Law and Order: SVU Fanfiction

WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE

Chapter 2: Two for the Price of One

A/N: I don't want to confuse anyone or anything, but I've decided to change this fic from third person to first person. Like my dear friend K-C says, "It's sooo much easier, because you can hear the person's thoughts and feelings." Thanks K-C

SUNDAY DECEMBER 14

OLIVIA'S POV:

I arrived at the corner of 5th Avenue and 42nd Street shortly after 6 AM in a yellow cab ( I know it's strange for me to be in a cab, but I was desperate.) Unfortunately, I had to wake Kristin up too, and brought her along with me. It has been less than a week since her attacker has been accused guilty, and I'm still not feeling very trusting towards people in this city.
I'm not really sure if I'm in the mood for solving crimes this morning, but I guess I really don't have any choice. The first thing I saw when we reached our destination was the bright neon police tape that surrounded the sidewalk of a small townhouse on 5th Avenue. I sighed deeply and paid the cab driver $10.50 for our trip downtown, then grabbed Kristin and found my way through the crowd of people.
"Hey Liv...Kristin. Kristin? What are you doing here?" Elliot asked. He seemed to be more tired and less aware of his surroundings than Kristin was.
"Yeah, I took her along...I didn't...her...alone..." I fumbled over my words embarrassed by those staring at me.
"Liv, it's okay I understand...why don't we let her sleep in my car, alright?"
"Okay..." I gave Kristin's hand to Elliot. By now she was barely standing on her own feet and needed someone to lean on. "So what happened here Cragen?"
"Come on, I'll show you inside," Cragen told me after Elliot returned from his car.

Our footsteps were heavy on the staircase. We walked quickly to the second floor following Cragen, not knowing what to expect. There were two rooms on the top floor; a pink and green bedroom with three small beds, and a tiny bathroom with only a toilet and sink. The first thing my eyes did see, however, was the bedroom. There was a small body lying on the ground, face down at the end of a blue bed spotted with white polka-dots. Another body was dangling off another bed, still breathing.
"Cragen...I think that girl is still breathing!" I shouted, rushing over to the girl. I rolled up my sleeve and placed two fingers along the side of her neck. "I've got a pulse!" I yelled over to my fellow squad members. "Stay with me...stay with me," I whispered to the young girl, who couldn't be more than five years old…poor thing…
"Who called the police anyway?" Elliot asked. That was a good question. I'm not sure if the neighbors could have heard them, and one of these two girls certainly didn't call us...so who did?
"She said her name was Laura...over there...in the closet..." he answered quietly. I turned my head to see who he was talking about and saw a small girl crouched in a ball surrounded by heaps of clothing that had fallen off their hangers.

I slowly approached her, then knelt beside her and said, "Hi, my name's Olivia. What's your's?" This was the way I usually dealt with the younger victims. I wanted to make them feel as comfortable as they possibly could. She did not answer me, which wasn't unusual because of what had happened, but most other victims did at least answer me with their name. "I'm not going to hurt you sweetie...do want to take my hand?" I held my hand out to her with a smile. She lifted her head with difficulty, and reluctantly took my hand. I helped her rise to her feet and led her down the stairs, shielding her from the horrible scene that was most likely already playing through her mind.
I walked her to an ambulance for medical evaluation, though she didn't seem to have severe injuries like the others in her house. I watched the small girl as nurses towered over her, swarming her with questions, poking her with needles, taking her blood pressure, looking into her ears and eyes, and pulling her arms and legs in all directions. She looked confused, frightened, almost like she didn't understand what they were telling her. Maybe she didn't...it was possible that she didn't even speak English. After all, the only thing she said on the phone was "Help me, help me please!"
After the "wildfire" was over, I decided to check on the little girl. I talked to her from a distance, but she still wouldn't look at me, "Are you okay?" I asked her gently. I waited patiently a few moments, but then decided that the best thing to get her to speak was to let Kristin talk to her. It seems like it's always so much easier when you speak to someone your own age.
I found Elliot's car parked further down 42nd Street and opened the back door using the key Elliot had given me about a year after we became partners. I tapped on her shoulder gently and woke her, hoping she wasn't startled. "Kris...Kris can you do me a favor?"
She opened her eyes slowly, "What...? Oh, yeah sure mom...what is it?"
"I need you to baby-sit..? Well, there's this little girl who's been through a heck of a night...you can imagine..."
"Yes I can..."
"She won't respond to me...I was thinking that maybe she would talk to you..."
"Ok...anything to help..."
"Come on...I'll lead you to her." I took her hand as she sleepily stretched her legs and got out of the car.

