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In the criminal justice system, sexually-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as The Special Victims Unit. These are their stories.
Day One
Night - Russo House - Kitchen
Frank, Cassy, Daniel and Jessica were eating together.
Jessica looked at Cassy. "Honey, eat a bit more, 'cause you won't eat later before bed, remember."
Cassy took a bread from her plate.
Frank smirked. He looked at Daniel. "How was school, bud?"
"It was fine," Daniel answered. "Boring. Oh." He looked up from his plate to his parents. "And, the girl that is volunteering to help me with homework, Ashley? She quit."
Jessica frowned. "Quit what? From the volunteering?"
Daniel nodded. "Yeah, but not just that. From school. I heard she's pregnant." Frank and Jessica looked at him. Daniel shrugged. "I asked her about this, and she said yes." He looked at Frank. "My teacher said that she will ask someone else to help with study."
~~~~
Bedroom
Frank was lying in bed, awake.
His phone rang.
Frank reached over, answering, looking to the clock to see it was 3.12. "Russo."
~~~~
Construction Site
The area was a crime scene.
Frank and Olivia got out from Frank's car.
An officer patted a younger officer's shoulder.
Officer 2 walked away.
Frank and Olivia walked toward Officer 1.
"You gotta be sex Crimes," Officer 1 told them.
"Frank Russo," Frank told him.
"Olivia Benson," Olivia told him. "You Homicide?"
Officer 1 shook his head. "Sorry, just Vice. D'Angelo, 31. This way." He leaded Frank and Olivia away. "The rookie that they saddled me with puked himself. It's his first DOA. So I gave the kid a break and sent him for coffee."
"Who found the body?" Frank asked.
"Couple of looky-loos, they veered off from their Frommer's Guide," D'Angelo answered. "They saw Times Square, the Disney Store and a bonus... a dead whore."
"How do you know she's a prostitute?" Olivia asked. "Did somebody ID the body already?"
"After 30 years in Vice, I think I know," D'Angelo told them. They stopped next to Georgie. "You get to the point where you can just smell 'em."
Georgie was kneeling down, looking up at them. "We got a doozy here."
The shot moved from him to the ground.
A woman with a revealing clothes was lying dead on the ground. A plastic bag was wrapped around her head.
D'Angelo stared down at the woman.
Olivia looked at him. "Hey, you want to go check on your partner, we'll understand."
D'Angelo nodded. "Whatever you say."
Olivia nodded. "Yeah, thanks."
D'Angelo walked away.
Frank looked at Georgie. "Do we know what happened here?"
Georgie stood up. "Looks like she came back here willingly with a John who then turned psycho." Frank stood next to him. "He tries to asphyxiate her and bash her head in. The bag still has her facial impression on it."
Olivia kneeled next to the woman.
"We know which one killed her?" Frank asked.
"No," Georgie answered. "Only time and a lab work-up will tell. Also, her skirt was left hiked up, so we'll run a rape kit."
Olivia pointed to the side toward the footprints on the ground. "They get anything from these footprints?"
Olivia stood up.
"There was a 60-man crew working here yesterday," Georgie answered. "But there was one print with blood tracked in it. Though only a partial, but we'll see."
D'Angelo walked closer. "Hey, can you get double prints on these? 'Cause we could use a set for our bulletin board."
"Hey," Frank told him. "A little respect here."
D'Angelo frowned. "Don't get your boxers in a twist, she's NHI."
Olivia walked toward him.
Georgie frowned in confusion. "What's NHI?"
Olivia stood in front of D'Angelo, turning to Georgie. "No humans involved."
Olivia turned to glare at D'Angelo, writing down on her textbook.
"It means don't work too hard on this one, why sweat them?" Frank asked, walking toward Olivia and D'Angelo. Frank stood next to Olivia. "The victim was just a useless piece of garbage."
Olivia glared at D'Angelo. "Kinda like a cop who ought to retire."
Olivia pushed past D'Angelo, walking away.
D'Angelo looked at Frank, looking away, scoffing softly, walking away.
~~~~
Worlds Colliding (Law & Order Special Victims Unit)
~~~~
Day Two
Day - Police Department - 16th Precinct - Main Room
John was cleaning his shoe on his desk.
Cragen walked closer with Frank. "All right. Let's get started. What do we got?"
"A black prostitute, late teens," Frank told them. "Asphyxiated with a garbage bag, severe blow to the head."
Frank sat on his desk.
Abigail was sitting on her desk. "Sounds like a case homicide worked last month. Street walker named Carmel turned up wearing a bag near 10th Avenue."
"Any ID on this latest vic?" Cragen asked.
"No ID on the body, latent has no fingerprints on file," Frank answered.
"Yeah, well, maybe she was new to the streets," Cassidy told them.
Olivia walked to her desk. "We're still waiting on the ME report."
"Well, while you wait, take her photo around, see if you can find a co-worker who knew her," Cragen told them. He looked at Elliot and Abigail. "Jonson, Stabler, you available?"
"Yeah," Elliot answered.
"Good, you two are on the case, too," Cragen told them. Abigail and Elliot nodded. "Munch, Cassidy, you available?"
"To do with as you will," John told him. "After court."
Cragen nodded. "Right... Dr. Buzzjoy."
Monique stood next to John. "That's an open-and-shut case. Try not to screw it up with your insane rambling." She walked away from him. Joh turned to watch her leave. "And stop looking at my ass."
John turned away, rolling his eyes.
Monique walked away, leaving.
~~~~
Street
Frank and Olivia walked toward three prostitutes.
"Hey, you guys, wait up, wait up," Olivia told them. "We're not Vice." Frank held a picture. "We're looking for the man that did this."
"Seen this girl before?" Frank asked.
Woman 1 took the picture. "Not around here. Who'd she piss off?"
Woman 1 handed Frank the picture.
"A guy we think might be targeting working girls," Frank answered. "Anybody run into rough trade lately?"
A black woman stood behind Frank and Olivia. "Other than a slap and a punch? Nah, business as usual. They're all perfect gentlemen."
"Hey, come on," Olivia told her. "This isn't a joke." She looked at the three women. "You guys could be in real danger here. Now help us out."
A younger woman was standing next to woman 1. "I had a man beat me up that bad once."
"Rose," woman 1 told her softly.
Fran stepped closer. "No, it's all right. Rose, what happened?"
"He tied my hands and feet to the bedpost, started raping me," Rose answered. "That night he came back with his buddies. I don't remember much after that."
"Can you give us a description?" Olivia asked.
Rose scoffed softly. "I could give you a group photo, if I only took the family album when I left home."
Olivia pulled out a card, holding it toward Rose. "This is Victim's Services. Call them sometime."
Rose took the card, looking at it, nodding slightly. "Yeah. Sure."
"Look, the guy that we're looking for uses a plastic garbage bag," Frank told them. "He puts it over the girl's head."
"I know somebody that happened to," Woman 1 told them. "Puerto Rican named Lorinda."
"Can you tell us where we can find her?" Olivia asked.
Woman 1 shook her head. "Nah. I worked Times Square with her, but I don't know where she went after the sweep. You might check Ninth."
~~~~
Street 2
Frank and Olivia were talking to a three men dressed up with make-up and hair.
