Chapter 7 - Keep an eye on the times because they are going to be happening in two locations at the same time.
One Police Plaza, Manhattan, New York
Friday, September 11th 2015
1.01 pm
Olivia sat facing Ed Tucker from IAB and the Chief of D's. They would be taking her statement about the events that happened concerning the shooting of her daughters kidnapping. She was terrified, one mistake in the details of her story and they would know she was lying, she had been going over it and over it in her head, Elliot had asked her numerous questions about the concocted story in order to help her but she knew, she knew one mistake and it was over.
"Captain Cragen, can you in your own words describe the events that took place in the Warehouse at approximately three am on Thursday the tenth of September?"
"After receiving a phone call from CSU regarding some information about an old abandoned warehouse in the house of our suspect myself and ex-Captain Cragen, my father, went out to the scene. Knowing that time is of the essence in these cases I suited up in a bulletproof vest and went into the building."
"Did you call for back up?" Tucker asked.
"I did but a traffic accident happened not far from where the Detectives where meaning it was going to be a while before they could get to us." Olivia explained, this was the truth so there was no worries here, it was when the lies began to build she'd get scared.
"Ok carry on." The chief nodded in reassurance, he was supporting her every move unlike Tucker who had just said she was out of order.
"When I entered the warehouse I quickly found Melissa, she was tied up and beaten. When I went over to her the perp came out of nowhere." Olivia closed her eyes briefly as she remembered the details. "I rushed over to Melissa but then he spun me around and kneed me in the stomach." Part lie, her hand rested on her tiny bump as she recalled the knee that caught her and her not worrying or thinking about the unborn child lying within her but she had the bruise to prove he'd hurt her. "We struggled a little, he had hold of me and I couldn't get a shot until I pushed him and he stumbled backwards turning in the process and that's when I saw the silver of the knife and as he went to turn around I shot him." Olivia explained. "He was close enough that had he turned he would have swiped the blade across my neck."
"So you shot him to defend yourself?" Tucker asked.
"Yes Melissa was stood behind me the whole time, he'd have had to get through me to get to her." Olivia lied, she had been on the other side of the room, in front of their perp when Melissa shot the gun.
"Ok for now we have no more questions Captain." Tucker replied before knocking the off button on the recorder and dismissing the Captain he disliked with a passion.
Manhattan SVU, Manhattan, New York
Friday, September 11th 2015
1.09 am
"Where's Olivia?" Huang asked as he stood by the two way with Elliot and Don Cragen.
"She didn't want to hear it." Elliot replied. "She'll read the fives to find out what happened and Melissa knows she can talk to Olivia any time but she didn't want the Chief or Tucker to think she'd coerced the statement in anyway."
"She's dissociating with all of this I'm inclined to admit I'm worried." Huang sighed.
"Olivia's just fine." Elliot snapped while Cragen looked nervously at George knowing the psychiatrist was right in what he was saying.
"Ok." Huang nodded before Elliot turned up the dial on the intercom so he could listen to Olivia's eldest daughter talk about her horrific attack.
"Ok Melly, can you tell me what happened outside the candy store?" Fin asked gently as Melissa played with her rag doll in her hand, Cole had bought it for her when they first fostered her and whenever she felt sad or lonely she played with it, kept it close to her and when Michael had died Olivia had placed a piece of his blanky in the doll's pocket so Melissa could have a piece of her twin close too.
"I came out of the store and I was talking with Wendy and then the man just grabbed me and pulled me into the van, it hadn't been there when I walked in." Melissa explained.
"Can you remember the colour of the van?" Munch asked and Melissa shook her head as she pressed the doll's face into her nose.
"Ok then what?" Fin probed softly.
"We drove for ages, they tied my arms together and my legs because I kept kicking them and trying to punch them and then they blindfolded and gagged me." Melissa explained. "When we stopped they took me somewhere and they put something on my nose and mouth to make me sleep."
"Bastard used chloroform on her." Elliot sighed from the other side of the glass.
"Ok and when you woke up?" Fin asked wanting to make this ordeal pass as quickly as he could for his pseudo niece.
"I was in a room, my arms were tied up and my legs were still tied together." Melissa explained trying to blink back her tears, a habit she'd picked up off all the adults in her life who hated showing emotion.
"Anything happen while you were in the house?" Fin asked.
"No. Nothing happened until we moved to the warehouse, they tied me up again but untied my legs and then they sat a little way away just watching me." Melissa sighed. "I don't understand why but they didn't really hurt me."
"Ok Mel you said they how many of them where there?" Munch asked and he knew he hadn't been the only one to realise she was referring to more than one perp.
"Two." Melissa replied.
"Did you see the two?" Fin asked and Melissa just nodded weakly. "If you saw the other man, the one who didn't die again would you know it was him?"
"Yes and I will do a line up if you have any suspects Uncle Fin." Melissa replied and Fin forced back a smile, he forgot that the girl had two cops for parents and studied their job like her life depended on it so that she could follow in their footsteps someday.
"Good, ok can you tell us what happened when your Mom came into the room?" Fin asked knowing they needed this last titbit of information before she could go to Elliot.
"I was tied up, I saw her come in and then ... I don't know it was all so quick, one minute Mom was there and then the man hurt her because she bent over and then I heard the gun and I saw the man fall down." Melissa explained, her Mom warning her repeatedly to say that it was her that had shot the gun.
