Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008

1:00 pm - Office of Captain Don Cragen

x x

"…The nor'easter is rapidly gaining strength and has begun to bear down on the city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Winds are now in excess of 35 mph and a small-craft advisory has been issued for Portsmouth and coastal cities as far south as Cape Cod. We'll bring you further updates as they become available…"

x x

Captain Cragen turned down the TV volume when he heard a knock at his office door. The door opened slowly and he saw Munch standing in the doorway with a sheet of paper in his hand.

"What did you find out?" Cragen asked.

"Both Greg Morgan and his friend, Aidan Boase were seen at Tyler Elementary between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm yesterday afternoon. They work for the same company, and according to their boss, they were at a safety seminar for part of the morning. He expected them back well before noon," he reported.

Munch glanced at the paper in his hand before he continued.

"Greg's ex-wife, Cindy, reported to the court almost two weeks ago that he had been in violation of his visitation rights. Greg didn't like that the court had only given him a few hours a weekend to spend with the boys so he and Aidan would sometimes drive by there and try to pick up the kids mid-day. He is their father, so early on, no one questioned it. The court was ready to restrict his visitations further, but Cindy reconsidered and withdrew her complaint. Said if anything, it would hurt the boys, and she needed a back-up sitter."

Munch continued. "Yesterday they tried to pick the kids up, but were stopped by the principal, Jim Jefferies. He told Greg he needed a court order or Cindy present, before he allowed him to leave with Andy and Derek. Told him to leave or he'd call the police. Greg gave the principal a few choice words and left. According to a crossing guard, they were seen driving past the school several times after that."

"What about Aidan?" Cragen asked.

"He popped up as a registered sex offender. He's got one conviction for molestation and at the same time he was arrested, they found him in possession of child porn. He plead guilty on both counts, served 12 years, and was released in 2003. He also has three counts of misdemeanor child abuse while he worked as a janitor in an elementary school in Concord, New Hampshire. He served 3 years and was released in 1989," Munch concluded his report." Munch concluded his report.

"Does he have kids?"

"No, Captain."

"Think Greg knows about his friend's past?" Cragen pondered as he leaned back in his chair and stretched.

"Hard to say," Munch responded.

"See if they'll both come down here for questioning. Split them up and get them to talk. Maybe one's willing to roll over for the other."

x x

3:00 pm – SVU Interrogation Room 1

Greg Morgan waited in the Manhattan SVU interrogation room where he anticipated further humiliation from two more hard-nosed cops. He didn't have to be down here; they had absolutely nothing on him, and Greg knew this. But he also knew these cops wouldn't get off his back as long as they had their minds set on blaming him for his kid's disappearance.

He wondered if there was anything he could say at all to convince them that he had nothing to do with this. Although he and Cindy didn't see eye-to-eye, he'd never keep his boys from their mother.

But damn it… Greg thought, the woman would say anything to make sure I can't see my kids!

The door opened, and Munch and Fin walked up until they were standing at opposite ends of the table. Greg took one look at the detectives and realized he was going to be there for a while.

"So, Greg, think you could tell us where Andy and Derek are?" Fin began, as he walked up to him and perched on the side of the table with his arms folded.

Greg rolled his eyes. Here we go again, he thought. "I don't know! And I still say that Cindy knows where they are! She'd do anything to keep those kids from me!" Greg responded bitterly.

"They aren't with Cindy. I can assure you that!" Fin told him bluntly.

Greg's face grew pale. "Well, she's lying! She has to know where they are. I bet they're with Cindy's mom," he argued. Greg stiffened his back as he sat there. He sat on the edge of his chair, hands posed on the armrests as if he was about to get up and leave the room at any moment.

"No they're not with Cindy's mom; and before you go there, they're not with Cindy's sister, aunt, cousin, or the rest of her family either," Fin replied sternly, leaning in as he spoke.

"Those boys and their classmate, Trinetta Guthrie were last seen together at three o'clock yesterday. Do you know anything about Trinetta's whereabouts?" Munch asked him. He wasn't sure if Greg had heard about Trinetta, but wanted to see his reaction either way.

"Trinetta? Yeah, she's friends with my boys; but no, I don't know where she is, I don't know where any of them are," he responded.

"Her body was found in Central Park this morning," Fin informed him.

