who can and do. It's just everyone has their breaking point..." Cragen unconsciously nodded.

"Most people last three or four years, Benson's been here for over a decade"

"Exactly my point Captain; I understand that and I'd like to offer a possible alternative" The look on Cragen's face was suddenly wary, he was wondering where this was going.

"I'm listening Chief" he said carefully, obviously waiting for Brenda's pitch.

"The LAPD is prepared to offer the NYPD a secondment for an officer to Major Crimes Division here, on the condition that the officer to be seconded is Sergeant Benson" Cragen frowned, thinking it over for a moment before he replied.

"A secondment?" I could almost picture Brenda nodding in her office as she replied.

"Yes Captain, for a period of six to twelve months, working here in LA" Cragen paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing in thought.

"Interesting, but what about Benson's partner? She's involved with one of our District Attorney's…" Brenda's voice cut in.

"Alex Cabot, yes, an offer from the LA District Attorney's office to Ms Cabot is being conveyed to her as we speak, offering her a secondment out here, for the same length as Olivia Benson's secondment" Cragen's reply had an edge to it.

"Sounds like you've got everything planned Chief Johnson" Brenda didn't let either his words or tone faze her.

"Not really, this is still being put together, we'll need to organise a whole bunch of details, like accommodation, firearms permits, bar approvals for Ms Cabot and the like, but I'm sure none of them are things we can't handle"

"What's in it for you Chief?" Cragen asked suddenly.

"I beg your pardon Captain?" Cragen was blunt

"Why are you doing this?" Brenda's voice was calm.

"Captain, currently you are likely to lose a good officer to a problem that her job created. Too many years of the worst kind of cases in Special Victim's has burned her out. In addition, because of the politics surrounding her most recent case it appears certain that Sergeant Benson will be punished for doing her job and thus will not be returning to SVU or any other front-line role; we'd like to offer her another chance" Cragen frowned.

"By pulling her to the far side of the country, a long way from her friends and colleagues, I'm not sure that's going to help her" Brenda's voice was kind but firm.

"I respectfully disagree Captain, here in LA she would be busy and far from the types of cases that burnt her out, doing meaningful police work and working with people who are her friends as well. She would also be removed from the toxic politics that seem to have surrounded this most recent case" Brenda paused for a moment then continued; her voice a bit softer. "The reason this offer is on the table is because her friends made us aware of the situation in the first place" Cragen sat back, elbows propped on the arms of his chair, one hand fisting the other.

"I have my doubts about your proposal Chief, dragging them both away from their support, it may not work out" Brenda's voice was calm; obviously she'd thought this through.

"You may be completely correct Captain, it may not, in which case we've really not lost much given the situation we have right now. On the other hand we may be able to salvage a great officer" Cragen frowned as he spoke.

"We may be able to do that here too" There was a hint of disbelief in Brenda's voice that the speaker did a good job of conveying.

"Shuffling paperwork? From what I've been told and from my personal observations of Sergeant Benson that will kill her spirit and drive her out. I understand that moving them all the way out here to LA may not seem like the best solution, but here Olivia would be doing real police work, in a valued role, in a team that handles some of the most important cases" Cragen looked out at his detectives, his eyes seeing something, or someone, not there, before finally speaking.

"Go on"

"There is another benefit as well. If you agree to the secondment it's my plan to partner Sergeant Benson with Sergeant Rizzoli there, they are friends and I believe it would be in the best interests of both of them to do so" At Brenda's words Cragen turned to look at me as I tried to hide my surprise, I'd never thought of that. His eyes looked me over before he spoke again.

"I thought Rizzoli was a Boston cop, what happens when she goes back to Boston"

"Sergeant Rizzoli came to us on a six months secondment, but has since transferred to the LAPD permanently, we're very happy to have her. Who knows, Sergeant Benson might choose to stay here as well, she might choose to return to New York at the end of the secondment, but that will be her decision" Cragen frowned.

"So we may lose her to the LAPD permanently" Brenda was unfazed.

"That is a possibility" she conceded. "It is also possible that she may decide to return to New York at the secondment's end, in which case we will have had six months or a year of her services out here. Either way, we have a chance to retain her with either the LAPD or the NYPD. From what I understand there is a strong likelyhood that if Sergeant Benson stays in New York and is reassigned as you have suggested, then she will leave the force" she paused for a moment before continuing. "I'd like to think that both of us agree that's not in the best interests of anyone, most of all Sergeant Benson" Cragen nodded slowly.

"You won't get an argument from me there" I could hear the smile in Brenda's voice as I reminded myself just how good Brenda was at this.

