Nick fell quiet after Exley finished explaining his version of events. A lot had been put into his lap.

Exley deadpanned, "Would I lie after everything you saw after getting to my house?"

"No." Nick changed lanes. "Do you know who this 'other party' in the matter is?"

"Try the one and only Judge Clifford Ansel Connors. By the way, Hugo said that he could fetch 'top dollar' from him for Grace Novak."

"And that's why he tried to abduct her. I'll take that under advisement."

Exley's next inquiry was voiced only because curiosity bested him. "Detective, how did you and your partner know to come to my home in first place?"

Nick said carefully, "Let's just say... Sergeant Benson had a hunch."

"Understood. Tell Olivia thank you." (Exley's tone suggested a tinge of intense suffering) "And tell her that I owe her favor."

Olivia's going to flip, thought Nick. "I'll relay that message. Anything else?"

"Will you find Freya and Sanna, please?" Exley asked. "I want to see them."

Nick rose to his feet. "I'll go do that, sir. Best wishes on a speedy recovery."

The attorney thanked him.

Nick took his leave, directing Freya and Sanna towards Exley's room as he went. His work was done.

But… Even as he headed out of the hospital, the detective's thoughts were full of two things.

Missing Zara was the first. Perhaps he'd Skype her later on.

The other thought? Laying in bed with Amanda. Holding her. Just talking. It had been some time since they'd done so.

Judge Donnelley was a very busy woman. There were simply not enough hours in the day to cover this concept.

But if she had to pick a favorite unit, it would be the Special Victims one in Manhattan. Why? They kept her on her toes. And... She would be hard-pressed to forget how this particular squad had saved her life during Dale Stuckey's brief reign of mayhem and confusion.

It came to no real surprise then, that she still walked through the doors of the Special Victims Unit squad room. And on her first quiet day in ages.

Olivia stopped in her tracks when she saw her. "Judge! Are you here about the case?"

Donnelley strolled over to her. "I am, sergeant, but this is me on my own time. No, sergeant. Any progress been made?"

"That is a major understatement. Shall we go into my office?"

"Yes, but," Donnelley surveyed the room. "Where is Alex now?"

Olivia pointed to the kitchen. "She's over there."

"I spy her, and Casey Novak." the judge said to Olivia when she'd had a look. "Who are those other people?"

"Both of Casey's parents. And her youngest sibling."

The events of the day had come crashing down on Grace in the form of a near-catastrophic meltdown.

Alex's mission of getting the girl clean things to wear was waylaid when she was recruited for the effort to comfort her. It would take some time.

Judge Donnelley rubbed one temple. "Just what did I walk into?"

Olivia sighed, "Quite a lot."

Being unliked absolutely came with having a position high up in the ranks of the Internal Affairs Bureau at 1 Police Plaza. Sergeant Ed Tucker was quite used this.

However... One of his closest friend happened to be Judge Connors. The short version was that Tucker had saved the lives of the judge's wife and her unborn daughter, more than two decades before. Even that occasion was another story.

Tucker had earned the family's eternal gratitude and friendship from that day on. As well as the role of godfather.

Such a role mattered immensely to him.

It was also one of many precious things that kept him from totally going off the deep end.

Because he felt both desperate and foolish to be setting foot here.

Tucker noticed at once, as he entered the Special Victims Unit squad room, that they were yet in the middle of the Henshall case. Joy. Complications.

And of all people to notice first…

"Alex Cabot! What are you doing here?" Tucker called.

Startled, Alex halted in her tracks, but told the truth. "Talking to you. Standing here, holding clothes for a friend."

This was true. She had finally been able to secure clean clothes for Grace.

"But—"

The beginnings of Tuckers' protest was cut off.

Olivia had heard the commotion, and was emerging from her office with… Judge Donnelley? What?

How Tucker wished for Zeus to just smite him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Donnelley reached him first. "Sergeant Benson has just gotten me caught up. I've even been told about the pots you've been stirring. Did you really have Miss Cabot under arrest?"

Until the arrival of Mister, Tall, Dark, and Handsome, thought Tucker. "Yes. I only go where the evidence takes me."

"Attorneys are outside of your wheelhouse! What led you to her?"

"Many things, judge."

Only two people were absent from Sergeant Benson's usual posse. But he still counted Amanda Rollins and Dominick Carisi. Casey Novak was also emerging from the kitchen area. She stood near Alex. Just in case.

Olivia cut right to the point. "Why are you here?"

"I'm looking for my goddaughter." Tucker said blandly.

For what felt like the dozenth time that day, there fell a wild silence.

Casey moved to the throng's forefront. "We are having a long day. Very long. How old is your goddaughter. Is there any shareable reason you think she's here?"

Tucker fought every impulse to roll his eyes at them. "My goddaughter is twenty-five. I'm looking for her because I have to ask her a question. God only knows why so many of you are here, but let us not ignore the longstanding idea that any room occupied by Sergeant Benson is a safe haven. Am I wrong about that?"