We walked in silence back over to the ambulance, where I introduced Laura to Kristin. "Laura, this is my daughter, Kristin…"

"Hi Laura…you can talk to me…I understand what you're going through…" Kristin's words trailed off into a whisper.

"I'll leave the two of you alone…I need to go back inside…"

"Okay…mom…"

"Yeah?"

"Be careful…"

"So what did you get out of our witness?" Cragen asked me, as he studied the body of the smaller victim.

"She wouldn't talk to me…Kristin's talking to her now…"

"Kristin?"

"Yeah…I thought it would be easier for Laura. What'd you find?"

"Elle," Elliot said pointing to the body of the girl Cragen was studying, "was stabbed once from behind. She fell down on her bed like so, and has been there ever since. Now her sister, Jane, was shot in the chest, and killed instantly. This is how I see it: our suspect goes upstairs, Elle probably screams, so he grabs her and stabs her in the back. Then Jane tries to help her younger sister and he turns around and shoots her."

"But that still doesn't explain one thing…" I added to Elliot's statement.

"What's that?" he questioned.

"How's Laura involved in all this?" Cragen answered for me.

"Judging by the bruises the nurses found in the medical evaluation, it's possible that she was thrown into the closet before our guy stabbed little Elle." I answered. How could that be true though? Wouldn't the perp want her dead too?

"So why did he kill Elle and Jane, but not Laura?" Elliot questioned, completely puzzled. He watched as a small stretcher lifted the now lifeless body of Elle off the ground. As her body was being carried carefully down the stairs, I looked at him clearly seeing the remorse we were all feeling in his eyes.

"What are you two waiting for? Let tear this place apart!" Cragen ordered.

I don't know how long we had been standing there in silence, but we were wasting our time. The sooner we found any leads, the closer we would be to helping a poor young terrified girl.

Elliot was the first to find something…a 9mm with five rounds still inside the cartridge. The gun hadn't been wiped clean, which wasn't odd because the perp most likely didn't have enough time to do the job carefully. However, I can't believe they wouldn't have taken the gun with them. It would take a lot less work to find them if we already had the gun that killed her.

Our next find was the knife, although that weapon had been cleaned. Both weapons would be sent to forensics right away, but I had a feeling that this wasn't the end. There was something else we were supposed to find.

I took pictures of the blood patterns so we could figure out exactly how the crime took place, but I knew there was something else. The feeling was horrible. It started in my stomach, seizing my body with anxiety as I frantically scanned the room with my eyes. Then it worked up through my chest, making my heart pound faster and faster, until it finally reached my head. I felt nauseated, as if I could pass out cold any minute now. I dropped to my hands and knees looking underneath beds, nightstands, anything in my path. After Cragen gave us permission to rustle around with the crime scene, I literally began tearing the place apart looking for this clue I knew had to be there. I threw things off the nightstand, ripped the covers off the bed, and looked through all the clothes in the closet, frantic to find my clue. It had to be there…it just had to be.

"Hey! Watch it Liv!" Elliot dodged the flying objects, almost getting hit by a few pairs of jeans I had flung out of the closet. "You alright?"