"Her name is Lorinda," Frank told them. "Puerto Rican, 5' 7, long dark hair?"
"Bad red streak job, frizzed to the roots?" Man 1 asked.
"Yeah, she tried to move in with a pack of tramps after Giuliani cleaned up Times Square," Man 2 answered.
"Led to a bit of a turf war," Man 1 told him, stepping closer to Frank. "Guess who won, sweetie?"
"You must be very proud," Frank told him.
"So where'd you chase these losers off to?" Olivia asked.
Man 1 looked over the fence toward the rail. He looked back at Olivia and Frank. "They were never heard from again."
"That Lorinda you were talking about?" Man 2 asked. "She tried to sneak back in here passing for one of us. Had to bitch-slap that girl till Tuesday."
Man 3 chuckled.
~~~~
Elsewhere
Elliot, Abigail, Frank and Olivia were standing next to Frank's and Elliot's cars.
"Everyone that Abby and I talked to don't know the vic," Elliot told them. "Any luck with you two?"
"No," Olivia answered. "Found out about a Puerto Rican named Lorinda who survived the attack."
"And?" Abigail asked.
"Can't find her," Frank told them, dialing on his phone.
"What are you doing?" Olivia asked.
"I'm calling Children Services to pick up Rose," Frank answered. "No way she's legal."
"Oh, come on," Olivia told him, reaching for the phone. Frank moved his phone away, giving Olivia a look. "We promised we wouldn't bust them."
"She's a baby," Frank told her. "All bets are off."
"Why don't we stop by the 31 on the way back, talk to Vice and see if they have anything on our victims?" Olivia asked.
Elliot looked at his watch. "Quarter to 12:00, they should be at lunch."
Frank sighed, closing his phone. He looked at Olivia. "I'm still going to call."
Frank moved to the driver door of his car.
~~~~
Diner
Elliot, Abigail, Olivia and Frank were with an officer.
The officer looked at the picture of the victim. "Nope."
D'Angelo walked closer. "Well, look who's slumming at Sam's."
D'Angelo sat in front of the counter.
Elliot and Abigail walked away to talk to other officers.
Frank and Olivia walked to stand behind D'Angelo.
"We're working a case here, D'Angelo," Olivia told him.
"We may have found a link to last night's attack," Frank told him. "You ever run across a Carmel working Vice?"
"What's a Carmel?" D'Angelo asked.
"Another DOA who was wearing a garbage bag," Olivia told him. "Also a prostitute."
D'Angelo turned to them. "The one who bought it last month?"
Olivia nodded. "Yeah, that one. You knew about that?"
D'Angelo nodded. "The garbage bag case."
"It didn't occur to you to bring it up at the crime scene?" Olivia asked.
"No one seemed to want my opinion," D'Angelo told her.
Olivia looked away, rolling her eyes in annoyance.
"Look, we've got a third possible vic,"Frank told him. "A prostitute named Lorinda." Elliot and Abigail walked closer. "But she got away." A man next to D'Angelo looked over, listening. "Do you know her?"
"I never heard of her," D'Angelo told them. "Let me get a quick bite and I'll form a search party."
The man next to him cleared his throat. "You busted a Lorinda... Gutierrez outside Penn Station my first week on the desk."
"And you are officer..." Abigail trailed off, showing him the picture.
"Ridley," the man answered, taking the picture.
"You Vice?" Elliot asked.
Ridley nodded. "23 years. Last two months on a desk, though." He looked at the picture, shaking his head. "Maybe she's new."
Ridley handed the picture to Abigail.
Olivia, Frank, Abigail and Elliot turned to leave.
"Hey, aren't you guys late for a sensitivity training class?" D'Angelo asked sarcastically.
Olivia, Frank, Abigail and Elliot turned to him.
"Who's the old woman?" Abigail asked.
D'Angelo stood up, raising an eyebrow. "What did you call me?"
Elliot and Frank stepped forward.
Frank smirked. "Now who's the sensitive one?"
Olivia smirked in amusement, pulling Abigail away. "Let's go."
Elliot smirked. "Let's go, Frank. He's a waste of time."
Frank, Elliot, Olivia and Abigail walked out, leaving.
~~~~
Park
Olivia and Abigail were in work out clothing, working out. They were running down the path together, slowing to a stop, panting.
"We need to do it more," Abigail told her.
Olivia chuckled, lifting her head up, placing her hands on her hips. "Yeah."
Abigail placed her hands on her hips. "You okay?" Olivia shook her head. "The case?"
"Yeah," Olivia answered. She sighed, looking at Abigail. "She was so young. One side of her face was bashed in, and D'Angelo just stood there and he goes, 'No humans involved'."
Abigail shook her head. "Next time I hear that crap, I'm gonna bust some balls."
"Yeah," Olivia agreed. "I'd like to bust D'Angelo's. Wait till we get our hands on the perp."
Abigail nodded. "We'll get him. Come on, let's go."
Abigail started to ran.
Olivia chuckled, following her.
~~~~
Office Of Medical Examiner - Morgue
The victim's body was on the table.
Elizabeth was there, talking to Elliot and Frank. "Petechial hemorrhaging inside the eyelids indicates death was by asphyxiation."
"How about the blows to the head?" Elliot asked.
"Overkill," Elizabeth answered. "He hit her so hard a piece of the plastic bag lodged in the wound."
"So, our guy's pissed," Frank told them. "He rape her?"
"Negative," Elizabeth answered. "As were the drug tests. Not many clean hookers out there."
Elliot nodded. "Okay. Thanks."
Elliot and Frank turned to leave.
"Oh, and here's something you don't see every day," Elizabeth told them. Elliot and Frank turned to her. "Perfect teeth from expensive orthodontia. Stomach contents include soybeans, vegetables, whole grains... a health-conscious hooker."
Frank raised an eyebrow, looking at Elliot. "How '90s."
~~~~
Supreme Court - Courtroom
John was sitting on the witness stand.
An ADA was standing in front of him. "Detective, you were on duty the day Ms. Weber came in alleging she'd been molested by Dr. Ott, is that correct?"
"I remember it very clearly, counselor," John told her. "She seemed to be see-sawing between anger and humiliation. Classic symptoms of molestation victims."
The defense lawyer stood up. "Objection. State of mind."
Judge Elizabeth Masullo was the Judge of the trial. "Sustained."
"Did she say why she was so upset?" the ADA asked.
"Yes," John answered. "She said she went to Doctor Ott to obtain a prescription for Prozac. But the good doctor, diagnosing her with 'hysteria', recommended an alternative treatment to chemical dependency."
"And what was that treatment?" the ADA asked.
"Miss Weber was told to disrobe, put her feet up in stirrups and try to picture David Hasselhoff on 'Baywatch'," John answered.
The defense lawyer stood up. "Objection. Your Honor, this witness is not qualified to testify on the treatment for hysteria."
Judge Elizabeth opened her mouth.
"Actually, sir, I am," John told him. "Up until 1952, hysteria was one of the most commonly diagnosed illnesses among women. The medical treatment was hysterical paroxysm."
"Could the witness spell that?" the Court reporter asked.
John looked at her. "O-R-C-A-S-M."
