A/N: One more chapter to go. Thanks so much for reading!
Chapter 29
"You seem to be in a good mood," Olivia smirked as she watched him pop his shoes off and hang up his jacket. She had just finished pouring herself a glass of iced tea. It was approaching seven pm and dinner was sounding like a good idea.
"Oh I am. We snared Jeff Haggerty and handed him over to the Feds," Elliot smiled as he walked up to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, careful not to spill her drink.
"How'd you manage that? I thought he'd gone underground," she said.
"Well it seems that he couldn't get enough of the local cuisine and the store owner thought he'd recognized him from the alert. Haggerty came in one time with a girl, who goes by Precious, that he recognized as a regular customer. He made a point of watching them leave to see what building she went into. The local precinct figured out who she was and called us.
"After Munch and Kenny confirmed the suspicions of the local precinct and the store owner, I helped bag him. We now know what he was up to and why he was hanging out with poor Precious," that's when his face fell. Olivia knew what was coming next wasn't good. She moved in his arms and he let go. They both moved to the couch and Olivia let him continue the story as she set down her iced tea on the coffee table.
"How bad is it?" She asked.
"Haggerty was basically using her for sex and farming her out to his buddies and the other clients that Molly had been 'entertaining'," Elliot shook his head.
"How'd she get into that situation?" Olivia wanted to know.
"Precious was working out on the street and one night Haggerty picks her up for a date. He tells her that he can get her out of her current occupation – or rather at least a safer version of it. He'd chose the clients and make sure that they didn't hurt her. They'd use her apartment as their base of operations, and she wouldn't have to freeze her backside off or have to perform tricks in alleys or cars. He claimed she'd make more money and not have to worry about getting beat up. When Precious asked how he'd get her pimp off her back, he only smirked, and told her to leave that to him. Unsure if he was serious or crazy, she hesitated. Haggerty told her to think on it but tell no one. He'd be back in two days for her reply. Basically, he then drove her back to her spot and paid her even though they didn't do anything but talk. Unable to get the idea of working from home out of her head and the thought of not getting beat up by her pimp, Precious agreed to Haggerty's proposal. Needless to say, Haggerty only kept part of his promise. She did make more money and he did make sure the clients didn't abuse her, but Haggerty beat her. Not sure how to get out of the situation, Precious was just dealing with it. She was about to go to the cops when Haggerty moved into her place. With no way out, she got lucky the shop keeper called the cops," he explained.
"So, he must have been going between Molly and Precious. Low profile and not a typical setup. Excellent way to stay under the radar. Have the Feds identify the body in the backyard?" Olivia asked.
"It's Cassandra Sabatini. Agent Schimanski was able to confirm with DNA. The only person who could have had any motive was her husband. It'll be a case that won't have any definitive answers to, just assumptions," Elliot frowned.
"Poor Molly. She escapes that nightmare and ends up in an abusive situation which ends in her death," his partner shook her head.
"Not a happy story to be sure. How'd your day go?" He asked.
"I got a visit from Kathleen and Maureen before my appointment with Doctor Valentino," Olivia told him.
"Oh boy," Elliot said.
"The girls wanted to know my intentions, although to be fair, it was more Maureen," she said.
"And?" He was obviously nervous.
"I assuaged her fears, I think. Anyway, both girls promised to say nothing until the divorce was final. They don't want to rock the boat," Olivia smiled.
"Good. Cragen knows I'm sleeping on your couch, so I'll be using my time to start looking for a place, after Eli goes home on Sunday," Elliot told her.
"I'll help you look but before we get that far, lets order dinner," she said, getting up off the couch and grabbing some menus off the counter.
"Sounds fantastic. We can stay up late tonight," he smirked.
"Oh. Don't have to go to work tomorrow?" Olivia wondered as she walked back to the couch.
"Nope. Cragen gave us all the day off. The construction crew will be playing with the electricity anyway," Elliot said, taking the menus from her.
"Then we shall make the most of it," she smiled.
"But you said no hanky panky…" he frowned.
"No hanky panky – no taking any chances with your divorce. Apartment search and dinner out," Olivia said. Elliot gave her a look.
"Make out sessions if you're good," she teased. He chuckled and pulled her into his lap. They looked over the menus and decided what to eat.
To Be Continued…