"Ok Melissa you're all done." Munch smiled gently and she nodded before getting up and going to Elliot.
One Police Plaza, Manhattan, New York
Friday, September 11th 2015
1.43 pm
After some reassuring words from the Chief of D's Olivia had started to leave one Police Plaza, when her phone rang suddenly.
"Cragen." She snapped knowing it couldn't be one of the squad because they knew she was giving her statement now and they were taking Melissa's.
"Hey Captain it's O'Hallaran, I think I have something you may want to see but come alone." He told her before hanging up. Sighing yet feeling relieved she hadn't left one pp yet she made her way over to the crime scene lab to see what they had for her that no one else could see.
She walked into the lab and found it near empty which annoyed her, they should have been making sure they had no more evidence pointing at anyone else involved in kidnapping of her baby.
"Olivia?" O'Hallaran came over to her and she gave him a curt nod.
"What have you got for me?" She asked.
"This way, keep your voice down." He whispered as he took her to his office in the back.
As soon as the door was shut he flicked on the light and pointed to the TV. She saw the screen with an image on it but until he pressed the play button she had no idea what it was.
When the thirty second clip ended her heart had landed in her throat.
"What is that?" She asked hoarsely.
"That is my personal re-enactment of what happened in that warehouse Olivia." He explained softly.
"Excuse me?" She asked her voice betraying the evil glare she was giving him.
"I know you didn't shoot him, Melissa did." He replied gently. "Don't worry Liv I'm not going to tell anyone."
"Then why make this?" She asked pointing at the screen.
"Because you'd have lied to me otherwise, you're lucky I worked the evidence from the warehouse alone, but all of it proves Melissa shot him, especially with what I heard from Warner."
"What did Melinda say?" She asked quickly.
"The trajectory of the bullet shows he was shot from someone shorter than you, possibly Melissa's height and combine that with the position of the body and the blood spatter effect it proves there is no possible way you shot him." Ryan explained gently.
"Oh my God they're going to find out." Olivia gasped, she hadn't really thought much about the physical evidence on the body.
"Don't worry, they're not Olivia I saw you were wise enough to wipe the prints off the gun, we didn't get the chance to do a residue test on you because you rushed off with Melissa and have showered since and there was no reason to suspect Melissa at the scene. Go and see Warner, she wants to talk to you too." Ryan smiled gently.
"You don't have to do this." Olivia told him.
"I know, I want to, Melissa's a very bright young girl Olivia and she deserves a fair chance in life, I'm not going to be the one to take it from her because she shot her kidnapper."
"Thank you." Olivia nodded a connection being made with the CSU tech that was deeper than it would have ever been before.
Manhattan SVU, Manhattan, New York
Friday, September 11th 2015
1.56 pm
"Let her talk to George." Cragen tried for what seemed like the hundredth time.
"No." Elliot replied again, was his father in law not accepting his daughter's wishes?
"I don't understand Elliot, Olivia trust George and so do you and you've both let him talk to the kids before." Cragen interjected, he was frustrated and he just wanted to make sure his granddaughter was ok.
"I know, Liv and I trust Huang with more than we trust anyone beside each other but that's not the point here, Olivia and I agree that Melissa should only talk to a child psychiatrist who doesn't have any connections to the NYPD so she can have the freedom to talk without worrying that Olivia and I could find out what she talks about, her issues run far deeper than this kidnapping alone." Elliot explained as he watched Melissa sleeping softly on the couch of his wife's office.
"Ok, I understand Elliot but she needs to see someone soon." Cragen sighed.
"I know, we have an appointment for her tonight." Elliot replied before Cragen checked his vibrating phone and walked off without another word.
Morgue, Manhattan, New York
Friday, September 11th 2015
2.36 pm
"Mel?" Olivia called as she walked into the dank cold space that was the morgue.
"In here!" Melinda called from the back and Olivia slowly made towards the voice until a man walked from there followed by the ME.
"Dad what are you doing here?" Olivia asked in shock.
"I could be asking you the same question." He replied angrily and that's when she realised he knew.
"Dad..."
"Save it Olivia I am furious right now so please don't talk to me."
"Dad!" She yelled but he walked out and left her seething with the doctor.
Melinda watched as her friend's defeated shoulders dropped even further while she accept the news that her father not only knew what she had done but was also very angry with her, angry enough to give her the silent treatment and since her adoption that had only happen twice before and he had every right to ignore her then as he did now.
"Olivia..." Melinda snapped her out of her thoughts enough for her to walk towards her. "I spoke with O'Hallaran, don't worry we've fixed it."
"What? How?" Olivia asked.
"After O'Hallaran and I worked it out I fixed the bullet and redid the whole autopsy..."
"Mel..."
"Don't Olivia, you're covered, you shot the gun and no one bar myself, O'Hallaran, Elliot, you and Melissa need ever know." Melinda explained.
"Your lab has a spotless reputation Melinda, don't even put that at risk for me." Olivia explained.
"I'm not." Melinda snapped. "I'm putting it at risk for Melissa."
"Thank you." Olivia whispered as she wiped away a tear. "For everything."
"Don't mention it... seriously." Melinda gave her a playful smile before she left with a little more room to breathe in her chest now.
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