Épisode Le Contrat du silence S05E19 - Law & Order : Special Victims Unit Saison 5

(A dorm room.  Goth Girl is sitting at the computer.  Preppy Girl is nearby, holding a cell phone.)

Preppy Girl
You know what sucks?  Cramming two people in a room with only one phone line.  I hate dorms.

Goth Girl
Use your cell phone.

Preppy Girl
I keep going over my limit because you're always online.  You mind logging off for, like, two seconds?

Goth Girl
This is kind of life or death.

Preppy Girl
You're in a freaking chat room.

(The camera cuts to the computer screen, which displays "Slasher Fan Chat Room.")

Goth Girl
Read this.

Preppy Girl
(Reading)
"Rage is eating me alive.  Must release it.  I have a knife and rope.  And a 5-year-old.  Screw her innocence then slice her up."  This is sick.

Goth Girl
He swears he's not joking.

(Preppy Girl grabs the keyboard and begins typing.)

Preppy Girl
(Reading what she's typing)
"Hey, Dickweed, I'm calling the Denver cops."

Goth Girl
I'm trying to calm him down.  He's replying.
(Reading)
"Thanks for the heads up.  I love killing pigs.  I'll mow them down when they come through my door."
Goth Girl picks up the phone and dials 9-1-1.)

Preppy Girl
Hey.
 

 

(Denver Police Station.  Denver Detective is at his desk, on the phone, on hold.  Denver Uniform Officer is off-screen.)

Denver Uniform Officer
His screen name is "Psychokiller?"

Denver Detective
Yeah, in a chat room for slasher film fans.  I tracked down the Internet service provider.  I'm on hold with them now,

Denver Uniform Officer
The guy's obsessed with mutilation.

Denver Detective
And killing cops.  He logged off half an hour ago.  Check out this last post.

(Denver Detective hands Uniform Officer a sheet of paper.)

Denver Uniform Officer
(reading)
"Got to get ready for my big date.  See you in hell."

Denver Detective
Uh-huh.  Hold on.
(on phone)
Who?  Jeremy Ostilow?  I'm afraid he's a little out of our jurisdiction.  We're in Denver, Colorado.

(Denver Detective hangs up the phone.)

Denver Uniform Officer
Where is he?

Denver Detective
Where else?  New York City.
 

 

(Stairwell outside Ostilow apartment.  ESU Team is running up the stairs.  Stabler and Benson follow close behind.)

Det. Olivia Benson
Maintain fire discipline.  He's got a kid in there.

Det. Elliot Stabler
Hit it.

(An ESU Team member knocks the door down.  They all storm through.)

ESU #1
Police!  Don't move!  Hands where we can see them!

(ESU Team surrounds Jeremy and Ann Ostilow.  Benson and Stabler approach them.)

Det. Elliot Stabler
Jeremy Ostilow?

Jeremy Ostilow
Yes.

(The Ostilow's daughter Lisette screams.)

Lisette Ostilow
Mommy.

(Det. Benson moves to pick her up; Ann Ostilow intervenes and picks her up instead.)

Ann Ostilow
It's okay, sweetheart.

Det. Olivia Benson
Are you okay?

Jeremy Ostilow
What the hell are you doing?

Det. Elliot Stabler
Looking for a "Psychokiller."

Jeremy Ostilow
A "Psychokiller?"

Det. Elliot Stabler
Your slasher site screen name.  We linked it to your main account, "JJO Rules."

Ann Ostilow
That's not my husband's.  It's JJ's.

Det. Olivia Benson
And who is JJ?

Jeremy Ostilow
Our son, Jeremy Jr.

(JJ walks up behind Stabler, followed by an ESU member.)

ESU #1
Found him under the bed.

JJ Ostilow
It was just a joke.

(Benson and Stabler share an exasperated sigh.  Fade out.)
 

Opening Credits
 

(Interrogation room.  Jeremy Ostilow and JJ Ostilow are sitting at the Interview table.  Stabler is standing in front of them.)

Jeremy Ostilow
He's twelve years old, for Pete's sake, didn't you pull pranks at that age?

Det. Elliot Stabler
Pranks, yeah, but I never threatened to kill any cops or say I wanted to...

(Stabler bends down to a printout of the chat conversation.)

Det. Elliot Stabler
(Reading)
"Rip off her clothes, slashing as I defile her."  That's what you'd like to do?

Jeremy Ostilow
Trust me.  No more horror movies or websites.

JJ Ostilow
Don't blame them.  They didn't make me do this.

Det. Elliot Stabler
Then who did?

Jeremy Ostilow
Please.  He was just trying to impress other kids on the Internet.

Det. Elliot Stabler
Your son had hardcore slasher fans freakin' out.  They asked him repeatedly, "Are you joking?"  They thought you were serious, and I got to tell you, JJ, I still do.

Jeremy Ostilow
Then you're an idiot.

JJ Ostilow
Give it up, Detective.  My parents would die before they'd let anything bad happen to me.
 

 

(Ostilow apartment.  Ann Ostilow is cleaning up.  Det. Benson is standing nearby.)

Ann Ostilow
Please don't do this to my son.  He's very sensitive.

Det. Olivia Benson
Have you read the printout we gave you from the Internet?

Ann Ostilow
It's nonsense he picked up from comic books and movies.  He has no idea what it means.

Det. Olivia Benson
He went into graphic detail.

Ann Ostilow
Who's gonna fix the door?

Det. Olivia Benson
You can fill out a form to be reimbursed by the city,

Ann Ostilow
How long will that take?

Det. Olivia Benson
If you're lucky, I'd say six to eight weeks.

Ann Ostilow
No, it has to be tonight.  What will I tell the neighbors?

Det. Olivia Benson
Mrs. Ostilow, how long has your son been obsessed with violence?

Ann Ostilow
He's not.

Det. Olivia Benson
Has he ever hurt his sister?

Ann Ostilow
Never.

Det. Olivia Benson
I need to talk to her.

Ann Ostilow
Lisette's in her room.  I'll get her.

Det. Olivia Benson
Underage suspects are entitled to have a parent present.  Underage victims are not afforded that same right.

Ann Ostilow
Lisette's not a victim.

Det. Olivia Benson
I need to talk to her alone.

Ann Ostilow
Fine.  She'll tell you she adores her big brother.
 

 

(Interview room.  Stabler is seated at the table, reading the chat room printout.  Across from him is JJ.  Jeremy is standing in the corner.)

Det. Elliot Stabler
(reading)
"Screw her innocence and then slice her up."  Is this about your sister Lisette?

JJ Ostilow
No.

Det. Elliot Stabler
You're telling me there's another five-year-old out there who pisses you off that much?  Believe me, I know what a pain little sisters can be.  Just tell me what she did.

JJ Ostilow
She melted my favorite CD in her Easy-Bake Oven.

Det. Elliot Stabler
That sucks.  What did you do?

JJ Ostilow
Nothing.  I never do anything.  When someone makes me mad, I just imagine hurting them.  That makes me feel better.

Det. Elliot Stabler
So it's like a release valve?  You think about it, but don't actually do it?

JJ Ostilow
That's what I said, moron.

Det. Elliot Stabler
You have these thoughts a lot?

JJ Ostilow
All the time.

Det. Elliot Stabler
What are you so angry about?

JJ Ostilow
Stuff.