"Objection," the defense lawyer said. "Would it surprise you to learn that historically, the onus fell upon physicians to bring about the relief of these ladies' symptoms?"
"Your Honor, please instruct counsel to withhold his questions until cross," the ADA told her.
John looked at Judge Elizabeth. "I don't mind, Your Honor." He looked at the defense lawyer. "In fact, I believe the manual version of this 'treatment' dates back to Hippocrates, and was attested to right up through the Middle Ages, up into the 1890's when the vibrator was invented to speed things along."
The defense lawyer and the ADA spoke together. "Objection."
"Sustained," Judge Elizabeth told them.
"Detective, is this practice currently against the law?" the ADA asked.
John nodded. "Yes, and so is videotaping it."
~~~~
Police Department - 16th Precinct - Main Room
John walked in.
Frank and Elliot were sitting at Frank's desk.
Elliot looked at him. "How did it go in court today?"
"The ADA was reticent to admit it, but I think I won the case for her," John answered.
Frank smirked.
Monique walked closer with a paper. "Got a possible match from missing persons." She handed it to Frank. "Matches height and weight on your Jane Doe."
Frank read from the paper. "African-American, 19, named Tracy Henderson. Lives in Bronxville."
"Missing how long?" Elliot asked.
"Two days," Frank answered.
~~~~
Henderson House
Elliot and Frank walked toward the home.
Elliot was on the phone. "Okay. Keep you posted." Elliot hung up. "Abby says she and Liv got back." They walked up the stairs. "So, it's just me and you for the moment."
Frank rang the bell. "Okay."
Elliot looked around. "Nice neighborhood. You think we're on the wrong track?"
"If we're not, this girl fell pretty far," Frank told him.
Tracy's mother, Carol opened the door. "Yes?"
"I'm Detective Russo, this is Detective Stabler," Frank told her. "We're here from the Special--"
Carol looked into the house. "John!"
~~~~
Inside
Elliot and Frank were inside with the parents.
Tracy's father, John was standing with his wife, wrapping his arms around her. "Did you find Tracy?"
"We're not sure, but we need to ask you a few questions," Elliot told them.
"When was the last time you talked to your daughter?" Frank asked.
"Sunday," Carol answered. "She calls every Sunday."
"Are you aware of what your daughter does in Manhattan?" Elliot asked.
"Of course," John answered. "She's majoring in Cultural Studies at Columbia. A sophomore."
"And she volunteers at a literacy center," Carol added.
Elliot and Frank exchanged a confused look. They looked at John and Carol.
Frank reached into his pocket to pull the picture. "We need for you to look at a photo." He walked closer. "We don't mean to upset you, but it is rather graphic."
Frank handed the picture to John. John took it, looking at it.
Carol looked at John, knowing what his look meant, starting to sob. "No. No." She backed away. "No." John and Frank placed their hands on her arms, sitting her down on the couch gently. Carol cried. "No. God." John sat next to her, wrapping his arms around her. "No."
Frank moved back to stand next to Elliot.
John looked at them with tears in his eyes. "How did it happen?"
"She was found in Times Square," Frank told them. "She'd been attacked."
Carol sobbed. "Why? Why?"
"That's what we're trying to find out," Frank told them.
Elliot looked down.
John noticed. "What?"
Elliot looked at them, exchanging a look with Frank. "I'm sorry but your daughter was dressed rather provocatively."
"What are you saying?" John asked.
Elliot hesitated. "We have reason to believe Tracy's attacker was targeting prostitutes."
Carol looked shocked, looking at John. She looked at Elliot and Frank.
John slowly stood up. "Prostitutes?"
Elliot nodded slightly. "Yes, sir."
Carol slowly stood up. She stared up at Elliot, walking closer to stand in front of him. She stared at him for a moment, slapping him on the cheek.
John pulled Carol back gently.
Carol glared at Elliot, whimpering.
Elliot didn't seem surprised, looking at Frank.
John wrapped his arms around Carol, embracing her as she cried.
~~~~
Day Three
Morning - Police Department - 16th Precinct - Main Room
Elliot walked closer to his desk.
Abigail was sitting on Elliot's desk. She looked over at Elliot, smirking. "I can not believe I missed you getting slapped in the face."
Elliot smirked slightly, pushing gently Abigail's foot from his chair, sitting on it. "Oh, I am sure you would have enjoyed it."
Frank was sitting on his desk, looking through a few papers.
"So, what now?" Abigail asked.
Cassidy and John walked closer.
"Any luck with the prostitute case?" Cassidy asked.
Olivia walked closer, holding two mugs. She handed one to Frank. "We're reassessing the prostitute angle."
"Why?" John asked. "Just 'cause she's from a good family?"
Frank looked at him. "'Model' family. She does charity work, can't see how she gets from there to selling it on the street."
Frank took a sip from his coffee.
"Drugs," Cassidy told them.
Olivia shook her head. "Not a trace."
"So, the question remains," John told them. "What was Ms. Goody-two-shoes doing wearing rock-my-world pumps? Not to mention the micro-mini and the belly shirt."
Monique walked closer. "It was hot that night. That's what I'd wear if I was going clubbing."
"Ooh," John told her, raising an eyebrow.
Monique rolled her eyes.
"Are you saying she'd be asking for it?" Abigail asked.
Elliot shook his head, looking at Frank. "I'd never let my daughters go out dressed like that."
Abigail smirked. "Yeah, right, just wait."
Elliot looked at her. "What does that mean?"
Abigail smiled an innocent smile, sliding off of Elliot's desk, walking around, sitting on her chair behind her desk.
Cassidy sat on the side chair next to Frank.
"We digress," John told them. "Back to the dead whore."
"Jerk-wad, have some respect for the victim," Monique told him.
"Hey, I respect hookers," John told her. "At least they earn their money up front, unlike ex-wives who get you with that lucrative back-end deal."
Frank took a sip from his coffee, raising an eyebrow.
"So you're saying all women are whores?" Monique asked.
"Don't be ridiculous," John told her. "I don't know all the women in the world."
Frank and Cassidy exchanged an amused look, chuckling.
Cragen walked closer, holding a paper. "Children. Okay, our possible living vic, Lorinda Gutierrez, has herself quite a rap sheet. Now, assuming she actually was attacked and this is not the figment of some fellow hooker's crack pipe, let's find her. Who wants this?"
"Cassidy and I would be happy--" John started.
Monique took the paper from Cragen. "I'm already on it."
Monique walked away, leaving.
Cragen looked at Frank. "Now I understand the Hendersons informed you Tracy had a boyfriend they don't know much about."
Frank nodded, standing up. "We're leaving right now."
Elliot, Abigail and Olivia stood up.
Frank, Olivia, Elliot and Abigail walked away, leaving.
~~~~
Kershaw, Naughton & DeVoy - Main Room
A young man named Dennis Caulfield was at the front desk, talking with a co-worker. "Call his margins then. Look, if he can't play with the big boys... cut him off."
Olivia and Frank walked closer.
"Dennis Caulfield?" Olivia asked.
Dennis looked at them.
Frank held his badge. "Detective Russo. This is Detective Benson." He put away his badge. "We're investigating the murder of Tracy Henderson."
