Disclaimer: All Law And Order: Special Victims Unit characters and namesakes are the property of Dick Wolf / NBC.
Author's Note / Warning: This story contains an original character that plays the love interest of Casey Novak. The story deals with the relationship between Casey and my original character, and it is told from both of their perspectives. I had a very specific storyline in mind that I felt could not be realized by pairing Casey with an existing SVU character, thus the creation of Det. Seth Bauer. This is not intended to be a Mary Sue story, and I can only hope that from the writing and characterization, this proves to be true.
A/N/W: From Chapter 7 on, the themes become slightly more adult in regards to violence and sexual content. Nothing explicit enough to warrant an M rating, but just a heads up to readers all the same.
Chapter 9: No Deal
December 13th, 5:10 PM
Casey crossed her legs, shifting her position backwards in the chair. She gave Pallarzi's lawyer an annoyed glance, unable to believe what she was hearing.
"You must be dreaming," she said. "No jury will ever buy that. Your client stalked Ms. Gonzales for weeks before raping and killing her. We have signed statements from the owner of the pizzeria, as well as five different employees. They ALL knew about the harassing phone calls and will have no trouble at all identifying your client's voice."
"So I call for delivery all the time," Pallarzi said in his accented, snake-like voice. "They make my favorite calzones."
"Gomez, please. I'll handle this," Pallarzi's lawyer spoke up. "Well, what about it, Ms. Novak? You're meaning to tell me you can convict my client because a few workers in a restaurant recognize his voice? A jury won't go for it. I can personally assure you every order placed was legitimate and paid for."
"And you're meaning to tell me that calling the pizzeria multiple times a day and asking specifically for Ms. Gonzales - even after she had quit her job because of the constant delivery requests – doesn't constitute harassment?"
"So what? My client was a friend with the woman on a strictly professional basis. He enjoyed their food and requesting that Ms. Gonzales personally prepare and deliver his orders is not a crime."
Casey shifted her attention to Pallarzi, who sat staring at her from the other end of the table. He cast his sick grin directly at her. She continued. "No, but rape and murder are. Once we get Ms. Gonzales's former coworker on the stand, it's all over. No one else from the pizzeria other than our witness knew where Ms. Gonzales had relocated to, and your client spoke to our witness the very same day Ms. Gonzales went missing. Once a jury hears his testimony and puts the pieces together, they'll have no trouble convicting your client of this crime."
Casey tried to ignore Pallarzi's presence, but she could feel his vacant stare burning holes through her. Maybe Seth was right about him, she thought. This guy is making me a little uneasy.
"Again, Ms. Novak," Pallarzi's lawyer countered, "all the evidence you have is circumstantial. No jury will convict on your witness's testimony alone."
"Who said that was all of our evidence?" Casey asked in a superior tone. She again looked at Pallarzi, who was still smiling viciously. He licked his lips and winked at her. God, she thought, if I don't get out of here soon, I'm going to scream. Better not wait any longer to drop the bombshell.
"That's right, Mr. Pallarzi," Casey continued, her voice becoming angry. "You thought we didn't know about the 'trophies' you kept hidden underneath the floorboards of the abandoned warehouse where you were arrested, did you? My detectives just came back from there after finding the name badge Ms. Gonzales wore at Melanie's. You remember that diner, don't you? It was the one she was working at when you RAPED and KILLED her. Once the fingerprint analysis and DNA evidence gets back from the lab, you'll be looking at a lethal injection."
"Wait a minute –," Pallarzi's lawyer began. A horrible sneer had appeared across Pallarzi's face and he was starting to breath heavy.
Gotcha, Casey thought self-assuredly. "Oh, and did I mention we also recovered all the other souvenirs your client kept from the FOUR OTHER rape homicides he's going to be convicted of? Consider yourself updated on the status of our case."
Pallarzi's charming veneer was beginning to peel off him like dead skin. He shouted at his lawyer, "This stupid bitch! She can't do that!" Pallarzi quickly turned his attention back to Casey, his eyes wild and crazed. "You can't touch me, stupid whore! None of you stupid bitches can tell me what to do!"
Casey's nostrils flared and her heart rate began to speed up. She cast Pallarzi a self-conscious glance, before turning back to his lawyer. She could tell Pallarzi sensed her nervousness and she wondered if she had gone too far. Gotta be tough, Casey told herself, still feeling uneasy in spite of her intentions. He's a rapist and a murderer, not to mention he hurt Seth. His ass is mine.
"Settle down!" Pallarzi's lawyer barked at his client, raising a hand. He quickly turned his flushed expression back to Casey. "All right, what kind of deal are we talking about here, Ms. Novak?"
Casey scoffed at Pallarzi's lawyer. "There's no deal. Your client is being charged with all five rape homicides." As an afterthought, Casey turned back to Pallarzi and added with a sneer, "Oh, and by the way Mr. Pallarzi, I'm still charging you with assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest."
Pallarzi's face instantly turned red with sadistic rage. "Stupid bitch! I show YOU!"