I didn't look at him, but continued my search around the small bedroom. I moved over to Elle's bed, the only one still untouched and started to explore. Her little pink and green mattress was pulled down along with the rest of her baby pink blankets. I still could find it, but I was close. I could feel something in my throat start to choke me inside; the burning sensation in my chest grew stronger.

"Liv stop…" Elliot sat beside me and grabbed my shoulders, lightly shaking me. "What the heck's gotten into you?"

"El…it's right here…I know it is…" I was getting frustrated, he could tell. It's funny how he always knows what's going on with me. My mind wandered off for a moment asking itself if I was really that readable.

"Liv just calm down…"

"I'm supposed to find something…it should be right here!" I angrily pounded my fist on top of Elle's bed. I felt Cragen, Munch, and Fin turn their heads, their eyes starting at me. I saw Elliot shake his head at them, letting them know everything was alright. My eyes widened…I knew I had found it…this was it.

A print on the frame of Elle's bed…it was small and placed inside a section of blood, but it wasn't hers. I positioned a clear strip over the print to pick it up, but had a hard time with the blood around it. It was my clue though, and I knew I had to do it.

Cragen was cleaning things up, which meant that he was ready to leave shortly, so I made my business quick. I guess I forgot that Elliot was there because I kneed him in the nose getting up off the carpet.

"I'm sorry!" my hand gripped his wrist and for a second I was afraid I had hurt him. Then I saw him smile and his eyes once again sparkle their brilliant blue. Returning his grin, I helped him off the ground. Our squad shuffled down the stairs one after another and piled into our police cars.

Elliot and I went back to the ambulance to pick up Kristin and make sure that Laura would be ok on her own. We walked back to Elliot's car and silently got inside. We were in what Cragen called the "zone" or when we had just started working on a case. I didn't glance at him at all during the ride back to precinct, but I knew he was watching me. My eyes, however, rested on another… Kristin.

KRISTIN'S POV:

Her lifeless body was being lowered into the cold dead ground, her eyes like the rest of the world around her had been shut for good. The various trees around us that were once so full of color and energy now supported bare leaves. The same was with the flowers whose petals had fallen and withered away. Besides myself, there were only five others there; my grandfather and three other men that carried my mother's body, and my grandmother. My body stood firmly on the ground, though my mind was somewhere else that day. I did not cry; I would not cry for her. That's not want she would want. Instead I remembered everything she had done for me… everything she sacrificed.

The funeral was short in duration, but it felt like an eternity listening to my grandparents speak of her life, the precious memories. The entire time all I could think about was if she would have survived if she heard her killer coming.

"Kristin…" I heard my name whispered in the distance. I turned my head to see her standing amidst the pink Dogwood trees. Her short golden brown hair hung loose around her face. I ran to her, smiling as she embraced me in her arms. I stared into her chocolate brown eyes and new I was finally where I was supposed to be.

Then the sky turned gray over my head and began pouring down on us. We let go of each other and I watched as she faded into the shadows. I screamed her name again and again. "Olivia, Olivia!" However, I knew she was gone.

"Kristin, KRISTIN!" my eyes snapped open and I realized where I was.

"What….yeah….OK I'm awake…" I answered wearily, rubbing my eyes. The sun was now peaking out behind the clouds, symbolizing a new day.

I followed behind my mother and Elliot watching them… wondering what was really going on between them. What was Cragen going to think when I entered the unit with them? I mean mom and Elliot are detectives, I'm just… a teenager, what good am I?

Like I suspected, Cragen eyed me as we entered the building, and gave mom a look saying, "She's still here?" I knew that she wouldn't care though, she motioned that it was ok then turned to me and whispered, "I'm sorry, but you can't be here for this… you can stay out here," she pointed towards the hallway, "it's the only way Cragen will have it."

"Actually Olivia, she can sit in my office," Cragen suggested. I locked onto my mother's gaze pleading to let me stay for the interview. I was so fascinated with what she did at work. I couldn't imagine being a cop and having to deal with victims like I once was. There was so much pressure forced on her shoulders, yet she balanced it like feathers.

