Chapter 3: First Victim Interview
Amanda and Chris returned to the squad room with Ariana and set her up in the interview room across from Cragen's office. They gathered in Cragen's office to assess where they were and what the next steps were going to be. It'd already been ten hours since the rape. There was no telling how many people had been in and out of that house and who'd been in the room since the incident. He didn't know how much evidence had been lost but he didn't want to risk losing anymore so he sent Amaro to meet CSU to process the scene. The others decided to wait to hear the rest of what Ariana had to say about what happened to her and then start questioning witnesses.
"I think Chris should take the lead" Amanda said as they discussed how to proceed. Two things surprised her: first was that Rollins had called her Chris and second was that she suggested she lead an interview with the victim. She really had no idea what she was doing. Rollins knew that but she figured they'd never know what Reyes could do if they didn't give her the opportunity to show them.
"Uh, are we sure that's a good idea?" Olivia asked. She was also surprised by Rollins' suggestion.
"She already has repor with her. She's speaks Spanish..." Amanda started rattling off reasons why she thought Reyes should lead the interview.
"Yeah, so do I" Olivia said, obviously opposed to Reyes taking point. If it was up to her, she wouldn't be in the room at all.
"Ariana likes her" Amanda said ignoring Olivia's smart comment.
"What do you think, Reyes?" Cragen asked. She was a little caught off guard by him asking her opinion.
"Uhhh" she shrugged, "Yeah. I can...I can do it" she said.
Cragen nodded his head, "Alright. It's settled then. You go on in and we'll watch through the two-way" he said. Olivia shut her eyes and shook her head from side to side.
"If you have something to say, why don't you just say it" Chris said. She was tired of the smart ass comments and slick gestures from Olivia. She knew she had a problem with her and she wanted her to come right out and tell her. Amanda and Fin braced themselves for the argument that was about to happen.
"Ok. I don't think you're ready for this" Olivia said looking Chris in the eyes. "You don't know what you're doing. One wrong word and she could stop talking and then we have nothing".
"And what, it's guaranteed that if you or Rollins or Tutuola goes in there that you'll say the right thing? I get that this job is important to you and you don't think I'm up for it but you're wrong. I can do this job". Fin was impressed with the rookie and how well she stood her ground. A lot of other women on the job who crossed paths with Liv were intimidated by her. Chris was the second woman he'd met who wasn't; the first was Amanda. "I can talk to her. I talk to one just like her everyday when I go home. I could talk to her in my sleep" she said confidently. "That might not be true for the next victim that walks through those doors...but it is for her". They stood quietly and waited for Olivia to come back with a rebuttal but she had none. After a moment of silence, Captain Cragen spoke up, "Ok then. Reyes, it's on you".
Chris turned and walked through the door from Cragen's office into the interview room. She sat her notepad and pen on the table and pulled out the chair across from Ariana to sit down. "Took you long enough" she smart alecked. She was wearing sweats and a t shirt they'd given her at the hospital and her hair was still wet from her shower. She looked miserable and exhausted and completely annoyed.
"What'd I say about the attitude?" she said. She planned on talking to her the same way she talked to her sister. She always got everything she wanted to know out of her, sometimes more.
"Well, it's true. I've been sitting here waiting for like an hour".
Chris rolled her eyes, "Stop being so dramatic. It's only been fifteen minutes" she said. She pulled her phone from her pocket and slid it across the table to her. Ariana looked confused as to what she wanted her to do with it. "Dial your parents number". The color drained from her face and she looked terrified.
"I can't tell them" she said, her voice quivering.
"Yes, you can". Chris was confident that all she needed was a little encouragement and she would be able to talk to her parents on her own. Ariana picked up the phone, dialed the number and put the phone up to her ear. Her mother answered the phone and she softly said hi then started to cry. Ariana opened her mouth to say something else but nothing came out. Chris took the phone from her and talked to her mother. She told her that Ariana was at the police station. She assured her that she wasn't in any trouble but that she could come down to talk to her in person. Once Mrs. Soto told her that she and her husband were on their way she hung up the phone and sat it down on the table.
"You're gonna tell them, right?" she asked.
Chris shook her head, "No. You're gonna tell them".
"But you said you would talk to them for me" she said getting angry.
"No, I said I would help you talk to them. And I will" she added. "We'll worry about that when they get here". She opened her notepad and clicked the top of her pen so she was ready to write. "Right now, we need to talk about what happened last night".
Ariana slouched down in her chair, "I already told you and the other detective everything" she said defiantly.
"Well, tell me again". Every time she gave Chris attitude, Chris gave it right back to her. "You were downstairs in the living room. There was music, dancing, what else?" she said prompting her to begin.
"Raquel gave me a drink. I asked her what it was and she said jungle juice. I'd never had it before. I don't drink but I didn't want to seem lame in front of everyone so I took it and started to drink it. It was good. It didn't taste like there was any alcohol or anything in it". Chris listened intently as Ariana recounted the events of the night to her again. She could feel Benson, Rollins, Tutuola and Captain Cragen watching her through the window and it made her a little uncomfortable. She put those feelings to the side to focus on what Ariana was saying. "I was only half way through my second cup when I started to feel weird. The room was moving and there were white spots in my eyes. I told Raquel that I wasn't feeling good and she said I could lay down in her room".