Pallarzi's lawyer put his hand up again. "Gomez! That's enough-"
"Stupid whore! I show you! I KILL YOU!" Pallarzi's screamed like some wounded monster, suddenly standing up and shoving the table towards Casey. The table slammed into Casey's stomach, pinning her in her seat. Casey's eyes became wide with shock and she made an audible 'huffing' sound as the wind was knocked out of her. Pallarzi's lawyer tried to grab his client's arm, and Pallarzi sent him flying backwards into the wall.
Pallarzi moved with the speed of a wild animal, leaping across the table. Casey had only seconds to react, trapped in her chair. She flinched and turned her head to the side, her arms going up in a defensive gesture. Pallarzi swam across the table, cocking his right fist back as he moved. His arm flew forward with agonizing speed and he punched Casey hard in the face, splitting her lip. Hot white pain exploded in front of Casey's closed eyes, and she could feel murderous hands clamping around her neck. Bitter, cursing breath and spittle sprayed her wounded face, as blood gushed from her throbbing mouth. Casey squirmed under the table, trying desperately to uncross her trapped legs.
Elliot came running at the sound of the scuffle, bursting into the interrogation room. Pallarzi was hunkered over Casey, kneeling on the table, his hands tight around her throat. Casey was beating the sides of his head with her fists and trying to push herself out of her chair, all the while gasping for breath. Elliot ran into the room, shoving the table backwards with all of his might. Pallarzi came tumbling forward and Elliot caught him, grabbing and twisting Pallarzi's muscular arms behind his back. Fin came running in after Elliot, helping him turn Pallarzi around, slamming Pallarzi's face into the wall. Pallarzi spat at the detectives, cursing them.
"I KILL YOU! I KILL YOU STUPID BITCH!" he screamed over and over. Pallarzi's lawyer lay in the corner, unconscious.
As Elliot and Fin cuffed Pallarzi, Olivia and Cragen came running into the doorway of the room. "Get him outta here!" Cragen yelled, a look of genuine horror on his face. Olivia ran to Casey, catching her body as she began to slump sideways out of her chair.
"Casey!" Olivia shouted. "Someone call for a bus, she's passing out!"
"Liv?" Casey said softly, trying to open her eyes. Her lip was still pouring blood down the front of her silk green blouse.
"Don't try to talk, sweetie," Olivia said, still half-frantic. "Put your head back. Just relax." Olivia crouched next to Casey's chair supporting the back of Casey's head with her hands, while Elliot and Fin dragged Pallarzi out of the room. Pallarzi was in a wild tirade, kicking and screaming at the detectives, still hurling his violent threats.
Cragen whirled around in the middle of the room, surveying the scene. His eyes were wide and dazed. "I'm calling the ambulance," he said to Olivia, rushing out of the room. "You stay with her 'til the paramedics get here."
Purple marks in the shapes of long, thick fingers were already beginning to show around Casey's neck as Olivia held her. Casey was out cold, but she was still breathing. Thank God we got here when we did, Olivia thought, her mind racing. She vividly remembered the first time Casey had been attacked by a perp during the course of an investigation. She had been beaten her so badly she'd needed to walk with a cane for weeks following the incident.
First Pallarzi attacks Seth, now her, Olivia thought, still holding Casey. Seth's going to go nuts when he finds out.
After a moment, Cragen returned with the first aid kit, taking a look at Pallarzi's lawyer, who was just waking up. "What happened?" he asked, half conscious.
"Well, after your client shoved you head first into a wall, he decided to try and choke our A.D.A to death," Cragen said in an angry voice, helping Pallarzi's lawyer sit up. "I'd suggest referring him to different counsel if I were you."
A few minutes later, the paramedics arrived, placing Casey on a stretcher and carrying her out of the building. Another paramedic helped Pallarzi's lawyer walk down to the elevator and out to the ambulance.
"Is she going to be okay?" Olivia asked one of the EMTs outside the station house.
"I think she'll be all right," the woman responded. "She's breathing fine on her own, doesn't look like her windpipe is damaged. There's going to be some bruising and she's gonna have a hell of a headache when she wakes up."
Her and Seth both, Olivia thought.
As the ambulance drove away, sirens blaring, Cragen stood next to Olivia, watching the flashing red lights fade into the far off darkness. "Don't radio ahead to Munch and Bauer. I'll handle things when they get here," Cragen instructed Liv.
Olivia gave the Captain a curious look, but nodded her head in agreement, her arms crossed. "All right. I think I'm going to take a ride on over to the hospital, anyway."
"Keep us posted on Novak's condition."
"I will," Olivia promised.
Cragen turned and walked briskly back in the direction of the station house. He had a bad feeling about what was coming next, and he wanted to nip it in the bud before Munch and Bauer returned. Cragen knew all about the omitted information from Bauer's file, and he could only imagine what Seth might do once he found out what had happened to Casey. Cragen paused at the entrance to the station house, looking up at the dark gray clouds. He cursed the dreary night sky and went back inside the building.
