Original subtitles

.

- In the criminal justice system,

sexually based offenses

are considered especially heinous.

In New York City, the dedicated detectives

who investigate these vicious felonies

are members of an elite squad

known as the Special Victims Unit.

These are their stories.

- So our next case is a pattern assailant.

Four vics in the past six months.

After the first incident in Brooklyn this past December,

as far as we know, our suspect took

a break, reemerging in March.

Now, these attacks are escalating and now

occurring only weeks apart.

We're taking pretty aggressive action here to--

Apologies for running late.

ADA Heidi Russell, new chief of the Trial Division.

To those of you I haven't yet met,

I look forward to continuing the DA's commitment

to transparency with the NYPD.

Captain Benson, please continue.

Thank you. All right.

Our perp is an unknown subject, um,

who uses a coat hanger to bind his victims.

- Press has already dubbed him the Wire Hanger Rapist.

We're under pressure here, folks.

OK.

Um, Manhattan SVU has been coordinating

with the other boroughs.

Now, our perp targets single women.

- In low-income neighborhoods and buildings

with little to no security.

- He gains access to their apartments,

unscrews light bulbs, faking a power outage.

- He lays in wait until he can surprise his victim.

In every case, he binds her wrists with a coat hanger.

- Then he sexually assaults them with an object--

the barrel of his gun.

And he's still escalating.

His latest victim, from two days ago, is still in ICU

due to the injuries that she sustained during her attack.

- The DA's office is all over my ass, as you can imagine.

I can.

- So what do you have on our serial?

- We have consistent statements from all the victims.

He's white. He's between 20 and 30.

He has brown hair.

- Pretty general, don't you think?

- Well, the assaults happened at night in the dark.

No DNA, hairs, fibers?

- Or prints or forensic evidence.

So no help.

- No disrespect. - Yeah, no, none taken.

Look, every precinct in this city

is working overtime on this.

Intelligence is shaking down our CIs.

We have a tip line, sketches--

Excuse me, Captain.

I need to go make the rounds.

New kid at school and all that.

Of course.

- [sighs] See you met my new boss.

She's very, um, political.

- [chuckles] Is this you being diplomatic?

- I'm trying to keep an open mind.

- That's easy for you to say. You don't work for her.

- I'm not sure that she knows that yet.

The guy with the pornstache?

[gasps] You mean Evan's friend.

[laughs] What a douche.

No, Lindsay, I did not think he was hot.

He's your type, not mine.

Mm.

Well, have fun, but I'm going to bed.

[light switch clicking]

Hey, did you pay the electric bill?

Well, they're out.

No, don't worry about me.

I'll figure it out.

[ominous music]

* *

[shower running]

- Drop the towel. - [gasps]

[screams]

[dramatic music]

.

[siren wails]

You get an ID on the victim?

- Ariel Bradford, 32. Came home from a club.

- Perp was lying in wait. - How bad?

- Multiple internal injuries. Hemorrhaging.

- Were we able to get a statement?

Lots of blood loss.

Curry went in the ambo in case she comes to.

- Who called it in? - Her roommate.

She came home an hour ago and found Ariel face down

in the bed, soaked in blood,

her wrists tied with a wire coat hanger.

- So we're looking at our serial.

- I'd say yeah, it's our unsub. It's got to be.

I want to see the scene.

So Ariel comes home--

A few drinks in.

- Perp must have been here a little bit before she got home.

Unscrewing the light bulbs.

Every single one.

- Which explains the candles in the bathroom.

How'd he gain access?

- Resident from another floor buzzed him in.

- What, you think he just got lucky trying doors?

- Or he knows how to pick locks.

- Well, obviously the assault started here.

- He surprised Ariel in the shower,

assaulted her in the bed.

Oh, God.

This is a lot more blood than the last few.

This guy is really ramping things up.

Wire hanger.

- Pull all the bedding, the mattress, the sheets.

- Starting to look like a loss of control to me.

