Chapter Nine: Remote Access
145 Banker Street
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Wednesday August 19th, 15:47
Ken worked on tapping into the IP address of the computer that Olivia was working on; Jess successfully hooked into the IP address of the computer that was streaming the closed-circuit cameras. She had used the binoculars to determine that Markus Pharaoh was using network cameras that were linked to a server by Ethernet cables.
"Okay, so it appears Pharaoh has eight cameras total; four on the outside and four on the inside for surveillance. The cameras inside appear to be focused on doors and not inside rooms. I have them streaming here so we can see what he sees. We might be able to find a blind spot and gain access that way."
Dick put down the binoculars and looked at Jess. "Whoa, you can't be serious?"
The blonde looked at him. "Of course I'm serious. How else do you think we are going to get the six little boys and Livie out?"
Ken stopped typing for the first time in over an hour and turned to the woman sitting beside him. "We're going to call the squad and have them apprehend Markus Pharaoh. We can't take him down Jess, you know that."
"But I think we can…"
Dick interrupted before Jess could go on. "You said we were going to get evidence on him. You said we would call the squad when we had enough to make a case against Pharaoh. You never once talked about taking him down ourselves."
Jess looked blankly out the window and across the street. "You don't know what it's like. You have no idea what that animal does to those little boys. I have to stop him."
Ken and Dick exchanged looks and Dick nodded slightly at the other man and turned to his girlfriend. "Jess…Jessie? You're right. We don't know what Pharaoh has done to his victims. Ken and I aren't going sit here and pretend to know or understand. But what you have to understand is that we have no authority to take this guy down. If we get enough evidence on him the detectives and Alex can make a strong case. That's how we are going to save those little boys. We are going to make sure once Pharaoh is caught he never gets out of jail."
The young woman looked up at Dick and shook her head. "That's not enough."
"It's the best we can do." Ken said turning to his laptop and continuing to hack away at the numbers.
Dick stepped closer to Jess, into her personal space and she leaned her head on his stomach. He stroked her head gently the way he had seen Olivia do hundreds of times.
"Holy shit, we're in!" Ken typed feverishly while his co-conspirators jumped beside him. Within thirty seconds the screen on the laptop changed and became java scrip of a website, the website Olivia was working on across the street. Ken had gained access to the IP address and taken over the computer remotely. Olivia was no longer controlling the computer in front of her…Ken was.
Jess hugged him from behind. "Oh my God, Ken, you are amazing! Let me in, I want to talk to her."
Ken stood and Jess sat his seat. Dick stuck out his hand to Ken. "You're the master, Ken."
The young man took the other's hand and shook it. "Thanks, man."
Olivia could tell it was starting to become late afternoon. The sun was getting lower and the shadows in the room were growing longer. She was surprised Pharaoh had not been by with another DVD. The detective hoped the monster would spare his tiny victims today. As she moved her fingers over the keyboard she started to realize that the keystrokes were having no effect on the screen. Was she actually typing or was she so exhausted that she just thought she was typing? Olivia looked down at her hands and then back up at the screen. Where there should have been a bracket the word 'end' and another bracket. Instead a notepad had been opened on the right side of the screen and the sentence: "I was born at night but not last night" was written on the notepad. The detective took her hands off the keyboard. She looked to her left, to her right and then back to the monitor.
Across the street from Olivia, Jess stopped using the computer so the detective could use it. When using remote access both parties can use the computer but a power struggle occurs for which party has control. She would wait for a minute before touching the computer again; giving Olivia time to type something back to her.
The brunette put her fingers on the keyboard again and typed in the notepad. "Jessie?" She was surprised to see the letters appear on the screen. Was she dreaming this?
Jess saw the message and typed back on the notepad. "Yes. I love u. R U ok?"
Olivia could not believe it. It really was her little girl on the other side of this conversation. They chatted briefly and Jess promised that she would help Olivia do whatever Pharaoh asked. All she had to do was start off the commands and Jess would take over. The detective knew a fair amount about computers but eventually she knew she would be asked to do something she did not know how to do. For the sake of the boys, Olivia was thankful Jess was there. She knew she would have to delete her conversation with Jess. She didn't want her captor to see it. When Pharaoh came by forty minutes later the detective typed "overscan" and closed the notepad.
