Hours later, Olivia met up with Munch and Fin at the One-Six to recap. Lake had been on the phone with the Kingston PD for a good 40 minutes and had just hung up when Olivia stepped off the elevator.

"How does someone that young, working at a music store part-time, afford an apartment in that location without a roommate?" Pointing at Andrea Millecam's driver's license picture that had placed on the board, Don Cragen posed the question that had been eating at him from the start.

Detective Lake offered the answer. "According to the local Kingston authorities who notified her parents, 'Daddy' paid the rent so Andrea could 'focus on graduate school'."

Cragen continued leading his unit in the discussion. "Did we get any other helpful information from Mom and Dad?"

"We did—probably what we needed most to get a quick start. We now have Andrea's cell phone number. We're tracking it to see if any calls have been made or will be made by the perp. We tried dialing the number, but all we get is voicemail. Phone records will also be checked to see what Andrea's last incoming/outgoing calls were."

The Captain nodded his approval and moved on. "Olivia, what did you find out from your neighbors?"

"Andrea moved in only five months ago, so her relationships with anyone in the building were either non-existent or similar to mine. The one exception is Myrna Gallegos, who lives in 6A. She went on vacation this summer for two weeks and asked Andrea to water her plants. One of her plants died and Andrea, feeling responsible, replaced it. So, other than confirming the thought that Andrea was pretty much an upstanding citizen, Mrs. Gallegos didn't tell me anything too helpful."

"John, anything from the employees of the deli and copy store?"

Detective Munch answered him, saying, "Fin, Chester and I interviewed all but four, two of which have confirmed alibis."

"How do you know they have alibis without interviewing them?" Cragen asked.

"One is still in the hospital after having a baby Thursday morning and the other left Monday for vacation in California. We confirmed their departure with the airline's flight manifest as well as check-in at the hotel where a co-worker told us they'd be staying."

"What about the other two employees you have yet to interview?" Cragen pushed.

"We couldn't reach them before. We figured we'd give it another shot this evening."

Continuing, Cragen asked how the search had gone in Andrea's apartment.

Olivia sat down in her chair as she told her captain that it didn't turn up anything out of the ordinary. Certainly not anything that appeared to offer any clues or information. She did find out, however, that Andrea had two cats that were more than happy to eat the cans of food Olivia had sought out and opened for them.

At that moment, an all-too familiar scent hit Olivia and her other senses were put on high alert. She felt that Elliot was close by and her suspicions confirmed when she heard his voice come from behind. Judging by the sound of it, he was only a foot or two away. Recalling the revelations and decisions she'd made the night before while out with Dean, Olivia was paralyzed. Not trusting her ability yet to turn and look him in the eye, she fumbled around in her drawer, pretending to look for something.

Addressing his captain, Elliot quipped, "This better be good if you need all your detectives pulled in on a weekend."

"It is," Cap assured him. "A woman from Olivia's building was raped and murdered early this morning just a few blocks from home." The direct transformation in Elliot's demeanor did not go unnoticed—the furrowing of the brow, the glance down at an evading partner, the clenched jaw, the way he folded his arms as if closing himself off from any emotion other than getting the job done.

"We share your feelings on this, Elliot. I want this one solved yesterday." Don was protective of all his detectives, but even more so towards Benson. It wasn't as though he didn't think she could take care of herself. Hell, he'd have hated to be on the kicking end like that woman-beater Thatcher had been! But that didn't change the fact that she was a woman that in his view had come into his care and he wasn't about to let anything happen to her on his watch.

Fin interrupted the meeting. "Cap'n! We just got word that Andrea's cell phone was used in Chinatown."

As if a switch had been flipped, Cragen began barking orders: "Fin, Lake, chase that lead. Stabler, Munch will fill you in as you follow behind in case they need back-up. Let's not forget this guy raped and murdered a woman this morning."

Olivia began to object. "But Cap, don't you think I should—"

"No, I don't. I think you are emotionally involved and need to stand down until he is brought into custody." The other detectives waited to hear what the final word would be.

"With all due respect, I disagree," Olivia defended.

