Chapter 3

The other detectives continued to work feverishly, but the difficulty of the case was beginning to irk them. Fin especially was becoming irritated, resentful that Olivia was allowed to sleep at such a time with no objection from their captain. But Cragen had judged that Olivia's fatigue justified her nap, besides, it was only due to her efforts that they had made any progress at all. Munch was still typing and searching through archived files, occasionally sending a message back to the CIA concerning Morozova, his brow furrowed. Cragen had just spoken with Fin and sent him to speak with the superintendent of Monadnock Metallurgy to try to learn anything else about Peter Iscanyth, their nighttime guard. Fin had left begrudgingly, muttering something about how Olivia could have gone if she had been awake. His exit was soon followed by the entranced of a heavily bandaged fellow, who turned out to be Elliot Stabler returning from the hospital.

Elliot walked up and Munch was alerted from his weary work. His rising gaze meet the figure of Elliot, who was moving jarringly like a child in a cumbersome Halloween costume, but if it was because of the pain of his injuries or the amount of bandages that were now protruding from his clothing Munch could not say.

"Welcome back Superman, I suppose you would have to nearly die before you take a day off," Munch said.

"Hell, that's right," Elliot replied in a voice laden with the discomfort of exercising his vocal cords. Olivia stirred at the sound of his voice.

"Bad news, though, the leads have run dry. Cragen just sent Fin out to talk to Peter's boss, an unlikely lead, and we've got so few other leads that I could almost take a nap as well." John glanced over at the gently snoring Olivia.

"So it seems," Elliot said gruffly, "but you forget that we have a live victim at last, one with a testimony that may prove to be helpful."

"Oh, good! Munch said, happy to hear something new, "I'm listening."

"We should rather move into Cragen's office, he'll want to hear this as well." The two stood up and Olivia finally snapped back to consciousness.

"Wha- O, Oh! Elliot! You- You're back!" she exclaimed groggily. She seemed very anxious, as anyone who as fallen asleep accidentally in a public place is upon waking up and being completely unaware of their surroundings.

"Yes, yes I am," Elliot said, waving his fattened arms around. "I was just going to tell Cragen about my night, you care to join us?"

"Er, yes, of course." Olivia hurriedly composed herself and combed her hair back with her hand, and then got up and joined them.

SVU SVU SVU

Fin punched the gas and cursed at another driver under his breath as he sped around him.

"Damn prick," he muttered, glancing back to see a white collared businessman chirping on a cell phone. Fin turned off the interstate and drove down into the west industrial sector. He had never heard of Monadnock Metallurgy and didn't expect to find anything useful there. The job seemed to be a cover at best, or perhaps a source of some small cash. But Munch had suggested that perhaps Morozova was using his position as delivery manager to smuggle in more than metal ore and machine parts. Of course it was then he who was picked to go and find out, not Munch, even though it had been Munch's idea.

Fin pulled up to the entrance gate and flicked out his police badge, not saying a word. The day guard took a look and opened the gate, saying "um, all right." Fin parked in a visitor's space near the offices. Monadnock Metallurgy was an expansive facility. The western side of the complex was filled with reserves of metal ore. The remainder of the plant was dedicated to large, smoking billowing buildings, introduced by a small gray building which housed the administrative offices. Fin entered this building and approached the desk of the secretary, a supercilious looking women with tidy but ugly hair and a pair of gaudy glasses set upon her nose. Fin had the impression that they were more for show than for function.

"NYPD," he said in menacing introduction, "I'm here to speak with your supervisor."

"What for, may I ask?"

"You may not ask," Fin said brusquely.

The secretary curled her lip but rang in Fin's request and then motioned for him to enter the door to his right. Fin walked in.

"Henry Brandston," a well dressed man announced, extending his hand in greeting and smiling a little too much. Fin shook it out of courtesy alone. "What may I do for you… um…"

"Tutuola. Odafin Tutuola," Fin responded, not one to be impressed by Henry Brandston's polite greeting or trim appearance. "I've got a few questions for you."

"Yes, please, sit down, I hope nothing is the matter."

Fin eyed him, wondering why he had said this so quickly. "I'm here about your night watchman. Peter Iscanyth, I believe, is the name you know him by?"
"Um, yes. Yes, good Peter." Brandston's lips pursed. "What about him, exactly?"

"Well, to start with, why don't you tell me everything you know about him?"

The superintendent hesitated and then, as if struck by a thought jumped up. "Well here then, we will take a look at his files!" He moved to a nearby filing cabinet but was halted by a wave a Fin's arm.

"No, we've already had a look at those, we had them faxed over. They're empty enough. I want to know your impression of him, anything you know about it him that you think the police would find relevant."

"Relevant, to what, might I ask?" the superintendent ventured.

"To a very important case."

"Uh, um, yes, well, let's see." Brandston scratched his head, pondering. "Well, Peter's worked here for a while, couple years I think. I don't see much of him, I'm here during the day, you know? He doesn't come in until nine or so. He's been a fine worker, never had any issues with him, no problems or anything. He's a pretty coarse fellow, a little haggard and tired looking sometimes but always seems to hold the watch down all right."

"What about the deliveries he checks in?"

"Oh, those?" Brandston's eyes dilated imperceptibly. "Those are all just standard shipments, mostly high volume. We run high volume at night, when the lot is cleared up more."

"You've not had any trouble with those?"