"Trinetta's d- dead? Oh my God!" Greg gasped. He sat back in his chair hard, almost as if someone had shoved him. The color washed out of his face. His hand remained clutching the armrests.

"Yeah, Greg, she's dead. So how about you tell us what happened," Munch prompted.

When Greg said nothing, Fin inched closer. "Did it suddenly become too much for you to have three kids to look after? Did you get your friend Aidan to get rid of her? Aidan's got a history of getting rough with little kids, but I'm sure you knew that!"

Greg stilled and looked at both of them in shock.

Munch picked up a piece of paper that sat folded on the table in front of him. His eyes scanned the document before he looked back at him. "Listen, Greg. I have a report here from Tyler Elementary that states that you have, on several occasions, picked up those boys and their friends, taken them off the school grounds, and didn't return with them until later that night or the next day. The court gave you visitation rights and you chose to ignore that? Care to explain why you wouldn't have done the same thing just yesterday?" Munch asked.

"Cindy has let me pick up the boys before, even when I don't get visitation. She needs a sitter sometimes. In fact, she was running late yesterday and asked me to pick them up," Greg told them assuredly. "But that damned Jeffries won't let me near my own boys," he added bitterly.

"Nice try," Fin stated, leaning closer and not breaking eye contact as he spoke. "But you were at the school before Cindy said she called your office, and you told Detective Stabler that you never got that message," Fin stated.

Greg looked from one detective to the other. "Look, I told you, I don't know where Andy and Derek are! But I can guarantee you that Cindy does!" he replied defensively.

He sat back in his chair, folded his arms, and didn't say another word.

x x

SVU Interrogation Room 2

"Aidan Boase, could you answer a few questions for us?" Elliot asked calmly as he approached the suspect and took the seat directly across from him.

Aidan had agreed to go to SVU for questioning after he found out the Morgan boys were missing. Although when he realized his past would be carefully combed through, he decided his best defense was no defense.

When Elliot and Olivia walked into the interrogation room, Aidan picked a spot on the middle of the table and focused on it. He rarely shifted or blinked as they moved about the room.

Olivia stood near the back of the room next to the two-way mirror with her arms folded and one leg propped up against the door. She was giving Elliot the first crack at him. On the way back to the precinct, she had sized up Aidan and already knew what they were in for. Her patience was gone only to be replaced by a fierce headache. It felt like someone had taken a jackhammer to it.

After a few minutes of dead silence, Elliot got up out of his seat and walked over to the end of the table nearest Aidan. "You were seen at the school yesterday with Greg Morgan," Elliot began. He glanced down at a folder in his hand and continued. "Your boss said you were at a seminar with Greg and that you were due back before noon. Could you explain why you were at the school yesterday around one o'clock?"

Aidan remained seated all the way back in his chair with his arms folded. His head was leaning off to the side a bit while his eyes remained fixed to the table. Surprisingly, it looked as though he was about to fall asleep.

"Okay, Mr. Boase…" Elliot walked closer to the suspect and perched on the edge of the interrogation room table where Aidan sat. Elliot sat close enough so he could coax Aidan into looking at him. He looked at some notes for a second, then back at Aidan. "You don't have any reason to be there. You have no kids that go to that school. Why the hell were you there at all?"

Aidan casually shifted a little to his side to move away from Elliot. It was the first time he had really moved at all since they'd walked into the room.

Elliot remained quiet for several minutes, hoping the suspect would at least speak up to break the deafening silence.

Aidan was practically unshakable. It was as if he had no cares whatsoever about being there. Trying to get through to him was almost like trying to rattle one of the guards at Buckingham Palace.

Elliot had to fight the urge not to tear into this guy. He wanted to lift him up by his collar and see just how passive he could be against a former Marine and seasoned Manhattan detective. But he also knew his partner was fighting a vicious migraine and Aidan would be ready to confess to the Kennedy assassination once she was done with him.

Aidan would only shift to get away from Elliot. He remained still otherwise, not so much as blinking for several minutes at a time.

They had been in there 20 minutes, and it was apparent that he had no plans to say a word to the detectives.

Elliot kept his composure surprisingly well, but Olivia began to lose her grip.

He sensed it before she began, stepped back, and gave her the reins.

"My partner asked you a question," Olivia began. She spoke loud and forceful enough to jar Elliot and even Aidan in his seat.