"And with all due respect, Detective, I don't care whether you agree or not. I've made my decision." Waving his hand at the four men, he dismissed them for their assignments.

Olivia slumped in her chair, defeated and angry.

Turning on the rotating beacons, both response cars peeled out onto the street, rushing to the location where the cell phone's signal had been used. With New York City traffic living up to its reputation, it wasn't long before weaving in and out of cars separated the two teams. Fin sped ahead while Elliot slammed on his horn alerting vehicles to get out of his way. Communicating to each other via radios, Lake notified John and Elliot of their arrival at the location.

"We're here. It's an elementary school of all places. We're headed inside. 10-06."

Now waiting for a moving truck to maneuver it's way out of the street, Elliot squawked an audible warning to the driver with the siren. Frustrated, Elliot hit the dash with his palm and growled, "How does anyone get anywhere in this city?"

John raised an eyebrow. "The smart ones don't drive—they walk or take the subway."

Static rattled on the radio. Soon Lake's voice sounded. "Some of the kids are in the cafeteria, half are in class, and a few are on the playground."

Munch replied into the black apparatus, "Any sign of our guy or the phone?"

"Negative. We'll dial the cell and let you know what happens."

Minutes of silence felt like hours. Soon John couldn't take it any longer.

"Lake, what's happening?"

No answer.

"Detective Tutuola, do you read me? 10-04. 10-04."

Suddenly, Lake's voice was heard again. "10-06, I repeat, 10-06. Standby."

At last Elliot pulled up to the address, which surprised him. The plaque on the building said P.S. 130. They could see the second response vehicle but the other detectives were MIA.

Soon Lake could be heard again. "You guys aren't going to believe this. We found the phone."

Impatiently, Munch barked into the radio as he exited the car, "Yeah, so, where are you?"

This time Fin's voice came across. "At the playground on the North side of the building. We're bringing him to the front office. Meet us there."

Running through the double doors, Elliot and John slowed considerably once they could see Fin and Lake guiding a husky boy forward. The look on the boy's face was one of panic.

"That can't be our rapist," Elliot said under his breath. "He isn't more than nine or ten."

Back at the precinct, Cragen popped his head out of his office to call in Olivia.

"What is it, Cap?"

"Fin just called from an elementary school. They heard the phone ring when they dialed its number. A kid on the playground answered. His name is Ben Wu and he is in fifth grade. Apparently he was on his way to school when he found the phone on the sidewalk only four blocks from the crime scene."

"Sounds believable."

"I agree, but I think we need to interview his family and a few friends first, just to rule out the possibility that he's not lying and really found the phone at home."

Just as Andrea had said she would, she'd taken some photographs on her phone that night. After Computer Crimes had downloaded them all, the squad studied the enlargements on the board. There were six pictures dated the night before. Five of them showed four different people singing karaoke. One of the four had his picture taken twice during his serenade. His face showed up a third time in the sixth picture, only this time he wasn't singing. He was sitting on a couch, winking. He looked to be about six feet tall, on the lean side. His dark hair was beginning to look overgrown and needed a trim. Wearing an NYU t-shirt and jeans, the mystery man sat back on the couch, giving a thumb's up. The other hand sported a beer.

"Obviously, Andrea had a concentration on this guy. There's more pictures of him than anyone else," Elliot observed.

"Yeah, but who is he? And who are the other people in the photos?" Lake wondered.

"That's exactly what I want you to find out," Cragen stated. "Greg and Sidney Millecam are staying at the Carlton on Madison Ave. Chester and Fin, take these photos when you pay them a visit. See if they recognize any of these kids as friends of their daughter. Specifically, Mr. NYU."

"Got it, Cap. You can count on us," Lake stepped forward.

Cragen raised his eyebrow and turned towards the seasoned detectives behind him, who rolled their eyes. What was with this Eager Beaver? Humoring his newest detective, the Captain patronized, "Uh, good to know, detective. Now head out."