Although the notepad had been closed, the remote access remained connected. Meaning that they could still see everything that was going on across the street on the other computer. Dick had set up his girlfriend's video camera to tape the room that Olivia was in. He zoomed in to just around the computer and hit "record" as a man walked into the room. Jess, Dick and Ken sat and watched as Olivia posted another video of an unidentifiable man molesting two of the little boys. Dick and Ken turned and looked away within fifteen seconds of the video starting. Jess sat in front of the laptop with her eyes closed and tears streaming down her cheeks. When she opened her eyes again the video was over and there was no more activity on the screen. She stood up, walked over to the video camera and looked at the three-inch LCD screen. Olivia and the man were talking. He leaned over her and did something in front of her. He backed off, she stood up and they left the room. Olivia was shackled the entire time.
Manhattan's SVU Squad Room
Wednesday August 19th 17:26
Fin hung up the phone on his desk; Munch was still talking on his, as was Stabler. Huang was going through paperwork and feverishly writing notes. Cragen was on the phone in his office and Alex had been on the phone with Morales. She needed him to testify tomorrow in court in Jess's absence. The A.D.A. had lied to the tech citing that Jess wasn't emotionally ready to testify. Morales agreed to meet Alex at her office around seven-thirty that night to prep his testimony for the morning.
Alex sat at Olivia's desk staring blankly at the top of it. She was unaware of the activity in the room; all she could think about was Olivia and Jess. When Cragen sidled up beside her and spoke it made the blonde jump in her detective's chair. "Just got off the phone with the Chief of Detectives. I have a meeting with the brass tomorrow morning down at One P.P. about Markus Pharaoh's website. The press is eating the department alive. What have we got on Jess?"
All of the detectives were now off the phone. Munch leaned back in his chair. "I have TARU pulling her LUDS right now. They are going to email them to me once they get them."
Stabler looked at his Captain. "Got a hold of Jess's bank records. She made a five hundred dollar withdraw from an ATM half a block from Liv's building at around eight-fifteen this morning. I talked to the bank and they are going to release the security tape for that ATM to us in the morning."
Everyone looked at Fin. "I called a few people in the contact list on Jess's phone." Fin looked at Stabler. "Dick didn't pick up." He looked back at the Captain. "Neither did Ken. I did talk to Tony and Connie Carpino. They haven't seen Jess for almost two weeks; not since she and Liv were in for brunch."
The attention in the room turned to Alex and she nodded absentmindedly without taking her eyes off the top of Olivia's desk. "That's true. I remember they went there for brunch. Jess had such a great time in the kitchen with Tony. That's all she could talk about when I saw her that night."
Fin spoke softly across the room. "Alex, can you think of anyone else that Jess might ask for help? Someone who's number might be on her phone that we could call? You know her better than any of us."
Alex's gaze went to Fin but did not totally focus. She stood up and walked across the room. The blonde took the cell phone from Fin and started to scroll through the names.
Cragen looked at Huang. "George, have you finished your work-up of Markus Pharaoh?"
The doctor's attention shifted from Alex to Cragen. "Yes, I have. We already estimated his age to be mid-thirties and that holds true in my profile. We also know he is Caucasian and has the ability to remain completely calm under extreme duress. He probably also possess the ability to snap without warning. This makes him unbelievably volatile. There is no way to predict how he will react in any situation. His compulsion to molest young boys probably stems from early childhood sexual abuse, most likely from his mother or a female very close to him."
Stabler looked at the doctor. "What makes you think he was abused by a woman?"
Huang turned his attention to Elliot and then to the rest of people in the room. "The way he writes about the victims on his website is a clear indication he thinks he is having a loving relationship with them. It is probably the way his mother or a woman spoke to him after doing those very same things to him when he was a child. The fact that he kept the website going after you apprehended Ronald Blaze indicates that Markus Pharaoh is an intelligent man. He had you meet him at the chess tables in Washington Square Park. He had his entire getaway planned out, even had a car and accomplices waiting. Pharaoh knew it was the police that were going to meet him in the park. This is a man who is meticulous, plans for almost any outcome and has the capability of going to any lengths to get what he wants. He enjoys that aspect of the chase…he likes the challenge. Look at the abductions of the victims. He repelled down a brownstone to get Evan Winthrop. He isn't just intelligent…he's fearless too. That's a dangerous combination."
Cragen crossed his arms over his chest and raised his brow. "Great, so we are looking for a nut job that is molesting little boys and has abducted one of our own."
The doctor sighed. "I'm sorry that I can't give you much more. He will more than likely exercise extreme caution when it comes to what he thinks is the safety of his victims. Pharaoh is probably working somewhere in an isolated, run-down part of the city where no one would bother him. I'll bet he has the place wired up like Fort Knox. He would not want anyone to take his victims; he probably thinks on some level that he has saved them that he is taking care of them."