Dennis looked shocked, turning to his co-worker. "Phillip, cover my lines."
"Sure, Dennis," Phillip told him.
~~~~
Room
Dennis, Frank and Olivia were inside.
Dennis closed the door, leaning on it, crossing his arms over his chest. "When?"
"Two nights ago," Olivia answered.
Dennis closed his eyes, shaking his head. "Oh my God. That's why."
Dennis walked past them.
"Why?" Frank asked.
Dennis leaned on the desk. "We had tentative dinner plans but she didn't call."
"Did you try to call her?" Olivia asked.
"No," Dennis answered. "No, I just assumed she got caught up with her work. You know, she was so dedicated."
"What'd you end up doing that evening?" Frank asked.
"I ended up watching the Yankee game with my friend Bill," Dennis answered. "Bill Griswold. I won 50 bucks."
"This is just a formality, but could we get Mr. Griswold's phone number?" Olivia asked.
Dennis nodded. "Of course." He walked past them toward the door, stopping. He turned to them. "Oh, I forgot, he gave me this."
Dennis pulled out a card from his shirt's pocket, handing it to Olivia.
"Anyone else she might have been meeting that evening?" Frank asked. "Another guy?"
"Another guy?" Dennis repeated, shaking his head. "No. No, she didn't date anyone else."
"You're sure?" Olivia asked.
"Absolutely," Dennis answered. "Maybe one of her friends from the literacy center? Out clubbing with the girls?"
~~~~
Clinton Community Center - Outside
Abigail and Elliot were outside the building.
Elliot was on the phone. "We just got here. We'll let you know."
Elliot hung up, looking to the side, then toward the building
"What?" Abigail asked.
"Tracy's volunteer center, Carmel was killed six blocks from here," Elliot told her.
Abigail and Elliot walked inside.
~~~~
Inside - Room
There was a group of people studying.
A teacher was talking to Elliot and Abigail on the side.
"Tracy have trouble with anyone at the center?" Elliot asked.
The teacher shook her head. "No. Everyone loved her. Just ask all of them."
Elliot nodded. "We're gonna have to speak with each one of them."
"Anyone not show up today?" Abigail asked.
"Travis Hall, but he's missed the last few classes," the teacher answered.
"What's his story?" Elliot asked.
"He's a short-order cook," the teacher told them. "And a parolee... out of Rikers."
Elliot and Abigail exchanged a look.
~~~~
Travis' Apartment Building - Stairs
Frank, Olivia, Elliot, Abigail and an older woman walked up the stairs.
"Whatever they think Travis did, I think he did it," the woman told them.
Olivia turned to the woman. "We appreciate your help, Mrs. Overton, but there's no need for you to see us all the way up."
"What do you think he did?" Mrs. Overton asked.
"Actually, it'd be best if you stayed here," Olivia told her.
Olivia walked up the stairs.
"That bad, huh?" Mrs. Overton asked.
~~~~
Hallway
Elliot, Abigail, Frank and Olivia stood in front of Travis' door, looking disgusted, pulling out their guns.
"Oh man, that smell," Elliot told them.
Frank moved to the wall in front of the door, moving forward, pushing the door open with his feet, running in.
Abigail, Elliot and Olivia followed in.
Travis was lying on the floor, dead.
Elliot, Abigail, Frank and Olivia exchanged a look, walking out.
Olivia pulled out a napkin. "Even with the heat."
Olivia covered her nose with the napkin.
"Must have been dead a week," Frank told them.
"Guess he has an alibi," Abigail told them, walking away.
~~~~
Police Department - 16th Precinct - Main Room
Cragen was standing in front of the board, turning to face Cassidy, Monique and John. "Okay, let's fill this in."
"Carmel was dead prostitute number one," Monique told him.
"Lorinda, a prostitute attacked a year earlier, is MIA," Cassidy told him.
"Jury's out on Tracy, the honor student slash prostitute," John told him. "Maybe she was in the wrong place, wrong time. Maybe the perp needs glasses."
"Carmel received blunt force trauma to the head," Monique told him. "She was asphyxiated with a garbage bag, and left in a sexualized position."
"Cut and paste that to Tracy's," John told him.
"And to Lorinda's," Cassidy told him. "Except asphyxiation was only attempted. Plus she escaped, so there was no body to position sexually. Plus she's not dead."
Monique, John and Cragen looked at him for a moment, turning back to the board.
"Carmel was black," Monique told him. "Found in an alley."
John nodded. "Black. Construction site."
"Lorinda was Latina," Cassidy told him. "Escaped from an alley. Whereabouts unknown."
John looked at Monique. "No luck finding the fille de joi, huh?"
Monique gave him a look.
Cragen turned to them. "Anything else?"
"I got crime scene contamination on Carmel," Monique told him. "Powder from latex gloves determined to be police issue. On three fingers."
"Forensic tech got sloppy?" Cragen asked.
Monique looked at her file, shaking her head. "The tech was Chau. He's as meticulous as they come."
Frank, Olivia, Elliot and Abigail walked in.
"So how did we get contamination?" John asked.
"Well, I can tell you how we didn't," Elliot told him.
Abigail walked to the board, erasing Travis' name from the side of the board.
"Why not Travis Hall?" Cragen asked.
"Because he OD'd a week before she was killed," Abigail answered.
"Okay, well, you take something away, it'd be nice if you had something to add," Cragen told them.
"I'd say the key is finding Lorinda," Olivia told him.
Cragen turned to Monique. "How close did you get?"
Monique shook her head. "The trail went cold on Ninth."
"Where the girls aren't actually girls, but boys being girls," Cragen told her.
"Yeah, they weren't very forthcoming about where they chased the female hookers during that he/she turf war," Monique told them.
"Oh, that's Gansevoort by the meat market," Cassidy told them. They all looked at him. "What? I remember it from canvassing during a bait-and-switch bashing. What're you looking at?"
John pointed at Cassidy, looking at Cragen. "My man."
Frank smirked, looking at Olivia. "Let's go."
Frank and Olivia walked away.
~~~~
Intersection Of Gansevoort & Greenwich Street
A woman was leaning on a rolled window of a car.
Olivia and Frank walked toward her.
"Hey, maybe that's her," Olivia told him.
Frank held Lorinda's mug shots. "The elusive Lorinda Gutierrez."
"Hey," Olivia told her. Lorinda looked over at them, turning around, running away. The car drove away, leaving. Olivia an Frank ran after Lorinda. "Hey. Come on. Wait up."
"Stop for a second," Frank told her. "Sweetheart. Relax."
Lorinda threw something in the trash, dropping her bag on the ground, holding her hands up in surrender.
"It's okay," Olivia told her. "We're not Vice. We're not here to bust you. We're looking for the man who attacked you last year. We're hoping you can help us with that."
Lorinda relaxed slightly, taking her bag.
"Come on," Frank told her softly, leading her away.
Olivia followed.
~~~~
Police Department - 16th Precinct - Room
Lorinda was sitting on a chair. "Freak is right in front of me."
Olivia placed a cup in front of Lorinda. "But you didn't get a look at him."
