CHAPTER 5
16th Precinct
February 10, 2004
2:37 PM
Olivia and Elliot were not counting on the growing number of roadblocks they encountered trying to apprehend Kevin Houseman. The first problem they'd encountered was that apparently, there was no record of a Kevin Houseman residing anywhere in the tri-state area. They'd also struck out at the high school that he supposedly attended, and the address that Jake had provided them. Elliot's rapidly thinning patience was quickly coming to its end.
"I've had enough of this loser's sanctimonious bull-shit!" he said referring to Jake Hurst.
"El, we're doing all that we can. We've got Warner running the other semen sample against known offenders AND unsolved cases. She'll get a hit. Meanwhile, I'm going to talk to Jake again — ALONE — while you cool off," Olivia said. She headed back to the interrogation room where Jake was speaking to his court appointed lawyer. She walked in and closed the door behind her, pausing before looking at him for effect.
She let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, then started apprising Jake of the situation. "Jake, look...we've been looking for 'Kevin' for over two hours now and have nothing to show for it. What have you got to say about that?" She asked as she sat down in the chair opposite him.
"Jake, you don't have to say anything to her and I would highly recommend that," his lawyer said.
"Yeah, you can take his advice, or you can take mine. Listen real carefully here: if we don't find your accomplice, you will go down for six rapes by yourself and your friend will get off Scott free. Is that what you want? To take the rap for a crime you two committed together? Somehow I think that if this went down the other way, your buddy wouldn't do the same for you," she replied.
Jake was quiet for a while. He nervously drummed his fingers on the table in front of him while weighing his options. Fed up with his procrastination, Olivia slammed her fist on the table and smiled as he jumped in fear.
"You have ten seconds before I walk out that door and after I do, all bets are off! Do you understand that, Jake?!" She yelled.
He gulped. "I might not have been completely honest with his name before," he said.
"Well, there's a start," Olivia said sarcastically. "How 'bout you quit jerking me around and give me his real name and I'll *forget* about that time I *wasted* looking for your imaginary friend!"
"Jake, as your attorney, I must advise you against this," the lawyer said again.
Jake shook his head violently at the lawyer. "I have to do this. I just want this to be over. She's right, Kenny wouldn't do the same for me," he said.
"That's good, Jake. Kenny what?" Olivia asked.
"Kenny McCormick."
"Good. I'll be back to deal with you later. You're going to go sit in the tombs for a while," she said menacingly before she left the interrogation room.
***********************************************************************
Squad Room
"I got a name," Olivia announced to Elliot.
"Another fake one I can waste two more hours tracking?" he asked, obviously not impressed.
"Why don't you find out for yourself? Kenny McCormick," she spat at him. Olivia didn't even turn back to look at him. She headed straight for the locker room and plopped unceremoniously down onto the bench between the lockers. She was surprised to find that Elliot was not on her heels as she'd expected. Several minutes passed before the door to the locker room was opened. She opened her eyes to see Elliot standing above her, holding a piece of paper. He brought the paper up and began reading.
"Kenneth James McCormick, 17, lives at 126 143rd Street, Apartment 6. Wanna go get him?" He said.
"Yeah," she replied, running a hand through her hair.
"Look, 'Liv...I'm sorry what I said. You didn't deserve that," he said running a finger down her cheek.
"Me too. I shouldn't have taken off like that. I was pretty sure I was going to hit you if I didn't though," she said with a smile.
"None of that in the squad room," he said. He pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arms tightly around her. "We're both on edge because of this one. Let's rap it up and put it behind us."
"Sounds like a plan to me."
***********************************************************************
McCormick Residence
126 143rd Street
Apartment 6
3:16 PM
After knocking on the door for the third time, Elliot was getting quite annoyed. He could hear voices on the other side of the door as well as a lot of movement. He pounded on the door again, "This is the NYPD open up the door!" He yelled.
Suddenly, the locks on the door were undone and it was opened a crack. An elderly woman stood behind it, carefully watching them. "What can I do for you, Officers?" She asked.
Olivia showed her badge. "We're Detectives Benson and Stabler. We're looking for Kenneth McCormick," she explained.
"Kenny? What's that boy gone and done now? I'm his grandmother, Estelle, please come in," she said as she opened the door for them.
"Where's your grandson now?" Elliot asked, glancing around the apartment.
"Should be on his way home from school. They don't get out 'til three."
"Doesn't JFK get out at 2:30?" Elliot asked.
"Yes, but Kenny doesn't go to JFK...he goes to Queens High," Estelle said.
Elliot smiled at her for the information she'd just given them. "It's very urgent that we speak to him. How long do you think he'll be?"
"He usually comes in around twenty-five after. You two are more than welcome to wait for him to get here," Estelle offered.
"Thank you. I think we'll do just that. What do you think, 'Liv?"
"Yeah, that would probably be best," Olivia quickly agreed.
