Partners Forever

Chapter 6-Manhattan Family Killer

It had been a week since my visit to Stabler's apartment and I was at my desk daydreaming about the almost kiss we had. I had been so close to knowing what his lips would feel like on mine that it made me want him even more. The ringing of my phone brought me back to reality. It was Velasco letting me know about the new case him and Churlish were called out to. He told me it was a tough one and that it would be best if I came to the scene myself. He said an entire family was found murdered in a home on the upper east side. The family consisted of a mom, a dad, and a son and daughter. The mom appears to have been tortured and raped which is why SVU was called in. I sighed and told him I would be right over to help process the scene. I felt nauseous after hanging up with him knowing that any type of scene involving kids was always the hardest. I asked Rollins to come with me since she had experience profiling perps and briefed her on the way.

We arrived at the scene twenty minutes later. The entire home was considered a crime scene and I was fearful of what I was about to walk into although I didn't want anyone to see my hesitation. I was told Velasco and Churlish were upstairs and all the bodies had been left where they were found until the scene was fully processed. I saw Churlish at the top of the stairs looking pale and completely defeated. She started to tell me everything they knew so far. The maid came into the home at her usual time of 8:00 am and didn't see anyone right away which is normal since the father, John Sutton, is usually at work and the mother, Katrina Sutton, is taking the kids to school. She headed upstairs and found both John and Katrina dead in their bed. She panicked and ran to the hall bathroom to get sick. She then went into the daughter's room and found both kids dead on the bedroom floor. She immediately ran out of the home and called 911. Churlish said that so far, they know the father is a stockbroker on Wallstreet and the mother stays at home. She told me that nothing can prepare you for what lies in two of the bedrooms and that those images are permanently ingrained in her head. I took a deep breath and went to the master bedroom with Amanda following close behind me.

The father was on the bed lying on his back only in a pair of boxers with both arms zip tied above his head to a post on the headboard. He had a very large pool of blood underneath him that was spreading out across the bed on both sides. I could see numerous stab marks on his chest and abdomen. There were so many I couldn't even count them all and the amount of blood on the bed and the walls was hard to process. The mother was also lying on her back, but she was completely nude with both of her hands tied above her head to the headboard. Her throat appears to have been cut and her legs were spread apart with a large amount of blood in between them. The medical examiner was crouched down next to Katrina's body and told me that he found evidence of semen and there was a fireplace poker lying near the body that had blood on it. He thinks she was raped by her attacker as well as with the fireplace poker. Many emotions were passing through me and even though I had been doing this for 25 years, shock was still one of them. I was also angry, disgusted, sad, and scared of what I would find in the next room. Rollins commented that the amount of stab wounds on the father and the trauma done to the mother indicated someone who is very angry and has lost control. She feels that it must be someone the family knew, and we should start talking to family and friends first.

We both hesitantly walked into the daughter's room knowing how personal this case would be with us both being mothers. We slowly arrived at the doorway and saw the bodies of Heather Sutton and Jeremy Sutton both lying on their backs on the floor. Both of their throats had been cut which was cause of death. There was also a rag lying near the head of Jeremy Sutton. Rollins bent down to get a closer look and said she could smell chloroform. He must have used that on both kids and then cut their throats. Rollins commented that the kids' murders were more merciful, and it appears they weren't conscious when it happened whereas both the mother and father were tortured. I had seen enough and the whole SVU team met outside the home to discuss the next steps. I told Velasco and Churlish to interview all the neighbors to determine if anyone saw anything at all and to find out how well any of them knew this family. Rollins was going to get with Fin and find out if there were any family members in the area and get more information about the family's dynamics. I headed back to the office to research if there had been any other homicides in the last several years with a similar motive.

My phone began ringing as soon as I walked into my office and set my purse down. It was Chief McGraff asking me about the case and where we were in solving it. I explained to him with an edge to my voice that as usual, investigations take time, and my entire team is on this case to try and get it solved quickly. I hung up with him exasperated and unsure of how much longer I could work for such an arrogant prick. By the end of the day my eyes were going cross staring at a computer screen researching cases in all five boroughs of New York. I didn't really find anything that was helpful and decided to head home and drink a bottle of wine.

I was settled on my couch enjoying my second glass of cabernet when I got a text message from Elliot. My mood instantly lightened, and I even had a smile on my face.

E: "Hey Liv, I am doing much better with getting around, but I think I need help with my bandage again." (wink emoji)

O: "Lol, I'm sure you do. I'm available anytime." (sly grin emoji)

E: "So, when can I see you again?"

O: 'I'm not sure. We just got a tough case and the whole squad is on it. It will probably keep me busy for a while."

E: "Well, I'm stuck on desk duty for several weeks. Why don't I come over and see if I can help? I worked at SVU for 12 years so maybe I can give some insight."

If Elliot was going to come to my apartment, I really didn't want to discuss work. All I could think of was kissing him. I blushed a little as I texted back.

O: "Ok, sure, come on over."

Elliot arrived twenty minutes later, and he looked well rested and clean shaven. I, on the other hand, felt like a hot mess with being exhausted from this emotionally draining case. My hair was tousled from anxiously running my hands through it all day and my shirt was all wrinkled. He smiled when he saw me and said, "You look beautiful even after a long day of work." I just rolled my eyes at him and ushered him to the couch. We both sat down, and I started to brief him on the case when there was a knock at my door. I was not expecting anyone, and my stomach went into my throat when I looked through the peep hole and saw it was Trevor Langan. I took a deep breath before opening the door.

O: "Hey, Trevor, what are you doing here?"

T: "Well, you haven't responded to any of my texts or calls the last several days. I was starting to worry so I thought I would come by in person."

He then took a step closer to me and leaned down and kissed me rather passionately. I was taken aback and automatically pulled away from his kiss. He noticed my resistance instantly and stood upright with a confused look on his face. I told him this really wasn't a good time and that I was tied up with a case. I glanced over at Elliot to see his jaw muscles pulsing and his hands were in fists. I told Trevor I was busy, and I would talk to him later. I made a mental note as I shut the door that I needed to end things with him since I realized I had no desire to be in a romantic relationship with him. I walked back over to the couch, sat down, and looked at Elliot. There was jealous rage in his eyes, and I tried to smooth things over.

E: "I thought you two weren't a thing, but he is comfortable enough to kiss you?"

O: "El, we have gone out a couple of times and he thinks there is more there but there isn't."

E: "I see, so is that the same for us? I really felt something there between us, but do you feel the same way about us as you do about you and him?"

The rage in his eyes had turned to genuine hurt, and it broke my heart. I wanted him to know how I felt even though it scared me. I reached over and placed each of my hands on either side of his face. I looked deep into those crystal blues and kissed him. It was gentle at first but then a fire was burning in my core, and I needed to taste him. I pressed my lips harder against his and parted his lips with my tongue. He responded by opening his mouth and pressing his lips harder against mine. Suddenly, our tongues were intertwined, and we were making out like teenagers. I'm not sure if it was the wine or the tough day with this horrible case but I wanted to get lost in him, so I didn't have the images of a dead family running through my head. I could feel wetness between my legs as my body responded to his lips on mine as well as his hands running down my sides grabbing my thighs. The line had been crossed and there was no going back now.