Disclaimer: I know zip about forensic science. Please forgive any blatant inaccuracies as poetic license. And.. of course, I don't own these amazing characters.

Thursday, December 8. 1:12 pm: Major Case Headquarters

"What the hell is this? I thought we were investigating the murder of a senator's daughter, not the Catholic church." Deakins scowled at his two best detectives. The dynamic duo, the best team in his department, Goren and Eames.

"Wouldn't you know, Danielle ran away two months ago. The Senator told everyone she was on a much needed vacation so as not to create any negative publicity for himself.. what a dad." Eames shook her head.

"She ran .. here. Shacked up with a guy and wound up turning tricks in exchange for his protection. Danielle wasn't his only 'girlfriend.'"

"Detectives... a whore house is one thing, but--" Carver began to argue, but Goren held up his hand, a gesture Carver had no choice but to obey. He sat back with a patient sigh.

"Apparently, she got involved with this guy," Goren slapped a glossy on Deakins' desk. Both the captain and the ADA moved forward to look. A attractive young man smiled up at them.

"Robert Hunt. He.. teaches elementary school in Brooklyn, at Immaculate Heart." Goren handed them a manila file, and crossed his arms. "He's a pillar of his community. A regular saint among sinners. He lectors on Sundays, he tutors. He's only twenty four."

"And he's your suspect?" Carver looked up, incredulous.

"He's an absolute saint from everything we were told at Immaculate. He does have sealed juvenile records, though." Eames said, looking at Carver.

"Sealed juvenile records are sealed for a reason," Carver stood up. "I need more than this to unseal them. Find someone who's willing to talk about what he's done, find me something that links him concretely to the murder, and a motive, and then we'll discuss this. But I can't make a case against him alone with this, much less him with the Arch Dioceses protecting him."

"Senator Sparks is pushing hard on the DA to wrap this up." Deakins sighed, and closed the folder. "Why don't you two grab lunch and recharge."

Monday, December 5, 5:04 am (3 days earlier): Near a Dumpster Behind a Really Good Chinese Restaurant in Manhattan.

"Why wasn't SVU called in on this?"

"They were. This is major case, though. The vic... A Senator's daughter. I'll be rooting through a dumpster if you need me."

"I wish I could sound so cheerful. What time is it, anyway?" Eames shook her watch down towards her wrist. White latex gloves covered her hands, protecting the scene from her finger prints, but not protecting her hands from the cold. She shivered and tried to wake up.

"Chai latte, the largest they sell." Her partner nudged a giant steaming paper cup towards her, and she took it gratefully.

"Did I ever tell you, you are my best friend?" Eames smiled up at him. Goren was almost comically tall compared to his petite blonde partner. He smiled down at her, his own giant cup dwarfed by his large hands.

"I bet you say that to all the guys who bring you chai tea at five am."

"Don't be jealous." She set her cup down carefully next to where CSU had set up their gear, and knelt next to the corpse of Danielle Sparks.

Goren fingered an angry red bite mark above the girl's left breast. Even before the rape, she hadn't been wearing much. A pair of tiny black pvc shorts, the kind that zippered all the way in half from front to back, were tangled at her ankles. Her top was cut neatly in two and her face had swelled where her assailant had hit her a few times.

"Goren," Eames was kneeling on the girl's right side, while her partner inspected a ring on the girls left hand. He looked up at her, his lips pursed in his usual thoughtful frown. "Look at this," She pushed the body up, with his help, and pointed at the body's right hand. The fingers were bloodied, and the nails were missing, or in pieces.

"This isn't defensive," Goren muttered.

"Her hand was tucked behind her, and there's barely any blood on the ground. If she died here, it was from the cold." Eames shivered.

"Rigor and the temperature are going to make it pretty tough to get anything else. Let's get her into the ME." Goren stood, and held out a hand for his partner, though he knew she didn't need it. "Let's wrap her up," He called.

The Medical Examiner, sometime later that day.

"I haven't done the autopsy yet, but I'd say she was knocked out before she found her way to that alley, and probably died of exposure." The M.E. sighed. "She was probably unconscious when she was raped, and before you ask, I didn't find anything. No fluids, no hairs. Just bruising.. here, and here. He probably bit her during intercourse.. the angle is right."

Goren was looking at the bite mark again, and contorted himself so that his head was parallel to the body, eyeballing the bite. "Could you estimate how tall he is, based on the location of this bite?"

"Assuming he did bite her during intercourse, I might be able to guess."

"Let's assume ... for a second." Goren fixed her with a cool look.

"A little shorter than average, maybe ... 5'6".. 7".. but I hate to assume things."

Sparks Residence, Midday.

Mrs. Sparks was an attractive woman, and tasteful. She was undeniably a Senator's wife.

"John's in Washington this week.. Oh god.." She sank into the couch and wiped her eyes with a kleenex.

"Mrs. Sparks, I am so sorry," Eames paused, leaning forward. "Do you know why your daughter was in Brooklyn last night?"

