Sorry for the delay. Darn school! I say we all protest!
Elliot slammed the car door shut and approached his fellow detective, John Munch, who was waiting for him outside Mount View Presbyterian. John turned hearing the door slam and frowned.
"Damn Stabler, I've only been waiting here for..." Munch checked his watch. Elliot took the opportunity.
"For about ten minutes. Will you just tell me what's going on?" Elliot raised his eyebrows expectantly.
Munch grumbled a little before answering. "Dana Lowell. She was in the church when she saw the rape."
The two detectives walked over to a petite brunette, sitting on the church stairs, looking distraught. "Ms. Lowell, this is Detective Stabler. Now that we're both here, why don't you come with us to the station so we can get your statement?"
Dana looked up at them nervously. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded slowly. "Okay."
*SVU Interrogation Room*
"Okay now, Ms. Lowell. Why don't you go ahead and tell us what happened?" Elliot said, flicking on the tape recorder.
Dana nodded her head. Closing her eyes, she took a shaky breath before speaking. "I was finishing up decorating the reception hall for the luncheon the next day when I heard someone screaming. I ran into the sanctuary and I saw them... it was Carrie and another man. She was screaming, "No leave me alone" and I realized that he was raping her. So I tried to pull him off of her and he turned around and told me to get out or I would be next. Then he said if I told anyone that he would... kill me. So I ran out and I didn't look back. That's why I didn't report it until now," Dana finished softly, still not looking at either of the detectives.
Stabler and Munch exchanged glances. "So, why did you decide to report the rape now?" Elliot asked, sitting down in the chair across from Dana.
Dana sighed and shrugged. "I don't know. It didn't seem right. I mean, here I was in a house of God and I'm saving myself. I... I guess it seemed right."
"You called her by her first name, Carrie. Do you know her?" Elliot asked. Dana glanced up at Elliot. "She's a member of the congregation. But we hadn't seen her in a while."
"Why was that?" John asked, moving behind Dana.
"Our minister had gone to visit her once before. He found her in her apartment almost dead. She'd cut herself and tried to commit suicide. Why, I'm not sure. There was a rumor going around that her boyfriend had beat her, but I'm not one to listen to rumors."
"Do you know if the rape had been going on before you heard Carrie screaming?" Elliot asked.
Dana shook her head. "I wouldn't imagine that it would've. I don't see why she wouldn't scream if he had been raping her before I found them."
"One more thing. Did you recognize the man who raped Carrie?"
Dana was silent for a moment as if nervously pondering her answer carefully. "No."
John and Elliot looked at each other again. "Thank you, Ms. Lowell."
The two men exited the interrogation room and met with Cragen and Huang. "So doc, what do ya say?" John asked.
"Well, what can I say? She was pretty clear in her statement. However, there is one thing that I noticed that disturbed me a little," Huang said.
Cragen raised an eyebrow. "And what was that?"
"The fact that she never looked at either of you. And she hesitated before answering your last question. That's usually a good sign that they're lying, especially if they're involved in the church."
"How so?"
Huang shrugged. "They feel guilt easier because they're going against the Lord? Who knows."
"But why would she be lying? She was a witness, she doesn't have anything to hide," John commented.
"Or does she?" Elliot asked, looking between the other three men. "She might not be telling us something."
"Well, you two get in there are start doing your good cop, bad cop thing. We have to figure out what's she's hiding if she's hiding anything," Cragen instructed.
"And keep trying to get her to tell who the perp is," Huang added. Elliot and John looked at each other skeptically. "But she said she didn't know the perp."
"I know. But she hesitated before saying no. Maybe we can pressure her into telling, because I have a feeling that she knows who he is."
With that, Munch and Stabler turned and walked back into the interrogation room, doubting Huang's words, but not wanting to waste time arguing with him.
Dana looked up nervously as the detectives entered the room again. "C-can I go now?" She stuttered.
"Not until you start telling us the truth," Munch replied bluntly.
Dana's eyes widened in shock. "I-I am telling you the truth!" She protested. "I swear that I told you everything I know!"
"You feel a little crowded in here, Dana? A little nervous talking to us, is that it?" Elliot asked, his voice soaked with compassion as he sat in the chair across from their witness.
Dana's eyes flickered between Elliot and John who was hovering nearby. "A little," She admitted.
"Why's that?"
Dana looked at Elliot as if he had crabs crawling out of his ears. "I... well, I've never had to go through this before. I mean, the guy said that he would kill me if I told you anything."
