Chapter Six

The Stewart Residence

108 Todd Drive

1:03 pm

May 9th, 2006

Olivia found that the reporters had left the Stewart Residence. She also discovered that the Stewart's car was not in the drive way as it was before. Olivia approached the front entrance and violently knocked on the door. If Alexa was not at home she was not going to be happy. She tapped her foot rapidly against the concrete steps.

About thirty seconds passed before Olivia impatiently knocked again on the white door. She attempted to glance in the windows but the shades were still pulled over to cover the interior of the home. Another thirty seconds passed and the door flew open.

Alexa stood there slightly confused.

"Hi Olivia," she greeted.

"We got the test results," said Olivia. She didn't bother to sweeten her tone. She stepped inside and shut the door.

"It said he did it, right?" asked Alexa.

"Of course. Why would it say anything else?"

"I don't know. Why are you here then? Shouldn't you be arresting him?"

"My partner's doing that. I came here to ask you something."

"What is it?" Alexa fidgeted with her hair and twisted it around a finger.

"Like I said, we found Kurt Steele's seamen and pubic hair but we also found something else."

"What was it?" She bit the bottom of her lip now.

"There were two different seamen fluids and two different pubic hairs on your clothes and on those sheets."

"What?"

"Alexa, did you have sex with another man that same night?"

"NO! Why would I do that? I'm not like that!"

"Alexa there's clear evidence of it. Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I didn't have sex with two men!"

"Did another man rape you?"

"No!"

"Then why was there two different DNA samples?"

"I don't know!"

"WHAT AREN'T YOU TELLING ME?"

"NOTHING!" She backed away and began crying. The sobs filled the foyer and they echoed off the walls.

"Alexa, I want to help but you can't hid things from me. You need to tell me who the other man was. If you don't tell me, Kurt Steele might not have to pay for the crime he committed."

"I can't," she muttered through her whimpers.

"Yes you can. The quicker you tell me who it was the quicker this will all be over with."

"You weren't suppose to find out."

"I'm sorry that this is causing you pain but you can't hide something like that forever."

Alexa took in a breath and glanced away from Olivia. "Joseph Stewart isn't my real father."

Tri-Valley Hotel

3347 Wall Street

Apartment 13F

1:06 pm

Stabler knocked several times before shoulder thrusting the door open of apartment 13F, the current residence of Kurt Steele.

"Kurt!" he called through the penthouse apartment but no response came. Fin was behind Stabler. They began checking the rooms but found no one.

"You hear that?" asked Fin. Stabler quieted down and listened. He then heard the faint sound of music up above.

"Upstairs." Stabler lead the way to the stairs with Fin following. As they made their way to the second floor of the apartment the music became more audible. The soon traced the song and it was coming from and closed door. Stabler grabbed hold of the door and swung it open.

The shocked eyes of Kurt Steele was the first thing Stabler noticed. The next was the atmosphere of the room. It smelled of sweat and body heat. The windows were steaming and the shades were pulled over and the lights were dimmed.

Kurt Steele lay underneath the covers with a young red headed girl.

"What the f..." said the red head.

"Please tell me you have close on," said Fin to Kurt Steele.

Kurt reached over the bed and grabbed a pair of boxers and slipped them on underneath the covers. He stepped out of the bed.

"What the hell is this?" he asked.

"Kurt Steele," said Stabler taking out the handcuffs. "You are under arrest for the rape of Alexa Stewart."

"Are you kidding me!" the red headed girl screeched. "Why would he rape anyone?"

"Miss please," said Fin.

"Don't miss please me," she snapped, stepping out of bed completely naked. "You got some real nerve coming in here and arresting my boyfriend while he's having sex with me."

"Sorry," said Stabler sarcastically. "Next time, we'll wait until you're done."

Special Victims Unit

1:33 pm

Stabler threw open the door of the interrogation room shocking Kurt Steele who sat in a chair with his elbow on the table and his chin in his hand. He sat up straight as Stabler entered to try and show toughness.

"So why'd you do it?" asked Stabler. "Huh? Why did you rape a innocent high school girl?"

"I didn't rape her," he said.

"Well you sure as hell had sex with her. You denied that last time."

"I'm not talking until my lawyer gets here."

"Did you enjoying doing it? Did it give you some sort of ego boost?" Stabler leaned against the table and put his face up close to Kurt's so that their noses were nearly touching. "Did you feel like a man when you forced her to have sex?"

Kurt spat in his face, landing perfectly on his forehead. Stabler looked as though he wanted to smack him as hard as possible until he bled but he somehow composed himself. It was a good thing too for Gregory Hallworth, Kurt's attorney walked in.

Stabler wiped the spit off his forehead and turned to see Hallworth.

"I'd like to talk with my client," he stated. "Alone."

Stabler gave Hallworth a long stare before exiting the room and slamming the door. Outside, Casey Novak stood there.

"Please tell me we have a chance to get this guy," he said.

"I can't say anything as of now," Casey noted. "I mean, now that we have evidence that there is another DNA sample it's going to be hard to make Alexa as innocent as she claims. Not only that, but Hallworth is incredibly quick on his feet."

"Has Olivia gotten back yet?" asked Stabler.

"I don't think so."

