Sweet Confrontations
Chapter 11
"It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves." – William Shakespeare
By BlossomingWords & Vendredii
A/N: This chapter is HELLA longer than usual. Someone reappears… *cough* Brian *cough*. Sorry to anyone who read this earlier as we accidentally posted it to our other story Something Wicked. But now it's where it's supposed to be :)
"So there's been no sign of a ring anywhere? It's gotta be somewhere, it doesn't grow legs and walk off Fin!" Olivia said to Fin as the two walked back into the precinct after grabbing coffee.
Benson walked to Amanda's desk and gave her a cup and then turned back to the male detective.
"I don't get it; it must have some importance right?" The brunette questioned.
Fin shrugged his shoulders and then Amanda butted in, "What I don't understand is how Taja Rosyara is so nice to her sister. I know if Kim had been involved in prostitution rings and kidnap I'd be going crazy. Taja doesn't seem bothered in the slightest."
The blonde looked up at her partner and they were clearly beginning to think along the same lines.
The brunette put her cup down and walked to Cragen's office with Rollins hot on her heels. Benson wanted to question Taja whether she liked it or not.
Amanda and Olivia found themselves once again at the Rosyara studio. Amanda shivered. She wasn't too keen on scoping places out any more. Benson sent her a concerned look and squeezed her hand gently. Amanda nodded to signal she was okay. The two then entered the front doors. They found the studio brightly lit by overhead lights. The older of the two spotted two suitcases by the front door. She pointed this out to Amanda.
"Who's out there-?" Taja Rosyara emerged from the back. "Oh, detectives. How may I help you?"
"Planning on going somewhere?" Amanda asked motioning towards the luggage.
Taja blinked at the blonde. "Yes, I am. My sister is being released from the hospital today. I am taking her back to Nepal, where she belongs."
"So let me get this straight, you are taking your sister, one who has been sexually assaulted, out of country? We can't find out who hurt her if she's not in New York." Olivia asked the woman somewhat harshly.
"You people won't do anything! I don't even know why she talked to you in the first place." Taja explained.
"We are investigating, Taja. We are trying." Amanda said softly.
"Then why haven't you caught him yet?
"We haven't caught him yet because your sister has failed to cooperate with us. All we need is a name, a face even. But she isn't even giving us that much." Olivia said as an angered tone crept in.
Taja looked at the older detective. "I'm sorry detective but I really don't have time to help you right now. I need to pack."
Amanda looked across at Olivia before she said "I don't think that's a wise idea if I'm honest Miss Rosyara."
The Indian woman seemed concerned if not a little afraid by the statement. "And what's that supposed to mean detective?"
"What I mean is that we can tie your sister to a murder of a young girl, one we've questioned you over before. We need to find her killer; you need to get your sister out of the country. I'm sure we could come to some agreement don't you?" The southern accent floated through the air.
Benson looked at her adorable partner; she couldn't imagine a better woman to be with. This moment just proved it.
Taja sighed and pressed her hands to each side of her skirt. "I'm taking out of the country because nothing good happened here. She got involved with that bastard she calls a boyfriend-"
"So this is about Luca?" Amanda asked innocently.
"Part of it is, why?" Taja replied to the younger detective.
"I'm sure your sister's told you by now, but Luca is dead." Amanda explained. Olivia stood back and watched. She saw that Amanda was getting somewhere and didn't want to mess it up.
"I am aware of that. But he had his own problems and he pulled my sister into them." The Indian woman went back to arranging her luggage.
"Like what?" It was an innocent question, but it pulled an expression like no other out of Taja. Amanda looked at the younger woman, expecting an answer.
"I can't say."
Amanda rolled her eyes and looked back at Benson. "She can't say." Her vision returned to Taja. "We have your sister in promoting prostitution, fraud, assault, even murder. You can help her by helping us." The blonde's rose as she ended her sentence. She was trying to play into Taja's game.
Taja rolled her eyes, "You want me to come to the precinct again don't you? Make me tell you what I know and whatever other dirt you want on our family?"
Benson stepped in as she saw Amanda's expression, "I'm sorry if that's the view that you're getting from us Miss Rosyara but we honestly just want a decent, civilized conversation with you. But if you can't provide us with that then...well we'll have to take you anyway."
"So it's a threat then?" Taja responded, as she crossed her arms in front of her.
"No it's a statement. Now get in the car." Rollins grabbed hold of the Indian woman's arm and dragged her towards the exit.
