Chapter Seven
Alex watched as Bobby spoke intently with Fin and Munch; her partner was convinced that a new way of looking for suspects would help the investigation. As she waited for Bobby, Benson approached her.
"Elliott feels terrible," she began.
"He should," Alex said. "I'm sorry, Olivia…but he just ripped out Bobby's heart and stomped on it…I know everyone thinks he's this big, tough guy who's just a brain…but he was hurt terribly as a kid…I've known him for six years, and he's just started telling me something about it…This case has been hard enough on him without Stabler…"
"Elliott…I don't think he thought about being cruel." Benson frowned. "I don't think he thought at all…He saw Bobby as a perp…And he doesn't have any sympathy for perps…Sometimes I don't think he sees them as human…"
Alex's anger, at least towards Benson, eased slightly. "Well, he was cruel…crueler than he knew…He might as well have stabbed Bobby in the gut…"
"Yea," Benson said. "I saw that…I'm not excusing him…but he's had a rough time lately…"
"Yea…well so have Bobby and me," Alex said. "And he hasn't been attacking people…"
Bobby, his face grim, walked up to the two women. "We're going to sort through the names again…Fin and Munch will work here, and Alex and I can go back to Major Case…" He rubbed the back of his neck.
"What's wrong?" Alex asked.
"Mrs. Czechowski…Fin heard from her social worker…she's lost track of her…"
Alex and Benson shared a quick, concerned look.
"She's probably ok," Benson said, but Alex and Bobby sensed she didn't believe her own words. "We'll let the uniforms know to keep an eye out for her…"
Bobby shook his head. "I…I wish I…" He paused. "Where's Stabler?"
"I'm not sure," Benson replied. "I thought he might be the last person you'd want to talk to right now."
"I understand why he did it," Bobby said.
"That's good of you, Bobby," Alex snorted. "I'm not sure he should even continue to be part of this investigation."
"You ok, Goren," Benson asked gently.
"A…a little bruised…Nothing I can't handle," Bobby answered. "Eames and I need to get back to Major Case…Tell Stabler…no bad feelings, ok?"
Benson nodded. "I'll tell him…I gotta say, Goren…I don't think I want to let him off that easy…"
"I have a feeling," Bobby said as he collected his binder and coat. "That you won't."
"You are letting Stabler off too easy…What he did…" Alex said as they drove back to Major Case.
"Please…I…I really don't want to talk about it." Bobby's voice was low and flat.
Alex glanced at him; pain radiated from him.
"Hey," she said tenderly. "I'm here…you're not alone…"
Several blocks passed before he spoke. "I'm sorry…It's just…It's too raw right now…please…"
"Ok," Alex said.
They continued in silence for the few remaining blocks to Major Case. As they left the car, Alex touched Bobby's sleeve. "At least," she said cautiously. "You didn't tell me to back off."
He turned to her, his dark eyes full of gratitude. "I'll never tell you to back off again," he said softly. "Besides," he offered her a quick smile. "You never do."
"Damn straight," Alex said.
The day passed with no further word of Mrs. Czechowski, but also with some actual progress in the case. All of the detectives, including Stabler, employed Bobby's suggestions in narrowing the list of suspects. Shortly after a hurried lunch at their desks, Bobby and Alex received an email from Fin with an edited list of potential suspects. Bobby's eyes narrowed as he read one of the names.
"Claret…my mom briefly had a roommate by that name," he said.
Alex looked up from her computer screen.
"She…most schizophrenics aren't violent," Bobby said, thinking out loud. "But she…she was…she had to be moved…Her family…" He twirled his pen. "They were in law enforcement…the state or local level…and I think they had some money…" He made a note and sent an email back to Fin.
It was nearly five when Ross emerged from his office. "Aren't you," he said to Alex. "Supposed to be gone…"
"That's right." Bobby roused from his study of his computer screen. "It's your brother's birthday…"
"I can miss it," Alex said.
"Eames," Bobby said.
"Go, Eames," Ross said before Alex could object. "You need the break…the lists will be here tomorrow…Unless…" He smiled. "This is one of those family things you don't want to go to…"
"And I'll let her family know if she says that," Bobby said.
"I like my family just fine," Alex smiled. "And particularly this brother…" She looked at Bobby. "You're sure…"
"Yea," Bobby said. "I need to get out of here too."
"Yes, you do," Ross said. "You can't do the work if you're exhausted. Both of you…out of here."
They walked together to their cars.
"You will call me if you need me," Alex said.
Bobby nodded.
"Promise?" She sensed he was going to have a difficult night.
He raised his right hand in the Boy Scout salute. "Promise."
She smiled at him. "I'd feel a lot better if I didn't know that you were never a Boy Scout."