Stabler leaned back in his chair. "What can you tell us about Jess?"
Huang smiled slightly. "Very little than you already know. Jess has spent the last three months in this squad room. She has heard you all run your cases, seen countless interrogations and has more than likely picked most of it up. She knows how you find people, how you get to them and the mistakes that most fugitives make on the run." He shook his head. "Jess probably isn't going to make many mistakes. She is intelligent, resourceful and a survivor." The doctor looked at Alex who had lost interest in Jess's cell phone and was staring at him. "Jess has heard you prep your cases hasn't she?"
Alex nodded. "Yes, she has."
"Do you think she knows how much evidence you would need to make a case against Markus Pharaoh?" George asked.
The A.D.A. thought for a moment before answering. "I think Jess has a pretty good idea. She was also a very integral part of this case before she was taken off it. She knows exactly how much evidence we don't have on Pharaoh."
Huang nodded and looked at everyone in the room. "Jess's first priority will be to find Olivia, but she will feel compelled to go after Markus Pharaoh. Partly because of her compassion and empathy for the victims and partly because she will want to see Pharaoh brought to justice. This squad has taught Jess everything she knows about catching a suspect. She won't come back without Olivia and damning evidence against Markus Pharaoh."
Cragen looked at his squad. "Thanks, George. I'll take the files. Alex did anyone come to mind in that contact list that you think Jess would turn to?"
Alex lied to Donald Cragen. She hated to do it, but just like the only other time she had lied to him, this was a matter of life and death. "No, sorry Don."
The Captain nodded. "That's okay, thanks Alex. You should go home and get some sleep. You are going to have to move on with your case in the morning."
Alex nodded. "I have to go to the office and prep Morales. He is going to testify because I can't call Jess."
Cragen sighed and continued. "Alright everyone go home. We will pick this up at seven AM."
Munch looked at his Captain. "But we still haven't finished the search for warehouses."
"I know, John, but this squad needs a break."
Fin looked at Cragen, "I'm stayin' until the search is done. We can go out in the morning and start running them down."
"I'm staying, too." Stabler said crossing his arms over his chest as he looked at Donald Cragen.
Munch nodded his head, he wasn't going anywhere either.
The Captain nodded his head to the squad. "Fine. Hand me some of the printouts, we're going to be here for awhile."
Huang and Alex left the squad to their work. Cragen sat down at Jess's desk. Stabler handed him a stack of printouts with three forms on the top if the pile. Cragen took everything and looked down at the top page. He looked at the detective. "Elliot, you can't be serious."
Stabler looked back at his Captain. "They're all filled out. I just need you to sign them."
"And if I don't?" Cragen asked.
Elliot sighed. "Sir, I can't…I can't work here anymore. I don't trust myself. Liv…"
Cragen cut him off. "We're going to find her, El."
Stabler ran his right hand over his jaw. "Please…just sign them."
The Captain shook his head but took the three forms and put them aside as he started to go through the printouts.
310 Central Park West
Residence of A.D.A. Alexandra Cabot
Wednesday August 19th 23:17
Alex couldn't sleep. When she had come home to her condo it felt cold and empty. She had walked into Jess's room and ran her hand over the kid's bed the way she had when she had left Olivia's place the other morning. Alex's eyes caught her reflection in the window and she remembered back two nights ago when she had been taking out Jess's braid. Tears formed in her eyes and started to run down her cheek.
The A.D.A. went to her own bedroom and looked at her bed. She could still see her little girl lying there. How had she let this happen? Alex peeled off her clothing, threw on a nightshirt and got into bed without even realizing what she was doing. She laid on her side and drew her knees up slightly. As she inhaled she could smell the faint scent of Jess on the pillow beside her. Alex lost control and started to sob.
145 Banker Street
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Wednesday August 19th 23:18
Jess and Dick laid awake, in the sleeping bag on the floor of their office. They had sent Ken home, in Olivia's car to rest up and bring back another laptop in the morning. Dick was on his back and Jess was curled up beside him, her left leg over his and her left arm was draped across his chest. In her left hand she held Olivia's detective shield; she ran her thumb over the front of it.
"Do you know the number off-by-heart?" Dick asked.
Jess snorted slightly. "44015. You know your Dad's off-by-heart?"
Dick grinned. "6313"
The blonde giggled. "How sad are we?"
"I know, right. I can't believe you found Olivia."
