Olivia
Wednesday, January 15th
"Lauren Robbins?" I asked the girl hunched over some books in the school library.
"Yeah?" she asked, looking up. I sat down across from her. Elliot was off interviewing another alibi of Jamie's.
"I'm detective Benson," I said softly, although even at full voice not too many people would have heard me. It was really loud for a library.
"Is this about Josh?"
"Partly. The night he was killed, did you have any contact with Jamie Garner?"
"Yeah. We were talking on the internet for two hours. She didn't want to tie up the phone line. She was hoping Josh would call."
"Was there any reason she was so anxious for him to call?"
She raised her shoulders slightly and dropped them. "Not that I know of. She was just really in love."
"What time were you talking to her?"
"Um. . . I guess from about quarter to twelve until about two thirty. I have the conversation saved, so I can check if you want."
I nodded. "You went to Syracuse with Jamie, right?"
"Yeah."
"And you were the one who called Mr. Shepard the Saturday night?"
She dropped her eyes. "This . . . this isn't something I should be talking to you about. You have to ask Jamie about what happened."
"I've talked to her. I'm just trying to piece together what happened that night."
"I can't tell you a whole lot. Um, I came to her room around nine-thirty, and I heard her saying stop, please don't do this, get off, things like that. There was also a guy who kept saying 'it's all good'. I called Mr. Shepard right away. I didn't think he could move that fast."
"He was there right away?"
"I stayed in that hotel last time I was in Syracuse. The driving alone is fifteen minutes."
"How long did it take him to get there?"
"Ten minutes tops."
"What kind of relationship do they have?"
"Lately, it's been pretty good, but before that, it was almost like he was trying to ignore her. I mean, he wasn't. She didn't need help, especially compared to the others. She could make it to nationals easily."
"Why has it changed lately?"
"The night that everything happened, she tore into him. He wanted to take her to the police, or at least to the hospital. She told him to screw off. I think she just needed someone to be angry at."
"Thanks Lauren."
"No problem. I hope you find out who did this. Josh was a really great guy." I got up, left the library and met Elliot.
"Did she confirm Jamie's story?" he asked.
"Yeah. Yours?"
"She says that Jamie was talking to her on-line on and off between eleven and twelve."
"Who's next?"
"Now one may ask oneself why exactly is doctor assisted suicide illegal? Well, there is a really simple answer. Those morons up in the white house decided that-"
Once again, we entered Anthony Shepard's classroom in the middle of a debate. He saw the two of us in the doorway.
"Allison, we have five minutes left in the LO speech," he told a girl sitting nearby him and ducked out. "What can I help you with?"
"Is there somewhere we can speak privately?" I asked, noticing the students scattered around the hallway.
"There's a resource room down there." He led us into a small room with a large table in the middle. Elliot and I sat down.
"The first time we came, you asked us if we were here about Jamie," Elliot stated.
He closed the door and sat down as well. "I just- I know Jamie better. I figured it was about Josh's murder."
"Are you sure that it wasn't because you thought Jamie might have come forward and pressed charges?" I asked.
"She talked to you?"
I nodded. "What can you tell us about what happened that night?"
"We had finished the tournament around eight. It was too late to leave, so we were going to stay another night. They went off to their dorms, and I went to my hotel."
"Hold on," Elliot said. "You weren't staying with them?"
"All the debaters had their parents sign consent forms. I would have had to stay in a different dorm anyways. It would have happened the same if I was there."
"There were fourteen year olds on that trip."
"Yes, and they stayed in a hotel if their parents wanted to. It's just a lot more cost-effective if we stay in the dorms. The kids usually have a lot of fun. And no one has billoted since this happened." He turned to face me. "Around ten, I got a call from Lauren. She said that she had gone to the room Jamie was staying in, and had heard a girl- probably Jamie- crying and begging someone to stop. She said she also heard a guy grunting. I got there as fast as I could. Lauren can corroborate."
"She already has," I told him.
"When I got there, she said that a guy had left almost as soon as she called. Jamie hadn't left the room. A couple of minutes later, Jamie came out of the room she was staying in. I barely saw her. She went straight into the girl's washroom. Lauren went after her, and I waited. Lauren came back out, crying. I talked to her for a while, then I had somewhere I had to go."