She pushed off from the door a bit, using her arms and her right foot which caused the door to rattle a bit in its frame. She took a few steps closer to Aidan, her eyes searing into him like two laser beams.

"Several, in fact," she added, in a snarkish tone.

"Now we've got two missing boys and one dead girl and I'm losing patience here with your 'I've got nothing to say' attitude!" Olivia perched on the side of the table and fried him with her eyes.

She got up and paced in front of the table for a minute. "Your friend in that room…" She paused, looking in Aidan's direction while she pointed next door, "are you covering up for him, or is he covering up for you?" She walked back over to his side. "Does he even know about your history with children? Or…" she began, planning her next words carefully, "are you hoping he doesn't find out?"

Aidan turned his head sharply and shot Olivia an evil glare. Interestingly, the expression was all in his eyes. Not even a facial muscle twitched when he turned toward her. Still, Olivia maintained her stance.

She leaned in toward him, bracing her hand on the table as she spoke. "I can guarantee you, I will find out where those kids are, and if you're behind it, there is no way you're going to get out of prison time by giving the judge and jury the silent treatment," she remarked. "So how about you open your damned mouth and start answering some questions!" Olivia demanded.

He glanced at her again, giving an almost imperceptible sneer, then turned back toward the table and fixed his gaze back on the same spot.

x x x

Outside the interrogation rooms, Dr. Huang and Captain Cragen watched over everything.

"Greg is dead set on playing the blame game," Don began. "It's like he's not even convinced that his boys are missing," he said, shaking his head. He raised a cup of coffee that he was holding to his lips and took a sip.

"He's not unusually anxious or nervous for being in that setting. I don't see any outward signs that he has something to hide either," George concluded.

They moved on and looked in at the other suspect.

"What do you think about him?" Don asked.

George took a step closer to the window and looked at Aidan intently. He studied Aidan's posture for a few moments and watched how he interacted with Elliot and Olivia. He'd occasionally shift in his chair, but mostly he sat in one position.

"Well he's not talking, but he doesn't seem to be intimidated by Benson and Stabler either. His body language is all over the place. The tension in his shoulders shows defensiveness. The question is why. He's either afraid of something, or someone, or feels helpless," Dr. Huang surmised.

"Any ideas, Doc? Think you could crack him? Cragen asked. He lifted the cup to his lips again and took a sip.

He sighed. "Telling us more about his past might give us something to work with. Not sure how far I'll get, but yes, I'll give it a try."

x x x

6:35 pm – SVU

The bullpen was empty and rather dark, aside from the desk lamps that illuminated Elliot and Olivia's desks. Munch and Fin left to stake out Aidan's house in rotating shifts, while Elliot and Olivia stayed in and dug into some records from his prior convictions.

Elliot had just run out for a minute to get some coffee, leaving Olivia alone in the bullpen. She had tried several times to focus on a scanned report from Concord Corrections on her computer screen to no avail; her headache from earlier that day had intensified. She sat at her desk with her forehead rested against her palms, attempting to ease the tension. Too many days without sleep usually caused this. She briefly wondered if putting her head through a brick wall might actually help.

Minutes later, Elliot walked in and set a cup on her desk.

"Chai tea?" she asked, and smiled.

"No, it's coffee. Figured you'd need that more."

"Yep. Thanks, El," she responded, taking a sip.

He nodded once in her direction, sat his own cup of coffee down, and picked up a phone message on his desk. It pertained to the Braddsen case Elliot had looked into the day before. The suspect in that case, John Demour turned out to be on house arrest for another offense. According to his parole officer, he had been compliant on all of the days in question. Elliot read it, then crumbled the message and tossed it down on a stack of papers. He plopped down in his chair, leaned all the way back, and gazed up at the ceiling for a minute while he collected his thoughts.

"What's that, El?" she asked.

"Demour's been on house arrest," he answered.

Olivia shrugged. "Good hunch, anyway," she said focusing her attention back on her computer monitor. She brought the cup of coffee up to her lips and took a sip. The coffee was strong, but just what she needed. She continued to focus on the monitor until, a minute later, a dull pain spread across her forehead. She made a faint moaning sound and leaned forward, resting her forehead into her hands once again.

"You okay, Liv?" Elliot asked, glancing across his desk at her.

"Headache won't go away," she replied without looking up.

"Still? Why don't you go lay down for a bit? I'll manage this."

