CHAPTER 2
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Chamber Residence
285 Licht Lane
Queens, New York
4:02 PM
As their car pulled up in front of Jessica's house, Elliot felt his heart begin to pound faster in his chest. He was definitely not looking forward to having to break the news to her parents, but Olivia was right—it would be that much easier with her there beside him. The four of them exited the car and headed toward the house. Olivia squeezed Elliot's bicep reassuringly when they reached the door.
"We can do this, Elliot," she whispered.
He rang the doorbell and stepped back, allowing Jessica to stand in front of him and Elizabeth to stand in front of Olivia. The door opened a few moments later to reveal Jessica's mother, Karen, wiping her hands on the apron she was wearing.
"Elliot, what a pleasant surprise! What are you doing here?" she asked while opening the door for them to enter the house.
"Karen, my partner, Olivia and I need to speak with you for a few minutes. Why don't we go have a seat?" he suggested.
"Girls, why don't you go upstairs and play?" Karen said. The two girls quickly went up to Jessica's room and closed the door behind them. Elliot and Olivia followed Karen into the living room and sat down side by side on the floral print couch. Karen sat on the matching loveseat to the right of the couch.
"Elliot, what's going on? Did something happen to the girls today at school?" Karen asked, obviously becoming increasingly upset at their random visit.
"Karen...I don't know how to tell you this, but..." Elliot was suddenly at a loss for words. Sensing his dilemma, Olivia chimed in. "While she was walking to school this morning, Jessica was attacked."
"Attacked? What do you mean? There wasn't a scratch on her or Lizzie! You must be mistaken," Karen said, disbelieving.
"Lizzie didn't walk to school with Jessica this morning, Karen. She was running late and didn't want to get Jessica in trouble so she sent her on ahead. On her way, Jessica was pulled into the alley between the bakery and the Laundromat and raped by two boys. I'm so sorry to have to be the one to tell you this," Elliot explained.
"You're telling me my little girl...my ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD daughter was RAPED this morning?!" Karen exclaimed, clasping a hand over her mouth.
"Unfortunately, yes, that is what we are telling you," Elliot said.
"How did you find out? Did the school call? Why didn't they call me?" Karen asked, a hundred questions running through her frazzled mind.
"No, when Lizzie found Jessica crying in the bathroom, Jess told her what had happened and the two of them snuck out of school and came to us for help," Olivia clarified. "The school was in no way involved and as far as we know, no one else knows what happened."
"Olivia and I are going to be investigating this case personally and I promise you, we *will* find the boys responsible for this," Elliot said.
"Boys? There was more than one?" Karen questioned, having not caught the plural earlier.
"According to Jessica, two teenage boys attacked her," Olivia explained. "She's already been checked out by the hospital and everything seems find, considering. If you have any questions, feel free to call either one of us, day or night."
Karen nodded, still unsure how to deal with the news she had just received.
"We'd love to stay here for a while, but we have to get back to the precinct and see what we can do about this matter. Let me just go get Lizzie and we'll be on our way," Elliot said.
"No. Let her stay. I think that Jessica needs a friend right now," Karen protested.
"Okay, that's fine. Just tell Lizzie that if she needs to go home for any reason to call Maureen to come get her."
"I will. Thank you two for being there for her. I know that you'll catch the bastards that did this to my little girl," Karen said as she showed them out.
"We'll do our best. We'll let you know what we turn up, Karen. Don't forget that we're both only a phone call away if you two need anything," Elliot said.
Karen smiled weakly at them. "Thank you."
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16th Precinct
4:54 PM
By the time Olivia and Elliot walked through the doors of the precinct, Elliot had become more emotional about the situation.
"Munch, Fin...did you find out anything while we were gone?" He asked, hanging his coat on the rack by the lockers.
"Yeah, two more 11 year-old girls came in with their parents to report their rapes," Fin replied.
Olivia and Elliot looked at each other in disbelief. "The stories match," Munch started. "All three were pulled into an alley and knocked out, all remember two boys, one with a red ski mask, the other with a blue. All the attacks occurred in close proximity to one another."
"Three girls in less than one day?" Olivia asked.
"Oh, to have THAT much stamina again," Munch lamented.
The other three detectives gave him the evil eye. "Were there any other connections between the victims?" Elliot asked.
"Actually, they all go to the same school and know each other," Fin replied.
Captain Cragen walked over just in time to hear the last bit of the conversation.
"Well, at least that's a start. Olivia, Elliot, get over to that school first thing in the morning and see what you can dig up," he said. "No one of use will be there at this time of day."
He then turned to face his other pair of detectives. "Munch, Fin, since we're reasonably certain the perps are teenagers, start checking the absentee and late arrival lists of the high schools in that area in the AM."
