She thinks briefly that Cragen would know what to do, or Munch, but she's in charge now and that means this is on her. Still, she's quietly grateful for the ever-comforting presence of Fin and his rough squeeze on her should. Barba is still there, unusually quiet and soft-spoken. An untrained eye wouldn't even see his brain working a hundred miles an hour to piece together this story, tearing through fragments of conversations and overheard water cooler talk to stitch together some vague background. But it's been four years and she can read him too well.
And she's never loved her squad more than when Elliot storms through those double doors and they fall into formation. Casiri and Rollins stepping between them to introduce themselves (and it's lost on no one the amount of times Amanda manages to say Sargeant or Sarge), Fin leisurely nodding hello from his perch on the table, Barba standing taller to adopt his DA stance. They are hers, she is theirs, and it's a family that's missing pieces but that somehow no longer includes the tall man before her. "Where's Dickie?" Straight to business then. Probably for the best, she thinks with only a twinge of angst, because she's not sure she could bear her name on his lips and not compare it to the million ways it's been said since he left.
He hasn't changed a bit, and she can't draw her eyes off him through the one-way mirror. She knows Barba is watching her, still oddly pensive, standing firm beside her as he flips through statements. "He didn't do this." From the corner of her eye she sees him nod vaguely and sigh before rounding on her.
"Liv, five years, a lot can change."
"He's a good kid. He couldn't do this."
A beat. "How well did you know the family?"
"Elliot was my partner. For eleven years. I've known those kids half their lives and I am telling you, not a single one of them would ever hurt someone." There's a pregnant pause, and she almost knows what's coming next.
"His sister – Kathleen – says here she was arrested for breaking into a property whilst under the influence; also a DUI which mysteriously went away. And don't get me started on the father – excessive force, court ordered anger management, accused molestation whilst in custody. I mean, the jury gets one look at this family tree - mentally unstable grandparents, divorced parents, murdered best friend…"
"They're not divorced."
"What?"
"Elliot and Kathy, it was never finalised." There's a tone in her voice and Barba hates himself a little for the brief pang it causes him.
"That's irrelevant." A sigh, a long look her way, "You're sure? Find me something, anything, that supports this kids story. Otherwise I have no choice."