Jess stopped giggling and sighed. "I had to. Stabler, I need her."
Dick held his girlfriend tighter. "I know you do. What are you going to do about Alex?"
"I have said everything I am going to say to her," Jess said, slightly annoyed that Dick would even ask the question.
"You can't leave things the way that they are. O'Malley, Alex loves you. I know she lied but she did it to protect you."
"Stabler, she pretended to be Livie. She lied to my face for two days. How could I ever trust her again?"
Dick tried to reason with Jess. "Look, when this is all over you need to talk to Olivia about what happened while she was away. See what she says about it."
Jess looked down at the shield. "Okay."
146 Banker Street
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Wednesday August 19th 23:19
Olivia had told the boys sleeping around her a few stories and they all seemed to be fast asleep, even the two that Pharaoh had molested that day. The detective went over the day in her head. She could not believe Jess had found her. They had not spoken very much about how Jess found her but Olivia was thankful she had. The brunette was also relieved that her little girl was compiling the evidence against Markus Pharaoh that she could not. It would only be a matter of time before the squad stepped in and Alex would have enough on Pharaoh to put him away for life. Alex…Olivia missed the unrelentingly gorgeous blonde. She knew even when this was all over she could not be with the A.D.A. That brought tears to her eyes as she tried to fall asleep.
310 Central Park West
Residence of A.D.A. Alexandra Cabot
Thursday August 20th 06:48
The A.D.A. had been woken by the sun shinning in her eyes through the windows; in her state the night before she had not closed the blinds. Alex rolled over and threw the duvet off herself. She got up and went to the bathroom to shower. She caught her reflection in the full-length mirror on the way and stopped immediately. The blonde was wearing one of Olivia's NYPD shirts that was three sizes too big for the detective and four sizes too big for Alex. The tears came back. Her detective was missing and no one was close to finding Olivia. Her detective…Alex had to stop referring to the brunette as hers. She took off the shirt, threw it on her bed and hit the shower.
Manhattan's SVU Squad Room
Thursday August 20th, 07:17
Elliot was the first of the squad to wake. He had come down to the bullpen and made coffee. As if the brew beckoned the other men they each filed down to the squad room one at a time, but all within twenty minutes of Stabler starting the coffee.
With the compilation of the list of properties to be searched, it was time for the detectives to divide the locations and check them out. Cragen looked at his weary squad. "Okay, Stabler and I will take this pile. Fin and Munch take that pile. If you think you might have a location on Pharaoh call it in and wait for back-up. Stabler and I will have to suspend our search around eight-thirty because I have a meeting at One P.P." The Captain turned to Stabler. "Elliot, the bank should have that security footage from the ATM Jess used yesterday. Pick it up from them, bring it back here and go through it. I want to see if anyone was with Jess."
Stabler looked at his Captain. "I called Kathy and Dick never came home last night. I told her he was with Jess and that they were fine."
Cragen put his hands on his hips. "You think Jess asked Dick for help?"
Elliot nodded slightly.
The Captain looked at Fin. "You heard from Ken?"
Fin shook his head. "Naw, he's probably with her, too. Jess probably picked up a buster somewhere and called them from that."
Munch looked between them. "Then we need to work backwards. If we dump Dick and Ken's cell phone records we can find the one common number between them and call Jess."
Cragen nodded. "Good call. I'll call Alex and get a warrant for Ken Randle and Dick Stabler's cell phone records." He looked at Elliot. "On your way back from the bank, stop by the courthouse and grab the warrant from Alex's assistant. Call TARU and have them dump the LUDS."
Stabler nodded and the men left the One-six with their lists of vacant warehouses in Brooklyn.
145 Banker Street
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Thursday August 20th, 08:35
Ken rolled into the parking lot of the warehouse and headed inside. It was decided by the three accomplices that they needed to find a place to hid Olivia's car. It was the only one in the lot and they didn't want to draw attention to themselves. The three of them went down to the car and pulled a bunch of large pieces of plywood away from a small loading dock area. Jess backed the car into the spot and helped the guys board the space back up.
When they arrived back at their office they dug into the take-out breakfast Ken had brought them. Dick manned the video camera in order to see exactly when Olivia came back to the computer.
Jess set up the laptop Ken had brought with him. She transferred the video surveillance from her laptop to the new one. The blonde also hooked a feed from her video camera into the laptop to aid Dick. Ken gave Jess the IP address of the computer Olivia was using and she gained remote access to it with her laptop. Now Ken could take his laptop with him when he left.
