Chapter 30
Carisi folds his arms against his chest, exhaling. He takes in their case board. "We're missing something."
Rollins rubs her eyes, leaning against the table. "That's obvious, Carisi."
"We all know how these go," he continues. "We've got a short window here and it's closing….if we don't find her by morning-"
"-she's going to be gone," Rollins finishes. "I know."
Fin rejoins them, coffee in hand. "So let's look at what we got already: we've got video of her and Noah at Mercy and the gas station."
"Nothing on his sweater," Rollins adds.
Carisi points to the GPS records. "A bunch of records that may or may not be accurate."
Fin frowns. "Wait a minute." Going to his desk, he searches through papers for the yellow sticky note. He finds it buried under a pile of forgotten paperwork. "She was in Orange County 3 weeks ago."
Carisi looks closer at the GPS records. "It's not here."
"This was probably before she hacked the system," Fin reasons. "I wrote it down because it was outside of her normal routine."
Rollins opens her computer, mirroring it to the TVs. "What are the chances she bought property there in the last 6 months?"
Fin and Carisi wait patiently as Amanda searches recent housing sales. It doesn't take her long to generate a list of recent houses on the market, three houses being listed in the area.
"Wake Liv," she urges.
Fin heads to her office, knocking first before letting himself in. They're both asleep on her couch, and he flicks the lights, waking them. "We've got something."
Liv scrambles to her feet following Fin out to the meeting area, Rafael behind her.
"What is it?" She questions.
"She was in Orange Valley," Fin begins. "It was 3 weeks ago, before she hacked the ankle monitor. Rollins generated a list of houses on the market in Orange county in the last 6 months: 3 properties."
Her heart is in her throat. "Call ahead to the local precinct."
"Already on it, Lue," Carisi answers. "They've got units en-route to each property."
She shares a look with Fin and he nods. "I'm driving."
. . . . . . . . . . . .
The lights are turned on abruptly and Noah is being dragged out of the bed. "What's going on?" He questions sleepily. Shelia is grabbing at his arms and he tries to wake up, breathe through the tightness in his chest. "What are you doing?"
Shelia is tying his hands together with a rope. "Making sure you're going to be a good boy." She pulls him off the bed as she wraps the rope and his tied hands around the bed frame. "There are police outside."
Hope fills him.
His Momma found him.
"And they're going to try and take you from me." Once she's done tying his hands, she moves to the roll of duct tape at her feet. She quickly tears off a strip, putting it over his mouth. "They can't have you. You're my grandson. My last connection to Ellie."
. . . . . . . . . . . .
When they finally arrive to the right property, there are police units already waiting outside. Fin parks hastily and he, Liv and Rafael scramble out of the car.
"You Lieutenant Benson?" One officer questions.
Liv flashes her badge. "Yes. This is Detective Tutuola and ADA Rafael Barba."
"Captain Andrews," the officer introduces. "We had officers approach, however your suspect wouldn't open the door, said she'd hurt the kid if we made any moves. It's turned into a hostage situation."
"Have you got a negotiator yet?" Fin questions.
"En-route," Captain Andrews answers.
"We don't need a negotiator," Liv responds. "Put me through to the house." The Captain hands her the phone and she waits as it rings a few times.
"I'm not talking to anyone," Shelia answers.
"You're going to talk to me."
It's a beat before Shelia replies. "Not over the phone."
"Fine. I'll come inside-"
"-no weapon-"
"-not going to happen." She waits for her response. "I'm coming in that house either way, Sheila."
"Fine."
Liv hangs up. "I'm going in. Fin, cover me from around back. Get paramedics here and have your guys set a perimeter."
The Captain nods, heading to his squad car to radio for additional back up and medics.
Fin draws his service weapon. "How you want to do this, Liv?"
Her heart is ramming in her chest. "I'm going to go in the front. You find a way through the back. She probably has a weapon…..de-escalate. I don't want her to escalate with Noah in that house."
Fin nods.
She turns to Rafael. "I've got this."
He nods, exhaling. "I know."
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Taking a steading breath, Olivia lets herself into the house, weapon drawn. She isn't surprised to find Shelia waiting, her own weapon at her side. Closing the door slowly, Liv steps into the living room.
"I don't want to hurt you, Shelia-"
"-you can cut the crap. You've come to take my baby."
Liv shakes her head, scanning the room quickly. "He's not your baby."
"We'll see," Shelia responds cooly.
She steps further into the living room. "Where's Noah, Shelia?"
"Where do you think? He's sleeping."
"Let me see him."
Shelia shakes her head. "Why would I do that? Did you think I'd just let you see him? Take him from me?"
She takes a few more steps forward. "I'm his mother, Shelia-"
"-Why? Because a judge signed a piece of paper?" Shelia questions angrily. "That doesn't make you his mother."
"It actually does, Shelia," Liv counters.
Shelia shakes her head, raising the gun in her hand. "No! He is my blood! He is my family!"
Liv grips her own weapon firmly in her hand.
"He will never be a part of you the way he is a part of me!"
"Blood isn't the only thing that makes families, Shelia-"
"SHUT UP!" Shelia screams, pointing her weapon. "You're not going to twist this in your favour! You're not going to twist me!"
Shelia's hand shakes with the weapon, her eyes filling with tears despite the frenzied look on her face. Liv attempts to keep her voice even. "Legally, Noah is my son-"
"-the law says that I would have received notice. If you followed the law we wouldn't even be here!"