Time spent with Andrea's parents proved fruitful. They did not know who Mr. NYU was, nor did they know two others. But they did recognize one of the karaoke singers as one of Andrea's good friends they'd met the last time they were in the city. Her name was Lauryn and she worked at a restaurant Andrea had taken them to: Alicia's.

After returning from their meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Millecam, Chester and Fin presented their findings to everyone else.

Olivia contributed, "Alicia's—nice place. East side Manhattan. I think it's on 58th between second and third avenue."

Elliot grabbed his coat and then tossed Olivia's over to her. "Let's get going then—maybe we can request Lauryn as our server."

"Only if you're buying, Stabler. Wait 'til you see the menu," Olivia smiled at him.

Walking into the warmly lit foyer at Alicia's, Elliot and Olivia noticed that the dinner crowd was beginning to gather. Standing in such close quarters, Olivia felt Elliot's hand brush against hers on accident. Whether it was by mistake or not, however, a wave of goosebumps spread over her body and she shivered. As a couple left the restaurant, they bumped into Olivia, which again knocked her hand and arm into Elliot's. This time, the goosebumps did not reappear. The cold, hard metal of his wedding band pressed against the back of her hand for a millisecond in the innocent contact and it was enough to diminish the touch's affect.

The delicious smells wafting from the kitchen struck them as that they had not eaten anything since a box of donuts had been brought into the station that morning. Waiting for the couple in front of them to finish speaking to the restaurant host, Elliot's stomach growled loudly.

"Remind me we need to stop for a hot dog on the way back," Elliot complained.

"You and your stomach…" Olivia rolled her eyes. Although she couldn't blame him. She was beginning to feel famished as well.

"This place looks pretty classy. Ever eaten here before?" Elliot asked.

"Once on a date, but it was a couple years ago."

Clearing his throat, Elliot attempted indifference as he unbuttoned his coat, "I meant to ask you, how was your date last night?"

Saved by the maitre'd, Olivia ignored Elliot's question and instead looked straight ahead at the mean behind the pulpit.

Approaching the podium, the maitre'd looked at Elliot, smiled proudly, and commented, "Welcome to Alicia's." Then, eyeing Olivia, he continued. "Sir, may I say you made an excellent choice for your beautiful companion tonight. What is the name on the reservation?"

Olivia smiled within, curious to see just how Elliot was going to respond to such an assumption. His wit was sharp as ever as he held up his badge and said, "Try looking under 'Detective'. Party of two."

Quickly, the man cleared his throat as he quietly chastised Elliot. "Sir, there is no need for sarcasm. Please put away your identification and let me know what I can do for you."

Olivia stepped in, holding up the picture from Andrea's phone. Noting the man's nametag, she addressed him, saying, "Richard, we're looking for an employee. Her name is Lauryn."

"Lauryn is serving customers right now. May I deliver a message to her on your behalf?" the haughty man offered.

"Sure," Elliot was quickly getting annoyed. "Why don't you tell her that it's time for her break and that we will wait for her outside?"

Sensing that he was working on Elliot's last nerve, Richard only nodded, grunting an "Excuse me, please" as he turned to find Lauryn.

A few minutes later, an inquisitive blonde stepped from within the restaurant door.

"Are you the officers that needed to see me?" she asked.

"Lauryn, I'm Detective Benson and this is Detective Stabler. We're with the Manhattan Special Victims Unit. We need to ask you a few questions about the party you attended last night."

"How did you know I had a party?" Lauryn asked, dumbfounded.

"We saw a picture Andrea Millecam took of you with her cell phone singing karaoke," Olivia answered.

"Andrea's phone? Why was she showing you her phone? I don't understand. Were my neighbors complaining?"

Placing her hand upon Lauryn's shoulder in sympathy, Olivia broke the bad news. "Lauryn, I'm sorry to tell you this, but Andrea is gone. Her body was found this morning."

Gasping, her eyes wide with shock, Lauryn looked back and forth frantically between the two detectives, hoping to see some sign of misunderstanding. "What? How can that be? I was with her until very late last night and then she was going straight home. Are you sure that it's her? Maybe you've made a mistake."

"No, Lauryn. I'm so sorry. Andrea's parents identified the body."

