A/N: Thank you so much for all your kind reviews! The history of World War II has always fascinated me, and when my Spanish professor this summer taught us about Argentina and Peron's project to get the Nazis out of Europe, inspiration struck. The last chapter was just a set-up of the characters and the background. This chapter gets into the case. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 2

Office of ADA Casey Novak
Friday, April 20

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you've been summoned… Damn it!"

Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak groaned and drew a line through yet another sentence on her yellow legal pad. Sometimes she hated writing these opening statements. It was an opportunity for the defense to snow the jury early on, especially when Rebecca Balthus was the legal aide lawyer. That woman was the master of bull.

Casey was so engrossed in her work that she didn't notice the familiar figure standing silhouetted in her doorway.

Detective Elliot Stabler leaned against the wooden doorframe and surreptitiously watched the tall, athletic attorney, a bemused grin splitting his handsome face in half. Casey had gotten out of her chair and was pacing across the office, muttering to herself.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you'll hear evidence of a heinous crime…"

She was completely oblivious to his presence, a fact which only widened the mischievous smile on his face. He loved surprising his girlfriend. His girlfriend. Elliot still wasn't quite used to using that word to reference Casey Novak, but it was true. Their relationship was still budding, but Elliot was sure that he hadn't been so happy in a very long time.

Standing there watching her, his thoughts wandered back three months. He and Casey had been dancing around each other for months after his divorce from Kathy was finalized. When he finally asked her out, she confessed that she'd always had a crush on him, but she insisted on making sure it was all right with Olivia. His partner had been thrilled for both of them – at least outwardly. After a month of seeing each other, Olivia had come to him and confessed that Casey was actually good for him, and their relationship had her full support.

His kids loved her, which was one thing that she'd been worried about when they started seeing each other in a more-than-friends manner. Maureen and Kathleen were excited to have a young, hip (was that the word they used?) girl around who would listen to their problems, and Dickie and Lizzie were already warming up to her. Elliot remembered the first time he'd brought her by the house. She made them dinner and then beaten them all at Clue. It was the first time he'd seen Kathleen smile in nearly a year.

"And when you have seen all the evidence, ladies and gentlemen, you will find him guilty of rape and murder…"

Her voice brought him back to the present, and he folded his arms across his chest and cleared his throat. "Ahem!"

The strawberry-blonde jumped and whipped around, startled. "Jesus Christ, Elliot!" she exclaimed, placing a hand over her wildly beating heart.

Elliot grinned. "Hey."

"You scared the crap outta me."

"Sorry." He quickly crossed the room and enveloped her in his strong arms, breathing in her perfume. It didn't take long before her arms wrapped around his waist, and she sighed contentedly. "Working on your opening statement for the Petrovich case?"

"Mmm-hmm," she muttered against his shoulder. She dropped her arms from his waist and stepped back a little, glancing around to make sure no one saw their intimate exchange. "I have to make sure this one's good."

"You're going up against Balthus, right?"

"Yeah," Casey sighed. She stepped back and leaned against the edge of her desk. "Fortunately we have a pretty solid case. But she's already tried the 'bury me in paperwork' tactic."

"Sometimes I really can't stand that woman."

"You and me both. Unfortunately, she's a hell of a lawyer."

"You'll beat her." He flashed his famous grin. "You always do."

Casey chuckled. "Not always, but thanks for the vote of confidence." She cocked an eyebrow at him and brushed a strand of strawberry-blonde hair out of her face. "You didn't stop by just to scare the hell outta me, did you?"

Elliot smiled. "No, although that was brilliant, wasn't it?" He smirked at Casey's harrumph. "It's getting late, and I thought maybe we could grab something to eat."

"Now that you mention it, I am getting hungry. How does that Italian place on Thirty-fourth sound?"

He took a couple of steps closer to her and straddled her legs, feeling the rush of electricity shoot through his body as his slack-clad legs brushed against her bare skin. "Actually, I was thinking more about going back to your apartment and ordering in."

Her eyebrow shot up again, and her blue-green eyes danced. "Really? What else is in this grand scheme of yours, Detective Stabler?"

"Well," he began as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her flush to his body, "I figured we'd order some Chinese, pop in a movie, and… well, you know."

"Mmm, actually I don't know, Elliot," she returned with a smile as she put her hands on his biceps. "Why don't you explain it to me?"

"Let's just say it starts with a little bit of this." He quickly leaned in and gently brushed his lips against hers, tasting the fruity flavor of her lip gloss.

"I like that," she murmured against his lips.

Elliot chuckled, the sound vibrating against her lips and shooting tingles through her body. "I thought you might." He deepened the kiss just a little, not wanting to let her go. She shivered as his fingers brushed against the skin under the hem of her shirt, and he tightened his embrace.

"Well, isn't this sweet?"

The familiar, sickeningly-saccharine voice startled them, and Elliot practically leapt away from Casey and whirled around. His ice-blue eyes narrowed when he spotted Rebecca Balthus standing in Casey's doorway, a mirthless smile plastered on her face.

Casey couldn't resist rolling her eyes. "What do you want, Rebecca?"

