Law & Order Special Victims Unit s08e08 Episode Script
Cage
The following story is fictional and does not depict any actual person or event.
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.
¢Ü And me to walk dost make ¢Ü ¢Ü within the path of righteousness ¢Ü ¢Ü even for my own name's sake ¢Ü I can't hear you, Marc.
¢Ü And though I walk in death's dark vale ¢Ü I'm tired.
I said keep singing.
But my throat's sore.
Do what I say.
Watch out for the truck! Help me! John, what do we got? The van tried to take a shortcut to Brooklyn.
The river got in the way.
Anyone get out? Just the passengers.
No sign of the driver.
So why's this ours? Take a closer look.
I'm not gonna hurt you, sweetie.
Ligature marks.
Hi, I'm Elliot.
What's your name? Who did that to you, honey? Boy's the same.
Hasn't said a word.
Got an answer on those ligatures.
Handcuffed to the seats? - How'd they get out? - Driver must have freed them.
Looks like there were two adults.
A woman with one shoe, and a man with no hair.
We gotta get those kids to talk.
Looks like somebody already has.
The girl would only talk to Dani.
All she said was her name was Eden, the boy's name was Marc.
We know who else was in the van? Divers are searching the river, nothing yet.
Van was registered to Frank Hovis of Albany.
Unmarried, no kids, couple pops for assault.
Anything on Cinderella? Uh, maybe Frank's a tranny.
Cinderella's definitely a woman, and Frank needs to join the hair club for men.
Van came through the Lincoln tunnel at 3:35 this morning.
Get their faces on the news.
Say they were in an accident, could be injured and disoriented.
- Where's Elliot and Dani? - Interviewing the kids.
Give them the Lincoln tunnel photo.
So, Eden, what's her name? She's my mom.
Her name is Alma.
And this guy here, is he your dad? What about Marc? Is he your brother? I never saw him before last night.
I see.
I have a sister named Rosemary.
Really? Where's she? I don't know.
Can I live with you? I don't think that's possible.
Why not? Don't you like me? Of course I like you.
Do you have too many children already? I don't have any.
- That's sad.
- You bet.
Listen, where was Alma taking you? I don't know.
Was she taking you to a new house? I don't know.
Fin said you were talking to the boy.
Well, I tried.
He wouldn't say a word.
I'm not even sure he speaks English.
Get Huang to have a go at him.
Dani doing okay? Yeah.
See a future for her here in SVU? Sure.
You don't want your old partner back.
Since when was that up to me? Munch and Fin have anything? They're checking out the driver's mom.
She's in Queens.
Hovis Residence Queens, New York Tuesday, October 3 I haven't seen Frank in years.
We think he may have been in an accident, Mrs.
Hovis.
Well, excuse me that I don't burst out weeping.
The only time I hear about that deadbeat is when you cops come looking for him.
You mind if we check around? Yes, I do.
I'm a respectable woman.
I live alone.
And I don't want the neighbors talking.
They already are.
Found these on your clothesline.
Where'd they come from? Well, how should I know? Must have fell out of a plane on the way in to Kennedy.
I think I hear someone inside.
Don't worry, ma'am.
We'll protect you.
Hey, hey! Who says you can come in? He is not here.
Nobody is here.
Frank, that's pathetic.
- How'd he get in there? - Give it up, mom.
Look, I didn't do anything.
Yeah, just leave two kids to drown.
I saved them.
I, I risked my own life to get them out.
After you handcuffed them to the chair.
It wasn't me, no way.
It was that crazy bitch.
This crazy bitch? Yeah, Alma.
She said she didn't cuff them, they'd try to jump out.
After the van went in the river, did Alma get out okay? Oh, yeah, Alma was fine.
Didn't try to save her kids, though.
What's your relationship to the children? Zero.
I rent my van out.
This Alma hired me to drive them from Albany to Brooklyn.
Where in Brooklyn? She said she'd tell me when we got close.
She was a very untrusting woman.
Look, am I gonna get my van back? It's my livelihood.
It's called evidence, moron.
Here's a rug to keep you warm.
- He give up Alma's last name? - Cordoza.
But no address.
Says he picked them up on a street corner in Albany.
We know anything more about the kids? No girls named Eden in Albany's school system, and all boys Marc's age and race are accounted for.
Two children nobody knows, handcuffed and driven over a hundred miles in the middle of the night.
What's going on? Maybe child porn.
Prostitution? Little girl say anything about that? No.
But maybe she's too traumatized.
Where's Elliot? He's with Dr.
Huang talking to the boy.
Well, keep digging till you find Alma.
I meant you too.
I'd like to listen in.
I might get a lead.
Huang getting anywhere? Not yet.