I pulled on her arm lightly and spoke three small words, "You need me…."

"Kristin, I'm sorry I have to do this to you, but I'm just doing my job hun…" her hand tucked a small strand of my raven black hair behind my ear.

"Well good luck in there…" I told her, watching as she and Elliot reluctantly walked away from me. I heard them open a door, and saw Elliot quickly shut it behind him.

I sighed and faced Cragen once again. I joined him in his office and seated myself across his desk. My eyes darted around the room trying to find something interesting, but nothing held my attention. Alas, I stared him in the face. He ignored me for quite sometime and busied himself with paperwork on the new case at hand. When he finally looked up at me, it was with a puzzled expression that was searching my eyes for an answer.

"They're not going to find anything from Laura," I declared. It felt so good to know that I understood something he did not.

"Oh I see… and why is that Miss Benson?" he questioned almost in a snobbish way, waiting to hear what I was going to reply.

"She doesn't talk…" I stated at last. She spoke another language, one Olivia and Elliot couldn't comprehend, but I knew it though. In fact, I spoke it fluently.

"And why is that?" now I had gotten his attention. The tone in his voice became more curious. I figured he was expecting something more childish, and less…dare I say intelligent…

"She's deaf sir…" I stated after quite some time.

"And you know this how?" the Captain's voice was now very serious.

"My mother put me in charge of 'baby-sitting' her while you investigated and stuff… I tried talking to her and she didn't respond. I could tell she was trying to read my lips and spoke slower. I told her 'My name is Kristin,' and I spelled it out for her in sign language. Before I even realized what I did, she replied with hand signs. I knew then that she was deaf, that's why she was so confused…. sir you have to let me in there with them. She's not going to understand what they are saying to her."

"And why should I do that?"

"My mother…..my real mother, was deaf… sign language was my first language until I started school. I used to translate for my mother all the time…."

"I really don't think this is good for someone your age though…"

"Sir… my mother was killed and I was raped only a few months later… how can you say that I can't handle it?"

"Ok fine… but just this once…"

"Oh thank you sir!" I was overjoyed and squeezed the bald man before literally running out of his office.

When I opened the door to the Interrogation Room, the first thing I saw was Elliot who was clearly frustrated.

"Kristin," Mom started, rising from her chair, "you're not allowed in here…Cragen would be very upset if he found you in here…" she whispered softly in my ear, so Elliot could hear her.

"Mom, it's okay…Cragen sent me here," I stated aloud so they both could hear me. "By the look on Elliot's face I'm guessing you didn't find much from her…" I said standing behind Elliot who was seated next to mom.

"Actually, she didn't tell us anything…" Elliot murmured in a low voice.

I smiled, "That's what I thought…"

"What are you so happy about?" mom asked me. They were both getting pretty aggregated, I could tell.

"Laura, do you remember me? My name is Kristin…we talked earlier," I immediately began signing words. The language came back to me as clearly as ever. My hands moved first to my forehead, then up and down in front of me, and last my left hand slid back over my other wrist as I signed my statement.

She answered back with a nod of her head and the motion of raising her thumb on her other hand saying, "Yes, can you help me?"

Elliot and mom's heads turned from Laura to me as I responded with, "Yes, that's why I'm here. My mother and her partner would like to help you too…if you can answer a few questions; we can find the person that did this to you…"

She nodded again and put her hand to her head and pointing her index finger upwards telling me, "Yes, I understand…"

"Since when do you speak sign language?" Mom questioned, almost surprised.

"My real mother…she was deaf…" I responded in English, "It was my first language for years…"

"Wow…is there anything this kid can't do?" Elliot joked with a smile.

"Actually…well anyway…that's besides the point…what do you guys want me to ask her?" I asked, ready to prove I could be a detective.

