A/N… Getting closer! I'm really anxious for the next two chapters, although this chapter starts to reveal a few things. Note that Bobby/SVU scenes are now 15 days after the abduction, Alex is 12 days after. Bobby stays in the present, Alex gradually catches up to that point.
NOTE: I know that court records are public, but not all evidence, police and medical examiner reports etc. are released until trial. I'm sure there are proper security measures, but we don't hear much about them on the show.
x x x
~PRESENT~
SVU
"Alright," Cragen agrees. "Keep me posted." He turns to leave the conference room and gestures for Bobby to follow.
When they're just outside the door, he turns back. "Is sleep in any part of your plans for this morning?"
Bobby shrugs. "No, not likely."
"Might want to reconsider that. If you don't mind me saying…you look like hell."
"Captain, I'm fine—"
"Excuse me, Captain Cragen?" Lieutenant Tucker interrupts. The two men fall silent as Tucker marches in to SVU and heads toward them. "May I have a word with you privately?" Tucker asks.
The captain nods, then looks back toward Goren. "Excuse us for a minute."
"Sure."
Tucker walks by, but he doesn't acknowledge him.
There's no mistaking the way he left things with the NYPD. Maybe they resent him a little more because Eames turned in her badge.
He still wishes she had stayed, but it wasn't his call.
He watches the two men approach the captain's office and enter, the door closes quietly behind them.
x
"Network support says someone accessed the criminal database this morning using an unauthorized ID," Tucker relays. "The ID is Alexandra Eames. They thought it might have something to do with this case."
"That's news to me. Are they saying it was a hacker?"
"They traced it to an IP address from one of the SVU computers," Tucker states.
"No one's been here without my consent," Cragen replies.
Tucker's eyes drift toward the bullpen where Bobby stands. "You said you were keeping an eye on him."
"Goren? What's he got to do with it? He's working with my detectives at my discretion."
"Are you sure about that?"
Cragen folds his arms defensively. "Assuming that it was Agent Goren, aside from unauthorized use what has he done wrong?"
"It's highly suspicious. I think you'd better find out what he's really after. If he knows anything about her disappearance, he'll want to stay close to this case."
"I think you're assuming too much, Lieutenant."
"Address it or I will," he warns. With that, he turns to leave.
Cragen collects his thoughts for a minute, then opens his office door. Bobby is standing in about the same place, still waiting for him. He catches his eye and gestures for him to come to his office.
After closing the door behind him, he turns to address Goren. "Tucker says someone accessed the network using Eames's ID. You know anything about it?"
He nods. "I used her ID to check out a few cold case files. They haven't removed her from the system yet."
"Network security thought they caught a hacker who knows something about her whereabouts."
"Tell them it was me. Sorry. I thought I could save us some time."
"Maybe. But I can't say the same for others… Tucker's wondering what you're up to."
Bobby furrows his brows when he catches the unspoken accusation. "Oh you've got to be kidding me… They still think I had something to do with her disappearance?"
"I know you meant nothing by it. But I warned you about staying under the radar. By that, I mean, don't break rules, don't piss anyone off. I don't care how minor it might seem to you."
"You've got four victims, three bodies and no suspects! Not one damn lead! You've got a serial rapist on the loose, and a department spinning its wheels… IAB wants to argue over…computer access?" He's tired, and there's no use trying to hide how much this case is getting to him. He can still hear those pained screams from the video.
"How do you expect me to keep them off our backs when they still have concerns about you?"
"What do you want me to do? Apologize?"
Captain shakes his head. "Just go. Go get some sleep, go check in at Federal Plaza… Your choice. I'll let you know when it's okay to come back."
Bobby shoves his hands into his pockets and walks out of the captain's office in a huff.
He does a quick glance around the bullpen and doesn't see Tucker. Last thing he wants to do is run into him. Nothing good would come out of it.
He leaves SVU without another word to anyone.
x
Minutes later, Elliot wanders out of the conference room and pokes his head inside Cragen's office. "Hey Captain… Where's Agent Goren?"