The detectives gave Lauryn a moment to take in the upsetting information she'd just received.

"Do you need to sit down?" Elliot asked compassionately. He guided Lauryn over to a bench at the edge of the sidewalk.

"Thank you," she whispered, then paused. "I just can't believe it. Lauryn is my best friend—er, was my best friend. How can she be gone?"

Wiping her tears, she asked Elliot, "What happened to her? Where was she found?"

Elliot answered the grieving girl's questions. "We believe she was murdered. She was found a few blocks from home. May we ask you some questions about the party now or do you need a few minutes?"

"No, I'm okay. I want to help. It wasn't really a party—just a bunch of us getting together at my apartment. What do you need to know?"

Olivia showed her the picture of Mr. NYU. "Do you recognize this man?"

Lauryn took the photo from Olivia's hands. "Yes, of course. He came with Andrea. His name is Tim. Last night was the first time I'd met him. Seemed nice enough, but not my type."

"Why's that?" asked Olivia.

"Well, I don't mean to sound snobby, but he was just kind of…I don't know, pushy. Even though Andrea had brought him, she was rejecting his advances all night. At first I think she was kind of interested in him, even flirting with him, but then he was just coming on too strong. One of those that can't take a hint, ya know? I think Tim thought his perseverance made him charming, when really it just made him seem desperate. To be honest, I was surprised to see him with Andrea in the first place. But she said he was just a nice guy she'd met when she stopped to make copies of song lyrics on her way over."

Elliot and Olivia exchanged knowing looks but let Lauryn continue. "She said she got talking to him over the copy machine and he'd told her how he's sick of hanging out with his pet fish every night. So she invited him to come along." Lauryn paused to give a melancholy chuckle. "That was just like Andrea. Taking in all the strays."

"Did Tim and Andrea leave together?"

"Oh, no. Andrea was the last to leave. Even after everyone else had left she hung out and helped clean up until about 1:30."

"Do you know how she planned on getting home? Did she call a cab?"

"No, not that I'm aware of. I asked her if she wanted to crash on my couch, but she said she'd rather just go home. I said okay and went into the bathroom. While I was in there I heard her say "Good Night" and when I came out she was gone. I noticed she'd forgotten her karaoke machine, so I popped my head into the hallway to catch her. When I saw I was too late, I went to bed, figuring I'd see her later this week anyway."

"Do you remember when Tim made his departure?" Elliot probed.

"I didn't look at the clock, so I can't say for sure. But he was gone long before Andrea—said something about getting up early to browse the classifieds for a new job."

Olivia was confused. "I thought you said he worked at the copy store."

"No, I said she met him at the copy store. I don't know where he worked, but wherever it is it sounded like he had plans of quitting." Lauryn sighed. "Look, I'm not sure what you are needing to know, but if there's nothing else, I think I'd like to go now."

"Are you sure you are up to working tonight?" Olivia asked, concerned about Lauryn's emotional state.

"Not really. I think I'm going to talk to my manager and see if he'll let me go home."

"Sounds like a good idea. Before we let you go, we'd like your complete information in case we need to reach you again, okay?" Elliot handed her a notepad and pen.

Lauryn jotted down her contact information. "Sure. I'm more than happy to help. Andrea was a good friend—I want to know who did this. Do you think it was Tim?"

"We don't know," Olivia answered honestly. "But you can bet we'll be looking into it."

"Well, for what it's worth," Lauryn shrugged her shoulders, "I don't think he did it. I mean, he was over-ambitious and all, but he seemed to handle her rejections with humor and he was long gone before she left my apartment." Lauryn closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The detectives watched a tear escape down her face. When she opened her eyes she apologized for her display of emotion. "I'm sorry. It just seems so unreal."

Standing from the bench, Lauryn wrapped her arms around herself and walked back into the restaurant.

Stopping at a coffee shop on the drive back to the station, Elliot and Olivia each grabbed a cup of coffee and a scone to fill their empty stomachs.

"Well, this is another healthy meal, courtesy of the job," Elliot grumbled.