146 Banker Street
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Thursday August 20th, 09:34
Olivia was marched from the room with the boys into the computer room by Markus Pharaoh. The detective hated leaving the small victims alone but she was hoping Jess would be back on-line and she could converse with her daughter.
Once inside the room Pharaoh clipped Olivia's shackles to the floor and left her in front of the computer. Olivia opened up the Java script for the website. There was no sign that anyone had tampered with the site. The notepad program hadn't been opened either so there were no messages waiting for her either. She wondered if Jess still had contact with the computer.
"Luv u Livie. U ok?" appeared on the screen in front of her, notepad had been opened. Olivia smiled; her little girl was still there.
The detective typed back "Luv u 2. I'm fine. U?"
Jess and Olivia wrote small messages back and forth while the detective maintained the website herself.
60 Centre Street
Supreme Court
Courtroom of Judge Lena Petrovsky
Thursday August 20th, 09:01
"Be seated. Are the people ready to proceed with their case?" Judge Petrovsky asked.
"Yes, your Honor. The people call Rubin Morales to the stand."
The Judge nodded and Morales was sworn in. Alex walked up to the witness stand and asked him to explain the work that he and Jess had done. Step by step the tech explained in layman's terms how he and Jess had gained access to the hidden files once they had the defendant's computers and external hard drives in their possession.
Alex walked back to the table she had come from earlier and the defense attorney stood up and addressed Judge Petrovsky. "Sidebar, your Honor?"
The A.D.A. looked from the other attorney to the Judge who was motioning them both to approach the bench. Alex stood and walked up to Petrovsky along with Thomas as the Judge put her hand over the microphone. He spoke first. "Your Honor, the A.D.A. is pulling the same smoke and mirrors trick today that she did yesterday. Ruben Morales signed off as the supervisor on most of this work. The actual tech that did this work was supposed to be called this morning but was cut from the witness list last night and replaced with Morales. I would like to hear from Jessica O'Malley, the tech that actually did the work Morales is testifying about."
Petrovsky looked from Thomas to Alex. "Actually, I would be interesting in hearing from Jessica O'Malley myself A.D.A. Cabot. Where is she?"
Alex put on her best poker face. "She is unavailable to testify at this time."
"Seriously? Your Honor, this is outrageous. The People clearly have no case. Their witnesses are disappearing on a daily basis and my client has rights."
The Judge looked sternly at the tall blonde standing in front of her. "Alexandra, where is Jessica O'Malley?"
Cabot sighed slightly and pursed her lips. "I'm not sure."
Petrovsky shook her head. "Step back." She took her hand off the microphone in front of her and spoke again once the attorneys where back at their respective tables. "Rubin Morales you are excused. I'm ordering a bench warrant for the arrest of Jessica O'Malley. This case is in recess for one hundred and twenty hours or until the People can present a proper case. Court is adjourned." The Judge smacked her gavel on the bench and left for her chambers. Stabler had been sitting just behind Alex's table in the observation part of the courtroom, waiting for her assistant to give him the warrant on Dick and Ken's cell phone records. She turned to him. "We need to find Olivia and Jess…now!"
Morales walked from the witness stand over to the table where Alex was, "What the hell is going on here? Where is Jess?"
Stabler and Alex looked from one another to Morales, they had to be honest with him.
Manhattan's SVU Squad Room
Thursday August 20th, 10:22
Morales had hitched a ride with Stabler and Alex up to their squad room. On the way they filled him in on what Jess was up to, or at least what they suspected she was up to. It was only than that it clicked for Morales. "I would bet the farm Jess has found Olivia."
Stabler was sitting at his desk, Alex was at Olivia's and Morales was sitting at Jess's. Elliot looked at him. "What makes you so sure?"
The tech sighed. "I let Jess borrow a GPS tracking device that TARU just got in. I installed the program on her laptop and gave her the bug. I told her she could have it for a couple of days but had to give it back. When I asked her for it the other day she said she forgot it. If Jess somehow planted the bug on Olivia that would explain why she couldn't give it to me on Tuesday. Once she realized Liv was missing…"
Stabler finished the sentence. "Jess knew she could find her. Morales can you track the bug?"
Morales shook his head. "No. I've installed the program but have not linked either bug to it yet. You need to actually link the bug to the program, much like you would link two devices through Bluetooth."
Alex looked between the men. "This is unbelievable. A sixteen year old has the technology to find a missing New York City police detective but her own squad and TARU can't? This is what you're telling me?"
