"Is it just me or has this job become harder since becoming a mom?" Amanda asked Olivia.
"Oh definitely. I just stood watching Noah. Praying that he never has to go through what Izabela has." Olivia shared.
"I snuggled with Jessie for so much longer than usual." Amanda laughed wryly. "How are we going to play this?" Amanda asked. They knew today would be hard. For them, but for Izabela mostly.
"Keep her with us two. She trusts us a little bit and I don't want to stress her out anymore than necessary. Have we got people looking for her family?"
"Yeah Carisi's on it."
"Detectives?" A doctor asked
"Yes."
"Izabela had a hard night. She didn't sleep much and cried a lot she was speaking another language Russian maybe." The doctor told them.
"Polish. Izabela speaks Polish." Amanda interrupted.
"Ah ok. She was asking for her mama. And some other things we didn't understand, but we're happy that physically she's going to be okay. Do you want us to call CPS?"
"No don't worry. Discharge her into our custody and we'll sort it. Rollins can you sort the paperwork and I'll go and say hi to Izabela.
"Good Morning Izabela." Olivia said as she walked into the room.
"Good Morning Olivia." Izabela smiled but she looked pale and exhausted.
"Did you sleep well Izabela." Olivia asked to verify what the doctor had said.
"Not brilliant. I was scared. But now I am okay." Izabela said. "I feel not scared when you here."
"Okay. Izabela I'm going to sit here and tell you what's going to happen today." Olivia sat on the bed facing Izabela. Your doctors think that you're doing okay, so you're going to come with me. We're going to go to the precinct. It's where I work."
"Precinct?" Izabela said like it was the first time she'd heard the word. Olivia tried to remember what they said in British English like some of the cartoons Noah used to watch. "The police station." Izabela looked at Olivia wide eyes but she understood. "Izabela. While we're their Amanda and I are going to ask you some questions, they might make you feel scared but Me or Amanda will be there the whole time and we can take a break whenever you want to. Okay. And my friend Sonny is looking for your family too. Here are some clothes sweetie, can you change or shall I help."
"I can."
"Okay sweetie let me help you stand up and then you can change and I'll look the other way."
Izabela changed and the paperwork was done so Olivia and Amanda took Izabela to the squad car and back to the precinct. In the oversized clothes she looked smaller than ever. "Izabela, come and sit in my office. You can sit on one of the comfy chairs there." Olivia had decided that she didn't want to stress Izabela out in a bare 'scary' interrogation room. Plus Izabela wasn't a suspect.
"Hey honey." Amanda said "I've got a little girl called Jessie, she's only a baby really but she's got lots of toys and she said you can borrow one for now." Amanda handed Izabela a toy bunny. "What's it name?" Izabela asked.
"Well Jessie just calls it bunny." Amanda smiled and Izabela hugged the toy. It seemed to give her some comfort.
"Izabela, we're going to ask you some questions okay? It's not because you're in trouble You see that on the desk that's a camera it's only there in case we forget what you say we don't need to ask you again because it's on the video okay"
"Okay." Izabela murmured.
"What's your name?" Olivia asked.
"Did you forget? You silly. My name is Izabela Jones"
"How old are you?"
"I am ten. I will be eleven tomorrow. I told you that."
"Okay. So you told us you live with a man called Mr D and a lady called mommy. Can you describe them to us in as much detail as you can." Olivia asked Izabela hugged the bunny toy tighter. "You're safe Izabela."
"Mr D has white skins. His hair black."
"Is he tall or short, thin or fat?"
"He quite tall. Taller than all of us and mommy and most his friends. He not thin but not fat. He speak English like you."
"He has an American accent?" Olivia asked.
"I not know what that mean." Izabela told them.
"Does his voice sound more like mine or like your mom and dad from England?"
"You. Except for that he's a man." Izabela confirmed.
"He spoke Russian but even worser than me?"
"You speak Russian?" Olivia asked
"A bit. My sister Livvy learn it for exam in England. My mama help. I hear and learn a bit. Then when I live with Mr D and mommy all the girls speak Spanish or Russian except for me. There was a girl call Karina. She speak Russian and Polish. She teach me more but I not good."
"And the lady you called mommy? What did she look like?" Amanda asked.
"She not white. When I first met you there was a man. She have skin like that colour maybe a bit more dark."
"Fin" Olivia told Amanda
"She have black hair. Maybe like your length Miss Amanda. She speak English to Mr D but Spanish to the Spanish girls. She not speak Russian or Polish. She nice to us except when Mr D was there. Mr D not let us talk but she did. She Let us turn shower hot and she even help the small ones brush their hair. She brush my hair and braid it sometimes. She give us food."
"You're very small Izabela. Did you get much food?" Olivia asked sensitively.
