They all regrouped at the station a little later. Munch joined them too and Cragen left him in charge to organize them seeing how he himself needed to get a hold of Amanda's parents. He trusted Munch to be able to keep his head cool at this trying time. When one of their own got hurt it was always hard to put feelings aside and put your best effort in but that's what they needed to do right now. As Cragen went into his office to get a hold of Amanda's next of kin Munch went around the room to make sure everyone was okay. Nick and Fin seemed collected enough but Olivia felt anxious and Munch knew to tread lightly until she had time to put herself together. They all knew they needed everything they could get from the crime scene and as things were they could only hope Amanda would give them evidence enough to track the son of a bitch that had done this to her. It would take some time though and right now neither of them really felt like just hanging around until they got the results.
Cragen got a hold of Amanda's mother and informed her about her daughters' condition. He didn't go in to the harsh details over the phone but told her she had sustained a bad head injury and she needed to come to New York as soon as possible. Since Amanda's parents were divorced he asked her if she wanted him to call her father but the mother said she would take care of it. They would both arrive as soon as they could. She would let him know when they would arrive and he'd make sure someone picked them up at the airport. Cragen promised he would call if anything changed in Amanda's condition. Amanda's mom had of course been shocked by the call but managed to keep her composure. Cragen had done worse calls in his life but it was still draining. Especially since he knew there was still plenty he had to inform her parents about once they got there.
He went back out to find that Munch had done a good job getting them started on the mission ahead. They had started a case file up on a board. The photo of the suspect was up there and they had sent it out to every police squad in the state for everyone to keep a look out for him. During the night they would get the result of the crime scene investigation and from the forensic analyze on Amanda's body. Semen was found on the bed and later also inside of Amanda which confirmed she had been raped. She had managed to scratch her offender so DNA was found under her fingernails as well. Unfortunately they got no hits on the DNA in CODIS. They did however get two hits on the fingerprints lifted from the apartment. One was from a crime scene in Druid Hills, Georgia back in 1997, a store robbery with a deadly outcome. The other one from a break-in in Scottdale, Georgia 2003. The fingerprints went to an unknown assailant though. But now they at least knew this probably originated in Atlanta and Cragen put in a call to her former employer.
The night passed by way too slowly and with way too little to go on. Cragen, Olivia and Fin all interviewed Amanda's former employers and co-workers over the phone during the evening and well into the night. They found no former abusive boyfriends, they actually found almost no boyfriends at all. There was one, a fellow policeman who worked narcotics in Atlanta, that she had gone out with and Liv got to talk to him. He had been very fond of Amanda she learnt but he'd always felt as though she had some wall up and Amanda had ended it when he wanted to take it to another level. He couldn't tell Olivia much about anything really, Amanda had never told him much about her upbringing or past relationships. And that was what they got from everyone basically. She was thought of as a very good partner and detective, very driven and successful in the tasks she set out for but no one had any personal information to pass on about her. She was just very anonymous it seemed. And the name Jade didn't ring a bell for anyone.
Cragen talked to Amanda's former captain, Sam Reynolds, that he had known for many years and who was the one that first got in contact with Cragen about transferring Amanda to his squad. That's when he learnt the real reason behind Amanda's need to leave her former squad. Apparently her deputy chief had under the influence started to act inappropriate with her at a police benefit event. It had ended with an assault in one of the locker rooms at the sports arena where the event was held. Amanda had clocked him and as she tried to flee the scene she'd run into her captain who had managed to get her to tell him what had happen. She didn't say much about the actual assault but mostly been afraid that she had hurt him badly. The deputy chief was fine. He needed a good sobering up though.
Sam confessed to Cragen he'd acted all wrong when not writing the deputy chief up. But Amanda had begged him not to. Said she was fine although she'd sported bruises already visible that evening. The deputy chief had been very apologetic and confessed everything he could remember to the captain a few days later. The versions varied quite a lot. Amanda had downplayed it plenty while the other one sounded like a serious rape attempt. Sam had seen to it that the deputy chief dealt with his issues but Amanda had refused any kind of counseling. It had been obvious to him though she wasn't doing well having to see the man that assaulted her every day and take orders from him and since she'd already reached a glass ceiling in his squad he talked to her about a transfer. She'd been very positive to this. Cragen wasn't happy to hear how his old friend had handled this but couldn't really deal with that right now. He had more important things to focus on.
