Chapter 10: In The Box
[Author's Note: I know that it's kind of late in the game to be introducing another supporting character, especially since I've been trying to avoid the whole "too-many-cooks-in-the kitchen" thing for this story. However, since I had Dani speak so highly of her boyfriend during her previous car ride with Stabler, I thought Aldèard needed to make an appearance.]
15th Precinct
12:30 PM
Steven Zhang was formally booked on charges of vehicle theft for stealing the van that he later used to try and intercept Enzo Ricci, and he was also charged with evading the police for leading the joined squads of officers and a lot of other NYPD personnel on a long pursuit through Manhattan and Brooklyn for the last few hours.
He was now seated in an interrogation room at the 15th Precinct. Captain Benson and Detective Stabler were preparing to interrogate him, while Lieutenant Beck, Sergeant Ming, and Detective Tamin stood on the other side of the room's two-way mirror in the Observation Room.
"What's your plan for getting this guy to talk?" Beck asked Stabler.
Stabler thought for a minute before replying. "Well," he said, "Despite how specious he's tried to be all day so far, look at him." He then pointed to Zhang through the two-way glass. Their suspect was drenched in sweat, fidgety, and almost shaking with nervousness.
"He's on pins and needles in there," Stabler continued, "I suggest that Olivia and I just hit him straight with the cold, hard facts at first, then one of us can swoop in, try to be his friend and take things from there."
Benson and Beck both nodded. "I agree," Benson replied, "If that thing doesn't work, though, I really hope he doesn't ask for a lawyer."
Tamin chuckled at that. "I hear that," she said, "My question is, though, what is it with this guy and vans? I mean, he got ahold of that older one from New Jersey and went to the hospital with it. But, for what purpose? Was he hoping to kidnap Enzo straight out of his hospital bed and take him somewhere to do God-knows-what to him?"
"That's what I'm thinking," Beck replied, "Consider the fact that, like you said, he used that beat-up one and when to the hospital with it. And, when you guys caught up to him in Brooklyn just now, he was trying to jack another van."
Stabler nodded. "Right," he said, "It's no coincidence that he was trying to get another big van just to get away from us. He was looking for something big enough to transport a person or people."
"Let's use that too," Benson replied, "Maybe that'll crack him in conjunction with your original strategy."
The captain and detective then entered the interrogation room and sat down in the 2 chairs opposite their suspect. "Hi again, Steven" Benson began, "I'm sure you remember us by now. I'm Captain Olivia Benson and this is Detective Eliot Stabler."
A silent Zhang just nodded affirmatively in response.
Stabler flipped open a case file folder and skimmed its contents for a beat. "You have led us on quite the chase lately," he said, "Manhattan and Brooklyn, wow. You led a bunch of our fellow officers on a lengthy pursuit this morning as well."
"That wasn't me," Zhang replied.
Benson feigned surprise and let out a half-hearted gasp. "He speaks!" she exclaimed.
Stabler chuckled. "Alright then," he said, "So, just to be clear, you're telling us that it's just some weird, cosmic coincidence that just prior to being stabbed so close to his crotch, Enzo Ricci received a Chinese food delivery from the same exact restaurant that you've worked at for the last seven years as a kitchen assistant?"
"There are eight of us who work in that kitchen," Zhang explained, "And sometimes, if it's either later at night or way early in the morning, some of us do the deliveries so people don't have to wait as long. We're the only Chinese place in the neighborhood that's open twenty-four hours."
Benson nodded. "With that said, then," she replied, "Were you the one who delivered Enzo's food to him at his apartment early that morning?"
Zhang shook his head in retort. "No," he said, "I wasn't even working the late shift that time. In fact, I wasn't even in Manhattan. I was doing some urban exploring with a buddy of mine in Staten Island."
"Urban exploring?" Stabler parroted, "Call me old-fashioned, but isn't that just a more modern name for 'looting'?"
"In our case," Zhang replied, "No. My buddy just likes checking out old, abandoned properties and filming videos of them for YouTube."
Stabler feigned frustration and hung his head for a moment in response. "Okay," he said, "Okay, fine, we'll bite. Where'd you go to do this...'exploration'?"
Zhang sighed deeply. "It's called Tompkinsville Auto Body," he replied, "It's an abandoned garage on Hannah Street that's not far from the Hannah Street Pumping Station."
Benson nodded as she eased herself into the friendly portion of the interrogation. "Got it," she said, "And what's your friend's name? We'll need to call him to verify things."
"Dewayne Leung," Zhang explained, "He works as an administrative assistant at FDNY's Central Office on Slosson Avenue. You guys have my phone, right?"
"We do," Benson replied, "We can get somebody to call him for us."