"Not much but We got some every day." Izabela said hugging the toy tightly.
"What kind of things did you get." Olivia pressed.
"Normally bread and butter. Sometime a sandwich. I like cheese. Sometime a soup. One time. I think it Christmas time. It dark and cold she give us all a chocolate bar. It make me happy and one time she give us pizza. I like pizza. I have pizza in England as a treat with my family. But only one time since. And one time a week we got a fruit or vegetable."
"You must have been very hungry. Are you hungry now?" Olivia asked.
"At the beginning in Ukraina and here at first my tummy hurted and I used to say in my prayers that I wanted food but I think I used to it now. I am a bit hungry but I okay." Izabela said matter of factly.
"Would you like me to order some pizza?" Amanda asked.
"Yes, very much!" Izabela's face lit up.
"What toppings would you like?" Amanda asked and looked over at Izabela's confused face. "That means what things would you like on it?" Amanda continued.
"Why you ask me...I..I..not know... what do I want..." Izabela panicked overwhelmed.
"That's okay. You're okay." Olivia placated. "You don't get asked what you want very much huh? I'm sure all of this is pretty overwhelming. You said you like cheese. Why don't we get a pizza with cheese and tomato? And then me you and Amanda can share it. How does that sound."
"Good." Izabela smiled, calmer now.
"Can we talk a bit more before the pizza comes?" Amanda asked.
"Yes" Izabela replied.
"You said in the hospital Mr D made you do things that you didn't want to, what was that?" Olivia asked and Izabela buried her head in the toy rabbit. "I know it's hard Izabela but you're not in any trouble."
"He make us dance around with no clothes on. And he make a video. I didn't like it at all. Sometime he make video where he took off my clothes and touched my private parts.
After a while he takes us to hotels and then there was some other men and they did things I didn't like with their private parts." Izabela whispered.
"Izabela. Did they put their private parts in your private parts?" Olivia asked sensitively. Izabela didn't answer. "Izabela?" Amanda pressed and Izabela nodded her head and they could see the tears in her eyes. "Izabela. I'm really sorry that happened to you. I think you already know because you're a smart girl but what those Mr D and the other men did to you was very very wrong and we want to help you and the other girls and we want to stop Mr D from hurting anyone else. You are a very brave girl Izabela. You are very brave." Olivia said and touched Izabela's arm tenderly.
"Izabela can you tell me how many other girls there were who lived with you?" Amanda asked.
Izabela started counting on her fingers and saying names under her breath "Alyona, Dasha. Ruslana... 17 including me. 9 people who speak Russian , 6 girls who speak Spanish and then me. There used to be more but he shooted Valentina and Nina and there were some more Spanish girls but I not know what happen to them. One was called Carlotta. She was nice to me she sing me songs in Spanish and play clap games. She look after me, everybody nice but some people are more my friend than other people. I try to look after Ruslana she only 5. Karina look after me she speak some Polish. Svetlana look after everybody. She's the oldest one. I think she 24" Izabela looked at the detectives. Carisi knocked on the door. "We'll be just outside Izabela." Olivia told her. And her and Amanda went to the door closing it behind them. "The British and polish Cops have been no use. Some rules about data protection. But we found this. "Olivia Faith Jones" on Facebook. Working as a live in nanny in new haven. 18 years old born in Bristol, England brought up in Lublin Poland and Bristol. They looked at the girls picture. "She's got to be related to Izabela!" The same bright blue eyes and brown curls. "Let me show her this pic, just to double check?" Olivia asked and took the picture into the room. "Hey Izabela. Can you tell me if you know the person in this picture?"
"That's Livvy my sister, except her hair shorter and she wearing a lot of make up. Do you know where she is?"Izabela smiled.
"Thanks sweetie. Maybe." Olivia smiled back.
"It's her." Olivia told Carisi.
"Fancy a road trip to New Haven?" Olivia looked at Amanda. "We all know it takes half the time when you're driving. Carisi can go with you." She continued but Amanda looked at her . "Liv do you not think it's weird that her English has improved?"
"A language she's known since she was born but hasn't used for 3 year until yesterday? No I don't think it's weird.Go find that sister!" Olivia said so Amanda grabbed the keys.
"Who ordered Pizza?" Fin yelled. "That's for me and Izabela!" Olivia replied. He came over. "Those two girls. Valentina and Nina who killed. Can we get Izabela to look at some photos of unsolved murder cases see if she can ID them? Fin asked passing her the pizza and a phone with some picture on. "Fin she's 10 years old and terrified. I'm not showing her graphic pictures. She's just a kid. I'm not putting her through that." She gave the phone back to him.
"Feeling hungry Sweetie?" Olivia smiled going back into her office.