"Gone," Cragen answers simply. The desk phone receiver is in his hand as he prepares to make a call. He sets it back down anticipating more questions.
"Is he coming back?" Elliot asks.
"That's up to IAB."
"What happened?"
"He accessed the cold case files last night as Alex Eames. That threw up a couple red flags and networking caught it. I just figured he had someone here do a search."
Elliot shrugs. "I don't see the problem. He was just running a search that any of us could have done."
"You know how the networking group feels about unauthorized use."
"Yeah, but they were partners. Liv and I sign each other's files out all the time."
"IAB still has mixed feelings about Goren and the department's under a lot pressure with this case." Cragen picks up the phone receiver again and starts to dial. "I have to try and smooth things over. You'll have to do your best without him for now."
x
He leaves the captain's office and makes his way over to his partner.
"What's up?" Olivia asks.
Elliot explains what he just heard from the captain. "Bobby's off the case until Cragen can smooth things over," he concludes.
"Which may or may not happen," she frowns. "Let's go back in the conference room and check out some of the cases he thinks might be related."
The two head back into the conference room. The police notes, CSU photos and medical examiner notes that Bobby printed sit on the table in front of them.
Elliot's eyes drift up to the white board. Various case notes are interlaced with comments, diagrams, lists and theories. Names and locations are easy to pick out, but his sketches, diagrams and a few abbreviations leave room for interpretation.
"How does this guy's mind work?" Elliot mutters.
Liv lifts her head and peers up at the board. "Let's just see what he pulled from the database. I'll call Brooklyn SVU. We'll meet up with them this afternoon."
"What about the handwriting Goren found?"
"I called Morales while you were talking to Cragen. He's on it."
"Good." After another minute of just staring at the board, he pulls his phone out of his pocket and scrolls until he sees Goren's name.
"Not sure we can involve him yet, El," Liv remarks uneasily, peering over his shoulder.
"No reason we can't just meet a friend for lunch, right?" he offers innocently with a grin.
"Alright."
x
Bobby strolls down the busy city sidewalk en route to Federal plaza. He could have taken the subway but he needed the air.
The bureau planned to take him off any cases in order to assist SVU, but he decides to check in there anyway. He's too edgy to go back to his place.
He lifts his head periodically as he walks. His gaze drifts along both sides of the street, stopping at every blonde-haired woman about her size. None of them are her.
Her absence seems overwhelming to him right now.
He retrieves his ringing cell phone from his pocket and answers. "Goren."
"You took off in a hurry," Elliot begins.
"Yeah."
"We heard what happened. You could have called one of us."
Bobby sighs. "Thought I could make some headway."
"You did… You got as far as the curb," he tosses back.
"Sorry."
"It's alright," Elliot admits. "But next time, give us some warning. We can at least help keep IAB off your back."
Bobby manages a slight grin. "Thanks."
"Besides… Liv and I don't mind pissing off Tucker, do we, Liv?" He moves the phone away from his mouth and looks at his partner, who shoots him a playful glare back.
He moves the phone back. "So what are you up to?"
"Oh, just heading to Federal Plaza," Bobby replies, taking the door from the agent exiting the building as he steps inside.
"Got any lunch plans?"
"No, not yet."
"How about Marco's in Midtown. Let's say around 12:30?"
"See you then."
x x x
PAST
(Twelve days since the abduction)
~Somewhere in Manhattan~
She takes off down the hallway in a brisk run. Her foot falls hardly make a sound. She's not even thinking about trying to save her energy to prepare for what lies ahead. Just running for all she's worth.
So far, there's no one on her tail. But somewhere in the building, there are six to eight guards. Maybe Malik.
For nearly 2 weeks, she's been abused, drugged and restrained. She's counting on adrenaline more than physical strength to carry her through this.
Cole's pocket knife is clutched in her palm. She has no idea how she ended up with it.
