Chapter 8
The press statement went off without a hitch. Regrettably, the result was that the phones inside the precinct wouldn't stop ringing due to the request for people to come forward. Taking calls late into the night, the team was nearing exhaustion when Olivia picked up her phone.
"Manhattan SVU, Detective Benson,"
"Detective…" there was a pause and the hair on the back of her neck went up. She flung the pen she'd had in her hand at Elliot and then grabbed a second one out of her pencil holder.
"Do you have a tip for me? Did you see something?" She pressed. Elliot looked at her and could tell she had no idea who she had on the other end. She mouthed the word "Trace". He quickly called TARU.
"Hard to have missed something since I was there," the voice was being disguised by some sort of voice changer. Considering that anyone could buy one for ten dollars, it really didn't come as a surprise.
"So you're the one that has been leaving the notes then?" This statement got Munch, Fin, and Kenny to turn their attention in her direction.
"Well what fun would it be if I didn't get to know my opponents better? Though it does seem like you're falling behind. I would have thought the Captain would have you guys whipped into better shape," the person on the other end told her. Olivia was pretty sure that she could hear the smirk the perp wore.
"Seems you have us at a disadvantage. I mean how are we supposed to get to know you when you hit your victims over the head like that," she was trying to get something, anything out of him.
"Well if you weren't screwing your partner maybe you'd already have the answer. You know sex does terrible things to the brain," before she could respond the caller hung up. She was frozen in her spot however. She and Elliot were under surveillance and now she began to wonder if the suspect was in some way connected to the higher up who wanted Captain Cragen removed from SVU. How could she spin that to the team without blowing her and Elliot's cover?
"What is it Liv?" Kenny could see the look on her face and he wondered what had happened.
"Did TARU get the location?" She didn't answer his question, instead responding with her own as she hung up her phone.
"It was a cell phone, probably a burner. All we have is a general location, the signal kept moving," Elliot frowned.
"He did that on purpose. Can't trace him if he doesn't hold still," Fin shook his head.
"We have bigger problems," Olivia swallowed. They all looked at her.
"What do you mean?" Munch asked.
"He's been keeping tabs on the unit," she spit out. It was the most generic way to say it without rousing suspicion. Elliot froze in his tracks.
"What did he say?" Munch wanted to know.
"That he thought the Captain would have us whipped into better shape and then he made a comment about my personal life…" she trailed off. Elliot's eyes went wide.
"How does this guy have time to stalk victims and keep tabs on us? Even if there are two of them, they'd have to be skipping sleep," Fin said.
"The only way to do that and to completely not lose your sanity would be to have someone else helping you or to have connections…" Munch narrowed his eyes.
"We know that someone is after the Captain. They sicced IAB on him because that hump Jeffson claimed the Captain was in on the Judge's death. Tucker said it was out of his hands," Elliot said.
"Get Tucker on the horn. In the meantime, I'll bring the Captain up to speed," Munch ordered. Fin's phone rang and he answered it while Olivia tried to reach Tucker, despite the late hour. The Sergeant hadn't made it to the door when he heard Fin shout and slam down the phone.
"What is it?" Kenny asked.
"My son, Ken, just got dumped at the hospital. He's in bad shape," Fin told them. He was already on his feet, pulling his coat on.
"Kenny, you drive. Liv and I will follow, see if we can't get the security tapes," Elliot told them.
To Be Continued…