Latch Key

Prologue

Wei's Fruit and Dairy Market

Central Park West

3:50 PM Tuesday

Sergeant Lane Olsen and Officer Hank Wells drove up to the market in their squad car and they saw the commotion outside the store.

"You ready for all the drama, rookie?" Olsen asked his partner.

"Oh yeah, I'm in the big leagues," Wells joked as they both got out of the car.

There was a young man and an old woman yelling alternately at the young girl, whom was being held by another paying customer in the store.

"Let me go!" The girl screeched. "I didn't take anything!"

"Look, we saw you in the mirror!" Mark Wei, the co-owner of the store yelled. "I know you took something, kid. Just give the stuff back and we won't press charges, right officers?"

"Sure," Wells nodded as he kneeled down to the girl's eyelevel. "What's your name?"

"Dee Dee," the girl said spitefully. "Dee Dee Nelson."

"Well, Dee Dee do you know what you did was wrong?" Wells explained.

"No because I didn't do anything!" Dee Dee shouted. "Will you let me go, I gotta get home."

"Just empty your pockets and-" Olsen was interrupted by an urgent call on the radio. "Wells we got a robbery. Let the girl go."

Mark glared at Dee Dee before turning her loose and the ten year old ran up the street.

"Don't you come back into this store!" He yelled after her as she rounded the corner.

Eleven year old Jennifer Zimmerman stopped and leaned against a wall to catch her breath.

"Hey uberface!"

Jennifer took in another deep breath. "Did you get the stuff, butt face?"

"Yep," Edward, her eight year old brother nodded. "I even snagged the snack cakes Granny Wei makes."

"Good," Jennifer praised her little brother as she came over to him. "You're not too bad, Eddie. C'mon, we gotta go home."

Edward sighed as they went down to the bus stop.

They waited twenty minutes for the bus to arrive and they boarded. Jennifer paid the fee and then she sat next to her brother. His back pack was heavy, and her stomach began to growl at the thought of all that food.

"Hey, I got something for Megs," Eddie said with a smile. He opened up the front pocket and pulled out a small silver charm bracelet. It had a kitten, a heart, and ballet shoes.

"Nice," she commented. "Where'd you find that?"

"On the floor outside the girls' restroom at school," he said. "I think Megs will like it."

"Yeah," Jennifer sighed as they rode the bus home.

Zimmerman Apartment

Madison & 5th St.

4:55 PM

Jennifer and Eddie walked up to the fifth floor where their apartment was and Jennifer took out her key and unlocked the door. They walked in and Jennifer made sure to close and lock the door before going into the small living room where four year old Megan, the youngest Zimmerman child was laying down on the couch, thumb in her mouth, and sleeping.

Jennifer grinned slightly before she covered her little sister up with the small blanket.

Eddie was in the kitchen, trying to decide what to eat. Jennifer came into the kitchen and began taking out the pots to make some spaghetti, since it was easiest to make.

"Eddie, put the food away," she commanded her little brother.

"Who died and made you mom?" He said defiantly.

She narrowed her eyes at him before slapping his face. He wore a look of shock for a moment, then his eyes began to water.

"Don't say that," she hissed. "She's going to come back. Put the food away."

Eddie rubbed his stinging cheek and then opened up his back pack and began putting the food away like he was told.

"Got any homework?" She asked as she filled the larger pot with water.

"Did it already," he sighed. "You didn't have to hit me."

"Sorry," she said half heartedly. "I just don't like it when you say things like that about mom."

"I'm just a realist," the boy shrugged and Jennifer looked at him.

"Where'd you learn that?" She asked.

"It's not something you learn," he explained as he put the eggs away. "It's a state of mind. It was just a matter of me putting a word to the thought."

"Shut up," she snipped. "Why do you have to be so smart?"

"I don't know," he shrugged as he sat at the kitchen table. "Sometimes the other kids make fun of me."

"They're jealous," she sighed as she stirred in the noodles.

"Do you think mom is ever coming back?" He asked.

Jennifer turned to her brother. She came over to him and kissed his cheek. "She will," she said confidently. "But until she does, I promise I'll take care of you and Megs. I'll die before I let anything happen to you."

