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Chapter 4
With his hands in his pockets, Logan casually walked into the squad room before spotting Thea next to the fax machine.
"Morning Mike," she smiled at him while a document slowly came through the fax machine.
"Hey kid..you don't mind that I call you that, right?"
She shrugged, "Not really..but try not to if the Chief of D's is around. I mean, he wasn't entirely sure if I was mature enough to be in this unit," she reached over brushed a piece of lint off his shoulder.
"All right and you are. What's that?"
"LUDS, Hernando's. Munch is weeding through Wallens. Oh um, I forgot to ask you, where's Wheeler?"
He leaned against the table and said, "She's in Virginia for her grandmother's funeral and Barek, she's coming back to major case. Doughnut?" He held up a white paper bag.
"No thanks. So her being your partner is temporary?"
"Looks like," he waited a beat before continuing, "I found out why she transferred out of Major Case."
"Really? What did she say?"
His dark eyes looked around then he lowered his voice, "It turns out that she…she had uh..feelings for me."
She stepped closer to him, "The non-platonic kind?"
"Yeah, that kind."
"Wow..it makes sense why she left so suddenly.."
He nodded, "Have you ever?"
"For one of my partners? No, never because well..they were old enough to be my father and..they don't look like you…You tall Irish drink of water..or would that make you an Irish spring?" she joked.
He rolled his eyes, "Be serious, Thea."
"Ok, so I've never been in Barek's position but I get it. You two worked together almost all day and sometimes night, you're good looking and charming. Obviously, her feelings were so strong that she had to be away from you to get over them. It looks like she is."
"I wish I hadn't been such an ass to her yesterday."
"Well you didn't know… you ever feel the same way for her?"
A moment passed before he answered, "She was my partner, I never saw her as being anything else, ya know?"
"My God how many calls does Hernando have a day?! There's like five pages worth!" A look of slight embarrassment came across her caramel complexion. "Sorry, I get it. You two never hung outside of work and here she comes.."
"Logan," Barek said with a nod.
"Barek," he said back.
Don emerged from his office while Elliot and Olivia came down stairs.
"What did you guys get from the LUDS?" Don asked.
Munch stood up, "The same pre-paid cell that called Judge Tremer's son the night he was murdered, also called Liam."
Thea walked over to bullpen of the squad room, "Someone named Henry Lyons called Hernando at least six times a day."
"I know that name," Olivia said as she went over to her desk and opened a folder. "Here, he was Hernando's intern before was fired last week."
"According to the LUDS he called him yesterday," Thea told her.
"Lyons could be pissed or obsessive," Elliot said, " Maybe both."
Don said, "He could have a grudge against Diaz. Logan and Barek, go find out."
"Here," Olivia handed Barek Lyon's address.
"Elliot, Olivia, Morales has something to show you guys, go see what it is," Don told them.
Morales looked up from his computer when Elliot and Olivia walked in, "Over here!" He called out to them.
"What did you find?" Elliot asked.
"I've been looking through Liam's and Collin's computers. It turns out that they both have downloaded movies from Platinum Bell Studios. These movies are slated to be released months from now. And they're not bootlegs, they're high quality and they're unedited."
"Who gave them the movies?" Olivia asked.
Morales nodded, "MovieGuy6566 but his email account was free so we can't trace him. Whoever he is, he e-mailed both boys giving them these movies."
"The movies are bait," Elliot said.
"Exactly. He did contact both boys the night they were murdered. He said he'd call them later in the night to tell them where to meet if they wanted DVDs."
"Only an insider would have access to those movies..like a director," Olivia looked at her partner.
He agreed, "Diaz."
Casey joined Don and watched Logan and Barek interrogate Henry Lyons. Her green eyes briefly widen when she saw how handsome the infamous Mike Logan was. She had gotten warnings from Jack McCoy about the detective but decided to withhold judgment until working with him. From what she saw, he had looked younger than his age and moved with effortless confidence that only a man like him could.
"Come on Henry," Logan said, "You have no alibi and you stole a Crawler mask."
"A mask," Barek said as she sat down, "that has scratches on it."
Henry replied, "I told you guys, my cat scratched it. It freaked him out when I brought it home! I admitted to the stealing but I did not kill those boys!"