She hesitated long enough to make him think she was considering the idea. "Mmmhm. I'll be okay."

"You sure?" he asked. Realizing it was a silly thing to ask, but too late to take it back.

"Yeah," she replied weakly. She massaged her temples lightly and looked up at her partner. He wasn't buying her answer and continued to look at her with a questionable expression.

She smiled at him and diverted them back to the case. "I don't like the fact that even if we link Aidan to the Morgans and Trinetta, we've got no proof he was responsible for Kaleb or the Morrissey kids' disappearance. We've got nothing tying any of this together," she sighed.

Elliot sighed in agreement.

x x

"Want to grab something to eat?" Olivia asked, an hour later.

"Thanks, but I'll have to pass. You go ahead. I have to make a quick trip to Queens. It's important, but won't take long," he told her.

She nodded.

Elliot stood and collected a gym bag and a store bag next to his desk. The bags consisted of clothes from his locker that he planned to drop off and something he picked up a few weeks ago for Maureen's birthday. He didn't expect he'd get the chance to visit her at school for her birthday, but wanted to get the gift to Kathy, at least.

Next, he unlocked and opened a desk draw that kept some personal information of his. He removed a manila file folder from the top of the stack and carefully inserted the file into the side of his bag. He closed the zipper, picked up the bags and waved to Olivia as he headed out of the bullpen.

"Hey, El?" Olivia began when she saw him start to leave.

"Yeah?" He paused at the door and turned back toward her.

She stood and followed him. "I'm going to grab a sandwich, I'll walk out with you."

Elliot smiled and waited for her to catch up.

They made small talk about the case and traffic to Queens, but then walked in silence from the elevator door to Elliot's car. He opened the door to the backseat on the passenger side, and shoved his bags in while Olivia stood a few feet away on the sidewalk.

She saw him open the gym bag and sift through it looking for something. As she watched him, she allowed her thoughts to drift.

They had always respected each other's right to privacy and only dealt with the personal if it complicated things on the cases they worked. They never pried when they knew there was something personal the other one was reluctant to discuss. Never.

For several months, she had only asked him generic questions about how things were at home, but usually got a quick answer, if any at all.

Recently, she noticed that he was attempting to bring it up. He would look as though he has something to say, like something was on the tip of his tongue. Then he'd glance around to see who else may be in earshot, and either start the discussion or come up with something else to say. The conversation usually started at a diner or while they were in the car.

It always began the same way. He brought up something about his kids or the house, then hesitate for a moment before beginning a statement like,

'Got a few things on my mind lately, Liv. So, uh, sorry if I seem out of it.'

Then he'd hesitate another moment, as if searching for the words he wanted to say next, but they would never come. Often, it was just bad timing. If they were eating, the waitress would pass by, or one of them would get a call.

x x

He closed the passenger side door and started to walk toward the driver's side. He turned his head and smiled shyly at his partner. "See you in a bit, Liv," he said.

She saw him start to leave and suddenly found herself reacting.

"El?" she began.

He had paused in front of his car when he heard his name, but didn't look up. He held his keys in both hands, sorting through the half dozen or so on his key ring until he reached the one that would open the driver's side door.

"Yeah?" he answered quietly.

"Is there anything…" Olivia began. Deciding she didn't like the phrase she began with, she sighed deeply and started again. "Is everything okay?" she asked. She knew there could be any number of reasons why he was going back to Queens that night. But something told her this was a trip he didn't want to make.

"Okay with what?" he asked, fidgeting with his keys. He shuffled them between his hands

"Nothing," she replied, sensing he was not in the mood to discuss it.

"What is it, Liv?" he asked, and finally glanced up at her.

Suddenly she found the nerve again. "You're going home. I –I just wondered if everything was okay," she said, offering a shy smile.

Elliot stilled. He knew where she was going with this and he wanted to be ready. He knew there would never be an ideal time, but didn't think it made sense to just dump it out there to his partner in the middle of a Manhattan sidewalk. Not when he still had the drive home to contemplate everything. Not when his head was ready to explode from how much work and home stress had been haphazardly merged.

But she was reaching, he thought. 'I'm your partner, for better or worse,' he recalled telling her years ago when things were still new between them.

"No," he blurted out. At first, he wasn't sure what drove him to finally say it. Slowly he lifted his head and his slightly dampened eyes gazed into the eyes of his partner. "It's not okay, Liv."

