So updating sure is harder when spring break is over, hmmm? Sorry I haven't been as regular … thanks to all of you who are sticking with me. I really, really appreciate the feedback and encouragement – please keep it coming!
*****
Trapped In Manhattan Traffic/ December 3/ 4:02 PM
*****
"I can't believe Maureen would keep a secret like that!" fumed Elliot, surveying the churning mess of cars in front of him. After calling Kathy to fill her in on the increasingly complicated situation and then persuading Maureen and Tessa to go back home, he had hoped to zip over to the hospital quickly to confront Eric about Lacey Goldstone. Apparently, though, the traffic gods had not meant for it to be.
Olivia eyed his white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel – she was really beginning to regret letting him convince her he was okay to drive. "Come on, Elliot. She didn't really keep it a secret," she pointed out. "She's the one who tried to get Tessa to tell the truth."
He sighed disgustedly. "Yeah, Tessa. A whole other story!"
"She's totally stressed out. I don't mean to blindly defend her, Elliot, but I really think she's just trying to protect those little girls. You told me her parents at home are divorced, right?"
Elliot snorted. "How do you know she's not being loyal to Eric? He's already screwing one student – why not two?"
Olivia rolled her eyes. "You don't really believe that." And he didn't, she was totally certain of that. Tessa had stayed with his family over Thanksgiving break and until this afternoon, he had always spoken very well of her, praising her good manners and studious dedication. And Olivia knew there was no way their instincts about this would be in such opposition, either.
He sighed. "I guess. Maureen and I really, really need to have a talk as soon as I have a chance, though."
*****
Hudson University Student Housing/ December 3/ 4:10 PM
*****
Once Maureen had revealed Lacey Goldstone's name to Olivia, Munch and Fin had immediately begun work on identifying and locating her. Fin had called student services at the university, where the student worker on the phone had first informed him that there was no Lucy Goldstein enrolled at Hudson, much less living in one of their dorms. Valiantly, he had pressed on through the maze of incompetence and gotten the contact information they were looking for.
Now, Munch and Fin climbed the stairs to the second floor of one of the dorms. Munch looked disparagingly at the grungy hallway and stained carpeting, bathed in sickly fluorescent lights. Fin employed his patented police intimidation knock on the door they had been informed was Lacey's.
"What??" called a female voice, not sounding at all pleased at the disturbance.
"This is the police," Fin snapped. "Open the door."
The two detectives rolled their eyes at all the fumbling and thumping that came next, and the door was finally flung open by a long-haired blonde girl in a pink towel. In the cramped recesses of her darkened room lurked a tall young man, similarly attired.
Munch flashed his badge. "Are you Lacey Goldstone?"
She frowned. "Yeah."
Fin pointed at her companion. "Who's that?"
She turned to look at him, and they both shrugged, bewildered. "That's my boyfriend, Zack."
Munch raised his eyebrows. "Oh yeah? Zack what?"
At this, Zack finally came to the door, adjusting his towel. "Zack Colliver. Who wants to know?"
Munch ignored him. "You know, Lacey, we were under the impression that you had a different boyfriend. One by the name of Eric Pressman."
"That true?" Fin crossed his arms. Lacey's eyes widened and she pushed Zack back into the room, despite his loud protestations.
She shut the door behind her. "Yeah, I've been going out with Eric. It's not serious or anything – he's a professor, you know. He has, like, kids. Two or three of them. Why are you asking me about him? What did he do?"
The detectives exchanged a look. Fin asked, "Were you with him last night?"
She hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah, we went out to dinner in the Village. Sushi."
"Do you know what happened to his kid while he was out having a good time with you?"
Her face was blank. "His kid? Which one?"
Fin shook his head, disgusted. "The older one. Nina. Somebody beat her up and raped her in her own bed."
"What? Are you serious?!" She nearly dropped her towel.
Munch pointed at the door. "Lacey, does your pal Zack know about your little extra credit plan with the good professor?"