Barek tipped her head to the left, "We saw your apartment Henry. You're obsessed with Diaz and horror, blood, violence."
"And, your idol fired you. You had reason to be pissed off," Logan chimed in.
"I was because I worked my ass off for him but I wouldn't do this! Why won't you guys believe me?" He pleaded.
"Because nothing about your story is adding up," Barek said.
Cragen opened the door, "Detectives, I need to see you both."
Logan paused and stared at the beautiful woman in front of the two-way mirror. From her clothing and demeanor, he knew that she was their ADA. He usually didn't care for lawyers but he had never seen one that look liked the woman before him.
"Logan, Barek this is our ADA, Casey Novak, " Don said.
Looking surprised and confused, Barek watched Logan do the unexpected.
He offered his hand to Casey and said, "Mike Logan."
"I know, Jack McCoy told me all about you," she said with a small smile.
"I bet he did."
Barek stepped in, "What can we hold him on?"
"Theft but I'll hold off on his arraignment until later today," Casey said. "The mask is circumstantial because three were taken and Munch found only one at Lyon's apartment."
As they walked out, Don's phone rang, "Cragen..where? Ok, Thea, it's Olivia. They found another body," he handed his phone to her.
"Three bodies in two nights?" Mike said in shock.
"Our perp works fast. Maybe Lyons can explain why," Barek turned towards the interrogation room and sensed Logan following her lead.
"Thea," Olivia's voice sounded from the mobile phone, which was set to speaker, "There's a cell phone on the victim so I'm going to give you the last call he got, ok? The first is 212-555-8245."
Scanning the LUDS, Thea answered, "That's the prepaid cell's number."
"Ok, the second one is 212-555-1492."
"I found it, it's Hernando's cell."
Olivia cursed under breath, "All right, I'm going to call you with the phone and I need you to ID the number because the victim doesn't have any ID on him."
When the number appeared on Thea's mobile phone, she typed it on her computer. "It's a cell phone and it's registered to Gerald Naspen, he's 45 so the victim must be his son Jeremy..he was reported missing this morning."
"Olivia, this is Don, you and Elliot go arrest Hernando," he told them.
"I found something else about Naspen," Thea said. "He was a juror in Herenando's trial."
"His number being on the victim's phone, the victims relation to his trial and his access to movies found on the other victim's computers should be enough for a search warrant," Casey said. "Captain, tell Logan and Barek to meet me at Judge Doulet's chambers," she immediately left the squad room.
"One more thing, Olivia," Thea told her, "I just got a fax with the LUDS..Mrs. Wallen's mother, Lynn Walker, was a juror in Hernando's trial just like Gerald Naspen."
"Thanks Thea," Olivia hung up and walked over to Elliot. "Gerald Naspen and Mrs. Wallen's mother were jurors in Hernando's trial."
"All three victims are linked to his trial..This is his revenge," Elliot said.
Hernando got up from his chair when he saw Elliot and Olivia, "Detectives we're filming! Why are you here?"
"To arrest you for murders and rapes of Collin Tremer, Liam Wallen and Jeremy Naspen," Elliot loudly yelled and was about to tell him his Miranda rights before he spotted something hanging out of Diaz's back pocket. "Liv."
She reached into his back pocket, "Have you had any bloody noses today, Diaz?"
"No why?"
"Because I'd like to see you explain this," she held up a handkerchief covered in blood.
His mouth fell open, "That's not mine! I didn't do this-someone is framing me! Lionel call my lawyer!"
"I will," Lionel yelled as he watched the detectives escort his friend off the set.
Logan, Barek, John and Thea stepped into Diaz's house.
John said, "Thea and I we'll checkout the upstairs. Ladies first," he gestured with his hand.
"Thank you kindly," Thea said in a mock southern accent.
Barek nodded, "We should take a look at the basement."
"Good idea, let's go.
She gave him a peculiar look.
"What?" Mike replied.
"Nothing it's just..that's the first nice comment you've said to me."
He briefly grinned as he followed her, "I know..sorry for being an asshole."
She waved him off, "You kind had the right to be..still, thanks," she opened the basement door.
