Location: SVU Squad Room. The Next Day.
George Huang peered through the two-way mirror into the interrogation where Alan Grady sat at the table. Unlike his brother, who didn't flinch or falter when he was interrogated by Munch and Fin at Rikers, Alan fidgeted around in his sit, trying not to look nervous. But the beads of sweat dripping down his face gave him away. The way he stared around anxiously, Huang thought Alan would wet himself at the drop of a pin. Huang thought he seemed more frightened than nervous. Fin and Cragen entered the room and stood next to Huang.
"How should we go about this?" Cragen asked Huang.
"Let me talk to him," suggested Huang. "He may be an accomplice, but I think he's also a victim."
"What?" Fin and Cragen exchanged confused looks.
"Look at him," Huang urged them. "He's scared. But not of us. Of Carl and Dennis. They seem to have a strong hold over him. They're the dominant ones. Alan knows what will happen if he betrays Carl and Dennis. But he also knows what will happen if he remains silent. He'll be forced to spend years in prison with his cousin and brother. Either way he's a goner."
"It makes sense," said Fin. "He was always the lookout. He never committed any actual crimes. He was always the accomplice."
Cragen nodded in agreement. "Alright, Doc. See what he knows. If he can lead us to Dennis, we may offer him a deal. Let's just hope he doesn't lawyer up first."
Huang gently and quietly opened the door to interrogation so as to not startle Alan, who was looking around, rather anxiously. He nearly jumped out of his skin when Huang entered the room, but he calmed down when Huang put his hands up.
"Take it easy, Alan," said Huang softly, slowly putting his hands down. "I'm a doctor. I just want to talk. Is it okay if I ask you a few questions?"
"I'm not crazy!" Alan snapped.
"I know," Huang spoke gently and sat down at the table across from him. "I also know you didn't want to help your brother and cousin. Tell me about them. What was it like growing up with them?"
Alan took a deep breath, feeling a little more at ease. "Carl always bullied me when we were kids. I was never any good at sports. I liked to read books, mostly about science like astronomy. I wanted to be an astronaut more than anything in the world. Carl and Dennis thought it was funny to knock whatever book I was reading out of my hands, then push me down and give me a wedgie. They always called me a 'faggot' because I never fought back. It only got worse when Dennis moved in with us."
"Why?" inquired Huang, listening intently. "What happened?"
"Because of my Uncle Roy," Alan continued, looking down at his hands, remembering. "He killed my Aunt Louise in a drunken rage. Carl and I were spending the night that night. We were in Dennis' room and heard everything. Roy accused Louise of cheating on him, as he always did when he got drunk. She swore she wasn't. He didn't believe her and started hitting her. I guess she finally realized enough was enough. She somehow broke free, ran to the kitchen and pulled out a knife. Louise told Roy if he didn't leave, she'd kill him. He laughed at her and grabbed his shotgun off the wall and shot her. Then he turned the gun on himself and pulled the trigger."
"How old were you when this happened?" questioned Huang.
"Ten," Alan answered, still looking down. "Carl and Dennis were twelve."
"Where were your parents?" Huang asked, carefully watching Alan's expressions and actions.
"My dad was always working," Alan went on. "And when he wasn't working, he got drunk and passed out on the couch. He always took Carl and Dennis' side. He'd tell me to stop being a baby and be a man. Mom always stuck up for me though. But she changed after Aunt Louise died. They were sisters and the only family either of them had. Mom took her death rather hard, and started drinking. That's when Carl and Dennis started getting out of control. They got into fights at school, killed birds and squirrels for laughs, and broke into neighbors' houses. I tagged along once just to prove I wasn't a chicken. Afterward, I didn't want to go anymore, but they kept making me. Every single time I was so scared we were gonna get caught. Which we did. Several times. They blamed me every time and beat me up for it."
"But something changed," Huang observed. "Didn't it?"
"Yes," Alan nodded quietly. He choked back a few tears. "In high school, I fell in love with a girl named, Charlotte Tannen. Charlie, as I used to call her, was smart, funny, and beautiful." He closed eyes to remember her face, to see her again. "She had this amazing red hair that reminded me of the sunset and sparkling, emerald eyes. And when she smiled at me, it made all the pain go away. Charlie was so sweet to me. She was the first real friend I ever had. She saw how Carl and Dennis treated me and felt bad. She'd let me hang out at her house so I could get away from them. Her parents were really good people. They always treated me well. We spent every free moment together, studying, strolling at night under the stars, or simply just talking. I could talk to Charlie about anything. We decided after we graduated, we would get married and move away."
"But Carl and Dennis didn't approve," Huang guessed.