"Where is her room?" Chris asked interrupting her.
"Ummm...it's the second door up the stairs, next to the bathroom" she answered.
"Ok. What happened after you went to lay down?". Ariana's eyes were darting all over the room. She wouldn't for the life of her make eye contact with Reyes.
"I told you...I felt someone on top of me..." she started to get a little sass in her voice.
"Attitude adjustment" she said cutting her off. Ariana took a deep breath to calm herself before continuing.
"I felt someone on top of me. He was touching my hair and holding my arms over my head". Her voice started to shake but she kept controlling her breathing so that she didn't start crying again.
"You said at the hospital that he was gentle" Chris said interrupting her again.
"Yeah" she said in agreement.
"How was he gentle? Describe for me what he did" she said wanting to get more detail.
"He was smoothing my hair, softly like...like my mom does sometimes. And he held me down but not hard. His grip on my wrists wasn't that tight". Chris took notes on everything Ariana described about her attack. "What else?" she asked encouraging her to continue.
"He started to pull a little harder and hold me down more. I didn't know what was happening. It seemed like a dream" she said a little dazed. "But I don't know, it was just...gentle" she said. "He pulled your hair and held you down but he was gentle?"
"Yeah. It was like a light tug, you know, like...you know" she said not wanting to explain any further.
"No, actually, I don't".
Ariana rolled her eyes, "It was like someone would pull your hair if you wanted them to. Not hard just...a little tug" she said not knowing how else to explain it.
Chris raised her eyebrows and shook her head, "Whatever" she whispered, "keep going. What happened next?" Olivia cringed when she heard Reyes say "whatever" to the girl. She couldn't believe that they were allowing her to question a victim on her own on only her second day. She just kept quiet and continued to listen to Ariana through the speaker.
"I was kind of in a fog. It was like it was all happening in slow motion. There are pieces missing now" she said sadly.
"Just tell me everything you can remember" Chris said nicely.
"He tried to kiss me but I moved out of the way. I tried to get up but he held me down harder. Ummm...I tried to yell. I don't know if I yelled at him or if I yelled for help but I just remember yelling. That's when he got mad, hit me in the face. I don't know how I got all these" she said touching the scrapes on her face and her slip lip, "or the ones on my legs. It's all blank. I could just feel how heavy he was on top of me and how hot his breath was on my face. I just shut my eyes". A few tears escaped her eyes as she talked about her ordeal. She just wanted this whole thing to be over.
In the Captain's office there was a knock at the door and an officer stuck his head in, "You wanted to know when the victims parent's got here" he said, implying they had arrived. "Tell them we'll be right with them" Cragen directed the officer. He nodded his head and ducked back out of the office.
"Please tell me that Amanda is going to stay in the room now" Olivia said from behind the mirror".
Why?" Fin asked. "Reyes seems to be doing a good job to me" he said.
"Because this is exactly why she got tossed from homicide. You remember what she said. She was too insensitive".
Fin nodded his head, "Yeah, I did. I also heard her say that she's had a lot of sensitivity training". He understood Olivia's nervousness about the situation but at the same time he wasn't for the hand-holding that she wanted.
"Oh, come on, Fin. The girl's a walking ball of sarcasm. She didn't mean that. She just said whatever to her. They don't teach that in sensitivity training". Olivia couldn't believe that they were all willing to let Chris off her leash so soon.
"Alright, enough" Cragen said jumping in. "Rollins stay in the room" he said. Olivia let out a relieved breath and turned back to the window. Amanda left to get the girl's parents and take them to their daughter.
Ariana was still trying to piece together more details of her assault when there was a knock at the door and Amanda stuck here head in. "Ariana, your parents are here". She stepped aside and let Mr. and Mrs. Soto walk in past her. Mrs. Soto rushed over to their daughter and wrapped her in hug.
"Are you alright, mija?" her mother asked. "I'm fine, mama" she said back.
"You must be Detective Reyes" her father said addressing Christina. She stood up from her chair and extended her hand, "I am" she said. She shook his hand and then her mother's and asked them to sit down. Amanda sat next to her and nodded for her to continue the interview.
"Mr. and Mrs. Soto, Ariana has something she needs to tell you". She turned to look at the girl, "Go ahead". Ariana just stared at her parents with her mouth open, unable to form any words.
"Well, what is it?" her father asked. Both Ariana and her mother winced and Chris knew immediately why Ariana was so afraid to talk to her parents. Her father's tone was harsh and his body was intimidating, especially to a teenage girl. "It's ok, mija. You can tell us" her mother said reaching up to touch her hair. Ariana relaxed into her mother's touch but flinched when her father brought his hand up and rested it on the back of her chair. Amanda recognized her reaction immediately and though this was all new to Chris, she quickly put together that it wasn't just a result of her assault. Mrs. Soto looked her daughter over more attentively and realized what she was wearing. "Where are your clothes?" she asked confused.