She leaned back against the door and heaved an enormous sigh. "Yeah. He found out a few days ago by accident, when he saw me leaving campus with Eric in his car. We had a really big fight about it. He was really pissed."
"Not that pissed, apparently," deadpanned Munch, almost imperceptibly pulling an imaginary towel around his waist.
"Well, it took some explaining, I guess," she admitted, totally missing Munch's little pantomime. "But I promised to break it off and now he's cool. Even though that means I'll fail that class for sure now." She bit her lip and pulled at her towel. "I've been trying to make it up to Zack, if you know what I'm saying."
"Uh huh."
Fin asked if Lacey had any ideas about who might have attacked Nina, but she said she didn't – in fact, she'd never even met her. She also hadn't heard from Eric since last night. The truth was, she'd even skipped his morning lecture … it was one of the perks.
The detectives gave her a card and made her promise to call if she remembered anything, then assured her they would be in touch. Finally, they headed back down the filthy staircase and out into the wind.
In the car, Fin called headquarters to report on what they'd found out, and received word that Elliot and Olivia were at the hospital, talking with Eric and Melanie. After he'd hung up, he felt a little repulsed at the thought of Eric dating students like Lacey on the sly, and said so to his partner.
Munch agreed. "Yeah. But given the blankness of that girl's expression, you can see why she might feel the need to manipulate the curve … if you will."
Fin shuddered. "She doesn't know anything about Nina, that's for sure," he said, and Munch nodded again.
"Did they say anything about her condition?"
"She's still in the coma, but it looks like the fever might be going down." Briefly, Fin entertained the slightly perverse thought that if a kid had to be in a coma, it might as well be at the moment that her mom found out her dad was cheating on her. At least she'd be spared the first of those fireworks.
Just then his phone rang, and he flipped it open. He listened, said thank you, and turned back to Munch, his expression illuminated. "I think maybe there's somebody else who does know something about Nina, though."
His partner raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Yep. Turns out our buddy Zack has a record – sexual assault, back when he was eighteen."
TBC
*****
Trapped In Manhattan Traffic/ December 3/ 4:02 PM
*****
"I can't believe Maureen would keep a secret like that!" fumed Elliot, surveying the churning mess of cars in front of him. After calling Kathy to fill her in on the increasingly complicated situation and then persuading Maureen and Tessa to go back home, he had hoped to zip over to the hospital quickly to confront Eric about Lacey Goldstone. Apparently, though, the traffic gods had not meant for it to be.
Olivia eyed his white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel – she was really beginning to regret letting him convince her he was okay to drive. "Come on, Elliot. She didn't really keep it a secret," she pointed out. "She's the one who tried to get Tessa to tell the truth."
He sighed disgustedly. "Yeah, Tessa. A whole other story!"
"She's totally stressed out. I don't mean to blindly defend her, Elliot, but I really think she's just trying to protect those little girls. You told me her parents at home are divorced, right?"
Elliot snorted. "How do you know she's not being loyal to Eric? He's already screwing one student – why not two?"
Olivia rolled her eyes. "You don't really believe that." And he didn't, she was totally certain of that. Tessa had stayed with his family over Thanksgiving break and until this afternoon, he had always spoken very well of her, praising her good manners and studious dedication. And Olivia knew there was no way their instincts about this would be in such opposition, either.
He sighed. "I guess. Maureen and I really, really need to have a talk as soon as I have a chance, though."
*****
Hudson University Student Housing/ December 3/ 4:10 PM
*****
Once Maureen had revealed Lacey Goldstone's name to Olivia, Munch and Fin had immediately begun work on identifying and locating her. Fin had called student services at the university, where the student worker on the phone had first informed him that there was no Lucy Goldstein enrolled at Hudson, much less living in one of their dorms. Valiantly, he had pressed on through the maze of incompetence and gotten the contact information they were looking for.
