Disclaimer: Olivia, Elliot and the gang do not belong to me; I can only take credit for the bad guys and the story/situation you are reading. Dick Wolfe – you rock!
Rating is for naughty language, because real cops have filthy mouths. This chapter contains Huang's profile of a pedophile – it is a little graphic. This chapter is more case oriented, but Elliot and Olivia will be together again in chapter ten.
Reviews: Please. I know I've been slow with the updates – please forgive me.
A/N: I've had some work "issues" lately, which has prevented me from updating this story. For those of you who are still with me – big ole thanks!
Chapter Nine
The drive back to the precinct was one of the most uncomfortable in recent history. Since Fin had caught a ride to the scene with Cragen, and the captain would be delayed at the press conference, Fin now occupied the seat next to her in the cruiser. Olivia had worked numerous times with him in the past, but currently it felt awkward. The shock of the appearance of the victim was thick between them; Olivia's mind was still trying to grasp the enormity of it, while Fin probably was unsure what to even say to her.
At almost any other time, it would have amused her. She had struggled over the years to convince her male co-workers that she was no different; where they were strong and hard and invincible, so was she. But they still let it slip, the unconscious reaction to her being female, of her needing protection. But they couldn't protect her now, not from this.
Their silent, tense ride came to an end at the 16th Precinct. They headed in different directions, Olivia up to the SVU squad room and Fin towards Missing Persons. They had decided on it prior to leaving the scene that it would be the best way to proceed. Fin was going to try and find out who their victim was while Olivia pulled the master file on Clarkson and all of the details on the other three homicides. Other than Elliot, she knew this case the best, and was now the lead detective on the investigation.
The squad room was already bustling with renewed energy. Detectives and uniforms from other units, some she recognized and some she did not, were sitting or standing by every phone, fielding calls. Hopefully they were receiving usable tips instead of news inquiries, but experience told her that wouldn't be the case. Some looked up at her when she walked into the room; Olivia felt a weird sense of scrutiny, and under that, pity. By now, it was common knowledge among these fellow investigators that the victim was made to look like her. In a sense, she was the reason this little girl was dead.
Olivia acknowledged those she knew with a nod of her head, not pausing as she strode over to her desk. A uniformed officer was sitting in her chair, his thin back to her as he listened intently into the receiver of the phone tucked between his ear and shoulder. She came up next to him, and he turned slightly, still talking while scrawling notes on the legal pad in front of him.
"Yes, ma'am. The FBI has not given us any indication that they're related. Please hold on for one moment, ma'am." The young officer slid the phone so the mouth piece was flat under his chin. "Detective, these are for you." He held several post-it notes out to her. Olivia took the messages with a small smile.
"Thanks," she whispered. He nodded, and then returned back to his phone conversation. Olivia flipped through the scrawls on the yellow slips of paper. Two of the messages were from Elliot, an ASAP written under his cell number. Like she would ever forget his number.
There was a message from Doctor Warner, which was curious since it had been just over an hour since she had seen the doctor last; the autopsy and any toxicology reports wouldn't be available for a while yet.
The final message was from Debra Jensen. Olivia's stomach clenched in response; of course Mrs. Jensen would call her. No doubt the woman had seen the news regarding this homicide, this new victim killed in so similar a way to that of her own daughter Tammy. After Clarkson's death, Mrs. Jensen had probably felt a closure of some sort – her daughter's killer was dead. Only to find out now that he wasn't the only one, that someone else had helped in taking away her only daughter in such a horrendous way, that he was still out there…
Olivia's fingers tightened on the note, the yellow paper creasing under the gentle pressure. Her vision blurred for a moment as all of the fear and pain came crushing back into her mind. How could they have missed it, how could she have missed it? A second perp, Clarkson's accomplice. And now another innocent girl was dead, the last moments of her incredibly short life spent in terror, in agony, and for what? The pleasure of madman? A lesson for her, a punishment directed solely at her for taking Clarkson's life?
