title: possession - chapter two
author: duck
rating: parental guidance recommended for anyone under 13
author note: the update queen strikes again!! mostly cause that first chapter is embarrassingly short. weird idea though, eh?
disclaimer: so you wanna hear a funny story? they're not mine.
-----
"Let me get this straight. He kidnaps her, he rapes her, and then he tattoos her?" Cragen stared in disbelief at the two detectives standing in front of him. "I've never heard of anything like this."
"Actually I'm surprise no one's ever thought of this before," Elliot commented. "It's a very distinctive signature on an average M.O. Tattoos are permanent; she won't be forgetting her rape any time soon."
"You think he's going serial?" Cragen asked. "He could have specifically targeted her."
"He may have singled her out, but she didn't recognize him at all," Olivia answered. "Even where's there's an imagined relationship the subject of the fantasy usually knows the fantasizer, if only by sight. And we've checked all the databases. This doesn't fit with anything anyone's ever done before here or anywhere else."
"Where's the victim now?"
"Munch and Fin took her to the hospital for a rape kit about an hour ago. He cleaned her pretty well though, so we're not expecting anything," Olivia explained. "They're going to try to get a sample of the ink. Hopefully we'll get something to match it to."
"She given a sketch yet?"
"When she gets back," Elliot said, half shrugging.
"Once we get one let's start canvassing the tattoo parlors in the area. He had to get his ink and training from somewhere." Cragen shuffled through a stack of paper on his desk. "In the meantime, wrap your currents cases as well as you can and then give them to one of the other detectives. If you think he's going to turn serial this has to get top priority."
- 2:10 pm -
Elliot and Olivia emerged from their sixth tattoo place--Mike's Ink by Design--and instantly felt all 92 degrees of the heat wave that was gripping the city. Olivia looked down at her conservative suit as she stripped off the jacket.
"Do I really look like I'm in the market for a tribal armband?" she asked as they headed for the car.
"Well you're certainly not a butterfly kind of girl," Elliot said with an amused grin.
"Thanks, I think," Olivia said as she yanked open the passenger door and slid inside. "So where's this third tattoo of yours?" she asked once he'd done the same.
"Ah, well, only two people have ever seen it," Elliot said, his amused grin turning slightly wicked.
"Who?"
"Kathy and the guy who inked it."
"I don't even want to know," she groaned. She leaned over to crank up the AC to full blast. "Don't you sign the papers Friday?"
He grimaced. "Yeah. Get me completely toasted afterwards, would you?"
She patted him lightly on the shoulder. "Hey, what are friends for?"
His cell phone started to ring and he pulled it out. "Stabler." She watched him nod and "yeah" his way through the conversation. Finally, "We'll be there in twenty minutes." He flipped his phone shut.
"That was Munch," he said. "One of the artists at a shop matched the sketch. We're meeting them back at the station to work him over. Probably get a line-up too."
"That was quick," Olivia said, frowning. "Could this one really be that easy?"
"Wouldn't it be nice?"
"Too nice."
"Cynic."
- Interrogation Room -
- 2:56pm -
Elliot closely scrutinized the kid in front of him. He leaned back against the window and studied, hoping to get the guy agitated. He had to repress his urge to smile; it was working quite well. His hands were pressed flat against the table top, exposing the stars that covered the back of them. The motif continued up both arms, but other full color designs were woven in between the stars. It was rather impressive artwork really. Still, his hands were trembling and he split his nervous gaze evenly among the mirrored glass, the table, and Elliot. His eyes had begun to shift faster and faster. Right about now would probably be good.
Elliot ducked his chin slightly as he glanced towards the one-way glass behind which he knew his partner was waiting. Seconds later the door banged open with an echoing thud, startling their suspect into jumping an inch out of his chair. He'd barely recovered before Olivia had stomped to the table, slammed down a folder, and sat down. God but he loved this job.
"Alexander Marcus?" she demanded.
"Uh, most people call me Xan," he stuttered. His knuckles were already white from gripping the table edge.
"Where were you last night, Alex?" she asked, completely ignoring him.
"At home," he said. Olivia had his complete terrified attention now and Elliot decided to hang back for now.
"Where's home?" she inquired, the force of her voice obviously scaring the guy so badly that Elliot almost felt sorry for him.