Det. Elliot Stabler
What kind of stuff?

JJ Ostilow
Life is really stressful, you know?

Det. Elliot Stabler
I know mine is.  I deal with dirt bags every day.  Like yesterday, there was this case.  These four guys gang-raped this sweet Haitian woman.

Jeremy Ostilow
Detective!

Det. Elliot Stabler
You want to hear the details?

Jeremy Ostilow
I really don't think this is appropriate.

Det. Elliot Stabler
About how they beat her up and they degraded her?  And when she begged for mercy, they defecated on her?

Jeremy Ostilow
This is a child you're talking to.

Det. Elliot Stabler
Read what he wrote.  If he wants to act like an adult predator, I'll talk to him like one.  (to JJ)  You really want to grow up to be like one of those perverts, huh?

JJ Ostilow
Why wait?
 

 

(Lisette Ostilow's bedroom.  Lisette is sitting on her floor, playing with dolls.  Det. Benson is sitting next to her.)

Det. Olivia Benson
So, Lisette, has JJ ever hurt you?

Lisette Ostilow
He pulled my hair once.

Det. Olivia Benson
He did?  That's not nice.  Has he hurt you any other times?

Lisette Ostilow
I have a new game.  Want to play?

Det. Olivia Benson
You know what?  Ah, maybe later, but we need to finish talkin' about JJ first, okay?

Lisette Ostilow
Okay.

Det. Olivia Benson
Okay.  So, Lisette, I need you to show me on this doll, all the places where JJ hurt you.

(Lisette pulls on the ponytail on the doll's hair.)

Det. Olivia Benson
Right.  And has he hurt you any place else?

Lisette Ostilow
Not me.

Det. Olivia Benson
Has he hurt someone else?

(Lisette nods.)

Det. Olivia Benson
Who?

Lisette Ostilow
Beverly and Erica.

Det. Olivia Benson
And do you know where he hurt them?

(Lisette turns the doll over and points between its legs.  Benson takes a deep breath.)

Det. Olivia Benson
Okay.  Now, Lisette, I need to talk to Beverly and Erica.  Does your Mommy know where they are?

(Lisette shakes her head "no.")

Lisette Ostilow
No, they're in the hospital.

Det. Olivia Benson
What hospital?

(Lisette goes over to her bed and starts pulling a box out from underneath.)

Det. Olivia Benson
Lisette, sweetie, we need to finish talking before we can play.

Lisette Ostilow
But you said you wanted to see it.  This is the hospital.

(Lisette lifts the cover off the box.  Det. Benson looks inside and sees several dolls, all with burns on their faces, their chests, and between their legs.  Det. Benson lifts one out of the box.  This one has two Band-Aids covering the burn marks.  Det. Benson smiles at Lisette, not sure what to say.)
 

 

(Outside Interview room.  We can see JJ pacing inside the Interview room.  Capt. Cragen and Jeremy Ostilow are standing outside, looking in.)

Capt. Donald Cragen
Mr. Ostilow, your son needs help.

Jeremy Ostilow
He's a boy.  Boys break their sister's dolls.

Capt. Donald Cragen
He mutilated twenty-three of them, all in the genital area.  He's emotionally disturbed.

Jeremy Ostilow
You're a psychiatrist, are you?

Capt. Donald Cragen
No.  No, sir, I'm not.  That's why I would like you to sign this.

Jeremy Ostilow
What is it?

Capt. Donald Cragen
It's a parental consent form to commit JJ for psychiatric observation.

Jeremy Ostilow
I won't have him branded crazy.

Capt. Donald Cragen
You'd prefer a criminal record?

Jeremy Ostilow
For what?

Capt. Donald Cragen
Posting terroristic threats is a felony.

Jeremy Ostilow
I am so sick of people co-opting 9/11 for their own agenda.  Where do you want to send him, Guantanamo Bay?

Capt. Donald Cragen
I'd prefer Bellevue's Adolescent Ward.

Jeremy Ostilow
Absolutely not.

Capt. Donald Cragen
Well, he's not going home to his sister.  So it's either Bellevue or Juvenile Detention.  Your call, sir.
 

 

(SVU squad room.  Det. Munch walks in.)

Det. John Munch
I hear they shipped JJ off to the loony bin.

Det. Olivia Benson
Cragen talked the father into a seventy-two-hour hold.

Det. Elliot Stabler
Heard anything from the neighbors?

Det. Odafin Tutuola
That he should be locked in a rubber room permanently.

Det. Olivia Benson
Why?  What's he done?

Det. John Munch
Traumatizes every tot in the building, screams at them till he's red.

Det. Olivia Benson
About what?

Det. Odafin Tutuola
Any little thing, like lookin' at him the wrong way.

Det. John Munch
He locked a few of them up in a utility closet.  Convinced them they would be murdered.  They cried for an hour before he let them out.

Det. Odafin Tutuola
Dad smoothed it out with the parents, sent them expensive gifts.

Det. Elliot Stabler
He's making it worse by excusing it.  This kid is a ticking time bomb.

Det. Odafin Tutuola
Well, let's just call his school and see if he's exploded already.

(Fin picks up the phone and begins dialing.)
 
 

FAULKNERPREPARATORY SCHOOL
771 MADISON AVENUE
TUESDAY, MARCH 2
 

(Headmistress' office.  Munch and Fin are listening to the headmistress reading JJ's discipline record.)

Headmistress
Trouble paying attention in class, poor grades, inappropriate behavior.

Det. Odafin Tutuola
Such as?

Headmistress
He drew a pornographic image on a girl's desk with a magic marker.

Det. John Munch
A tortured artist.

Headmistress
Another time, he wrote an obscenely graphic scenario, passed it on to another student.  It upset her very much.

Det. Odafin Tutuola
Do you still have it?

(The headmistress nods.)

Headmistress
I contacted his parents, suggested he needed therapy.  They disagree.

Det. John Munch
What's the school doin' about it?

Headmistress
We're not inviting him back next year.  We'd ask him to leave now if it wasn't so close to the end of the term.

Det. John Munch
Did he ever hurt another student?

Headmistress
We suspected he did once, but the victim denied it.

Det. John Munch
What was the incident?

Headmistress
A locker-room fight.  Mitchell was a bloody mess.  JJ didn't have a mark on him.  It was perplexing.

Det. Odafin Tutuola
Why's that?

Headmistress
If I had to name the school bully, it would be Mitchell.
 

 

(School gym.  A group of boys are playing dodge ball.  Munch and Fin enter.)

Det. John Munch
Dodge ball?  Haven't they outlawed this barbaric practice yet?

Det. Odafin Tutuola
I loved this game.

Det. John Munch
Yeah, well, you're a sadist.  You know, I literally weighed ninety-eight pounds.  I can still hear them.  "Break the pencil."  I was a walking bruise.

(A student--Mitchell Edison--hurls the dodge ball at another boy's head.)

Det. Odafin Tutuola
I think we found Mitchell.

(Munch and Fin walk over to Mitchell, who flings the ball toward another student.  Fin takes a dodge ball and bounces it off Mitchell's head.)

Det. Odafin Tutuola
You're out.  Get over here.

Mitchell Edison
What the...

(Munch and Fin lead Mitchell out of the gym.)
 

 

(Outside the gym.  Mitchell is seated on a spiral stairwell.   Munch and Fin are listening to him.)

