The team hovers by the corner of the building out of sight, confirming last minute details. "Okay," Elliot passes around a photo. "Keep an eye out for this one, he's our guy. We want him alive and well, no screwing around."
Olivia speaks up, "But be careful, we're going in blind and there could be civilians inside." Everyone nods. "We ready?" Olivia and Elliot take their positions on either side of the door, poised for its seams to be broken apart.
"Go, go, go!" Elliot motions with his left arm, then places the palm back on his gun as the team rushes inside even before the door fully crashes to the ground.
Matching each other step for step and shoulder for shoulder, these are the times when Elliot and Olivia exude their true perfect partnership; like when they are chasing a perp or when a victim is showing sensitivities to one of them over the other. Words are not necessary, even body language seems obsolete as they prowl through the house with unspoken formation, instinctively knowing which direction the other will head and exactly what angle needs to be covered at what moment by whom.
In no time at all, they hear a cry. "Show me your hands! Stand up and put your hands on your head! NOW!" Elliot points his gun at the man's face while Olivia rushes over to grab his hands and twist them behind his back to slap the cuffs on them. Looking in his face, you could tell he was thinking of running, but with every exit covered and guns trained on him from all directions, he knew he wouldn't make it.
"Brent Forrest, you are under arrest for the kidnapping and murder of Candace Terpening and the kidnapping, rape and reckless endangerment of Madeline Terpening." Olivia pushes his face to the floor and catches Elliot's eyes. "What?" She asks, incredulous. "He tripped." Elliot smiles knowingly, and tells the men to clean up the scene while Olivia reads the man his Miranda rights.
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Forrest is just sitting there, very casual with his collared oxford unbuttoned and the sleeves rolled up. His black hair is in a crew cut while his go-tee is neatly styled and there is not a sign of stubble anywhere on his face. Everything about him looks very clean in fact, but the detectives know that inside his skin is just a black empty soul.
He lawyered up, much to the detectives' frustration, but not before he winks at Olivia. "She'll never talk to you. You've got nothing on me."
Cassandra "Casey" Novak waits with Cragen behind the two-way mirror for Elliot and a fuming Olivia. "Unfortunately, he's not far off."
"What?" they both shout.
"But you got us a warrant!" Olivia continues.
Novak throws up her hands. "Poker game. Look, we had probable cause but it's not adding up now. He used a condom and we have no physical evidence against him for Candace's death. We might have child endangerment for the listening devices, but all we really have is the kidnapping, and even that's going to be hard to prove without Madeline's testimony. Is she talking yet?"
"'Madelynn,'" Olivia corrects gently, almost a mumble, but Casey hears it just the same and can't help recognizing the strange tone in her friend's voice. She looks at Olivia for a moment and makes herself a mental note to make sure she doesn't mispronounce it again even though she doesn't quite understand Olivia's personal stake in this girl.
"And no," Olivia sighs. "I told Dr. Hendrix to tell Madeline that we have him in custody, but it didn't seem to affect her at all. I planned on going over there this afternoon, especially now that he's called for a lawyer."
Strands of Casey's loose blonde curls fall into her eyes as she rotates her head. "Without her corroboration, all I've got is a long shot at winning the case. A very long shot. Tell you what, why don't you bring her down here; let her see that we have him? Maybe that will open her up."
"I agree. This girl knows something, else she would've talked by now." Cragen concurs.
"I'll call Hendrix, have her bring Madeline over." Elliot pipes up. Olivia looks at him questioningly. "Well someone's gotta sit on him," he explains, motioning. "And there's paper work to file for the raid. So pick your poison." Elliot finishes with a faint smile.
"Yeah, and I'll be expecting those on my desk by morning!" Cragen heads out the door in acknowledgement and Novak rolls her eyes while Olivia quickly sets herself up in the interior of the interrogation room.