In the back of her mind, she is worried about him.
She still thinks of herself as a cop first and her duty is to protect others.
Even if she makes it as far as the hallway, Cole will be punished. He's taken enough beatings from Malik's men.
It bothers her, but she can't look back. The New York City streets have never been so inviting.
Right now, she's in the basement. The nearest doorway to the room she's usually in leads into a closed courtyard and there's no way out.
Instead, she takes the long route, making her way through a couple of dark hallways to a staircase.
According to Cole, this building may have been a specialized hospital care center at some point. She's seen only laundry rooms and various utility closets on this floor. There are eight floors above them.
The hospital moved and someone decided to lease a couple floors for residential apartments. And now that's gone.
Malik or someone is paying to keep the space and the electricity. She'd really like to know why.
She rounds the last corner and finds the door to staircase. Fortunately this one is unlocked, but she knows not to expect it elsewhere. She'll need Cole's pocket knife to pick a few locks.
She's reaches the door to the first floor just as one of Malik's goons pulls the door open behind her. He was in the basement and probably heard her. Shit.
She tries the knob and this one is locked. She's trapped. She'll have to confront him and she's not looking forward to it. Not to mention, there's the fear of getting raped.
The rush of air through the staircase reaches her just as the panic sets in. She spins around to face them.
This is the one they call 'Snake.' Appropriately, there's a tattoo on his left forearm.
Snake grabs her, she puts up a fair amount of resistance while he tackles her down to the steps.
The gleam in his eyes and smug grin make her want to throw up.
Rat bastard thinks he's about to score.
She puts up with him grabbing and touching her, so his attention remains on her and not the knife she's preparing in her hand.
And then her reflexes kick in.
She may have planned to use the knife. Unfortunately, she's been in this situation too often. As he makes his intent to rape her, she lifts her knee, nailing him in the crotch. It's just the right angle and force and Snake doubles over while making agonizing cries of pain.
She's not sorry. This isn't the first time he's assaulted her.
He's barely able to stand, and sort of hobbling. He slips down a few steps.
She hurries up to the first floor door.
For the moment, he's not even trying to get back up. But if he gets ahold of her, he'll kill her.
Her hand slips a few times while trying to pick the lock. She's shaking.
Now is not the time, she scolds herself. Just get the hell out.
His hand brushes her leg while she's still working on the lock and she nearly jumps out of her skin.
Shit.
He's definitely coming for her. Seething, glaring, spewing expletives in her direction. Oh, is he pissed!
In just a few more seconds she has the lock open. She yanks the door handle, enters the first floor and hurries down the narrow hallway hoping to get enough distance between them.
Until today, this is the farthest she ever got.
This floor looks a lot more like a medical facility. The entire floor is sparsely lit. She paces herself as she approaches any dark corners or doorways. She doesn't want to miss seeing one of Malik's men before he has a chance to grab her.
She rounds another corner and there's the exit. Daylight filters in through a window in the metal door.
This one doesn't have a lock, but it's latched. Her eyes drift up to a brass latch at the top corner of the door. It's more than two feet above her head.
Just unlatch it and she's out.
She takes another glance around to be sure she's alone, and then hoists herself up using the door knob and the door frame for support.
She reaches the latch, but just barely. The pocket knife would extend the reach, so she uses it.
Every few seconds, she stops to make sure she's still alone, then continues.
It's taking some time. The latch seems to be stuck.
Fortunately, she's still alone.
Her leg muscles start to feel some strain from being in that position. There's an slight ache in her shoulders from reaching above her head.
She can't let her legs give out.
She can't drop the knife.
Finally, the last little sliver of post slips out of the latch. A deep sigh follows.
But as she climbs back down, she's grabbed from behind.
Her knife is at the ready and whoever this is has probably seen it. She turns her head to see the visitor.
This time, it's Hawk.
Hawk is about as close as she'll get to being stopped by Cole.
The thugs named Rodden, Mac, Brick and Snake are the worst of the bunch.