As he'd done every time that he'd walked Alex to the parking garage since the attack, Bobby waited until she was safely driving away in her car before he slipped behind his own wheel. He sighed and called his mother's doctors before he started the engine; he was relieved to learn his mother was having one of her good days.
It was a beautiful evening, cold and clear, with the trees casting deep blue shadows on the snow. He reached Carmel Ridge a few minutes before eight. The nurses warned him that his mother had become very agitated in the two hours since he'd left the city. She cried out the moment he stepped in her room. The doctors and nurses were trying to kill her; the food was poisoned. Where was his brother? Why wasn't Bobby at the hospital earlier? Didn't he care for her? Of course he didn't. He'd run away before, just like his father. He was keeping Frank away from her; he was responsible for her pain.
"Mom…please," Bobby said over and over. "No one's trying to hurt you…I'm trying to help you."
Nothing calmed her; no promise or plea could ease her agitation. Finally, she seized the water pitcher on the table by her bed and flung it at Bobby. He stood by her bed, a bruise forming above his right eye and icy water dripping down his face and neck. He felt tiny, sharp, rivers of cold run down his back and chest.
"We have to sedate her," one of the doctors said. "You should probably leave…There's nothing you can do…and your presence may be adding to her state…"
Bobby stumbled to his car, the cold wind sending slivers of cold on his damp skin. As he drove away from the hospital, dark thoughts swirled through his brain.
"Maybe…maybe we shouldn't treat the lymphoma aggressively…half the time before she got the cancer, she told me she wanted to die…that she didn't want to live…I've given half my life to her…What more can I do? I've lost girlfriends…friends…because of her…She's made me afraid…I can't trust…If she were dead…Stabler's right…Why…How…I could be…"
"No!" he screamed and swerved the car. It rumbled ominously on the shoulder for several yards before Bobby corrected his steering. His heart pounding, his breathing ragged, he eased the car off the road. He sat for several minutes, his head resting on the steering wheel, his body shaking. He lifted his head and stared at the road.
"It's not her fault…She didn't…doesn't…want this illness…Your father made you as much as she did…She protected you as much as she could…And your life is your own…You pushed…push people away…"
His cell phone broke into his thoughts. Bobby didn't recognize the number.
"Goren…please…don't hang up…" Elliot Stabler pleaded.
Fear gripped Bobby. "Stabler…is there another…"
"There may be," Stabler answered grimly. "There's a missing person report…Angela Corelli…"
Bobby's blood froze. "She fits the pattern?"
"Yea…high school librarian…Thirty one…small, dark…her husband reported her missing a little over a day ago…But there's some good news…"
"God, I need it," Bobby said.
"That name you flagged…Gregory Claret…Fin found him on list of guys who flunked out of the Academy…Munch found that he'd been picked up on a couple of harassment charges…but his family apparently made those go away…and he works…"
"Let me guess," Bobby said. "Law enforcement?"
"Yea…He's a clerk of some sort with the State Police…I think his family pulled some strings for him to get there…" Bobby heard Stabler shuffle papers. "He's in a position to know a lot about our investigation…"
"Where does he live?" Bobby asked trying to contain his excitement.
"A couple of places," Stabler answered. "Like you told Fin…his family is wealthy…There's an apartment in the city…A place about halfway between the city and Carmel Ridge called Claremont…Fin and Munch are checking the apartment…Benson and Eames are talking with Angela Corelli's family…and I'm driving to Claremont…"
"I…I know the place…at least where it is…I can meet you there…I'm about a half hour from there…" Bobby hesitated. "I…I was visiting my Mom…"
"I…Eames didn't want us to call you," Stabler said tentatively. "She said you had to…we guessed…Goren, if you're tired…or…"
"I'm ok," Bobby said quickly. "And, unless someone is coming from the state, you'll need the backup…Claremont doesn't have a police department beyond a town constable…"
"Ok," Stabler said. "The state is going to send a unit as soon as they can…but they're dealing with a bad accident near Route 15's intersection with the interstate…"
Bobby gave Stabler directions to Claremont. "Watch out," he said. "It's easy to miss."
Large, soft snowflakes started to float from the sky as Bobby arrived at the small square of a gas station, pizza joint, convenience store, and farm co-op that made up Claremont. He grabbed a cup of bitter and strong coffee from the store and returned to his car to wait for Stabler.
"I wish it was Alex that was coming," Bobby thought. "No…No I don't…if we run into this guy…I hope Mrs. Czechowski is just not at her usual haunts…I hope…" He rubbed his eyes. "You'd think I'd learned enough not to hope…"
A car pulling up behind him flooded Bobby's car with lights. He turned and saw Stabler at its wheel. Both men stepped out of the cars and walked towards each other.
