CHAPTER 3
A tired, heavy arm came down on the alarm clock buzzing incessantly next to the bed. Elliot groaned and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.
"Shit, it's 5:30 already? Wonderful..." He said as he rolled over on top of something next to him, warm beneath the covers. It took a minute for his foggy brain to remember that he and Olivia had been watching television the night before and decided that they must have fallen asleep together. He smiled, then gently rubbed her cheek.
"'Livia, it's time to get up, baby. We're going to be late if we don't get moving," he said quietly.
"Hmmm...what? Elliot? What are you doing here?" she asked, assuming she was in her own apartment.
"'Liv, we fell asleep watching T.V. last night...you're in my bed," he explained.
"Oh," she replied as she felt her cheeks reddening. "That makes sense."
"Why don't you jump in the shower while I make breakfast. Leave me some hot water though!" he said, watching her disappear into the bathroom.
Though it was not uncommon for them to spend the night at each other's homes, they did run into a bit of difficulty explaining why they arrived at work at precisely the same time. Thankfully, today would be different since they were instructed to go directly to Queens Middle School.
While Olivia enjoyed her shower, Elliot busied himself in the kitchen, whipping up some sausage and eggs for them and the kids. When breakfast was ready, he called up the stairs to get everyone's attention.
"Breakfast's ready! Come get it before it gets cold!" He yelled.
No soon had the words left his mouth that a thunderous roar was heard from above. Three pairs of small feet could make an awful lot of noise. Shortly after the kids came down, Olivia followed, her hair still damp from her shower and her face free of make-up. Secretly, Elliot loved seeing Olivia that way. She seemed so relaxed when she wasn't completely ready to face the day.
"Morning, Olivia," Kathleen said.
"Morning, Kathleen, sleep well?" Olivia asked.
"Yeah, pretty well," she responded.
"How about you, Dickie?" Elliot asked.
"Okay, I had this crazy dream that I'll have to tell you about later, Dad. It was weird!" Dickie said enthusiastically.
"Lizzie, you had a rough day yesterday. Did you sleep alright?" Elliot asked, noticing she hadn't eaten anything off of her plate.
"Okay, I guess. I woke up a few times 'cause I was having the same dream over and over," Elizabeth explained.
"Do you want to tell me about it?" said Elliot.
She shook her head. "No, not right now. I have to get ready for school," she said, getting up from the table.
"Honey, you didn't eat anything. Are you sure you want to go to school today?" Elliot asked, concerned.
"I'm not hungry, Daddy. I'll be fine at school today," Elizabeth said.
"If you're sure..." Elliot said not quite convinced. "Olivia and I have to go to your school this morning anyway, so we'll give you a ride and Kathleen will pick you up this afternoon. Go get your stuff together and we'll get going." He didn't really like imposing on Kathleen, but it just might kill Dickie to look out for his little sister and forget about his basketball practice.
The three kids hurried back upstairs to collect their school things. When they had left the kitchen, Olivia walked over to Elliot and gave him a kiss.
"Good morning, partner," she said.
"Good morning to you, too," he responded.
"Lizzie will be fine, Elliot. She has a father who loves her and will stop at nothing to catch the boys that did this to her friend. She knows that we're there for her," Olivia said.
"For once in your life, do you think you could be wrong about something?" he asked jokingly.
"I highly doubt it," she replied. "Give me ten minutes to finish getting ready and you still need to get in the shower, don't you?"
"Yeah, we should get moving," he replied. He placed another kiss on her lips, then followed her up the stairs to shower.
Twenty minutes later, the five of them piled into Elliot's car and headed to the school, the plan being to drop Kathleen off at the high school first.
***********************************************************************
Queens Middle School
7:58 AM
Olivia and Elliot walked into the main office and flashed their badges at the secretary. "I'm Detective Stabler, this is my partner, Detective Benson. We'd like to speak to the principal please," Elliot said.
"Just one moment please. I'll let her know you're here," the secretary responded. She returned a few moments later and escorted them to the principal's office. They walked in and found a woman with graying hair and large glasses sitting behind her desk. She rose when they entered the office.
"Detectives, please come in. I'm Jeannine Somers, how can I help?" she asked.
"We're investigating the rapes of three of your students yesterday morning," Olivia responded.
"Oh my God! Three of my girls were raped?! What can I do to help you find the man responsible?" Principal Somers asked.
"We just have a couple of questions that might help give us an insight to the attacker's identity," Elliot explained.
"Ask away."
"Have you noticed anyone hanging around the building that doesn't belong here? Maybe bothering some of the fifth grade girls?" Elliot asked.
The principal thought for a moment, "No, not that I remember."
"How about any outside maintenance people working in the school?" Olivia added.
"Actually, we did have someone in to check the boiler, but that was over the weekend. No students would have been here at that time, but I can give you the name of the company if you'd like."
