Story : Like Father, Like Son

Summary : When a young woman is found dead, detectives race to solve the case, with her young son's DNA as the only solid clue.

Chapter Two

AT THE PRECINCT

Odafin "Fin" Tutuola and Elliot Stabler are sitting on top of their desks throwing a Nerf ball back and forth while Olivia Benson is at her desk working on a stack of paperwork.

BENSON Do you guys have nothing better to do? Come on we have all these reports to do.

STABLER It's too early to work. Why did we get called in? We'd much rather just watch you work. It's kind of se-

Benson intercepts the football and throws it at his face.

FIN Remember she's a lady Elliot.

STABLER I was going to say inspiring!

OLIVIA And I was going to tell you that we were called in early to get some of this stuff sawed through.

Fin looks at the stacks of paperwork and sighs. Elliot looks at it and shrugs and tosses the ball to Fin, who immediately tosses it back.

OLIVIA We have definitely been working too much lately.

STABLER You're telling me. I'm so hungry for some of Kathy's lasagna- but hot when it just came out of the oven.

FIN You're making me hungry. Come on let's go grab breakfast from the vending machine. You want something Liv?

Cragen enters just as Elliot is throwing the ball back at Olivia. It hits her desk and scatters papers on the floor. She sighs as Fin and Stabler start laughing.

CRAGEN How about a homicide rape? Benson, Stabler, you head out to the scene. Fin, clean up this mess. And Detective's didn't your mother's ever tell you not to play ball in the house?

FIN Can't say she did.

CRAGEN Don't play ball in the house kids.

219 E. 116th St.

East Harlem

10:15AM

At the apartment police and forensics are all over the scene. Elliot

Stabler approaches one of the uniformed.

STABLER Fill me in Matthews.

MATTHEWS Rape and homicide. Two boys were on the fire escape and one hit the window, when it broke they saw her lying in the bed.

STABLER Any ID on her?

MATTHEWS 24-year-old Kathryn E. Brennan. No word on family yet.

Elliot Stabler picks up a picture off the nightstand with a picture of

Anthony, Katie, and Nicky in it. He sees the ring on Katie's hand.

STABLER Where's the husband and kid?

MATTHEWS I don't know detective.

STABLER Why is the body so…?

MATTHEWS Clean? Looks like she was killed in the bed, then bathed, and put back in the bed.

STABLER Well our killer was very careful to clean her up, but accidentally left a bit of his own mark on the other side of the bed.

MATTHEWS Could it be pre-existing?

STABLER Do it anyways. He must have cleaned her up in the bathroom.

Stabler walks into the bathroom, Matthews follows. In the bathroom Matthews hands Stabler a pair of rubber gloves. Stabler points at the handheld shower head (which is put back where it belongs)

STABLER Finger print that.

Stabler looks at the toilet. The seat is up and there is urine on the rim of the toilet

STABLER Look at that Matthews.

MATTHEWS What?

STABLER The seat is up and there is urine on the toilet. She would have put the seat down. It's dried though. Have it carefully scraped off and sent to Warner.

The two step back into the bedroom.

STABLER What about the broken window, and the blood over here?

MATTHEWS It will all be checked out. But the kids who found the body, fighting on the balcony and one kids hand went through the window.

STABLER No sign of forced entry to the apartment?

MATTHEWS None. Sorry Elliot. You know I wish I had more.

STABLER Don't worry about it Matthews.

MATTHEWS Oh hey, is SVU going to be playing in the softball league?

STABLER Captain said something about it. I have a feeling we'll be forced too.

MATTHEWS Ah! Come on man. It's gonna be great.

Olivia Benson is outside talking to another officer. The officer points at Mac and Charley and Benson heads toward them. Mac's hand is bandaged and he is resting it on his Mom's shoulder.

BENSON Hi my name is Olivia Benson, and I'm a police officer. Can I talk to you?

MONA I'm Mona Guerezi. This is Mac, and Charley.

BENSON Mona, Charley. Hi there, Mac. The police officer told me you hurt your hand hitting the window.

MAC Yeah. I was swinging at Charley.

MONA Really the boys aren't like this. They were just a little angry about having to go to their dad's and all. I swear their good boys.

BENSON Of course they are.

Benson pauses while Mac starts to cry again and Mona calms him down. Charley just stands a few inches away from his mom, pale and silent.

BENSON So honey, you went to hit your brother but missed and hit the window, and that is when you saw the body?

MAC It was Katie Brennan.

BENSON Oh Sweetie did you know her?

Mac nods his head and leans into his mom. His toughness has completely melted away as she squeezes her arms around Mac and kisses his head.

MONA Oh I just can't believe it. We know the Brennan's pretty well. Katie and Anthony both work in the theatre and keep odd hours. So sometimes in the evening I keep their little boy Nicky. I keep him overnight on occasion.

BENSON Mac, this is important what did you do after you saw Katie's body.

MAC still clinging to his mom as he talks It hurt really bad at first.

BENSON Your hand?

MAC Yeah. But then I looked at the window cause it was broken and I looked inside and saw her. At first I thought she was just asleep and would wake up and see us. Then she didn't wake up and I saw the blood.

BENSON Ok. Then what happened?

MONA I heard the boys screaming for me and I ran to them.

BENSON Where are Anthony and Nicky now?

CHARLEY Anthony is still in Europe. He went with his brother.

MONA And Nicky is with Anthony's parents.

BENSON What were you guys doing on the fire escape?

CHARLEY We were trying to sneak out because Mom was going to make us see our Dad today.

MONA Turns out he didn't show anyway. You don't need Mac and Charley to go to the precinct do you? I was thinking it would be too much for them.

BENSON No. I think we can work around that for right now. I just need an address for Anthony's parents.

Pan across the scene and show Stabler exit the apartment building and walk toward Olivia. She hands a card to Mona and they turn and walk toward the entrance to the apartment.

BENSON What do you have Elliot?

STABLER Just a name, Kathryn Brennan. Don't even know where her husband and child are.

BENSON Kathryn, they call her Katie. Husband Anthony is touring Europe with his brother, and his parents have the couple's son Nicky.

STABLER Has anyone told you what a good detective you are?

BENSON Just that I'm better than my partner.

He smiles at her. She pulls the car keys out of her pocket and Elliot grabs them away from her.

STABLER Oh but you're so much slower than your partner!