2 hours later and Taja had still failed to cooperate with the most basic of questions. Amanda sat on Olivia's desk as the brunette flipped through the folders laid out in front of her.
"See I still can't find anything in her original statement that doesn't correspond with the things that she's saying now."
"She's clever, way more clever than her sister ever was." Amanda said as she stole a sip from Olivia's coffee mug.
"What do you mean?" Benson questioned her girlfriend.
"Well think about it, she never had the ties to Luca, she never really got that involved or distracted. That's if she was ever anything to do with their little business anyways. If we're going to crack a Rosyara it's definitely not going to be her." Amanda answered as she turned around to see their Captain open the door to his office.
"Do you want to tell me why the hell you brought Miss Rosyara back here with my say so?" He asked partially furious.
"Captain, I think we've been looking at Asanti when we really should've been looking at Taja." Olivia stepped in as she saw Amanda wasn't going to answer.
"Oh really? Do you have anything to back that?" He asked his detectives.
Olivia once again decided to answer. "Asanti had all the ties to Charlotte and Kia. Why would she kill one of them, just to be raped and sent to jail? Taja on the other hand has no ties, no priors. But she was there, and she plans on taking her sister out of the country! Why?" Olivia answers, hoping Cragen would see where she was getting.
Meanwhile, Amanda had hung up a phone call she recieved from Melinda. Both Benson and Cragen looked back her for hopefully news.
"Melinda would like to see us. She says it's important."
"Well if she thinks that, then go." Cragen's voice hinted at anger but his face masked his true emotions.
Amanda looked at her girlfriend; the two grabbed their coats and rushed for the exit.
"Sooo dinner and a movie?" Benson laughed as the two drove to meet Melinda.
Rollins gazed across at her lover who was driving. "I'm sorry. What? Did I really just hear Detective Olivia Benson say somethin' about dinner and a movie? I feel like I'm dreamin'. Am I dreaming? Someone pinch me!" Amanda laughed as Olivia's brow turned slowly into a frown.
"Well if that's how you're going to be..."
Amanda chuckled again as they neared their destination. As Benson pulled the car to a halt she looked across at her blonde partner.
"Actually I was thinkin' somethin' a little more romantic." Amanda winked.
The brunette rolled her eyes, "And by romantic you mean what? Getting me drunk and sleeping with me, Detective?"
"Hmmm I hadn't thought of that but thanks for the idea!" Amanda joked jumping out of the car and entering the building.
The two walked the corridors until they found Melinda, all tucked up doing her work. She gazed up at them both as she read a file and passed it to one of her colleagues as she came to greet them.
"Olivia," She smiled at the brunette, "Detective." Warner looked at Amanda handing her another file she had been holding.
"Sorry it took so long. There was a mass homicide in Chelsea." Melinda explains to the young detective, who was flipping through the file.
"So Charlotte died from blunt force trauma to the head and stomach. She bled out internally after her spline ruptured. There were multiple healed burns, bruises, broken bones and tearings all over her body." She continued to explain. The doctor walked over to the lab table where Charlotte's dead body lay. She pulled the sheet to allow Amanda and Olivia to receive a better look.
"Do you have anything that would tell us where she is from?" Olivia asked hopefully.
Melinda nodded. "From the chemical residue found in her hair, she hasn't been the US for longer than a year. Before that she was in Mexico, and 6 months before that, she was in Israel."
"So there's no really telling where she is actually from until we talk to Cassidy?" Amanda quizzes sighing.
"Yes. I am sorry that's all I could find out, but if you match the timeline to her bruises, you'll find she's been abused for quite some time."
"Thanks Melinda." Amanda sighed again and headed out the MEs office, touching Olivia's wrist slightly. Melinda took note of the interaction. She looked to Olivia, who was already out after the blonde.
"Amanda." The brunette called after her girlfriend who was walking down the damp streets at a fast pace. "Amanda!" No response. "Amanda Sara Rollins!" This seemed to do the trick. Amanda whisked around quickly staring at her girlfriend; whom of which looked utterly confused.
"Honey what's the matter?" Olivia seemed so concerned it comforted Amanda slightly. Benson saw the desperation in the younger woman's eyes, because of this she grabbed the junior detective's wrist and led her into a nearby alley.
"It's just..." Amanda trailed off; she felt completely idiotic and didn't know how to explain her problem to her girlfriend. "It's the case Liv. It's overwhelming you know? That poor girl lying there on that table, broken bones and tearings on her body. Just imagine how her parents feel I mean for all they know she's missing!"