"That would be great. One more questions. Which high school is closest to this school?" Elliot asked.
"I believe it would be Queens High, but JFK is also pretty close," the principal explained.
"Please give us a call at this number if you think of anything else. Thank you for your help," Olivia said handing her a business card.
"You're welcome. I only wish I could have given you more to go on. My secretary has the name of the maintenance company on file in her office," she said placing the card by her phone.
Olivia and Elliot go the name of the company from the secretary, then headed back to the precinct. On the way, Olivia called Munch with the information they'd received.
"John, it's Olivia. Check out Queens High and JFK first. They are the two closest schools to the middle school. We're heading back to the precinct now to check out another lead," she said.
"Sounds like a plan. We'll catch up with you guys later," Munch said.
Both flipped their phones shut simultaneously. As soon as she'd hung it up, her phone began to ring.
"What did you forget, Munch?" she asked sarcastically.
"Olivia, it's Cragen. I need you and Elliot back at the station now...we've got another vic," he said.
"You've got to be kidding me! Same as the other three?" She asked.
"I'm not sure yet. All I know is what the parents have told me. The girl won't speak to anyone here. I thought she might open up to you," he explained.
"We'll be there in ten minutes, Cap."
"Good. See you then."
She hung up the phone and sighed heavily.
"What's up, 'Liv?" Elliot asked.
"Another girl was raped this morning," she said bluntly.
"These sons-of-bitches are on a mission!" he yelled, pounding his fist on the steering wheel for effect.
"We'll get them, El. You know that," she said.
"Yeah, we'd better...before someone else gets hurt."
***********************************************************************
16th Precinct
9:03 AM
As soon as Olivia and Elliot walked into the squad room, Captain Cragen directed them to Interrogation Room 1, where the victim and her parents were waiting. Olivia followed Elliot into the room and sat in the chair immediately to his left. The Captain also followed them in.
"Mr. and Mrs. Lunden, these are Detectives Stabler and Benson. They have some questions to ask your daughter that would better be asked in private," he explained.
"I don't think she should be alone right now," Mrs. Lunden protested.
"Honey, we have to let the police do their jobs. It's the only way to catch these guys," Mr. Lunden said.
Reluctantly, Mrs. Lunden stood up and followed her husband out of the room. After he'd closed the door to the interrogation room, Captain Cragen began speaking again.
"You can listen and watch everything that is being said in my office. We like to speak to the kids alone because a lot of times, they shut down in front of their parents," he explained, showing them to the two-way mirror within his office.
"Thank you," Mr. Lunden said putting an arm around his distraught wife.
The Captain nodded, turned on the speakers, then allowed the Lunden's to move in front of him to watch what was going on.
"Sweetie, my name is Olivia and this is my partner, Elliot. We want to make sure that the boys that hurt you, can't hurt anyone else, okay?"
The little girl nodded her head in affirmation. "What is your name?" Olivia asked.
"Dana," she responded after several moments of silence.
"Dana...that's a very pretty name. How old are you now? You must being going on twenty," Elliot joked.
"No, I'm only ten. I'll be eleven in April," Dana said.
"Dana, I know that it might be scary to talk about what happened earlier today, but I want you to go real slow and tell me everything that you remember, okay? Just let me or Elliot know if you need to stop," Olivia said.
The two detectives listened as Dana recounted her attack. She too had been on her way to school and noted that there were two separate attackers wearing ski masks. Olivia and Elliot scribbled notes throughout her story.
"Before this morning, did anyone ever bother you at school?" Elliot asked.
"Um...not really. There were a couple of older boys that ride their bikes past the playground at recess and make fun of me and my friends sometimes," Dana said.
"Can you tell me your friends' names who were with you when that happened? If you can't remember them all, don't worry about it," Olivia said.
"It was me, Jenny Thomas, Laura Drake, Jessica Chamber, Katie Klinger and Laci James, I think. There could have been one or two more girls with us though," Dana replied.
"Thank you, Dana. You did great. You're mom and dad are outside and I'm sure they want to give you a big hug and take you home to get some rest. You were a really big help today," Elliot said.
"Thank you," she said. She pulled tugged on Elliot's shirt, signaling for him to bend down. When he did, she simply whispered, "Please don't let them hurt anyone else," then walked away to find her parents.
Elliot stood up and rubbed a hand over his face. "What did she say to you, Elliot?" Olivia asked as she cleaned up her notes.
He turned to her and repeated Dana's words. "She said: 'Please don't let them hurt anyone else'."
Olivia's mouth opened to respond, but no words came out. She simply did not know what to say in response to such a simple plea with such a significant meaning. The only thing she was sure of what the she was going to try her damnedest to make that little girl's wish come true...
