Tarnished

Chapter Fourteen

Werner Private Flights Heliport

Long Island

9:55 AM Thursday

Christian Sadler made his way over to his mother, whom was waiting for him with open arms. Shelby was beyond happy to see her son.

"My darling," she said happily.

"Mom," he sighed as he hugged her.

"My son," she beamed. "Cover up my dear, it's chilly."

The sun was bright in the sky, and Shelby looked adoringly upon her son, whom was crestfallen.

"Oh, not to worry my dear," she assured him. "You will be CEO of our company, and everyone will forget all of this…nonsense."

"No mother," Christian said in a low voice. "We won't forget."

Shelby looked at her son in confusion.

"You must, darling," she said, taking his hands. "I've taken care of everything."

"Not this time, mother," he said, tears in his eyes.

She looked past him and saw Olivia and Elliot approaching her.

"What is this?" She asked angrily.

"Shelby Sadler," Elliot began. "You are under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder, and the murder of your husband."

"Christian!" She cried. "How could you! How could you!"

1-6 Precinct

SVU Squad Room

Interrogation Room 1

1:45 PM

Cragen looked through the one way at Shelby Sadler. She is a stubborn woman, and she has been sitting patiently for the past two hours, staring at the wall. She hasn't requested a lawyer, nor does she want to talk to Casey. She is stoic.

"Is she alright?" Olivia asked as she walked in.

"I hope so," Cragen sighed.

"Two hours," she marveled. "Either she's completely lost it on the way here, or she just likes to play games."

"Whatever her deal is, I say we put Christian in," Cragen said. "She'll definitely talk then."

Olivia nodded and went to retrieve Christian.

The man was exhausted and distraught, but he managed to hold it together as he walked in behind Olivia into the interrogation room.

"My son," she said, coming out of her trance and holding out her hand to him. "Tell these people that everything is completely false and absurd."

Olivia sat down across from Shelby.

"Shelby," she began. "We know what you did. We have evidence that you had those seven girls killed, we know that you had Marissa, Bianca and her boys killed. It's all here Shelby. The checks…"

Olivia laid out the papers on the table and Shelby looked at them with tears in her eyes.

"The cash withdrawals, the deposits, everything," Olivia said. "We know everything except, why. Why did you kill all these people, Mrs. Sadler?"

Shelby pursed her lips, trying to keep her mouth from trembling, but her tears fell anyway.

Christian kneeled next to his mother and appealed to her.

"Please, mother," he begged. "If not for your soul, do it for me."

Shelby got up and went over to the window and pressed her forehead against it.

"That's what I've been doing since the day you were born," she cried. "I spent seventeen hours in labor alone, I gave life to you alone and when I held you for the first time, I promised you that I would always, always make sure that you will be okay. I broke that promise, darling. I could only take care of you as a man."

Shelby paused and looked at the pictures of the people she had killed.

"These whores!" She yelled as she swept the pictures onto the floor. "They deserved to die because they were ruining you, our family! They were ruining my boy, my husband and I wasn't going to sit back and watch our family be shamed like that. I did not let your father spill my blood just to see those little sluts walk all over you and take advantage. Marissa Barlow was pregnant, Christian. Pregnant! Do you know what that could have done to us? Do you know what it would have done to me?"

"Look what it's done to us now," Christian said softly. "It just made things worse mother."

"My sweet boy," Shelby cried. "Things are so much better now, darling. You can be free. There's no one to betray you, mistrust you, misguide you. You have your boys to take care of, the company to run. No one will be in your way."

"What about Josephine?" He asked.

"She betrayed you, my son," she said angrily. "I had to. She was bringing you down."

"But I'm the one that hurt her," Christian said. "Josie was trying to protect me-"

"I protect you!" She yelled. "ME! Not her, not anyone else, ME! Your father never did a thing for you! He nearly killed us both. Remember that day? That is why I had to darling…I had to for you. Thirty seven years. Thirty seven years of looking out for the ones I love, and taking the abuse, the control, the threats."

Christian swallowed the lump in his throat. "All this mom," he said hoarsely. "You did all this for me, for my security. But I just have one question."

"Yes my dear, anything," she said sweetly.

"After all these years," he sighed. "What did doing all this get you?"

With that, he turned and walked toward the door.

"Ch-Christian?" Shelby inquired as she followed him to the door. "No, darling! Please! Please just-"

He closed the door and Shelby fell to the floor and Olivia came to Shelby's aid.

"Mrs. Sadler," Olivia began. "We can ask the DA to consider giving you life in prison instead of the death penalty."

"No," Shelby said as she leaned against the door, her eyes distant. "No. I deserve to die. I've nothing left…I want to die."

"We can get you help, Mrs. Sadler," Olivia insisted. "You've been through a lot, and that's understandable. We can-"

"I don't want help," she said in a hollow voice. "You don't understand…"

"Understand what?" Olivia asked.

Shelby looked at her, her makeup smeared, her hair frizzy, and her eyes glassy.

"I'm nothing without my husband," she said quietly.

Olivia just looked at Shelby with both shock and sympathy.

She stepped aside when Andy and Sanders came and put the cuffs on her. They helped her up and they walked her out.

Christian and Josephine watched as his mother was being taken away. Shelby tried to go over to him, but the officers wouldn't allow her.

"Christian!" She yelled before directing her anger at Josephine. "You should have been dead, you filthy whore! I told you! I told you to just do what he says!"

When the commotion was over, Christian hugged Josephine.

"What's going to happen to her now?" Josephine asked Casey.

"Well, I'll try to get her to accept life in prison," Casey explained. "It's better than a trial."

"What if she doesn't take the deal?" Christian asked.

Casey sighed. "I promise you, I'll try as hard as I can to keep her from doing that. As for the federal investigation, she will probably have to testify to your father's financial activities."

Christian nodded.

The other detectives and Andy and Sanders approached them.

"We want to thank you," Josephine said sincerely. "We have a long way to go from here, but thank you for helping us get to the truth."

"Thank you, Mrs. Sadler," Andy said. "You've helped us tremendously with this investigation."

Josephine nodded her appreciation. "We're going to go pick up the boys, and go home."

The Sadlers walked out of the squad room.

"Glad this case is over," Munch sighed as he went over to his desk. "That was more dead bodies that I'll ever care to see for a while."

Fin snorted. "Whatever man, you're just glad there won't be any interruptions during your date tomorrow."

"That too," Munch shrugged.

Andy and Sanders pulled on their coats.

"Thank you Captain for your courtesy," Sanders said, shaking Don's hand. "It's not everyday the FBI says 'Thank you'."

"We'll make sure to keep that in our hearts guys," Olivia quipped.

Andy chuckled and looked at her.

"See you around, Liv," he said before he and Sanders walked out.

Elliot went over to his desk. "He's still got it bad for you."

"Yeah, well, he better get over it," she sighed as she went to get a cup of coffee. "I've got it bad for someone else."

"Damn, and our date went so well," Munch quipped.

"Shut up, John," everyone else said in unison.