Thanks to Kate for beta-aing!
Chapter 9: Doing the Right Thing
Flushing, Queens – 1 Week Later – 1:30pm
Elliot and Mike got out of the car and looked out on the sidewalk. It was Labor Day and unfortunately, the two detectives were on duty to work the holiday.
"Things get crazy around here," stated Sandoval, referring to the sidewalk parade that was going on near them.
"My dad always brought my brothers, sisters, and me up here when I was growing up," said Elliot. "Then, my ex-wife and I took the kids when they were little." They reached a hot dog vendor where both men ordered a large frank.
"My mom said that we lived too far to go," said Mike, spooning some relish onto his hot dog. Since I've been out on my own for about eight years now, I take the opportunity to go."
Today, the detectives were out to look for a suspect who had been accused of abusing his girlfriend's two children. Captain Taylor had received a tip that the perp would be in the Flushing area, but after Elliot and Mike had looked around for an hour and a half, they didn't see any sign of him.
Queens SVU – 5:00pm
"Stabler! Sandoval! My office!" barked Taylor from the doorway.
"He isn't going to be happy about this," muttered Sandoval.
Elliot and Mike walked into Taylor's office and sat down, knowing that their captain had something on his mind.
"Did you find the guy today?" asked Taylor, leaning back in his chair.
"No sir," answered Sandoval. "We waited around for over an hour, but didn't have any luck finding him. We got a few street cops to look around, but they couldn't find him anywhere either."
"We showed a few people Mark Cooper's picture, but no one has seen him near that area," said Elliot.
Taylor scratched his head, "OK. I had Gearheart, the rookie kid, run a check on Cooper. He has also lived in the Jamaica area where he had some minor offenses." He glanced at his watch. "You guys are on shift till 10 so take a trip there and see if you can find him there."
The two detectives stood up and walked toward the door. As they reached their desks, Elliot picked up the phone and dialed Olivia at the 1-6 to let her know that he was working late.
16th Precinct – 5:45pm
Olivia was shuffling some papers on her desk when the phone rang.
She picked it up, "Benson."
"Hey Liv," said Elliot on the other line.
Olivia smiled when she heard her husband's voice. "Hey! What's going on?"
"I was calling to let you know that I'm working late tonight. Capt. Taylor wants Sandoval and me to look for a possible suspect on a case we're working on."
"Okay," replied Olivia. "I'm on till 7. I guess I'll see you after work. Love you."
"Love you too."
Jamaica, Queens – York & 55th Streets – 7:30pm
Elliot was sitting at the wheel of the car lost in thought about Liv. He knew that they hadn't spent a lot of time together with their hectic job schedules and they were usually tired when they got home at night. Reveling in the happy thought, he remembered that he and Olivia were planning to have a weekend alone since Kathleen and the twins were going to spend the night with Maureen at her apartment on Columbia University's campus. Rosa had offered to keep Kaitlyn.
"Elliot," whispered Mike, holding out a picture of their perp. "I think this is Cooper out here."
He nodded, looking at the picture and then stared at the guy outside. "That's him."
Both men stepped out of the car, making sure that their guns were in place, and approached the man walking along the sidewalk.
"Are you Mark Cooper?" asked Mike.
Before the man said anything, he shoved past Mike and ran in the direction of the car. He didn't get very far when Elliot caught him and slammed him down on the hood. He grabbed his handcuffs out and slapped it on Cooper's wrists.
"That's police brutality, man!" exclaimed Cooper.
Elliot ignored him and shook his head, "Mark Cooper, you're under arrest for suspicion of child abuse. You have the right to remain silent—"
"I didn't do anything!" hissed Cooper.
"We'll see about that, pal," smirked Mike.
Elliot placed Cooper in the back of the sedan and got in the driver's side with Sandoval getting in on the other side. They drove back to the station house knowing that they were doing good for preventing someone else from being abused tonight.
TBC