- Maybe we get lucky and he made a mistake.

Did the roommate see him?

- The way she tells it, she had some kind of hookup.

- Perp was already gone by the time she got home.

- None of the neighbors heard anything.

- OK, I find that hard to believe.

- Well, he may have gagged her with this balled up stocking.

- And there's no security cameras

outside on the building.

- He knows how to pick them. - Checking traffic cams.

But on Friday night,

there's a lot of pedestrians on the street.

OK, but what about prints?

I mean, these lamps, he's touched

every single one of them.

None so far.

CSU's got something.

What do you got?

- By its size, I'd say a man's fingerprint.

Pretty good one, too.

- That's a weird spot, isn't it?

What's it doing on the outer edge like that?

Intruders sometimes do recon.

He could have been casing this place for weeks.

- Or he just could have tried to close the door

without touching the handle.

- If he's in the system, we'll get him.

Yeah.

All right, get this, uh, to the lab, top priority.

I'm gonna call the chief of D's and tell him

that we might have a lead.

[phone buzzes] Benson.

How's our vic doing?

- Pissed off, but lucky to be alive.

Doctors say she lost 20% of her blood.

- They do a rape kit? - Yes.

But, um, according to her,

he penetrated her with an implement.

- And by implement, you mean his gun.

Yeah.

- He was just standing there when I got out of the shower.

I screamed as loud as I could.

Can you describe him for us?

White.

Young-ish.

Did he say anything to you?

He was trying to scare me.

How do you mean, scare you?

Barked orders.

Wrapped the coat hanger around my wrists.

And then what?

He...

assaulted me.

Can you describe the gun?

It was a gun.

I don't know a lot about things like that.

Color, size, anything?

- All I know was he had thick gloves on.

Tan, like work gloves.

OK.

- Yeah, that's-- that's very good, Ariel.

He watched me bleed.

From down there.

Watched it soak my sheets, the bed.

Seemed fascinated by it.

Who would do this to another person?

- The most important thing is that you're safe now.

So why don't we--

why don't we let you get some rest, OK?

Thank you.

Billy Hedges, 30.

Entry-level employee at the City Department of Sanitation.

He works a route near here.

- And we're sure it's his fingerprint on the glass door

in Ariel's apartment?

100%.

- And I'm telling you, it's not me.

- You got a better explanation of how your thumbprint

ended up in our crime scene?

- I have no idea. I told you.

Is he in the system?

- Yeah, he got arrested nine months ago

for groping a girl on a club dance floor.

And?

- Accuser didn't want to move forward.

Charges got reduced.

He did a month community service, no jail time.

- Look, the lab must have made a mistake.

- Except that doesn't ever happen.

Not in real life, anyway.

- He have an alibi for last night?

- Not a great one. - So why don't you give us

a good reason to eliminate that print?

[sighs]

I can't.

I stayed home all night.

Can anybody verify that?

No. I live alone.

You know this girl?

No.

- Should I? - You tell us.

- How did your fingerprint get on the inside

of her sliding door?

- I don't know. There must be some explanation.

- And now's your chance to help us figure out what that is.

- I don't under-- I don't understand.

- Maybe you met her at a bar last night.

Maybe she invited you back to her place.

- You opened the sliding door for some air.

How's that sound?

- That sounds very plausible to me.

- Are you sure you've never seen her before?

- She does look kind of familiar.

OK. Good.

- But I wasn't with her last night.

No way. No way.

- You caught our serial? Good work.

- Well, I wouldn't, uh-- I wouldn't leap that far.

But we did find a suspect for last night's assault.

The latest victim make an ID?

- Well, she did pick him out of a six-pack about an hour ago.

And his fingerprint was on the inside of her glass door.

- But there's no evidence linking him

to the other four assaults.

- Does he have an alibi for any of them?

- Not anything a good prosecutor couldn't rip apart.

- Anything in his apartment? - He owns guns.

- But none with blood on the barrel.