She blinked, forcing in a breath as her vision came back into focus. Olivia's hand slowly lowered to her side as she looked back up at the crowded squad room. The throng of people in the back of the room had thinned, exposing the main board.
Olivia set the post-it notes back on the desk. She pulled off her leather jacket, draping it on the left side of the table top away from the young officer and his temporary call station. Walking around Elliot's desk, she made her way to the back of the room.
Once again the pictures of Clarkson's victims were up on the main board, the crime scene photos interspersed between close-ups of the doll-like faces of the little girls. The huge map of the city once more had those wretched push pins indicating the crime scene locations, circles drawn in erasable pen showing a 5 mile radius in hopes of catching a pattern.
The picture of the newest victim was already up amongst the others. On paper, it was no less startling than at the scene. There was no other explanation – this girl was made up to mirror Olivia Benson.
The replication was done with such precision and perfection that their perpetrator had to be an expert. Up close, Olivia could see where he had shaded and highlighted the girl's face with fine powders, slimming down her nose and narrowing the child's round cheeks, creating cheekbones. He had effectively made her face more adult and at the same time recreated Olivia's bone-structure.
The eyebrow arch was identical to Olivia's; the sparseness of the girl's eyebrows had been filled in expertly with shadow and fine, thin strokes of matching eyeliner. Bile rose in Olivia's throat as she wondered if the perp had plucked the child's eyebrows as well to force the shape. It was as if he had sculpted a replica of Olivia, but instead of clay, he had used another living being.
Things would never be the same. She knew instinctively her hand would shake when she drew that thin line of eyeliner next to her top lashes in the morning before work. Slicking lipstick across her mouth, she would always picture a monster bent over this little girl, his sole purpose to recreate the image of the one that killed Clarkson. Clarkson.
Her focus shifted from the picture of the latest victim to the photo pinned next to it, the mug shot of Clarkson. Her fingers twitched unconsciously at the sight of his hairy face and crooked grin, the memory of the shooting so vivid it caused her breath to catch. Staring down the barrel of his 45 Smith and Wesson, knowing Elliot was behind her, bleeding to death, but she couldn't help him…
"You don't get it, bitch! I killed your partner. The only way I'm getting out of this is through you!"
She hadn't second guessed herself. At that moment her mind was clear and her aim was true. Doctor Warner had later told her that Clarkson had been dead before hitting the ground, the bullet from her Glock piercing his skull right under his left eye, severing the Occipital artery and shrapnel slicing the aorta. Not that it mattered. All of her thoughts were on her partner.
"El! Oh, God, Elliot!" His face had never been so pale, his eyes so dull. Her hands had shaken so much, and even now the memory of the slickness of his blood on her fingers was haunting. The wound was terrible, his chest bleeding profusely…
"Stay awake, sweetheart. Please. El, please stay with me."
"Livia, damn it…Love you."
She closed her eyes, forcing herself to breathe. This wouldn't help the situation, and she didn't have time to relive the shooting in her head.
"Olivia?"
Her eyelids fluttered open and she glanced to her right. Doctor Huang stood next to her by the board, his brown eyes shifting as his gaze moved across her face. She knew he was trying to read her and she forced herself to remain neutral.
"Hi, Doc. I didn't realize you were here."
"I just arrived. I had to retrieve my initial files on the case from the office. I also had to update an associate of mine at the FBI." He paused, and she knew he was waiting for her to comment on the FBI involvement. But she didn't take the bait, letting the silence continue.
"So how are you feeling, Olivia?" Huang asked her quietly. "Is your arm giving you any trouble?"
At the remark, she touched her left bicep gingerly, fingertips grazing across the bulge of gauze on her bare arm. The wound didn't cause her pain except when she changed the bandage in the evenings, or accidentally bumped it, so she didn't really think about it. If she had, she would have been less likely to have removed her jacket and expose the wound, and herself, to the sympathetic questioning of Doctor Huang and further pity of the detectives in the room. The last thing she needed was pity.