Elliot looked at Alex with sympatric eyes. "Alex, I know…I'm just as frustrated as you are. We are doing everything we can. I'm going to call TARU right now and have them pull Ken and Dick's cell phone records. Munch and Fin are running down the actual locations of abandoned warehouses now. As soon as Cragen gets back he and I will be going back out and checking our list of warehouses. We're going to find them, Alex."
Cragen walked into the squad room. "What happened? Why aren't you in court?" he asked Alex.
The A.D.A. looked up at him. "Case is in recess until the end of 180.80 and Petrovsky issued a bench warrant for Jess because she is unavailable to testify."
"Are you kidding me? Does the Judge know she's sixteen?" Cragen asked.
Alex shook her head. "No, the less information Petrovsky knows about what is really going on with this case the better."
The Captain looked around at everyone. "We have another problem. Word has come down from on high…Markus Pharaoh's website needs to be shut down, today."
Morales looked at back at Cragen. "If Pharaoh is using Olivia to maintain the website and we shut it down…" He trailed off.
Cragen looked between everyone. "I know. I tried to explain this in the meeting but the decision was already made. They want it shut down ASAP. Elliot, I want you to go down to One P.P. with Morales and call me when it's down."
Alex started to cry. "I'm coming with you."
Stabler stood up and went over to the blonde. "Alex, maybe I should take you home. You don't need to be a part of this."
Through her tears Alex looked up at him. "I am coming with you, Elliot."
He looked up at his Captain and Cragen nodded.
Elliot looked back down at Alex and then to Morales. "Okay, let's go."
Cragen looked at the three individuals before him. "I'll call TARU and have them pull the LUDS on Ken's and Dick's cell phones."
146 Banker Street
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Thursday August 20th, 11:51
Olivia had stopped communicating with Jess roughly ten minutes earlier, she knew Markus Pharaoh would be by soon with lunch and she did not want to get caught writing to Jess. The detective was in the midst of going through the website when she noticed something…one of the videos was gone. She sat there and watched as another video disappeared. What the hell was going on?
The brunette flipped over to the java script and realized someone was screwing with the website. Olivia knew it wasn't Jess; which left a true hacker or Morales at Computer Crimes. The detective guessed the latter. She was sure SVU was getting raked over the coals for keeping the site up.
Markus Pharaoh walked into the room with a tray of food for Olivia. "How is the site today, Detective Benson?"
She didn't know what to say. The problem was there was no way the brunette could out-hack Morales. Jess would have to do it, but Olivia could not be sure she was even still watching the computer the detective was sitting in front of. "I think we may have a problem. It seems that someone is trying to shut the site down. They have taken two of the videos down already."
"Put the videos back up…now." Pharaoh said calmly setting the tray down on the desk beside the monitor.
Olivia did the best she could and got the videos back up on the site. In the time it took her to do it, the hacker had taken two others down. Markus was getting impatient. "Put the other two videos up and keep the site up, Olivia, or those little boys will pay for your incompetence."
With Pharaoh standing over her threatening to hurt the six tiny victims, Olivia was having a hard time concentrating. She desperately hoped Jess would take over the computer soon.
145 Banker Street
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Thursday August 20th, 11:56
Jess stepped away from the computer. Ken and Dick had gone out to get pizza thirty minutes earlier and were back with lunch. They sat at the desks and ate. Dick looked at the security videos on the screen of the laptop. He moved slightly and zoomed in the video camera that was pointed across the street at Olivia. "Liv has company."
Ken and Jess looked at the video playout and then scrambled to the laptop and looked at what the detective was doing on the computer. "Holy shit, someone is hacking the website…look."
Jess watched what Ken had pointed out. He was right.
"Who do you think it is?" Dick asked, looking at his partners in crime.
"Hard to say at this point. We have to stop them though. If they shut down the site, Olivia and those boys are going to die," Jess said as she typed the commands to stop the hacker from taking more things off the site. As she did it the young woman asked her boyfriend, "Does it look like Markus Pharaoh knows Livie isn't actually manipulating the computer?"
Dick watched the playout carefully. "No, but he is standing closer to her. Do you think Liv will be able to keep up the appearance that she is controlling the computer?"
Ken watched Jess's fingers steely slide over the keyboard. "I hope so."
The blonde did everything she could to keep the site from being hacked. Without slowing her pace over the keys or looking up, Jess spoke to no one in particular; although both men knew whom she was speaking to. "Get on the other laptop. I need you to Backscatter this guy. They need to be shutdown…permanently."
