Latch Key
Chapter One
Zimmerman Apartment
Madison & 5th St.
12:50 PM
"No, this building isn't a crap hole," John sighed as they walked up to the apartment. "It wouldn't surprise me if nobody heard anything."
Elliot and John walked carefully into the apartment. There wasn't much, but for the family, Elliot supposed that it was livable for the economic situation. He went into the bedroom where the dead children lay.
Melinda Warner was already in the room, looking over the dead innocents.
"Hey," John said solemnly. "Cause of death?"
"Looks like overdose," she sighed. "Their eyes are glazed over, and there's no sign of strangulation marks. CSU found two empty bottles of sleeping pills in the trash in the bathroom."
"Our girl overdosed on sleeping pills," Elliot added. "The doctors found an empty bottle in her book bag."
"So, this girl killed her two siblings and then tried to kill herself?" John inquired.
Elliot sighed. "Looks like they were all sleeping in mom and dad's room," he observed before walking out of the room and into the front of the apartment.
For the most part, the apartment was clean, even though the building itself wasn't up to par. The kitchen was clean, and so was the living room. CSU opened up cabinets, and he saw that there wasn't anything else except canned ravioli, some noodles, spaghetti sauce, and more sweets than kids needed. A book bag lay open on the table. Full of bread, peanut putter, fruit and some cakes and snacks.
"Hey Munch," Elliot called, picking up the contents.
John came into the kitchen. "Hmm, not much for nutrition," he quipped.
"I think one of them had sticky fingers," Elliot said. "I'm getting the impression that these kids were by themselves most of the time."
"Ah, latch key kids," John sighed. "The final line between absent parenting and parental negligence."
Elliot looked at John and became rather cross. "Olivia was a latch key kid. Her mother never abandoned her. At least, not in that sense. People work, John."
"I was a latch key kid myself, but the whole neighborhood kept an eye on us," John explained. "Now kids are left to their own devices and then we pick them up twenty years down the road and collar 'em."
Elliot just sighed and shook his head.
"How did the girl get her siblings to swallow all those pills?" John asked. "I mean, the four year old might have gone along with it, but the eight year old, not so much."
"I can answer that," a CSU tech chimed in, holding up an evidence bag. "There was a Ziplock bag with a white powdery substance. We're thinking the pills may have been ground down."
"So she mixed it in with whatever they were eating or drinking," John surmised. "And she washed the dishes."
"Maybe the kid didn't do it," Elliot said. "She was still feeling the effects of the medication and she thought she may have done something to her siblings."
"Then why would she attempt suicide?" John asked.
"Grief," Elliot shrugged. "Or someone slipped it to her too, planted the bottle…"
"That's a lot of trouble to go to make an eleven year old look guilty of murder," John said.
Elliot sighed.
"Well, whatever happened, only the girl knows."
"I think I should go back to the hospital and talk to her," John said.
Saint Anthony's Children's Hospital
Pediatric Psych ER
Room 458
1:45 PM
John knocked on Jennifer's door to announce his presence. She looked over at him and furrowed her eyebrows.
"Who are you?" She asked.
Jennifer was in restraints and she had dark circles around her eyes.
John came into her room and she huffed a breath.
"I didn't say you could come in," she snapped. "Who are you?"
"I'm Detective John Munch," he said.
"Where's your badge?" She asked.
John unclipped his badge and handed it to her. She sighed and ran her thumb over it.
"Smart," John complimented. "You should always ask for a badge."
"Whatever," she huffed, holding on to his badge. "I'm not talking to you so you can just forget it."
"Okay," he sighed, taking a seat next to her bed. "That's fine. I'll do some talking."
She rolled her eyes.
"I'm guessing you're having a pretty rough day," he began.
"Listen, my dad was a cop," she huffed, looking at him straight in the eyes. "I don't need this reverse psychology shit."
"Your father's a cop?" John asked.
"Was," she said. "Look, I killed my brother and sister. I killed them. I don't deserve to be breathing."
For an eleven year old, Jennifer was pretty tough, none too trusting, but at least he got her talking, and it didn't take him much effort.
"Why did you try to kill yourself?" He asked as he gently took his badge back from her.
"What are you?" She asked. "Some fucking-"
"Hold it," John interrupted. "First of all, you're way too pretty to have such an ugly mouth. You're eleven. Secondly, I'm just a lowly, underpaid, underappreciated detective. That's all. I'm not trying to get into your head."
"Yeah? Well stop trying so damn hard," she huffed.
"Hey, the language," he said and she looked away. "Listen, I just want to know why you overdosed yourself and brother and sister."
"Because!" She shouted then she closed her eyes tightly, fighting tears.
"What?" John asked.
"I can't tell you," she said quietly. "I just want to be with my brother and sister. I told them that I would never leave them alone."
"Where are your parents?" He asked. "You said your father was a cop."
"Was," she emphasized. "Past tense, Detective Munch. He was betrayed by his own partner. His trust got him killed. And you know, his own precinct hated my dad to his grave for turning in 'one of his own'. Sean K. Zimmerman, The Rat."
