NARRATOR: 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,
That's a neat necklace. Your mom gave you that?
Yeah. Can I see?
It's an amulet. From the Mosuo people.
Where did she get it?
She brought it back from Tibet.
It's supposed to keep me safe, so I can't take it off.
That's so cool.
Text me if you figure out those fractions.
Bye, Nicholas. Bye, Becca.
(HORN BLARlNG)
(TlRES SCREECHlNG)
Hey! Watch where you are going!
The light said to cross!
Is that what they teach you in school? To back-talk to adults?
Hey, it wasn't your fault, kid.
Jerk almost ran me over a block back.
Hey, yous don't move your asses, I'm running everybody over!
Shut up! Shut up, both of you!
(SCREAMlNG) Help! Someone help!
Hey, call 911!
(TlRES SCREECHlNG)
Just tell me what happened.
The boy ran in front of my cab. It was not my fault.
Then he was gone.
There was a delivery van on the curb.
You catch the plate? No,
but it was red and yellow, with flowers painted on the side.
It was blue and green, with bunny rabbits.
And the kid, what did he look like?
I'd say 10, brown hair, this tall.
No, this tall, eight, black hair.
What about the van driver?
GlRL: No one saw him.
Of course, I saw him. It was a white man.
Guy was dark-skinned. Foreign.
They're idiots. Only his hands were visible, and they had gloves on.
She's the idiot. I know what I saw.
Three witnesses, 10 different stories.
All we know for sure is there's a kid out there who needs help.
And time's running out.
Did you get footage of the crime scene?
Leading up to the kidnapping.
ATM camera got the kid coming down 89th.
STABLER: He can't be more than eight.
Store across the street got a good shot of the cabbie almost running him over.
Did you get the van or not?
Courtesy of the security camera on the apartment building.
STABLER: I'll be damned. Flowers and bunnies.
Can we see the kidnapper? Blow it up.
It's too dark inside the van. Only a pair of gloved hands. But we did get this.
"Garry's Goof-O-Rama." "Kids' parties are my specialty."
Go show him ours.
Freeze! NYPD!
(EXCLAlMS) My balloons are getting away! Well, you're not.
Where's the boy? What boy?
The one you snatched an hour ago.
I've been here all day, taking orders and doing inventory.
Who does your deliveries?
It's all just me, Garry.
BENSON: Where's your van? It's over there.
It hasn't run in six months.
I blew the heads, so I've been using my wife's car.
(CELL PHONE RlNGlNG)
Perp was smart. He copied the van.
Yeah. So we'd collar this clown.
That was a Bonzo Birthday Bouquet. I'm sending the NYPD a bill.
Knock yourself out.
Fin just found the real van.
Is the boy inside? I hope not.
BENSON: Let me guess. No one saw who lit it up.
FlN: Or anyone running away from it.
Perp's a pro. Diverts our attention by faking Bozo's ride.
STABLER: Then, torches the vehicle to get rid of the evidence.
I hate to say it, but I hope he took the boy with him.
MAN: Detectives, I got something!
BENSON: Tell me it's not remains.
Human, no. Homework, maybe.
That's the boy's backpack.
Or what's left of it.
It's a schoolbook. Property of Whitethorne Academy.
CAROL: Of course I know him. That's Nicholas Olsen.
I tell him to not run in the hall 10 times a day.
He's a third-grader here.
BENSON: We're going to need his parents' contact information.
He lives with his father, Paul. What's going on?
We think Nicholas was abducted on his way home from school today.
About a block from where the bus dropped him off.
Oh, my God. She really did it.
She?
(SlGHlNG) Nicholas' mother, Sophie Gerard.
She's French and a bit unbalanced.
Even before Paul was awarded sole custody of Nicholas.
Mom losing her kid? That's unusual.
Paul got a restraining order when she said she wouldn't honor the court's decision.
Sophie claims she's Nicholas' true parent.
Well, the father is not answering the phone.
But the secretary says he's showing a house out in Montauk.
This looks like a domestic snatch.
At first, Sophie would barge onto the playground when Nicholas was at recess.
School guard must have kicked her out a dozen times.
But the next day, she'd be back.