"You found it ok? You need any coffee?" Bobby asked.
"Yea…and I've got some…but thanks." Stabler was grateful that Bobby spoke first. "I've got directions and a map to the Claret place…" He studied Bobby. "That ok?" He gestured at the bruise over Bobby's eye.
Bobby blinked for a moment. "Yea…just…it's nothing…"
There was no debate about which car to take or who would drive. Bobby quietly followed Stabler to his car. He folded into the passenger side and fiddled with the seat.
"Sorry," Stabler said. "One of my kids usually rides there."
Bobby heard the strain in Stabler's voice. "He wants his partner on this…just like me," he thought.
"Nice ride," Stabler said admiringly as they passed by Bobby's car.
"Thanks," Bobby answered. "Courtesy of a friend of mine…He owns a body shop and does a lot of work on older cars…I help him out sometimes…"
"Car junkie?" Stabler asked.
"Nah…I just do what my friend Lewis tells me to do…" Bobby took a drink of coffee and made a face. "I hope you have better stuff than me, Stabler."
"Not much," Stabler said. "Although it's better than the sludge at SVU."
"Even the Major Case coffee is better than that," Bobby said. He studied the map for a moment.
"That's a first," Stabler said.
Bobby looked up.
"We managed to say five civil sentences to each other."
Bobby smiled. "Yea…yea…we did. Too bad Benson and Eames aren't around to see it."
Stabler gripped the steering wheel tightly. "I am…sorry…"
"It's ok…really," Bobby said quickly. "I…I know you're sorry…It's ok…I'd like…to leave it behind…Please…" He changed the subject. "What have you heard from the state?"
Stabler shook his head. "The state has a unit coming…The sheriff's department is in the middle of some training exercise and can't afford to send a deputy…and I never did track down that constable you mentioned…"
"Well, the truth is we don't have any thing that connects this guy to the killings…only the profile, really, and we both know…"
"Yea," Stabler said, his eyes concentrating on the road.
"Hey," Bobby said. "Look out…it's the next right turn…"
The road scarcely met the definition of a road; it was more of a glorified dirt path. The snow and wind increased in speed and strength. Bobby and Stabler strained to see in front of them. When they reached their destination, both detectives didn't see the large house as much as they sensed its presence. A light shone from the lowest windows.
"Looks like someone's home," Stabler said. "The basement…"
The drive to the house made them wish for the road. Halfway to the house, Stabler stopped the car. "I'm afraid to go any farther…the drive's so bad…I should've brought an SUV…"
"Well," Bobby said. "You didn't know you'd be wandering in the wilderness…Look!"
The light snapped off; the house was dark.
"Someone is in there," Stabler said.
"And probably knows we're here," Bobby said. "How long for that state unit?"
Stabler was already on his cell phone. As he spoke with his contact, Bobby checked his gun and phone. His heart sped up; he fought against breathing faster.
"The state unit is on its way…but it's slowed by the weather," Stabler said.
Bobby stared at the traitorous sky. "If we wait…"
"He could be torturing a woman right now," Stabler said.
Even before Stabler spoke, Bobby opened his door. The two detectives didn't speak as they left the car and trudged up the drive. It was bitterly cold, and the two men huddled in their coats; Bobby wished he'd worn his heavy overcoat instead of his leather jacket. It was so dark that both men switched on their flashlights, giving up some element of surprise. They finally reached the solid front door, but Bobby stopped Stabler before he could knock.
"This door doesn't appear to have been used in a long time," Bobby said, examining the door in the flashlight's beam. "See…"
Stabler nodded. "I guess we use the back door…"
They moved as quickly and quietly as they could, but the snowstorm and their unfamiliarity with the area confounded them. They slipped and stumbled to the rear of the house.
"At this rate," Stabler gasped. "The state police will be here by the time we get in…" He reached to knock on the door. "Ready?"
Bobby nodded. One hand rested on his gun as Stabler banged on the door.
"Police!" Stabler yelled. "NYPD! Open up!"
The door creaked open; Bobby and Stabler shared an uneasy look. Stabler cautiously pushed the door open; the combined beams of their flashlights revealed a small entry room. One side of the room led to another, larger room; the other side was an open door with a steps leading down beyond it. Stabler turned toward the larger room; Bobby to the steps. Bobby thought he heard a faint click and swung his light in the direction of the sound. A slender, reddish line of wire trembled in the beam.
"Bomb!" Bobby screamed. "Stabler…Get out!"
He slammed against Stabler, sending the other man flying out into the fiercely blowing snow. A terrible roar and flash filled Bobby's head, followed by horrible pain. He fell into unknowing darkness.
End Chapter Seven