- Doesn't mean he couldn't have ditched one.

He works sanitation.

He must own at least a few pair of work gloves.

- We found a pair on his kitchen table.

Along with a print.

Enough to write up the case, take it to a grand jury.

- For last night's attack at least, yes.

Then let's start there.

Take the win.

Glass half-full, Mr. Carisi.

- Billy Hedges, on the charge of

aggravated sexual abuse in the first degree, how do you plead?

Not guilty.

- On the charges of predatory sexual assault

and assault in the first degree?

- Not guilty. - People on bail?

- We request remand, Your Honor.

This was a particularly brutal attack.

The victim is still in the hospital.

Defense?

- My client is not a flight risk, Your Honor.

We request ROR.

- He does have a record, and the crime is a violent one.

I will grant bail in the amount of $50,000.

What?

No, I don't have that kind of money.

- You said this would be lower. - Just trust me.

I'll handle it, OK?

Mr. Carisi, a word?

This guy pled guilty?

- He waived the grand jury on all charges.

I'm still working on the deal, but a minimum of seven years

is on the table.

And Hedges agreed to that?

- Uh, kicking and screaming. But yeah, he agreed to it.

You mean his public defender

didn't want to take it to trial.

- Honestly, with one fingerprint, neither did I.

- And Russell went along with that?

- She's a hardass, but she's a realist.

To her, a case closed is a case closed.

- But what about the other four victims?

If we get any more evidence,

I can try to make additional charges.

- [knocking] - Hey, Velasco.

- What do you got? - I just got a call.

Another woman in the Lower East Side

was just sexually assaulted by a man with a gun.

He bound her wrists with a coat hanger.

[tense music]

.

- We're here on the Lower East Side

where the Wire Hanger Rapist has struck again,

despite NYPD's claims that the suspect was in custody.

- Wasting no time pointing fingers.

Well, they should.

This case was rushed by Carisi's new boss.

Could be a copycat.

The details were made public, front-page news--

- Which probably pissed off the actual perp,

us giving credit to somebody else.

Do you want to know what I think?

- You think the unsub's still out there.

- Yeah, and he's trying to prove us wrong.

- Captain Benson, Sergeant Tutuola,

do you have any comment?

- It's an ongoing investigation.

- Well, did you arrest the wrong man?

- Look, we're working in conjunction

with the DA's office.

As soon as we know anything, we'll let you know.

Thank you.

What are we looking at?

Vic is Sara Gomez, 28.

She came home, light bulbs unscrewed.

- Suspect scared her in the kitchen.

She was trying to light the stove.

He tied her wrists with a wire hanger.

- The neighbor knocked on the door.

Suspect panicked and ran.

- You get a description of the guy?

- Yeah. 30s, white, brown hair.

- Any inconsistencies with the MO?

- Not so far, but CSU is still processing.

- OK, I need every inch of that apartment under a microscope.

Touch DNA, a hair, a fiber, anything.

On it, Captain.

It's your new best friend.

She's up late.

- And camera-ready.

ADA Russell.

- You look surprised to see me, Captain.

- I'm just not used to the chief of the Trial Division

showing up at a crime scene.

It's a big case.

I'm trying to stay on top of things.

That's good to know.

So any leads?

- Other than we may have put an innocent man behind bars?

Not from where I'm sitting.

Hedges confessed. We have the fingerprint.

- OK. Well, we know this attack wasn't Hedges.

Copycat.

He spent the day in Rikers.

It's not unheard of for these guys

to brag about their crimes.

- OK, that's your working theory?

An inmate who just happens to match our perp's description

gets out and immediately commits the exact same crime?

- You have a better one? - Yeah.

The guy we charged was pressured

by an incompetent public defender to plead guilty.

- Doesn't explain how his print got

on the inside of the glass door,

or how the victim made a positive ID.

- Wrong IDs happen all the time.

This investigation was rushed.

- I'm not interested in excuses, Captain.

I'm interested in proof.