***End Chapter 3
A tired, heavy arm came down on the alarm clock buzzing incessantly next to the bed. Elliot groaned and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.
"Shit, it's 5:30 already? Wonderful..." He said as he rolled over on top of something next to him, warm beneath the covers. It took a minute for his foggy brain to remember that he and Olivia had been watching television the night before and decided that they must have fallen asleep together. He smiled, then gently rubbed her cheek.
"'Livia, it's time to get up, baby. We're going to be late if we don't get moving," he said quietly.
"Hmmm...what? Elliot? What are you doing here?" she asked, assuming she was in her own apartment.
"'Liv, we fell asleep watching T.V. last night...you're in my bed," he explained.
"Oh," she replied as she felt her cheeks reddening. "That makes sense."
"Why don't you jump in the shower while I make breakfast. Leave me some hot water though!" he said, watching her disappear into the bathroom.
Though it was not uncommon for them to spend the night at each other's homes, they did run into a bit of difficulty explaining why they arrived at work at precisely the same time. Thankfully, today would be different since they were instructed to go directly to Queens Middle School.
While Olivia enjoyed her shower, Elliot busied himself in the kitchen, whipping up some sausage and eggs for them and the kids. When breakfast was ready, he called up the stairs to get everyone's attention.
"Breakfast's ready! Come get it before it gets cold!" He yelled.
No soon had the words left his mouth that a thunderous roar was heard from above. Three pairs of small feet could make an awful lot of noise. Shortly after the kids came down, Olivia followed, her hair still damp from her shower and her face free of make-up. Secretly, Elliot loved seeing Olivia that way. She seemed so relaxed when she wasn't completely ready to face the day.
"Morning, Olivia," Kathleen said.
"Morning, Kathleen, sleep well?" Olivia asked.
"Yeah, pretty well," she responded.
"How about you, Dickie?" Elliot asked.
"Okay, I had this crazy dream that I'll have to tell you about later, Dad. It was weird!" Dickie said enthusiastically.
"Lizzie, you had a rough day yesterday. Did you sleep alright?" Elliot asked, noticing she hadn't eaten anything off of her plate.
"Okay, I guess. I woke up a few times 'cause I was having the same dream over and over," Elizabeth explained.
"Do you want to tell me about it?" said Elliot.
She shook her head. "No, not right now. I have to get ready for school," she said, getting up from the table.
"Honey, you didn't eat anything. Are you sure you want to go to school today?" Elliot asked, concerned.
"I'm not hungry, Daddy. I'll be fine at school today," Elizabeth said.
"If you're sure..." Elliot said not quite convinced. "Olivia and I have to go to your school this morning anyway, so we'll give you a ride and Kathleen will pick you up this afternoon. Go get your stuff together and we'll get going." He didn't really like imposing on Kathleen, but it just might kill Dickie to look out for his little sister and forget about his basketball practice.
The three kids hurried back upstairs to collect their school things. When they had left the kitchen, Olivia walked over to Elliot and gave him a kiss.
"Good morning, partner," she said.
"Good morning to you, too," he responded.
"Lizzie will be fine, Elliot. She has a father who loves her and will stop at nothing to catch the boys that did this to her friend. She knows that we're there for her," Olivia said.
"For once in your life, do you think you could be wrong about something?" he asked jokingly.
"I highly doubt it," she replied. "Give me ten minutes to finish getting ready and you still need to get in the shower, don't you?"
"Yeah, we should get moving," he replied. He placed another kiss on her lips, then followed her up the stairs to shower.
Twenty minutes later, the five of them piled into Elliot's car and headed to the school, the plan being to drop Kathleen off at the high school first.
***********************************************************************
Queens Middle School
7:58 AM
Olivia and Elliot walked into the main office and flashed their badges at the secretary. "I'm Detective Stabler, this is my partner, Detective Benson. We'd like to speak to the principal please," Elliot said.
"Just one moment please. I'll let her know you're here," the secretary responded. She returned a few moments later and escorted them to the principal's office. They walked in and found a woman with graying hair and large glasses sitting behind her desk. She rose when they entered the office.
"Detectives, please come in. I'm Jeannine Somers, how can I help?" she asked.
"We're investigating the rapes of three of your students yesterday morning," Olivia responded.
"Oh my God! Three of my girls were raped?! What can I do to help you find the man responsible?" Principal Somers asked.
"We just have a couple of questions that might help give us an insight to the attacker's identity," Elliot explained.
"Ask away."
"Have you noticed anyone hanging around the building that doesn't belong here? Maybe bothering some of the fifth grade girls?" Elliot asked.
The principal thought for a moment, "No, not that I remember."
"How about any outside maintenance people working in the school?" Olivia added.
"Actually, we did have someone in to check the boiler, but that was over the weekend. No students would have been here at that time, but I can give you the name of the company if you'd like."