Mitchell Edison
JJ came out of the showers.  Someone might have pulled his towel away.

Det. John Munch
Why?

Mitchell Edison
Something to do.

Det. Odafin Tutuola
So what happened?

Mitchell Edison
He might have gotten snapped by a wet towel or two.  All in good fun, you know?

Det. John Munch
Yeah.  Getting pelted by Neanderthals in the privates sounds like a blast.

Mitchell Edison
JJ went postal.  He started wailing on me.  He bloodied my nose, gave me a black eye, a busted lip.

Det. Odafin Tutuola
So how is it a guy like you doesn't fight back?

Mitchell Edison
I was freaked out.

Det. John Munch
Why?  Because somebody half your size finally stood up to you?

Mitchell Edison
No, because the whole time he's hitting on me, he's screaming, "rape."
 

 

(SVU squad room.)

Det. Olivia Benson
Explosive rage, sexual acting out.

Det. Odafin Tutuola
The slipping grades.

Det. John Munch
Behavioral and personality changes.

Det. Elliot Stabler
JJ's got all the classic signs of being molested.

Capt. Donald Cragen
Question is, by whom?

Det. John Munch
Well, we canvassed his school, he's not in any extracurricular activities, so I doubt it was a teacher.

Det. Odafin Tutuola
No older friends anyone knows about.

Det. John Munch
No friends at all.

Capt. Donald Cragen
That leaves the parents.

Det. Elliot Stabler
Dad was running interference all through the interview.

Capt. Donald Cragen
Gonna be hard for JJ to talk about abuse if his abuser is sitting right there.

Det. Olivia Benson
I think the mother knows about it.  I got the feeling that she was covering something up.  Aside from her worrying about what the neighbors thought, this woman has major guilt issues.

Capt. Donald Cragen
We gotta get JJ to open up.

Det. Elliot Stabler
We might have trouble gaining his trust.  I put him through the wringer a little bit there.

Capt. Donald Cragen
Huang's got privileges at Bellevue.  We'll have him pay him a visit. 
 
BELLEVUE HOSPITAL
ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRIC WARD
TUESDAY, MARCH 2

 

(Visitation Room at Bellevue Adolescent Ward.  JJ and Huang are seated around a small table.  There are stuffed animals and books on a shelf behind JJ.)

Dr. George Huang
How are you feeling today, JJ?

JJ Ostilow
I'm locked up in an insane asylum.  How do you think I feel?

Dr. George Huang
Uh, angry, frustrated, betrayed.

JJ Ostilow
You're the doctor.

Dr. George Huang
Well, it seems to me like you're angry.  Are you angry at someone?

JJ Ostilow
My parents.  They're so lame.

Dr. George Huang
What did they do?

JJ Ostilow
They let me wind up here.

Dr. George Huang
Well, maybe they thought it was for your own good.

JJ Ostilow
They don't care about me.

Dr. George Huang
Sounds like they've let you down before.

JJ Ostilow
I can't say.

Dr. George Huang
You know, JJ, it's okay.  You can tell me.

(JJ gets up from his chair and knocks a bunch of toys off of another table.)

JJ Ostilow
You don't understand, I'm not allowed to talk about it!

Dr. George Huang
Why not?

JJ Ostilow
Because of the contract.

Dr. George Huang
You made a deal not to tell?

JJ Ostilow
I didn't.  My parents did.

Dr. George Huang
There isn't a contract that can legally cover up a crime.  They're not protecting you.  Why are you protecting them?  Tell me where it happened.

JJ Ostilow
At a sleepover.  

Dr. George Huang
Mmm-hmm.

JJ Ostilow
There were a bunch of kids there, but I was the only one who got to sleep in the Treasure Room.

Dr. George Huang
What's the "Treasure Room?"

JJ Ostilow
His bedroom.

Dr. George Huang
Whose bedroom?

JJ Ostilow
Billy.

Dr. George Huang
And what did Billy do in the Treasure Room?

JJ Ostilow
He had these pajamas laid out for me.  He helped me undress.  I can't.

(JJ begins to cry.)

Dr. George Huang
JJ... I'm real sorry that your parents made you keep the secret so long, but you've got to get it out now.

JJ Ostilow
He touched me.  He made me touch him.

Dr. George Huang
And did you tell your parents what happened?

JJ Ostilow
Yeah.

Dr. George Huang
What did they do about it?

JJ Ostilow
Got rich.

Dr. George Huang
What do you mean?

JJ Ostilow
Billy owns the company my dad used to work for.  He paid them so much money not to tell, they never have to work again.
 

 

(SVU squad room.)

Det. Elliot Stabler
Until three years ago, Jeremy Ostilow Sr. worked for Tripley Toys.

Det. Odafin Tutuola
The company did $1.7 billion in sales last year.

Det. Olivia Benson
It's owned by William J. Tripley.

Capt. Donald Cragen
Whom, I see by his press release, prefers to be called Billy.

Det. Olivia Benson
Thirty-five, never married, clean slate.  Inherited the company from daddy.  He doesn't actually run the empire, but he does receive the bulk of the profits.

Det. Elliot Stabler
I pulled the Ostilow's financials.  Jeremy received $2 million when he left the company.

Capt. Donald Cragen
Lot of corporate executives have golden parachute provisions.

Det. Elliot Stabler
This guy was middle management.  Still he received an additional million a year after he left and another million earlier this year.

Det. Odafin Tutuola
The boss molested their son, then bought their silence.

Det. John Munch
Tripley always had deep pockets when it comes to kids.   He's given tens of millions of dollars to charities, usually child-related.  Programs for gifted kids, sick kids, underprivileged kids.

Det. Odafin Tutuola
The man sure loves children.

Det. Olivia Benson
Yeah, too much.  There must be other victims out there, somewhere.  How are we supposed to weed them out?

Det. Elliot Stabler
We've got JJ's statement.  I say we pick up Tripley now.

Capt. Donald Cragen
Have Novak get a search warrant before he has time to clean house.
 
 

RESIDENCE OF
BILLY TRIPLEY
4 SUTTON PLACE
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3

 

(Stabler, Benson, Munch and Fin are searching through Billy Tripley's apartment.  It is filled with toys and clothes for children.)

Det. Elliot Stabler
Lederhosen?  Guilty

Det. Olivia Benson
A functioning soda fountain, stuffed animals, arcade games, all this for a guy who doesn't have kids of his own.

Det. Odafin Tutuola
He owns a toy store.  Maybe he likes to bring his work home.

(Stabler looks down at a child-sized car.)

Det. Elliot Stabler
This has got to cost more than my family car.

(Munch walks up the stairwell and sees a lemur on a leash.  It stars screeching.)

Det. John Munch
What the hell is that?

(Gladis—Billy Tripley's maid—comes up behind Munch and Fin.)

Gladis
That's Mr. Tripley's lemur.  You frightened it.

Det. John Munch
Lemur?  Aren't those things endangered?

Det. Odafin Tutuola
It's here.  God knows what he's doin' to it.

Gladis
Don't you dare insult Mr. Tripley.  He's a saint.

Det. Elliot Stabler
Really?  Well, have you ever seen anything, uh, inappropriate, you know, questionable?

Gladis
Never.  There are ten servants on staff.  Ask any of them.