Cragen wasn't sure how to handle this information but called Liv and Fin into his office. He decided to let them know. –So could he be the perpetrator? Liv asked once Cragen had told them what he just learnt. Cragen shook his head. –Probability says no. Captain Reynolds had eyes on him two days ago which means he can't have attacked her in that alley. And he is not the man in the photo. Reynolds would look into making sure he was still in the state so we can definitely cross him off our list of suspects for this last assault. –He's not the guy. But it shows a pattern for her. Fin said. Liv and Cragen looked at him.
–She gets assaulted but doesn't want to report it. It's a pattern. –But why? Liv had to ask. –That's for us to find out. This guy must have something on her. Maybe he has some leverage on her? I don't know but something is preventing her from turning this guy in. And having her deputy chief accused may set something in motion that would have complications on the rest? –If he's a cop? Liv suggested. Cragen shook his head –We sent the photo to Atlanta. No one there recognized him either. If he was a cop they would surely do so. –An informant? Liv tried. –Same thing. A cop would identify him. Cragen replied.
-What about her injuries? Liv said and got both men's eyes on her. –I don't think he wanted to kill her. Sure he did push at her throat but not hard enough so it would kill her. I think the blow to the head was accidental. –You're not suggesting she was up for it are you? Cragen asked. Liv shook her head firmly.
–No. Absolutely not. But I think she fell or there was a struggle as she tried to get up, or get away afterwards. He was more violent in the alley. That time he looked agitated. This time he broke her door down, sure he made her shed some blood before she reached the bedroom but it could have been caused by the door and then he basically just pins her down. –So the rape was primary. Fin said quietly. –I think so. He didn't have a weapon in the alley and none that we know of in her apartment. But he did go through her phone in the alley which also indicates he's looking for something. Nothing in the apartment was disturbed though but he might not have had time to if he freaked after she hit her head. Liv stopped talking.
She could tell Fin was thinking hard and when he got nowhere he got frustrated. Cragen decided it was time to call it a quits for the night. They all needed sleep. They needed to be at their best. He wanted Liv to take the interview with the parents as soon as possible. They would arrive with the early morning flight and be taken straight to the hospital to visit their daughter. Hopefully they would have some insight on whatever it was that was going on. And by the morning Cragen hoped some things would have stirred that would lead them further along in catching the perpetrator. He needed to be taken off the streets yesterday. All but Fin went home for a few hours of sleep if possible. Fin drove over to the hospital and camped out in a chair in Amanda's room. Her condition hadn't changed. Not better but not worse either. The machines kept beeping and her pump sighing. They had cleaned her up and dressed her but she still looked miserable. Nurses came in every half hour to check on her. Fin managed to sleep through some of those visits but he mostly woke up as they entered. She had a guard outside her door but Fin still was afraid that the man would come back to finish off what he started. Maybe he hadn't tried to kill her before but his MO could change now that the truth was out. Not a risk Fin would take.
Fin's detective skills got beaten by fatigue finally though and he slept for almost two hours straight. He woke up as a nurse was hunched over Amanda and he sat up in his chair. –How is she? He asked and made her jump a bit. The nurse still just smiled at him though and said: -She's been stable through the night. The doctor thinks she's going to wake up. It's the possibility that the lack of oxygen have given her permanent brain injury that's our biggest concern right now. He thanked her as she left and Fin looked at his watch. It was almost 7:30 am. Amanda's parents would arrive soon. He did not want to be the first one to meet them and have to answer any questions they might have. He walked up to her bed and placed his hand gently on her bandaged head.
–I hope you had a good nights sleep. God knows I didn't thanks to you. He said with a smile that soon vanished. She looked so broken. –If you can hear me I want you to promise me to fight this. Come back you hear. He took a pause. –You have to come back to me.