Ken and Dick exchanged looks and Ken moved to his laptop. He knew that Backscatter meant he needed to work backwards and find out who is hacking the site. He ran a trace on the IP address of the website. He could run the list of address through another program he had that would track the amount of bandwidth that was attached to the address. Regular users would be easy to spot. Whoever was hacking the site would be using much more bandwidth than the other users. Ken hoped there would be enough time to run both programs.
Jess's typing sped up as she stiffened slightly in the chair she was sitting in. "Fuck, whoever this is…they're good. Ken I might need your help."
One Police Plaza
Computer Crimes
Thursday August 20th, 12:04
Morales sat in front of his laptop typing what appeared to be nonsense to Elliot and Alex. His typing had sped up in the last minute or so. "I can tell you this much Stabler, Olivia isn't maintaining Pharaoh's website."
Stabler squinted his eyes. "How do you know that?"
The tech did not look at the detective. He stared at the monitor as he typed. "Whoever is maintaining the site is a pro. I mean Olivia was great when she worked here, but she was never trained for this. There is no way she has the kind of knowledge it takes to keep me out. Plus, Olivia doesn't have the capability to work at this pace; there are only a handful of people who do."
Alex watched the tech's hands. "It's Jess, isn't it?"
Morales didn't say anything for a full minute. "I'm being traced. On top of being cock-blocked at every turn I'm being traced. There has to be multiple users at this point. No one would be able to do both."
Elliot furrowed his brow. "Why?"
"It takes too much time to set up the tracing program. Whoever is burning me has to be concentrating only on that. Look at how fast I'm working. Do you think I'd have time to set up anything else while I'm trying to hack the website?"
Stabler looked at Alex. "Jess is getting help from someone. She called someone for help."
Alex looked back at Elliot. "Who would she ask for help?"
Morales continued to type. "Whoever it is…they have expert knowledge of computers."
Elliot closed his eyes, shook his head and sighed. He knew exactly who Jess had called.
146 Banker Street
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Thursday August 20th, 12:06
Markus Pharaoh was growing impatient but he spoke in a calm tone. "Detective Benson, what is happening to my website?"
"I don't know. Someone is trying to hack into the site and shut it down," Olivia said, trying to remain calm.
In an eerily calm voice Pharaoh asked, "Who is it?"
Olivia continued to type on the keyboard, although she knew it was having no effect on that was actually happening. So far Jess had managed to burn the hacker at every turn. The brunette wondered how long the teen could go on for. "I don't know who the hacker is."
Pharaoh pulled out a gun from his right side and drew it to Olivia's right temple. "Stop them, Detective Benson."
Olivia swallowed hard. She would if she could. At this point the brunette wasn't even in control of the computer, although the hacker would have already penetrated the website if she had been. "I'm doing the best I can. I only have two hands."
Markus spoke like pure liquid as he cocked the gun that was aimed at Benson's head. "Shut the hacker down, Olivia. Those little boys down the hall are counting on you. Don't forget that."
145 Banker Street
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Thursday August 20th, 12:08
As Ken worked on the trace, Jess kept the hacker at bay and Dick watched the video output of the camera pointed across the street. He narrowed his eyes at the playout and then widened them. His heart started to race and panic set into his tone. "Oh shit! Jess, Pharaoh has a gun to Liv's head."
Jess stopped typing and looked at her boyfriend. "What?! Are you serious?"
Dick swallowed hard and nodded. He turned the laptop towards Jess so she could see the video. Ken looked at Jess. "Hey, pay attention! The hacker's going to get in."
The blonde turned back to the laptop in front of her and hit the keyboard harder than before. Dick turned the laptop back towards himself. He watched as Markus Pharaoh toyed with the gun pointed at Olivia's head. He wondered if this was how it was going to end. If Olivia was killed his father would be grieve-stricken; but his girlfriend? Jess might not ever recover. The detective was her whole life and Dick knew it. All he could do was sit there, helplessly and watch Olivia's fate unfold in front of him.
"Fuck this; I'm going to end this fucker right now." Within two minutes of non-stop typing, complete concentration and silence Jess stood up, sending the chair she was sitting in flying. "Fuck you!!!"
Detective Elliot Stabler's Residence
Glen Oaks, Queens
Thursday August 20th, 12:08
Lizzie held Eli in her arms as she and her mother talked in the kitchen. Kathy was getting lunch ready for the three of them.
"Lizzie, do you want mayo on your BLT?" Kathy asked; her daughter's back was to her.
The young woman didn't answer. She just stood there.