Hawk will do his job, but he doesn't seem to want to hurt her or assault her. At least, that's been her experience.
"Miss. Come on…" he prompts. He won't even use her name.
"Please just let me go," she keeps her voice low, still leery of who else might show up.
"I'll take you back to the room. Don't fight me," he says ignoring her request.
He prepares to pick her up by encircling her torso with his arms. Best she could do is swing at him, but he's already preparing himself for that.
"I'll get you protection from Malik," she offers. "Just get me out of here. You'll be a hero."
"Get back to the room, Miss… I won't tell him I saw you. That's the best deal I can offer."
"The money he's paying you guys won't do you a damn bit of good in Rikers! You know they're going to find me. Unless you want to go down with them, you might want to reconsider," she replies.
They're suddenly joined by Rodden who enters the hallway. Luckily, she sees him before Hawk does. But Hawk still has a hold of her.
Knowing her window of opportunity is slipping away, she swings her fist and punches him in the nose. It's just enough of a distraction for her to wiggle free from his grasp.
Another minute or two and she thinks she could have talked some sense into him.
She grabs the door handle and pulls it open. Rodden tries to grab her as she's exiting. Fortunately, he misses.
The first shot of air is cool to her legs and feet. All she has on is a t-shirt and pair of shorts that Cole found for her a few days ago. No socks, no shoes. It's overcast and a little chilly. The knife is still clutched in her palm.
There's a chain link fence along the border of the sidewalk, a gravel path and then the city street. Six cars, two buses, ten cabs and several dozen New Yorkers seem to appear out of nowhere. She's already yelling for help.
She isn't looking where she's going and trips and falls, hitting the pavement.
She's breathing hard. Pedestrians start to surround her. Someone says they're calling 911.
Slowly she turns over. Faces of strangers peer down at her with confused looks. Scared looks. She must look awful.
"Ma'am…? What happened? Are you hurt?"
Between the faces of strangers, she sees pockets of blue sky.
It's over.
She's going to make it.
x x
Alex suddenly stirs awake. The same dingy cloth blindfold still covers her eyes. The same thin ropes bind her ankles and wrists.
Damn. It was just a dream.
It's not the first time her subconscious mind has deceived her into thinking she was finally rid of this place. She huffs out a disappointing sigh.
Even with her eyes covered, she knows Cole is in there with her. He's on the floor beside the bed. With one of his hands, he rubs her arm and shoulder like he's trying to keep her calm.
The last few moments of her dream must have been restless.
Fortunately, this time she's not waking up in a panic, sweaty and short of breath, threatening to strangle Cole because she mistook him for Malik.
"You woke me up," she says grumpily.
"How far did you get?" Cole asks. He already recognizes her escape dream from her restless sleep.
He lifts the blindfold up just enough for her to see. If anyone should show up, she can turn her head and fix it back quickly.
"Aruba," she jokes.
"Hope you sent me a postcard."
"I got outside. Made it to the street," she relays. "A crowd shows up. Then you woke me."
"Anything else happen in your dream?"
"I nailed Snake in the groin with my knee while trying to escape."
"Good! Sonofabitch deserves it. What else?"
"And I punched Hawk in the nose."
He smirks. "I would have liked to see that."
"I thought you liked Hawk?"
"He has his moments."
x
Although her restless escape dreams persist, they do finally have a plan.
In her opinion, it's a good one. She may have underestimated Cole.
Cole's been able to pick up on discussions involving Malik and his crew. Apparently, there is some sort of business deal or activity is set to occur in a couple days. Malik and more than half of his guys will be leaving for about an hour during the night.
It leaves only a few guys behind to guard the place. Cole suspects it won't be more than two or three.
That's their window of opportunity, but they'll need to do this in 20 minutes or less. That includes a few stopping points to ensure that no one is following them or able to prevent them from going beyond that point.