"You got it, Cap," Fin said.
"For right now, I want all of you to go home and get a good night's rest. Tomorrow is going to be a very long day and I want you in your best shape. Go on, get out of here. I don't want to hear any buts about it," the Captain said.
The four detectives reluctantly returned to their respective desks and began tidying them before leaving for the night. Elliot finished straightening his desk, then grabbed his and Olivia's coats from the rack.
"You wanna come over to my place for dinner tonight? It's nothing special, probably Chinese, but I think Lizzie might need a woman to talk to...and I wouldn't mind spending some quality time with you," he said as he handed her the coat.
"Yeah, I'd really like that," she replied with a smile.
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Stabler House
Queens, New York
7:48 PM
After dinner had been cleaned up, Elizabeth had quickly retreated to her room. She had been uncharacteristically quiet all night and Elliot was really starting to worry about his youngest daughter.
"She's really upset about this, 'Liv. You know her, she's *never* that quiet," Elliot said after taking a sip from his coffee mug.
"Elliot, her best-friend was raped this morning. I'm sure her reaction is completely normal, but I'll talk to her if that would make you feel better," Olivia suggested.
"It would...at least then I'd know she was all right," he replied.
"I'll be back in a bit then," she said as began to rise off the couch. Before she could completely stand up, Elliot pulled her back down onto the couch and covered her lips with his.
"Hurry back," he said after he finished kissing her.
"I will."
Olivia went into the kitchen and poured some of the remaining hot water from their coffee into a mug and added hot cocoa mix, then headed up to Elizabeth's room. Juggling both mugs in one hand, she managed to knock on the door without spilling anything.
"Who is it?" Elizabeth asked.
"It's Olivia, honey. Can I come in?"
Elizabeth opened the door enough for Olivia to fit through, then quickly closed it behind her.
"I brought you some hot cocoa...I thought you might need it," Olivia said, placing the steaming mugs on the nightstand next to Elizabeth's bed.
"Thanks," she responded.
Olivia sat down on the corner of Elizabeth's pink-lips covered comforter, then patted the bed next to her for Elizabeth the join her. The girl sat down where Olivia's hand had just been and looked up at her. Olivia put her arm around Elizabeth and stroked her hair soothingly.
"Lizzie, do you want to talk about what happened today? You were awfully upset at dinner," Olivia said.
A pregnant pause followed. "Jessica wouldn't have gotten hurt if I had been with her like I was supposed to be. They wouldn't have hurt her if I were there," Elizabeth said sadly.
"Oh, Lizzie, you don't know that. If you had been with her, they might have hurt both of you. There's no way to know what would have happened if you were there," Olivia replied.
"It's still my fault, Olivia! We are never supposed to walk to school alone and I broke the rules and Jess got raped!" Elizabeth exclaimed.
Olivia turned to face Elizabeth and lifted her chin to look in her troubled eyes. "Lizzie, you cannot blame yourself for what happened today. It wasn't your fault. You did what you thought was best and told Jessica to go to school without you. Yes, you might have broken the rules, but anything that happened after that was not your fault. Do you understand that?"
Tears began streaming from Elizabeth's eyes. "I know...I just still feel really bad!" She replied, wrapping her arms tightly around Olivia's waist. Olivia rubbed her back and gently rocked back and forth with her. Elizabeth's sobs quieted and after a few minutes had passed, Olivia realized that she had fallen asleep in her arms. She carefully slid out from Elizabeth's grasp and laid her down and carefully tucked the covers around her. She quietly slipped out of the room and closed the door behind her. When she turned around, she was startled to find Elliot standing behind her.
"You scared me, Elliot!"
"Sorry, I just came to see what was keeping you. I wanted to make sure my girls were doing all right," he said pulling her into his arms.
"We're fine, at least *now* we're fine. Lizzie blamed herself for not being able to prevent Jessica's attack, but we talked about it and I'm pretty sure she realizes it wasn't her fault now. She's sleeping now," Olivia explained.
Elliot opened Elizabeth's door a crack and peered in on his sleeping daughter. He smiled and turned back to Olivia. "Thank you for being there for her. She really does trust you, 'Liv. I'm glad that you two have such a great relationship. She needs a woman around she can talk to and God knows that Kathy doesn't visit very much," he said.
"Come on, let's go watch some television in the bedroom...there's this great show on tonight. It's called The Apprentice and has something to do with going to work for Donald Trump. You'll enjoy it," he suggested.
"Sounds interesting to me, let's go," she replied.
Shortly after the show ended, Olivia and Elliot were sound asleep in each other's arms, peacefully dreaming the night away, knowing tomorrow was going to be a rough day for everyone. What they didn't realize was just how bad it was going to get...