- Oh, I envy anyone she's never met.

Carisi, what's your gut?

- If you're right about Hedges not being good for this,

we're screwed six ways to Sunday.

- [phone buzzes] - Not as screwed as Hedges.

Curry just texted.

Our latest vic's ready to talk.

- Let's hope she gives us something

because I guarantee you that Russell

is not going to admit to making a mistake.

No, she's going to blame you.

[indistinct chatter]

- I tried everything I could think of,

just going along, pretending I liked him.

Anything to get him talking.

- That's very, very smart, Sara.

So what, you just asked him questions?

Yeah.

Just like, where he grew up, if he had family.

Did he answer you?

Not at first.

And then, he pulled out this gun.

He held it up to my eyes,

showed me the blood caked on it.

- God, that must have been terrifying.

- It was more scary the way he looked at it.

The gun.

- Tell me more. What do you mean?

- I could tell it was important to him.

He showed me the leather holster.

It had these initials.

M-A-R.

I couldn't see the rest.

And his name?

I asked.

And then he pistol-whipped me.

I'm so sorry, Sara.

Thank God for Luis.

He knocked on the door, and--

- Luis is your neighbor? - Yeah.

He, um, was, like, always pretending to borrow stuff,

- if you know what I mean. - Trying to get lucky.

[chuckles]

But tonight, I got lucky.

The guy with a gun ran.

And whoever this guy was, he left his holster behind.

When he turned around to see where

the knock was coming from, I kicked it with my foot

under the stove.

He saw me, but it was too late.

Luis was knocking again, louder.

And he ran.

- OK, I'll call Velasco and Bruno,

have them look for that holster.

So, Sara,

you saved yourself,

and probably a lot of other women, too.

Do you have any comment?

- It's an ongoing investigation.

- Well, did you arrest the wrong man?

- Turn that off. - Please.

You both look good.

- And as soon as we know anything--

Here comes Russell.

- I'm new to the Manhattan DA's office,

but I have never been prouder of any police force

I've ever worked with.

- Thank you very much. - Oh, my God, I can't.

- Cannot listen to this. - These conflicting reports

are raising new questions with many resi--

- So we get anything off the holster?

Initials are MARSOC,

which is a special ops branch of the Marines.

- So we're looking for a military guy?

- Or some weekend warrior LARPing as a soldier.

We get touch DNA?

CSU is still working on it.

- And what about Hedges? - You think whoever

this other guy is, they're working as a team?

- Well, it's certainly possible.

When is the last time anyone spoke with

Hedges and his lawyer?

- They haven't made the deal yet.

He's in Rikers, at least for the night.

- And we ran his phone? - Yeah, it's clean.

We've IDed everyone he was in contact with.

- And it didn't ping near Ariel's

apartment the other night?

- No, but that doesn't mean anything.

The guy could have left it at home.

- Right. He did shut it off for a few hours.

- Hedges claims he forgot to put it on the charger

before he fell asleep.

- Guys, in the meantime, there's nothing we can do.

Uh, so go home to your lives, if you have one.

Do what you got to do to get this day off your mind.

- Are you sure I can't buy you a beer?

No, I'ma pass, man.

But thank you.

- Is Phoebe waiting for you at home?

- No, she's visiting her sister.

- Oh, so you're just flat-out rejecting me.

Pretty much.

But you heard what the captain said.

Go live your life.

- Copy that, Sarge. After you.

[distant siren wailing]

Don't move!

- Whoa, whoa, whoa, kid. Take it easy.

- Take it easy. - Shut up!

- OK, look, you want money? I gotta reach in my wallet.

I got to put my hands down to go in my wallet, OK?

- I don't want your wallet! - Then what?

- You put my dad in jail. I saw you on TV today.

I found your address online.

Your dad?

Let me guess. Your last name is Hedges.

- He didn't do those things the police are saying.

- I know that. - Then why is he in jail?

- You got a name, kid? What's your first name?