Meanwhile, John and Thea searched Diaz's bedroom.
"I'll take the closet..Damn," John said.
"What?" She asked.
"My entire apartment can fit in this closet. How does a convicted pedophile still have a career?"
As Thea lifted the bed off the box spring, she replied, "The movie industry is a very forgiving business look at Roman Polan-I got something," she reached for the magazines. "Diaz is still into barely legal boys."
From the corner of his eye, John noticed a rumpled black garbage bag. "He forgot to take out all of the trash too."
"We got masks and one is scratched," Logan walked towards Barek while holding the masks.
Barek opened the large white freezer and froze once she saw what was inside, "Logan.."
He looked in the freezer and felt immediately sickened, "We got him."
Hernando Diaz looked at his lawyer and then at the detectives in front of him. His stubby fingers combed through his brown curly hair as he said, "I didn't do it! Ok? I have an alibi and that phone call and handkerchief only proves that someone is framing me!"
Sighing, Elliot leaned forward, "This whole 'I'm being framed act' is getting old. And that call from your cell phone lasted for three minutes so your next line better not be, 'I dialed a wrong number.'"
Olivia pushed herself off the wall and approached the table, "Our detectives are searching your home as we speak. And the blood and DNA on that handkerchief belongs to Liam, Collin-.."
"They're not going to find anything because like I've been saying from the start, I didn't murder and rape those boys!"
Casey came into the interrogation room and said, "You spoke too soon."
"What are you talking about Ms. Novak?" Diaz's lawyer (Mr. Gerron) asked.
"I just received a phone call from the detectives who are searching your home. They found two Crawler masks, three bloody t-shirts, and last but not least three penises and hearts in your basement freezer."
Hernando 's jaw dropped open, "No! I am telling you I'm innocent! Someone planted those things in my house!"
Gerron looked down and groaned.
"And next you're going to tell me that you're 'cured' of pedophilia," Casey sat down. "Even though the detectives also found your porn magazines featuring barely legal boys."
"Those are mine but they are legal, it's not kiddie porn," Hernando explained.
Gerron gestured for his client to stop speaking and said, "What are you offering?"
With strong stare she answered, "Nothing. The evidence against your client is beyond overwhelming. So he has two choices. Plead guilty and serve the maximum sentence or take this to a jury who will find him guilty and will no doubt want to put a needle in his arm."
Before Gerron could respond, Hernando replied, "No. I'm not gonna to plead to something that I didn't do."
"We'll see you in court, counselor," Gerron told Casey.
The detectives and Casey watched as two uniformed officers escorted Hernando out of the station.
"With his past and the evidence we found, he doesn't have a chance in hell of getting off," Olivia said.
"He thinks he does," Elliot replied.
"It's been awhile since I've had a sure thing," Casey stated. "I should get started on my opening statement, I'll see you guys," she walked out.
Looking at her plate, Elliot tilted his head and focused on the drumstick.
Her lips formed into a little smile, "Take it."
"What?" His blue eyes met her gaze.
"The drumstick, I know you like dark meat so take it."
"If you insist, Liv," he reached across his desk.
She rolled her eyes, "You don't mind taking fries from me, why is this different?"
He waited until he finished chewing to answer and then pointed at her with the partially eaten drumstick, "Fries are different because it's a side dish which is always up for free grabs. Hold on," he answered his mobile phone.
From his tone, she knew he was speaking to his wife. She pretended to focus on her paperwork while discreetly listening in.
She noticed how he gazed at his phone after setting it on his desk, "Was that Kathy?"
"Yeah uh.. Her and Eli are going to some mommy and baby yoga class tonight. She wanted to make sure that I wasn't coming home to have dinner."
"Mommy and baby yoga?"
He shrugged, "It gives her something to do other than hanging at her sister's or at our empty house. Maureen and Kathleen are working full time until school starts and Dickie and Elizabeth are at camp."
"I guess that leaves a lot of time for you and Kathy to spend together."
With a hint of hesitation in his voice, he answered, "Yeah..when I'm not working," he quickly changed the subject. "So, I uh, I called one of my buddies in Staten Island, he's a beat cop. He told me about Thea..she's a rat and the worst kind there is," he said before he shared with her what his friend had told him.