"Liz? Mayo or not?" Kathy asked again, this time looking up with the bottle of mayo in her right hand.
Elizabeth was silent. Kathy put the bottle down and went over to her youngest daughter. "Liz?" She turned the teen around and saw the horrified look on the girl's face. Kathy tried to take the baby out of Lizzie arms but she had a vice-like grip on her brother. "Liz, give me your brother."
Kathy struggled to get the child free, but her daughter would not give the baby up. She finally put both her hands on Elizabeth's shoulders and shook her. "Lizzie, what's wrong?!"
Lizzie's eyes had glazed over, her face paralyzed as if she had seen a ghost. "Dick. Something's wrong with Dick."
Kathy stopped shaking her daughter and Liz relinquished her hold on Eli. The mother grabbed the baby boy and held him in her left arm as she held her daughter in her right. Elizabeth had snapped out of whatever had captured her and was now crying in her mother's arms.
One Police Plaza
Computer Crimes
Thursday August 20th, 12:10
"Shit!!" Morales slammed his fist down on the desk beside his laptop.
Stabler opened his eyes and looked at the back of the tech's head. "What? What happened?"
"They burned me, for good. Look…"
The three people looked at the laptop's screen. A virtual fireball appeared and made all the java on the screen disappear. Out of the fireball came this message: "I was born at nite but not last nite. Slick burned u."
Alex inhaled and held her breath. "Oh, God, it's Jessie."
Elliot wasn't sure what to do. It was Jess; there was no doubt about that. Not only did he suspect Dick was involved but he was sure Ken Randle was helping Jess as well. He still could not account for his partner, though. Stabler turned to Alex and put his hands on her shoulders. "Breath, Alex, it's okay. At least we know Jess is alive and what she is doing."
"How can you be so calm about this?! Jess is helping Markus Pharaoh and you think this is a good thing?" Alex said, finally exhaling. "He's a child molester and that's my little girl keeping his website on-line!"
Stabler sighed. Jess was Olivia's, legally anyway, not Alex's. He knew the A.D.A. cared for Jess but this was the first time he had ever heard her verbalize how much the kid meant to her. "It's not a good thing, but it's a start."
146 Banker Street
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Thursday August 20th, 12:11
Markus looked at the computer screen. Olivia had stopped typing for the most part. She showed him the website. "Everything is back, up and running."
"That's good, Detective. Very nice work. I knew you were the right person for this job. Now, have some lunch and I'll be back later," Pharaoh said as he put the gun back in its holster on his right side. He turned and left the room.
Olivia let out a sigh and closed her eyes. She wasn't sure how much longer this situation could continue.
145 Banker Street
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Thursday August 20th, 12:12
Jess moved towards her boyfriend. "How is Livie?" Her tone was riddled with worry.
Dick looked from the monitor to Jess. "She's fine. Pharaoh left her alone in the room."
The three of them looked at the playout and, sure enough, Olivia was alone in front of the computer. Jess went back to her laptop and typed. "R u ok?" onto the notepad.
"Yes, U?" came back to the blonde. Jess sighed and typed back, "Yes, did he buy it was u?"
Olivia answered, "Yes. Get Elliot."
Ken and Dick were standing behind Jess as she typed back, "Can't, isn't here. Just me."
Dick was the first to call Jess on the situation. "Jess, this is getting out of hand. You need to call the squad."
Jess looked back at the guys behind her. "No way! There isn't enough evidence yet."
"He has them in that warehouse! Olivia told you that. Call them and end this…now!" her boyfriend yelled.
The blonde shook her head. "It isn't enough. There is no proof he is molesting them."
Ken sighed. "The boys will say that he did! You have to call this in!"
Jess looked at both men. "Gather up all the garbage we have made over the time we have been here and put it in a bag. Turn the buster on and answer it if it rings." Dick turned on the disposable cell phone and Ken gathered up all the garbage. "I'm going for a drive. Keep an eye on Livie."
Dick shook his head. "You're not going alone."
"You and Ken are both waaaay too involved. I'm making a phone call and then you both are leaving."
Ken narrowed his eyes at her. "No way. You are not staying here alone."
Jess sighed. "It won't be for long. I brought you both in on this and now I'm pulling the plug."
She grabbed the keys to Olivia's car off the desk, the garbage bag from Ken and left the guys alone in the office part of the warehouse. Jess moved the plywood, got in the Mustang and took off. There was only one person she knew that would be able to tell her if there was enough evidence right now to take Markus Pharaoh down.