"No, they didn't," Alan confirmed. "I never told them about our engagement. Charlie and I didn't want them to know. But Carl found out. I don't know how, but he did. He told me I couldn't keep such a pretty little thing to myself. I had to be a good boy and share. I told him that if he and Dennis ever hurt her, I'd kill them both!" He paused. He could feel the anger burning inside of him. He took a deep breath, as the anger turned into guilt. "Then one day, I had to stay after school. Charlie offered to stay with me, but I told her to go on ahead and I'd meet up with her at her house. When I got to her there later that after noon, I heard crying coming from upstairs." Tears began streaming down Alan's face. "I ran up to her room and kicked the door open. And...there was Charlie tied to the...to the bed! Dennis and Carl were...taking turns..."
Alan burst into tears and couldn't continue.
"They raped her," Huang realized.
Alan nodded, still in tears. "I lost it. I pulled them both off her and fought them. I was so angry. But Carl looked at me and laughed. He told me I was finally becoming a man."
"What happened to Charlie?" Huang questioned.
"I tried to help her through it," Alan looked down, sadly, at his lap. "I really did. I loved her. I still do. But Carl and Dennis harassed her every chance they got. And they spread rumors about her around school. She couldn't take it anymore and so she took her own life."
"I'm so sorry, Alan," Huang said, sympathetically.
"I went to her funeral," Alan continued. "But I hid in the back. I couldn't face her parents. But somehow they knew I was there. They came up to me after the service and gave me this. They said Charlie would have wanted me to have it."
Alan held up a silver chain with two silver rings. Both rings consisted of two hands hold a heart adorned with a crown. Inscribed on the inside of each ring were the words: Alan & Charlotte Forever. Alan was holding up the smaller of the two rings.
"This is all I have left of her," Alan sobbed, gazing lovingly at the ring. "It took me months to save up enough money to buy these. Her dad was a Mountie, you know. So I told him everything. He offered me protection if I testified against Carl and Dennis. And I did. For Charlie. I remember it was just after my eighteenth birthday when I testified. After the trial, Charlie's parents helped me get out of Canada and move to New York, where I started a new life under a new name."
"As a cop," spoke Huang, gently.
"Yea," Alan nodded. "I wanted to do some good. To keep Charlie's memory alive. And also thank her father for everything he did for me."
"Yet Dennis was still able to find you," Huang stated. "How?"
"I don't know," Alan replied. "Everything was fine, until about three years ago. I saw Carl's picture in the paper, but a different name was under it. He had been arrested for rape. I knew then I had to move again. It would be a matter of time before he or Dennis would find me. It took me about a month to find a new place up in Connecticut. But before I could actually make the move, Dennis found me. He told me I had to help him get vengeance for Carl. I tried to walk away. Honestly. But he told me if I didn't help him, he would kill me. And I knew he meant it."
Outside the interrogation room, Fin, Munch, and Cragen watched in shock.
"That's one hell of a sob story," remarked Fin.
"I'll say," agreed Cragen. "But how do we know if it's true or if he's playing us?"
"He's telling the truth," said Munch, showing them a case file. "According to Dennis and Carl's files, everything Alan told Huang checks out. The death of Dennis' parents, the home burglaries. There's of mention of Charlotte Tannen. They were convicted for raping her. Thanks to Alan's testimony. But that's not all. We finally received a photo of Dennis. You're not gonna believe this."
Munch pulled a photo from the file. And staring back at the three of them was a photo of IAB Lt. Ed Tucker.
"Holy shit!" Fin cried out in utter shock.
"I don't believe it!" Cragen cried out just as shocked as Fin. "Tucker is Dennis Granger?"
"I had the same reaction myself," said Munch.
"That would explain how he knew where we hid Liv," said Cragen, putting the pieces together.
"And how he found Alan," added Fin.
"That means Tucker raped Olivia," Cragen realized. "And killed Elliot's family."
The puzzle was finally coming together. There was just a few pieces missing.
"If Tucker raped Olivia," Cragen began. "How did he lock himself in the closet?"
"Maybe he had Alan do it," suggested Fin. "Tucker let him in after he attacked Liv. Then they set it up to look like a break in. But they messed up. Tucker said the perp kicked the door in. But there wasn't a single scratch on the door."
"Elliot did say his statement was fishy," commented Cragen.
"It gets better," Munch said, sarcastically. "I got Harris' visitor logs from Rikers. He had weekly visits from Dennis Granger in the past six months. Apparently, Tucker used his birth name to avoid suspicion."