Det. Olivia Benson
Oh, we intend to.

Det. Elliot Stabler
We understand that you have a, uh, secret Treasure Room?  You know about that?

Gladis
It's no secret.  It's every child's favorite place.
 

 

(Treasure room.  Munch and Fin enter.  The room is decorated with a pirate motif, complete with a ship painted around the bed and a large treasure chest.)

Det. John Munch
Pervert ahoy.  Pedophilic pirate motif.  Interesting choice.

Det. Odafin Tutuola
What you gotta do to get booty from this treasure chest?

Det. John Munch
I wonder how many victims walked Tripley's gangplank?

Det. Odafin Tutuola
It's just like JJ said.  This is where he was molested three years ago.

Det. John Munch
This bed's a tight squeeze for two to sleep in platonically.

(Fin opens a closet and sees child-size pajamas.)

Det. Odafin Tutuola
Oh, this is just wrong.  Little jammies, each one a different theme.

(Fin pulls out some child-sized police uniform pajamas.)

Det. Odafin Tutuola
What's this about?

Det. John Munch
Tripley's idea of lingerie.

Det. Odafin Tutuola
Bag them up, give them to the crime lab.  Hopefully they'll find some dirty laundry in the dirty laundry.

Det. John Munch
It's inconceivable that no one has turned this guy in by now.
 

 

(Outside Tripley Toys headquarters.  Stabler and Benson are leading a handcuffed Tripley out of the building.  Chauncey Zierko, Tripley's lawyer, and many reporters are also nearby.)

Chauncey Zierko
Don't worry, Billy.  I'll have you out in 15 minutes.

Reporter #1
Did you do it, Billy?  How many kids have you molested?

Reporter #2
Detective, is the victim male or female?

Det. Elliot Stabler
No comment.  Let us through.

Chauncey Zierko
There is no truth in these outrageous allegations.

Reporter #2
Can you clarify exactly what these allegations are?

Chauncey Zierko
Scurrilous lies, plain and simple.  Someone trying to cash in, no doubt.

Det. Olivia Benson
Please, people, clear a path, please.

Chauncey Zierko
Billy has dedicated his life to helping kids.  I can't fathom why anyone would smear his good name.  But I promise you anyone doing so will be sued for slander.

Det. Elliot Stabler
You're not trying to threaten a witness though the press, are you?

Chauncey Zierko
No, are you trying to trample my First Amendment right to free speech?

(Stabler helps Tripley into the back of the squad car.)

Det. Elliot Stabler
Watch your head.

Reporter #2
One more question...
 

 

(Interview room.  Stabler and Benson are on one side of the room, Zierko and Tripley are on the other side.)

Billy Tripley
Tell them I would never hurt a child.

Det. Elliot Stabler
We're standing right here.  Tell us yourself.

Chauncey Zierko
What's it going to take to make this go away?

Det. Olivia Benson
You mean a dollar amount?  I'm afraid Billy can't buy his way out of this one, not this time.

Billy Tripley
I didn't do anything.  I love children.

Det. Elliot Stabler
So we hear, from the boy you molested.

Billy Tripley
It's a big lie.

Det. Olivia Benson
No, it's a $4 million secret.  That's how much you paid the family to keep them quiet.

Det. Elliot Stabler
How many payments you got left?

Billy Tripley
The Ostilow settlement has nothing to do with molestation.  It was business.

Det. Olivia Benson
Really?  Do you mind if we take a look at that contract?

Chauncey Zierko
Sorry, we have a nondisclosure agreement involving a toy patent we purchased from Mr. Ostilow.

Det. Elliot Stabler
That's a bunch of crap.  It's hush money.  You molested their son and paid them off.

Chauncey Zierko
Filthy lies.

Det. Olivia Benson
Do you deny having a nine-year-old boy spend the night at your house?

Billy Tripley
Kids spend the night all the time.

Chauncey Zierko
Billy has numerous functions there.  You've seen the place, of course the kids don't want to leave.  The parents are there, too.

Billy Tripley
And if they're not, I always get their permission over the telephone.

Det. Elliot Stabler
And how often do you sleep in the same bed with these kids?

Billy Tripley
All the time.  What's wrong with that?

Det. Olivia Benson
You're a thirty-five-year-old man.

Billy Tripley
I would kill myself before I did anything that'd hurt a child.

Det. Elliot Stabler
Pedophiles never think they're hurting 'em.  You're just loving them, right?

Billy Tripley
Yes, but not in the sick way you're thinking.  I don't think that way.  There's nothing more natural and more beautiful than loving a child.

Det. Elliot Stabler
You're sick.

Chauncey Zierko
I think we're done here.

Det. Olivia Benson
No, you're not.  Billy still needs to be booked and you've got a long, nasty trial ahead.

Det. Elliot Stabler
Unless you really do care about kids, in which case you'll save the victim an awful lot of pain and plead out.
 
 

CHAMBERS OF
JUDGE TERHUNE
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3

 

(Judge Terhune is on his way to his chambers, with Zierko and Novak following him.)

Judge Terhune
Motion for dismissal?

Chauncey Zierko
The D.A. has no physical evidence, no third party witness.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
We have the victims sworn statement of inappropriate sexual contact.

Chauncey Zierko
Delusional fantasies of an emotionally disturbed boy obtained while he was sedated in a locked down unit of a psychiatric facility.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
Where he was sent for treatment stemming from the sexual abuse inflicted by Billy Tripley.

Chauncey Zierko
The alleged victim was sent to Bellevue for posting violent threats on the Internet.  He made no mention of my client.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
The boy had suppressed the facts of his abuse for three years.  He'd been forbidden to mention Billy Tripley.

Chauncey Zierko
The fact remains that every said threat was proven to be a fantasy just like the accusations against my client.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
That's for a jury to decide.

Judge Terhune
I agree.  Anything else?

Chauncey Zierko
Motion challenging the admissibility of the alleged victim's complaint.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
Didn't we just go over this?

Chauncey Zierko
The statement was taken by Agent Huang.  JJ thought he was talking to a psychiatrist, not a cop.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
Dr. Huang is a psychiatrist.

Chauncey Zierko
But he concealed his role as an F.B.I. agent from JJ and encouraged him to disclose information under false pretenses.

Judge Terhune
This one I'll have a closer look at.  I'll give you my ruling next week.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
Mr. Zierko isn't the only one who knows how to draft a motion.  It's come to my attention that the defendant, who had no trouble making bail, has continued to entertain children at his home.

Judge Terhune
Mr. Zierko?

Chauncey Zierko
My client had many charitable functions scheduled prior to this nightmare.  He opted not to punish thousands of needy kids due to the bad behavior of one.

Judge Terhune
Let's err on the side of caution.  Hmm?  Until this case is resolved, he's restricted to supervised visits with children under the age of sixteen.
 

 

(Tripley apartment.  It's a party.  Balloons, jugglers, and many children fill the place.  Tripley is with the children, letting them pet a baby lamb.)

Billy Tripley
(to one of the children)
Isn't he soft?  Very nice.

(Benson and Stabler enter.)

Det. Olivia Benson
Tripley.  Got a call from one of your neighbors who found it very unsettling to see so many kids come through your door.

Det. Elliot Stabler
What's the special occasion, Billy?  They lower the age of consent?

Billy Tripley
That's not funny.