Now, Munch and Fin climbed the stairs to the second floor of one of the dorms. Munch looked disparagingly at the grungy hallway and stained carpeting, bathed in sickly fluorescent lights. Fin employed his patented police intimidation knock on the door they had been informed was Lacey's.
"What??" called a female voice, not sounding at all pleased at the disturbance.
"This is the police," Fin snapped. "Open the door."
The two detectives rolled their eyes at all the fumbling and thumping that came next, and the door was finally flung open by a long-haired blonde girl in a pink towel. In the cramped recesses of her darkened room lurked a tall young man, similarly attired.
Munch flashed his badge. "Are you Lacey Goldstone?"
She frowned. "Yeah."
Fin pointed at her companion. "Who's that?"
She turned to look at him, and they both shrugged, bewildered. "That's my boyfriend, Zack."
Munch raised his eyebrows. "Oh yeah? Zack what?"
At this, Zack finally came to the door, adjusting his towel. "Zack Colliver. Who wants to know?"
Munch ignored him. "You know, Lacey, we were under the impression that you had a different boyfriend. One by the name of Eric Pressman."
"That true?" Fin crossed his arms. Lacey's eyes widened and she pushed Zack back into the room, despite his loud protestations.
She shut the door behind her. "Yeah, I've been going out with Eric. It's not serious or anything – he's a professor, you know. He has, like, kids. Two or three of them. Why are you asking me about him? What did he do?"
The detectives exchanged a look. Fin asked, "Were you with him last night?"
She hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah, we went out to dinner in the Village. Sushi."
"Do you know what happened to his kid while he was out having a good time with you?"
Her face was blank. "His kid? Which one?"
Fin shook his head, disgusted. "The older one. Nina. Somebody beat her up and raped her in her own bed."
"What? Are you serious?!" She nearly dropped her towel.
Munch pointed at the door. "Lacey, does your pal Zack know about your little extra credit plan with the good professor?"
She leaned back against the door and heaved an enormous sigh. "Yeah. He found out a few days ago by accident, when he saw me leaving campus with Eric in his car. We had a really big fight about it. He was really pissed."
"Not that pissed, apparently," deadpanned Munch, almost imperceptibly pulling an imaginary towel around his waist.
"Well, it took some explaining, I guess," she admitted, totally missing Munch's little pantomime. "But I promised to break it off and now he's cool. Even though that means I'll fail that class for sure now." She bit her lip and pulled at her towel. "I've been trying to make it up to Zack, if you know what I'm saying."
"Uh huh."
Fin asked if Lacey had any ideas about who might have attacked Nina, but she said she didn't – in fact, she'd never even met her. She also hadn't heard from Eric since last night. The truth was, she'd even skipped his morning lecture … it was one of the perks.
The detectives gave her a card and made her promise to call if she remembered anything, then assured her they would be in touch. Finally, they headed back down the filthy staircase and out into the wind.
In the car, Fin called headquarters to report on what they'd found out, and received word that Elliot and Olivia were at the hospital, talking with Eric and Melanie. After he'd hung up, he felt a little repulsed at the thought of Eric dating students like Lacey on the sly, and said so to his partner.
Munch agreed. "Yeah. But given the blankness of that girl's expression, you can see why she might feel the need to manipulate the curve … if you will."
Fin shuddered. "She doesn't know anything about Nina, that's for sure," he said, and Munch nodded again.
"Did they say anything about her condition?"
"She's still in the coma, but it looks like the fever might be going down." Briefly, Fin entertained the slightly perverse thought that if a kid had to be in a coma, it might as well be at the moment that her mom found out her dad was cheating on her. At least she'd be spared the first of those fireworks.
Just then his phone rang, and he flipped it open. He listened, said thank you, and turned back to Munch, his expression illuminated. "I think maybe there's somebody else who does know something about Nina, though."
His partner raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Yep. Turns out our buddy Zack has a record – sexual assault, back when he was eighteen."
TBC