It wasn't hard to figure out that Malik is involved in some sort of illegal operation. Could be drugs, weapons trafficking, could be anything. She'd investigate it, if she could.
x
She and Cole sit in a comfortable silence.
In all of their conversations so far, he's never mentioned Amanda's mom.
Is she still in the picture?
They've talked about friends, family, childhood, jobs. Anything to pass the time.
She's not sure why she wants to know. Maybe just to help fill in a few gaps.
She nudges him and it stirs him out of whatever daydream he's in. "Hmmm?"
"Just wondering… Where is Amanda's mom?"
What follows is silence. Almost seems like he's holding his breath.
When he doesn't answer, she prompts him again. "Cole?"
"She died. Two years ago," he answers jadedly.
"I'm sorry. Was she sick?"
"Umm... I… Not here…okay?"
"Okay."
Two years doesn't seem that long when you lose someone. She gets that. Two years after Joe died, she still had some difficult days.
"I lost my husband. He was a cop too. Killed in the line of duty," she offers, thinking it couldn't hurt to share that information. She doesn't remember mentioning it.
"I'm sorry, Alex. How long were you married?"
"Three years."
A lengthy silence follows. She's not sure whether to mention Joe a little more or just let it go. Maybe Cole prefers to block his painful memories.
Maybe he hasn't found anyone to talk to. It's hard to trust just anyone.
The person she tried to open up to after Joe died was a total jerk... Kevin Mulrooney.
While she's wading through that chapter of her past, Cole changes the subject.
"Umm…I've been thinking about taking a trip up to Vermont after we're out of here," he announces casually.
"What's in Vermont?" she asks curiously.
"A buddy of mine owns a house up in the Green Mountains. It's sort of half-mine, half-his. He's in Switzerland on business. He has a start-up business that struggled during its first year. His money was tight, I spotted him the cash so he wouldn't lose it. I've been thinking about buying it from him and moving there. He's doing well up in Europe and I think he plans to stay there. This is a beautiful spot. Anyway, I thought I'd bring Amanda and make it a vacation. She's never been up there."
"Sounds nice. I'm sure you two will have fun."
"Me too. Anyway… I'd like it if you came with us."
The request catches her off guard. "Huh?"
"Come up and stay, Alex. I'll cover your expenses. I know you're between jobs. No pressure, just a quiet getaway."
"But… Don't you want some time with just you and your daughter?"
"I'll have that. You'll probably want some time to yourself too. I love Amanda, she's my world. But she'll have to go to bed around nine, and I'd like some adult company around. And… I'd really like it if you were there."
"I don't know…"
"I think you'll like it. The views are gorgeous. The air is so clear. Lots of stars at night. Like I said, no pressure. There are four bedrooms. I'll be up there for two or three weeks. If you can squeeze in even a few days, that would make me very happy."
Honestly, she has no idea what she'll be in the mood for when this mess is over. She may need a mental asylum.
Some family time is a given. Maybe a little time with her friends or a trip to the shore. She hasn't been upstate in a while, much less to New England.
Her impulse would be to say no to the invite, but he's only offering a place to stay and a few days to clear her head.
"I'll think about it."
"Good enough for me," he replies. Then he changes the subject again. "If you don't mind me asking. When did your husband pass?"
"1998."
"You haven't remarried?"
"Just my job," she says flatly. "I quit Vice sometime after Joe died. Wanted something new and ended up at Major Case. My partner and I spend so much time together, it's like we were married," she explains. Bobby enters her thoughts, bringing a sense of comfort and a little sorrow. Especially as she thinks about how things ended.
"Your…partner?"
"Yes, my Major Case partner."
"You two close? Dating?"
"Oh no. Nothing like that. Just good friends."
"I thought you said the NYPD laid him off, or something…?"
"He was fired actually. By me," she sighs.
"You…fired him?"
"It's not what you think. He's a very effective cop. One of the best. Total genius. He has a strong background in human behavior and criminal psychology. But he didn't always do things by the book. The guys in charge don't like that. He's been written up many times and suspended. They recently promoted me up to temporary Captain, then said I had to fire him. I didn't agree, but I didn't want to put him through more BS. I fired him...and then I resigned."