***End Chapter 2
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Chamber Residence
285 Licht Lane
Queens, New York
4:02 PM
As their car pulled up in front of Jessica's house, Elliot felt his heart begin to pound faster in his chest. He was definitely not looking forward to having to break the news to her parents, but Olivia was right—it would be that much easier with her there beside him. The four of them exited the car and headed toward the house. Olivia squeezed Elliot's bicep reassuringly when they reached the door.
"We can do this, Elliot," she whispered.
He rang the doorbell and stepped back, allowing Jessica to stand in front of him and Elizabeth to stand in front of Olivia. The door opened a few moments later to reveal Jessica's mother, Karen, wiping her hands on the apron she was wearing.
"Elliot, what a pleasant surprise! What are you doing here?" she asked while opening the door for them to enter the house.
"Karen, my partner, Olivia and I need to speak with you for a few minutes. Why don't we go have a seat?" he suggested.
"Girls, why don't you go upstairs and play?" Karen said. The two girls quickly went up to Jessica's room and closed the door behind them. Elliot and Olivia followed Karen into the living room and sat down side by side on the floral print couch. Karen sat on the matching loveseat to the right of the couch.
"Elliot, what's going on? Did something happen to the girls today at school?" Karen asked, obviously becoming increasingly upset at their random visit.
"Karen...I don't know how to tell you this, but..." Elliot was suddenly at a loss for words. Sensing his dilemma, Olivia chimed in. "While she was walking to school this morning, Jessica was attacked."
"Attacked? What do you mean? There wasn't a scratch on her or Lizzie! You must be mistaken," Karen said, disbelieving.
"Lizzie didn't walk to school with Jessica this morning, Karen. She was running late and didn't want to get Jessica in trouble so she sent her on ahead. On her way, Jessica was pulled into the alley between the bakery and the Laundromat and raped by two boys. I'm so sorry to have to be the one to tell you this," Elliot explained.
"You're telling me my little girl...my ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD daughter was RAPED this morning?!" Karen exclaimed, clasping a hand over her mouth.
"Unfortunately, yes, that is what we are telling you," Elliot said.
"How did you find out? Did the school call? Why didn't they call me?" Karen asked, a hundred questions running through her frazzled mind.
"No, when Lizzie found Jessica crying in the bathroom, Jess told her what had happened and the two of them snuck out of school and came to us for help," Olivia clarified. "The school was in no way involved and as far as we know, no one else knows what happened."
"Olivia and I are going to be investigating this case personally and I promise you, we *will* find the boys responsible for this," Elliot said.
"Boys? There was more than one?" Karen questioned, having not caught the plural earlier.
"According to Jessica, two teenage boys attacked her," Olivia explained. "She's already been checked out by the hospital and everything seems find, considering. If you have any questions, feel free to call either one of us, day or night."
Karen nodded, still unsure how to deal with the news she had just received.
"We'd love to stay here for a while, but we have to get back to the precinct and see what we can do about this matter. Let me just go get Lizzie and we'll be on our way," Elliot said.
"No. Let her stay. I think that Jessica needs a friend right now," Karen protested.
"Okay, that's fine. Just tell Lizzie that if she needs to go home for any reason to call Maureen to come get her."
"I will. Thank you two for being there for her. I know that you'll catch the bastards that did this to my little girl," Karen said as she showed them out.
"We'll do our best. We'll let you know what we turn up, Karen. Don't forget that we're both only a phone call away if you two need anything," Elliot said.
Karen smiled weakly at them. "Thank you."
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16th Precinct
4:54 PM
By the time Olivia and Elliot walked through the doors of the precinct, Elliot had become more emotional about the situation.
"Munch, Fin...did you find out anything while we were gone?" He asked, hanging his coat on the rack by the lockers.
"Yeah, two more 11 year-old girls came in with their parents to report their rapes," Fin replied.
Olivia and Elliot looked at each other in disbelief. "The stories match," Munch started. "All three were pulled into an alley and knocked out, all remember two boys, one with a red ski mask, the other with a blue. All the attacks occurred in close proximity to one another."
"Three girls in less than one day?" Olivia asked.
"Oh, to have THAT much stamina again," Munch lamented.
The other three detectives gave him the evil eye. "Were there any other connections between the victims?" Elliot asked.
"Actually, they all go to the same school and know each other," Fin replied.
Captain Cragen walked over just in time to hear the last bit of the conversation.
"Well, at least that's a start. Olivia, Elliot, get over to that school first thing in the morning and see what you can dig up," he said. "No one of use will be there at this time of day."
He then turned to face his other pair of detectives. "Munch, Fin, since we're reasonably certain the perps are teenagers, start checking the absentee and late arrival lists of the high schools in that area in the AM."