"What the hell is going on here?" Mr. Soto asked impatiently. "Is my daughter under arrest for something?"
"No" Chris said simply, "As I told your wife on the phone, Ariana isn't in any trouble". She was getting annoyed with his abrasive stance and was ready to take him down a notch if stepped out of line.
He abruptly stood up from his chair, "Then I'm taking my daughter home". He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up out of her chair. Both Chris and Amanda rose from their chairs as he tried to pull his wife and daughter towards the door. Ariana started to cry and Chris realized she'd have to step in for her.
She stepped in front of him and held a hand up to stop him, "Mr. Soto your daughter is trying to tell you something. Your tone and impatience isn't helping her do that. You need to let go of her arm and sit back down so that she can tell you why you were called down here". Amanda stood beside Chris to be supportive but kept quiet and let her try to get a handle on the situation.
"She just had the opportunity to talk and she didn't say anything" he said angrily.
"Well, I wonder why that is" she said sarcastically.
"What are you trying to say?" he asked getting more angry.
"I'm not trying to say anything. I'm saying that the behavior you're showing right now is most likely the same behavior you show her all the time which is why she was terrified to have you brought down here. I'm guessing when she wants to talk, you're not the one she goes to. I know this because when I told her to call her parents she automatically dialed her mother. Not the home number, her direct cell, probably because she didn't want to risk you answering the phone and having to explain why she's calling from a police station. She cringes at the sound of your voice which is understandable, it is a bit harsh. But an even bigger tell is the way she flinched when you put your hand on her chair, yet she relaxes into her mother's touch". Amanda was impressed by everything Reyes had managed to catch in the time she'd spent with Ariana and in the short time that her parents were in the room. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that, watching from behind the glass, Olivia was impressed too. "It was far too easy for you to grab her arm and pull her from her chair which tells me that you do it quite often. Lucky for her, I'm in the room this time. You're not leaving. The first thing you're going to do is let go of her arm". He hesitantly released his grip from Ariana's arm and waited for Chris to continue. "Now, you're going to sit down and listen to what Ariana has to say. Now, I know it'll be hard for you because habits are hard to break but while she's talking...you will not interrupt her. You will sit quietly and you will listen". After she'd effectively reduced his ego from the size of the globe to the pit of a peach, she gestured for him to retake his seat.
Ariana stood there in shock. She couldn't believe that she'd just talked to her father like that. She met her eyes and Chris gave her an encouraging nod before going over and sitting back down next to Amanda. Knowing that she had Detective Reyes on her side it was easier for Ariana to tell her parents about what happened to her the night before. Her mother cried and hugged her and her father just sat there with a steel expression on his face, trying hard not show any emotion. Once her parents knew the situation, Chris, with Ariana's permission, continued her interview with her parent's present. She held on to her mother's hand as she told Chris and Amanda everything she could remember about what happened. When they'd asked all their questions and answered all of Ariana's and her parent's, they told them they could take their daughter home. Chris told Ariana that she could call her day or night, no matter what time it was, if she needed anything. She gave a card to her mother as well and repeated the same before the Sotos walked out of the precinct.
Amanda and Chris went back to the Captain's office to see that Nick had returned from the house. He'd come in just in time to see Reyes handle Mr. Soto and he couldn't deny that he was impressed. He gave them the run down of his trip to the house with CSU. It definitely looked like their had been a party in the house. When he got there, nothing had been cleaned up and there were people still passed out on the floor, couches and stairs. Nobody even knew that Ariana had left. That was good news in regards to the preservation of the crime scene. Raquel hadn't slept in her room so everything was still as it was when Ariana and the perp left. There was blood on the bed and floor and traces of semen on the sheets. They also found vomit on the floor. Rollins and Reyes mentioned that Ariana didn't say anything about throwing up so there was a possibility that it came from her rapist. They got a call from the lab confirming the presence of fluids on the rape kit and GHB in her system. Now that they had her statement and had confirmed that she was drugged they were ready to start questioning witnesses.
They started by bringing in Monte and Raquel Ramos. Since Raquel was a minor and had been the one to give Ariana her drinks they called their parents home from their vacation. They would need to sit in on the interview with Raquel. While they waited for the parents to show, Nick and Fin took a shot at Monte. They got a list of everyone who was at the party and took a DNA swab and sent it off to the to be compared to the rape kit. He gave it voluntarily so they were pretty sure he wasn't their guy. Mr. and Mrs. Ramos arrived shortly after they finished questioning Monte and were not happy to find out that their kids had hosted a party where a girl was raped. They brought them to the interview room with Raquel and Olivia and Amanda questioned her about the drinks she'd given Ariana. She said she wasn't the one that made them. Someone made them for her and she gave them to Ariana. She gave them the name of the guy who made the drinks, "Mike something" she said. She couldn't remember his last name. Nick went back to the list the brother had given him and found who they were looking for: Mike Landry, a buddy of his from the car lot where he worked. The DNA came back from the lab and cleared Monte as a suspect. They decided not to arrest him for giving alcohol to minors but let him go with a stern warning. They figured the wrath of mama Ramos was enough punishment for the both of them.