When I went out to confront her, she said
I had no right to keep her away from her son
and pushed me aside.
You call the police?
I threatened to. She backed off.
Now, she makes sure not to set foot on school property.
But the moment that bell rings...
Did Sophie show up today?
CAROL: There she is.
BENSON: And here comes Nicholas.
Can't blame a mother for wanting to hug her son.
He doesn't look too thrilled to see her.
CAROL: I wish we could hear what she's saying to him.
"l have something for you, Nicholas. All the way from Tibet."
"What is it, Mom?" "A way to keep you safe."
What is she saying now?
NELSON: "Just remember. Whatever happens, don't be scared.
"Don't be scared. Je t'aime, Nicholas."
You did good.
Got a deaf grandmom that will be happy to know that.
Did you find my boy? Is that bitch in jail yet?
You must be Nicholas' father.
Who else would I be?
Sorry. Sorry. Yes, my name is Paul Olsen.
Unfortunately, Mr. Olsen, we have not located your son yet.
We're hoping that you can help us locate your ex-wife.
Not my wife. Never my wife. Sophie didn't believe in marriage.
Because she's French?
No. Because she's nuts.
She's an anthropologist, has a fellowship at Columbia.
She's obsessed with matriarchal cultures.
You think maybe that's why she considers herself Nicholas' true parent?
You know, I am so sick of hearing that.
Never stopped her from leaving us.
One summer, it was a dig in lndia.
Next winter, it's some jungle in Peru.
Is that what led to the split?
(SlGHlNG) Two years ago, she discovered some godforsaken tribe in China
and she wanted to drag Nicholas along with her right before school started.
I said no. She went crazy.
Okay, crazy enough to kidnap him or hire someone else to do it?
I wouldn't put it past her. She's very smart.
I loved that about her.
But I'll tell you something. The minute she got on that plane to China,
I changed the locks on the door and filed for sole custody.
(KNOCK ON DOOR)
Yes? BENSON: Sophie Gerard.
SOPHlE: Yes? Detective Benson. This is Detective Stabler.
What is this about? We should talk inside.
Um...
Okay.
SOPHlE: Did my neighbors call you? Sometimes I play my music too loud.
This is about your son, Nicholas.
What about Nicholas? Is he okay?
You tell us. You saw him earlier today,
in violation of a court order.
No, I didn't.
3:01 p.m. Outside of Whitethorne Academy.
He doesn't look too happy to see you.
Yes. Because he's worried they'll catch me.
Who? The school? The cops? His dad?
Listen. Nicholas' father has his head filled with lies about me.
That why you grabbed your son? To steal him away from Paul?
What are you saying? Where is Nicholas? Where is my son?
Were you taking him somewhere? Paris? Peru?
Don't you touch his things, please. Okay?
Let's talk downtown.
(SPEAKlNG FRENCH)
Where is my son? Tell me what happened to my son!
Can you please tell me what's going on?
We'll ask the questions, like, "Where is Nicholas?"
I don't know. Wrong answer.
Wait. I have rights. I'm his mother.
No, you're not.
A mother raises her child. Makes him breakfast.
Takes care of him when he's sick.
Tucks him into bed at night.
Don't you dare judge me.
You abandoned your child. I came back.
You came back to steal him.
He's lying to you. Don't listen to him.
Where is he? Where is my boy? I don't have him.
Tell me right now where he is! Take it easy.
That's enough. That's enough.
Get Dr. Gerard out of here. Him, too. Let's go.
(SlGHlNG)
Go toss Sophie's place.
Anything to help us find this kid.
Where's Nicholas? I told you. I don't know.
Why aren't you out there trying to find him?
Just waiting for you to lead the way.
But I didn't take him. Someone else did.
Oh, God. Nicholas must be so scared.
Really? Now you care?
You're the one who has a habit of leaving him behind.
Who told you that? Paul? He is the one who scares Nicholas.
He tore him away from me.
After you went jetting out of the country.
I have to travel for my work.
I study tribal cultures that are dying out.
Right, the ones where mothers are in control.
Well, the few that remain exist in remote areas.
Nicholas understood why I had to go.
Children need consistency. They need a routine.