She forced a small smile. "It was just a scratch."
One black eyebrow quirked up at her answer, but he didn't question her further about the injury. "I've been wondering when you would stop by my office, Detective. We need to talk."
"Yeah, I know, Doc. I've been busy."
"Mmm, yes. But please don't devalue the importance of therapy, Detective. It will be easier to move forward only when you come to terms with the past," he spoke quietly. She tensed slightly as he touched her bare shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. While she liked Doctor Huang well enough, she hated being touched unless she initiated it. "We need to talk about the shooting, Olivia."
"Of course. I promise I'll come by after we get this perp, Doc." Olivia turned back to the board. "But this," she gestured to the photo array in front of them, "this comes first."
Doctor Huang scanned the photos of the girls, his mouth turned down a fraction at the edges. "Yes. This wasn't entirely unexpected, but extremely unfortunate. The crimes indicated two separate perpetrators, but Andrew Clarkson's psychosis grouped him in a class of bi-polar perpetrators that can create a crime scene reflecting different personalities. He and his accomplice in effect fooled us using Clarkson's own mental instability and his refusal to mention his partner in these crimes."
Olivia glanced over to him thoughtfully. "So what we know of Clarkson, what does that say of the unknown perp? If we pull what we know of Clarkson, how he would have reacted to the victims, what is there left? The make-up, the age of the girls…"
"Liv! Doc!"
Both turned to see Fin emerge from the crowded doorway of the squad room and walk hurriedly over to them. Fin grabbed a free push pin from the side of the board and tacked a new photo up next to the picture of the latest victim. He stood back from the board on Olivia's left, a half smile on his face.
"Just got this from MP."
"Damn, Fin, that was light speed," Liv said, impressed by her fellow detective.
"Yeah, well, this one was at the top of the pile. Shelly Schuler, eleven years old. Her mother reported her missing three days ago. Good kid, no evidence that she was a runaway or a non-custodial kidnapping. I spoke with the lead on her case, Detective Renick, and he said a witness came forward two days ago that claims he saw it happen. Some delivery man."
Fin paused to catch his breath. "Get this, though. The delivery man says he saw the perp grab her from the sidewalk and stuff her into the back of a maroon, four door Accord."
"Oh, damn." Olivia swore, her voice low. She tore her gaze from Fin to look at the new picture tacked to the board.
It looked like a class photo, the girl staring straight ahead with a smile on her face. The child looked no older than her eleven years, baby fat still softening her jaw and cheeks, freckles smattered across her nose. Her brown eyes were clear, sparkling to match her toothy grin, and Olivia imagined the photographer had said some silly joke to help her smile for the picture.
Her dark hair was long, her bangs cut in a straight line across her forehead. Just like her hair, her eyebrows were different from the post-mortem picture; they were sparse, with a small arch. This girl had gone through a complete transformation at the hands of their perp, but enough of her was still visible that they knew she was one and the same.
"He's fucking good, isn't he? Jesus, he fucking took this kid and made her into you," Fin muttered next to her. She glanced at him; his arms were across his chest and he was still staring at the photograph, a deep scowl on his face.
Olivia looked back at the picture. "Maybe that's how we'll catch him. Trap him by his own expertise."
"Detectives. Doctor Huang."
The three of them turned in response to Captain Cragen's voice. Olivia was surprised she hadn't notice him arrive, but then the squad room was heavy with activity.
Cragen's eyes appeared tired, and even with his polite smile, he looked worn out. Aside from the case, Olivia knew he was probably being drilled from both the commissioner and the FBI. The FBI wanted this case, the commissioner wanted NYPD to keep it, but solve it overnight, and Cragen was in the middle. Olivia wondered how much they knew of her intricate ties with the perp and the victim; she was surprised that even with the protective detail, she was still on the case. She was sure Cragen had more to do with that then he had let on.
