"So you're…?" Detective Stabler began, and Kara smiled at the mug in her hands, mirthless pain etched into her face.
"A visitor…is it illegal in New York by any chance?" she said
"You're not American," he said, and Detective Olivia Benson's head snapped up.
"Look, I'm British; I have a valid passport, green card, VISA… all that CRAP. I found him, nothing more. He's my brother in law. I might not have liked him all that much, and it might have been my meds he took, but for Pete's sake…." she said, running her hand through her fringe, raking it back. Her eyes flashed deep purple as the light caught them and his frown deepened.
"Are you clean?"
"Am I what?"
"Are you on anything that would cause your eyes to glaze like that?"
"No" she said, and then poked her finger in her eye, removing a contact with ease. Elliot blinked, as she held out her finger to him, "Never heard of coloured contact lenses over here or is it the fact that they are purple and my eyes are grey that's bothering you?" she added. He leaned forward, and she tilted her head towards the light: a grey eye peered back dully at him, the shine gone. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying; Elliot sighed and turned away again.
Cragen looked at Alex Cabot and said, "sometimes I really wonder about this place…run that one by me again…she's who?"
"Jack's goddaughter, starts at our office on Monday"
"Alex, you're telling me that she works for us?"
"Not only does she work for us, if she has to name the people she was eating with, Elliot is probably going to swallow his mug. She was out with Jack tonight, and Breighen," Cragen closed his eyes.
"Why didn't she just say?"
"Kara is worried about people seeing that Jack knows her and thinking she got the job because of that, or because she's…."
"She WORKS with us?" Detective Fin Tutuola said, incredulously. "She looks…"
"Like a child…yes I know, do I speak some form of English that men don't understand?" she said, tartly, then smiled, sadness pouring into her features, "She knows more about Victims than anyone will in the department,"
"She doesn't look like an ADA…didn't when we brought her in either," Alex rolled her eyes.
"She is. I'll tell her the next time she goes out that she has to wear a trouser suit and a blouse. I felt it might be good that she meet you this week….so much for that plan"
She said, running her fingers through her hair. "He probably won't manage to rattle her, if she doesn't say no in a minute that is,"
"Tell us again what happened," Elliot said softly, the speaker barely picking it up, and Kara looked at him incredulously, before settling her contact lens back in her eye. Alex leaned against the glass, watching as Olivia looked at the notes on the desk in front of her.
Elliot peered out of the window, waiting. He turned, "Well?"
"No" Kara said, her voice strong and cold suddenly. Alex smiled mirthlessly at Fin. She didn't need to prove anything suddenly. Right then, Fin realised Alex wasn't joking. That was court room tone, and its effect wasn't usually lost on anyone.
"Excuse me?" Elliot crossed to the table, arms crossed. Alex saw her eyes widen and looked at Cragen.
"I said no, I've told you often enough. I'm not going through it again unless there is some SPECIFIC detail you don't get" Stabler looked at Benson and she shrugged.
"And you're pregnant?"
"Yes officer," she said, steel coming into her voice.
"He doesn't happen to have been the father of the child, does he?" He said, and Alex held her breath. She closed her eyes, briefly then looked at Cragen. Kara's head dropped slightly, looking at her hands on the table, lip trembling.
"You have to stop this," she said. Cragen looked back at her, confused, then crossed to the door and knocked.
"What about that baby?" Elliot persisted, leaning on the table. "Come on, who would be stupid enough to believe a pregnant woman, could do any damage…" he said, leaning on the table, bringing his face to her level.
"Ok, that's it. I'm through," she snapped, her head coming up, eyes blazing. She looked to Olivia, then back to Elliot. He heard the second, more insistent knock on the door, and pulled back.
Olivia glanced at the mirrored window, and then rose to leave the room. Reluctantly, Elliot followed.
"What's WITH you?" she said, once the door had closed snugly behind him. "She's not a known user or streetwalker, her story checks with the doorman, FUCK Elliot, what's your problem?" She was using the mirror to put her contact lens back in properly, rubbing her eye like a tired child. She crossed back to the table and sat down, then lay her head on her arms.
"Thoughts council?" ADA Cabot shrugged, shooting a look at Cragen.
"We've got nothing on her, other than Elliot's gut reaction," to which she glanced over to Dr Huang. He shook his head, refusing to be baited, his eyes fixed on the floor.
"Tampering with the evidence," he said, grunting as he loosened his tie. "Her eyes looked…"
"Contact lenses, even I knew that," Olivia said. "Hell, she was open about the fact she'd moved things. In fact, by that time the doorman was back with her"
"He was nude!"
"Yeah, she covered him with a towel. She tried to save her brother in law Elliot, nothing more. The fact that she's pregnant has bearing how?" she said, angrily. He shrugged, "Until we get something else that states the contrary, let it go",
"She's hiding something," he murmured.
"And you're so sure it's to do with this case and not something else?" Alex said, her voice snapping. "Gut instinct is one thing Elliot, but if you keep this up, you might make an enemy of someone you don't want to. Now if we're done here…?"
Cragen nodded, and Alex walked away, shaking her head.
Munch's face contorted as he added, "I can't believe she'd just take it out like that,"