"Casey, I always knew you had good taste. Liplocking with Detective Stabler, the hottie of the Special Victims Unit." The diminutive blonde shook her head and smiled. "This will fuel the courthouse rumor mill for months."

"Counselor, you must have a reason for being here," Elliot said coldly, folding his arms across his muscular chest. "You aren't exactly in the habit of social calls."

"Touchy, aren't we? I guess I would be too if someone interrupted me about to get laid."

"Rebecca!" Casey was losing her patience with the overly-sarcastic legal aid lawyer.

"Fine." Balthus reached into her briefcase and pulled out a blue-backed legal motion. She smirked as she crossed Casey's office to her desk and handed it to the fuming ADA.

"What is it this time?" She unfolded the blue-back, and her eyes immediately narrowed as she scanned the document. "Not guilty by reason of mental defect? The trial starts on Monday, and you're just now claiming insanity?"

"It's a legitimate defense. My client was not in his right mind when he raped and murdered Elizabeth Collins."

"Sure he wasn't," Elliot said sarcastically. "He just hid the evidence and tried to cover up his crime."

"He might be sane now, but that doesn't mean he wasn't insane when he committed the crime."

"Maybe, but Judge Petrovsky is going to see this for what it is." Casey threw the motion down on her desk and glared at the other woman. "It's a stall tactic."

Balthus shrugged. "My expert witness might disagree. Hearing's on Monday. I'll let you two get back to your tonsil-hockey." With that, she turned and flounced out of Casey's office.

"That bitch," Casey muttered as she ran her hands through her hair.

"She's got nothin'. It's a stall tactic."

"You know that, and I know that, but no one snows judges better than Rebecca Balthus." She sighed and gave him an apologetic look. "I think dinner isn't going to happen tonight, Elliot."

"Aw, c'mon, Case! The motion hearing isn't until Monday." He reached out and tenderly grabbed her hand, caressing her palm with his thumb. "Besides, did I mention that I have tomorrow morning off?"

"Really?" Casey's eyebrows went up again, and a smile played at the corners of her mouth. "Well, now that changes everything."

Elliot grinned. "Thought you might go for that."

"Sometimes it's scary how well you know me, Stabler," she joked as she grabbed her briefcase and began putting files into it.

"Yeah, but I sure can't wait to get to know you better."

Casey stopped what she was doing and looked up at him for a minute. Never in a million years had she thought she would hear those words from his mouth. Casey had always had a little crush on the tall, muscular, very married Detective Stabler, even from the times they played each other in softball. When his divorce from Kathy was finalized, though, she was sure that he would finally go after Olivia. But he had surprised them all by asking Casey on a date. And now, three months later, she was falling head over heels for him. Frankly, it scared her.

"Casey?"

She snapped back to the present and turned to see him staring at her, blue eyes filled with concern. "Huh?"

"You okay?"

Casey shook her head and smiled. "Yeah. I'm definitely okay." She zipped up her bag and turned off her desk lamp. "I think Chinese take-out sounds wonderful." She shifted her bag to her left hand and grabbed his hand with her right, interlacing her fingers with his.

Elliot smiled and squeezed her hand. "Just wait until you see what I have planned for dessert."

45 E. 87th Street

Joseph Adolphus shifted his large black duffel bag to his shoulder as he scaled the ladder to the roof of the office building across from the Park Avenue Synagogue in Manhattan. It was after midnight, and the streets below him were relatively empty.

His feet soon hit the roof, and he ran toward the other side of the building, the side facing 87th Street. Adolphus's blue eyes scanned the streets below, just to make sure there was no one watching. That was why he chose to come so early – it greatly lessened the risk of someone spotting him.

Adolphus crouched down below the four-foot concrete safety wall and unzipped his bag. He quickly pulled out the various components of his .308 IMBEL sniper rifle. His father had procured it from a Brazilian black market arms dealer and had it shipped to his son by hiding the components among packs of cigarettes and coffee. It was unconventional, at best, but the American authorities had never discovered it.

Expertly he reassembled the rifle and leaned it against the wall. He checked his watch one more time. Just after one in the morning. He pressed a couple of buttons on the digital timepiece to set an alarm for six in the morning. That would give him time to properly calibrate the settings on his scope before they began showing up.

Only six more hours before the war would begin.

Apartment of Casey Novak
Friday, April 20

Bzzz. Bzzz. Bzzz.

Elliot's cell phone vibrated loudly against the wooden bedside-table. He groaned and reluctantly opened his eyes. Casey was sleeping next to him, her back resting against his naked chest, strawberry-blonde hair fanned out against the white pillow. Elliot lifted his head to look at the clock on Casey's nightstand. 7:44.

Bzzz. Bzzz. Bzzz.

"You should probably get that," Casey mumbled sleepily into her pillow.

"Yeah, probably." Elliot gently slid his arm from around her waist and reached for his still-buzzing phone. His fumbling fingers finally found the noisy device, and he held it up to check the caller I.D. Olivia Benson. He sighed and flipped it open. "Stabler… Liv, what's up?"