"You had an upset girl, another one who'd just been raped, and you had something more important to do?" Elliot asked, disgusted.
He hesitated for a minute. "Lauren told me the guy's name. I went to find him."
"Did you?" I asked.
"Yeah."
"And?"
He hesitated again. "I gave him a piece of my mind. I told him that he wasn't going to get away with what he did, called him a bunch of names I'm not going to repeat and warned him never to go near Jamie or any girl on my debate team. And if I ever saw him so much as look at a girl the wrong way I wouldn't kill him, but make him wish he was dead. Then I went back to the dorm the girls were staying in. Lauren said Jamie had gone into her room, and there had been no noises since. I knocked on the door a couple of minutes later. She didn't answer. I was worried that she could be hurting herself, so I got Lauren's key and went in. She was sitting on the bed. I tried talking to her, but it didn't work. She got mad at me. I wanted to get her checked out. She finally just told me to get out. She stayed there the rest of the night. I stayed in the lounge with Lauren the rest of the night. Lauren was pretty freaked out. I can't say I blame her."
"Why didn't you call her parents?" Elliot asked.
"She said she'd kill herself if I did. She doesn't have the greatest relationship with either of them. They're divorced, and both workaholics, from what I hear. I didn't tell them on the condition that she talked to a counsellor."
"Has she?"
"As far as I know. She hasn't been in school since Josh was killed."
"Were Jamie and Josh having any problems?" I know I was repeating myself, but maybe this time he could tell us something he didn't before for the sake of keeping Jamie's privacy.
"He came and talked to me. It was pretty soon after it happened. I guess she told him."
"Why'd he come to you?" Elliot asked.
"I teach most of the time, but I also work one period a day in the guidance office. Jamie told him that I knew. He didn't know how to react about what she had told him."
"Okay," I said, pushing my chair back. "We'll be in touch. If there's anything you can think of, please, give me a call." I pulled out a card from my pocket and handed it to him.
"I will. Thanks."
"Did you confirm her story?" Cragen asked.
"Lauren Robbins confirmed that they were talking on-line because she didn't want to tie up her phone line. She also confirmed Jamie's story about the events of the night she was raped," I told him, Munch and Fin.
"Teacher says the same thing," Elliot added.
"Sounds like you don't believe him," Fin observed.
Elliot shrugged. "I don't like the guy."
Anthony Shepard
Saturday, November 9th
"Mr. Shepard?" a panicked female voice came from the other end on the line.
"Lauren?" I asked.
"I just went to Jamie's room. I think there's something wrong." Lauren was level-headed. She didn't get upset easily.
"Lauren, calm down. What's going on?"
"I just went to Jamie's room. I heard someone crying. I think it was her. Whoever it was kept saying stop and get off and stuff like that. There was a guy who was grunting."
I was caught completely off guard by what she said. I was ready for medical emergencies, drinking, even drug use. I wasn't expecting this.
"Alright Lauren, are you okay?"
"Yeah. I don't know what to do."
"Have you knocked on her door?" I held the phone with my shoulder, pulling a sweatshirt on.
"There's no answer."
"Did you try to open the door?"
"It's locked." I tried reaching for my shoes without pulling the telephone cord out of the wall.
"I'll be there as soon as I can. Are you in Wellington house?"
"Yeah."
"Stay near Jamie's room. You're on the third floor?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, I'll be right there." I threw the receiver down and left.
"Is he still in there?" I asked Lauren as soon as I got there, not caring that I had just broken about twelve laws while driving.
Lauren, who was sitting down, looked up. I had never seen her so upset. She was chewing her thumb nail. "No. He left almost as soon as I called you."
"Has she come out?"
"No."
I sat down beside her. I had no idea how to react to this situation.
"Do you know who it was?"
"He was one of my judges today. Andrew Laurence."
"Do you know what house he's in?"
"I. . . I was talking to him earlier. . . before this happened. He. . . he said he was from Stein house."
I could hear a door opening. Lauren and I got up from the lounge we were in to see if it was her. It was, but disappeared into the girl's washroom.
"I'll go check on her." I nodded and just waited in the hall for a good fifteen minutes before she came back out.