"That would be great. One more questions. Which high school is closest to this school?" Elliot asked.
"I believe it would be Queens High, but JFK is also pretty close," the principal explained.
"Please give us a call at this number if you think of anything else. Thank you for your help," Olivia said handing her a business card.
"You're welcome. I only wish I could have given you more to go on. My secretary has the name of the maintenance company on file in her office," she said placing the card by her phone.
Olivia and Elliot go the name of the company from the secretary, then headed back to the precinct. On the way, Olivia called Munch with the information they'd received.
"John, it's Olivia. Check out Queens High and JFK first. They are the two closest schools to the middle school. We're heading back to the precinct now to check out another lead," she said.
"Sounds like a plan. We'll catch up with you guys later," Munch said.
Both flipped their phones shut simultaneously. As soon as she'd hung it up, her phone began to ring.
"What did you forget, Munch?" she asked sarcastically.
"Olivia, it's Cragen. I need you and Elliot back at the station now...we've got another vic," he said.
"You've got to be kidding me! Same as the other three?" She asked.
"I'm not sure yet. All I know is what the parents have told me. The girl won't speak to anyone here. I thought she might open up to you," he explained.
"We'll be there in ten minutes, Cap."
"Good. See you then."
She hung up the phone and sighed heavily.
"What's up, 'Liv?" Elliot asked.
"Another girl was raped this morning," she said bluntly.
"These sons-of-bitches are on a mission!" he yelled, pounding his fist on the steering wheel for effect.
"We'll get them, El. You know that," she said.
"Yeah, we'd better...before someone else gets hurt."
***********************************************************************
16th Precinct
9:03 AM
As soon as Olivia and Elliot walked into the squad room, Captain Cragen directed them to Interrogation Room 1, where the victim and her parents were waiting. Olivia followed Elliot into the room and sat in the chair immediately to his left. The Captain also followed them in.
"Mr. and Mrs. Lunden, these are Detectives Stabler and Benson. They have some questions to ask your daughter that would better be asked in private," he explained.
"I don't think she should be alone right now," Mrs. Lunden protested.
"Honey, we have to let the police do their jobs. It's the only way to catch these guys," Mr. Lunden said.
Reluctantly, Mrs. Lunden stood up and followed her husband out of the room. After he'd closed the door to the interrogation room, Captain Cragen began speaking again.
"You can listen and watch everything that is being said in my office. We like to speak to the kids alone because a lot of times, they shut down in front of their parents," he explained, showing them to the two-way mirror within his office.
"Thank you," Mr. Lunden said putting an arm around his distraught wife.
The Captain nodded, turned on the speakers, then allowed the Lunden's to move in front of him to watch what was going on.
"Sweetie, my name is Olivia and this is my partner, Elliot. We want to make sure that the boys that hurt you, can't hurt anyone else, okay?"
The little girl nodded her head in affirmation. "What is your name?" Olivia asked.
"Dana," she responded after several moments of silence.
"Dana...that's a very pretty name. How old are you now? You must being going on twenty," Elliot joked.
"No, I'm only ten. I'll be eleven in April," Dana said.
"Dana, I know that it might be scary to talk about what happened earlier today, but I want you to go real slow and tell me everything that you remember, okay? Just let me or Elliot know if you need to stop," Olivia said.
The two detectives listened as Dana recounted her attack. She too had been on her way to school and noted that there were two separate attackers wearing ski masks. Olivia and Elliot scribbled notes throughout her story.
"Before this morning, did anyone ever bother you at school?" Elliot asked.
"Um...not really. There were a couple of older boys that ride their bikes past the playground at recess and make fun of me and my friends sometimes," Dana said.
"Can you tell me your friends' names who were with you when that happened? If you can't remember them all, don't worry about it," Olivia said.
"It was me, Jenny Thomas, Laura Drake, Jessica Chamber, Katie Klinger and Laci James, I think. There could have been one or two more girls with us though," Dana replied.
"Thank you, Dana. You did great. You're mom and dad are outside and I'm sure they want to give you a big hug and take you home to get some rest. You were a really big help today," Elliot said.
"Thank you," she said. She pulled tugged on Elliot's shirt, signaling for him to bend down. When he did, she simply whispered, "Please don't let them hurt anyone else," then walked away to find her parents.
Elliot stood up and rubbed a hand over his face. "What did she say to you, Elliot?" Olivia asked as she cleaned up her notes.
He turned to her and repeated Dana's words. "She said: 'Please don't let them hurt anyone else'."
Olivia's mouth opened to respond, but no words came out. She simply did not know what to say in response to such a simple plea with such a significant meaning. The only thing she was sure of what the she was going to try her damnedest to make that little girl's wish come true...
***End Chapter 3