"What if you die?" He asked.

"So you're also a fatalist?" Jennifer asked.

"Where'd you learn that?" Eddie asked.

"Read about Anne Frank in class," she shrugged. "She used the word fatalist. Anyway, if I die, you become the man of the house. You have to take care of Megs. And find mom."

Eddie nodded.

The evening went by as it has for a long time now. Jennifer fed her younger brother and sister, got them ready for bed, cleaned up the kitchen, and then finally took care of her own hygiene. The siblings had to share a room, but since their mother hadn't been home in a while, the three of them slept in their mom's bed.

Jennifer brushed out her hair then put on her pajamas.

She got into the bed with her other siblings and sighed.

"Jennifer?" Eddie asked.

"What?" She sighed as she tucked Megs in.

"What happens if me and Megs die?" He asked sleepily. "You know, like if something happened that you couldn't help?"

"Go to sleep Eddie," she said.

"Good night," he said, now completely drowsy. "Love you."

Jennifer leaned over and kissed first his cheek then Megs's cheek.

"Love you too," she whispered before turning over and going to sleep.

PS 61

South Manhattan

8:15 AM Wednesday

"Jennifer Zimmerman?" Mrs. Angela Haffer called. "Jennifer?"

When there was no answer, Angela marked the girl absent and she shook her head slightly. The girl was brilliant. She got a perfect score on her pre algebra qualifying test, and she wanted to tell the young girl that when she went to middle school, she would qualify for gifted and talented classes.

The class began to get rowdy she put the roll sheet in the slot outside the door to be picked up.

"Alright class, settle down," Angela called over the noise. "I want you all to open your workbooks to page forty five and begin the even numbered problems two through twenty two."

Angela smiled when she heard collective groans.

"I'm going to slip out for a few moments," she warned. "Now, there will be no talking and Mrs. Freeman is watching you guys from across the hall."

Angela went out of her class room and headed down the hallway to the restroom. On the way, she met another teacher and they began bantering as they walked into the restroom.

"I know, my husband does the exact same thing," Angela complained as she opened up a stall. "And he-oh sweet Jesus! Jennifer! Christina, call 911!"

St. Anthony's Children's Hospital

11:15 AM

Elliot walked into the ICU and he flashed his badge before he walked over to Munch.

"Hey," Munch greeted him. "Where's your partner?"

"Court," Elliot said. "Casey doesn't know how long it will be, so Liv's stuck. Where's yours?"

"On vacation, can you believe that?" John asked.

"What have we got?" Elliot asked.

"Eleven year old girl," John explained. "Her teacher from PS sixty one called it in. Found her in the bathroom, passed out. Doctors said she had overdosed on sleeping pills."

"Sleeping pills?" Elliot asked. "Did they get a name off the pills?"

"Nope," John sighed. "Clever kid. She blacked out the label then tried to rip it off. But, we got a lucky break," he explained. "There's no record of this girl at this hospital, but the teachers did provide us with records. Jennifer Zimmerman, and she has two siblings, Edward and Megan ages eight and four. Edward is registered at the same school, but he didn't show up to class today and the four year old wasn't there for either."

Elliot looked at the files.

"Cute kids," he commented. "Where are the parents?"

"Well, the only one listed is mom, she's a clerk at Jasper Electronics," John sighed. "There's an address listed here. The doctors are trying to get in touch with her now."

Jennifer was awakening and when she looked around, she became hysterical.

"No," she sobbed. "NOOO!"

She fought to get out of the bed and nurses rushed into the room and calmed her down.

"Leave me alone!" Jennifer screamed. "I want to die! I killed them! I killed them! Leave me alone!"

Elliot and John watched as the girl thrashed about.

John's cell phone rang and he flipped it open.

"Munch," he answered. "I'm at the hospital with Stabler…what? Okay, we'll be there."

"What?" Elliot asked as John closed his phone.

John sighed. "The school had two officers sent to the Zimmerman apartment."

"And?" Elliot asked, fearing the worst.

"The unis found the other two kids dead," John reported gravely.

The detectives looked over at the screaming girl.

"I just want to die!" Jennifer screamed.