Warning: Remember, this fic is rated M for language, sexual content and some violence.
Disclaimer: The WAT characters belong to CBS and the SVU characters belong to NBC. I own nothing.
75 Hours Missing
"She's a hooker."
Stabler's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Lauren Palmer is a prostitute?" he asked.
"Dude, I have no idea what her name is, but that woman in the photo is a very high-priced whore," the man replied as he motioned to the photo on the table showing him and Lauren. "Someone I work with hooked up with her through an escort service a couple of weeks before. He said she was hot, so I called the service."
"You and your friend?" Stabler asked as he held up on the other video photos from Lauren's room.
"Yeah, we didn't know when she'd be available again, so I asked if she'd be up for both of us."
In the observation room, Danny's clenched his jaw. He could feel the stare of Detective Benson next to him as if she was waiting for him to lose it.
"How did you get into contact with her?" Stabler asked.
"Look, if you want to charge me with some misdemeanor soliciting violation, go ahead. Otherwise, I don't know why the hell you called me down here."
"How about because she's missing, and those photos were taken from a video that showed you and your friend sexually assaulting her a week before she went missing."
"Sexual assault? Are you crazy? Dude, we paid her! The service we went through said she was up for anything. I had no idea she was taping it, but as I recall, she never told us to stop what we were doing. And I haven't seen her since that night."
"What service did you go through?" Stabler asked, voice full of disdain for the man in front of him.
"It's called Perfect Connections. On the surface, it's a dating service, but if you give them enough coin, they'll find you someone who'll do just about anything."
"This is insane. Why am I here?" Robert Wellington asked.
"You're a suspect in the disappearance of Lauren Palmer," Stabler replied matter-of-factly.
"Lauren Palmer? Who the fuck is Lauren Palmer?" Wellington asked in an angry tone.
Elliot took out a photo from the file folder and slid it in front of Wellington. "That's Lauren. And that's you," he said as he motioned to the figures in the picture. "You worked her over but good."
Wellington took a deep breath. "That bitch," he muttered.
"Excuse me?" Stable asked, leaning forward.
"She videotaped it? I knew that cunt was too good to be true. Look, what do you want? To arrest me for solicitation? I didn't solicit anything. A legit dating service, Perfect Connections, set it up. As for her 'disappearance', I haven't seen her since that night. And I've been in Hong Kong on business for the last two weeks."
"I could arrest you for assault. The tape shows you beating the crap out of her."
Wellington laughed. "And she loved every minute of it. She was the easiest lay I've ever had. I think she got off on the pain. I know I did. Can I go now?"
Stabler just nodded as Wellington rose from the table with a smirk firmly in place.
In the observation room, Benson watched as Danny hadn't taken his eyes off Wellington. Before she could react, Danny opened the door and walked out.
"Hey," he called out from behind Wellington.
Wellington turned and responded, "What now?"
Danny's brow was etched in a severe frown. His heart was beating so fast and he felt like he could jump out of his skin.
"Danny, he's not worth it," Stabler said from behind him. "Let him go. He won't help us find her."
Danny continued to stare down Wellington.
"What's your problem?" Wellington asked, returning the glare.
"Do your wife and daughter know that you like the beat up girls?" Danny asked, eyes still trained on Wellington.
"Fuck you! I'm done here. You…all of you…leave me and my family alone or I will sue you all for slander," he said as he backed away and continued out of the office.
Danny had to resist every urge he had not to run after the man and beat the hell out of him. The only thing that stopped him was the knowledge that NYPD would make him leave if he did.
"That was a wise decision, Agent Taylor. Letting him go," Stabler said. "They're bringing in the last guy from the photographs. You think you can handle it?"
"I'm fine," Danny replied quietly as he turned and walked back into the observation room.
"I…uh…I work for an escort service."
"An escort service?"
"Yeah, you know, it started with escorting old ladies to parties. And then I started getting calls to entertain men. That paid more, so I started doing that. But the thing with that girl was strange. I mean, it was easy money, but it was strange."
"What do you mean strange?" Stabler asked.
"Well I get there, and I think a guy has set it up. But this hot girl answers the door. She told me exactly what she wanted me to do to her."