"Apartment above the parlor."
"You sure you were there? You got anyone to corroborate that?"
"No, my girlfriend was out." He was definitely sweating bullets.
"You got no one who can say where you were last night?" Olivia was glaring in full force now. "You look a little scared to me. He look scared to you?"
She didn't turn to look at Elliot but the kid did. He nodded slowly and didn't say a word. He stretched his arms out to the side, then folded them behind his head so his Marines tattoo was in view. The suspect's eyes widened and he quickly looked back to Olivia.
"See Alex, we have a sketch of someone that looks a lot like you." Olivia took it out and tossed it down in front of him. "Now since you were at home, this couldn't be you, because this man raped a woman last night."
"It ain't me!" he exclaimed.
"So your evil twin tattooed her afterwards too?" Olivia asked derisively.
"He might have," he said, panic evident. "Last time I checked Bobby was in prison, but he might have gotten out."
Elliot decided this might be a good time to interject. "Wait, you really do have an evil twin?"
"Not so much evil as slightly twisted. We had a falling out when he went to jail the last time," he explained. He visibly relaxed as the anger drained from the room.
"He sexually assaulted my ex-girlfriend."
Eliot felt his partner's eyes and he met her surprised expression with one of his own.
-----
"It was too much to ask, I suppose," Olivia commented once they were in the hallway.
"Yeah, one easy case every now and then would be nice," Elliot agreed. "Nice work by the way."
"Thanks."
"You wanna pull evil twin's records or shall I?"
"I'll stay with 'Xan' here and get as much as I can. Hey," she said to Fin as he approached. He didn't bother returning the greeting.
"I was checking Alexander Marcus' records when I came across something interesting," he said. "Turns out he has an identical twin brother convicted of--you'll never guess."
"Sexual assault," Elliot said.
"Ding ding," Fin said, giving the sarcastic smile Elliot was accustomed to seeing on Munch's face.
"Alexander told us," Olivia said quickly. "Said it was his ex-girlfriend, so they had a falling out. Which means he doesn't know if he's still in prison or not.
Fin was ready with the answer to the implied question. "Robert Marcus was paroled two weeks ago for good behavior." He handed over the folder he was carrying. "Munch and I are on the way to question Alex's live-in girlfriend. We're hoping she saw something."
"We'll check with his parole officer first?" Elliot suggested. "Then go to the address listed and see if we can't pick him up."
"Sounds like a plan," Olivia agreed. "I'll ask someone else to finish with Alexander and we can go."
-----
The parole office was noise and unorganized. It was large as far as parole offices go, but the sound assaulted Elliot's ears and the chaos made him cringe. Special Victims may border on chaotic occasionally, but it was always organized chaos and was usually gone once that particular case was done. Here though the mess clung and he wasn't sure how anyone could work in such an environment. He studied the workers while Olivia politely asked a secretary for directions.
The intradepartmental politics were fully on display he instantly noticed. Here and there a couple workers were toiling diligently and a few were talking into phones. There were several people at the open filing cabinets that covered one wall, but they were all talking as the shifted through papers. One man was shamelessly flirting with two women at once, but back off as he pointed at papers on his desk. The woman displayed some reluctance but were soon at another desk laughing together.
"Okay," Olivia said, brushing his shoulder with hers as she passed him. "That's him." She started to make her way around the cluttered desks towards the flirtatious man who was now bent over the folders of his desk.
"Him?" Elliot asked in his most contemptuous voice. He'd started to follow but she stopped short to look at him.
"Yeah why? You know him?" She seemed genuinely curious.
"No but he was just flirting with--"
Olivia cut him off with a groan. "Loosen up, Elliot," she instructed as she resumed her path.
"--two women at once," he said, knowing she could hear him. She didn't stop though so he followed and tried to shake off his assumptions. He tried, he really did, but the assessing and then frankly appreciating look the man gave his partner once she'd stopped in front of his desk was enough to make his blood boil. He stormed up behind her, glaring through narrowed eyes.
"Daniel Adler?" Olivia asked.
"That's me," the man confirmed. "But you can call me Danny."
Olivia nodded briefly before continuing. "I'm Detective Olivia Benson. This is my partner Elliot Stabler. We're from the Special Victims Unit."