"Just ask her what she remembers, then see if she can give us any names or anything… oh and tell her to be as specific as possible," Elliot told me. Both my mother and Elliot had interviewed their share of suspects and victims, but now it was their turn to sit back and let someone else behind the wheel. Honestly, I'm not sure how well this whole thing will go over, but I'll give it my best shot.

"Laura," I signaled, "I need you to tell me anything and everything you remember from this morning…"

She paused before beginning her sings, "I'm scared…" Her hands moved up and down in front of her body, her fingers spread wide.

"I know how it feels… not too long ago I was sitting in this room just like you, sharing my story… it's a scary feeling, but I know you can do it…" The translating took time. Mom or Elliot would ask me a question, I would sign it to Laura, I'd wait for her to sign something back, and then I would tell them what she said. The interview was taking longer then the others usually did, but wasted time was just something we would have to deal with.

After she finally got the courage to tell me her story, the three of us had a pretty good idea how the attack was drawn out. Laura was in the bathroom, while her younger sisters were getting ready for bed. Elle was changing into pajamas and Jane was downstairs packing her backpack for the next day. The attacker somehow got into the house without breaking any windows or doors. He began by first going upstairs, Laura could feel the vibrations of his ascent upwards, but figured it was only Jane coming to bed. First, he stabbed Elle in the back with a knife. The blade sliced through her left ventricle, causing her to scream and bleed immensely. Laura stepped out of the bathroom just in time to witness the man raising his knife to strike her again. By that time Elle's blood was covering the floor. Laura said that the smell was getting to her, but she was still able to grab the knife from the man's grip and throw it under her bed. He turned around frustrated, and pushed her into the closet behind her. At that moment Jane came up the stairs and started screaming at the sight of blood. He whipped around and pulled out his gun.

"I don't remember how he shot her… all I could see was her body lying on the ground… and him…. standing over her…"

"What happened after that?" I asked her gently.

"I came out of the closet, but the man wasn't there anymore… I've seen him before… I know who he is… but I can't remember his name…" she responded slowly, recalling the memory of his face and everything that happened.

"Could you describe him for me?"

"He was a shorter man, brown hair, blue eyes… I know I've seen him before… many times…"

"Laura do you know if anyone else would have heard anything… maybe a neighbor or something?"

'My neighbor… Mr. Winters… he gets home from work shortly before the attack… he may have heard something… I'm not so sure though…"

"OK… well thank you Laura… you've been a big help…"

"What's going to happen to me?"

"You'll probably stay with a relative or something…"

"What about my mother?"

"What do you mean?"

"She never came home…"

"Don't worry… we'll find her, but for now is there anyone else you can stay with?"

"My aunt lives in the upper eastside…"

"OK… thank you Laura…"

"No thank you…" her hand moved from her chin and down with her last words to me.

I watched carefully as Cragen took the girl by the hand and led her out of the Interrogation Room. Mom and Elliot were still sitting in the room across from me. Our eyes were focused on each other. I could feel mom studying me… I wondered what she was thinking. I still was in shock; I couldn't believe I actually did something to help the investigation. They needed me, really needed me… I couldn't believe it… maybe something was actually going right…

"Kristin… you were great… how can we thank you?" Mom asked me.

"Mom you don't have to do anything for me… I'm glad I could help…" I searched her eyes before leaving the room and left the two of them standing there alone.

GENERAL POV:

"Forensics have found a match on our fingerprints," Cragen stated to the rest of the squad.

"And what did they find?" Olivia asked.

"All three prints came from different people," Cragen answered, looking each detective in the face.

"Another case with three guys?" Olivia groaned, plopping down in her chair.

"Come on Olivia; don't give me any of that… Fin, Munch, you interview the neighbor Mr. Winters and see if he heard or saw anything. Stabler, you've got Zellers down on 5 Avenue, Benson you take Bower on 42nd, and I'll find Mr. Valentine. Let's move people, we've got a lot to do."

Munch and Fin climbed the steps to the blue and white house next to the Landis's. The door was opened ajar, but they could still see the short, plump man behind it.