Mrs. Sparks shook her head. "No. Danni... we hadn't heard from her. She ... ran away. In October." The woman's features crumpled as fresh tears began to form. "Oh god.. I knew we should have called someone, but John... John didn't want to raise a fuss," She spit out her last words, "He said he'd take care of it." She sniffed. "Well, I guess there's nothing to take care of now."

"Did you hear anything from your daughter while she was gone?"

"She called... three weeks ago, to tell me not to worry." Mrs. Sparks snorted derisively. "And now this. I worried..." She looked up at Eames, her expression pleading. "I wanted to find her, and bring her home."

"Your husband wouldn't let you?"

"He didn't want the publicity, it would hurt the campaign. He said he would find her."

"Did he say how?"

"No." She swallowed. "He just promised."

"Can you think of anyone else she might have contacted? Any friends? A boyfriend?"

"Dani didn't have a boyfriend. She was ... aloof. She knew how to put on a happy face, but she didn't have many friends here."

Goren had been standing behind them, looking over the dozens of pictures that sat on the baby grand piano. Sunlight shone weakly through the bitter winter cold.

"This is Danielle," He said, holding up a silver framed photograph. He swiftly came around, and sat down next to the grieving mother.

"Yes. This summer."

"Who is this with her?"

"That's Rob Hunt." Her shoulders slumped with the defeated exhaustion Eames never quite got used to seeing.

"What kind of relationship did he have with Danielle?"

"They were close. Grew up together. He was like her brother. He's a good boy. He's really pulled himself together and overcome a lot of challenges." She took the photograph and touched her finger to the smiling image of her daughter.

"What kind of challenges?" Eames asked, looking up.

Mrs. Sparks shrugged. "He grew up ... on the other side of the tracks, so to speak. His parents became successful when he was eight or nine... that's when the family moved to our side..."

"Side of the tracks?" Goren was nodding. He took the picture from her hands, and gazed at it, before setting it on the coffee table in front of them.

"Well, thank you very much for your time, Mrs. Sparks." Goren stood up, and Eames followed suit.

Immaculate Heart Elementary School, Brooklyn. That afternoon.

"Mr. Hunt is teaching a class right now." A pretty secretary smiled at the detectives.

"Oh, we'll wait, if that's okay," Goren smiled at Eames.

"We've heard some impressive things about him," Eames said.

"He's amazing, and the kids just love him," The young woman gushed. "How old is your little one?"

"He's turning five next month," Goren grinned.

"Oh, here he is. Mr. Hunt, this is Mr. and Mrs. Goren. They're thinking of enrolling their son with us and wanted to talk to you,"

"Certainly," The young man smiled. He reached over and shook their hands. "If you want to follow me, we can talk in my office."

"After you, Mrs. Goren," Goren whispered. Eames nudged him in the ribs, and he grinned.

Hunt showed them to a small, but neat office. Eames took a seat while Goren surveyed the space.

"Your secretary misunderstood," Eames said, "we aren't parents of a prospective student, we're detectives. I'm Alex Eames, and this is my partner, Robert Goren."

A puzzled look crossed Hunt's face, but disappeared, just as quickly. "Well.. how can I help you?"

"We understand you're close with Danielle Sparks?"

"That's right, we grew up together. Practically best friends.. still are." He grinned, his gaze holding hers.

"Have you spoken to her recently?" Eames leaned forward.

"No." He shook his head. "Why, did something happen to her?" He sat back slightly.

"We found her this morning."

"Found.. oh my god..." His eyes continued to meet Eames,' ignoring her partner completely.

"It seems she was assaulted and froze to death."

"Jesus..."

"When was the last time you talked to her?"

"A few days ago," His eyes were suddenly on his desk, and his hand pressed to his forehead. "She wanted to talk. She sounded .. she was really depressed. I was worried about her. But she wouldn't tell me where she was over the phone. She wanted to see me.. but I had ... damn it." Tears glistened in his eyes, and he blinked hard.

"You didn't see or talk to her since?"

"No. And she refused to tell me where she was staying. I had my ideas, though. Where's a pretty girl going to go when she has no job, no savings, and doesn't want to be found?" He shrugged.

"What is it that you teach, Mr. Hunt?" Goren turned, holding a notebook cracked open in front of him.

"English.. literature to the older kids. An honors class."

"You seem like a very bright young man, I was reading through your notes here. You have some good ideas for lesson plans."

"That's actually a private notebook," Hunt reached for it, but Goren smiled, and stepped back. The difference in their height was immediately apparent.

"I'm sorry, you're right." Goren returned the notebook. Hunt looked annoyed at best. "You do have a fantastic book collection."

"I just.. picked them up, I guess." Hunt looked flustered. A puzzled look crossed Goren's face.

"Just picked them up?"

"Yeah. I like books. I read a lot, so I just buy them." Hunt moved back towards his desk, and slipped the notebook into a drawer. "I have a lot of work to do..."

"Oh, of course. We'll get out of your way. Thank you for talking to us."