Less than ten minutes later, the door to the apartment opened and in walked their suspect. He dropped his book bag on the floor when he saw the two detectives talking to his grandmother.
"What do you want?" He asked.
"Kenny, I'm Detective Stabler, this is my partner, Detective Benson. We'd like to have you come down to the station to answer a few questions," Elliot said, flashing his badge, then pointing to himself and Olivia.
Before Kenny could respond, his grandmother did for him. "Kenneth James McCormick, you *will* do what these officers ask and I don't want to hear a single word of protest out of you!" she said.
Olivia handed Estelle her card and instructed her to call if she had any questions. The detectives escorted Kenny to the precinct and into Interrogation Room 2.
Both of them had more than their fair share of bullshit in this case and decided to get right to the point with Kenny.
"Tell me what you know about the rapes of six young girls at gun point in the vicinity of the middle school," Elliot said.
"What are you talking about? I don't know nothing about that man," Kenny said.
"Is that so? Then why did your buddy Jake give you up this morning?" Olivia asked. She knew she'd hit a nerve when his pupils dilated.
"You're bluffing. Jake's not here!" He said.
"Really? You think so, tough guy?" Elliot said. "As a matter of fact, we booked Jake on six counts of rape about, oh, four hours ago and he started singing like a bird. He says the rapes were all *your* idea. What have you got to say about that?"
The color drained from Kenny's face. "Jake would never rat me out. Never," he said crossing his arms across his chest.
"You really think that's the case? Listen to this," Olivia said. She pressed play on the tape recorder in front of her and let just enough tape play for him to hear that his so-called "friend" had indeed give him up.
Upon hearing the tape, Kenny jumped out of his chair. "That's BULLSHIT! Jake—it was all his idea! He wanted revenge on those bitches! Something about messing with his sister! I swear, it was all his idea," Kenny said.
"Whose idea was it to use the gun?" Elliot asked.
"Mine. I thought they wouldn't fight as much if they saw a piece, you know?"
"Brilliant strategy," Olivia mocked. "Where's the gun now?"
"Bottom of the Hudson...along with the ski masks," Kenny said.
"Why am I not surprised? Couldn't be more original?" Elliot said.
Kenny did not answer. He merely shrugged his shoulders in response. Olivia and Elliot got up to leave the room. Just before he left, Elliot turned back and asked Kenny one more question: "How do you sleep at night knowing that you've stolen the innocence of six defenseless girls that did *NOTHING* to you?!"
With that, he slammed the door to the interrogation room shut.
***End Chapter 5
16th Precinct
February 10, 2004
2:37 PM
Olivia and Elliot were not counting on the growing number of roadblocks they encountered trying to apprehend Kevin Houseman. The first problem they'd encountered was that apparently, there was no record of a Kevin Houseman residing anywhere in the tri-state area. They'd also struck out at the high school that he supposedly attended, and the address that Jake had provided them. Elliot's rapidly thinning patience was quickly coming to its end.
"I've had enough of this loser's sanctimonious bull-shit!" he said referring to Jake Hurst.
"El, we're doing all that we can. We've got Warner running the other semen sample against known offenders AND unsolved cases. She'll get a hit. Meanwhile, I'm going to talk to Jake again — ALONE — while you cool off," Olivia said. She headed back to the interrogation room where Jake was speaking to his court appointed lawyer. She walked in and closed the door behind her, pausing before looking at him for effect.
She let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, then started apprising Jake of the situation. "Jake, look...we've been looking for 'Kevin' for over two hours now and have nothing to show for it. What have you got to say about that?" She asked as she sat down in the chair opposite him.
"Jake, you don't have to say anything to her and I would highly recommend that," his lawyer said.
"Yeah, you can take his advice, or you can take mine. Listen real carefully here: if we don't find your accomplice, you will go down for six rapes by yourself and your friend will get off Scott free. Is that what you want? To take the rap for a crime you two committed together? Somehow I think that if this went down the other way, your buddy wouldn't do the same for you," she replied.
Jake was quiet for a while. He nervously drummed his fingers on the table in front of him while weighing his options. Fed up with his procrastination, Olivia slammed her fist on the table and smiled as he jumped in fear.
"You have ten seconds before I walk out that door and after I do, all bets are off! Do you understand that, Jake?!" She yelled.
He gulped. "I might not have been completely honest with his name before," he said.
"Well, there's a start," Olivia said sarcastically. "How 'bout you quit jerking me around and give me his real name and I'll *forget* about that time I *wasted* looking for your imaginary friend!"
"Jake, as your attorney, I must advise you against this," the lawyer said again.
Jake shook his head violently at the lawyer. "I have to do this. I just want this to be over. She's right, Kenny wouldn't do the same for me," he said.
"That's good, Jake. Kenny what?" Olivia asked.
"Kenny McCormick."
"Good. I'll be back to deal with you later. You're going to go sit in the tombs for a while," she said menacingly before she left the interrogation room.