"That explains how Harris knew everything," Cragen. "Call Elliot and update him. Tell him not to let Tucker near Olivia's room. If he sets foot in that hospital, I want to know. Also, get a warrant to search Tucker's apartment, car, and whatever else you can think of."
Munch and Fin went to carry out their tasks. Cragen tapped on the two-way mirror, signaling Huang to come out. Huang exited interrogation.
"What's up?" he asked Cragen.
Cragen showed him the photo and the file of Dennis Granger. He updated Huang on their findings.
"Oh...my..." Huang uttered in disbelief. "How did we not see this?"
"Believe me," Cragen said. "You're not the only one asking yourself that same question."
"Where is Tucker now?" Haung inquired.
"No one knows," Cragen replied. "IAB said he didn't show up to work today. He's not home. And he's not answering any of his phones. He must know we're getting close. If Alan knows anything more and is willing to testify, we can offer him immunity and protection."
"I'll let him know," Huang told him, and walked back into the interrogation room.
Location: Hospital. Intensive Care Unit.
Elliot sat in a chair next to Olivia's bed holding her hand, just as she had done for him. He waited ever so patiently for her to wake but her eyes remained closed. It pained him so much to see her attached to so many machines. She had a respirator attached to her mouth. A feeding tube jutted out from her stomach. Several other machines were attached to her chest and arms. Even so, Olivia was still beautiful. She reminded Elliot of Snow White, or Sleeping Beauty, the stories he used to read to Maureen and Kathleen when they were little girls. He wiped a tear from his eye as fond memories of his girls filled his mind.
"Am I a real princess, Daddy?" Kathleen asked him after every bedtime story.
"Absolutely," he kissed her forehead.
"Oh, really?" Maureen chimed in, always the logical one. "Then where's Prince Charming?"
"Um...his carriage broke down," he said the first thing that popped into his mind.
This upset Kathleen, as she began to wail. "But he's supposed to marry me so we can live happily ever after!"
"Don't cry," he comforted her. "I'm sure it will be fixed soon."
"So when will he come?" she asked, wiping her teary eyes with her hands.
"When you're twenty-one," he answered.
Before either one could utter another word he scooped them up in his arms and tickled them. They squirmed and giggled in his arms. He tucked them into bed and kissed them good night.
"Good night, girls" he said, softly. "Daddy loves you."
"Good night, Daddy," they said at the same time. "We love you too."
Something shook Elliot from his memories. Something tugged at his hand. He looked down and realized Olivia was squeezing his hand. Her eyes were still shut, but she definitely squeezed his hand.
"Squeeze it again, Liv," he told her in soft, gentle voice.
But she did not squeeze his hand again. Instead she remained still and silent.
"Liv, please," he begged. "I know you're in there. Somewhere. Fighting to stay alive. I need you to come back to me. I need you. I can't work...I can't function without you. And I'm so, so sorry. I should've never left the motel room. I promise you, I will find the bastard who did this to you. I will hunt him down till the day I die, if that's what it takes. Please come back to me, Liv. God,...I'd give anything to see you open your eyes again. To see you smile at me..."
His voice trailed off as he stared at her, hoping she heard him and woke up. Elliot jumped at the sound of his phone ringing. With one hand, he pulled his phone out and answered it. His other hand still holding onto Olivia's hand, almost afraid to let go. He wanted Olivia to know he was there for her, waiting for her to come back to him.
"Stabler," he answered his phone.
"How's Liv?" asked Fin on the other end.
"The same," Elliot answered. "Nothing's changed. What's happening over there? Any leads?"
Fin explained to Elliot everything that happened. He told him of Alan's interrogation, Tucker's real identity, including his visits to Rikers. He also passed on Cragen's message to notify him if Tucker entered the hospital.
"Wait till I get my hands on him!" Elliot seethed furiously. "I'm gonna kill him, Fin! I'm gonna fucking kill him!"
How could he have missed this? He felt even worse about leaving Olivia alone with Tucker? He looked at Olivia and gently stroked her hand.
"Calm down, man," Fin told him. "If he's near you, you'll spook him."
Elliot took deep breath. "You're right. I'm sorry. So we have no idea where Tucker could be?"
"Nope," Fin replied. "We got all we could from Alan. And we're awaiting a search warrant for Tucker's apartment."
"You think Harris may know something?" Elliot asked,
"I'm sure he does," Fin answered. "But I doubt he'll talk. He didn't talk last time Munch and I visited him."
"I'll make him talk." Elliot said and hung up the phone.
Elliot kissed Olivia's hand sweetly and stood up.
"I have to go now," he spoke softly. "But I promise you, I will be back."
More to come soon! Please feel free to read and review!