"I want you to meet detectives Barek and Logan from Major Case. Because of the extent of media coverage, SVU will be working with Major Case on this. This will also help us keep the case at the NYPD level longer," Cragen explained, watching as the four detectives shook hands, Olivia and Fin returning the introductions.
"Cap, the FBI can't just take this. There's no evidence that the crime crossed state lines."
"Not yet. But the Feds have a serious hard-on for this one, folks. These are serial killings involving the rape and torture of young white girls. The initial perp has been removed from the picture, but the crimes continue. There is another perp out there, and he has a thing for making up the faces of his victims post mortem. Now his sick fascination has turned to one of our own. It's only a matter of time before this information leaks out to the public."
Olivia knew Doctor Huang was looking at her and kept her face neutral as she continued to watch Cragen.
"Cap, do you think it's in the best interest to keep Detective Benson on this case?"
Olivia bristled at Logan's comment. He had served as a detective under Cragen for many years, and she knew his history with her captain gave him the comfort to voice the thought out loud. And she automatically hated him for it.
"Logan, Detective Benson has protective detail. Moreover, she knows this case better than anyone else. If we are to get this bastard quickly, we need her background and experience. It would hinder the investigation to remove her at this point."
Logan looked back over at Olivia; she stared back at him silently, her head tilted ever so slightly. Fin snorted from where he was still standing next to her.
"Don't worry, Detective Major Case," Fin drawled out the title. "Liv's got enough balls to keep you both safe."
Logan's eyes narrowed and Olivia felt a sudden burst of laughter burn at the back of her throat, threatening to bubble over. Sometimes they didn't see eye to eye, but Fin always had her back.
"People," Cragen sighed. "Tensions are high, but we need to focus." He redirected his attention to Doctor Huang. "Doctor, I believe you have an updated profile based on this new information. Would you care to share it with the detectives and me?"
"Certainly." Doctor Huang walked over to the closest desk, retrieving his briefcase. He flipped it open, pulling out the top file. He thumbed through the pages, making his way back over to the board and the small gathering of detectives.
"As always, I want to start by saying this is a working profile. I've created it based on FBI psychology assessment protocol. It's hypothetical, in a way, an extremely educated guess based on years of case study."
Cragen nodded, having heard the spiel before. "Go ahead, Doc."
"Your perp is a white male. Judging by the experience and calculation put into the crime, he is probably in his late 30's to mid 40's. He has a high IQ. He is probably soft spoken, he may even have a stutter."
"A stutter?" Olivia questioned.
"I've seen this in the past. If not a stutter, he isn't one to volunteer speech. He will be soft spoken." Doctor Huang turned to another page in the file.
"Because of his choice of victim and accomplice, he is probably a smaller man, either thin or short. He will have had little success with past relationships. In this way, though, he is not a classic pedophile. The fact that he makes up his victims to resemble adult women is an indication of his desire for mature females. But because of his size, his past experience, and the desire of his accomplice, he chose pre-pubescent females as victims.
"Although the fact that the make-up was applied post-mortem is curious. If he needed to make them appear more adult like before the rape, then this would be a false indicator. But then he did not engage in the crimes alone, and per the autopsy reports, only one source of DNA was found – Clarkson's. That being said, it is possible that this unknown perp masturbated at the scene of the crime over the post-mortem corpse and took the evidence with him."
"Sick fuck," Fin hissed under his breath.
"I can't establish that last part without the most recent autopsy report," Doctor Huang continued. "This unknown perpetrator may be acting differently since Clarkson's death. Understand that when criminals successfully engage in unlawful activities together, especially one so heinous, it is because both of them have found that together they derive more satisfaction from the crime.
