Special Victims Unit Headquarters/ December 3/ 11:05 AM
*****
"…call us if there is. Okay, thank you," said Olivia, hanging up the phone. She grabbed the edge of her desk with her fingertips and pushed back slightly in her chair. "The hospital says no change with Nina," she announced.
"Kid's going to teach us a little patience," remarked Munch cryptically as he poured a cup of coffee. "Good for her." Olivia regarded him quizzically, then turned back to her partner.
Elliot blew out a breath. "I talked to the investigator from the scene last night and he says they're still processing everything, but it doesn't look like anything from the bedroom is going to help us much. He'll check in with us if they hear anything new, though."
Just then, the door to Cragen's office burst open and the captain came striding out. "The media is definitely running with this one, people," he declared, his brow furrowed. "Where are we?"
Fin looked up from his notes. "Uniforms canvassed the neighborhood last night and this morning," he said. "Nobody saw anything funny, they said. Definitely not a guy catfooting his way up the fire escape on that building."
Cragen considered. "I'd rather have that information by way of my own detectives," he said. "Munch and Fin – make sure none of the neighbors is conveniently forgetting something important." The two nodded and gathered their coats and gloves before heading out because it was even colder out there than the day before.
The captain turned to Elliot and Olivia. "What's your take on the parents?"
Olivia crossed her arms across her chest. "Everything we've heard about Melanie indicates that she's about as good as they come. She's a great mom, a terrific doctor, nice to work with …"
"Too perfect, do you think?"
She thought hard. "I don't think so. We tried hard to find a weak spot, but there really doesn't seem to be one. I definitely don't think she has any idea who assaulted her daughter. We do need to look through her patient histories and see if there's anything there, though."
"I'd agree with Olivia," added Elliot. "Melanie is for real. We don't know as much about Dad, though," he said, remembering Eric's minute hesitation last night when they'd asked about who might have attacked Nina.
"Yeah," said Olivia. "We did check his alibi – he gave us the number of another professor in the English department, a Dr. Stillman Marlow. Talked to him and he confirmed that Eric was at the meeting."
A shadow of doubt must have crossed Elliot's face, because Cragen asked, "What? Do you not believe him?"
"I'm not sure. I guess I got sort of a weird vibe or whatever from Eric. I want to talk to other people from the department and find out if Dr. Marlow is the only witness who can place him there last night."
"Okay," said the captain. "You guys can get on that this afternoon. What about the babysitter?"
Elliot and Olivia exchanged a look – they hadn't yet shared the connection between Tessa and Maureen with Cragen. "What am I missing?" he asked.
"Uh, the babysitter – Tessa – happens to be Maureen's roommate."
Cragen blinked. "Maureen. Maureen, your daughter?"
Elliot nodded. "And, uh, also, Maureen showed up at the scene last night."
The captain was taken aback. "Uh huh," he said mildly. "And where are the two of them now?"
"Ah, they're at the house. My house."
Olivia spoke up. "That was kind of my idea," she interjected.
Cragen looked at the two detectives, both of whom were peering up at him like puppies who had just made puddles on his living room carpet. He took a deep breath and exhaled. "Right. Okay, well, it would be good if that never hit the papers, all right?" They nodded. "And it goes without saying that any interviewing of either of those girls needs to be with someone besides you," he added, pointing at Elliot.
Elliot assented. "Also, Captain, Huang has been talking to the investigators who were at the scene and he's been working on a profile."
"Oh? What does it look like?"
"We haven't heard it yet either … he should be back before long."
"All right, well, I have to go do some more media wrangling. In the meantime … you know what you need to do." He disappeared back into his office.
Olivia did not envy the captain his job of dealing with the reporters. She looked at Elliot and feigned wiping sweat off her brow. "Whew."
He chuckled. "Yeah. Although please pray with me that my daughter doesn't have to be interviewed by Munch for any reason, all right? She's argumentative enough as it is."
She smiled. "I don't think that'll have to happen, do you? I'd say we need to talk to Tessa again to see if anything's surfaced in her memory this morning, though."
"Yeah."
"How did she seem last night? Did you see her when you got home?"
"Uh huh, she and Maureen were up with Kathy. She was pretty shell-shocked, but I think she'll be okay."
"And Maureen?"
He smirked. "Oh, she's fine … she was doing all the talking last night. I'm still going to have to ask her what the hell she was doing on the street last night with alcohol on her breath, though. Didn't get a chance to do that yet."
Olivia raised her eyebrows and was about to respond, but just then George Huang walked into the station, carrying a clipboard and looking disturbed. "Hey, what did you find out?" asked Olivia, turning in her chair to face him.
He crossed his arms, pressing the clipboard to his chest. "You're looking for someone careful, determined, and experienced," he said. "The fact that he didn't leave any physical evidence in what was such an angry, risky crime scene tells me that he planned this and that it's probably not his first time."
"Can you give us anything to plug into the database to see if we get any hits?"
"Not really," he said. "I would bet that he's already spent time in prison, given the violence and deliberate care he took."
"Great," said Elliot acerbically. "We shouldn't have any trouble narrowing down pedophiles who've been to jail and like to rape little girls."
"Well, that's the thing," said Huang. "I don't think his experience is with little girls."
Both Olivia and Elliot looked up, interested.
"I don't think he took any pleasure in raping Nina," Huang continued. "He might enjoy the act of rape, but he was so violent and he damaged her body so deeply that I think his intent was specifically to injure her, perhaps even to the exclusion of his own pleasure."
The wheels in Olivia's head were turning. "So there's no way that this guy targeted her randomly."
Huang shook his head. "No," he said slowly. "This rape was an act of vengeance and rage."