"How can I help you detectives?" Adler asked with an easy grin that spoke to years of experience charming the pants off anything that moved. Elliot menaced his best in the direction of the blond man, but he didn't so much as look in Elliot's direction. After a moment of scrutiny he was forced to admit the man was probably very good looking in most women's standards.
"We need to ask you about one of parolees," Olivia said. "Robert Marcus."
"Oh, Bobby?" Adler asked. He looked down with a somewhat rueful smile. "Actually I was just working on his parole violation paperwork. He hasn't called in a week and he's not answering his phone. He's a smart guy, so I'm going to go down to his place in about fifteen minutes to threaten him with the papers if you want to tag along."
"He's looking pretty good for a rape case we have right now," Olivia explained.
"So this is a bit more pressing than a parole violation," Elliot added angrily.
Olivia turned her head to glare with her quiet reprove. "Down boy," she muttered. Then she said louder, "Elliot why don't you go get the car? We'll drive over there right now."
Elliot fought the compulsion to growl in the manner of a possessive dog and settled for stomping away instead. He knew she was just trying to prevent him from doing something stupid, like hitting the cocky son-of-a-bitch. It still burned like a rejection. Not that he even had the right to feel rejected. Liv was his partner, his best friend, his roommate, the woman he danced with every night. He had no right to get jealous or possessive; she was free to flirt with whomever she liked.
"So," he heard the arrogant prick ask. "What are you doing Friday night?" Elliot's heart practically stopped. He knocked a couple folders off a desk as he walked by so he could stop to hear Olivia's response.
"Oh, I kinda have plans."
"'Kinda?'" came the smarmily hopeful reply.
"Definitely have plans." Elliot grinned wildly.
"How about Saturday?" There went his heart again.
"Um, I ah," Olivia stumbled over her words. Was she actually casting around for an excuse? He slowly picked up the last folder, straining to hear her.
"Danny, I'm sorry. The thing is, I'm living with someone right now."
Elliot's widest smile split his face. His day was definitely looking up.
[tbc]
[grins crazily and runs for the hills, ducking any thrown objects]
author: duck
rating: parental guidance recommended for anyone under 13
author note: the update queen strikes again!! mostly cause that first chapter is embarrassingly short. weird idea though, eh?
disclaimer: so you wanna hear a funny story? they're not mine.
-----
"Let me get this straight. He kidnaps her, he rapes her, and then he tattoos her?" Cragen stared in disbelief at the two detectives standing in front of him. "I've never heard of anything like this."
"Actually I'm surprise no one's ever thought of this before," Elliot commented. "It's a very distinctive signature on an average M.O. Tattoos are permanent; she won't be forgetting her rape any time soon."
"You think he's going serial?" Cragen asked. "He could have specifically targeted her."
"He may have singled her out, but she didn't recognize him at all," Olivia answered. "Even where's there's an imagined relationship the subject of the fantasy usually knows the fantasizer, if only by sight. And we've checked all the databases. This doesn't fit with anything anyone's ever done before here or anywhere else."
"Where's the victim now?"
"Munch and Fin took her to the hospital for a rape kit about an hour ago. He cleaned her pretty well though, so we're not expecting anything," Olivia explained. "They're going to try to get a sample of the ink. Hopefully we'll get something to match it to."
"She given a sketch yet?"
"When she gets back," Elliot said, half shrugging.
"Once we get one let's start canvassing the tattoo parlors in the area. He had to get his ink and training from somewhere." Cragen shuffled through a stack of paper on his desk. "In the meantime, wrap your currents cases as well as you can and then give them to one of the other detectives. If you think he's going to turn serial this has to get top priority."
- 2:10 pm -
Elliot and Olivia emerged from their sixth tattoo place--Mike's Ink by Design--and instantly felt all 92 degrees of the heat wave that was gripping the city. Olivia looked down at her conservative suit as she stripped off the jacket.
"Do I really look like I'm in the market for a tribal armband?" she asked as they headed for the car.
"Well you're certainly not a butterfly kind of girl," Elliot said with an amused grin.
"Thanks, I think," Olivia said as she yanked open the passenger door and slid inside. "So where's this third tattoo of yours?" she asked once he'd done the same.
