"They've got her in the Gold Crowne Motel on 129th Street," Benson called out, motioning for her team to follow her, "Vest up, these guys are armed and extremely dangerous."
"NYPD!" Detective Carisi pounded on the flimsy motel room door, ECU and the rest of his team behind him. Upon a nod from his lieutenant, Carisi kicked open the door and entered the room. "Body!" he shouted, observing Hannigan's large figure slumped in the corner of the room.
"Clear." Rollins put down her weapon and glanced around the room, "Kate isn't in here."
"The gunshot wound looks self-inflicted," Benson reported, standing up from her crouched position in front of the deceased, "Maybe she got away?"
"One person says that he heard the gunshot about a half hour ago. That's more than enough time for the kid to make a break for it." Fin stated, poking his head into the crime scene.
"Canvas the building," Benson ordered, heading out the door, "She can't have gotten far."
Kate curled up in the corner of the basement, gingerly holding her left arm with her right. Her head was throbbing and her whole body ached, urging her to close her eyes. Bobby Hannigan had told her that Jackson was going to come back for her as he lifted the gun to his temple. She knew that she had to get out of that room as fast as possible. She could hear pounding footsteps in the distance and knew that Mr. P was going to get her soon. Kate cowered in the corner and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to not think about how Jay and Erin had been killed.
"Hey, Liv, I think she's down here!" Rollins called, carefully entering the basement as she caught sight of the shaking child at the far end of the room. "Kate?"
The little girl didn't make a sound and didn't open her eyes. "Kate?" Rollins asked again, stopping a few feet in front of her, "My name is Amanda, I'm a friend of Erin and Jay's. I'm here to help you, I promise."
Kate opened her eyes slowly, taking in the blurry figure in front of her. The woman wore a vest and held a gun in one hand. She gasped and tried to back away but had pressed her body as far into the wall as possible. "It's okay, sweetheart, I'm a Detective with the NYPD, just like your parents. They're really worried about you and are on their way to get you."
She shook her head adamantly, "No, Erin and Jay are dead. Mr. P said they got shot." Tears trailed down her pale cheeks as she regarded Amanda's kind expression.
"No, darling, he was lying to you." Amanda reached a hand out carefully, causing Kate to elicit a small squeak. "I promise that I'm not going to hurt you. I've worked with Erin and Jay before, and Detective Dawson and Sergeant Voight-"
"S-sergeant Voight?" Kate asked, becoming increasingly convinced that Amanda was someone she could trust, "You know him?"
"Mm-hm." Amanda smiled, "My boss, Olivia, is friends with him. And he's been out here and I've been out to Chicago to work with the Intelligence Unit."
Kate looked skeptically at Amanda, pulling her throbbing arm closer to her chest, "How do I know you're not kidding like Officer John?"
Amanda grimaced, realizing that the little girl had just been tricked by a criminal impersonating a police officer. She thought for a moment before reaching for her cell phone. Kate flinched backwards, anticipating that Amanda would hit her. The detective quickly raised her arms. "It's okay, I was just getting my cell phone to show you a picture." Amanda scrolled through her pictures before finding the image of the two units that came together in Chicago. It had been the first time the two units worked together, since the occasions with the sex trafficking ring or Yates and Nadia didn't warrant any picture taking. "See, that's me and Erin and Jay."
