A/N: A shout out to Faith Ann Tucker! Thanks for your review. I'm not going there on this one but it could get ugly just the same. ;)
Chapter 11
"Mr. Stevenson, you seem awfully angry for someone who was just told his daughter might have been kidnapped," Munch started.
"What were you guys fighting about anyway?" Tutuola wanted to know.
"She's just doing this for attention. She thinks because no one at school believes her when she spews her lies that the cops will believe her," Stevenson said.
"Troubles at school huh? A little odd for a twenty-five year old. What school are we talking about?" Munch asked.
"I spent all that money to send her to get her PHD at NYU and all I get is whining about her professor. They're about ready to flunk her out!" Stevenson was boiling.
"He's an idiot," Stabler said as he stood in between Captain Cragen and Doctor Huang on the other side of the one-way glass.
"Yes he is. They don't just let anyone into the PHD programs at NYU. I'll get Briscoe chasing down the professor and any allegations that have been made," Cragen rushed out into the squad room where he practically tripped over Olivia, who had left Mrs. Stevenson at her desk.
"Cheryl was just telling me how easily her husband gets angry," she told him.
"Get with Briscoe. It's possible Elizabeth's professor was abusing her at NYU," he said. Olivia clenched her fists.
"You think that's why she got kidnapped?" Olivia asked.
"It's quite possible that our kidnapper has a partner. How else would he pull a woman into his car by himself? Get on TARU to finish cleaning up that video and see where they are with those electric bills. Also check with Mrs. Stevenson. Maybe she believed her daughter but was too afraid of her husband," Cragen told her. She nodded and quickly headed to Mrs. Stevenson. Cragen headed back to Elliot and Huang.
"He's a narcissist and quite possibly bi-polar," Huang was telling Elliot.
"How does this help find our kidnapper?" The detective asked.
"Elizabeth will try to distance herself from men like that. My guess is that he can be violent when he's in one of his moods. His inability to express emotions properly would certainly suggest it. More of a bottle it up type and then spew over something small like the kids knocked over her milk at dinner," Huang filled in.
"Ok so her professor would be the opposite but do you think he'd be helping our sicko?" Cragen asked.
"Grooming him perhaps, but I still feel like this is the work of just one person," the doctor admitted.
"Well how did our perp haul our victim into the car by himself and drive?" Elliot wanted to know.
"He has the ability to trick women into thinking he's normal. Why else would the first two girls leave with him? Even a prostitute will turn down a John if she gets any bad vibes from him. As much as they need to make money, the will to live overrides it. After successfully kidnapping, torturing, raping, and killing two prostitutes, he moves up to someone he either has access too or he feels would be another easy target. She gets near the car because she's cold, wandering around in her fleece pajamas. He thinks runaway. He gets closer and realizes that it's a victim more in his age range and he seizes the opportunity. He's nice, maybe slightly flirtatious; tells her that he could drop her somewhere if she wanted. She's just had an argument with her less than sane father who on some level, either physically or emotionally, has abused her. She doesn't want to go home. Maybe all it takes is an offer of money for food at the local diner. The victim gets close to the car and he pulls her in through the open window," Huang laid it all out for them.
"So perhaps he's in class with our victim. He would recognize her," Cragen said.
"Quite possible. She would probably feel comfortable with him. While NYU is a big university, PHD programs certainly are not big classes," Huang nodded.
"I'll help Briscoe and Liv run down the college angle. What do we do with Bozo the Clown in there?" Elliot asked.
"See if Mrs. Stevenson would want to press charges. My guess is that his anger is going to explode sooner rather than later. I would prefer that she not be on the end of his fist after they leave here," Huang frowned. Elliot was about to head to the squad room when suddenly Tutuola picked Mr. Stevenson out of his chair by his collar; the three had been focused on the profile of their killer rather than the last few sentences of the conversation in interrogation. Cragen busted into the room before things got completely out of control.
"What's going on?" He asked.
"We're arresting Mr. Stevenson. He just admitted to us that he hit the Mrs. On more than one occasion," Munch said.
"You can't do this! I know my rights!" Stevenson tried to swing his arms. He almost managed to connect his fist with Fin's face. The detective ducked and slammed him back into the table while Munch cuffed him.
"We'll add attempted assault on a police officer too," the older detective said.
"Get him out of here," Cragen gave Stevenson a look.
To Be Continued…