By Sun and Candlelight / CAMREN

Chapter 20 - An Interview And A Double Date

Dinah walked into the precinct with her union appointed attorney and made her way straight into the conference room. Every cop she saw on the short walk gave her an encouraging nod. She took a deep breath and sat down.

"If I tell you not to answer something, stay quiet," her attorney said.

"Okay, I get it," Dinah answered, sounding irritated.

"Cops don't like to listen to lawyers," he answered, giving her a reassuring grin, "I'm here to help you."

"I'll listen," she said, sounding dejected.

Two investigators for the State Police came into the room carrying numerous file folders. They set down their papers and introduced themselves.

"Detective Olivia Benson," the woman said, holding out her hand to shake, "This is Detective Elliot Stabler."

Dinah and her attorney gave their names and waited as the investigators got their papers in order.

"We are recording this meeting," Olivia said, setting down a recording device on the table.

"We are too," Dinah's attorney replied setting down his recorder.

Dinah looked at him and he gave her a calming nod.

"I know you've already been interviewed, but we have a few more questions regarding the incident that took place this past Sunday," Olivia said, "Particularly as it pertains to Officers Demos, Vasquez and Reynolds."

"Okay," Dinah said, shifting in her seat. Dinah knew that Demos fired the first shot at the scene and that Vasquez and Reynolds were the other officers to engage their guns.

"Captain Hansen," Elliot asked, "Is it true that you ordered your officers not to discharge their weapons at the scene shortly before the first shot was fired?"

Dinah took a deep breath and thought for a moment before answering, "I can't answer that question the way it's worded."

"What do you mean?" Elliot asked, sounding a little perturbed, "It's a yes or no answer."

"What do you mean by shortly?" Dinah asked, "Because there was an order to hold fire, but the situation changed before the first shot was fired. Your question assumes someone disobeyed my order, but that's not how it happened."

Detective Benson looked at Dinah and gave her an almost imperceptible nod. Dinah wasn't even sure she had seen it at first.

"Did you clearly instruct the victim to drop his gun?" Olivia asked.

"I'm not sure he was a victim, but yes, I yelled at him repeatedly to drop his weapon," Dinah said.

"Was this before or after your order to hold fire?" Olivia asked.

"I told Ben not to come out of his house with his gun, and I turned and instructed everyone to hold their fire," Dinah said, "Ben came out with the gun anyway and I yelled at him repeatedly to drop the weapon but instead he raised it in the air."

"Did he take a shooter's stance?" Elliot asked.

"He shot multiple times, including when he killed himself," Dinah answered, "I guess you could call those shooting stances."

"Did he specifically point his gun at any police officer before the first shot?" Olivia asked.

"He was waving the gun around everywhere," Dinah said, "He absolutely could have killed me or other officers at the scene."

"Where you ever in the line of fire of your own officers?" Elliot asked.

"Don't answer that," the union attorney said, looking up at the investigators, "She wasn't shot, so clearly she wasn't in the line of fire of the officers that discharged their weapons."