Disclaimer: See chapter one.
A/N: So, I've been writing my little heiny off tonight :P I hope you like it. Please review:)
'punzzle
4:23 pm
NYPD 16th Precinct
SVU
Elliot opened the door to interrogation room 5 and held it so his partner could pass through before him. Olivia kept her dark eyes on the open file folder in her hands, pausing in the center of the room as Elliot closed the door behind them.
"David Reeth?" she asked, flicking her gaze to the blonde twenty-year old seated nervously at the nearby table.
The young man nodded awkwardly and swallowed—"Yes?"
"I'm detective Benson; this is detective Stabler, thanks for coming in".
Olivia sat opposite him. She closed the file and folded her hands casually on the tabletop.
The co-ed nodded—"S-Sure. You mind telling me why I'm here?"
"You and Matthew Stormer had scheduled to meet Robin Chester and Mary Westcott at Benito's café at twelve-o'clock this afternoon, is that correct?" Elliot asked, standing off to Olivia's left.
"That's right" Reeth answered slowly.
"And what time did you arrive at the restaurant for this… rendezvous?" Elliot continued, folding his arms over his chest and moving slowly behind Reeth, circling like a cat waiting to pounce.
"I dunno… around 12:30 maybe; I got stuck in traffic. Why? What's…?"
"And you and Matthew Stormer remained at the restaurant until what time?" Elliot interrupted, coming to a halt at Olivia's right.
"Until about 2:00 or so; we met some girls from school and had a drink. Robin and her friend Mary never showed so we made the best of it".
"Did either of you attempt to contact Robin Chester or Mary Westcott?" Olivia broke in.
"Uh… we sat for a while. When it looked like they weren't going to show, Matt called Mary's cell—left a message I think".
"Were you present at the time?" Elliot queried.
The young man shook his head—"Not the entire time. I got up to use the restroom" he answered.
"Can you tell us what all you heard?" Olivia probed.
David knit his brow in thought for a moment before responding—"Not much; something about 'she's a jealous bitch who needs to back off and get her own life'. I don't know.
Why am I here?" he demanded, growing more concerned.
"How well do you know Robin Chester and Mary Westcott?" Elliot asked, moving a step closer to the table.
"I don't" David replied.
"You don't?" questioned a surprised Olivia.
"No" came the response, "—never met them in my life. All I know is that Matt has been trying to hook up with Robin all semester and the deal was that her friend Mary came, so he brought me along".
Olivia glanced up at Elliot who intuitively met her gaze.
"So you know nothing more about Robin Chester?" Elliot probed.
David shrugged—"I know she's hot".
Elliot followed Olivia out of the interrogation room. The pair paused at the end of the hallway and turned to observe Matthew Stormer meet his fried and, after a brief and heated discussion, exit the precinct. Elliot turned and caught Olivia's eye as he continued his path toward his desk—"So what do you think?" he asked at last.
Olivia flipped shut the manila folder she was carrying and inhaled a cleansing breath—"I don't think they're our guys" she responded.
Elliot's eyes questioned hers' immediately.
"They appear to both have an alibi –which we will corroborate at the restaurant—at the approximate time of death; both seem unlikely to have motive enough to go into Robin's home and kill her".
The pair came to a halt at their conjoined desks. Olivia took her seat while Elliot remained standing across from her.
"Reeth says he was late because he was stuck in traffic" he pointed out "—could have been he was delayed making the return trip from the vic's apartment".
Olivia nodded—"True, but if he never knew Robin Chester, why rape her? Why kill her?" she tossed back.
Elliot stretched his neck and rolled his tense shoulders back. He picked a foam football up from his desk and squeezed it tightly between his strong hands.
"Maybe Reeth's lying" Elliot offered. "Maybe he did know Chester and wanted her for himself. He goes over to plead his case, she refuses, he doesn't back down…"
Olivia raised a quizzical brow—"Possible, I suppose, but not exactly likely. It takes, what, at least thirty minutes to get from the vic's apartment to the restaurant? And that's on a good day. Murder's messy—would Reeth have had enough time to kill Robin, clean himself up, and get to Benito's before 12:30?"
Elliot gazed into the distance and gripped the football tightly—"I don't know".
"I didn't see any defensive wounds" Olivia continued, "did you?"
"Doesn't mean they're not there" Elliot retorted.
"True".
"What about Stormer?" Elliot questioned. "Kid seemed too cocky—maybe Reeth's covering for him; maybe they were in it together".
"True" Olivia repeated, "but you saw his reaction. Either he really didn't know, or someone should give that boy an Oscar".
Elliot rolled his eyes and dropped the football onto his cluttered desk.
"Still worth checking out" he conceded finally.
"Never said it wasn't" Olivia smiled.