Even through the cascade of darkness Olivia could see the tears beginning to rise in the blonde's eyes.
"Aw baby it's okay. We all have a case that gets to us." Benson touched the side of Amanda's face in order to comfort her. The gentle graze of skin made Rollins' breath hitch slightly. "It's not a weakness to feel pain." The older woman whispered, just barely loud enough for her partner to hear.
The younger woman looked down, "I'm sorry, I feel so stupid! These things shouldn't get to me."
Olivia stepped toward her partner, their faces merely inches away from each other. The brunette lifted the blonde's chin so her blue eyes met chestnut brown and proceeded to nestle herself into the woman's hair. She began to slowly kiss her way up Amanda's neck but stopped when she heard the woman release a deep moan.
Amanda pushed Benson back against the wall of a building and used her lips to part the brunette's mouth.
"Olivia?!" The two women heard a male voice say. Olivia parted from Amanda and looked over at the source.
Oh crap, Amanda thought to herself.
"Cassidy." The older of the two said dryly. Brian stood there, mouth ajar, one donut in hand and a coffee in the other.
"What the hell is going on? Does Cragen know? You know what; forget if Cragen knows, since when do you date girls?" He blurted out swiftly.
Olivia rolled her eyes. "Well that Brian isn't really any of your business now is it?!" The woman answered as she stroked the side of Amanda's face with the palm of her hand. The younger woman seemed scared as if Brian could actually do something threatening to them.
Cassidy remained still, he wasn't quite sure how to answer and the sight of Olivia and Detective Rollins together was just so hot or so he believed.
"You just gonna stand there all day? Or have you actually got somethin' to tell us?" Amanda had plucked up the courage to say something to the fool who stood before them.
"Oh yeah right," Cassidy shook his head as if trying to remember his true motive for trying to find these two. "Melinda, she said you were out here." He stumbled through his words.
"And?" Olivia's cold gaze began to stare the ragged cop out. His eyes were mixed with confusion and the two females waited for his answer.
"I managed to track down who Charlotte left with that night." He answered, still quite mind blown.
"Are you going to tell us who it is?" Amanda asked annoyed.
"Her father."
"Okay, explain this to me again?" Nick pondered out loud to his colleagues.
Amanda sighed; she was not sure what Nick wasn't getting. Nevertheless, she began to go over it again the same way Cassidy had.
"Charlotte's father, Abraham Ezra, went to jail for murder in drug charges one month after Charlotte went into trafficking. Liv and I think he may have sent Charlotte, but we could be wrong." Amanda answered, checking with her girlfriend to make sure she was saying the write things.
"Where was she sent from?" Fin asked.
"Israel." Olivia chimed in quickly. "Her mother is yet to be identified."
"How does Cassidy know that Charlotte left with him that night?" Nick quizzed.
"The other girls at club told him." Amanda sighed once more. "We believe that Ezra raped Asanti because he thought she knew something about Charlotte, but we could be wrong.
"Liv, Rollins, I need you two to head to Bellevue Prison Ward and question Asanti. Nick, check with Kia to see if she knows anything. Fin, I want you checking the surveillance again now that we know who we are looking for."
The detectives nodded and parted their separate ways, this case was a tough one and it only seemed to get intricately more detailed the further they dug. Both Olivia and Amanda knew that deep down this case was never going to end well, one rape possibly two and a dead youth didn't really make for a happy occasion.
The two females grabbed for their coats and headed into the elevator. Amanda pressed the button for the ground floor and looked across at her girlfriend. The brunette stood with such a stance that Rollins couldn't help but be proud; Olivia Benson had this twinkle in her eye. One that said ''I'm ready for anything" yet didn't say a word. This woman was so full of complexities that Amanda enjoyed learning what else was hidden behind that woman's mask.
Benson looked up and over at the blonde. "What?" She asked when she caught Amanda staring. "Have I got something on my face?"
Rollins laughed, "Honey, don't mind me I'm just admiring' my sexy girlfriend'." She winked.
"Admiring? Is that so?" Benson seemed to find this amusing as she stuck her tongue out at her lover. "Come on we need to figure out who this killer is." Olivia turned to her girlfriend as they hit the bottom floor.
"Yeah well you know what they say...you can accomplish anything with love." Amanda lent over and kissed her lover's full lips before walking through the open elevator doors and out of the precinct.
A/N: Romantic, huh? Wonder what Amanda's gonna say at this 'romantic' evening...So,will Asanti give up her assailant, or will Taja keep her quiet?