"Hello?" Mr. Winters said curiously.

"Can we have a chat with you?" Munch asked flashing him his badge.

"I didn't do anything wrong officers…"

"This isn't like that…" Fin responded.

"What do you know about the attack on the Landis children?" Munch questioned.

"Listen, you've got the wrong person…"

"That's not why we're here… just tell us if you saw or heard anything…" Fin stated.

"The only thing I heard was screaming… and a gunshot…

"What time was it?" Munch stared the man down, wondering if he was lying to them or not.

"I… I don't know…"

"Do you want us to take you in?" Finn's voice rose to show the man who was in charge.

"Ok… ok… it was around 9:30- 9:45…"

Munch turned to Fin, "Doesn't that seem a bit late for a 4 and 7 year old to be going to bed?"

"Listen I'm just telling you what I know!"

Munch got up off the couch and Fin followed shortly behind him. As they were leaving, Fin added, "We'll let you know if we'll need you again."

Further downtown, Stabler was already interviewing the first suspect on their list. He was a tall blond man with dark eyes. He found him on the basketball courts, playing 2 on 2 with some other men.

Detective Stabler casually walked up to him and grabbed him by the arm, "Mr. Zellers, let's have a chat."

"What's this about?"

"Your prints were found on a murder weapon. My question is how did they get there Mr. Zellers?"

"I don't know…"

"Funny, I had a feeling you'd say that…"

"You don't understand; I really have no idea…"

"Yeah, well you say that one more time I'm really not going to believe you," Elliot gave him one of his, I've-got-you-now smiles and watched as the man thought of something to say.

"You don't understand… I don't have anything to do with this…"

"Really, well where were you last night?"

"Jamaica… with my wife…"

"So, when did your plane leave?"

"8:30 PM…"

Elliot stood there for a moment like a cornered animal trying to decide what to do next, "Do you have any records that could prove this?"

"Yes, I have my passport in my bag over there… let me get it for you…"

Elliot rolled his eyes and thought to himself, "He's still carrying his passport with him…"

Mr. Zellers returned with his passport. Elliot snatched it from him and began to flip through it, "Well this visa's enough for me…" he sighed, feeling like he had lost the battle.

"Sorry, I couldn't help you detective…"

"Maybe you can… do you recognize either of these men?" Elliot held up the pictures of the other two men they IDed from the prints at the crime scene.

"Both of them actually… we worked together. The one on the left is Antonio Valentine, a real character… he worked as a costume designer… a few years ago he did time for a DUI… that one's Fredrick Bower…"

"As in the movie star?"

"Yes, I did a little work with his one director on his film Turbulence… he's a very interesting man… and a good actor… he would have made a helluva lotta money on his last movie if the other actors could compete with him…"

"Interesting… well I think that's it… thank you for your time…"

"Detective… you don't really think one of them did this, do you?"

"Yeah, I do…" Elliot walked away from the courts and climbed into his car. He sat in silence before pulling out his phone.

He loved hearing the sound of her voice when she answered, "Benson…"

"Hey Liv it's me… Zellers is out of the picture… why don't you go down and talk to Bower awhile… I'll call Cragen and be right down…"

"Ok… I'll see you there…"

Cragen opened the door of Valentine's restaurant on 57th Street. It was a small place, Italian obviously. He approached Mr. Valentine, a curly haired man about his height.

"Mr. Valentine," he started flashing his badge at the owner, "can I have a word?"

"Listen, we're down a chef and this place is packed up… can we do this another time?"

"Afraid not, this is really important…"

"Fire away…"

"Funny you use that word…"

"Fire? What do you mean?"

"Do you recognize these children?" he pulled out a picture of the Meyers children before their attack.

"No, I've never seen them…"

"That's funny because the two younger girls were killed last night, one with your gun."

"My gun! That's impossible!"

"I checked your records, and there are 2 gun registered to you, both being 9 millimeters."

"Listen, I didn't kill nobody."