Det. Olivia Benson
What is funny is a man in your position finding a reason to celebrate.

Billy Tripley
My friends and associates threw a party to show their support.

Det. Elliot Stabler
The crowd looks a little young.

Billy Tripley
There are plenty of adults here.

Det. Olivia Benson
Just make sure there are no sleepovers.

Billy Tripley
I'd invite you to stay, detectives, but we only want positive energy here.

(Benson and Stabler are on their way out when they come across Nora Hodges, a woman about 65 years old.)

Nora Hodges
You must be wrong about him.

Det. Elliot Stabler
Don't tell me he donated a boatload of cash to your organization?

Nora Hodges
No, I--I don't belong to any organization.  I just met him today.

Det. Olivia Benson
So, how'd you get on the invite list?

Nora Hodges
He couldn't possibly be guilty with all the good things that he's done.  I wrote him a letter thanking him and he invited us to this party.

Det. Elliot Stabler
Us?

Nora Hodges
My granddaughter, April.  April, come here a minute.

(A little girl about nine years old walks over to Nora.  She is very skinny and has a scarf over her head.  There is no hair underneath.)

Nora Hodges
Are you having fun, sweetie?

April Hodges
It's the best day of my whole life.

Nora Hodges
Oh, good, good.
 

 

(SVU squad room.  Munch, Stabler, Fin, and Benson are discussing the case.)

Det. John Munch
What kind of parents would let their kids around this guy knowing the allegations against him.

Det. Elliot Stabler
They can't tell he's a freak.

Det. Odafin Tutuola
They don't care as long as they're gettin' a handout.

Det. Olivia Benson
The naïve ones are just blinded by his generosity.

(Novak enters, carrying a videotape.)

A.D.A. Casey Novak
Something tells me he's been shoveling more money on his problems.

Det. Elliot Stabler
Now what?

A.D.A. Casey Novak
I'm just back from a motion hearing with Zierko.  Imagine my surprise when he handed me this.

(Novak puts the tape into a VCR.  An image of JJ Ostilow shows up on the screen.)

JJ Ostilow
(on TV screen)
The story I told you about Mr. Tripley was a lie.  He never touched me.  He was never anything but kind to me.  I apologize for any trouble my lies may have caused him.
 

 

(Outside Ostilow apartment.  Benson and Stabler are banging on the front door.)

Det. Elliot Stabler
Mr. and Mrs. Ostilow!  Open up this door or we'll break it down again.

(Ann Ostilow opens the door.)

Ann Ostilow
What do you want now?

Det. Elliot Stabler
Did Tripley get to you?

Det. Olivia Benson
Did he threaten to enforce the nondisclosure agreement?  If JJ's abuse was ever discussed, then you'd have to pay back all that nice money.

Ann Ostilow
Lower your voices.  People can hear you.

Det. Elliot Stabler
Let us inside, then.  We just want a quiet word with JJ.

(Jeremy Ostilow rounds the corner.)

Jeremy Ostilow
He's not here.

Det. Olivia Benson
Well, where is he?

Jeremy Ostilow
He's getting over this whole mess in a place you'll never find him.

(Jeremy slams the door and locks it.)
 

 

(Office of A.D.A. Casey Novak.  Novak, Stabler, and Benson are walking to Novak's office.)

A.D.A. Casey Novak
How gone is JJ?

Det. Elliot Stabler
He hasn't shown up for school and no one in his apartment building's seen him.

Det. Olivia Benson
We pulled the Ostilow's credit cards.  There's no bus or plane tickets on them.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
He's twelve years old.  Someone has to be taking care of him.

Det. Olivia Benson
Well, we don't know who.  We have surveillance on the parents.  They're not paying him any visits.

Det. Elliot Stabler
They're saying they sent their son on vacation.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
That's not a crime.

Det. Elliot Stabler
That's called hindering prosecution.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
That's what I think, but until I talk to JJ, I can't prove it.

Det. Olivia Benson
So what?  You're just gonna dismiss the case against Billy?

A.D.A. Casey Novak
I don't see what other option I have.

Det. Elliot Stabler
We're talking about letting a pedophile walk free.  Find one.

(Stabler and Benson leave Novak's office.)
 

 

(Restaurant.  Novak is having lunch with Mary Conway Clark.)

A.D.A. Casey Novak
I'm not dropping the charges.

Judge Mary Conway Clark
I admire your tenacity, but you know without a complaining witness, your case is over.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
Billy Tripley is guilty of witness tampering. Judge Mary Conway Clark
Can you prove it?

A.D.A. Casey Novak
Not yet, but I know Tripley got to the parents, threatened to enforce the nondisclosure agreement.

Judge Mary Conway Clark
Are you absolutely sure that JJ recanted under duress?

A.D.A. Casey Novak
I know that boy was molested.  JJ told Huang he could identify a birthmark on Billy's penis.

(The people in the restaurant overhear the latter part of this sentence and look over at Novak.)

Judge Mary Conway Clark
(to the restaurant patrons)
She doesn't get out much.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
It's just so frustrating.  If a jury heard the boy's original statement, believe me, they'd put Tripley away.

Judge Mary Conway Clark
Well, unfortunately, the boy's out of the picture.  And we can't very well go around violating a defendants' Eighth Amendment right to face his accuser.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
We also can't allow rich offenders to buy their way around justice with nondisclosure agreements.

Judge Mary Conway Clark
There's your loophole.  The NDA.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
They're always very carefully worded.  There's never an admission of guilt.

Judge Mary Conway Clark
But there might be a mention of the boy, and legally, a minor can't enter into a binding contract.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
No, but his parents, acting as his guardians, can.

Judge Mary Conway Clark
But the question is, were his parents acting in his best interest?  If not, that boy deserves a lawyer of his own.  And I think I know just who it should be.
 
 

TRIAL PART 38
TUESDAY, MARCH 9

 

(Courtroom.  A.D.A. Novak is behind her desk.  Jeremy Ostilow and his attorney--Trevor Langan--are behind their desk.  Judge Terhune is presiding, Mary Conway Clark is in the gallery.)

A.D.A. Casey Novak
The people request Jeremy Ostilow, Jr. be appointed a guardian ad litem.

Jeremy Ostilow
What does that mean?  Is she trying to take away custody of my son?

Judge Terhune
No, Mr. Ostilow.  Guardian ad litem is a person appointed by the court to protect the interests of a minor for purposes of legal matters only.

Trevor Langan
Your Honor, there is no legal matter.  And if there were, I've ably represented the family for several years.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
"The family" meaning the parents, not the child.

Jeremy Ostilow
Everything I've done has always been in my son's best interest.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
Everything you've done about what, Mr. Ostilow?  Are you referring to the nondisclosure agreement?

(Trevor Langan whispers to Jeremy Ostilow)

Trevor Langan
(to Judge Terhune)
Any answer he gives to that question would constitute disclosure, thereby breaching the agreement.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
This kind of circular reasoning is indicative of the whole problem, Your Honor.  The court must step in for the child.

Judge Terhune
I'll appoint a law guardian, pro bono.

(Mary Conway Clark stands.)

Judge Mary Conway Clark
I'm available, Your Honor.

Judge Terhune

(quite pleased) Mary.

Trevor Langan
What kind of backroom deal is this?

Judge Terhune
The court would be honored.