"Talk to me, El," she said. She reached out and gently touched his arm before taking a hold of it. She tried to direct him to look at her. "Please?"

He stared at the ground nervously. He wanted her concern. In fact, he needed it.

He nodded slowly. "I want to talk to you, Liv. I do. But I can't. Not here anyway. It's too much right now," he said. He turned his head away, glancing at a car down the block with it's headlights on. The car was double parked and its lights were blinding him. He turned back toward her.

She nodded and allowed him to continue.

He just took in the concern he saw from his partner and allowed it to comfort him.

"I'm in too many places right now," he said quietly.

"It's okay. I'm still-" she began.

"I know," he answered her firmly, anticipating what she was going to say. "I know you're here, Liv. I've always known." His eyes offered up a smile even if his mouth didn't follow suit. He was careful not to look away until she did. He wanted to be sure she understood.

"I promise. We'll talk soon," Elliot added.

"Okay," Olivia answered softly, offering a warm smile. "See you when you get back." She released his arm and turned to walk back toward the sidewalk, satisfied in what she was finally able to ask him.

As she stepped up onto the curb, a thought occurred to her.

He was actually letting her in.

She took another step and realized he was right behind her. She felt a tug on her arm and before she could vocalize a response, he had pulled her into a hug.

She was a little shocked at first. Briefly, it brought her back to the day at the hospital after the accident. Just like before, she could feel the weight of him leaning into her for support. Gently she ran her hand along his upper back, offering comfort. He held on a little longer this time. All around them seemed surprisingly quiet, aside from the traffic whipping past them and a few distant horns.

She waited for him to say something, but it jarred her a little when finally he did.

"Liv?" He began, his chin rested against her shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"Anytime."

He released the hug and she stepped back. They both paused before they let their arms fall back to their sides. She smiled, turned, and headed toward the corner store for a sandwich.

He got inside his car and sat for a minute, watching until she was inside the store. He started the car and the radio came on.

"…The accident on the GW parkway has been cleared up and traffic is starting to move again.

Now the latest from the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Hurricane Lilith skirted the Outer Banks earlier today. Winds caused structural damage to 70 percent of the houses and businesses in the area, and storm surge was responsible for widespread flooding, and blocked roads by floating debris. Authorities are urging residents in flooded areas not to exit their homes until help arrives. Hurricane shelters have been set up and emergency responders are working quickly to provide aid to those with life threatening injuries.

Lilith remains a category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 120 mph near the eye wall. The storm is currently centered 200 miles northeast from the coast of Hampton, VA.

Hurricane warnings have been issued for Maryland, Delaware and south New Jersey beaches, however, the storm continues to move north-northeast at 20 mph, making landfall projections uncertain at this time..."

x x

9:35 pm – SVU

Elliot returned a little before 9:00 pm. He spoke very little and didn't mention the trip at all. He chose instead to submerse himself back into the case.

He began looking into the backgrounds of teachers and staff at Tyler, when his desk phone rang. "SVU, this is Detective Stabler."

He lifted his head up and made eye contact with Olivia. "Warner," he mouthed.

Olivia nodded and waited for him to finish the call. She watched him, noticing when one of his eyebrows arched upon hearing some initial piece of news, and then relaxed as he listened to the explanation.

He jotted down a few words as he listened. "Uh-huh. All right. Thanks, Melinda. Bye."

He hung up the phone and settled back in his seat. "Warner said tox screen on Trinetta showed an overdose of Klonopin in her system. She called the Guthries and they said it had never been prescribed to her," he told Olivia.

"How large an overdose was it?" she inquired.

"It wasn't enough to kill her even if Trinetta hadn't been strangled. It was 1 mg, which Melinda said about one adult dosage," he replied, reading his note. "In children, Klonopin is given for epilepsy and on occasion for anxiety. But pediatric doses are maxed at 0.75 mg per day," he reported.

"It's also been given to some of our rape victims as a date rape drug," Olivia recalled. "But why would a perp, who could easily overpower a 7-year old girl, need to sedate her?"

They each mulled over the question for a minute. Elliot's eyes lit up as he looked at his partner, who had mirrored his expression.

Suddenly it felt like the fog was starting to lift. The answer on the tip of both of their tongues, resounded as they answered in unison.

"To lure them away from the school."

x x

Next chapter: Gale Warning