"Your prints were at the scene…"

"Well I wasn't there, and I didn't fire no gun."

"Then you wouldn't mind if some tests were run on your shirt?"

"I have nothing to hide…"

"What did you wear last night?"

"My black jacket and another one of my Valentine's shirts. I live above the restaurant; I could get it for you."

They climbed the stairs to Antonio's small apartment. Cragen opened the door first, "After you…"

"Here ya go." Antonio walked over to the corner of the room where some of his clothing had been thrown.

"You positive this is the shirt you wore?"

"Yes sir."

"And you haven't washed it recently?"

"No…"

"Well stick around, we may need you later…"

"Yes sir…"

OLIVIA'S POV:

I got out of my car with my eyes focused straight ahead, watching the short brown haired man. My mind was already screaming guilty… there was just something about him. I think it's because he was an actor, a rich, famous person. They always think the law doesn't apply to them… like that one child molester we had arrested years before. I felt absolutely nothing bad towards him… in fact nothing inside me was feeling sorry about interrupting his little "filming session." In fact, I was looking forward to it.

"Well if it isn't the famous Fredrick Bower…" I approached him, ending his conversation with his director. I wanted to show him I was the boss and that nothing he did or said would make me leave without an answer.

I felt his eyes search me up and down… over the years many men have checked me out, but that doesn't mean I was comfortable with it. He sensed that I showed no interest in him and finally said something, "Hey lady, I'm on the set… no time for autographs."

I whipped out my badge in his face, loving the look of surprise he gave me in exchange. I raised my eyebrows and replied arrogantly, "Maybe you can give me one later…"

"What's this all about?" I loved the look of confusion that was now spread across his face. Inside I was laughing and watching what he would do next.

"Where were you last night Mr. Bower?"

It took him a few seconds to answer me. He scratched his head and glanced at his director who was standing to the left of him… strike one… I learned from experience that those who look left are fabricating a story, and the ones who look right are telling the truth.

"I'm not saying anything without my lawyer here…"

"Well then… I suggest you find him because you've got a lot of explaining to do…"Elliot so stood at my side with his badge held out and a smile on his face.

Bower went over to talk to one of his bodyguards, so I took the opportunity to talk to Elliot. "Hey El… you ok? You look a little…"

"I'll talk to you about it later…" his eyes dropped to his feet, something I had never seen him do… something was really wrong with him… hopefully it wasn't something that important.

"Ok…" the only word I could think of saying. I glanced over Elliot's shoulder to see Bower coming towards us once again.

"So you were saying miss…"

"That's detective… detective Benson…"

"Well excuse me officer…"

"Where were you last night?"

"Here in my trailer… going over the script of course… where else?"

"Were you alone?"

"Yes… have I done something wrong?"

"Well that all depends…"

"Just what are you investigating?"

"Two homicides…"

"Don't forget about the kidnapping too Liv…"

"Oh yes… three crimes in one…"

"And how did my name get involved in this?"

"Your prints were at the crime scene…"

"Do you want to tell us where you really were last night?"

"I already told you, I was in my trailer…"

"Do you have an alibi?"

"Well no…"

"Then speak up…"

"I don't have to tell you anything…"

"Well then I guess you're coming with us"

"Fredrick Bower you're under arrest for two accounts of manslaughter in the second degree. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford one, one will be given to you…"

MONDAY DECEMBER 15

OLIVIA'S POV:

"Olivia, Elliot… we've done some research on Bower…" Captain Cragen's voice was the first thing I heard as I walked into the office with Elliot.

"So what have we found?" I could feel the rush of excitement taking hold of my body, making butterflies flutter in my stomach.

"Bower had an affair with Miss Landis that ended about a week ago…"

"That's interesting…" Elliot responded.

"But there's more… Miss Landis was reported missing by Mr. and Mrs. Winters…"

"Well maybe we should go back to talk to him," I was already reaching for my things on my desk and walking out the door. "Ready Elliot?"