"Nah, 'cause, bam," Lorinda told them, lifting her hand to the side of her head. "He shines his light in my eyes, blinding me. Then, bam, he hits me with the flashlight. I'm woozy, then this culo puts a bag over my head and tries to suffocate me."
Frank was sitting on a chair in front of her. "At this point he's behind you."
"Pulling the bag tight," Lorinda told them. "I'm clawing at his hands, but they're too smooth."
Olivia walked around, standing behind Frank. "'Cause he's wearing gloves."
"I told you already, like doctor's," Lorinda told them. "He ain't letting up, so I reach back, grab his cojones and jerk, and I tear ass outta there like I'm fixing to do now."
Frank leaned back on the chair. "There's no description you can give us?"
Lorinda's voice cracked up. "Why you working this so hard? He attack somebody who matters?"
Frank and Olivia didn't answer.
Frank looked down.
~~~~
Main Room
Frank, Olivia, Cassidy, John, Abigail, Elliot, Cragen and Monique were together.
Olivia moved a chair away. "He's right in front of her." She looked at Cragen in front of her. "He blinds her." She held her hand up to the side of her head. "He hits her."
Frank moved to stand behind Olivia, placing his hands close to her neck. "He gets in back of her and pulls the bag across her face."
Frank moved his hands behind Olivia.
Olivia placed her hands over on Frank's. "She's clawing at his hands, but he's wearing gloves, doctor's. So she twists his cojones and takes off."
Frank moved away. "Never even got a glimpse of the guy."
"She said doctor's gloves, meaning latex?" Cragen asked.
"Yeah," Olivia answered. "Why?"
"Carmel had powder from latex gloves on her fingers," Cragen told them.
"Yeah," Monique told him. "But that was determined to be police issue. Not from the perp."
"Yeah, but say the attacker is wearing the gloves, she starts clawing at his hands, maybe the fingers slip inside," Cragen told them.
"Hello," John told them. They all looked at him. John pulled out a flashlight from his drawer, standing up. "You say the doer was standing right in front of Lorinda?"
"Yep," Frank answered.
John nodded, walking closer. "And you're sure that she shielded her eyes like this?" He held his hand to the side of his head. "And not like this?"
John held his hand right in front of his face.
"I'm positive," Olivia answered. Frank sat on Elliot's desk. "We went through it a dozen times. No variation."
John turned on the flashlight. "Civilian..." He pointed it on Olivia's face. Olivia held her hand in front of her face, blocking the light. John turned around, holding the flashlight on Abigail's face, turning back to face Olivia, holding his flashlight up to the side. "And who does this look like, folks?" Olivia held her hand to the side of her face, blocking the light. "Here's a clue... non-gun hand, held to the side?"
Elliot stared at him. "A cop."
John nodded, turning off the flashlight.
~~~~
~~~~
Street
Olivia and Frank were talking to two prostitutes.
"Look, no offense, but all cops are pigs, far as I'm concerned," Woman 1 told them.
"Who's the biggest?" Olivia asked.
"That fat lrish guy," Woman 2 told them. She looked at woman 1. "What's his name? Come around all grabby ass. And you know he don't want to pay. O'Brien."
"Girl, O'Brien went down," Woman 1 told her.
"No-oo," Woman 2 told her.
Woman 1 nodded. "Yeah. In the Midtown South Brothel Scandal. Don't you read the papers, loca?"
"Why you always--" Woman 2 started.
"Girls," Frank told her, standing between them. "Yo, yo. Use your words. Use your words."
"We're looking for a cop with a nasty temper, may have roughed you up before," Olivia told them.
There was a third woman there on the side. "Last time I got busted, the pig nearly dislocated my shoulder cuffing me. I wasn't even resisting."
"Do you remember this officer's name?" Frank asked.
"He gonna know I said anything?" Woman 3 asked.
"If it's him, we're gonna get him off the street and you will never hear from him again," Olivia told her.
"Big ltalian Vice dick," Woman 3 told them. "Spit his toothpick right at my face. D'Angelo."
Frank looked at Olivia in annoyance by the name.
~~~~
Police Department - 16th Precinct - Cragen's Office
Cragen, Olivia and Frank were there.
"Sal D'Angelo," Olivia told him.
"We polled the streets," Frank told him. "He's our lead candidate."
"His job is to arrest these girls," Cragen told them. "Of course they're gonna have a beef."
"We know this guy," Olivia told him. "He's a real jerk."
"He was the first officer at the scene of Tracy's murder," Frank told him. "He was acquainted with the other victims."
Cragen sat on his chair. "Make some calls."
"Already did," Olivia told him.
"Abuse of his badge, bilking overtime, couple other slaps on the wrist," Frank told him.
"So he's not clean, but he's not dirty by street standards either," Cragen told them. Frank gave him a look. Cragen sighed softly. "What precinct is he out of?"
"The 31," Frank answered.
"Lennie Briscoe used to work the 31," Cragen told them. "Let me give him a call, see if he can shed any light on what's not in D'Angelo's file."
~~~~
Evening - Landmark Tavern Restaurant
Cragen and Lennie were having dinner.
"How's your boy and his kids doing?" Lennie asked.
"Well, Frank is working on a case, the kids are doing good as far as I know," Cragen told him.
They chuckled.
"When I was at the precinct, I heard that Frank and his ex are getting back together," Lennie told him. "Is that true?"
"Well, they're trying to figure it out between them," Cragen answered. "But, I don't want to get in the middle of it, I'll let those two figure it out, and Frank will tell me what will happen then."
"Well, you did raise him for, what?" Lennie asked. "18, now?"
"Well, he's an adult now, I wouldn't say 18," Cragen told him.
"Nonsense," Lennie told him. "That boy grew up by you, if it wasn't for you, he would have been dead or a criminal like the guys we're taking down everyday. Frank maybe an adult and he has two kids, but he still looks up to you as, not as a Captain, but a father. If you don't believe me, ask him yourself."
Cragen nodded. He remembered the reason he wanted to meet up with Lennie. "I want to ask you, when you were at the 31, did you know a cop named Sal D'Angelo?"
"The '70s are a blur," Lennie answered.
"Yeah, tell me about it," Cragen told him. "As close as I ever came to time travel."
Lennie chuckled. "The good old days, huh?"
"I remember back in '75, I'm in Atlantic City sweating my ass off in a room with no air conditioning, I go down to the bar, I order a double vodka on the rocks," Cragen told him. "I tip it back, next thing I know, I'm eye-to-eye with a worm in a tequila bottle. I look around, it's not Atlantic City. It's Mexico."
"Me too," Lennie told him. "Only I wake up eye-to-eye with my service revolver, crying like a baby."
"Yet somehow we managed to stay a step ahead of our squads," Cragen told him. "A bunch of wise guys like D'Angelo."
"D'Angelo, what a piece of work," Lennie told him. A waiter walked closer, taking their plates, walking away. "Last year, PBA Golf Tournament, he's there." Cragen took a sip from his water. "Same little snot. Loud, obnoxious. Always picking his teeth. He threw a club on the 13th."
"So he has a temper," Cragen told him. "Excessive?"
Lennie shook his head. "Nah, it's mostly bluster. I mean, he and his partner came in second. D'Angelo bought a round of drinks."