But, see, that's not Sophie.
Sophie despises anything conventional. She actually believes
Nicholas would be better off with yak herders than at Whitethorne Academy.
Now, in my book, that's child abuse.
Did Sophie ever physically abuse Nicholas?
No.
But she became increasingly violent with me towards the end.
About him going to China with her. Yeah.
I put my foot down. She nearly cut it off with one of her axes.
The ax is from the Karamojong people of Uganda.
It's a ceremonial status object, not a weapon.
But you attacked Paul with it.
I was trying to save it.
Paul was angry. He was starting to destroy my artifacts.
He shattered this irreplaceable...
That's not the way he tells it.
He's lying to you. He twists everything.
She's a pathological liar.
(SlGHlNG)
Please. You have to find Nicholas.
I know she has him,
Looks like Father knows best. Sophie's place was a gold mine.
Thanks.
Thank God. A woman. You must understand l would never hurt Nicholas.
I'm his mother.
Who'd do anything to get her son back.
A French passport for Nicholas.
I wanted him to have his citizenship.
Well, sure. So you could use it to take him out of the country.
Uh-uh. No.
We searched your computer. You booked him a ticket to Beijing,
and another for yourself. Both one-way.
I just wanted my boy back. He should be with me.
In a village in China?
Well, Nicholas would love it there.
Children are still allowed to have their childhood.
You're destroying Nicholas' childhood.
You think it's fun for kids while Mom and Dad play tug-of-war?
Tell us where he is. I don't know.
You do know. You've got him.
You searched my house. You know I don't have Nicholas.
Okay, so you stashed him somewhere.
What, with a friend? An accomplice?
No. I don't know where he is.
Oh, my God.
You can cancan your ass off, Dr. Gerard.
But you've got some explaining to do.
Like why you borrowed $50,000 from your parents two weeks ago.
What? That is no crime.
The day the money transferred, you started calling a pre-paid cell phone.
A week later,
you withdrew $25,000 to pay whoever you hired to steal your son.
Who'd you hire, Sophie? Who did you hire?
He said it wouldn't happen so soon.
He? Who is he?
I met this man. I was told he could get Nicholas back.
But he said I would be there so Nicholas wouldn't be afraid.
STABLER: What's the man's name?
I... He said never to tell. He's very dangerous.
If he's got Nicholas,
I would worry about the danger your son is in.
(BANGlNG ON TABLE)
Who's got your son, Sophie? Who's got your son?
Jason Culross.
She has the right to be afraid. Culross is a Green Beret,
specializes in covert ops for the Army.
Is he still on active duty?
He mustered out in '05.
Signed on with Blackwater. He spent four years in Afghanistan
handling kidnap and ransom cases.
He does K&R, he knows how to snatch a kid.
MARLOWE: Maybe he got tired of handing over million-dollar ransoms,
decided to go for a big payday for himself.
We got his location?
BENSON: File address is a P.O. box in Brooklyn.
That's SOP for a guy who spends all his time overseas.
Check property records. See if he owns anything.
Way ahead of you. Culross owns a warehouse in Red Hook.
I'll notify ESU.
Hey, Captain, maybe we should handle it. I mean, if Nicholas is there,
Iast thing we need is a bunch of guns and stun grenades.
Culross is a mercenary. The Army trained him.
Yeah. And the Marines trained me.
STABLER: Someone's in there.
Liv, it's a setup.
Liv. CULROSS: Hold it.
You picked the wrong place to rob, douchebag.
NYPD! Drop it!
Get down.
Back away.
I'm sorry. I didn't know you were a cop.
So is she.
STABLER: Come on. Time to wake up. Wakey, wakey.
You put all your visitors in a sleeper hold?
I never would have done it if I knew you were the good guys.
You want to let me go now?
STABLER: No, because you're under arrest.
Court will throw it out. I have a right to defend myself.
And Nicholas Olsen? Does he have rights?
You've been stalking him, recording his every move.
His mother hired me to recover him.
Recover? Don't you mean kidnap?
No. I locate and retrieve children who are abducted by non-custodial parents.
Which Nicholas is not.
He lives with his biological father
who is the sole legal guardian.