"She went straight into the shower. I tried talking. I don't know if she heard me. She didn't answer." She looked like she was about to cry. "I didn't know what else to do."
"It's alright. It's okay. You did the best you could." I finally calmed her down. "Look, I have to do something. I'll be back soon. Will you be okay?"
"Yeah," she said softly. I nodded and left.
"Can you tell me where I can find Andrew Laurence?" I asked a guy who was just leaving the dorm.
"He's the one over there."
"Thanks." I saw him against the wall, talking to another girl.
"Andrew Laurence?" I asked as calmly as I could. The girl he was talking to ducked out and left as soon as he turned his head.
"Yeah?"
I looked around. The hall was deserted. I punched him square in the jaw, and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt before he could run off.
"What's your problem, man?" I pinned him against the wall with my arm across his throat.
"You think it's fun to take advantage of little girls?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Listen to me you little bastard, I don't know what the hell is wrong with you, but you are going to pay for what you did."
"What did I do?" he asked, feigning innocence. I punched him at the side of his head that time.
"If you ever go near Jamie again, I'll kill you, you sick son of a bitch."
"Oh," he said, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "This is about Jamie." A sick grin spread across his face.
I loosened my grip against his neck, then threw him back against the wall harder, slamming his head. "Never, ever go near Jamie or any other girl on my team again. Do you understand me?" He didn't answer. I punched him twice in the mouth, once in the eye. I was seeing red. I was ready to kill him.
"Do you understand me?" I asked again, tightening my grip around his neck.
"Okay, okay, I understand you," he gasped. I loosened my grip again. Blood was pooling at the side of his mouth.
"And if I ever see you so much as look at another girl in a way that I find unsuitable, I'm going to make hell seem like a nice place to vacation."
"Okay," he agreed quickly.
"You are nothing but a small boy who tries to feel powerful by taking advantage of younger girls. Don't fool yourself into thinking that you're anything else." I let go of him, and for the first time, noticed that my knuckles were bleeding.
"Man, you need to lighten up a bit. Maybe try some yoga," he told me, just before trying to run away. I punched him in the stomach. He doubled over, and I took off.
Wednesday, January 15th
"Lauren Robbins?" I asked the girl hunched over some books in the school library.
"Yeah?" she asked, looking up. I sat down across from her. Elliot was off interviewing another alibi of Jamie's.
"I'm detective Benson," I said softly, although even at full voice not too many people would have heard me. It was really loud for a library.
"Is this about Josh?"
"Partly. The night he was killed, did you have any contact with Jamie Garner?"
"Yeah. We were talking on the internet for two hours. She didn't want to tie up the phone line. She was hoping Josh would call."
"Was there any reason she was so anxious for him to call?"
She raised her shoulders slightly and dropped them. "Not that I know of. She was just really in love."
"What time were you talking to her?"
"Um. . . I guess from about quarter to twelve until about two thirty. I have the conversation saved, so I can check if you want."
I nodded. "You went to Syracuse with Jamie, right?"
"Yeah."
"And you were the one who called Mr. Shepard the Saturday night?"
She dropped her eyes. "This . . . this isn't something I should be talking to you about. You have to ask Jamie about what happened."
"I've talked to her. I'm just trying to piece together what happened that night."
"I can't tell you a whole lot. Um, I came to her room around nine-thirty, and I heard her saying stop, please don't do this, get off, things like that. There was also a guy who kept saying 'it's all good'. I called Mr. Shepard right away. I didn't think he could move that fast."
"He was there right away?"
"I stayed in that hotel last time I was in Syracuse. The driving alone is fifteen minutes."
"How long did it take him to get there?"
"Ten minutes tops."
"What kind of relationship do they have?"
"Lately, it's been pretty good, but before that, it was almost like he was trying to ignore her. I mean, he wasn't. She didn't need help, especially compared to the others. She could make it to nationals easily."
"Why has it changed lately?"
"The night that everything happened, she tore into him. He wanted to take her to the police, or at least to the hospital. She told him to screw off. I think she just needed someone to be angry at."
"Thanks Lauren."
"No problem. I hope you find out who did this. Josh was a really great guy." I got up, left the library and met Elliot.
"Did she confirm Jamie's story?" he asked.