(Mary steps forward and walks over to Langan's desk.)

Judge Mary Conway Clark
Thank you, Joe.  I'm now representing your son, Mr. Ostilow.  I'll be needing a copy of the agreement between you and Mr. Tripley.

Trevor Langan
Your Honor, this is a blatant fishing expedition.

Judge Mary Conway Clark
My client informed authorities that that agreement pertains to him, and it also impinged on a criminal matter.

Trevor Langan
In a statement he later recanted.

Judge Mary Conway Clark
Begging the question, why?  Why did you take him to the lawyer of the man he had accused?  And why wouldn't you bring him to the police or the A.D.A.?

Jeremy Ostilow
Because he was scared to death of them.  They knocked down our door, arrested him, interrogated him, and then put him in a nuthouse.  He just told them what they wanted to hear.  It was the only way to get them to leave him alone.

Judge Mary Conway Clark
Let me ask you one more question: Why, if Jeremy recanted of his own volition, are you hiding him?

Jeremy Ostilow
I am not.  He just needed to get away.

Judge Mary Conway Clark
Isn't it so he can't testify against Billy Tripley?

Jeremy Ostilow
No.

Judge Mary Conway Clark
Mind if I ask him that myself?

Jeremy Ostilow
There's no way you're going to talk to him.

Judge Mary Conway Clark
In that case, I request a Material Witness Order to produce the child.

Trevor Langan
Your Honor, she's overreaching.

Judge Terhune
No, but she's right at the line.  I want the boy produced in my chambers.  I'm going to talk to him alone, and then I'll make a decision.

Jeremy Ostilow
No.

Judge Terhune
Sir, if you refuse to comply, I'll be forced to find you in contempt of court.

Judge Mary Conway Clark
You don't want to go to jail, do you, Mr. Ostilow?
 

 

(SVU squadroom.)

Det. Elliot Stabler
They actually put him in jail?

A.D.A. Casey Novak
He's playing the martyr.  Claims he's protecting his son.

Judge Mary Conway Clark
He's protecting his millions.  JJ testifies, he loses everything.

Det. Elliot Stabler
That gives him a big incentive to sit tight.

Judge Mary Conway Clark
I'll see that he sits there till the boy turns twenty-one, if I have to.

Det. Elliot Stabler
They didn't call her the hanging judge for nothing.

Judge Mary Conway Clark
Who?  Who called me that?

Det. Elliot Stabler
No one.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
Why wait for dad?  Let's find JJ ourselves.

Det. Elliot Stabler
We're doing the best we can.  We've pulled phone and credit card records.  So far, nothin'.

Judge Mary Conway Clark
I'll tell you the good thing about working for a rich law firm.  We've got resources you civil servants can't even dream about, including a slew of P.I.'s on retainer.  They're at your disposal.
 

 

(SVU Squadroom-Bullpen.  Munch enters carrying a copy of the New York Ledger.   It has a picture of Tripley on the cover, and the headline "Molest Vic Lied.")

Det. John Munch
Billy Tripley's PR machine is painting JJ as a pathological liar.  We still can't find JJ.

(A man—Jonas Haase—comes up behind Benson.)

Jonas Haase
Detective Benson?

Det. Olivia Benson
Yeah?

Jonas Haase
They said I should talk to you.

Det. Olivia Benson
Why don't you have a seat?

Jonas Haase
Thank you.

(They both sit down at a table.)

Det. Olivia Benson
How can I help you?

Jonas Haase
I run a program for terminal patients.

Det. Olivia Benson
Doing what, exactly?

Jonas Haase
Preparing them for death.  I'm a therapist.  This morning I counseled a nine-year-old girl dying of leukemia.

Det. Olivia Benson
That must be hard.

Jonas Haase
It gets worse.  I believe she was sexually molested by Billy Tripley.
 
 

APARTMENT OF
NORA HODGES
164 WEST 29TH STREET
TUESDAY, MARCH 9

 

(Benson and Stabler have come to investigate.  Nora Hodges comes out of the bathroom, crying.)

Nora Hodges
It's all my fault.  I don't know how I could have been so stupid.

Det. Elliot Stabler
You got me.  You left your granddaughter alone with this man?

Nora Hodges
We've seen him twice since we met you.  Two days ago he threw a party for kids just like April.

Det. Olivia Benson
She's got leukemia.

Nora Hodges
Diagnosed a year ago.  Nothing the doctors are doing seems to be helping, so I'm searching for alternative cures.

Det. Olivia Benson
Where are April's parents?

Nora Hodges
I don't know.  There never was a father in the picture.  My daughter got mixed up with drugs, abandoned April right after she was born.  I'm all she has.

Det. Elliot Stabler
We're gonna need to talk to April.

Nora Hodges
She had chemo this morning.  She's in maintenance, gets it every two or three weeks.  She threw up all afternoon, and, well, she fell asleep about an hour ago.

Det. Olivia Benson
Thank you.
 

 

(SVU Interview room.  The blinds are pulled back so the sun comes in.  It's a lot less intimidating now.  Nora and April are seated next to each other.  Benson reaches across the table and sets a juice box down in front of April.)

Det. Olivia Benson
There you go.

April Hodges
I don't know if I can keep it down.

Nora Hodges
Oh, honey, try just a little.  We don't want you dehydrating again.

(Nora holds the box up to April's mouth.  April takes a sip.)

Det. Olivia Benson
We'll just talk as long as you feel up to it, okay, April?

(April nods her head.)

Det. Olivia Benson
So, can you tell me what happened at Billy Tripley's house?

April Hodges
There were lots of kids there.  We played games, really fun ones.  Hide-and-seek and stuff.

Nora Hodges
She got overexcited, wore herself out.  Tell her what Billy said to you.

April Hodges
That I could take a nap.  He said kids took naps there all the time.

Det. Olivia Benson
And did he take you someplace to lie down?

April Hodges
A place just for special kids.

Det. Olivia Benson
Did Billy have a name for it?

(April nods her head.)

April Hodges
The Treasure Room.

Det. Olivia Benson
Okay.  What happened there, April?

April Hodges
He said if I was good, I got to pick a present out of the treasure chest.

Det. Olivia Benson
Did you get to pick a toy?

(April shakes her head "no.")

Nora Hodges
He said she could have it after the nap.  He didn't want her to wrinkle her pretty outfit.  He had pajamas she could wear.  He took her clothes off.

Det. Olivia Benson
I'm sorry, Mrs. Hodges.  I understand how difficult this is, but I really need to hear it from April, okay?

(Nora nods.)

Det. Olivia Benson
Thank you.

(Benson looks at April.)

Det. Olivia Benson
Honey, your nose is bleeding.

April Hodges
I'm sorry.

Nora Hodges
Oh, this happens all the time.

(Benson hands April some tissues.)
 

 

(Outside the Interview room.  Cragen, Novak and Huang are watching through the glass.)

Capt. Donald Cragen
Not that I wish it on anybody else, but why did it have to be this girl?

Dr. George Huang
Children with any disability are twice as likely to be sexually abused.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
Cowards always target the weakest prey.

Dr. George Huang
They're more likely to comply, less likely to report.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
Billy's been around hundreds of terminally ill kids.  Makes you wonder how many died before reporting abuse.

Capt. Donald Cragen
I knew he'd have other victims.  I just wasn't expecting a girl.