- Toby. - Toby. Toby, do me a favor.

Please take your finger off that trigger.

- Why shouldn't I just shoot you?

- Because if you do, both you and your dad will be in jail,

and I won't be able to help get him out.

- His lawyer's stupid. You're stupid!

But if I shoot you, at least he'll know how much I love him.

- [grunts] [gunshot]

Ow!

Drop it!

I didn't mean to!

Drop the gun!

- You're bleeding. - Get out of here.

I won't say anything to anyone.

Go!

[grunts]

[sighs] Damn.

.

[soft tense music]

* *

[grunts]

[groans]

[exhales sharply]

[groans]

[grunts]

- Hey, Sarge, you're here early.

- Yeah. Between me and you, Sal--

Sure, anything.

- I was on my way home and the neighbor lady gave that to me.

Found it in the trash.

Some kids must have ditched it or something.

She asked you to turn it in.

- Yeah, she did. - Hmm.

Well, at least it's an honest-to-goodness

American-made gun.

These gang kids nowadays, they all want 3D-printed ghosties.

- Never thought I'd get nostalgic for metal.

- [chuckles] So how you been?

- I'm good. How are your kids?

They got to be like, what, in the sixth grade by now?

- You won't believe it, but little Vito's going into high--

- [groans] - Hey, Sarge, you all right?

Yeah.

- Velasco, what the hell's going on?

- The guy in the evidence lockup called.

- Sorrentino? - Yeah.

Said the sarge passed out.

From what?

- At first, I thought it was his heart.

But the way he tells it--

- But--but what?

- The way he tells it, Sarge turned in a gun.

Uh, OK.

Um, so why don't you go back to work?

I got this, Velasco.

Hey, cowboy.

You OK?

- Uh, yeah, I think it was just that keto thing

me and Phoebe were trying out.

- Keto? - Yeah.

Huh.

Well, that's funny, because, uh,

Sorrentino says that you turned in a gun.

- Yeah, this neighbor lady, she found it in the trash.

- Really, Fin? We're going to play this?

Who shot you?

[sighs]

- Is this something to do with the case?

- If I say yes, would you let me change the subject?

Are you protecting somebody

that's connected to-- to Billy Hedges?

Yeah.

Hedges, the guy we got in jail, he's got a kid.

- So he's angry that we arrested his father.

Product of divorce.

I think he started out angry,

and I'm sure us putting his father in Rikers didn't help.

How old?

Around Noah's age.

You have a gunshot wound.

It's just a graze.

And you didn't hear that from me,

and nobody needs to hear that from you.

What did you tell the doctor?

That I walked into a mirror.

- [scoffs] Well, you always have been your own worst enemy.

- Let's just help get this kid's father out of jail.

There.

[groans]

How's Fin?

- He's fine. - OK.

Do I even want to know what happened?

Uh, probably not.

- Good morning. - Good morning.

- Did you hear about Billy Hedges?

I just had a nice chat with Russell about him.

- I take it, uh, she doesn't want to let him out.

Oh, no, no, no.

She thinks he's good for Ariel's assault,

if not the others.

He's got a fingerprint at the scene.

- No alibi. - One print.

There's got to be an explanation.

On the inside of the glass.

OK.

Totally out of character for me, I know.

But just to play devil's advocate--

Oh, believe me, in this case,

he's doing just fine advocating for himself.

Fair enough.

But it's not like fingerprint analysis

is completely reliable.

- Well, I think Russell's leaning more

into the positive ID.

- That's not reliable either, Carisi, you know that.

- Well, Russell doesn't want to hear that.

Listen, she's the kind of boss that'll just

cling to a mistake, especially one

she's put a lot of energy into making.

So if you want this guy out,

you've got to bring me something off that holster.

- The lab's still working on it.

Then we're at a standstill.

[tense music]

How do you feel about that?

* *

- I don't want the wrong man in jail any more than you do, Liv.

- Look, this Hedges guy has a life.

And he has a kid who wants to see his father again.