"Yeah. Yours?"
"She says that Jamie was talking to her on-line on and off between eleven and twelve."
"Who's next?"
"Now one may ask oneself why exactly is doctor assisted suicide illegal? Well, there is a really simple answer. Those morons up in the white house decided that-"
Once again, we entered Anthony Shepard's classroom in the middle of a debate. He saw the two of us in the doorway.
"Allison, we have five minutes left in the LO speech," he told a girl sitting nearby him and ducked out. "What can I help you with?"
"Is there somewhere we can speak privately?" I asked, noticing the students scattered around the hallway.
"There's a resource room down there." He led us into a small room with a large table in the middle. Elliot and I sat down.
"The first time we came, you asked us if we were here about Jamie," Elliot stated.
He closed the door and sat down as well. "I just- I know Jamie better. I figured it was about Josh's murder."
"Are you sure that it wasn't because you thought Jamie might have come forward and pressed charges?" I asked.
"She talked to you?"
I nodded. "What can you tell us about what happened that night?"
"We had finished the tournament around eight. It was too late to leave, so we were going to stay another night. They went off to their dorms, and I went to my hotel."
"Hold on," Elliot said. "You weren't staying with them?"
"All the debaters had their parents sign consent forms. I would have had to stay in a different dorm anyways. It would have happened the same if I was there."
"There were fourteen year olds on that trip."
"Yes, and they stayed in a hotel if their parents wanted to. It's just a lot more cost-effective if we stay in the dorms. The kids usually have a lot of fun. And no one has billoted since this happened." He turned to face me. "Around ten, I got a call from Lauren. She said that she had gone to the room Jamie was staying in, and had heard a girl- probably Jamie- crying and begging someone to stop. She said she also heard a guy grunting. I got there as fast as I could. Lauren can corroborate."
"She already has," I told him.
"When I got there, she said that a guy had left almost as soon as she called. Jamie hadn't left the room. A couple of minutes later, Jamie came out of the room she was staying in. I barely saw her. She went straight into the girl's washroom. Lauren went after her, and I waited. Lauren came back out, crying. I talked to her for a while, then I had somewhere I had to go."
"You had an upset girl, another one who'd just been raped, and you had something more important to do?" Elliot asked, disgusted.
He hesitated for a minute. "Lauren told me the guy's name. I went to find him."
"Did you?" I asked.
"Yeah."
"And?"
He hesitated again. "I gave him a piece of my mind. I told him that he wasn't going to get away with what he did, called him a bunch of names I'm not going to repeat and warned him never to go near Jamie or any girl on my debate team. And if I ever saw him so much as look at a girl the wrong way I wouldn't kill him, but make him wish he was dead. Then I went back to the dorm the girls were staying in. Lauren said Jamie had gone into her room, and there had been no noises since. I knocked on the door a couple of minutes later. She didn't answer. I was worried that she could be hurting herself, so I got Lauren's key and went in. She was sitting on the bed. I tried talking to her, but it didn't work. She got mad at me. I wanted to get her checked out. She finally just told me to get out. She stayed there the rest of the night. I stayed in the lounge with Lauren the rest of the night. Lauren was pretty freaked out. I can't say I blame her."
"Why didn't you call her parents?" Elliot asked.
"She said she'd kill herself if I did. She doesn't have the greatest relationship with either of them. They're divorced, and both workaholics, from what I hear. I didn't tell them on the condition that she talked to a counsellor."
"Has she?"
"As far as I know. She hasn't been in school since Josh was killed."
"Were Jamie and Josh having any problems?" I know I was repeating myself, but maybe this time he could tell us something he didn't before for the sake of keeping Jamie's privacy.
"He came and talked to me. It was pretty soon after it happened. I guess she told him."
"Why'd he come to you?" Elliot asked.
"I teach most of the time, but I also work one period a day in the guidance office. Jamie told him that I knew. He didn't know how to react about what she had told him."
"Okay," I said, pushing my chair back. "We'll be in touch. If there's anything you can think of, please, give me a call." I pulled out a card from my pocket and handed it to him.
"I will. Thanks."
"Did you confirm her story?" Cragen asked.