"Do you know who our perp is?" John asked.
Dana sighed, frustrated. "I already told you I don't."
"Who did you say your minister is?" Elliot asked, pulling out a notepad. Dana's eyes darted between the two detectives. "Why?"
"You said that he went to go see Carrie before the rape. You said that he said she had tried to commit suicide and he found her, so you must be close to him, right?" Munch asked, resting his hands on the table next to Dana and leaning in closer to her.
Dana shook her head. "No. He told the whole church so that we could pray for her."
"Can anyone confirm that?"
Dana nodded without a moment of pause. "You can ask anyone in our church. Daniel and Cici Hallwell, Lucy Rochester, Kyle Asden to name a few. There had to have been close to a hundred of us there that day."
"Very observant," Munch muttered.
"Your minister's name, please? We need to check your story with him," Elliot said as he finished copying down the names.
Dana sighed. "Roger Johnston. Can I go now?"
"Yes, Ms. Lowell, that's fine. But don't leave town for a few weeks. We'll be in touch."
The seconds passed into minutes and minutes passed into hours. Before Elliot knew it, the entire day was gone.
"Sorry to ruin your day off," Fin said, coming up behind Elliot and slapping his shoulder. Elliot shrugged. "Yeah well, I've learned that there's no such thing as a day off."
John approached the two men with a heavy sigh. "Can you believe this? We spent a;; day interviewing the entire church population and every one of them confirm Dana's story."
"So maybe she wasn't lying? A day well wasted, don't you think?" Fin rolled his eyes at John and flopped down into his chair.
Elliot slid his hands into his pockets and shrugged. "Well, we still have to track down the minister and question him."
John nodded. "Yeah, well, we can find him tomorrow. I'm going home."
Elliot nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I should probably get home. It's bad enough I leave on my day off but then not calling for the rest of the day..." Elliot trailed off, remembering how he had never been this concerned with Kathy and the kids as he was with Olivia in that moment. What was wrong with that picture?
Instead of pondering the answer to his question, Elliot found himself back home within minutes. He trudged down the hall to the apartment that was still unfamiliar to him. With a yawn, he pulled out his key and was about to enter when he heard a sound from inside.
His stomach instantly lurched. The first clue that something was wrong was the sound: Olivia sobbing hysterically inside.
Elliot slammed the car door shut and approached his fellow detective, John Munch, who was waiting for him outside Mount View Presbyterian. John turned hearing the door slam and frowned.
"Damn Stabler, I've only been waiting here for..." Munch checked his watch. Elliot took the opportunity.
"For about ten minutes. Will you just tell me what's going on?" Elliot raised his eyebrows expectantly.
Munch grumbled a little before answering. "Dana Lowell. She was in the church when she saw the rape."
The two detectives walked over to a petite brunette, sitting on the church stairs, looking distraught. "Ms. Lowell, this is Detective Stabler. Now that we're both here, why don't you come with us to the station so we can get your statement?"
Dana looked up at them nervously. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded slowly. "Okay."
*SVU Interrogation Room*
"Okay now, Ms. Lowell. Why don't you go ahead and tell us what happened?" Elliot said, flicking on the tape recorder.
Dana nodded her head. Closing her eyes, she took a shaky breath before speaking. "I was finishing up decorating the reception hall for the luncheon the next day when I heard someone screaming. I ran into the sanctuary and I saw them... it was Carrie and another man. She was screaming, "No leave me alone" and I realized that he was raping her. So I tried to pull him off of her and he turned around and told me to get out or I would be next. Then he said if I told anyone that he would... kill me. So I ran out and I didn't look back. That's why I didn't report it until now," Dana finished softly, still not looking at either of the detectives.
Stabler and Munch exchanged glances. "So, why did you decide to report the rape now?" Elliot asked, sitting down in the chair across from Dana.
Dana sighed and shrugged. "I don't know. It didn't seem right. I mean, here I was in a house of God and I'm saving myself. I... I guess it seemed right."
"You called her by her first name, Carrie. Do you know her?" Elliot asked. Dana glanced up at Elliot. "She's a member of the congregation. But we hadn't seen her in a while."
"Why was that?" John asked, moving behind Dana.
"Our minister had gone to visit her once before. He found her in her apartment almost dead. She'd cut herself and tried to commit suicide. Why, I'm not sure. There was a rumor going around that her boyfriend had beat her, but I'm not one to listen to rumors."
"Do you know if the rape had been going on before you heard Carrie screaming?" Elliot asked.