"No, sir. You are not."

Realization dawned on Olivia. "We'll ask again—what make you think your goddaughter is here?"

"Diana has been going through it. I've also heard that the company she keeps has ties to… Why are all of you looking at Detective Carisi now?"

Everybody had made the same jump that Olivia had.

"Sir," Carisi said in surprise. "Your goddaughter is DJ Connors?"

"Yes. And…?"

"That 'company' she keeps is my baby sister, Pippa." said Carisi.

Amanda chimed in, "When was the last time you spoke to DJ? Give an honest answer. Please."

Tucker admitted, "I haven't talked to her in about three weeks. And it was in a video call. Haven't seen her in longer, though."

Everybody groaned as one.

"Is this a bad time?" came a new voice.

Olivia turned to see that both Nick and Fin had returned from the hospital. At the same time.

"How…?" she tried.

Nick waved a hand of dismissal. "Tell you later, sarge. What is happening?"

"Judge Donnelley is here because she wanted to see how things are. Now she's caught up, detective." Olivia told him. "As for Sergeant Tucker... He's looking for DJ."

This last part sounded incredibly random to Nick. "Why?"

"DJ is his goddaughter."

Fin said to Tucker, "Did you make the leap in our direction because we color outside the lines?"

"Uh-huh." replied Tucker. "I just sure as hell didn't expect the whole damn brigade, Alex Cabot, Casey Novak, Judge Donnelley, and… whoever those folks are."

Casey's family could be seen watching things unfold from the entryway to the kitchen at this point.

"Never mind." Fin said swiftly. "Why do you want to speak with DJ?"

But the conference room opened before Tucker could get in so much as a single word. Everyone watched as DJ herself headed straight for them. If anything, she seemed astonished.

Pippa walked beside her. She didn't want to miss this.

Tucker staggered when he took in DJ's rounded middle. "You're expecting?"

"I am. Uncle Ed, why are you here?"

DJ's mood grew to scathing when Tucker hesitated.

"You want something. How did you even figure out where I was?" DJ crossed her arms. "Why can't Pip and I get any peace today?"

Everybody else fell quiet. It was plain that DJ wasn't the biggest fan of her godfather. One of them would have to explain this bad history. At some point.

"Did mom and dad send you? Or my brothers?"

"Actually," said a somewhat bewildered Tucker. "My question is for you. Have you seen your parents?"

"Is that a joke?!" DJ and Pippa cried together.

"No?"

Pippa filled in the blanks while DJ sputtered and fumed. "Sir, we've had a falling out with Clifford and Juliana. We also haven't seen Junior, Benedict, or William for months now."

"So you're Pippa." murmured Tucker.

"I am." Pippa touched a hand to the small of DJ's back. "Why are you looking for Clifford and Juliana?"

The absurdity of Tucker's words did not escape him. "I… I can't find them. At all."

But DJ narrowed her eyes at him. "Why should I care? After they humiliated me on the worst night of my life?"

"What are you talking about?"

DJ's eyes widened in surprise. "How out of touch are you?"

Before Tucker could begin to scramble for a suitable answer, DJ appeared to have reached her limit because she was already stalking back to the conference room. Pippa was on her heels. They were inseparable today.

"I figured that Diana might be somewhere in this neighborhood because it's where she did her growing-up years, but what the hell just happened?!" Tucker asked the others.

"You disturbed a very delicate balance, is what." Alex huffed as she finally stepped into the ring. "What's this about not being about to find Judge and Missus Connors?"

"Just that—they're overdue by more than an hour to meet me for a meal nearby. Now I can't even reach them."

"No?"

"No. I was concerned about Diana being safe because whatever is going on with her folks is incredibly unusual." Tucker said firmly. "Looks like Diana showed up here for her own reasons. I'm sure you all will keep her and Pippa safe. This building was just my first stop. I lucked out."

Tucker paused again. Surely one of them would say something by now. But… They were actually listening to what he was telling them. Had the earth fallen from its axis?

"True, I have literally never asked any of you for anything, but… I'm genuinely concerned for my friends."

Nick approached him. "Sir, is any of your worry to do with Hugo McArthur?"

Everyone watched as Tucker had the slightest fluster.

Judge Donnelley was the first one to pounce. "Talk. Now."

Tucker ignored her, instead asking Nick, "Why do you know him?"

But Nick, Amanda, and Fin chimed at him as one. "Why do you?"

Olivia got in front of things before they could spiral any further. Perhaps Tucker would prove useful today.

Under their leader's direction, the unlikely band of people migrated over to the media room. It was away from the main walk. And a smidge quieter.

Olivia, her squad, and their associates gathered together on the main side of the central hub. Tucker was on the other side. Isolated.