"See, you didn't kill as many brain-cells as you thought," Cragen told him, taking another sip.
Lennie smirked. "You haven't lost a step either. You still know how to interrogate the hell out of a guy."
Lennie raised his eyebrows.
"Look, Lennie, the reason I'm asking, we're looking for a Vice cop with a serious cruel streak," Cragen told him.
Lennie nodded. "D'Angelo's a bastard. Come on, so are you. So am I. We're all bastards. But his partner, now there's a real wacko."
"How so?" Cragen asked.
"That same day, this guy sinks a 45-foot putt," Lennie told him. "Now, everybody goes crazy. They're yelling, 'Ripley's Believe it or Not'. No Ridley, that was his name. Ridley... he was very strange."
"Well, what's so strange about a lucky putt?" Cragen asked.
"Not the putt," Lennie told him. "The guy's reaction to it. When that ball fell in the cup, everybody went nuts. Ridley doesn't even crack a smile. Like he's got ice water in his veins."
"So he's cool under pressure," Cragen told him. "We give cops commendations for that."
"No," Lennie told him. "But the very next hole, he slices one into the woods. He goes nuts... attacks a ball washer." The waiter walked closer, placing two more plats on the table. "Completely destroys it."
"Something to drink?" the waiter asked.
"Uh, I'll have a Perrier," Cragen answered.
"You still drinking that French swill?" Lennie asked. "Let me have a Pellegrino."
"You always gotta trump me, Lennie," Cragen told him.
~~~~
Day Four
Morning - Police Department - 16th Precinct - Main Room
Frank walked toward his desk.
Cragen walked in. "Frank." Frank stopped, turning to him. Cragen walked closer. "Anything new on D'Angelo?"
Frank shook his head. "We're spinning our wheels here. Lennie give you anything?"
"Yeah," Cragen answered. He and Frank walked closer to Olivia, who was sitting on her desk. Cragen held a file to Olivia. "Olivia, I want you to check out an officer named Ridley."
Olivia took it. "Who?" Frank bend down, looking over Olivia's shoulder at the file. Olivia opened the file. "Ridley, Peter Francis. This is from IAD. How'd you get this?"
"Don't ask, don't tell," Cragen told them.
Frank smirked, looking back at the file. "Look at this. Two assault complaints by prostitutes. Both dropped."
Olivia read the file. "Domestic abuse complaint filed by his ex-wife... also dropped."
Frank stood straight.
"Wait till you get a load of the psych report in the back," Cragen told them.
Frank looked at Cragen. "Red flags?"
"Looks like China," Cragen told him. "I want you to pull everything you can on this guy. Question anybody he ever worked with. If you can, go all the way back to the first sandbox he ever farted in."
Olivia and Frank looked back at the file.
"Which is?" Frank asked.
"Kew Gardens," Olivia answered.
~~~~
Kew Gardens - Street
Frank and Olivia were talking to an old couple next to their house.
"The kid was a nightmare," the man told them.
"Things weren't easy for that boy," the woman told them.
The man looked at the woman. "How can you stand there and defend him?"
"Poor thing, with that mother of his," the woman told them.
"Why?" Frank asked. "What about her?"
"Saltines, that was the sign," the woman told them. "If the crackers were outside the door, he wasn't to come in."
"That meant she was in there with a customer," the man told them. "You know, a John."
"He'd sit outside the door all night sometimes," the woman told them. "In the cold, in the rain. He could hear the goings-on in there. Saltines for dinner, imagine."
~~~~
Police Department - 16th Precinct - Room
Frank and Olivia were sitting on the table, reading files.
"This is gonna take weeks," Frank told her, putting down a file.
"I know," Olivia agreed. "Ridley moved around a lot."
Frank grabbed another file. "We gotta get a better system."
Olivia sighed. "Okay. Let me pull the assaults in his precincts. You pull his arrest records."
"Yeah," Frank told her. Olivia stood up, walking past him. Frank read into a file. "You know, I understand how Ridley could grow to hate his mother. But to get to this point?"
Olivia walked back to the table, holding a box. "Frustration, resentment, self-pity. I mean, the guy stayed a low-level officer for 31 years."
Frank stood up. "Yeah." He walked around Olivia, putting the file into a box. "Probably looking at forced retirement in a year or two, never having made his mark."
Olivia looked through the files in her box. "His wife left him a bitter, woman-hating loner."
Frank pulled a few files. "That'd do it. That's a trigger."
Olivia handed Frank a few files. "Okay. These are them."
Frank's phone vibrated.
Frank pulled out his phone. "Uh, and that's the trigger for me. I need to go and pick Daniel up from school."
"Okay," Olivia told him.
"You coming?" Frank asked.
"Uh no, I'm gonna stay here for a little bit, you go ahead," Olivia told him.
"You sure?" Frank asked.
"Yeah," Olivia answered. "Don't worry. Go."
Olivia sat down.
Frank nodded slightly, opening the door, walking out, closing the door.
Olivia opened a file, picking up a picture, looking at it for a moment. She stood up, nailing the picture into the board.
It was a crime scene picture of a prostitute. The picture was black and white.
~~~~
Evening - Russo House - Living Room
Daniel and Frank were sitting on the couch.
Daniel closed his book.
"What, that's it?" Frank asked. Daniel nodded, smiling. "No more homework for today?"
"Yeah," Daniel answered.
Frank tilted his head. "Hey, what about the new volunteer? Is there one?"
"Yeah," Daniel answered.
"And?" Frank asked. "Are they nice? Cool like Ashley?"
Daniel shrugged. "She's okay."
"What's her name?" Frank asked.
"Lucy," Daniel answered.
"What's with the sad face?" Frank asked, frowning.
"Well..." Daniel trailed off. "Ashley was there when you and Mom were getting a divorce. I told her I was upset by that and all... she was really nice, and she was there for me and a lot of other kids." He shrugged. "I guess, I'm worried now that she is having a baby."
"Remind me how old is Ashley?" Frank asked.
"She's 17," Daniel answered. "Do you think she will come to visit me and my friends?"
Frank shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know that girl much, you know? Not like you." He ruffled Daniel's hair. "It's going to be okay."
Daniel looked down, playing with the blanket on him.
~~~~
Day Five
Morning - Police Department - 16th Precinct - Resting Room
Olivia was sleeping on a bed, in her clothes from the previous day.
Frank walked in, frowning. "Olivia?" Olivia woke up, looking over at him. "Hey."
"Hey," Olivia told him.
"Hey," Frank told her, stepping out.
Olivia got up.
~~~~
Main Room
Olivia and Frank walked down the stairs.
Frank handed her a cup of coffee and a bag of food.
"Thanks," Olivia told him.
"How late did you work last night?" Frank asked.
Olivia sighed. "Is it morning?"
Frank frowned, slightly concern. "How much did you even sleep?" Olivia shrugged. Frank sighed. "What were you doing?"
"Cross-referencing attacks on prostitutes with precincts where Ridley worked," Olivia answered.
"How far'd you go back?" Frank asked.
"29, 30 years," Olivia answered.
"Okay, what do you got for me?" Frank asked.
"Take a look and tell me what you think," Olivia told him, opening the door.
~~~~
Room
Olivia and Frank walked inside.