"You stood up for your partner. I'm sure he appreciates you more for that."
"He thought I blew a great opportunity."
"He respects you. And I can see why," he says, smiling affectionately. "I have another question..."
"I think you're maxed out," she teases.
"I promise it's an easy one. Is Alex short for Alexandra or Alexis?"
"Alexandra. I prefer Alex."
"Just like I prefer Cole. I guess I can tell you...Cole's not my real name."
"It's not?"
"No, it's just what I tell people to call me. My first name is William. Never have liked it. I wasn't named for anyone. No idea why my parents named me that. I don't like Will, Willy or Bill either. There really wasn't a good compromise. A friend of mine in grade school called me by my last name, Coleson. We shortened it to Cole."
"How about using your middle name?"
"Worse. It's Herbert," he groans, getting up from the floor. "I think they'll let us eat now. Want to try something or is your stomach still upset?"
"I'll try to eat."
"Good. I'll be back."
x x x
PRESENT
~Midtown Manhattan~
Elliot and Olivia enter Marco's Pub. They spot their colleague and walk over to the booth to join him.
Olivia slides into the booth first and Elliot sits beside her.
Bobby lifts his head as they arrive. He closes his binder and shifts his notes over to make room for them. A waiter sets three glasses of water down beside the menus he left earlier.
"Thanks for coming," Elliot begins.
"No problem."
"We'll update you on what we know if you'll give us your thoughts on anything you see that will help us catch this guy."
Bobby nods. "Sounds good."
They make small talk for a few minutes and order their lunches. After the waitress collects the menus, they resume discussion of the case.
"How about explaining what this diagram is?" Olivia prompts, showing him an image from her phone of the conference room white board.
The image displayed is a flowchart with about six different symbols and abbreviations.
"Sorry, just my short hand attempt to figure out how he could have worked out the timing of the events. I don't think you'll need that."
"Okay."
"Eames would have figured it out, though." The hint of a smile appears at the mention of her name.
"She knows how your mind works," Olivia replies.
"Better than anyone."
A look passes between Elliot and Olivia.
"So what makes you think this is the same guy?" Elliot asks.
"There's a heel print on the neck of your second victim. I'll bet you anything it's a match to the one on Denise Tanney." Bobby retrieves some printed copies of the ME's photos from the computer files. He shows them the pictures of both victims.
Elliot looks at both pictures and nods in agreement. "He crushed Tanney's wind pipe."
"Yeah. Tanney died from asphyxiation. The same boot print shows up here in the autopsy photos of your second victim."
"The second victim died from an overdose, but the boot might have been a reflex. Maybe to stop her from screaming," Olivia notes.
"I say we look at the Tanney case. Brooklyn handled the case. The main suspect in this case was her boyfriend, William Coleson." Bobby pauses to hand them a piece of paper with the information on the Tanney case. "No alibi on Coleson, but they couldn't make a case. See if you guys can track him down, I'll talk to the Tanneys."
Elliot glances up from the paper and shakes his head. "Better let me and Liv handle the interviews until Cragen clears you."
"Okay. Let me know whenever you get a response about those wall marks too."
"No problem."
Bobby nods. Returning his gaze to his binder notes, he releases a sigh.
"What is it?"
"I'd really like to know what Brooklyn SVU had on this William Coleson. The guy's record is squeaky clean. Not even a parking ticket."
x x x
TBC…
Next, chapter 7 – Conspire
A/N: I think under most situations, Bobby as a Federal Agent assisting on a case might be assigned temporary access and given a little more freedom. We know how Loyalty ended and I'm playing up the hostility shown toward Bobby for this story. Bobby's determination is one of the things we love about him.
Chapter 7 is underway and it'll be a good one! I'm really aiming to get that one done quickly too. I promise you a lot of this will make sense once you read that one.