TBC
*****
"…call us if there is. Okay, thank you," said Olivia, hanging up the phone. She grabbed the edge of her desk with her fingertips and pushed back slightly in her chair. "The hospital says no change with Nina," she announced.
"Kid's going to teach us a little patience," remarked Munch cryptically as he poured a cup of coffee. "Good for her." Olivia regarded him quizzically, then turned back to her partner.
Elliot blew out a breath. "I talked to the investigator from the scene last night and he says they're still processing everything, but it doesn't look like anything from the bedroom is going to help us much. He'll check in with us if they hear anything new, though."
Just then, the door to Cragen's office burst open and the captain came striding out. "The media is definitely running with this one, people," he declared, his brow furrowed. "Where are we?"
Fin looked up from his notes. "Uniforms canvassed the neighborhood last night and this morning," he said. "Nobody saw anything funny, they said. Definitely not a guy catfooting his way up the fire escape on that building."
Cragen considered. "I'd rather have that information by way of my own detectives," he said. "Munch and Fin – make sure none of the neighbors is conveniently forgetting something important." The two nodded and gathered their coats and gloves before heading out because it was even colder out there than the day before.
The captain turned to Elliot and Olivia. "What's your take on the parents?"
Olivia crossed her arms across her chest. "Everything we've heard about Melanie indicates that she's about as good as they come. She's a great mom, a terrific doctor, nice to work with …"
"Too perfect, do you think?"
She thought hard. "I don't think so. We tried hard to find a weak spot, but there really doesn't seem to be one. I definitely don't think she has any idea who assaulted her daughter. We do need to look through her patient histories and see if there's anything there, though."
"I'd agree with Olivia," added Elliot. "Melanie is for real. We don't know as much about Dad, though," he said, remembering Eric's minute hesitation last night when they'd asked about who might have attacked Nina.
"Yeah," said Olivia. "We did check his alibi – he gave us the number of another professor in the English department, a Dr. Stillman Marlow. Talked to him and he confirmed that Eric was at the meeting."
A shadow of doubt must have crossed Elliot's face, because Cragen asked, "What? Do you not believe him?"
"I'm not sure. I guess I got sort of a weird vibe or whatever from Eric. I want to talk to other people from the department and find out if Dr. Marlow is the only witness who can place him there last night."
"Okay," said the captain. "You guys can get on that this afternoon. What about the babysitter?"
Elliot and Olivia exchanged a look – they hadn't yet shared the connection between Tessa and Maureen with Cragen. "What am I missing?" he asked.
"Uh, the babysitter – Tessa – happens to be Maureen's roommate."
Cragen blinked. "Maureen. Maureen, your daughter?"
Elliot nodded. "And, uh, also, Maureen showed up at the scene last night."
The captain was taken aback. "Uh huh," he said mildly. "And where are the two of them now?"
"Ah, they're at the house. My house."
Olivia spoke up. "That was kind of my idea," she interjected.
Cragen looked at the two detectives, both of whom were peering up at him like puppies who had just made puddles on his living room carpet. He took a deep breath and exhaled. "Right. Okay, well, it would be good if that never hit the papers, all right?" They nodded. "And it goes without saying that any interviewing of either of those girls needs to be with someone besides you," he added, pointing at Elliot.
Elliot assented. "Also, Captain, Huang has been talking to the investigators who were at the scene and he's been working on a profile."
"Oh? What does it look like?"
"We haven't heard it yet either … he should be back before long."
"All right, well, I have to go do some more media wrangling. In the meantime … you know what you need to do." He disappeared back into his office.
Olivia did not envy the captain his job of dealing with the reporters. She looked at Elliot and feigned wiping sweat off her brow. "Whew."
He chuckled. "Yeah. Although please pray with me that my daughter doesn't have to be interviewed by Munch for any reason, all right? She's argumentative enough as it is."
She smiled. "I don't think that'll have to happen, do you? I'd say we need to talk to Tessa again to see if anything's surfaced in her memory this morning, though."
"Yeah."
"How did she seem last night? Did you see her when you got home?"
"Uh huh, she and Maureen were up with Kathy. She was pretty shell-shocked, but I think she'll be okay."
"And Maureen?"
He smirked. "Oh, she's fine … she was doing all the talking last night. I'm still going to have to ask her what the hell she was doing on the street last night with alcohol on her breath, though. Didn't get a chance to do that yet."
Olivia raised her eyebrows and was about to respond, but just then George Huang walked into the station, carrying a clipboard and looking disturbed. "Hey, what did you find out?" asked Olivia, turning in her chair to face him.
He crossed his arms, pressing the clipboard to his chest. "You're looking for someone careful, determined, and experienced," he said. "The fact that he didn't leave any physical evidence in what was such an angry, risky crime scene tells me that he planned this and that it's probably not his first time."
"Can you give us anything to plug into the database to see if we get any hits?"
"Not really," he said. "I would bet that he's already spent time in prison, given the violence and deliberate care he took."
"Great," said Elliot acerbically. "We shouldn't have any trouble narrowing down pedophiles who've been to jail and like to rape little girls."
"Well, that's the thing," said Huang. "I don't think his experience is with little girls."
Both Olivia and Elliot looked up, interested.
"I don't think he took any pleasure in raping Nina," Huang continued. "He might enjoy the act of rape, but he was so violent and he damaged her body so deeply that I think his intent was specifically to injure her, perhaps even to the exclusion of his own pleasure."
The wheels in Olivia's head were turning. "So there's no way that this guy targeted her randomly."
Huang shook his head. "No," he said slowly. "This rape was an act of vengeance and rage."
TBC