The board was full with pictures of prostitutes. All of them were lined up, seemed to be holding hands.
"See a pattern?" Olivia asked.
"It's like a string of paper dolls," Frank told her.
~~~~
~~~~
Ridley House - Outside
Ridley was cleaning his car, sensing someone behind him, knowing who it was. "Detectives."
Cragen, Frank, Olivia, Elliot and Abigail walked toward him.
"Officer Ridley, we're gonna need you to come down to the precinct with us," Cragen told him.
Ridley turned to the side. "I know what this is about." He looked at them. "I won the policeman's raffle, right? So, let's do it."
"I'm gonna need your weapon, sir," Cragen told him.
Ridley nodded, reaching for his gun on his belt.
"Whoa, whoa," Frank told him, walking closer, taking the gun from his belt.
Frank turned around, walking back to his team.
Ridley reached down.
"Second weapon!" Olivia called.
Everyone held their guns pointed to Ridley.
Ridley looked at them, grabbing a small box, standing up straight.
Everyone relaxed.
Ridley turned around, putting the box on the hood of his car.
Elliot walked closer, handcuffing Ridley.
~~~~
Police Department - 16th Precinct - Room
John, Elliot, Abigail, Frank, Olivia, Cassidy and Cragen were looking at the window into the interrogation room.
Ridley was in the interrogation room, looking at the board with all the victims.
Two cops were in there.
"So how goes the psychological warfare?" John asked.
"It's working," Olivia answered. "On us at least."
"How long has he been in there?" Cassidy asked.
"45 minutes," Frank answered. "He acts as if he's looking at a Van Gogh exhibit."
Cragen looked at Frank. "He's ready."
~~~~
Interrogation Room
Frank and Olivia walked in, closing the door.
Ridley looked at them, looking at the board. He trailed his finger on the pictures. "That's some nice police work. Only took you 31 years." He looked at Frank and Olivia. "Can you believe not one of those morons in Vice ever picked up on it?"
~~~~
Room
John, Elliot, Abigail, Cassidy and Cragen were watching them through the window.
Ridley chuckled. "The irony is..."
~~~~
Interrogation Room
Ridley shook his head. "I almost had it out of my system."
"The need to cleanse?" Frank asked.
Ridley sighed. "I even let one get away last year."
"Yeah, after she nailed you in the gonads," Olivia told him.
Ridley tilted his head, staring at her. He turned back to the board. He pointed on one picture. "That night I had a cold, almost didn't go out."
~~~~
Room
John, Elliot, Abigail, Cassidy and Cragen were watching them through the window.
"Glad I did though," Ridley told them. "She was a particularly rancid piece of meat." Cragen looked down, shaking his head. "$20 a pop."
~~~~
Interrogation Room
"Of course, those were 1979 dollars," Ridley told them. He looked back at the board, pointing on another picture. "And this little junkie whore, weighed about 80 pounds." He looked at Frank and Olivia. "I remember pulling the bag so tight, it lifted her clear off the ground." They stared at him. Frank stepped forward, putting a pen and paper on the table. Ridley looked at it in realization. "I know the drill. But you gave me too much credit."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Olivia asked.
Ridley took Tracy's picture. "It's not mine."
~~~~
Room
John, Elliot, Abigail, Cassidy and Cragen were watching them through the window.
Cragen frowned.
~~~~
Interrogation Room
Olivia glared at him, taking the picture. "It's name is Tracy Henderson."
"Don't jerk us around, Ridley," Frank told him. "18 counts gets you the same lethal injection as 19. You know that."
Ridley nodded. "Yes. I know." He sat down on the chair. "That's why I want my record accurately documented... for posterity."
Frank and Olivia stared at him, walking to the door, walking out, closing the door.
~~~~
Room
John, Elliot, Abigail, Cassidy and Cragen were watching them through the window.
Frank and Olivia walked out.
Cragen looked at Frank and Olivia. He nodded. "Okay. You took the FBI seminar on pattern killers, right? MO and signatures."
"Sure," Frank told him. "MO is how a perpetrator operates, signature is what distinguishes him from others with similar MO's."
"He didn't kill Tracy Henderson," Cragen told them.
"Why?" Frank asked. "Because he says so?"
"Because he's a pattern killer," Cragen told them. "All his vics were found in remote areas. All of them were placed very carefully into position. He has them holding hands for God's sake."
"What about the bag over her head?" Olivia asked. "The crushed skull?"
Cragen shook his head. "I don't know. Coincidence? Copycat?"
Frank tilted his head. "No. A first-timer. Impulsive, young."
Cragen nodded. "All right. Young. Impulsive. My gut tells me the killer knew Tracy."
~~~~
Day Six
Morning - Special Victims Unit Squadroom
Frank was in the computer.
Elliot was next to him. "What about this one?"
"Nah," Frank answered, shaking his head.
Olivia walked closer, leaning over. "Did you call the Hendersons?"
"Next on my list," Frank told her.
Elliot looked over his shoulder, looking over at Frank. "Cross it off. The father's here."
Frank looked over, standing up.
John Henderson was leaded over by Cragen. "Detectives." He looked at Elliot. "I owe you an apology. My wife was in shock and she feels terrible." He looked from Elliot to Frank. "We're very grateful to you for catching Tracy's killer. And we wanted to thank you."
Frank looked from Elliot to John. "Mr. Henderson, I am sorry, but the man we have in custody is not your daughter's killer."
"But in the news, in the papers, it was the way Tracy... you said it was the guy," John told them.
"We intended to call you this morning," Elliot told him.
John looked down.
Frank placed his hand on John's shoulder. "Mr. Henderson, I give you my word, we are gonna find Tracy's killer."
John nodded. "Okay. All right."
Frank leaded John to the door. "All right."
John walked out, leaving.
Frank watched him go, turning to Olivia, Elliot and Cragen, walking closer, looking down, shaking his head.
"I know that look," Cragen told him, giving him a look. "It's not your fault."
"18 out of 19, you think we'd be happy," Elliot told them, walking away, leaving.
"Okay, so now we go for a perfect record," Cragen told them. Olivia placed a hand on Frank's shoulder. "Did you ever find out why Tracy was in Times Square?"
"All we know is she had tentative plans with her boyfriend, but she never called him," Olivia told him.
Frank sat down on the chair.
"Now you confirmed that against her phone logs, right?" Cragen asked.
"We pulled them, but..." Olivia trailed off.
"We got diverted by the Ridley investigation," Frank told him.
Cragen nodded. "Okay. So, now you're diverted back."
"Dennis' alibi checked," Frank told him.
"If Tracy was leading a double life, the boyfriend would be the one to know," Cragen told them. Frank and Olivia looked at each other. "Did it seem like maybe he was holding something back?"
Olivia shook her head. "I didn't get that from him. He was very forthcoming. Very helpful."
"Maybe too helpful?" Cragen asked.
Frank and Olivia exchanged a look.
"He was pretty quick with that card," Frank told them. He looked at Cragen. "His alibi's business card. Right in his pocket. Just kinda..."
"He was watching the game with his best friend," Olivia told him. "I know my best friend's number by heart."
Olivia looked at Frank, raising an eyebrow.