Dana shook her head. "I wouldn't imagine that it would've. I don't see why she wouldn't scream if he had been raping her before I found them."
"One more thing. Did you recognize the man who raped Carrie?"
Dana was silent for a moment as if nervously pondering her answer carefully. "No."
John and Elliot looked at each other again. "Thank you, Ms. Lowell."
The two men exited the interrogation room and met with Cragen and Huang. "So doc, what do ya say?" John asked.
"Well, what can I say? She was pretty clear in her statement. However, there is one thing that I noticed that disturbed me a little," Huang said.
Cragen raised an eyebrow. "And what was that?"
"The fact that she never looked at either of you. And she hesitated before answering your last question. That's usually a good sign that they're lying, especially if they're involved in the church."
"How so?"
Huang shrugged. "They feel guilt easier because they're going against the Lord? Who knows."
"But why would she be lying? She was a witness, she doesn't have anything to hide," John commented.
"Or does she?" Elliot asked, looking between the other three men. "She might not be telling us something."
"Well, you two get in there are start doing your good cop, bad cop thing. We have to figure out what's she's hiding if she's hiding anything," Cragen instructed.
"And keep trying to get her to tell who the perp is," Huang added. Elliot and John looked at each other skeptically. "But she said she didn't know the perp."
"I know. But she hesitated before saying no. Maybe we can pressure her into telling, because I have a feeling that she knows who he is."
With that, Munch and Stabler turned and walked back into the interrogation room, doubting Huang's words, but not wanting to waste time arguing with him.
Dana looked up nervously as the detectives entered the room again. "C-can I go now?" She stuttered.
"Not until you start telling us the truth," Munch replied bluntly.
Dana's eyes widened in shock. "I-I am telling you the truth!" She protested. "I swear that I told you everything I know!"
"You feel a little crowded in here, Dana? A little nervous talking to us, is that it?" Elliot asked, his voice soaked with compassion as he sat in the chair across from their witness.
Dana's eyes flickered between Elliot and John who was hovering nearby. "A little," She admitted.
"Why's that?"
Dana looked at Elliot as if he had crabs crawling out of his ears. "I... well, I've never had to go through this before. I mean, the guy said that he would kill me if I told you anything."
"Do you know who our perp is?" John asked.
Dana sighed, frustrated. "I already told you I don't."
"Who did you say your minister is?" Elliot asked, pulling out a notepad. Dana's eyes darted between the two detectives. "Why?"
"You said that he went to go see Carrie before the rape. You said that he said she had tried to commit suicide and he found her, so you must be close to him, right?" Munch asked, resting his hands on the table next to Dana and leaning in closer to her.
Dana shook her head. "No. He told the whole church so that we could pray for her."
"Can anyone confirm that?"
Dana nodded without a moment of pause. "You can ask anyone in our church. Daniel and Cici Hallwell, Lucy Rochester, Kyle Asden to name a few. There had to have been close to a hundred of us there that day."
"Very observant," Munch muttered.
"Your minister's name, please? We need to check your story with him," Elliot said as he finished copying down the names.
Dana sighed. "Roger Johnston. Can I go now?"
"Yes, Ms. Lowell, that's fine. But don't leave town for a few weeks. We'll be in touch."
The seconds passed into minutes and minutes passed into hours. Before Elliot knew it, the entire day was gone.
"Sorry to ruin your day off," Fin said, coming up behind Elliot and slapping his shoulder. Elliot shrugged. "Yeah well, I've learned that there's no such thing as a day off."
John approached the two men with a heavy sigh. "Can you believe this? We spent a;; day interviewing the entire church population and every one of them confirm Dana's story."
"So maybe she wasn't lying? A day well wasted, don't you think?" Fin rolled his eyes at John and flopped down into his chair.
Elliot slid his hands into his pockets and shrugged. "Well, we still have to track down the minister and question him."
John nodded. "Yeah, well, we can find him tomorrow. I'm going home."
Elliot nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I should probably get home. It's bad enough I leave on my day off but then not calling for the rest of the day..." Elliot trailed off, remembering how he had never been this concerned with Kathy and the kids as he was with Olivia in that moment. What was wrong with that picture?
Instead of pondering the answer to his question, Elliot found himself back home within minutes. He trudged down the hall to the apartment that was still unfamiliar to him. With a yawn, he pulled out his key and was about to enter when he heard a sound from inside.
His stomach instantly lurched. The first clue that something was wrong was the sound: Olivia sobbing hysterically inside.