He listened for a moment, then rolled over and opened the drawer on the bedside table where Casey kept a pen and pad of paper. Elliot tossed the pad on the bedside table. "What's the address?" He quickly scribbled it down and ripped off the piece of paper. "Okay, I'll be there in thirty minutes. Bye."

Elliot flipped the phone shut and tossed back the covers. Reaching for his clothes, he glanced back at Casey. She had rolled over and was watching him intently, propped up on her elbow. He shot a rueful smile in her direction as he pulled on his jeans.

"New case?" she asked, sweeping a strand of hair out of her eyes with one long finger.

"Yeah. I'm sorry."

Casey shook her head and smiled. "Keep me updated."

"Will do." He pulled his shirt over his head, leaned over, and gave her lips a quick peck. "I'll call you later."

"I have an arraignment at ten, but I should be in my office the rest of the day."

Elliot nodded. "Okay." The bed creaked as he got up, protesting the sudden shift in weight. He went around the edge of the bed and out her bedroom door

"Hey, El?"

Her voice stopped him, and he stuck his head back into the bedroom.

Casey smiled at him. "Be careful."

Elliot grinned. "Always."

Park Avenue Synagogue
50 E. 87th Street
Friday, April 20

"What the hell?" Elliot muttered as he screeched to a halt outside the Park Avenue Synagogue. Uniformed cops, CSU techs, and detectives were bustling around the crime scene, a small playground outside the synagogue. Lights from the ambulances flashed red and white against the early morning clouds. Already a throng of curious bystanders gathered outside the yellow tape and police barricades.

He turned off the engine and quickly got out of his car, slamming the door behind him. His blue eyes scanned the crowd for his partner's brown head. Finally he spotted her, rushing alongside two EMTs and a blood-soaked gurney occupied by a small, pale little boy. "Liv!"

Detective Olivia Benson glanced up and stopped when she laid eyes on him. "Two vics, one DOA at the hospital."

"What about this one?"

"Isaiah Jaslow, age eight, GSW to the abdomen," the female EMT answered as they loaded the boy into the back of the ambulance. "We've managed to control the bleeding, but he's lost a lot of blood already."

"They're taking him to Lennox-Hill," Olivia added as she climbed into the back of the bus. "I'll call you when I know something. O'Halloran's over there." She jerked her head in the direction of the swing set. She sighed and lowered her voice so the EMT's couldn't hear her. "I have a bad feeling about this, El."

He glanced around and swallowed the bile that rose up in his throat at the sight of the already-darkening pool of crimson on the sidewalk. "Yeah. I know." Elliot gave her one last look before reaching up and closing the doors of the ambulance. He banged on them twice with the palm of his hand, and the emergency vehicle sped off down the street.

"I have that same feeling," Elliot muttered to himself as he walked across the playground to the crime scene.

CSU technician O'Halloran met Elliot halfway to the scene. "The slug that killed the first boy was a through-and-through." They walked toward the brick wall behind the small swing set.

"Did you find it?"

"Sure did." O'Halloran pointed to a large, round hole in the brick façade, about waist-high to both tall men. "Dug it out of the wall behind the kid."

"Anything ballistics can tell us?"

"Sorry. It was too smashed up to tell even what caliber it is, much less any ballistic evidence. But," the tech squatted down next to the drying pool of blood in front of the swings, "the kid and the wall give us two points of origin. We'll set up some lasers, see if we can't figure out where the shot came from."

Elliot nodded. "Good."

"Elliot!"

The senior detective turned around to see Captain Donald Cragen standing with another older man in a yarmulke. The older man waved him over, and Elliot quickly joined them.

"Detective Stabler, this is Rabbi Horowitz, the headmaster at the school."

Elliot stuck out his hand, and the older religious man shook it. "Rabbi, what can you tell me about all this?"

The aging rabbi shook his head sadly. "I honestly don't know. I was inside with the faculty. I only came out when I heard the children shouting."

"Who was out here watching them?"

"Mr. Liebgott." Rabbi Horowitz pointed to a younger man talking with a uniformed officer. "He got most of the students inside."

"Rabbi, have there been any disgruntled parents or anything in the last couple of weeks?"

"No. I know all of the parents of these boys." His dark eyes filled with tears. "I just can't believe that Jacob is dead." Seeing Elliot's confused expression, he wiped away a tear. "Jacob Eshkol. His parents are members of our congregation. So are Isaiah Jaslow's parents – the other wounded boy. How is he?"

Elliot shook his head. "I'm not sure, sir, but my partner's on her way to the hospital now. She'll make sure his parents are called, and she'll keep us updated."

"Rabbi, have there been any threats made against the school?" Cragen asked.

The rabbi gave him a mirthless smile. "Captain, we're a Hebrew school. We get threats all the time from neo-Nazis and other hate groups. But nothing's ever come out of it except graffiti on our walls and some hate stickers on our door."

Elliot gave his captain a look and sighed. "Right. Thank you for your help, Rabbi. We'd appreciate it if you would help us get into contact with the parents."

"I'd be glad to help." His dark eyes caught Elliot's blue eyes, and the detective was startled by the raw emotion he saw there. "I hope you find the man who did this."

He was taken aback, and he stared at the rabbi for a minute before replying. "We will, Rabbi. We will."