And once I found that out, I told Sophie I couldn't help her.
She still thinks you've got Nicholas.
Because she's obsessed with her son.
You return the 25 large?
That's non-refundable.
I put in a lot of legwork on this case
before I found out that Sophie was lying to me about the custody angle.
I guess she didn't read the fine print.
What I do is unorthodox, but it isn't illegal. And it's necessary.
Who else is going to bring these kids home?
Police can handle parental abductions.
Yeah? When a kid gets taken overseas you going to go to Jordan, get him out?
Right. So, parents hire me to defend their rights and get their kids back.
I'm doing what law enforcement can't.
Where were you last night?
(CELL PHONE RlNGlNG) Brazil.
I flew back this morning. Stabler.
Don't believe me, check with the TSA.
My seatmate was an air marshal.
He'll verify my story. He'd better.
For what it's worth, when I pulled out,
Sophie asked me if I knew anyone who could help her.
I told her I don't know any criminals.
STABLER: She found one on her own.
Sophie's credit card was just used to rent a motel room on Long lsland.
A man checked in with a little boy.
(CHATTERlNG OVER CAR RADlO)
The target's in Room 116.
That's his vehicle, so we figure he's still inside.
Well, it's pretty deserted. Easy for the perp to check in,
come back for the kid, and hustle him straight inside.
I've got a guy covering the back.
Any other guests? Yeah. Three rooms were occupied.
We evacuated them, plus a maid who was servicing the rooms.
We're set to go. Let's do it.
Police! Don't move!
How the hell did he get out of here?
El. Adjoining door.
Nicholas!
(CRYlNG)
Okay.
Okay. Tell me what happened. Tell me what happened.
The man next door, he attacked me. And he took my clothes.
And he took my car keys.
Was there a little boy with him?
Yes. Yes. He put him in my cart.
The maid we told to get out of here.
Was our kidnapper.
That's him. Son of a bitch didn't even change his shoes.
He was 30 yards away.
Looked like a gal coming out of the room,
so I waved her off and she ran.
With our victim stuffed in that cart.
Do you have a camera on the parking lot? Sure do.
BENSON: Maid said that he stole the keys to her '96 Buick.
I already issued a BOLO and sent cars after it.
Don't worry. If they're still in the area, we'll find them.
That kid looks terrified.
At least he's still alive.
COP OVER RADlO: This is Suffolk County 202,
I've got the car from the motel kidnapping
and I'm in pursuit, '96 Buick, northbound on Avenue A,
All units be advised a child is in the car. Use extreme caution.
He's still heading north on A, passing Lincoln Drive,
Now, he's passing Elder,
The guy's flying.
Any cars in the vicinity of A and Weddington Avenue,
pull over and set up a roadblock.
Hold on, He took the feeder westbound along the Sound,
Going way too fast, Damn it!
(TlRES SCREECHlNG)
(GLASS SHATTERlNG)
Oh, no.
COP OVER RADlO: Unit 202, chase has ended,
I need Harbor, Aviation and an ambulance right away!
Anything on the kidnapper?
His name is Keith Bradman, 35, out of Toledo.
His long sheet has breaking and entering, forgery scams. You name it.
I could shovel the dirt myself.
Amen.
STABLER: I'll pull the prick's cell phone records.
Shouldn't be hard connecting him to Sophie.
Liv. It's time to get her confession.
Right now?
Captain, she's been through a lot.
Nicholas was killed in the course of a kidnapping.
That's felony murder.
Sophie Gerard was as culpable in his death as anyone else.
(SOPHlE CRYlNG)
BENSON: Sophie?
(SPEAKlNG FRENCH)
Dr. Gerard, we need your cooperation.
Sophie, we need you to tell us what you did.
I need to go home. Nicholas will be out of school soon.
I always take him a little snack.
Nicholas is not at school.
(CRYlNG) I need to go home. Nicholas will be out of school soon.
He loves the monkey bars.
HUANG: She's become psychotic.
Catastrophic stressors can splinter an already fragile psyche,
triggering a break with reality.
She's got a hell of a lot of guilt.
Is that what pushed her over the edge?
Possibly.