Dr. George Huang
Sexually indiscriminate pedophiles aren't uncommon.  His victims are all prepubescent.  There's less anatomical differences at that age.  It's more about the hairlessness, the innocence.

Capt. Donald Cragen
Billy's pretty childlike himself.  Look at his lifestyle.  He lives in a magical toy-land, playing with kids.

Dr. George Huang
It's the Peter Pan Syndrome to the extreme.
 
 

OFFICE OF
THE MEDICAL EXAMINER
TUESDAY, MARCH 9

 

(Tripley is seated.  Warner is collecting his hair samples.  Stabler is watching from the other side of the room.)

Billy Tripley
Look, that really hurts.

(Warner pulls out a hair.  Tripley groans.)

Billy Tripley
Come on.  Are you gonna pull out every hair on my head?

M.E. Melinda Warner
I have to make sure we get one with the root attached.  Ten hairs is standard procedure.

(Warner pulls out another hair.)

Billy Tripley
Look, this is police brutality.

Det. Elliot Stabler
Trust me, when you're being brutalized by me, you'll know it.

Billy Tripley
You just threatened me.  Did you hear him threaten me?

M.E. Melinda Warner
Nope.  Open wide.  And if you bite me, I'll hurt you.

Billy Tripley
What's that for?

M.E. Melinda Warner
Oral swab.  No pain involved.

(Warner takes a swab and collects saliva from Tripley's mouth.)

Det. Elliot Stabler
You know, if you can't take the pain, you shouldn't go around molesting nine-year-olds.

Billy Tripley
I never touched her, not that way.

Det. Elliot Stabler
Nap time, the Treasure Room.

Billy Tripley
I can't bring myself to go back in that room since you people desecrated it.

M.E. Melinda Warner
Please lower your pants and underwear.

Billy Tripley
Why?

M.E. Melinda Warner
Pubic hair sample.
(She gives him a sarcastically sweet smile.)
I'll need ten of those as well.

Billy Tripley
I don't have any.

Det. Elliot Stabler
Any what?

Billy Tripley
Hair.  Down there.

Det. Elliot Stabler
Stand up and strip.

(Tripley does so.  He's not lying.)

M.E. Melinda Warner
Hmm.  I guess we can wait till they grow back.

Billy Tripley
It's permanent.  I had laser hair removal.

(Stabler takes a deep breath, then snaps a Polaroid of 'the region.')
 

 

(SVU Squadroom.  Stabler is showing the Polaroid to Benson.)

Det. Olivia Benson
It just gets freakier and freakier.

Det. Elliot Stabler
Notice where his birthmark is?

Det. Olivia Benson
Right where JJ said it would be.

Det. Elliot Stabler
Now, if only we could find JJ.

Det. Olivia Benson
I got a call from the investigator Conway Clark gave us.  He may have picked up JJ's trail.

Det. Elliot Stabler
Where does he think he is?

Det. Olivia Benson
Maine.  Clark's sending him up there now.

Det. Elliot Stabler
April mention any birthmarks?

Det. Olivia Benson
No, she had her eyes closed tight.

(Novak enters.)

A.D.A. Casey Novak
Have you seen Tripley's bombshell?

Det. Elliot Stabler
More like a firecracker.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
His legal team put a P.I. on Nora.  Followed her and April into a department store where he alerted security.

Det. Olivia Benson
For what?

(Novak shows her and Stabler an issue of the New York Ledger with the headline "Game's Over.")

Det. Olivia Benson
(reading the subhead)
"Toy mogul's alleged victim caught with shoplifting granny."

A.D.A. Casey Novak
So much for our perfect witness.

(SVU Interview Room.  Nora is seated at the table.  Benson is walking around her, carrying a folder.  Stabler is by the door.)

Nora Hodges
It's not like it sounds.

Det. Olivia Benson
Let me show you how it looks.  Tripley's private investigator took a pretty clear picture of it.

(Benson shows Nora a photo of herself shoving clothes into her purse.)

Det. Elliot Stabler
That's $200 worth of merchandise you're stuffing in your bag there.

Nora Hodges
Yes, it was all for April.  She needed clothes.

Det. Olivia Benson
Well, that's no reason to steal them.

Nora Hodges
I had to.  Her medical bills have wiped me out.  I can't work because she's sick all the time.  I didn't know what else to do.

Det. Olivia Benson
Tripley's lawyers are having a field day with this.

Nora Hodges
Well, they can't punish April for my mistake.

Det. Elliot Stabler
They already have.  It's in the papers.

(Nora is silent for a moment, then...)

Nora Hodges
My granddaughter has had a miserable life.  Both her parents abandoned her, she's dying of cancer, and now she's been molested.  Please, let her know justice at least once in her life.

(Outside Interview Room.  Novak and Cragen are watching through the glass.)

A.D.A. Casey Novak
Grandma muddied the case big time.  Luckily she's not the victim, April is.

Capt. Donald Cragen
You couldn't ask for a more sympathetic witness.

(Cragen and Novak start toward the bullpen.)

A.D.A. Casey Novak
But I could ask for a second one.  If a jury heard it from April and JJ, it'd be a lock.

Capt. Donald Cragen
I take it Mr. Ostilow is still sitting in his cell?

A.D.A. Casey Novak
Yeah, maintaining his vow of silence.

Capt. Donald Cragen
Clark's private investigator made it to Maine.  He thinks he's got a bead on JJ.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
What about April's rape kit?

Capt. Donald Cragen
Warner's still waiting for the final results.  But she found a hair in the girl's underwear.  It made a preliminary match to Billy.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
I heard he had no hair to leave.

Capt. Donald Cragen
It's from his head.

(Casey gets into the elevator.)

A.D.A. Casey Novak
Let me know when the full kit's back.  I'll need all the evidence I can get.

Capt. Donald Cragen
Huh.
 

 

(Medical Examiner's Office.  Warner is leading Benson and Stabler toward the X-Ray viewer.)

M.E. Melinda Warner
I found something that doesn't make sense.

Det. Olivia Benson
It that good or bad?

M.E. Melinda Warner
As part of the kit, I drew blood to check for STDs.

Det. Elliot Stabler
Please don't tell me he gave her something.  This kid cannot take another hit.

M.E. Melinda Warner
No.  CBC and differential came back absolutely normal.

Det. Olivia Benson
That's a good thing.

M.E. Melinda Warner
Yes, and that's the point.  Leukemia affects the white blood cells.  I expected to find abnormal metamyelocytes, so I checked the smear.  Still nothing.

Det. Elliot Stabler
Meaning no sign of cancer.

M.E. Melinda Warner
None.

Det. Olivia Benson
Could she be in remission?

M.E. Melinda Warner
It's a possibility.  But when leukemia is diagnosed in a child, the pediatric oncologist takes a bone marrow biopsy to confirm it.  It's done by drilling small holes in the pelvic bone.  They don't heal.

(Warner walks over to the viewer and places two x-rays on top.)

M.E. Melinda Warner
(Indicating the right x-ray)
This is a pelvis after a biopsy.

(She points to two small holes.)See the holes?  As part of April's rape trauma exam, I took a pelvic x-ray.

(We see the x-ray on the left.  No holes.)

Det. Olivia Benson
No holes.  They didn't do a bone marrow biopsy.