- I know, but there's a little thing called judicial momentum.

These things take time.

It's like pulling a U-turn on a cruise ship.

[sighs]

I'll talk to him.

I'll see if there's anything else that helps his case.

And take Fin with you.

- I thought he tore his rotator cuff.

- Yeah, let's just say that he has

a vested interest in this guy.

* *

Look, I didn't rape anyone.

I never even met that woman.

- OK, well, let me lay out the problem here--

if you never met her, then how did your fingerprint

get on the inside of the glass door in her apartment?

You gotta think, Billy,

if you ever want to see your son again.

I know he wants to see you.

You seem like a handy guy.

Maybe you got one of the gig economy jobs.

Like TaskRabbit or something.

- You ever do any work in Ariel's apartment?

No. All I do is sanitation.

You got a side hustle?

- You ever help anybody carry something big out to the curb?

- Like what? - Like some old furniture.

No, no, no.

I--I only started working in sanitation a year ago.

All right? It's a good job.

Pension, medical benefits.

But they put the fear of God into you

during your first six months of probation.

We're not allowed to go into anyone's homes.

- So you're relatively new at sanitation?

Yeah, that's right.

What'd you do before?

Uh, a string of jobs.

What kind of jobs, Billy?

Walmart, Best Buy.

Uh, Home and Hardware Direct.

Home and Hardware Direct.

What department?

Building supplies.

- So paint, lighting fixtures, that kind of thing.

Yeah.

Tiles, too.

With glass doors?

* *

.

- We're looking for an exterior glass

sliding door with an extruded aluminum frame.

- How do you know all this stuff?

- I went to trade school before I became a cop.

Never used it, but it makes me pretty popular

on the dating apps.

- Hello, this is Detective Terrence Bruno.

- And this is Sergeant Odafin Tutuola.

We're with Manhattan SVU.

How can I help you?

- We're looking for an exterior glass

sliding door with an extruded aluminum frame.

What he said.

- Our cheapest, most generic sliding glass doors.

You sell a lot of them?

- [chuckles] Oh, yeah.

- The super says the one we're looking for

would have been installed April of 2022.

1170 Avenue A.

- The guy we're investigating says

he worked here during that time.

He might have unloaded a few off the truck.

- What's the building super's name?

Uh, Peter Knudsen.

Uh, Knudsen.

2022.

Yeah, we sold him a few.

You worked here then?

I've been here five years.

You remember this guy?

- [scoffs] Everybody does.

Why is that?

- One of the worst employees I've ever had.

He only lasted about a month.

- Would that include April of 2022?

- I can check his last pay stub, but I'm pretty sure.

- So this guy did work for Home and Hardware Direct, huh?

- He stocked the sliding glass doors.

Here's his last pay stub.

- His old manager is willing to go on the record to state

that he handled the doors from the truck to the racks

where they were sold.

- Explains how his fingerprint wound up on the glass door.

- Turns out the contractor that worked

on Ariel's building bought a couple of them

during the renovation.

- And you know what that means, Counselor.

Reasonable doubt.

- Ought to be easy for your new boss to drop this case.

You'd think.

- Reasonable means different things to different people.

- And there's only one way to find out.

- I'll take it to Russell. - Hold on.

And while you're at it, tell her that we got

a touch DNA hit off the gun sheath.

And?

- Traced it back to a guy named Glenn Duncan.

He got a record?

- His DNA was in the database because he's an ex-Marine.

- Explains the initials on the sheath.

- Turns out the guy wasn't LARPing.

- He was dishonorably discharged in 2019.

So we pick him up.

- The way this case is going,

the guy might have sold the holster at a flea market

the day he got cut loose by Uncle Sam.

So what do you want?

- [sighs] If this guy is good for this,

then he's good for the others.

Which means Billy Hedges is not.

So if I'm going to rub my new boss's face in this,

I need more than a hint of touch DNA.

- I need this to be airtight. - I will go back to Ariel.