Benson and Stabler got up from the table, at which point Stabler sternly pointed at Zhang. "Stay put," he sharply said. He was met by a very submissive nod from their suspect.
The captain and detective then exited the interrogation room to find that ADA Carisi was now also in the observation room standing beside Lieutenant Beck. "Afternoon, Counselor" Stabler said to Carisi, "What brings you here?"
"This is the guy who led Tamin, Ming and those other officers on that chase in the stolen van?" Carisi inquired.
"And led us on that brief foot chase through the ball fields at Prospect Park," Tamin added.
"Right," Carisi replied.
"Looks like it," Benson said, "I don't know if you were here a few minutes ago, but Mister Zhang offered us an alibi for the time of Enzo Ricci's stabbing."
"I heard," Carisi replied, "I'm guessing he doesn't care that he and his pal could be collared for trespassing if they didn't have special permission to be there from whoever owns that old garage."
Stabler shrugged his shoulders. "My guess is that he either wanted to deliberately throw us off and hope we'd piss away time trying to confirm this sudden alibi," he said, "Or he really was with this buddy of his and he really didn't do it after all."
Beck then had a thought. "Elliot," she said to Stabler, "You remember how I told you about my boyfriend Aldéard?"
"Yeah," he replied before catching on, "Oh right. He's an investigator for the Staten Island DA, isn't he?"
Beck nodded. "If it's okay with the rest of you guys," she said, "I'd like to give him a call and loop him in. He knows the Tompkinsville area well and having him do the canvas would save us some time."
Everybody traded looks for a second before everybody began nodding affirmatively at the idea. "Go right ahead," Carisi said, "I'm going to have to run interference and loop in the Staten Island DA so there's no jurisdictional conflict when we make it to trial."
"That reminds me," Benson said, "Where is our DA on this?"
"I had a meeting with Mister McCoy an hour ago," Carisi explained. He was referring to Jack McCoy, the incumbent District Attorney for Manhattan. "He says that he's fine with us pursuing this as an aggravated assault case for now," he continued, "But he and the rest of the Eighth Floor are amendable to having me upgrade things to 'Attempted Murder' down the road if need be."
Benson nodded. "Sounds good," she replied.
Beck nodded as well as she went towards the doorway. "I'll go give Aldèard a call," she said.
Residence of Dwayne Leung
437 Saint Marks Place
Saint George, Staten Island
1 Hour Later
Dani Beck's boyfriend, Staten Island District Attorney Investigator Aldèard Fontaine, exited his unmarked black 2013 Chevrolet Impala in front of the small gray duplex on the corner of Saint Marks Place. Dwayne Leung, Steven Zhang's alleged alibi witness, lived in the second unit.
Aldèard Fontaine was a very handsome olive-skinned French man in his early 50's who stood at 5'9 with hazel eyes and short brown hair. He was dressed in a collared black shirt, black slacks, and black loafers. The Rouen, France native also spoke with a very prominent accent.
Fontaine tucked his memo book and a pen into the front breast pocket of his shirt before he crossed over to Dwayne's front door. He lifted his hand up to knock when he abruptly noticed that the unit's front door was already considerably ajar.
As such, the DA Investigator withdrew his Smith and Wesson Equalizer TS pistol from his shoulder holster and gently pushed the door more ajar with his foot.
"Hello?" Fontaine hollered into the residence, "Staten Island District Attorney's Office! Is anyone home?"
He took just a few more steps inside the unit with his firearm pointed cautiously out in front of him, tactically scanning the living room area. He carefully stepped around the green leather sectional sofa before being met with a gruesome sight.
The body of a short Asian man lay directly in the middle of the floor surrounded by the sectional sofa. He was shirtless, barefoot, and only wearing a pair of plain white boxer shorts, and his throat had been severely slit from ear to ear. There was also some blood spatter on the part of the sectional directly behind his head, and there was even more blood pooled beneath the body.
Fontaine gagged for a moment before holstering his pistol, taking out his cell phone and dialing 911.
"Nine-One-One, Police Operator Ninety-Five" a female dispatcher's voice answered roughly 25 seconds later.
"This is Aldèard Fontaine," Fontaine said into the phone, "I'm an investigator with the Staten Island DA's Office. My badge number is Three-Three-One-Seven. I have a Ten-Eighty-Three at Four-Thirty-Seven Saint Marks Place, Unit Two." "10-83" was the police code for "Deceased on Arrival".
"I understand, sir" the dispatcher replied, "Are you sure the person is deceased? Are there no vital signs?"
"Respectfully, miss" Fontaine said, "This man's throat has been slit and there's blood everywhere! I need NYPD Homicide and the Crime Scene Unit as soon as you can get them here!"