Law and Order: Special Victims Unit Gangster

13. The Three Musketeers: The Full Muñoz

  "How does an unemployed shoe clerk wind up working for your client's political campaign in the middle east?" Amaro asked Alex Muñoz's media consultant, Hank Abraham.
  "It's a-a shoe model, I believe," the man corrected, pretending to appear busy. "And may I ask how that's SVU's concern? Because it seems like an item for page six, you know? Not a matter for an elite detective unit."
  "Her names come up in multiple investigations, mainly for causing problems with powerful married men," Fin replied.
  "Is this something I should call the DA about?" the man asked. "Because I'm handling his campaign as well, you know?"
  "Do what you need to do," Juliana told him.
  "It's not gonna look good though, a spin doctor who can't control bad press about his own office," Nick Amaro intimidated him.
  "Look. Can we handle this quietly, Nick? It's a personal matter," Abraham told him.
  "Lindsay was involved with you?" Fin realized.
  "With my right-hand man. It's a disaster," he replied quietly. "He has a wife, you know, two beautiful children."
  "We're gonna need to talk to him," Juliana pointed out.
  "I'm afraid that's impossible, I just reassigned him to an overseas campaign."
  "Let me guess, in Tel Aviv," Tutuola decided.
  Juliana frowned. "Why did I see this coming?"
  "He was having an affair with Lindsay, so you sent them both off to Israel?" Amaro asked.
  "It's what I call a win-win," Hank Abraham said far too proudly.

****

  "So. The DA heard that you guys paid a visit to Alex's media consultan? You want to tell me how that went?" Rafael Barba asked.
  "Hank Abraham just sent Lindsay off to Israel with his right-hand man," Amaro confirmed.
  "Wait, does Alex know about this?" Rafael asked.
  "Well, he should. The aide who flew off with Lindsay? He was working on Alex's campaign until yesterday," Amaro said bluntly.
  "I'm sorry, he leaves the country right before the election?" the ADA asked.
  Juliana nodded. "Either he thinks the race is in the bag, or...."
  "He's helping Muñoz out by making sure that Lindsay can't talk to us," Benson confirmed.
  "Hold on. Did you ask Alex if he was involved with this woman?" Rafael asked.
  "We did. He gave a categorical denial," Amaro reported.
  "What about Eddie?"
  "He's been ducking us ever since his release," Benson replied.
  "I can make a call," Rafael Barba said reluctantly.
  "Actually, I was going to suggest going the other way. Have you thought of formally refusing yourself, Counselor.
  "Nick," Juliana sighed exasperatedly.
  "Believe me, I would like nothing more—"
  "But?"
  "But the DA has asked me to stay on it," Rafael explained, upset.
  "Oh, so he's hanging you out to dry?" Benson pointed out.
  "Given the optics, he wants to be kept in the loop," he explained as if he had not been interrupted.
  "Oh, so you can keep Muñoz in the loop?" Amaro smirked.
  "You're out of line, Detective," Rafael said to him with what seemed like amusement, or surprise.

Juliana couldn't tell.
  "Am I?" Amaro asked further.
  "Nick," Juliana said firmly.
  "Guys, please," Benson interjected, "We'd like to keep digging."
  "Go ahead," Rafael nodded with concern. "But we're ten days away from an election, if you're going to take aim at the frontrunner, make sure you don't  miss," he warned, walking away.

****

About a half an hour later, Detective Juliana Vasquez was in a discussion with the rest of SVU when she decided to step out for a quick cup of water, when she ran into Rafael Barba outside.
  "Juliana, mi amor?"Rafael saw her.
  "Rafi. Hola, guapo, I was just taking to everyone else, what's up?" Juliana asked happily.

Rafael Barba nearly flinched at her exact words.
  "Um, no, I don't wanna bother you, but.... there's something we should probably talk about, just real quick, nothing major," he promised.

