Chapter 17
"Shouldn't you be in court?" Munch asked as Elliot arrived at the precinct. He wanted to go to Bellevue but he knew he needed to check in with the unit first.
"What have we got?" He asked ignoring the question. Munch took that as a sign not to push.
"Alvarez's lawyer is trying to get everything in the storage lockers thrown out. Jersey is trying to nail his ass for the murder of Michelle Han in case we lose the evidence from inside the units. So far they can't find anything that connects Robbie to Michelle," the elder detective explained.
"Where are Fin and the Captain?" Elliot wanted to know since they seemed to be missing from the squad room.
"The Captain is coordinating with the Jersey police to see if any of our evidence would give them something to tie Michelle and Robbie together. Fin is with Huang bringing his bosses up to speed along with them helping to expedite some forensics found at the storage units. The Feds are willing to let Jersey and New York duke it out unless neither of us can convict him. Then they're going to step in," Much said.
"This all ties back into Michelle. How did she know him? We nail that then we can get him for murder in Jersey and try him later for our murders while he's sitting in jail," Elliot heaved a sigh.
"So far Jersey's background check hasn't found anything tying them together. I'm trying to cross-match her shopping habits in the city with places that Alvarez went to but I haven't found anything. Briscoe was checking into NYU but it seems like that's a dead end," the elder detective shook his head.
"No word on Elizabeth?" The former Marine wondered.
"The doctors had to amputate some more of her toes. She's still in a coma but even if she wakes up, they're afraid that she'll have brain damage. She breathed in the bulk of the chemicals that were let loose when we popped the trunk and aspirated some of her own vomit," Munch frowned.
"What were those chemicals again?" Elliot suddenly had an idea.
"Chloropicrin. It's used as a pesticide now but back in the day it was also used in chemical warfare. It's severely irritating to the lungs, eyes, and skin in high concentrations and can cause vomiting," he said.
"So the EPA has to regulate its use right?" The younger man asked.
"Yes but CSU said that the only way to get your hands on it is if you're a licensed professionals or a specially certified grower. No one on our list fits that description," Munch pointed out.
"Yes but who did Michelle work for? She might not have had direct access but there might have been another way for her to get her hands on it," Elliot said. The former Baltimore detective dug through the records in front of him and smirked,
"Garden State my ass. Michelle worked for DeWitt Chemical in the Human Resources department. They specialize in pesticides!"
"Call the Captain and give him an update. It's quite possible that they had a theft and didn't report it. The EPA doesn't look too kindly on misplaced possible chemical weapons. Either Michelle helped him get the chemicals or he used her ID to gain access to them. I'm heading to the hospital," he said and he made to move toward the door. Elliot never got out of the door, however, as his cellphone went off in his pocket.
"Stabler,"
"We've got something on Robbie Alvarez that might help you connect him to Michelle Han," TARU tech Ruben Morales said.
"What is it?" Elliot asked.
"He has searches on his computer for jobs at DeWitt Chemical. He wouldn't have the qualifications for it but that doesn't mean he didn't use an interview to gain access to the building and see how tight their security was. I found a phony resume too," Morales explained.
"I'll tell John. Seems Robbie wasn't as careful as he thought," Elliot smirked.
"Well he did delete them but as they say, nothing is ever truly deleted," the tech said.
"Thanks!" Elliot hung up and then turned to John who was on the phone with the Captain. Quickly, he told him to put it on speaker. John did so and Elliot divulged what he just found out.
"Excellent. I'll let Jersey know. Elliot get to the hospital and check on Liv," Cragen ordered.
"On my way," the detective said. He turned and headed out of the door, letting Munch handle things. Making his way to the car and then onto the road, Elliot worked his way toward Bellevue.
"Hello Detective Stabler. I'm guessing that you're here for an update on Elizabeth and Detective Benson," Doctor Kyle Beresford said as Elliot approached the nurses' station.
"How are they doing?" Elliot asked.
"Well Elizabeth is far from out of the woods. She has yet to regain consciousness and the extent of her injuries not only from the gas but from the beating she took prior to that," Doctor Beresford explained.
"Can you tell what she was beaten with? Our guy had wounds on his knuckles but we know that couldn't have been the only thing he used. The other victims are too beat up for him to not have broken his hands," the detective said.
"Well I can't speak to your other victims but Elizabeth has bruising consistent with a fist but there is other bruising and fractures that were probably done with a bat or a pipe," Beresford told him. Elliot nodded.
"As for Detective Benson, she's not awake yet either. When she fell and hit her head on the car, she did some serious damage to her head and neck. On top of that poison gas, which has damaged her lungs to a degree, has also caused the rashes on her skin. We've managed to control them but I think inducing a coma was probably the best course of action. She can heal and hopefully we don't need to do surgery," the doctor said.
"Surgery?" Elliot gave him a look. That hadn't been mentioned before.
"In order to help with the brain swelling. Her vertebrae seemed to have survived well from the fall but getting whacked by the car's fender and then the concrete floor just complicates things," he told him.
"How long do you think she'll be out of it?" Elliot wanted to know.
"As long as it takes to get better. I'm sorry I can't narrow it down just yet," the doctor said. He then clapped Elliot on the shoulder and went off to do his rounds. The detective moved down the hall to Olivia's room, needing to be close to her. He felt responsible and now he worried just what would happen when she woke up.
To Be Continued…