Chapter Four: Interview

16th Precinct

Manhattan SVU

5:13 P.M., March 15, 2006

"You wanted to speak to me?" Elliot asked as casually as possible upon entering the interview room. He knew Huang and the Captain were observing from the other side of the mirror, but he acted like they weren't there. Officially, this woman wasn't a suspect in anything; she was just here for some conversation.

"Oh, you're all right," Veronica gasped. "Thank goodness!"

Elliot gave her a quizzical look and she explained, "I knew you were here, but when they wouldn't let me see you, I was afraid that you had been hurt."

"Well, I appreciate your concern," Elliot said, spinning the chair across from her around so he could sit astride it, "but, who are you?"

"Veronica Austin," she said as if he should know what that meant.

Nodding, and leaning forward in the chair to rest his forearms on the table, he said, "My friends told me your name, but I don't know you."

"I don't know you either," she said. "I'm as confused by this as you are."

"But you came looking for me," he told her.

"Because I saw you," she said, taking up her pencil and starting another sketch.

"Where?"

"I . . . I don't know," she said haltingly, "just in images in my mind. I see things a lot. Pictures I have to draw, but I've never felt so compelled to meet the real subject before, and I never felt so frightened for anyone in my life. What's your name?"

His smile was almost a sneer when he told her, "You tell me."

Obviously, she had to know his name. After all, she had come looking for him.

She blinked, nonplussed. "I don't know."

He frowned, considered his next move, and decided it couldn't hurt to give her information that he knew she already had anyway. "Elliot," he said.

She smiled, pleased that he had given in. Extending a hand, she said, "Pleased to meet you, Elliot."

Shaking hands wouldn't cost him anything, so he grasped hers. Immediately, she tensed, swayed in her chair like she was about to fall over. He reached out to steady her, and she clutched his other hand. Clinging to him with both hands now, with a viselike grip, she began to ramble.

"Kathy she still loves you, Elliot. You can have her back. All you have to do is say you're sorry and try to fix things.

"Kathleen is in more trouble than you know. She has an older friend, a young man in college, who buys her gin. She needs help. She has a problem she can't handle herself.

"Maureen has changed her major. She's taking up criminal justice. She's afraid to tell you because she thinks you'll be disappointed.

Pulling on his hands with surprising strength, she forced him to lean in close. Her pupils were widely dilated, the irises just thin green lines around pools of inky black, her voice a harsh whisper as she continued.

"Jack . . . your father . . . He's sorry for what he did to you . . . He loved you very much . . . but sometimes, he would go to this place where his anger was controlling him, not his mind . . . He's sorry, Elliot . . . He's sorry."

Just like that, her grip relaxed and she slumped back in her chair. Frightened now, Elliot jerked his hands away and stood up so fast he stumbled back from his chair and bumped into the mirror.

"What did she say about his father?" Cragen asked.

"I don't know," Huang replied softly. "I didn't hear it."

"Lady, who do you think you are?" he shouted in fear and anger. "Leave my family alone!"

He balled his fists up and knew he was going to smash something, or someone, if he didn't get out of there. Throwing his arms down to his sides and shaking some of the tension out, he stalked out of the room slamming the door behind him. Striding into the squad room he shouted to all who were present, "I need something on this bitch now!"

"Elliot, what's wrong?" Liv asked in concern as she approached him, hands extended in a placating gesture.

"She's been stalking my family, Liv," he gasped in near panic. "She knew about the divorce, Kathleen's . . . situation, even my dad."

"What about your dad?" Huang asked as he and Cragen caught up with the distraught detective.

Suddenly reigning in his emotions, he gave the shrink a narrow glare and said, "Never mind."

"Elliot, calm down," Cragen commanded kindly. "Go into my office and wait for me."

"Look, Cap . . . "

"Now." The captain's tone would brook no argument. When Elliot was gone, he turned to his other detectives and said, "The divorce is a matter of public record. Munch, find out if anyone has been looking into that, then call Kathy and see if she knows who this woman is. Olivia, get a hold of the guys who picked up Kathleen. See if they have been talking to anybody. Fin, find out who this woman is. Doc, just . . . keep an eye on her. I'm gonna ask Stabler about his dad."

Again, the team scattered to follow his orders.

vvvvvvv

When he entered his office, Don had to time his steps to cross the room and get behind his desk without being trod upon by a pacing Elliot.

"Nobody knows, nobody knows all that," Elliot was mumbling. He paused in his stride for a moment and asked, "Cap, how could she possibly know all that about me?"

Then he resumed pacing.

"Elliot, when Kathy filed for divorce, it became public information," Don told him. "I told you Kathleen's arrest would leave a paper trail, and it's probably not too hard to find out someone's major in college. As far as your dad is concerned, I know you've never talk about it, but I remember the Knapp Commission. It was in the papers every day for a while. It's all out there for anyone who's interested."

"What?" Elliot stopped and looked at him, and started walking yet again. "No, it wasn't that. It was something from when I was a kid. Something nobody knows, nobody could possibly know."

"Elliot." When the detective didn't stop pacing, Don spoke a little louder. "Elliot, sit down."

Elliot stopped, scowled at the chair beside him and then at his captain.

Don raised his eyebrows and commanded once more, "Sit."

Pursing his lips thoughtfully, Don quickly decided that he shouldn't ask what it was that nobody was supposed to know, but he had to find out how the woman who called herself Veronica Austin knew about it.

"Look, it's obvious that you don't want to share with me what she said about your dad."

"Cap, please . . . "

Holding up his hand to stop the argument Elliot was about to launch, he said, "It's ok, Son, but think very carefully. Are you sure nobody knows?"

"Well, Kathy knows, and her parents, probably her brothers and sisters, some of the kids I grew up with might have guessed it, too. It's not something I talk about, but people I was close to back then, they could have figured it out." His eyebrows shot up. "Rebecca Hendrix. I told her."

He looked perplexed. "Damn!" he whispered faintly.

Cragen nodded. "That's quite a list."

Elliot looked up, appalled. "But none of them would have any reason to screw with me like this."

"No, but if someone wanted to hurt you bad enough, they could locate any one of those people and wheedled the information out of them."

Don took a tablet and a newly sharpened pencil out of his desk and handed them across to his detective. "Make a list of all the people who would know the information she told you about your dad. I'll have the squad divide the list. We'll start by asking them if any strangers have been making inquiries about you, and if we get a hit, we'll let you talk to them to find out if they mentioned what Veronica said."

Elliot took the pad and pen with a nod, and immediately began chewing on the pencil. Don smiled, knowing he wouldn't want it back and got up from behind his desk. Elliot looked up and started to rise from his seat, but Don stopped him with an upraised hand.

"Take your time, Son. Just sit in here and get a hold of yourself. I'm going to go look in on Veronica."

Elliot nodded, but as Don opened the door he turned in his seat and said, "Cap, I don't want anyone else talking to her yet. Soon as I'm done here, I'm gonna go back and continue the interview."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Don asked in concern.

"Not really, but I think Huang's right. If she's here to screw with my head, she must have gotten a real kick out of my reaction. We'll get more from her if we continue to give her what she wants."

Don nodded his agreement, but said, "If you change your mind, say so."