But he didn't care. "I know about Hugo McArthur because… For some time, we were investigating a corrupt cop who was hanging around the patriarch."

"What?" Casey blurted at once. "Really?"

Beside her, Donnelley said, "Oh…"

"You remember the case?" Alex asked her teacher.

Donnelley gave a slow nod, as if she couldn't believe it. "Yes. It was tried before me. Long story short, the right person went to jail. None of this is about that."

"So then what about the McArthur patriarch?"

"Mister McArthur was investigated, as I recall, because of his affiliation with his cop friend."

Alex gave her a small prompting. "But…?"

"The man skated on all charges," Donnelley informed her student. "But since he was a powerful building contractor with extremely deep community ties, nothing could ever be proven. At least in a way that any normal court would've called credible."

"Got it. Too bad, though."

Donnelley directed her attention to Tucker again. "When did you stumble across Hugo?"

"Some time in the middle of that case. Didn't make much of an impression… Amaro… What's the matter?"

For now the detective was fit burst with what he hadn't told them yet.

Olivia supplied, "He's just come from seeing Marvin Exley."

"What?!" Tucker protested.

"Also a long story."

Olivia physically turned to face her underling.

"You're the last piece of the puzzle now. Please tell us what you learned from your visit."

Nick told his gathered company everything. And he was quite relieved when it was over.

Casey broke the silence first, trying not to cry. "Are you saying that Judge Connors was going to sell my sister?"

"Exley implied as much, but he had to glean it from Hugo's rambles. He doesn't seem to think in any linear fashion whatsoever."

"My God..."

At the other end of the cluster, an idea suddenly befell Judge Donnelley, so she addressed the person closest to her.

"It's Amanda. Right?"

Amanda stood straighter; it had never occurred to her that this formidable woman had had any idea of her name. "Correct. How may I help?"

"Is it true that you're adept with technology and research?" Donnelley continued.

"Yes, m'am."

"I would really like to borrow your skillset now. Gathering evidence is against Judge Connors is doable. Right now it's just a matter of getting started."

"Go ahead." Olivia told Amanda. "Help her. Do anything she asks."

"Alright, sarge." Amanda promised. "We'll be at my desk."

Both women took their leave.

Olivia spoke gently to Casey. "Go give your sister a hug. Order her some takeout. Grace needs you. I can see it."

Casey breathed a sigh of relief and also exited the circle. Alex waited a beat before following her. She had feeling that her friend be wanting to have a good cry soon.

In the blink of an eye, Olivia turned serious again when addressed her last guest. "Are you in or out?"

"I beg your pardon, sergeant?" Now Tucker was actually confused.

"The rivalry between us all is obviously no secret. If you help us, I'm willing to put it aside for now. Are you in? Or are you out?"

Feeling boxed in, Tucker answered begrudgingly, "Fine. I'm in. May I offer a suggestion before we all go down a rabbit trail?"

Olivia nodded. "By all means."

"Go send someone to check on the Connors brothers. All three of them work at the Stock Exchange on Wall Street. I doubt they know anything is wrong."

Carisi said immediately, "Sergeant Benson, I'll go now."

"Me, too." added Fin.

"Thank you." Olivia told them. "Report back ASAP."

They conveyed their understanding and also took their leave.

Now it was just Olivia, with Nick… and Tucker. How bizarre.

"So Judge Connors and his wife were supposed to meet you for a meal nearby." Olivia said to Tucker. "Do you have any idea of their whereabouts this time of day?"

"I don't." Tucker admitted. "They live on Fifth Avenue, but standing me up is unusual. So is being unreachable. Their phones are off."

"And you're concerned because they're your friends." Nick deduced.

"Yes. Now I'm very concerned because this marks another judge in trouble with a connection to Hugo. It's even evident that he doesn't spare spouses. Diana would also never forgive me if something I stood by while her parents got hurt."

"Why is DJ mad at you?"

"That's a story I should tell in the car. Where do we go from here?"

Nick double-checked his person for his gun and badge. "Central Park. We've heard several times now that he likes it over there."

Olivia nodded. "Yep. The more secluded, the better. I'll meet you and Detective Amaro by the elevators. Excuse me now, please."

Olivia headed to her office to collect her coat. She would tell Amanda where they were going. In a few moments.

But the sergeant also paused briefly. She wanted to collect her thoughts now.

Alex was out of the hospital. She was even safe.

Noah and Beverly were still being looked after by the nanny. They were happy. Olivia had received a picture of the children just before Judge Donnelley's arrival.

It was her hope that the case would close today.

All she could ask for was a night of playing with Noah and Beverly, and making dinner for her family. Pampering Alex would happen when they were alone. These conjurings each seemed like a slice of paradise.

But a bit of reality that was only just out of reach.

Yet what Olivia didn't know, as she finally exited her office again, was that the darkest twist was even closer on the horizon than she would have liked.