Det. Elliot Stabler
She never had cancer.
 

 

(A hospital.  Benson and Stabler are talking to Dr. Beresford, who has been caring for April since she was brought in.)

Dr. Beresford
It's a good thing you brought her in when you did.  Another few weeks, she'd have been dead.

Det. Olivia Benson
What's wrong with her?

Dr. Beresford
Mercury poisoning.

Det. Elliot Stabler
What?

Dr. Beresford
There's a toxic level in her system.

Det. Elliot Stabler
How was she exposed to mercury?

Dr. Beresford
Ingested it, probably put in her food.

Det. Olivia Benson
Nora.

Det. Elliot Stabler
She was killing her own granddaughter.

Dr. Beresford
And judging by these levels, I'd say for almost a year now.

Det. Olivia Benson
I don't understand.  She was going to doctors for chemotherapy.

Dr. Beresford
No.  She wasn't.  Her grandmother convinced her they couldn't afford a doctor.  Told her she was giving her the medicines she needed, but it had to be their secret.

Det. Elliot Stabler
The medicine was actually the mercury which was making her sick.

Det. Olivia Benson
So let me guess.  Leukemia and mercury poisoning have the same side effects.

Dr. Beresford
Both inhibit cell growth.  Same nausea, hair loss, weight loss.  April honestly believed she was dying.

Det. Olivia Benson
Is she gonna be okay now?

Dr. Beresford
Mercury weakens the bones, so some of that damage is permanent, but at least she'll live.
 

 

(April's hospital room.  Stabler is sitting by April's bed.  Olivia is at the foot of it.  April is lying down.)

Det. Elliot Stabler
You're gonna start feeling better now.

April Hodges
They told me Gran's the one who made me sick.

Det. Olivia Benson
I'm sorry, April.  Looks like your Gran did a lot of bad things.

Det. Elliot Stabler
She lied about the leukemia.  Has she lied about other things that you know about?

(April nods her head "yes.")

April Hodges
The stuff I told you about Billy.

Det. Elliot Stabler
Okay, was any of it true?

April Hodges
Gran told me to make friends with him.  I took a nap there once, but just on the couch.

Det. Olivia Benson
Well, you sure knew a lot of details.  How did you know what to say?

April Hodges
Gran read all the stories about him in the papers.  She cut them out, made a scrapbook.  She quizzed me from it every day.

Det. Elliot Stabler
Do you know where she keeps it?

April Hodges
In the kitchen, between her cookbooks.

Det. Olivia Benson
April, we know that you didn't want to do it.

April Hodges
She said it was my only chance.  If we didn't get the money, I'd die.  I just didn't want to die.

Det. Olivia Benson
Sweetheart, you're not going to.

April Hodges
Gran said she loved me, but how could she make me sick if she loved me?

(Benson looks at April, not sure what to say.)
 
 

RIKER'S ISLAND
THURSDAY, MARCH 11

 

(Nora is dressed in prison uniform.  Her attorney, Cleo Conrad, is there, as is Novak.)

Nora Hodges
I don't know what's wrong with me.  I love that little girl.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
Funny way of showing it.

Nora Hodges
I never wanted to hurt her.  There must be something wrong with me.

Cleo Conrad
There is.  It's called Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
What is that?

Cleo Conrad
A recognized psychological disorder that causes a parent to make their child sick because of a pathological need for attention.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
So, let's talk about the Tripley scam.

Nora Hodges
Well, that was April's lie, and I believed it.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
We have the scrapbook.

(Nora is silent for a moment, looks at Cleo Conrad.  Cleo looks away.  All of a sudden, the "sweet grandma" is gone, and Nora knows she's been caught.)

Nora Hodges
Well, it's not as though he's an innocent victim, is it?  He's a pedophile.  He deserved it.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
I'd just as soon clear this one off the books, so fill in the blanks and I won't charge you with the fraud counts related to it.

(Cleo Conrad whispers something to Nora.)

Cleo Conrad
It sounds like you know everything already.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
Crime lab found a hair in April's underwear.

Nora Hodges
During the party, I snuck into his room and I took it from his hairbrush.  When they asked me for the clothes she'd been wearing, I'd already planted it.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
Do you have any idea how much damage you've caused?

Nora Hodges
But you agree with me.  He deserved it.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
He deserves to go to jail.  Thanks to you, he can claim he's the victim of a false allegation every time a legitimate one comes up in the future.

Nora Hodges
I'm sorry.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
I don't believe you.  But you'll have a good long time to pay for it in prison.

Cleo Conrad
We just made a deal.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
I'm not charging her with fraud on Tripley.  I'm charging her with fraud for the cancer scam.

Cleo Conrad
Munchausen.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
Bull.  She's been working this for a year.  Totaling all the bake sales, canister donations, and Internet solicitations, she's bilked people out of $60,000.

Cleo Conrad
What are you offering?

A.D.A. Casey Novak
Not a thing.  I'm taking you to trial.

Nora Hodges
Please, please think of April.  There is no one else to look after her.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
You've got to be kidding me.  What you were doing nearly killed her.  I'm charging you with fraud and attempted murder.

Nora Hodges
But you heard what she said.  I'm sick.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
No jury's that stupid.  They'll see it wasn't Munchausen, just pure, unadulterated greed.

(SVU Squadroom.  The whole team is in the bullpen, minus Cragen and Huang.  Judge Mary Conway Clark walks in.)

Judge Mary Conway Clark
Well, we found JJ.

Det. Olivia Benson
Where?

Judge Mary Conway Clark
He was with an uncle up in Maine.  My P.I. got close, but we just missed him.

Det. Elliot Stabler
What happened?

Judge Mary Conway Clark
They crossed the border into Canada.

A.D.A. Casey Novak
The Material Witness Order doesn't extend that far.

Judge Mary Conway Clark
I don't have the authority to bring him back.

Det. Odafin Tutuola
Unbelievable.  Two cases against Billy and both of them blown up.

Det. John Munch
He's the Teflon Pedophile.

Det. Elliot Stabler
What happens with JJ's father?

A.D.A. Casey Novak
Now that we know where JJ is, we'll have to notify the court.

Det. Elliot Stabler
Oh, that's nice.  He gets out of jail and keeps the money, huh?

Judge Mary Conway Clark
Oh, no.  Sending his son out of our jurisdiction does not vacate the order.  Until he produces that kid, I am keeping his ass in jail.

(Cragen enters from his office and joins the group.)

Capt. Donald Cragen
This, you've got to see to believe.

(He leads the group to the television set, and flips it on.  There is a news team at the Tripley apartment, where he is throwing a party.  Scores of children are there.)

Capt. Donald Cragen
Billy is having a victory party.

Reporter #1
(On television)
Billy, do you harbor any resentment?
(Continues indistinct)

Det. Olivia Benson
He invited the media.

Billy Tripley
(On television)
I do feel sorry for that little girl.  She was as much a victim as I was.

Reporter #1
(On television)
The mood in here is pretty festive.

Billy Tripley
(On Television)
I've been vindicated, but the real winners are the children.

Det. Elliot Stabler
One of these kids is gonna be his next victim.

Det. Olivia Benson
It's sick.

Det. Elliot Stabler
We'll get him.  He'll give us a lot more chances.

(We see Billy and the kids on television again.  He is dancing around with them and cheering as we fade out.)