"Clarkson's pleasure probably was increased by having this unknown perpetrator watch him rape and kill his victims. As for the unknown perp…," Doctor Huang paused, thinking for a moment. "He probably partnered with Clarkson less for pleasure and more for necessity. In this situation, one criminal will always be the "lead". Even though the unknown perpetrator has a higher IQ and is more methodical than Clarkson, he probably depended on him more. He needed him. He probably feels very lost, very confused and upset without his partner."
Olivia's jaw clenched on the word partner. Lost without his partner. As if reading her mind, Doctor Huang turned his attention to her.
"Clarkson meant quite a lot to this man. When you killed him, his partner was taken away from him, and in response, their joint pleasure came to a sudden close," Doctor Huang spoke, his voice lower this time. "It is only natural that he had to turn his attention somewhere. Now his focus is on you."
"What kind of danger do you think Olivia's in, Doc?" Cragen asked, voicing the question before Olivia could change the course of the profile.
"He is methodical. To imitate you, to replicate your face and hair so intimately on this victim, even his IQ and obvious experience wouldn't give him such precision. I would gather to say he has been watching your movements, Olivia."
Her skin felt itchy, almost like little ants were crawling up her bare arms. She suddenly craved the heavy leather of her jacket, but she stayed riveted to the spot, clenching her fingernails into her moist palms.
"Well," she paused, swallowing the annoying lump in her throat, "that will give us another way bring him out in the open. If he's so busy watching me, he's bound to trip up."
More than anything, she was glad Elliot wasn't here. If he heard this, there was no way he would have let her continue. They would have fought, maybe even yelled at each other. Especially now, when there was no way she would let him push her to drop this case.
"Olivia, this wasn't just to scare you. He probably didn't achieve anywhere close to the same sexual excitement with this victim as with the others. Partly because he is now without Clarkson, but mostly because his focus was pulled from the actual victim; he was thinking of you while in the process of the crime. He tried to create you, to posses you, and in the end, destroy you. Just like he feels you have done to him."
There was an uneasy quiet. She kept her attention on Doctor Huang even as she felt the stare of the others. How quickly it had all changed. The shooting, Elliot, the victims, and now this. Her head was pounding with all of it, her lungs constricted as raw emotion tightened like bony fingers into her flesh.
"So how do we find this bastard?" Fin asked, finally breaking the agonizing silence.
Doctor Huang looked from Olivia to Fin. "With his kind of skill, I would inquire within professions that deal with make-up or paint. I'd say he was a make-up artist, but with his shy, awkward demeanor, he probably isn't very successful. It's possible he is also a cross-dresser. Keep that in mind.
"This man, when you find him, he's going to appear harmless. He is probably the one that lured the girls in when he and Clarkson worked together for that fact alone. But he's extremely dangerous. He's probably thought through several situations involving his capture. More than anything, he is methodical. Be extremely careful."
Cragen nodded. "Thank you, Doc."
"Anytime, Captain Cragen." Doctor Huang glanced at his watch. "I apologize, but I must head back to FBI headquarters."
"I'm sure they are requesting a copy of the same profile," Cragen sighed.
Doctor Huang gave him a small smile. "I am a doctor, first and foremost, Captain. My main loyalty is to the profession."
"Of course," Cragen replied, patting him on the back. "Didn't mean to imply anything different. It's just the politics of this case are at the boiling point."
"It's unfortunate that we have to all work that way…"
"I totally agree," Cragen answered.
"Detectives," Doctor Huang bid his goodbyes. He shook the hands of Barek and Logan, knew better than to touch Fin, and mouthed a quick "call me" to Olivia before leaving.
Cragen watched the retreating back of Doctor Huang disappear into the crowd before turning back to the group of detectives.
"Okay, listen up. This is how it's going to be. Fin and Barek, I want you to re-interview Andrew Clarkson's mother. For obvious reasons, please try and keep Benson's name out of discussion. I want you to see if you can get her to relay any information on any friends he's been spending time with lately. Keep it neutral. The woman is volatile, but she may be one of our best leads."