But whatever the reason, brief reactive psychosis can lead to delusions,
hallucinations, even catatonia.
Well, how brief is brief? Hard to say.
Give it a shot.
Days. Perhaps months.
Well, what are we supposed to do?
Just sit here on our hands while she gets
her brains banged out in the booby hatch?
All right. What she's saying is,
we need Sophie to confess her role in Nicolas' death.
The woman heard the worst words a mother can hear.
But maybe it's the unreality of it.
Sitting here, talking only to cops.
It facilitated her retreat into fantasy.
Make it real for her.
BENSON: Sophie.
Sophie?
(SPEAKlNG FRENCH)
Come on. We're leaving.
(SPEAKlNG FRENCH)
To see Nicholas.
I don't want to do this.
You have to, Sophie.
To understand what happened. No.
You need to see your son.
This is a dream.
It was supposed to keep you safe.
May I take it?
Thank you.
Je t'aime, Nicholas.
Sophie. Tell us what happened.
I have nothing to say.
How did you meet Keith Bradman?
Who?
Who's Keith Bradman? The man that you hired to kidnap your son.
My son is dead? No. Please. No.
Sophie. Sophie, you can't stay here.
What?
Sophie? Get away from him.
Nelson, what is he doing here?
I was told to take him home. He asked to come here first.
I want you people to get her away from my boy!
Mr. Olsen, get back. He is not your son! He belongs to me!
I have custody of him!
(ALL CLAMORlNG)
He is my son, you bastard!
Sophie? Sophie, put the gun down.
No, you put yours down! Or she will die! Everyone will die!
Do it!
Okay. Sophie? Okay? Okay?
Let's calm down.
Give it to me!
Now, you get Paul out. All of you, out!
Go!
I'm not going anywhere. Out!
What is wrong with you? Have you gone completely insane?
Melinda.
BENSON: Sophie, we need an ambulance. No!
Sophie, please. No!
She's going to die.
Yes! Just like my son!
I got the kidnapper's phone record.
And once I prove it's Sophie's number on here, it's her ticket to jail.
Elliot. Shots were just fired in the morgue.
Sophie's barricaded herself inside.
I'll take care of that.
(MOANlNG)
What the hell have you done?
That was a mistake.
This is not.
Sophie. This won't solve anything.
Give me the gun. No.
What are you going to do? Shoot me? Shoot Detective Benson?
Well, if I have to.
(WARNER GRUNTlNG)
Sorry.
No, it's all right. You're doing great. Just keep up the pressure.
Jo. Get her some sterile gauze. Over there.
Oh, my God.
Here.
Thank you.
I'm sorry. She got my piece.
Did you call ESU? They're all up at the GW Bridge
for a jumper. ETA on the hostage negotiator is a half an hour.
Okay. We're not waiting.
Sophie, it's Detective Stabler! SOPHlE: Get away!
Don't come in! I won't. I won't. Let's just relax here.
Get me the blueprints to the building now.
Sophie. How can we make this situation better?
Just tell me what you want.
No. No talking or I'll shoot him.
I'll shoot all of them.
Sophie, you don't want to hurt any of us. Shut up.
(GASPlNG)
Melinda? Melinda, what do you need?
Bullet got lung.
Tension hemopneumo. I need a chest tube.
Sophie, this woman is dying. We need to get her out of here.
No. You're trying to trick me.
No trick, blood filling up.
I won't be able to breathe. I need you to help me.
Jo, in the cabinet behind me, get a scalpel and a length of tubing.
And Betadine.
I don't know if I can do this.
Then get ready to watch me die.
(SlGHlNG)
Okay.
(GASPlNG) Swab the area with Betadine.
Now, make a one-inch incision here.
Just do it. It will be fine.
Do it, Liv. Harder. Harder, Liv.
(GROANlNG lN PAlN)
Good. Good. Insert the tube. Insert the tube. Insert it.
(BREATHlNG HEAVlLY)
(BREATHlNG EASlLY)
Good girl.
Sophie, what do you want?
SOPHlE: Want?
What do you think? I want my son back with me where he belongs.
You want him back? Don't you get it? He's dead.
Because of you.