"I'm very sorry that happened to you," he sympathized.
"No you're not," she said, looking out the window. "They say there's five stages of grief; they don't ever tell you about the people that pretend like they know your pain. There should be six: bereaved strangers. I don't need your pity."
"I don't pity you," John said. "What about your mom?"
"Sharon," she sighed. "She never wanted us to call her 'mom'. She was weird like that. When my dad died, she had no idea what to do. She had me right out of high school, never went to college or anything. She could barely cook toast. My dad pretty much took care of us. After, my mom kind of snapped. She'd disappear for days, and I would have to take care of Megs and Eddie and wait patiently for her to come home."
"Do you know where she went?" He asked.
Jennifer sighed. "I can't talk about it. If you're going to arrest me, do it. I deserve to go to jail. I'd much rather be there."
John sighed. "I need to find your mom."
"She's on file," Jennifer said. "You go find her."
1-6 Precinct
SVU Squad Room
3:00 PM
Cragen came out of his office to look at the crime scene photos.
Olivia was in after a long day at court, and she stared at the pictures on the information board.
"At least they were asleep for it," she remarked as she rubbed her temples. "Migraine coming."
John tossed her a bottle of ibuprofen and she thanked him.
"How was court?" Elliot asked as he handed her a bottle of water.
"In a word? It sucked," she huffed as she popped two pills and took a long sip of water. "I've got the next three days off."
"Am I missing something here?" John asked.
"Too much overtime," Cragen explained. "So now you and Stabler have to pick up the slack."
"Lazy asses," Olivia smirked as she picked up a couple of files. "I'm leaving my service weapon Cap."
"Fine," Cragen said. "Get some rest."
"I will," she said as she grabbed her coat and purse. Her cell phone rang and she answered it. "Benson…Kathy?"
Elliot looked at her and came closer.
"What is it?" He asked and she put her hand up.
"What? Well, why does he want me…Kath, Elliot's right-" She bit her bottom lip. "Okay, I'll be there in a second. Bye."
"What happened?" Elliot asked again.
"Dickie got into a fight at school," she explained. "He wants to talk to me."
"Why?" Elliot asked.
"I don't know, he's your son," she sighed. "What am I going to say?"
"What, like you've never gotten into a fight before?" John asked.
Olivia glared at him before putting her hands on her hips.
"Uh, why don't you two go work this out up in the loft?" Cragen suggested.
Elliot and Olivia went up to the loft.
"Why are you so stressed out about this?" He asked.
"Because, I feel like I'm intruding or something," she huffed. "God, I'm getting a migraine."
She went over and sat down.
Elliot sat next to her and rubbed her lower back.
"Mm, got just the right spot," she groaned.
"What's really bothering you?" He asked. "You did a major 360 back there."
Olivia looked at him.
"I don't know," she said honestly. "Am I really the person Dickie should be talking to? I mean, we've kind of bonded, but I think-"
"Liv," he interrupted softly. "You're good with kids, what makes you think you're not going to be good with my own kids? And…I trust you, honey. Completely. Besides, I think Dickie's got a little crush on you."
Olivia grinned. "Thanks."
They walked back down stairs and Olivia grabbed her things and headed out.
Elliot looked discreetly at her hips and behind as she walked out of the squad room while Munch and Cragen discussed particulars of the case.
"I had a talk with Jennifer," John began with a sigh. "Let me tell you. She's got a whole host of anger issues. That kid curses like a sailor and she's only eleven. Smart, though. Whatever happened to her, she wants to take it to her grave."
"Did she say anything important?" Elliot asked.
"Well, she did tell me that her father was a cop," John explained. "Sean K. Zimmerman."
"Zimmerman? From the 4-9?" Cragen asked. "I remember that. He was killed by his own partner after alerting IAB of a dirty cop at the top of an opium ring. That guy had real balls. But the entire precinct ostracized him, his family, even at his funeral."
"Damn, that must have been hard on the kids," Elliot sighed. "Bastards. Anything on the mother?"
"Sharon Zimmerman, whereabouts unknown, but we have a lead on her place of employment," John said.
"Good," Cragen said. "Track her down, and I'll call Huang. That kid needs to stay alive. I know she's hiding something."
"Yes sir," Elliot said as he grabbed his suit jacket.
He and John headed out to the car.
"So, was I the only person that noticed you were staring at Olivia's ass on her way out?" John asked quietly.
Elliot stopped and looked at him.
"Hey," John said. "I'm happy for you. Really. Just don't hurt her."
"Never gonna happen," Elliot said confidently. "Listen, Olivia's been real squeamish…"
"My lips are sealed," John said with a slight grin.
Mosley Junior High School
Queens
3:45 PM
Olivia walked down the hallway to the administration office. She opened the door and walked over to the receptionist.
"Hi, I'm Olivia Benson, I'm here for Richard Stabler," she said.
"Yes, Mr. Watson is waiting for you now," the receptionist said.