He paused, glancing up to the board. "I heard that Missing Persons identified the girl. Is this true?"
"Yes, Cap," Fin answered, his voice low. Olivia smirked. It was obvious the he wasn't thrilled to be partnered with the small, pretty brunette from the Major Case Squad.
"Barek and Fin, before interviewing Clarkson's mother, meet up with the dead girl's parents. Missing Persons knows this case is ours now, but keep them tight on the situation."
As lead detective, Olivia knew that should have been her job. But the last thing the victim's parents needed to see was the detective whose face the perp decided to construct their little girl to look like. The thought struck her deep.
"Benson and Logan, I want you to question Clarkson's cell-mate and any prison buddies from his past several stays at Rikers. After that, I need you to make another trip to Clarkson's apartment. The property hasn't been released from the state yet, so you should be able to do a sweep for evidence. Call CSU if necessary."
He looked over the four detectives, and Olivia noticed that his eyes looked a little less tired; the intensity of situation had sparked his second wind.
"Listen, folks. We're rushing against time with this bastard, and every move we make is being caught by the media and the public, and they're a damn unforgiving bunch. Make sure everything you do is done with purpose, understand?"
They all nodded wordlessly in response, like some sort of mute army going into battle. He gave them a smile this time.
"Good. Call me with anything you find. I have several more meetings with the commissioner, but when I'm not there, I'll be here at the precinct. Several more units are heading over; we're going to re-canvas all the prior crime scenes."
Olivia watched Cragen turn and retreat towards his office, a mixture of anticipation and dread stewing in her stomach.
"Let's get this done, then," Detective Barek suggested, her voice firm and even. She was tiny standing next to Fin, but the authoritative air around her suggested she wouldn't take shit from him. Unwittingly, Olivia liked the other woman already.
"As long as you don't mention Dick Cheney, we're cool," Fin replied.
"I agree. No politics."
"Great." Fin glanced at Olivia. "Stay safe."
"You do the same," Olivia smiled back. Barek gave Logan an unreadable look, and both her and Fin walked out of the squad room.
"So is your protective detail going to follow us during the investigation?"
Olivia looked up at Logan. "Well, at least back-up won't be far away," she answered sweetly. Cragen had mentioned Detective Logan several times over the years; from the way he spoke about the man, she had imagined an honest, if some what rough around the edges cop. This guy was an asshole.
"I see this is the beginnings of a beautiful partnership," Logan smirked.
"I have a partner already, a damn good one, thanks," Olivia replied, her tone sharp. She turned away to walk back to her desk and he grabbed her arm, his strong fingers curling against her skin just under the bandage.
"Benson…"
She turned back to him. "Please let go." It came out softly and she cursed her own vulnerability. This man had no right to touch her.
"Listen, we got off on the wrong foot. I…," he paused, and she knew instinctively that he wasn't one for small talk. "I apologize. I'm sorry about your partner. Trust me when I say I know how it feels."
Olivia remembered only bits and pieces of what Cragen had mentioned of Logan's prior partners. The only one she really knew anything about was Briscoe. They had worked a couple of cases together over the years. The news of his death had saddened her, and it still pained her that she had missed his funeral several years back.
"I heard about Briscoe. We had worked together in the past. He was a wonderful man."
Something dark flittered across Logan's eyes before he gave her a quick nod of his head. His gaze lowered to where his hand was still circled around her arm. She knew without him saying a word he was thinking about her gun injury and the history behind it. His thumb brushed against the gauze and her arm tingled uncomfortably from the movement.
"Logan…"
"Can we start this over, Benson?" He asked quietly. Logan released her arm and offered her his hand. "I'm Detective Logan, Major Case Squad."
"Detective Benson, Special Victims Unit. Nice to meet you, Detective." She gave him an amused smile and shook his hand. "Let me just get my jacket, and we can drive to Rikers."
"You ready to do this, Benson?"
"More than ever. Let's get this bastard."