Title: Too Little. Too Late.

Author: Ebony-Jayne

Notes: What does Casey know that the rest of the squad doesn't?

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the show or the storylines on the show. I do, however, own the characters that I make up so please don't steal them. Any resemblance to anyone or anyplace is a coincidence.

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Chapter Two: Casey

"Casey! What are you doing here?" Warner asked the ADA as she let her into the morgue.

"I wanted to see the cuts on Alleigh Holloway's body," she explained. "I had an idea."

"Ok. I don't see why not," Warner opened the drawer containing the teenager. She looked at Casey. "Are you sure you want to see this?" she asked warningly.

"Yeah. Yeah I do," Casey replied. Warner lifted the sheet to expose Alleigh's legs. To her surprise Casey didn't flinch. She actually moved closer and touched one of the scars gently.

"Killer didn't inflict those wounds," she stated softly. "She did."

"How do you know?" Warner asked.

"I had a friend who self-harmed," Casey told her.

"You'd better tell Olivia and Elliot that then," Warner told her, covering the girl back up.

"Yeah I'm going over there now," Casey told her.

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"Hey Novak!" Detective Fin Tutuola yelled out as Casey entered the room.

"Detective," she greeted.

"Nice goin' on the trial this mornin'," he told her.

"Thanks," Casey smiled proudly. She'd got an easy conviction.

"So…what are you doing here?" Olivia asked from her desk.

"I had a hunch about your teenager. I followed it up. Alleigh wasn't mutilated by her killer. She was a cutter. Those wounds were self-inflicted," Casey told her.

"And what would you know about that?" Olivia asked accusingly.

"A hell of a lot. I had a friend who self-harmed," Casey tried not to let the sting of Olivia's words show in her face.

"Oh. Sorry," Olivia didn't sound even remotely sorry. Casey was about to say something else when a distraught man and woman were led in by a police officer. Olivia stood and rushed over to meet them. Casey watched as she spoke to them and hugged the mother briefly before leading them into the interview room.

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"Mrs. Holloway-," Olivia began.

"Madeline," the woman interrupted.

"Madeline. Were you aware that Alleigh was self-injuring?" Olivia asked gently. Behind the window Casey leaned closer.

"Oh. That. That was just Alleigh being a little-," Madeline stopped. Her voice cracking. "She just did it because it was the 'in' thing with girls her age. We knew if we just ignored it, it'd go away," Madeline burst into tears at this. Her husband Gavin reached over and rubbed her back to comfort her.

"The other thing we wanted to ask you about was…" Olivia cleared her throat. "To your knowledge was Alleigh ever raped?" she asked.

"What? No. No," Madeline gasped. Gavin looked at his feet.

"Yes," he said quietly.

"What? Gav! What?" Madeline stood, knocking her chair over. As she backed away from her husband she almost fell. Olivia's cop reflexes saved her at the last minute though.

"I'll take her outside for some air," Elliot told Olivia softly.

"Ok. Thanks El," Olivia replied.

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"Gavin. Would you like to tell us what you know?" Olivia asked.

"When Alleigh was nine my brother Stephen lived with us for six months. One night I got home and…I caught him raping my daughter. I threw him out and warned him never to come back. Alleigh wouldn't let me tell anyone. I barely had her trust as it was. I couldn't afford to lose it completely," a few tears ran down his cheeks. "This…This was four years ago. What does it have to do with her death?" he asked.

"Probably nothing. But it may have something to do with her self-harming though," Olivia told him. Suddenly the door burst open and Madeline came stalking in. She leaned across the table so that her face was inches away from Olivia's.

"You bitch. I told you that that was nothing but Alleigh following the latest fad. Stop. Pushing. It," she warned viciously.

"Ok. Ok. I'm sorry Mrs. Holloway," Olivia said gently.

"You'd better be," Madeline snarled before wrenching Gavin from the room by his arm.

"Find out who killed my baby or leave us alone," she threw over her shoulder.

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"Do you think she's right? About Alleigh cutting for attention?" Olivia asked.

"Probably is. Y'know Hollywood stars like Angelina Jolie come out and tell everyone that they cut themselves and next thing you know every young girl is doing it," Elliot replied.

"Yeah. It's pathetic really. Oooh I feel sad I'm just going to go and slice myself to pieces. Oh I feel so much better!" Munch imitated a young girl.

"Shut up! All of you just shut up!" Casey screamed jumping up from where she was sitting on Olivia's desk. "You have no idea what it's like! No idea! You don't seem to realise that sometimes it's just not that simple! You can't accept that some of these kids really are for real!" she stopped, panting, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"But they're not Casey. It's a stupid thing to do," Olivia said calmly and gently as though talking to a witness.

"No Olivia. For some girls it's deadly serious," Casey snapped. "It certainly was for me-," she stopped, her emerald green eyes the size of saucers as she realized what she'd said.

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