- No, Ariel changing her ID at this point does not help me.

Yeah, but it will help her.

And don't worry about the ID, because our victim

from the other night, Sara?

She got a good look at him.

- You're telling me I IDed the wrong guy?

He's in jail, and he didn't rape me?

- Well, we're still investigating.

But as of right now, we don't-- we don't think that he did.

- Am I in trouble? - No, not at all.

Incorrect IDs happen all the time.

- But you said you found a fingerprint.

- And--and we have an explanation for that.

- [sighs] This poor man.

- Yes, but our ADA is working on getting

the charges dismissed.

- So do you know who did rape me?

Well, we do have a suspect.

And we're putting together a case now.

- Well--well, what can I do?

- Well, actually, I'd like to show you some more photos

and see if you recognize anyone.

- But what if I ID the wrong guy again?

You do the best you can.

And this is not all on you, OK, Ariel?

Because we have other witnesses.

Are you ready?

[sighs]

[tense music]

- Not him. - OK, take your time.

I don't need to.

I was only with him for 10 minutes,

but after what he did to me, I will never forget his face.

OK. Well, let's keep going.

Definitely not him.

No.

- Are you sure you don't want a break?

I'll just get you some water.

- No, I'm OK. I want to get this guy.

So do we.

* *

That's him.

* *

Deputy Chief Sasso.

We're looking for Glenn Duncan.

He's 5'10", 35 years old, ex-military.

- He moved into that building a year ago with his girlfriend.

[gunfire]

- Take cover! Get back!

Move it! Get behind the car!

- [grunts] - Officer down!

10-13! Send a bus!

[gunfire]

[dramatic music]

I need you to put some rounds on him.

Keep his head down.

[gunfire]

Fin, I need you to cover me.

Where are you going?

[gunfire]

[tires squeal]

* *

- I'm hit. - You're going to be OK.

Come on. Come on.

I'm going to get you out. Can you move your legs?

I think so. I think so.

Move. Pull in, pull in.

[grunts]

- [gunfire] - [grunting]

- You're going to be OK. There you go.

- [groans] - I know.

[grunts]

* *

[gunfire]

[officer groaning]

[gunfire]

.

- It hurts! - I know it does.

But you know what?

You're doing great, because you're--you're talking.

- That means you're breathing. - [grunts]

You take care of this guy.

- You got this. - [groans]

I'll yell at you later.

- I look forward to that. What are we looking at?

- We have a visual inside the apartment.

And?

- Our suspect's male, and what looks like a female.

- OK. Alive?

Still has a heat signature.

- Neighbors are all evacuated. Block is cleared.

- Hostage negotiation's on the way.

- We're going to have to move in.

- Hold on. We have a woman inside.

- He's already shot one cop, and he's ex-military.

For all we know, he could have IEDs up there.

- Do you have Duncan's cell? - Yeah.

[line ringing]

[phone buzzing]

Who's this?

This is Captain Benson, NYPD.

- If I were you, I'd get out of here.

I can't do that, you know.

I've got to make sure that everybody

who's up there with you is safe.

- [sobbing] - Is Jane OK?

She's fine.

- Good, good. That's a good start.

What do you want?

- I want to know how I can help you.

That's what I want.

What are my choices here?

Gee, let's see.

Go down shooting, or prison for the rest of my life?

- Listen, I know that you and I

can figure this out together, OK?

So let's just take a beat here.

- There's only one way out of this.

And what about Jane?

We've already decided.

[ominous music]

We're going out together.

- [line beeps] - We're going in now.

* *

Do you see where he is?

- Crouching below the kitchen window.

- And the woman? - A few feet to his left.

- Time to go hunting. Stay back.

[yelps, whimpers]

[screams]

- [gunfire] - Drop your weapon!

[gunshot]

Hey.

He was going to kill me!

- You're safe now. Come here.

We got you.

* *

- Glenn and I met in high school.

He was normal back then.