"Lauren Robbins confirmed that they were talking on-line because she didn't want to tie up her phone line. She also confirmed Jamie's story about the events of the night she was raped," I told him, Munch and Fin.
"Teacher says the same thing," Elliot added.
"Sounds like you don't believe him," Fin observed.
Elliot shrugged. "I don't like the guy."
Anthony Shepard
Saturday, November 9th
"Mr. Shepard?" a panicked female voice came from the other end on the line.
"Lauren?" I asked.
"I just went to Jamie's room. I think there's something wrong." Lauren was level-headed. She didn't get upset easily.
"Lauren, calm down. What's going on?"
"I just went to Jamie's room. I heard someone crying. I think it was her. Whoever it was kept saying stop and get off and stuff like that. There was a guy who was grunting."
I was caught completely off guard by what she said. I was ready for medical emergencies, drinking, even drug use. I wasn't expecting this.
"Alright Lauren, are you okay?"
"Yeah. I don't know what to do."
"Have you knocked on her door?" I held the phone with my shoulder, pulling a sweatshirt on.
"There's no answer."
"Did you try to open the door?"
"It's locked." I tried reaching for my shoes without pulling the telephone cord out of the wall.
"I'll be there as soon as I can. Are you in Wellington house?"
"Yeah."
"Stay near Jamie's room. You're on the third floor?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, I'll be right there." I threw the receiver down and left.
"Is he still in there?" I asked Lauren as soon as I got there, not caring that I had just broken about twelve laws while driving.
Lauren, who was sitting down, looked up. I had never seen her so upset. She was chewing her thumb nail. "No. He left almost as soon as I called you."
"Has she come out?"
"No."
I sat down beside her. I had no idea how to react to this situation.
"Do you know who it was?"
"He was one of my judges today. Andrew Laurence."
"Do you know what house he's in?"
"I. . . I was talking to him earlier. . . before this happened. He. . . he said he was from Stein house."
I could hear a door opening. Lauren and I got up from the lounge we were in to see if it was her. It was, but disappeared into the girl's washroom.
"I'll go check on her." I nodded and just waited in the hall for a good fifteen minutes before she came back out.
"She went straight into the shower. I tried talking. I don't know if she heard me. She didn't answer." She looked like she was about to cry. "I didn't know what else to do."
"It's alright. It's okay. You did the best you could." I finally calmed her down. "Look, I have to do something. I'll be back soon. Will you be okay?"
"Yeah," she said softly. I nodded and left.
"Can you tell me where I can find Andrew Laurence?" I asked a guy who was just leaving the dorm.
"He's the one over there."
"Thanks." I saw him against the wall, talking to another girl.
"Andrew Laurence?" I asked as calmly as I could. The girl he was talking to ducked out and left as soon as he turned his head.
"Yeah?"
I looked around. The hall was deserted. I punched him square in the jaw, and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt before he could run off.
"What's your problem, man?" I pinned him against the wall with my arm across his throat.
"You think it's fun to take advantage of little girls?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Listen to me you little bastard, I don't know what the hell is wrong with you, but you are going to pay for what you did."
"What did I do?" he asked, feigning innocence. I punched him at the side of his head that time.
"If you ever go near Jamie again, I'll kill you, you sick son of a bitch."
"Oh," he said, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "This is about Jamie." A sick grin spread across his face.
I loosened my grip against his neck, then threw him back against the wall harder, slamming his head. "Never, ever go near Jamie or any other girl on my team again. Do you understand me?" He didn't answer. I punched him twice in the mouth, once in the eye. I was seeing red. I was ready to kill him.
"Do you understand me?" I asked again, tightening my grip around his neck.
"Okay, okay, I understand you," he gasped. I loosened my grip again. Blood was pooling at the side of his mouth.
"And if I ever see you so much as look at another girl in a way that I find unsuitable, I'm going to make hell seem like a nice place to vacation."
"Okay," he agreed quickly.
"You are nothing but a small boy who tries to feel powerful by taking advantage of younger girls. Don't fool yourself into thinking that you're anything else." I let go of him, and for the first time, noticed that my knuckles were bleeding.
"Man, you need to lighten up a bit. Maybe try some yoga," he told me, just before trying to run away. I punched him in the stomach. He doubled over, and I took off.