***********************************************************************
Squad Room
"I got a name," Olivia announced to Elliot.
"Another fake one I can waste two more hours tracking?" he asked, obviously not impressed.
"Why don't you find out for yourself? Kenny McCormick," she spat at him. Olivia didn't even turn back to look at him. She headed straight for the locker room and plopped unceremoniously down onto the bench between the lockers. She was surprised to find that Elliot was not on her heels as she'd expected. Several minutes passed before the door to the locker room was opened. She opened her eyes to see Elliot standing above her, holding a piece of paper. He brought the paper up and began reading.
"Kenneth James McCormick, 17, lives at 126 143rd Street, Apartment 6. Wanna go get him?" He said.
"Yeah," she replied, running a hand through her hair.
"Look, 'Liv...I'm sorry what I said. You didn't deserve that," he said running a finger down her cheek.
"Me too. I shouldn't have taken off like that. I was pretty sure I was going to hit you if I didn't though," she said with a smile.
"None of that in the squad room," he said. He pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arms tightly around her. "We're both on edge because of this one. Let's rap it up and put it behind us."
"Sounds like a plan to me."
***********************************************************************
McCormick Residence
126 143rd Street
Apartment 6
3:16 PM
After knocking on the door for the third time, Elliot was getting quite annoyed. He could hear voices on the other side of the door as well as a lot of movement. He pounded on the door again, "This is the NYPD open up the door!" He yelled.
Suddenly, the locks on the door were undone and it was opened a crack. An elderly woman stood behind it, carefully watching them. "What can I do for you, Officers?" She asked.
Olivia showed her badge. "We're Detectives Benson and Stabler. We're looking for Kenneth McCormick," she explained.
"Kenny? What's that boy gone and done now? I'm his grandmother, Estelle, please come in," she said as she opened the door for them.
"Where's your grandson now?" Elliot asked, glancing around the apartment.
"Should be on his way home from school. They don't get out 'til three."
"Doesn't JFK get out at 2:30?" Elliot asked.
"Yes, but Kenny doesn't go to JFK...he goes to Queens High," Estelle said.
Elliot smiled at her for the information she'd just given them. "It's very urgent that we speak to him. How long do you think he'll be?"
"He usually comes in around twenty-five after. You two are more than welcome to wait for him to get here," Estelle offered.
"Thank you. I think we'll do just that. What do you think, 'Liv?"
"Yeah, that would probably be best," Olivia quickly agreed.
Less than ten minutes later, the door to the apartment opened and in walked their suspect. He dropped his book bag on the floor when he saw the two detectives talking to his grandmother.
"What do you want?" He asked.
"Kenny, I'm Detective Stabler, this is my partner, Detective Benson. We'd like to have you come down to the station to answer a few questions," Elliot said, flashing his badge, then pointing to himself and Olivia.
Before Kenny could respond, his grandmother did for him. "Kenneth James McCormick, you *will* do what these officers ask and I don't want to hear a single word of protest out of you!" she said.
Olivia handed Estelle her card and instructed her to call if she had any questions. The detectives escorted Kenny to the precinct and into Interrogation Room 2.
Both of them had more than their fair share of bullshit in this case and decided to get right to the point with Kenny.
"Tell me what you know about the rapes of six young girls at gun point in the vicinity of the middle school," Elliot said.
"What are you talking about? I don't know nothing about that man," Kenny said.
"Is that so? Then why did your buddy Jake give you up this morning?" Olivia asked. She knew she'd hit a nerve when his pupils dilated.
"You're bluffing. Jake's not here!" He said.
"Really? You think so, tough guy?" Elliot said. "As a matter of fact, we booked Jake on six counts of rape about, oh, four hours ago and he started singing like a bird. He says the rapes were all *your* idea. What have you got to say about that?"
The color drained from Kenny's face. "Jake would never rat me out. Never," he said crossing his arms across his chest.
"You really think that's the case? Listen to this," Olivia said. She pressed play on the tape recorder in front of her and let just enough tape play for him to hear that his so-called "friend" had indeed give him up.
Upon hearing the tape, Kenny jumped out of his chair. "That's BULLSHIT! Jake—it was all his idea! He wanted revenge on those bitches! Something about messing with his sister! I swear, it was all his idea," Kenny said.
"Whose idea was it to use the gun?" Elliot asked.
"Mine. I thought they wouldn't fight as much if they saw a piece, you know?"
"Brilliant strategy," Olivia mocked. "Where's the gun now?"
"Bottom of the Hudson...along with the ski masks," Kenny said.
"Why am I not surprised? Couldn't be more original?" Elliot said.
Kenny did not answer. He merely shrugged his shoulders in response. Olivia and Elliot got up to leave the room. Just before he left, Elliot turned back and asked Kenny one more question: "How do you sleep at night knowing that you've stolen the innocence of six defenseless girls that did *NOTHING* to you?!"
With that, he slammed the door to the interrogation room shut.
***End Chapter 5