- So you were with him before he joined the military?

Yeah.

It was his dream.

He came from a blue collar family.

He had wanderlust.

How else was he going to see the world?

- Um, according to his discharge paperwork,

he sexually assaulted a female soldier.

[somber music]

So you had no idea?

I suspected something was up.

We started fighting a lot.

I just thought he was cheating on me.

What made you think that?

- I found women's underwear, lingerie and stuff.

He had it hidden in a locked toolbox.

One night when he was asleep, I took the key, opened it up.

- OK, and we know that Duncan is good for all six assaults?

- Yes, the lab found DNA on underwear in his toolbox.

Matches all our vics.

- And they all picked him out of a six-pack, including Ariel.

- Carisi, is that enough to make Russell happy?

- Doubt she's going to be happy.

- How about enough to get Billy Hedges out of Rikers?

- Nobody in the DA's office likes dropping charges,

but Russell's not totally unreasonable.

I'll call her right now.

- I'll let the victims know the case is closed.

- And that they're spared a trial.

So you want to go tell Hedges' kid

that his father's coming home?

- Want to come with? - I would love to, actually.

But, um, there's someplace that I need to be.

[buzzer blaring]

You're a good kid, Toby.

- Dad! - Hey!

Thanks for bringing my son.

No problem.

- You ready to go home? - Yeah.

Could you ask the bus to wait

and let me talk to Toby for a minute?

Yeah, sure.

- You know why I brought you here?

I never want to see you anywhere

near a place like this.

You understand me?

Yes, sir.

- And if I ever catch you touching a gun,

you're going to wish you hadn't.

OK. Get out of here.

[soft dramatic music]

* *

all: * Happy birthday to you *

* Happy birthday to you *

* Happy birthday, dear Maddie *

* Happy birthday to you *

[cheering]

- You know, the number 16 has been important to us this year.

Not only is it Maddie's age, but it is also

the precinct number to someone who has become very important

to our family, Captain Benson.

- Peter, it's been long enough. You know my first name.

- [chuckles] - Olivia.

Thank you.

Thank you for everything.

- Oh. - So proud of you, Maddie.

- Get together. Let's take a photo.

No. No photos, Mom.

Want some cake?

Thank you.

[chuckles]

- Oh, what's wrong with me? I don't know how to do this.

Do what?

Just be a good mom to Maddie.

She's never going to be the same.

- Eileen, just give it some time.

You're doing great.

- I appreciate what you've done for her, taking her to therapy.

She's on the road to actual recovery.

And what about you?

- Peter and I are working through things, you know?

It's--it's a lot to navigate.

Yeah.

Maybe I need one of those.

- Maybe you do. - [chuckles]

You know what?

How about you borrow this?

- No, I cannot take that. - Eileen.

No.

I want you to have it.

Turn around.

This has gotten me through some, uh--

through some tough times.

And you can return it whenever you want.

It's not like we're going to lose touch.

I hope not.

- We won't. We're--we're family now.

- [chuckles] Thank you, Olivia.

- You know, my job has a lot of responsibilities.

But the one thing that I've learned to value the most...

Is the duty to hope.

Yeah.

Go eat some cake.

Hm? [chuckles]

* *

[laughter]

* *

Elliot,

how are things?

You know, things are things.

- So, um, I--

I, uh--I wanted to talk to you about something.

The necklace.

The compass that you gave me last year.

Did you lose it?

You're the only person I know who could lose a compass.

No, as a matter of fact,

I haven't taken it off since you gave it to me.

And...

I wanted to let you know that it has been

incredibly meaningful to me.

And it has guided me

in terms of my healing.

I'm glad.

Yeah.

And, uh...

I just wanted to let you know that I--

I lent it to someone.

The--a victim's mother.

From the missing girl case?

- Yeah, that--

that poor woman has been through hell.

- Sounds like she needed it a lot more than you do.

* *

I knew you'd understand.

* *

.

[dramatic music]

* *

[wolf howls]