Stabler put his hands on his hips, frustrated. Everything was scattered and disorganized it left his head spinning. He felt overwhelmed and he felt as though he should take a day off. It was possible but the chances were still slim and he wouldn't leave Olivia to a case by herself. If only she wouldn't distance herself so much. She had been doing it recently.

As he thought about her, she approached him and Casey as if she could read his thoughts.

"What happened?" asked Stabler to her.

"A lot," said Olivia. Cragen followed behind her and once he caught up Olivia began talking. "It turns out, Joseph Steele isn't Alexa's real father. He's her step father of almost five years. She said that he had raped her when she got home...while the mother was sleeping."

Casey rubbed her temples. "Is she here now?"

"Down two rooms," said Olivia.

"Where's the step father?"

"She says she doesn't know. He left after all the reporters left the house."

"I can't believe this," muttered Stabler.

"The worst thing is," added Olivia, "he did it just before I came over and just before he left. She says he started doing it when she entered high school."

"We need to find her father-stepfather," said Cragen, correcting himself.

"I already left him a message saying we need to ask him a few questions and Alexa left a note saying she had to go to the precinct," told Olivia.

"Alright," said Cragen. "Let's focus on one problem at once, alright? Our first priority is to get an indictment on Kurt Steele."

"That may be hard until we are able to match Joseph Steele's DNA with the new DNA found," said Casey. "Or else they're going to say Alexa was just begging for sex that night."

"Even though there are bruises on her?" asked Olivia.

"Kurt will argue that she likes it rough," muttered Casey disgustedly.

"What if Alexa is just running us in circles?" suggested Stabler. "What if she had sex with Kurt and her step-father? What if she wasn't raped at all?"

"Well both acts are statutory rapes at their least," said Casey. "Even if she did consent they still need to be charged."

"I just think we're making this out bigger than it should be," said Stabler.

"Well of course it's going to be big," said Olivia. "She's claiming she was raped by a television star."

"All I'm saying is I don't want all this work to amount to nothing," Stabler said.

"Well why don't you avoid that by not bothering with this case," snapped Olivia beginning to fume. What bothered her was that he may be right. All her struggles and help she gave for Alexa, if it was a waste it only put her in a bigger mess. This case brought her to a man claiming he was her father. Maybe this was fate, she thought. Maybe she was suppose to meet her father.

"Because you can't handle this by yourself," argued Stabler, anger arising.

"Oh, really?"

"You're a mess Olivia. You're stressing over this."

"I'm just doing my job."

"You need a break."

"I don't need a break."

"Alright, that's enough!" interjected Cragen. "I don't want to hear a word from either of you right now. Olivia call Alexa's mom and see if she might know where her husband is."

"Her mother isn't answering her phone and her work said she left an hour ago," said Olivia.

"Well then, we're just going to have to wait. When they finally let you in I want Casey and Elliot questioning Kurt Steele. Olivia you just wait for the parents." He walked off to his office and Olivia made her way to her desk. She felt like flipping it over but restrained herself from it.

She felt Stabler's eyes on her from across the precinct. She refused to look at them, to see if they were eyes of sorrow or just more anger. She feared the outcome of their argument. She in fact always got scared after they argued. It wasn't long until a warm tear streamed down her cheek to her chin. Could Stabler see it? She felt his eyes leave her and she looked up to him. His back was turned now, looking inside the interrogation room with Casey a couple of feet away. Why did it have to come to this so many times? Every time she needed him she always pushed him away. She was over her head, he was right.

It was not long until Casey and Stabler were allowed in the room. Casey sat herself down across from Hallworth and Kurt Steele. Stabler leaned against the wall behind Casey with his arms crossed.

"So Casey," began Hallworth, "what makes you think that my client raped this, Alexa Stewart."

"From the fact that there are bruises on her thighs and multiple other places on her body," said Casey.

"But aren't there two DNA samples?" asked Hallworth. "What makes you think that my client gave those bruises and not the other man she had sex with?"

"This is statutory rape at its least," said Casey.

"So charge me with that," said Kurt.

Casey turned to Kurt with a look of loathing."No," she snapped. "You know why, Kurt? Because I believe you have nothing better to do then to rape poor innocent little girls because you feel like a man when you do that. Because you are disgusting and need the boost of testosterone."

Kurt Steele leaped up out of his seat and flipped over the table, throwing it aside. He went straight for Casey, putting his hand around her throat. Stabler quickly moved from his position and grabbed Kurt's arm. Stabler unlatched Kurt's hand from Casey's throat and took both arms and put them behind Kurt's back. He locked them with his so Kurt could not free his arms. Stabler shoved his chest against the wall. Kurt attempted to fight back contorting and trying to kick him but Stabler's brawny arms were locked tight.

"Kurt, who the hell do you think you are?" barked Hallworth. "Let go of him, detective." Stabler did not obey. "Let go of him!" As his voice reached a louder decibel, Stabler released his lock and stepped away. "My client and I are leaving."

"We'll be seeing you soon," said Casey. Hallworth exited with Kurt Steele, holding his arm as if he was a child.

"You okay?" asked Stabler to Casey.

"I'm fine," she said. "I'm getting an indictment."

"Good."