"Right through here, Ms. Benson," Mr. Watson said, ushering her into his office.
Olivia walked in and she saw Dickie and another boy and his parents sitting down. She felt her headache actually turning into a migraine.
"I'm Olivia Benson," she introduced herself, as the other boy's parents stood to shake her hand.
"Marcus and Regina Hartford," Marcus introduced. "This is our son Gregory."
She nodded then took a seat next to Dickie.
"Ms. Benson, if you don't mind me asking," Mr. Watson began. "What is your relation to the family?"
"I'm uh, well, I'm a friend, and Dickie-I mean, Richard's father and I are currently dating," she said, feeling a blush creep up.
"Ah," Mr. Watson said.
"Look, let's just cut to the chase," Regina said quickly. "It's that family's dynamics that caused this whole thing in the first place."
"Excuse me?" Olivia asked, now feeling nauseous.
"Uh, look, before everyone loses their heads," Mr. Watson broke in. "I think what Mrs. Hartford is trying to say is that, Richard incited the fight because of things he heard from his father."
"Richard told our son about rape," Regina said angrily.
"I did not!" Dickie shouted. "He's the one that started that stupid prank!"
"Hold it!" Mr. Watson yelled.
Olivia rubbed her temples at the noise.
"I think there's been a big misunderstanding," She began. "Dickie, just tell us what happened."
"Gregory started this stupid prank," Dickie explained, tearfully. "He was making fun of you and dad…of what you do."
"I was not!" Gregory interrupted.
"Quiet," Mr. Watson said. "Richard, continue."
Dickie sniffled and turned to Olivia. "Our family's not stupid."
"No, of course not," Olivia said, handing him a tissue. "Just finish telling what happened.
"One of the girls in my class left this note in my desk," he explained. "It said 'Help me please, I think that someone touched me in a bad way.' It said to meet her at the gym to talk. So I went. When I got there, Gregory was there instead of the girl. He and his stupid friends were laughing at me. They threw a pair of girls underwear at me, it had red marker all over it. He said that I was a pervert just like my dad and Olivia."
"He's a liar!" Gregory said. "That was the other guys, not me!"
"You're the liar!" Dickie shouted.
"Both of you, sit outside," Mr. Watson commanded and the boys went outside the office and sat on the benches.
Olivia sighed and looked at Mr. Watson.
"Listen, Dickie's a good kid," she began. "And he-"
"Excuse me, but you're not a parent," Marcus said.
"I really don't like to be interrupted while I'm talking," Olivia said in a low voice, and Marcus and Regina looked a little taken aback. "Dickie is a good kid. He doesn't have a violent bone in his body. And he wouldn't joke about things like that."
"So, he is familiar with the issue of rape?" Mr. Watson asked.
"Yes, but, in way that helps him understand what his father and I do for a living," Olivia explained.
"Some living," Regina said haugtily.
"I resent the implication that there is some kind of imbalance in the home," Olivia said angrily. "Elliot Stabler and Kathy Archer are good parents."
"What about the relationship that you have with Mr. Stabler?" Mr. Watson asked.
"Actually, none of this is any of your business," Olivia said, standing up.
"In my experience with children, an unstable home-"
"Listen, I have more experience withchildren in my pinky finger than you people do in your entire bodies," Olivia huffed. "I've seen more horrible things that you don't even have nightmares about, and to come home to a family that understands and deals with it in a healthy and mature way is more of a blessing to my life than you'll ever know. Dickie's parents and I have explained our jobs so that he can understand it and realize that kind of world exists. The only 'problem' I see here is that the Hartford's son thinks that pretending to be a rape victim and tossing about a pair of girl's panties stained with red marker is funny. We're not the perverts here. Have a nice day."
Olivia walked out of the office.
"C'mon Dickie, let's go," Olivia said.
They walked out of the office together.
"I'm real sorry Olivia," Dickie said as they walked down the hallway of the school.
"It's okay," Olivia sighed as she put her arm around his shoulders.
"Is dad going to be mad at me?" Dickie asked.
"No," Olivia sighed as they walked out to the car. "Where's your sister?"
"She caught the bus," Dickie said.
Olivia nodded. "By the way, nice shiner."
Dickie grinned.
Jasper Electronics
67th and Grayson
4:12 PM
"Yeah, I know Sharon," Benny Jasper nodded as he flipped through his shipment papers. "She's got some cute kids. But I haven't seen her in a few weeks. She gave me her two weeks over the phone and when I asked her why, she said something about a videotape and suing the city for millions. Some crazy babbling."
"What about her kids?" John asked.
"I've seen pictures, but she never brought them to the store," Benny explained. "Look, she was a nice girl and all but a lousy employee. She took a lot of sick time. I actually thought she was an addict, but she never came to work high."
"What about this videotape?" Elliot asked.
"She went on and on talking about how she'll show them, and how she and her kids would be set for life," Benny said as he went around the back into his office.
"Who?" John asked.
Benny turned to them.
"ACS," he divulged.
John and Elliot looked at each other.