"Shelia….I am the only mother that he knows. Listen to me….have you thought about what this will do to him?" She attempts to reason.
"He's a smart boy. He'll adapt….and this place…this place is much better for him! There's fresh air and he can play in the yard and he won't be near all that violence! This is how you raise a boy!"
Out of the corner of her eye, she spots movement from down the hall and she waits for Fin to come into view.
"And you!" Shelia continues. "You're at work all the time! I will be there for him-"
"-I am here for him….right here," she points out. "You know I'm not going to let this happen-"
"-just go! You can get another little boy-"
"-I'm not leaving here without my son, Shelia-"
"-you can sign another paper, get another little boy-"
Fin makes his way down the few steps silently into to the living area.
"-A little boy who needs a family!" Shelia pleads. "You don't know what this means! You can never know-"
"-you're not his mother, Shelia-"
"-STOP SAYING THAT!"
Before either her or Fin can react, the gunshot rings through the house.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Rafael paces, running his fingers through his hair. He had watched her enter the house, Fin disappear around back, and in the few minutes they had both been inside, Captain Andrews has set a perimeter around the property and paramedics have arrived on the scene.
So when the gunshots ring resoundingly through the relative silence outside, everyone springs into motion immediately. He's sprinting up the driveway and there are officers trying to pull him back but he pushes his way through.
Fin is kneeling next to her, his hands on her abdomen and the blood is seeping through her clothing and his hands rapidly.
Shelia is laying on the floor, blood pooling around her still body.
Paramedics are scrambling to work on them both and he urges his feet to move to drop next to her. There's shock on her face as her gaze connects with his, upside down, and Rafael frames his hands around her face.
"Find Noah," she urges.
The paramedics are asking him to move and Fin is barking orders at them and the room is chaotic and there are too many people pushing their way in and it takes a minute for her words to register.
Noah.
"I've got her, Barba," Fin assures. "Find Noah!"
He presses his lips to her forehead quickly before he's getting to his feet tearing his way through the house. He's pushing his way past officers as they sweep each room, needing to get to him before they do. While they're occupied with the first floor, Rafael takes the stairs two at a time to the second level. Someone is yelling at him to wait until they sweep the house. He ignores them, his heart pounding in his chest.
There are a string of doors but only one of them is closed.
It's unlocked, and when he turns the handle, opening the door slowly, his heart nearly leaves his chest at the sight of Noah, cowering behind the headboard of the bed, his arms bound and his mouth taped.
"Mijo," he sighs, crossing the room.
Tears spill down the little boys cheeks, the sob trapped behind the tape across his mouth.
Rafael quickly crosses the room, reaching for the tape. Noah is sobbing and it peels away easily and he has to take a deep breath to compose his own emotions.
"Uncle Rafa!" Noah sobs.
"I'm here, mijo, I'm here," he assures. "You're safe, I've got you." He moves to the rope that's bound his hands and as he unties him, he notices how his wrists are raw, bleeding, no doubt from him trying to get his hands free.
The minute that he's untied Noah launches himself into his arms and Rafael holds him tightly as he sobs into his neck. "Are you ok? Are you hurt?" He questions. Amid his sobs he can tell that his breathing is laboured and he's shaking almost violently in his arms. "I've got you, Noah, I'm here," he soothes. "You're safe."
The little boy struggles to draw the air into his lungs and Rafael rubs his back.
Noah winces in his arms.
Now is not the time to question him, despite how much Rafael wants to. "Noah, mijo, I need you to listen to me," he attempts to soothe. "Are you listening, mijo?"
Noah nods into his shoulder.
"You're safe. I've got you. You are so brave, Noah and so strong. I've got you now, ok?"
He nods again, his grip tightening around his neck. His breathing is more than laboured and he needs to get him to the paramedics. "We're going to go home now…I need you close your eyes, ok? Don't open them until I tell you to. Do you understand?"
Noah nods.
Lifting him into his arms, he heads back down the hall in search of the paramedics. As he descends the stairs, there are still too many people and officers rush him as soon as he's at the bottom. Noah tenses in his arms and he bats them away. "Not in here."
They've covered Shelia's body.
Fin and Liv are gone and he can only hope they're on their way to a hospital.
Panic is crawling up his throat but he forces it down.
Fin's got her.
His focus needs to be on Noah.
She'd want his focus to be on Noah.
Exiting the house he follows the paramedics to the ambulance, climbing into the back.
"You can set him on the gurney," the young woman instructs.
Noah clings to him tighter. "Don't…let me…go!" He manages to choke out.
Rafael cradles his head to his shoulder, feeling the lump on the back of his head. "You can open your eyes now. I'm right here, mijo…the paramedics just want to check you out, sweet boy."
Noah squeezes him tighter.
"You're breathing, Noah," he reasons gently. "I bet your chest is pretty tight, huh? Let the paramedics give you your inhaler."
The young woman works around them, setting up a nebulizer, handing him the mask.
"Here, mijo," he coaxes, prying his arms from around his neck so that he can pull him back just enough to see his face. His blue eyes are bloodshot and puffy, his face wet with tears and snot and Rafael gently wipes his eyes with his thumbs, his nose with the sleeve of his sweeter. He slips the mask over his face, mindful of the lump on the back of his head. "Nice deep breathes, sweet boy, ok?" He coaxes gently.
Noah settles back into his arms, and the doors to the ambulance close behind them as they head to the hospital.
tbc