"Right behind you."

We got out of the door and climbed the stairs to Mr. Winters' house. He opened the door slowly, almost like he knew we were coming.

"You again?"

Elliot and I let ourselves in, and immediately began scanning the room before sitting down on the couch.

"I told your friends I have nothing to do with this…"

"Do you recognize this man?" I held up a picture of Bower, hoping Mr. Winters could tell us something we didn't already know.

"No…"

"I think there's something you need to tell us," Elliot's voice rose, and held up the missing poster. I could sense fear in Mr. Winters' eyes, something that always impressed me. I loved how Elliot could scare the witnesses into talking.

"Ok… fine…"

"Miss Landis didn't show up for work at 12 and she didn't come home anytime before the attack…" I wondered what could have possibly happened to her, and I hoped nothing bad had happened to her. Maybe it was just a coincidence…but inside I knew it wasn't.

"We know who killed Elle and Jane… and about their mother's affair… please just tell us what we need to know…" Elliot's voice got softer, but I could tell he was still angry.

"Did Fredrick Bower take her too?" I whispered so quietly no one could hear.

There was a dead silence for several minutes before Elliot finally spoke up, "Mr. Winters a woman's life is depending on you…"

"I've seen them several times standing outside her house… their relationship lasted about 2 or 3 months…"

"So what happened?"

"He was abusive… I've seen him hit her…"

"And you never went to the police?"

"I would have but… this one day I was taking out the trash, and I saw him hit her… she went back into the house and he came up to me and said that if I ever told anyone about what happened… he would kill me…"

"Do you know where she could possibly be…?"

"His mansion… he has his own private estate… I know she's there…"

"We're on it…"

We left as soon as we got the warrant for Bower's house. We knew it was his house right away. It was in the middle of nowhere and a huge place… the perfect location to put a kidnapped woman…

Cragen was there before Elliot and I entered the house. He was already tearing the place apart, but didn't find her yet.

"Cragen… the basement… did you check the basement!" I was screaming though I tried to keep it under control.

Our heavy feet pounded down the steps, growing bolder with each. My heart raced at the thought of what lay at the bottom of those stairs… I hoped for the best, but at the same time feared for the worse. The possibilities were endless, though only two crossed my mind. Miss Landis was either dead or alive… I knew she was there… she just had to be…

Our silence was deadly, but spoke for itself. I could hear their words screaming through their minds and knew that they were feeling the same tension I was. I threw open the only door, banging it into the wall… the only audible sound. My hand scrambled along the wall until I saw the switch. My heart sank as I searched the room, only to be greeted by a grievous sight. She was curled in a ball against the wall, a stream of blood trailing above her. Cragen came to her side carefully, placing a single finger on her neck. I felt a single tear slide down my face and glanced over at Elliot without thinking. He took my hand and whispered softly, "it's ok… it's ok…"

"She's still breathing…" Cragen whispered, his words echoing in the room, ringing in my ears.

I lifted my head slowly and gave him a small smile… Bower was ours… Miss Landis was safe…

SATURDAY DECEMBER 19

Elliot threw the door open and walked down the line of prisoners in the local jail.

I followed in shortly afterward and quickened my steps to catch up with him. We approached Mr. Bower's cell, staring him in the face… I couldn't believe he was the same man I had seen on TV, but yet… I knew it was him…

"You destroyed my career… I'll never be in a movie again…" I couldn't believe that was all he could think about. He felt no remorse for the little girls he killed, or their mother who also almost died from his actions. He still felt like he was innocent though every piece of evidence pointed towards him.

"As if that's all you need to be worrying about…" I stated aloud, making him think of everything he had done.

"And you get 25 years to think about all those things…" Elliot added. His victory smile spread across his face as he turned to me and said, "Come on Liv… let's get out of here."

He wrapped his arm around my waist and the two of us walked out of the precinct feeling like we were on top of the world… no one could stop us… no one would get away…