"Ah, well, only two people have ever seen it," Elliot said, his amused grin turning slightly wicked.
"Who?"
"Kathy and the guy who inked it."
"I don't even want to know," she groaned. She leaned over to crank up the AC to full blast. "Don't you sign the papers Friday?"
He grimaced. "Yeah. Get me completely toasted afterwards, would you?"
She patted him lightly on the shoulder. "Hey, what are friends for?"
His cell phone started to ring and he pulled it out. "Stabler." She watched him nod and "yeah" his way through the conversation. Finally, "We'll be there in twenty minutes." He flipped his phone shut.
"That was Munch," he said. "One of the artists at a shop matched the sketch. We're meeting them back at the station to work him over. Probably get a line-up too."
"That was quick," Olivia said, frowning. "Could this one really be that easy?"
"Wouldn't it be nice?"
"Too nice."
"Cynic."
- Interrogation Room -
- 2:56pm -
Elliot closely scrutinized the kid in front of him. He leaned back against the window and studied, hoping to get the guy agitated. He had to repress his urge to smile; it was working quite well. His hands were pressed flat against the table top, exposing the stars that covered the back of them. The motif continued up both arms, but other full color designs were woven in between the stars. It was rather impressive artwork really. Still, his hands were trembling and he split his nervous gaze evenly among the mirrored glass, the table, and Elliot. His eyes had begun to shift faster and faster. Right about now would probably be good.
Elliot ducked his chin slightly as he glanced towards the one-way glass behind which he knew his partner was waiting. Seconds later the door banged open with an echoing thud, startling their suspect into jumping an inch out of his chair. He'd barely recovered before Olivia had stomped to the table, slammed down a folder, and sat down. God but he loved this job.
"Alexander Marcus?" she demanded.
"Uh, most people call me Xan," he stuttered. His knuckles were already white from gripping the table edge.
"Where were you last night, Alex?" she asked, completely ignoring him.
"At home," he said. Olivia had his complete terrified attention now and Elliot decided to hang back for now.
"Where's home?" she inquired, the force of her voice obviously scaring the guy so badly that Elliot almost felt sorry for him.
"Apartment above the parlor."
"You sure you were there? You got anyone to corroborate that?"
"No, my girlfriend was out." He was definitely sweating bullets.
"You got no one who can say where you were last night?" Olivia was glaring in full force now. "You look a little scared to me. He look scared to you?"
She didn't turn to look at Elliot but the kid did. He nodded slowly and didn't say a word. He stretched his arms out to the side, then folded them behind his head so his Marines tattoo was in view. The suspect's eyes widened and he quickly looked back to Olivia.
"See Alex, we have a sketch of someone that looks a lot like you." Olivia took it out and tossed it down in front of him. "Now since you were at home, this couldn't be you, because this man raped a woman last night."
"It ain't me!" he exclaimed.
"So your evil twin tattooed her afterwards too?" Olivia asked derisively.
"He might have," he said, panic evident. "Last time I checked Bobby was in prison, but he might have gotten out."
Elliot decided this might be a good time to interject. "Wait, you really do have an evil twin?"
"Not so much evil as slightly twisted. We had a falling out when he went to jail the last time," he explained. He visibly relaxed as the anger drained from the room.
"He sexually assaulted my ex-girlfriend."
Eliot felt his partner's eyes and he met her surprised expression with one of his own.
-----
"It was too much to ask, I suppose," Olivia commented once they were in the hallway.
"Yeah, one easy case every now and then would be nice," Elliot agreed. "Nice work by the way."
"Thanks."
"You wanna pull evil twin's records or shall I?"
"I'll stay with 'Xan' here and get as much as I can. Hey," she said to Fin as he approached. He didn't bother returning the greeting.
"I was checking Alexander Marcus' records when I came across something interesting," he said. "Turns out he has an identical twin brother convicted of--you'll never guess."
"Sexual assault," Elliot said.
"Ding ding," Fin said, giving the sarcastic smile Elliot was accustomed to seeing on Munch's face.
"Alexander told us," Olivia said quickly. "Said it was his ex-girlfriend, so they had a falling out. Which means he doesn't know if he's still in prison or not.