You are out of your mind.
Don't you dare talk to me like that in front of my son.
She's right.
Nicholas shouldn't hear such things.
Apologize to him.
What?
Now.
Okay.
Nicholas. I'm sorry.
Your mother loves you very much.
Dr. Warner's losing a lot of blood.
You don't want your boy to see this, do you?
You don't want him to be upset.
Of course not.
Detective Benson, you can take her out.
Paul? We need some help here. Yeah.
Let's go.
(GROANlNG)
BENSON: Okay. I've got it, sweetie. Okay.
Okay, hold it in there.
Jo? Yes. Go on. Go.
Dr. Warner is coming out! I need medical assistance!
Back off, vultures. I'm not dead yet.
There's got to be another way in there.
Your partner already found it.
(CELL PHONE RlNGlNG)
Sophie. Answer the phone.
Pick up. Pick up. Pick up.
MARLOWE: Sophie, it's probably Benson calling.
I don't want to talk to her.
I want quiet. And Nicholas is asleep.
He's sleeping. He needs his rest.
Olivia? Sophie wants you to stop calling.
She doesn't want the phone to keep ringing.
Nicholas is sleeping, and she doesn't want him to wake up.
There. Is that better?
Sophie, for Nicholas' sake, you need to let us go.
Shut up! He would not want you to do this.
You know nothing of what he wants! You never did!
(GRUNTS)
Sophie? You're scaring Nicholas.
Oh. Don't play games with me.
He is not scared or sleeping. He is dead.
Okay.
(SPEAKlNG FRENCH)
My sweet, little boy.
He is sweet. Your sweet boy.
Tell me about him.
He was the most beautiful baby. Everyone said so.
I know they say that to all mothers,
but Nicholas was truly beautiful.
MARLOWE: Tell me what he liked.
(GROANlNG)
First, boy things.
Cars, trucks, trains. We used to ride the Metro.
Always asking questions.
"Mommy. Why is the sky blue? What makes the wind?"
Nicholas had the mind of a scientist.
He should have traveled the world with me.
He should have lived.
But you took him away. And I have nothing without him.
You will find a way to keep going.
No! Without Nicholas, my life is over.
It feels like that now, but things do change.
What do you know? Have you lost a child? No.
So, you have lost nothing.
Last year, I got diagnosed with cancer, a very aggressive kind.
I had to have a bilateral radical mastectomy.
I had reconstructive surgery, but it wasn't good enough for my lover.
He wouldn't talk to me. He wouldn't look at me.
He wouldn't touch me.
I died inside.
I couldn't go to work.
I spent six months on the couch sleeping in my clothes.
I lost myself.
Sophie. I understand.
It's not easy. You have to change.
I came back to work. I came here, among these people.
And in this last month, l...
Sophie, I found myself.
You can. You can re-find yourself.
You have to. For Nicholas.
You have to.
(CELL PHONE VlBRATlNG)
Sophie, no!
Sophie?
You don't want to do this. Sophie, no. No.
Put the gun down, Sophie. Sophie, please, calm down.
Please, Sophie. You'll come out the other side of all this pain.
It takes time, but you can do it.
You will come out of all this pain.
You will heal.
It takes time, but you will.
You will come out on the other side of all this pain.
No, listen to me! How did you get here?
I'm on your side! I will kill you!
I know you didn't kidnap Nicholas.
You do? You're innocent.
The hiring of Bradman.
The credit card with your name on it.
It was just a setup to make you look guilty.
So you believe I didn't do it. I know you didn't.
Sophie. It's over.
Put down the gun. Put down the gun. Let's go home.
It was you. No. No.
Sophie. No.
You did this. No. No. He's lying.
Sophie, look at me. You murdered my son.
No.
You murdered my Nicholas.
You were going to take him away.
You were going to take him to China.
I was not going to let you have him!
(CRYlNG)
I didn't mean for this to happen.
The crash was an accident. God, it was just an accident.
Tell God in person.
No, no, no. Sophie, don't!
No, Sophie.
Your son needs you.
Nicholas needs you.
Hold him.
(SPEAKlNG FRENCH)
(HUMMlNG SOFTLY)