Chapter 2
"What exactly do we have Melinda?" Elliot asked as the group arrived on the scene. Major Case was also there in the even that it was determined SVU should stay away from the case. Rollins had been forced to stay behind at the precinct to list anyone who had it out for her.
"Well I can't tell you exactly. What I can tell you is, we have a white brunette female aged about twenty-five. Other than the visible wounds to her chest, she has a gunshot to the temple, and she was found by a couple officers when someone complained that there was a young female sunbathing in the nude in the park," Melinda said.
"In this weather?" Elliot was confused by the phrasing of the words. It was the middle of winter. No one would be out and about sunbathing in New York City. Heck, most people would avoid the park at this time of year given the temperatures and the winds that whipped across it.
"So what can't you tell us?" Nick wanted to know.
"Without a full exam, I can't tell you if she was sexually assaulted or whether or not she had anything in her system," the coroner was upfront.
"Got it. So we're here mostly because Rollins' name is all over this poor girl," Elliot nodded.
"Yes. Whoever this guy is, he knows Rollins enough that he didn't just carve her last name into this poor girl but he also knew her badge number and carved that along with it. What's worse, I believe that the carvings were done while she was still alive," Melinda said. Nick swallowed hard.
"Good God," he murmured.
"Was the gunshot just an afterthought? I mean wouldn't she have bled out from the cutting?" Elliot asked.
"I'll let you know when I know. Meantime, I suggest you talk to Major Case about which one of you is taking this case," the coroner nodded before heading off with her assistants to get the body back to the morgue.
"Fin, why don't you introduce us to your new friends?" Elliot smiled slightly as he approached the partner-less detective who had been talking with the other two detectives.
"This is Detective Matt Sanchez and his partner Detective Andrea Sweeney. They just got off the phone with Captain Hannah," the detective answered. Elliot quickly introduced himself and Nick followed suit.
"So what does your Captain have to say?" Nick asked.
"He's willing to give this case to you guys as long as Rollins stays out of it," Sanchez explained.
"Understandable," Elliot nodded.
"There is a condition," Sweeney spoke up.
"What is that?" Fin wanted to know.
"If this thing goes sideways and more bodies start to drop, you hand it over, no questions asked. This creep is pretty sick and our Captain wants to make sure everything is done by the book," she told them.
"Fair enough. We don't want this guy walking," Nick nodded.
"Ok then. Good luck fellas," Sanchez nodded and he and his partner turned and left.
"So where do we start?" Fin asked.
"I would say that we need to find our nine-one-one caller. He or she might have a connection to this case. Why else would they be in the middle of Central Park in the middle of winter in the middle of the day?" Elliot wondered.
Meanwhile at Elliot and Olivia's place, the latter was attempting to decorate for the holidays. Christmas was only two weeks away and they had yet to decorate the tree or anything else in the apartment. Granted, she was still using her crutches to get around but she hoped that after another six months of therapy she would be able to walk without them.
"Momma," Charlotte beamed form her playpen. The fifteen month old was just very happy and Olivia loved the fact that she had had the opportunity to have Charlotte before her encounter with Lewis. The fact of the matter was she and Elliot had not been able to engage in their usual voracious bedtime activities since she'd been hurt and the doctor said that until she could walk without crutches, she would have to wait. It was a healing process and they could still goof around, they just couldn't do the hot and heavy, four alarm fire kind of stuff that would leave most people embarrassed. The doctor also warned that even when she was better, she could not take the risk of getting pregnant. Given her age along with her injuries, any childbirth would have to be done via C-section and the possibilities of complications had increased. Olivia had been a little disappointed that two would be her final number of children but Elliot had brought up that if she wanted to adopt, they could. She had appreciated the gesture but the fact of the matter was they were barely scraping by financially. Her medical bills had been extensive and the coverage had not covered everything. Her pension and disability checks basically went to cover her treatment while Elliot's check would have to cover the rent and their other bills. Calvin had offered to get a job but at fifteen, Olivia knew that she didn't want him to have to worry about work.
"Who's my big girl?" She asked Charlotte as she leaned up against the playpen. Olivia was about to pick her up when she heard a knock on the door. Thinking it odd, she made her way over to the door and looked through the peephole. There stood a young man, only a few years older than Calvin, holding a large envelope.
"Who is it?" She asked through the door.
"Delivery service. I have a package for Olivia Stabler," the young man explained.
"I didn't order anything," she said, still refusing to open the door.
"I know you didn't ma'am. The court did, you've been served" he said. To this she opened the door and the man handed her the envelope.
"Are you ok ma'am? Do you need some help?" He asked as he saw her face go white.
"I'll be fine. Thank you," he nodded but he didn't look like he believed her. She closed the door and headed back to the couch. The young man shrugged and walked away. Olivia barely made it to the couch before she collapsed. There were only two reasons she would be served with a court summons and she didn't like either. Opening the envelope, she pulled out the paperwork and gasped.
To Be Continued…