Fin was ready with the answer to the implied question. "Robert Marcus was paroled two weeks ago for good behavior." He handed over the folder he was carrying. "Munch and I are on the way to question Alex's live-in girlfriend. We're hoping she saw something."
"We'll check with his parole officer first?" Elliot suggested. "Then go to the address listed and see if we can't pick him up."
"Sounds like a plan," Olivia agreed. "I'll ask someone else to finish with Alexander and we can go."
-----
The parole office was noise and unorganized. It was large as far as parole offices go, but the sound assaulted Elliot's ears and the chaos made him cringe. Special Victims may border on chaotic occasionally, but it was always organized chaos and was usually gone once that particular case was done. Here though the mess clung and he wasn't sure how anyone could work in such an environment. He studied the workers while Olivia politely asked a secretary for directions.
The intradepartmental politics were fully on display he instantly noticed. Here and there a couple workers were toiling diligently and a few were talking into phones. There were several people at the open filing cabinets that covered one wall, but they were all talking as the shifted through papers. One man was shamelessly flirting with two women at once, but back off as he pointed at papers on his desk. The woman displayed some reluctance but were soon at another desk laughing together.
"Okay," Olivia said, brushing his shoulder with hers as she passed him. "That's him." She started to make her way around the cluttered desks towards the flirtatious man who was now bent over the folders of his desk.
"Him?" Elliot asked in his most contemptuous voice. He'd started to follow but she stopped short to look at him.
"Yeah why? You know him?" She seemed genuinely curious.
"No but he was just flirting with--"
Olivia cut him off with a groan. "Loosen up, Elliot," she instructed as she resumed her path.
"--two women at once," he said, knowing she could hear him. She didn't stop though so he followed and tried to shake off his assumptions. He tried, he really did, but the assessing and then frankly appreciating look the man gave his partner once she'd stopped in front of his desk was enough to make his blood boil. He stormed up behind her, glaring through narrowed eyes.
"Daniel Adler?" Olivia asked.
"That's me," the man confirmed. "But you can call me Danny."
Olivia nodded briefly before continuing. "I'm Detective Olivia Benson. This is my partner Elliot Stabler. We're from the Special Victims Unit."
"How can I help you detectives?" Adler asked with an easy grin that spoke to years of experience charming the pants off anything that moved. Elliot menaced his best in the direction of the blond man, but he didn't so much as look in Elliot's direction. After a moment of scrutiny he was forced to admit the man was probably very good looking in most women's standards.
"We need to ask you about one of parolees," Olivia said. "Robert Marcus."
"Oh, Bobby?" Adler asked. He looked down with a somewhat rueful smile. "Actually I was just working on his parole violation paperwork. He hasn't called in a week and he's not answering his phone. He's a smart guy, so I'm going to go down to his place in about fifteen minutes to threaten him with the papers if you want to tag along."
"He's looking pretty good for a rape case we have right now," Olivia explained.
"So this is a bit more pressing than a parole violation," Elliot added angrily.
Olivia turned her head to glare with her quiet reprove. "Down boy," she muttered. Then she said louder, "Elliot why don't you go get the car? We'll drive over there right now."
Elliot fought the compulsion to growl in the manner of a possessive dog and settled for stomping away instead. He knew she was just trying to prevent him from doing something stupid, like hitting the cocky son-of-a-bitch. It still burned like a rejection. Not that he even had the right to feel rejected. Liv was his partner, his best friend, his roommate, the woman he danced with every night. He had no right to get jealous or possessive; she was free to flirt with whomever she liked.
"So," he heard the arrogant prick ask. "What are you doing Friday night?" Elliot's heart practically stopped. He knocked a couple folders off a desk as he walked by so he could stop to hear Olivia's response.
"Oh, I kinda have plans."
"'Kinda?'" came the smarmily hopeful reply.
"Definitely have plans." Elliot grinned wildly.
"How about Saturday?" There went his heart again.
"Um, I ah," Olivia stumbled over her words. Was she actually casting around for an excuse? He slowly picked up the last folder, straining to hear her.
"Danny, I'm sorry. The thing is, I'm living with someone right now."
Elliot's widest smile split his face. His day was definitely looking up.
[tbc]
[grins crazily and runs for the hills, ducking any thrown objects]