Juliana mentally braces herself for whatever was coming.
  "Aight, uh.... I was gonna get some water, let's talk over there," she nodded as they walked toward the water jug. What is it?" she asked.
  "Well, uh.... I'm just gonna say it. I know today hasn't been a good day for me at all, but I thought you needed to know.... Yelina Muñoz, Alex's wife.... she's unfortunately my ex," he sighed, ripping the bandaid off.
  Juliana just stared at him, and then sighed with exhaustion. "You know what, I honestly don't care after today, it's been kind of a long day, and I'm just glad you told me before something inappropriate happened."
  Rafael nodded, and then sighed. "Well nothing inappropriate did happen, but she did f**king come by my office asking about Alex's situation," he explained.
  "Oh, God. Babe, that sucks, but.... I'm not mad, I have no reason to be, you didn't do anything," Juliana pointed out to him.
  Then he winced. "Yeah, that might be true, but before I told her to leave, Yelina, she.... she told me that Alex didn't know that she was there, and I'm guessing she was telling the truth. She might use that against me," he realized. "She's smart and manipulative like that."
  Juliana shook her head. "Damn. But before we get ahead of ourselves, she might not. Either way, if this does come up, she's probably more at fault than you are, you'll be fine," Juliana promised him. "Come on."
  "Yeah. I always thought it was weird how she still calls me stuff like guapo, or papi," Rafael Barba sighed.
  Juliana raised and eyebrow, turning around to face him. "Excuse me, what the f**k?" Juliana asked loudly.
  "Oh, sh*t, I'm sorry, mi amor, really, this is all such a damn mess," Rafi sighed as Juliana opened the door to the room, where everyone was waiting.
  "Alright, well.... I didn't really need to hear that, not specifically, but I guess it's better that you told me," Juliana Vasquez shrugged. "Let's go, mi Romeo. I'm the only one who gets to call you papi."
  The ADA nodded with a devilish grin. "Of course, mami."
  "Really didn't need to hear that, Barba," Benson muttered.
  "Oh, for f**k's sake," Rafael muttered in response. "Alright, where's the fire?"
  "Something that we need to see."
  "Since Lindsay found her other chumps through social media, we figured she might have done the same thing with Muñoz," Amaro explained.
  "So, I went online, and I set up an 'I ❤️ Alex Muñoz for mayor' page. He messaged me back within half an hour," Amanda Rollins showed him on the screen.

His message read, 'hey babe'.
  "Oh God," Rafael murmured.

He and Juliana continued reading as Rollins kept scrolling.
  "'I saw your debate tonight on NYI. When you talked about the pension system I got so excited!'?" Rafael read out loud. "You set up a honey trap?"
  "Mm-hmm," Juliana confirmed.
  "Scroll down," Fin Tutuola told her.
  "Okay."

'You did? How about a photo of you watching?'

  Barba frowned. "Ew. Just ew," he whispered to Juliana.
  "So, I asked him 'are you sure you can handle it?', he responded, 'yes, but not here'."
  "He wanted to meet?" Barba asked, now confused.
  "Well, not exactly, he asked her to switch to a less public sight," Benson replied.
  "Okay," Rollins showed him.
"'PleasureWithoutConscience.Com."
  "A cheating sight?" Rafael Baba suspected. "Alex has an account?"
  "Well, no, not by name. But.... his alter ego does."
  "'Enrique Trouble'?" Rafael read.
  "I think that's his porno name," Fin chuckled.
  "Come on, you— this can't be real," the man denied it dismissively.
  "Well, it's a nice avi," Nick Amaro admitted, getting a disapproving and warning look from Rafael.
  "Moving on," Rollins announced. "Okay, he asked for a picture first, so.... I sent him this selfie—"

Fin Tutuola began to stare at the screen, laughing and grinning as any man in his situation would be as he saw the somewhat revealing photo.
  "Thank you," Rollins nodded jokingly, shifting the screen away from him.
  "Nice," Juliana nodded.
  "Any response?" Barba asked, not looking out of decency and respect for both Rollins and Juliana.

His slightly awkward demeanor amused Juliana Vasquez immensely.
  "Not yet," Benson replied.
  "This could all be a hoax," Rafael pointed out.
  "Yeah, but, that's why I went ahead and asked him for a photo, okay? 'you've seen me, let me see you'," Rollins explained as she typed.
  "You gotta admit, this does not look good for Alex," Juliana said pointedly.
  "Don't hold your breath," Rafael Barba said, somewhat more hopefully than confidently. "He's at a fundraiser with his wife and daughters, right now, ten days away from the election..... He-he can't waste time."

ADA Barba and Nick then exchanged glances, Rafael's worried while Nick's smug. The two of them were not getting along today, Juliana knew.
  "No, guys like this, they make the time," Fin argued.

Just then, the computer went off and a particular damning picture of Alex Muñoz popped up on the screen.
  "We've got a reply," Rollins announced.

Rafael only turned his head in shame, for both his friend's inappropriate behavior and his own faith in him.
"Well, you said that he was at an event. Doesn't that look like a tuxedo shirt?" Nick Amaro asked him.
"There's no face, I mean it could be anyone," Benson pointed out.
"Okay, wait, well maybe how about this?" Rollins asked, "'Is that all you got?'" she read aloud as she typed it in.
"Oh good Lord," Rollins sighed as everyone had to see what was sent next.

It wasn't easy for anyone to look at. Rafael Barba sighed very quietly and sadly as Juliana gave his hand a squeeze. Fin, to Juliana's appreciation, tried to make a joke to clear the tension.
"Oh, okay!" he yelled, covering the screen with a laugh. "That's the full Muñoz right there."
"Oh, no!" Benson shouted.
"And this guy wants to be the next mayor of New York," Amaro smirked at Rafael.

Everyone was in shock as Rafi looked down at his lap, afraid of what was to come, not wanting to look anyone in the eye.