"You got it, Cap," Fin said.
"For right now, I want all of you to go home and get a good night's rest. Tomorrow is going to be a very long day and I want you in your best shape. Go on, get out of here. I don't want to hear any buts about it," the Captain said.
The four detectives reluctantly returned to their respective desks and began tidying them before leaving for the night. Elliot finished straightening his desk, then grabbed his and Olivia's coats from the rack.
"You wanna come over to my place for dinner tonight? It's nothing special, probably Chinese, but I think Lizzie might need a woman to talk to...and I wouldn't mind spending some quality time with you," he said as he handed her the coat.
"Yeah, I'd really like that," she replied with a smile.
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Stabler House
Queens, New York
7:48 PM
After dinner had been cleaned up, Elizabeth had quickly retreated to her room. She had been uncharacteristically quiet all night and Elliot was really starting to worry about his youngest daughter.
"She's really upset about this, 'Liv. You know her, she's *never* that quiet," Elliot said after taking a sip from his coffee mug.
"Elliot, her best-friend was raped this morning. I'm sure her reaction is completely normal, but I'll talk to her if that would make you feel better," Olivia suggested.
"It would...at least then I'd know she was all right," he replied.
"I'll be back in a bit then," she said as began to rise off the couch. Before she could completely stand up, Elliot pulled her back down onto the couch and covered her lips with his.
"Hurry back," he said after he finished kissing her.
"I will."
Olivia went into the kitchen and poured some of the remaining hot water from their coffee into a mug and added hot cocoa mix, then headed up to Elizabeth's room. Juggling both mugs in one hand, she managed to knock on the door without spilling anything.
"Who is it?" Elizabeth asked.
"It's Olivia, honey. Can I come in?"
Elizabeth opened the door enough for Olivia to fit through, then quickly closed it behind her.
"I brought you some hot cocoa...I thought you might need it," Olivia said, placing the steaming mugs on the nightstand next to Elizabeth's bed.
"Thanks," she responded.
Olivia sat down on the corner of Elizabeth's pink-lips covered comforter, then patted the bed next to her for Elizabeth the join her. The girl sat down where Olivia's hand had just been and looked up at her. Olivia put her arm around Elizabeth and stroked her hair soothingly.
"Lizzie, do you want to talk about what happened today? You were awfully upset at dinner," Olivia said.
A pregnant pause followed. "Jessica wouldn't have gotten hurt if I had been with her like I was supposed to be. They wouldn't have hurt her if I were there," Elizabeth said sadly.
"Oh, Lizzie, you don't know that. If you had been with her, they might have hurt both of you. There's no way to know what would have happened if you were there," Olivia replied.
"It's still my fault, Olivia! We are never supposed to walk to school alone and I broke the rules and Jess got raped!" Elizabeth exclaimed.
Olivia turned to face Elizabeth and lifted her chin to look in her troubled eyes. "Lizzie, you cannot blame yourself for what happened today. It wasn't your fault. You did what you thought was best and told Jessica to go to school without you. Yes, you might have broken the rules, but anything that happened after that was not your fault. Do you understand that?"
Tears began streaming from Elizabeth's eyes. "I know...I just still feel really bad!" She replied, wrapping her arms tightly around Olivia's waist. Olivia rubbed her back and gently rocked back and forth with her. Elizabeth's sobs quieted and after a few minutes had passed, Olivia realized that she had fallen asleep in her arms. She carefully slid out from Elizabeth's grasp and laid her down and carefully tucked the covers around her. She quietly slipped out of the room and closed the door behind her. When she turned around, she was startled to find Elliot standing behind her.
"You scared me, Elliot!"
"Sorry, I just came to see what was keeping you. I wanted to make sure my girls were doing all right," he said pulling her into his arms.
"We're fine, at least *now* we're fine. Lizzie blamed herself for not being able to prevent Jessica's attack, but we talked about it and I'm pretty sure she realizes it wasn't her fault now. She's sleeping now," Olivia explained.
Elliot opened Elizabeth's door a crack and peered in on his sleeping daughter. He smiled and turned back to Olivia. "Thank you for being there for her. She really does trust you, 'Liv. I'm glad that you two have such a great relationship. She needs a woman around she can talk to and God knows that Kathy doesn't visit very much," he said.
"Come on, let's go watch some television in the bedroom...there's this great show on tonight. It's called The Apprentice and has something to do with going to work for Donald Trump. You'll enjoy it," he suggested.
"Sounds interesting to me, let's go," she replied.
Shortly after the show ended, Olivia and Elliot were sound asleep in each other's arms, peacefully dreaming the night away, knowing tomorrow was going to be a rough day for everyone. What they didn't realize was just how bad it was going to get...
***End Chapter 2