Frank tilted his head. "Am I your best friend?" Olivia scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Now you just flattering me. You will come as the third best friend in my list."
Cragen raised an eyebrow, slightly amused.
"Who's the first and the second?" Olivia asked in amusement.
"Elliot will be in the second place, and someone who's in the Chicago Police," Frank answered, standing up. "You don't know him."
~~~~
Times Square
Frank and Olivia were talking to Bill Griswold.
"You know what they call an accomplice in prison, Billy?" Frank asked. "Bunkmate."
"25-to-life is a serious downgrading from the old lifestyle," Olivia told him.
They stood near a fountain.
"Okay," Bill told them. "Dennis' real girlfriend is a buyer for Prada from Scarsdale. They're probably gonna get married."
"How'd Tracy feel about that?" Frank asked.
"Dennis just wanted a little strange before he settled down," Bill told them. "He saw Tracy at a club one night. Very hot. Every guy wants her, Dennis get her. The problem is, the package doesn't match the wrapping. She's very inexperienced."
"A virgin?" Frank asked.
Bill nodded. "It was even her first glass of wine. She wakes up the next morning with a big hangover and in love with Dennis."
"So poor Dennis didn't get the jungle fever he was looking for," Frank told him.
"More like iced mocha," Bill told him.
"So what happened that night?" Olivia asked.
"She calls him up, wants to go dancing," Bill told them. Says she's even gonna wear something wild for once. But Dennis stood her up and went home alone. That's why he asked me to lie for him. He's my friend."
"So get a new one," Olivia told him.
Frank and Olivia walked away, leaving.
Bill watched them go, sighing.
~~~~
Elsewhere
Frank and Olivia were walking together.
"There's nothing that links the boyfriend to Tracy's crime scene," Olivia told him.
"There's gotta be something," Frank told her. "And, I'm not gonna question him until we have something concrete to hold over him."
"Our luck, his lawyer's even slicker than he is," Olivia told him.
"Let's go over it again," Frank told her. "What are we not seeing here?"
"What is there to see?" Olivia asked. "We have no hair, no fibers, no prints."
They stood walking, facing each other.
Frank smirked slightly. "At the crime scene... they had a partial footprint."
~~~~
Forensics Laboratory One Police Plaza
Frank and Olivia were talking to a man.
"It was the vic's blood tracked in the shoe print," the man told them, walking toward his computer.
Frank looked at Olivia smugly, walking closer to the man. "What have you got on the shoe?"
Olivia walked closer.
"Size 11-C, exotic ltalian," the man answered, showing a scan of the footprints. "Valleti Brothers."
"You mean the Valenti Brothers?" Olivia asked.
"Uh, yes, I do," the man answered.
Frank looked at Olivia. "How'd you know that?"
"They run an ad every week in 'The Times', highlighting the fact that they're exclusively available at one location," Olivia told him.
Olivia started to walk away.
~~~~
Valenti Brothers' Shop
An older man was talking to Frank and Olivia. "In that size, we've sold maybe a dozen pair. They're new this fall."
Olivia handed a shoe to the man. "They're beautiful."
"They're $820 a pair," the man told them. He looked at Frank. "Are you in the market?"
Frank nodded. "Yes, I am. For those 12 receipts. Would you pull them for us?"
The man nodded, walking toward the counter.
Olivia sighed softly, looking at Frank. "You wanna know what kills me?"
"Mmmm," Frank hummed.
"Is, even if we prove that he owned the shoes, he's still had plenty of time to ditch them," Olivia told him.
Frank smirked slightly. "Trust me, that jerk did not throw away $800 shoes."
~~~~
Police Department - 16th Precinct - Main Room
Abigail and Elliot placed boxes on their desks, pulling out shoes.
"This is what we got from his place," Elliot told them.
Abigail shook her head. "This kid's a closet lmelda Marcos. We've got wingtips, tassels, white bucks. Everything but the ugly-ass shoes you're looking for."
Olivia sighed. "Damn it."
"Did we cover everything in that warrant?" Frank asked.
"We searched his office, we searched his gym locker," Elliot told them. "We searched everything."
Olivia looked at a card. "Everything but the house he grew up in." She handed it to Frank. "Current voters' registration card."
"It's still his legal address," Frank told her.
~~~~
Caulfield House - Living Room
Frank and Olivia were talking to Dennis' parents, Charles and Evelyn.
Evelyn was sitting on a chair, holding a picture.
Charles was standing next to her.
Olivia nodded to the picture in Evelyn's hand. "That was taken spring break in Vermont. She loved to ski."
Evelyn looked at the picture. "She's quite pretty."
"Not any more," Olivia told them. "You couldn't stomach the photos we got from the crime scene."
Evelyn frowned.
Charles took the picture. "Why are you telling us this?"
"Because she was your son's dirty little secret," Olivia told them. "Although she was a lovely, decent girl who came from an affluent family, a lot like yours."
"Except she was black," Frank told them. "Would you have had a problem with that?"
Evelyn shook her head. "No, of course not."
Olivia shook her head lightly. "But he never mentioned her to you."
"This is insane," Charles told them.
"You don't know our son," Evelyn told them.
"Do you?" Frank asked.
Dennis walked down the stairs, holding a bag, slowly to a stop when he saw Frank and Olivia. "What are you doing here?"
Frank and Olivia walked toward him.
"You mind if we take a look in your bag?" Frank asked.
"Yeah, I do mind," Dennis answered.
Olivia took the bag. "Too bad."
"I wasn't really asking for permission," Frank told him. Olivia put the bag on a step, opening it. "Why did you kill her, Dennis? Did she make problems with your real girlfriend?"
Olivia started to search in Dennis' bag. "Maybe he took her out for one last fling."
"Perhaps I'd better call my lawyer," Charles told them.
Evelyn stood up.
Olivia stood straight, walking closer to Frank and Dennis, speaking to Charles. "Perhaps you should."
"You took her out for a pizza and a quickie outside in the open?" Frank asked. Charles walked away. "That's pretty kinky. She refused you. Your friend Griswold said she's kind of square."
Olivia stood next to Frank. "That's so frustrating."
"So, you got so pissed off when she refused you, you got a little too rough, didn't you?" Frank asked. "Try and shake some sense into her?"
Olivia walked around Dennis. "And when she didn't get up, you panicked and dragged her into the alley."
Olivia stood behind him.
Frank stepped closer to Dennis. "'Ah, man, what am I going to do now, huh? Well, whatever, I'll just dump her body and run. I'll wake up the next morning, go to work, pretend nothing ever happened and maybe it'll actually be that way'."
Dennis didn't look at him. "No."
"No?" Frank asked.
Dennis looked at him. "No."
"But something did happen, Dennis," Olivia told him.
"I have no idea what they're talking about, Mother," Dennis told her.
"Really?" Evelyn asked. "Then why didn't you mention her?"
Olivia looked down at Dennis' shoes.
"Well, I was going to, but you--" Dennis started.
"Oh my God," Olivia said. Frank looked at her. Olivia looked at him. "He's wearing them."
Dennis and Frank looked at Dennis' shoes.
Frank smirked, looking at Dennis. "Nice shoes."
Frank let his smirk fad away, tilting his head.