"And what was that?"
"She wanted to be handcuffed to the bed and fucked from behind. She said the rougher and more commanding I was, the more he would like it."
"He?" Stabler asked, eyebrows raised.
"She told me that someone was watching the whole thing, but I didn't know I was being taped," he said as he motioned toward the photograph. "Look, I did what she told me too, but I tried not to hurt her. She seemed like a nice girl. I hope nothing bad happened to her."
"What escort service do you work for?"
"Um…it's called Perfect Connections. It's supposed to be like a dating agency, but they make their money off the sex-for-hire stuff. Since I'm cooperating, you'll see what you can do about that drug charge, right?" Jessie asked.
"If what you've told us leads to Ms. Palmer's safe return, then we'll see what we can do," Stabler said as he rose from the table and walked out of the room.
Seconds later, he entered the observation room where Danny had been watching.
"Perfect Connections seems to be the common thread," Stabler said as he approached him. "The three men who thought Lauren was a prostitute were sent to her by Perfect Connections."
"As soon as he mentioned it, Detective Benson went back to her desk to track that down."
"Strange. I mean, I wonder why the man is who had been setting this up, all of sudden started pimping her out. Why the change?"
"According to the timeline, the three Johns came after she met me. Maybe she was being punished," Danny responded in a quiet, guilt-ridden tone as he kept his eyes focused on the young man in the interrogation room.
"Could be," Stabler agreed. "Listen, I don't know what you are used to seeing in Missing Persons, but even for us, this is pretty twisted."
Danny nodded. "What's even more twisted is that she and I were seeing each other while all of this was happening to her, and yet, she wouldn't let me help her. I don't get it."
"I'd say she's in deep trouble with this man, whoever he is. And for whatever reason, she couldn't tell anyone."
"Hey, Elliot," a man said as he walked into the room. "Did you ask a Charlie Greer to meet you here?"
"Char—"
"I did," Danny cut in. "I asked him to come down."
"Who is he?"
"I tracked him down through a limo service. He would occasionally drive Lauren to the places she was required to be. I, uh, I forgot to tell you. Sorry."
"Don't make that a habit," Stabler said as he walked out of the room.
After speaking to Benson for a few minutes, Stabler came back to talk to Danny. "You and I are going to question the limo driver. Olivia is headed over to Perfect Connections right now."
Danny nodded in appreciation. "Thanks."
"Come on. He's waiting downstairs for us. He doesn't want to leave his car unattended."
Minutes later, they approached a young, black man who was leaning against a limousine as he took a drag on a cigarette.
"Charlie Greer," Elliot asked as he flashed his ID.
"Yes, sir. You want to talk to me about Ms. Palmer?"
"We want to know who paid you to drive her around."
"Her account is in Karen Palmer's name, her mom I think. Every time I drive her, that account is deducted."
"Who tells you where to take her?" Danny asked as he made a mental note that once again, Lauren's mother was behind the money.
Greer smiled as he met Danny's eyes. "I remember you. You were with her that night that she left the party earlier than she was supposed to. Over a year I've been driving Ms. Palmer, and I don't ever think I had seen her smile before that night. I sure as hell had never heard her laugh like that before."
"Who…who tells you where to take her?" Danny asked again, his voice weak as he remembered that first night in the car with her.
"She usually calls me, but a few times, I've gotten a call from a man."
"What man?" Elliot asked quickly.
"Don't know who he is, but he's not a nice guy."
"What do you mean?"
"Whenever he calls me, it's usually because Ms. Palmer needs medical attention. I've probably taken her to a doctor four times in the last year. The last time, her face was pretty messed up, a bruised eye and a fat lip. I asked her if she wanted to go to the police instead, but she said no."
"Who's her doctor?" Danny asked.
"A Dr. Cameron, at 76th and Park. That doctor would meet her at the drop of the hat…in the middle of the night…whenever."
As Danny and Stabler got out of the car at 76th and Park, Stabler's phone rang.
"Stabler," he answered. "What do you got, Olivia?"
Danny just listened as Stabler talked to his partner. When he finished, he looked up at Danny as he closed the phone. "This is getting weirder and weirder."