"I'd like to get your agreement Captain, you're her direct superior and also, I'm led to believe, her friend. I'm not offering a guaranteed solution, but half a solution is better than none" Cragen paused, staring into space for a moment; I could see Brenda's comment about being Liv's friend had hit home. Finally he spoke.

"I'll need to speak to Liv first, get her agreement that this is what she wants, that she and Alex both think this is a good idea"

"Of course Captain, I'd expect nothing less" Brenda replied quickly as Cragen nodded slowly.

"I'll also have to talk to my superiors Chief Johnson, get them to agree to your proposal. I can't guarantee that they'll sign off on this…that is if Benson and Cabot agree to the move"

"I don't believe that you will have too much issue with your superiors. The LA District Attorney's office has been in touch with Ms Cabot's former boss, Ms Donelly, who has supported the move; as has one of the senior judges over there. A Judge Petrovski I believe is her name" Cragen's jaw dropped, the surprise evident in his voice.

"Lena Petrovski supports this? How the hell did you manage that?" As Brenda answered I made a mental note to ask Alex and Liv about this Petrovski person.

"Yes Captain, I'm happy to report that she does, having provided a glowing endorsement of both Ms Cabot as a prosecutor and Sergeant Benson as an officer and as a witness"

"How'd you convince her?" Brenda's reply was direct and to the point.

"Once the circumstances were explained to her, Judge Petrovski realised that losing Olivia Benson would mean likely losing Ms Cabot as well, something she said would be a tragedy for the justice system. Her support was immediate and wholehearted, for which we're all grateful" Cragen pursed his lips in thought for a moment then spoke up.

"What about Mike Cutter? He's head of the District Attorney's office here and Alex's direct boss. He's not going to like this Chief Johnson, not at all" Brenda's voice was quietly confident.

"He is having a similar discussion with another of Olivia's friends, Special Agent Romanov. I hope that will go equally as well" Cragen nodded slowly before replying.

"I'll have to sell it to the brass here as well" Brenda's voice was calm.

"I understand that if it becomes necessary, we have a contact who can talk directly to your Mayor, so if things become an issue, we can get top cover for this" I could see Cragen's eyes widen at her words.

"How the hell..." At his surprised query Brenda's smile came through the line in her reply.

"One of Olivia's closest friends in New York is a homicide detective, Kate Beckett. Her partner is Rick Castle, the author" I could see Cragen nodding slowly as he realised where this was going. "Mr Castle is a close friend of your Mayor"

"I see. Let's hope that's not needed Chief" he said quietly.

"I hope so too Captain, but it's there if it is" Brenda said agreeably. Cragen nodded then leaned forward towards the phone.

"If this goes ahead, what role do you see Liv playing with the LAPD? She deserves a chance to shine, somewhere that's worthy of her, lord knows she's earned it" Brenda's response was immediate and unequivocal.

"Captain, it's my intention to have her in Major Crimes, that's my squad and we handle the most difficult, high-profile crimes. I can assure you that her skills and experience will be put to very good use"

"I see" Cragen was quiet for a few moments. "Very well, subject to getting agreement from both Cabot and Benson, I'll take your proposal to the brass, with my endorsement" I sat back and let out a breath I hadn't realised I was holding as Brenda's voice filled the room.

"Thank you Captain, I understand that this has moved very fast and has no doubt come as a surprise, but I really appreciate your agreement here, subject to you chatting to Olivia and Alex of course" He nodded unconsciously at Brenda's words.

"Thank you Chief Johnson, I really hope this works, Liv deserves better than being tossed onto the scrapheap" I could hear Brenda's smile come through the speaker.

"That she does Captain, that she does. I'll let you go, Sergeant Rizzoli will pass you my contact details, if there's anything you need feel free to call me anytime, either now or at any time in the future"

"Thank you Chief, I will be in touch"

"I look forward to it Captain. Goodbye for now" she said.

"Goodbye Chief" Cragen hung up and sat there for over a minute, staring out over his officers, before turning his attention to me.

"You really think this wild ass scheme of yours is going to work?" he said, making me shrug before replying.

"I hope so, but no guarantees" I said; he was a man who obviously valued honesty. "If all goes well she might be back here in a year with a glowing recommendation, hopefully good enough to get her back working as a detective somewhere in the NYPD. She might end up staying in the LAPD like I did or she may end up leaving altogether, but I don't think that's likely" His eyes came back to me, hard, boring into me.

"You're awfully sure of yourself Rizzoli" At his statement I shrugged once more as I tried to explain.

"I understand her, she's my friend, plus I've been through something similar so I think I can help her through this"

"I hope to hell your right" he said. I made a 'who knows' gesture with my hands as I spoke.

"We're cops, we don't deal in absolutes" I pointed out. "All I can do is promise you that we'll do all we can" He nodded slowly before he replied.

"Then I suppose that's all we can ask for"