Chapter 3

George Huang walked into the precinct and headed into the bullpen. He wasn't with the FBI anymore, but his talents were still in demand. He had his own practice now and often did trial work for both sides of the aisle. Every once in a while, Olivia called him for cases like these, but they also caught up at least once a month, just as old colleagues and friends.

"Hey Doc," Fin smiled at the psychiatrist from his desk chair.

"Hi Fin. Liv gave me a call," it was obvious, but he felt he needed to say it. The look on his former colleague's face told him that things were not good.

"Yeah, she said. Our vic died on the operating table. She's notifying the family right now with Rollins," Fin frowned as he offered a seat to the former FBI agent at Amanda's desk. That was the worst part of the job. Telling the family that their loved one was dead.

"Well why don't you bring me up to speed?" George gave a slight smile. That's when Joe came back into the bullpen from the coffee machine.

"Oh, I didn't realize we had company. Detective Joe Velasco," the younger man smiled as he set down the coffee he'd gotten for himself and Fin. He stuck out his hand and George shook it.

"Doctor George Huang. Your Captain wanted me to take a look at the case," the Asian man smiled.

"Oh sure. The crime scene was a little off," Joe nodded.

"Run it down for me," George told him. Joe and Fin took turns explaining what had been found. They finished up with Melinda now had the body and was going to give them more information as soon as she could.

"Fairly disorganized…" George started but he stopped short. Something in one of the crime scene photos caught his eye.

"What is it, Doc?" Fin asked.

"Detective Velasco had a point. The crime scene is off. When was the last time you saw a push-in rapist who suddenly became violent enough to go find a knife and kill their victim?" George wondered.

"I think that's why Liv called you Doc," Fin admitted.

"Two perps?" Joe asked.

"The scene would seem to indicate that someone of two minds were there, doesn't it? Organized enough to perpetrate the push-in rape. Those are usually perpetrated in the following manner – our rapist is out on the prowl; he sees someone that he thinks is an easy target. Our victim was holding a bag of groceries – or at least we can assume so, considering the mess in the foyer. Our perp isn't interested in getting into a bedroom or even the couch, he throws her onto the floor and assaults her. She's only half-undressed. He was in a hurry. Wanted to do what he came for and then get out," George said.

"I'm with you. Then he sticks around to stab her, fiddle with the air conditioner, and possibly remove multiple knives from the kitchen block," Fin nodded.

"Exactly. So why does someone in a hurry do that? Could she identify him? Did she say something that set him off?" The psychiatrist asked.

"Wouldn't he have brought his own weapon? I mean why would Christine Fleming just let him do this to her? Why wouldn't she fight back?" Joe was confused on this point and he wasn't the only one.

"Honestly, I think he stabbed her with his own weapon. The rest is all window dressing. It's a weak ass attempt at covering his tracks," Fin said.

"It could be. Did the neighbors hear anything?" George wanted to know.

"The brownstone next door is under renovation. No one is living there. No one was home at the brownstone on the other side," Joe explained.

"You thinking he stalked her? That he knew the neighbors wouldn't hear?" Fin asked after seeing the psychiatrist's expression.

"I think this guy wants us to think he went crazy. My guess is, he's anything but. The only thing he may not have figured on would be that Christine would still be alive for the mailman to find," George said.

"You think this is his first kill? We haven't gotten any reports from the other SVU units saying they've got a serial," Joe pointed out.

"It may have been his first kill. Adjusting the thermostat would throw off time of death. He assumed she was dead before he left, but he didn't check. Now, regrettably, you didn't get the chance to talk to Christine. Still, we may get lucky with what Melinda finds," the former FBI agent was hopeful.

"I'll get on the system and see if anyone else has reported this MO," Joe said.

"Good idea," Fin told him. He stood from his seat and motioned with his eyes to George. The small statured man got up and followed him into the break room.

"What's up?" George asked.

"I'm worried about Liv. Stabler is back and I know things between them ended messy," Fin explained.

"And you're not sure she's fit for duty?" His former colleague was suddenly concerned.

"We could be in the middle of a national emergency and Liv would be fit for duty. That's not it. I'm just worried that when it comes to Stabler…" Fin wasn't sure what words he was looking for, but George took the point.

"Well, I'll see what I can do," the former FBI agent promised.

To Be Continued…