"Yeah, the hours we work don't offer a lot of nutritional content," Olivia agreed.

Taking a bite of her scone while Elliot drove, Olivia thought about the case.

"So where do we go from here? We know his name is Tim and that they met at a copy store. Any chance it was the copy store next to the alley?"

Elliot agreed that it was too convenient not to be. "It can't be just coincidence. I say we go to the copy store and wave his picture around. Someone had to have seen him before. Maybe he purchased copies and we can check his receipt."

"Sounds good to me," Olivia said as she swallowed a mouthful of food. "Let's go."

Pulling up to the gray building labeled Carbon Copies, Elliot and Olivia were happy to see that a patrol car was still around to protect the crime scene. Waving their hellos to the uniformed officer on duty, they entered the copy store.

A young man named Jason stood behind the counter. Elliot and Olivia noticed the three of them were the only ones in the storefront.

"Are you always this busy?" Elliot asked, showing Jason his badge.

"Well, officer—"

"Detective."

"Well, detective, you can imagine all the unpleasantness next door hasn't exactly been good for business. Customers think twice about entering a business that has yellow 'CRIME SCENE: DO NOT ENTER' tape attached to it's building."

"Yeah, I bet. We want to take that tape down as much as you do, but we can't until we know more about what happened there. Then you can get back to business as usual. In fact, we 're here because we were hoping you might be able to help us do that sooner than later." Elliot showed him the picture of Tim on the couch. "Have you ever seen the man in this photograph before? Maybe as a customer?"

Jason raised his eyebrows and stared at the detectives in disbelief. "Yeah, I've seen him before, but not as a customer. That's Tim. Tim Blackner. Up until last week he used to work here."

"Used to?" Olivia tilted her head in question.

"Yeah. You'd have to talk to my manager if you want all the details, but I'm guessing it was because he was so bizarre around some of the customers. We got a lot of complaints."

Elliot stepped forward. "Complaints about what?"

"Several women complained that he was overly-friendly. Overly-helpful. Almost to the point of harassing the customers. He would invade their personal space by standing too closely. Sometimes he'd come onto them or in the very least make comments about their clothing or appearance. He never really touched them in appropriately, but one gal did claim that he tucked her hair behind her ears and it made her very uncomfortable. I know Steve, my boss, spoke to Tim about his behavior on at least one occasion, but once I heard he'd been fired I assumed it was because he hadn't learned his lesson. I think Steve was afraid of losing business because of Tim's lack of social skills."

Handing the photo back to Elliot, Jason asked, "Why are you looking for him anyway? Do you think he's involved with what happened out back?"

"At this point he's just a person of interest. We need to know where to find Tim. Do you have any of his personal information, such as last name, address, phone number?"

Jason looked uneasy. "Uh, I'm not sure I'm allowed to give you that information."

Olivia stepped closer to the counter. "I understand your hesitation, Jason, but this information is critical for our case. So either you get it for us, or we'll be forced to take legal action and get a warrant."

Jason weighed his options and decided drawing more negative attention to the store was not something his manager would want. Giving in, he decided to head into the back room for Tim's info.

While he was gone, Elliot and Olivia digested this new information.

"Tim's gotta be our guy. He's just to weird not to be," Olivia shuddered.

"Not to mention the crime took place near his place of work after he attends a party with our victim. It's all falling into place," Elliot granted.

"Our only problem now is proving he was here at the time the crime took place. After all, he was fired last week. Any defense attorney worth their salt is going to argue that just because he formally worked near the crime scene here doesn't mean he committed the crime. It's all circumstantial. We need to find him and get DNA."

Minutes later, Jason returned with a sheet of paper for the detectives.

Olivia took it gratefully, exchanging Jason's paper with her card. She spoke to him as she and Elliot turned to leave. "Jason, it's very important that you let us know if he comes back to the store, okay?"

"Sure, but I doubt he will. Since he picked up his paycheck last night, there wouldn't be any reason for him too return."

Both detectives stopped in their tracks and looked at one another. Then Elliot looked at Jason. "You mean Tim Blackner was here…last night?"