"What, trouble? Of course not, the supplies have been meticulously accounted for." At this point Fin was convinced the man was withholding something from him, although what he could not be sure.

"And what about the break-ins? We heard you've had some trouble with that."

"Oh mostly just teenagers and rabble-rousers. They don't cause any real harm, just seem to enjoy the thrill of breaking into a factory yard. But we've had less of that since Iscanyth started."

Fin decided it was time to end the interview. If they were going to learn anything here it was not going to be by asking directly. He stood to go.

"Well thank you for your time Mr. Brandston, I believe you've offered me all the help you can." Fin turned to go.

The superintendent looked nervously after Fin and pulled his shirt collar from his neck, which was now sweating, and sank back into his chair. Once Fin closed the door he nervously reached for the phone on his desk and dialed a number.

SVU SVU SVU

Elliot began speaking once they were all assembled in Cragen's office. He had returned to his home after work the previous night around six, and left soon again to go to the gym and then stopped by the grocery store on his way back him. He thought that it was here that someone began following him, although he wasn't sure.

"I got home around nine and everything seemed normal, I went to sleep pretty soon after that. It was around three in the morning, I think, when I was awoken again by a crash. I sat up but was knocked backwards immediately by someone. I tried to get up and fight back but was forced down and knocked unconscious. I couldn't see anything or anyone, but I'm sure that I was being assaulted by more than one person. Anyways, I remember sliding in and out of consciousness momentarily after that, and sometime later overhearing a conversation. I was in a car or van or something, thrown in the back, and could hear two in the front muttering something about a girl and one of them told the other to 'be more careful from now on, no one else can catch on.' That's all I heard except for one other thing. The other said 'the last delivery will be coming this week, so we won't have to wait that much longer.' I don't know what any of them means, but that's what I heard. I think I fell back into unconsciousness, I don't remember anything else until waking up in the hospital."

"Well, that's somewhat helpful," said Cragen with a look of consternation. "We know Morozova has at least one accomplice."

"And he's after something else, he's not just a maniac serial killer, otherwise Elliot would be dead too," added Olivia. "In fact, I don't know why Elliot isn't dead." She looked at her partner with an expression of scared relief. Elliot just grinned back at her and said it must have been his good looks that saved him.

"But what about that 'delivery,' Munch said, undistracted. "Do you remember anything else about that?"

"No, nothing, just the words I said already," Elliot replied. "They were waiting on some sort of shipment and it was coming this week."

Munch murmured to himself thoughtfully. "It could have to do with Monadnock, where Fin is. Morozova was a night watchman there who checked in delivery trucks. He should be there now, I'll give him a call and tell him what you overheard, Elliot." Munch turned and pulled out his cell phone, dialing Fin's number.

Now it was time for Cragen's father and captain instinct to kick in. "Elliot, if it wasn't for the relevance of your presence I would have already sent you packing, at the most you should only be here to talk to Huang, but really I think you should still be resting at home, or," Cragen added after thinking for a moment, "back at the hospital." Elliot just shifted his eyes, knowing that depending on the result of Munch's phone call his presence might be relevant again.

Munch clicked his phone shut. "No answer," he said simply.

"Elliot," Cragen repeated imploringly. Elliot turned to go. "And Olivia, you might want to head home as well, I'm sure you could use some rest too." Olivia looked at him regretfully but John insisted that he and Fin would be able to deal with anything else that came up today and the best thing was probably to get some rest and return to work fresh in the morning. Olivia and Elliot walked out.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Olivia whispered.

"If so, we better not talk about it yet," Elliot whispered back secretly. Olivia gathered her things and the two conspirators headed down to the car garage, getting in Elliot's car and driving out.

"Do you even know where Monadnock Metallurgy is?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah, I think I do well enough. It's across the river, I remember seeing the sign for it when I was over there one other time."

"All right, good. Are you" Olivia hesitated, "all right?"

"What all this?" Elliot replied, gesturing to his bandages, "just an over-cautionary doctor that's all. It would take more than this to finish me off." He was probably right, but Olivia wasn't sure how much of this was just his boastful man-pride talking. But she left the issue where it was; she still felt grievous over his assault because she felt responsible for it. At length they reached the metalworks factory, but first drove past it cautiously. It was already near dusk and most of the workers had left.

"What do you think?" Olivia asked.

"I say we stake out for a moment over there," Elliot answered looking off to a nearby road that ran up a hill through a neighborhood. They pulled up the street and parked, whipping out a pair of binoculars to see what can be learned from the closing of the factory. Olivia took the first look and was scanning back at forth for a moment before she gasped.

"E-Elliot!" she stammered, "here, look! By the far north side, that large warehouse on the left." She handed him the binoculars and he gripped them with his swaddled hands.

"What the!" he exclaimed, quickly spotting what Olivia had seen.

About a mile away from them, in the very warehouse Olivia had mentioned, a white NYPD squad car was being pushed by three men. It was doubtlessly Fin's car, but he was no where to be seen.

"Call Fin," Elliot said. Olivia did, still no answer. She then called Munch.

"John," she said quickly. "Have you reached Fin yet? No? Well, we may have a problem. Elliot and I are watching Fin's squad car being moved into one of Monadnock's- er, yes, Munch! Don't worry about what the hell we're doing here, we've got to worry about Fin first! His squad car's being hauled into one of Monadnock's warehouses right now! All right, all right, bye."

Olivia shut the phone. "They're coming," she said.