Adding Fuel to the Fire: An Elliot Stabler Story

Chapter Ten

A cloud of panic drifted over the special victims unit on the Monday afternoon before Thanksgiving. That morning, Olivia and Elliot had been called to a crime scene where a woman, Eliza Ware, was found raped and murdered in her bedroom and her five-year-old son, Liam, was found in the corner of the room with terror and fear in his eyes, covered in his mother's blood. The paramedics that arrived at the scene assumed the little boy had witnessed his mother's untimely death.

The child sat in the brightly colored children's interrogation room, wailing and making repetitive movements with his hands. Untouched crayons and a blank coloring sheet sat on the table in front of him, proof of failed attempts to entertain and distract the boy.

Huang and Elliot stood outside the room waiting for his father, watching through the glass side of the one-way mirror. The child wore an oversized blue t-shirt, one the detectives had given him to get him out of his blood-soaked pajamas. He flapped his hands in the air quickly as tears ran down his face.

"George, Elliot, this is Andrew Ware, Liam's father and Eliza's ex-husband," Olivia introduced as she directed an understandably upset and disheveled man to them. "He's been questioned and cleared."

"What's wrong? Why is he crying?" Andrew asked frantically, as he approached the detectives, looking at his son with sadness in his eyes.

"We were hoping you could tell us," Elliot answered. "We can't get him to calm down or talk to us."

"Liam has autism," Andrew sighed, rubbing his forehead. "He can't speak. He can hear, he just can't talk."

"How do you communicate with him?" Olivia asked.

"Sign language," Andrew answered. "He's asking for his mom." He pointed to the child who was bringing his open hand to his face, touching his thumb to his chin over and over. "That's ASL for mom."

"I know this must be very difficult for you, but we need to talk to Liam and see if he can tell us anything about what happened last night, and we'll need you to translate for us," George stated.

"I-I'm not very good at it." Andrew ran his hand through his hair. "I only know a few words. Eliza always translated back and forth for us."

"We'll need to get a translator then," George informed him. "Do you think you can calm him down so he will talk to us?"

"I don't-I don't know," Andrew answered panicky. "Eliza was the only one who could ever get him to calm down. She was the only one who understood his condition."

Elliot immediately thought of how useful Johanna would be in this situation. Right then, a light bulb went off in his head.

"I know someone who can console your son and communicate with him," Elliot stated. "With your permission, I can get her down here to help us."

"Of course," Andrew nodded. "Of course. You have my permission."

"Olivia, get the paperwork started, please," Elliot requested as he pulled out his cell phone and began to walk away, knowing that many forms had to be signed so that the child could be helped with parental permission and so any information given by the child would legally hold up in court. "I'm going to call Johanna; she'll know what to do."

"On it," Olivia stated as she walked off in the opposite direction.

Elliot dialed the redhead's number, praying she wasn't busy and could save the day.

"Hello?" Her sweet voice filled his ears.

"Are you busy right now?" Elliot asked with urgency in his voice.

"Nope, I just got home from work. Is everything okay?" She wondered.

"I have a huge favor to ask," he told her. "How quickly can you get down to the station?"