Olivia put down her pen, "You should talk to the Captain before calling her a rat, El. He's not gonna put a cop who wouldn't have Munch's back and ours in this precinct."
"Liv, we both saw how he was with Sambath. It could be nothing and if I'm wrong I'll own up to it. But you can't sit here and tell me that there wasn't a spark between."
"Of course they have chemistry together; they've been friends for forty years! And if there is something going on between them, it's not our business. Elliot, if this is bothering you so much then talk to the Captain or better yet, Thea," she placed her paperwork in a folder.
Sighing, he rubbed his forehead before standing up, "No one admits to being a rat, Liv. But..I do trust Cragen, I'll talk to him."
"Good," she pushed in her chair. "I should go home."
His shoulders lifted then dropped, "After handling this case, I need a laugh. I was thinking about catching that new Ben Stiller movie," he paused, "You wanna go?"
"Are you buying?"
"You picked up the tab last time, so yeah."
"Ok then," she smiled. "I get the armrest."
As they walked out together, Olivia quietly wondered why a part of her felt guilty for spending time with a married man, who was only her friend.
She had male friends, most of which were either gay or single, but Elliot was different. Because of their work, she spent most of time with him and he knew the horrors that she has faced because he has been by her side for a decade. No one else understood her as he did even though she has never admitted it. What bothered her most was, she found herself thinking of him while being on dates with other men. Although she knows he is married, she cannot help but feel excited whenever they saw one another outside of the job.
"Liv?" Elliot touched her hand.
"Yeah?" She replied.
"We're here," he gestured to the movie theater.
"Great.." She looked at reflection in the car's side view mirror, "I should have gone to my place first. I look kind of sloppy," she fixed her hair with her finger.
Without thinking, Elliot said, "Liv, don't worry. You look good." When he heard himself, he looked at his bare left ring finger and remembered that he hadn't worn his wedding ring for nearly a year.
"Yeah right," she retorted knowing his words were sincere.
"I'm not lying," he told her while his blue eyes searched her face. "Just..don't fuss, Liv. You don't need to."
Unsure of what to say next she glanced at her watch and said, "The movie starts in five minutes."
He nodded, "Yeah, um, I'll get the drinks and snacks. Milk Duds and water?"
"Yep," she answered quickly as they got out of the car.
From across the table, John sat and listened to Thea explain why she didn't believe that a lone gunman was responsible for JFK's assassination. His head slightly nodded as she gave him her reasons for her theory. When she finished, he silently stared at her in amazement.
"This is great, everyone else in SVU buys the Lee Harvey Oswald crap," he said before taking a sip from his glass of wine.
She tilted her head, "I know how that is. Back in Vice my partner thought I was crazy even though I presented him with facts supporting my theory."
"Fin believes that I just find any reason to be suspicious of the government," he shrugged. "I prefer to believe that I have the right to question our government especially this one, when things don't add up."
"I absolutely agree…Although I wasn't allowed to question anything growing up..mostly because of my father," she looked away.
"Mine was like that too," he sensed her hesitation but asked, "Is yours still around?"
Shaking her head, she answered, "He's dead…he shot himself."
He noticed a change in her demeanor; she uncomfortably shifted in her seat.
"Before you say it, don't be sorry. He was a terrible father, husband, man and detective."
His eyes glanced down at his plate before meeting her gaze, "You don't have to talk about it, if you don't want to, Thea."
A deep sigh left her full lips, "No, you're my partner and I want you to know.."
He nodded and fixed his attention on her every word. At one point, he covered his mouth to hide his shock at some of things she had shared. Other times, he felt his eyes welling up. He could not believe how much she had been through and how open she was to him about it.
"That's pretty much it," she told him.
Wiping his brow, he leaned forward, "Is that why you go to therapy?"
"At first it was but-I've seen what's happened to cops who keep everything they see inside themselves..and I don't want to end up like them."
"You won't," he reached across the table and touched her hand.
She smiled, "Thanks," she patted his hand. "There's something else but it's not about my past..I'm afraid to say it."
"Come on."
"I don't think Hernando raped and killed those boys."
An exasperated sigh came from him, "I knew you were too good to be true."