"What do you mean?"
"The staff at Perfect Connections wasn't very forthcoming, but after being pressed, they told Olivia that Lauren is on their client list. Then they admitted that they received a $50,000 cash retainer on her account. They say a man calls on Lauren's behalf to set up the meetings, but they don't know more than that. Olivia's getting a subpoena for their phone records."
"What about the other three guys? Did they explain why Lauren all of sudden started turning tricks?"
"They just said that the same man who would ask for escorts called one day to see if anyone was willing to pay for Lauren."
"And just like that – they send someone to her without even talking to her? That's crazy," Danny responded in an incredulous tone.
"I guess that's what fifty grand in cash buys you," Stabler said as they walked into the doctor's office.
Walking into the waiting area, they looked around for a receptionist, but no one was at the desk. Danny tapped on a little buzzer to see if someone would come out. A minute later, the door behind the desk opened and a young woman walked out.
"Can I help you?" she asked as she took a seat behind the desk.
"I'm Detective Stabler and this is Special Agent Danny Taylor with the FBI. We have a few questions about one of Dr. Cameron's patients. Is she here?"
For a moment the young woman locked eyes with Danny as Stabler was speaking, then just as quickly, she looked away.
"Dr. Cameron is with a patient. May I ask who you have questions about?"
"Who are you?" Danny asked.
"My name is Robin Phillips. I'm Dr. Cameron's part-time receptionist."
"Lauren Palmer," Elliot said, answering Robin's question. "Do you know her?"
Danny regarded Robin closely when Elliot told her Lauren's name. A look of worry crossed her eyes as soon as she heard the name.
"Do you know Lauren?" Danny asked in a low voice.
"I, um, well, I mean, I know her as one of Dr. Cameron's patients. I—"
"Do you know who I am, Robin?" Danny asked, voice still low and hesitant.
Stabler almost did a double-take at Danny presumptuous statement.
"I, um, I—"
"You're friends with her, aren't you?" Danny interrupted.
"Not exactly, but I do know her," Robin finally admitted.
"How do you know her?" Danny continued as Stabler stayed silent since Danny was getting such good results.
"I shouldn't…I can't…"
"She's in trouble, Robin. We can't find her. Do you know where she is?"
"No. I promise I don't. I haven't spoken to her in weeks, but she did call to let me know that she was leaving town and wouldn't be able to continue our sessions."
"Sessions? What sessions?"
"Robin took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm in my third year of Columbia's Master's program in psychology. Lauren agreed to be one of my subjects in my clinicals. She's been coming to me for therapy for the last four months."
"You're her psychologist, then?" Danny asked.
"Sort of. I mean, I'm not licensed or anything. We recruit volunteer patients so we can get practical experience in our clinicals. When Lauren came here for an appointment about six months ago, she asked if Dr. Cameron could refer her to a therapist because she didn't have anyone she could talk to. The only problem was that she didn't have any insurance, so she couldn't pay for it. Dr. Cameron suggested that she participate in my program. So eventually, Lauren agreed. I've been seeing her every two weeks for the last few months.
"Can you tell us who has been hurting her?"
Robin shook her head. "No. I'm sorr-"
"You're not a licensed psychologist. There's no doctor/patient privilege here. Lauren is in real trouble, Robin."
"No, I mean, I don't know who was hurting her. She never told me his name. But he's a real bastard."
"Did she tell you how she got involved with him?" Danny asked, his voice sounding frustrated.
Robin shook her head again. "Not really. I—"
"Well then what the hell did she tell you? You're her therapist for Christ's sakes," he asked, sounding more and more angry.
Stabler put his hand on Danny's forearm. "That's enough, Danny. Listen, Robin, we need to know whatever she may have told you. She's been missing for over three days."
Lauren took a deep breath as her gaze went from Stabler to Danny. When her eyes met Danny's desperate stare, she let out the breath she'd been holding and said, "She made it sound like he owned her, like she had no other choice than to do exactly what he said. One of the last times I talked to her, I told her she should go to the police. She said that this man was more powerful than the police. It was like she was in prison…she was miserable…truly miserable, until…"
"Until when?" Danny asked.
"Until she met you."