Kid hasn't talked or made eye contact.
What did that woman do to him? - Let me know if he opens up.
- Yeah.
Why don't we try a game? I'm gonna draw a house.
Oh, well, I'm not very good at this, am I? But you could do better.
Now, why don't you draw the people that you live with? Like your mom or your dad? Or an animal? Did you have a pet, like a cat or a dog? You're angry, Marc.
- Can you tell me why you're angry? - Shut up! I got him.
Okay.
Okay.
You gonna faint on me? Thanks.
What's up with that boy, doc? My guess is reactive attachment disorder.
Children deprived of love and affection, particularly as infants, grow up unable to interact with others.
That doesn't sound like Eden.
Well, she could still have R.
A.
D.
Some kids like Marc cope by withdrawing completely, and others like Eden become indiscriminately affectionate.
- Were they raised together? - No.
Eden says she doesn't know Marc.
And Marc speaks French, but with an accent like he's from west Africa or Haiti.
Kids adopted from abroad often have attachment disorders which the adopting families don't even realize until the kids are living with them.
Might be the reason why they're in that van together.
Their families just dumped them? Return to sender, back to the agency who put them up for adoption in the first place.
So Marc and Eden just end up with ACS? Not our job anymore.
Until some creep hurts them again.
We still haven't found the woman who hurt them already, Alma Cordoza.
A wet woman with one shoe probably wouldn't want to take the subway.
So I called all the cab companies.
I found a driver who picked up a woman around 4 A.
M.
near the river and took her to Elliot, the E.
R.
Everybody else, Brooklyn.
New York Tuesday, October 3 Police.
Open up.
Maybe the cab driver gave us the wrong address.
I don't see anyone inside.
Where's Dani Beck? Wasn't she supposed to meet us here? This place looks abandoned.
Gives me the creeps.
This milk is fresh.
Looks like they left in a hurry.
Nobody home.
There were kids here.
Where'd they go? From the number and sizes of prints, it looks like dozens of kids have been living here.
- No sign of Alma? - Nothing yet.
CSU found these in the builder's dumpster two doors down.
Kids' clothes, toys.
Any letters, bills? No.
Whoever did the clean-out was pretty careful.
Something here.
Initials.
R.
R.
B.
Handwritten.
And a date.
Four days ago.
See if you can still play any of it.
Canvass the neighbors.
Find out who owns this place, who pays the bills.
Where's detective Beck? Just gotta wait for my tetanus booster, then we're outta here.
- Don't know how you kept your cool.
- Adrenaline.
Yeah.
But that had to hurt.
- I couldn't have stayed so calm.
- Yeah, you could.
You know the right thing to do.
Just because you know what's right doesn't mean you do it.
- Elliot, I - Thank you, doctor.
Elliot? Don Cragen called and said you had been stabbed.
It was a kid with a pen.
- He shouldn't have called you.
- Yes, he should have.
We were worried about you, dad.
Honey, it's nothing, really.
Uh, this is my new partner, Dani Beck.
- My wife Kathy.
- How do you do? - Kathleen.
- Hi.
What happened to Olivia? Well, she's doing a job.
She's with the feds.
Um, listen, I'm gonna go check on Eden, all right? I'll see you guys.
- Take care of him.
- We will.
Thanks.
Are you serious, dad? A kid stabbed you? Your father probably yelled at him.
Yeah, for not doing his homework.
Administration For Children's Services Emergency Shelter Tuesday, October 3 She was dead on her feet, poor little thing.
What about Marc? He's at st.
Paul's psychiatric.
I'm afraid he had to be medicated.
Medicated.
For how long? Well, hopefully, he'll be discharged soon and we can find him a home.
But we will have to tell any foster parents what he did to your partner.
- No one'll take him.
- There are group homes.
Albany's social services had no records of these kids.
They just dropped out of the system.
ACS in Florida, New Jersey, anywhere could have placed Eden in a lousy foster agency with poor follow-up, irregular home visits.
And she disappears off the radar.
Families move quickly.
Bureaucracies don't.
I'm sorry.
I gotta take this.
Dani Beck.
Yes, captain.
First you checked on your partner, then you checked the kids.
And when exactly did you plan on doing what I told you? I'm sorry.
- I'll get over there now.
- It's too late.
CSU's finishing up.
Did they find anything? If you'd been there, you'd know.
The house is owned by the Ignatius Petty adoption agency.
Munch and fin will talk to Petty tomorrow.
You and Elliot talk to ACS, see what they know about them.
I'll go talk to them now.
You'll go home and get some sleep.
It's after midnight.
You still here? Came back.
Say, um, what do you know about Ignatius Petty adoption agency? We terminated our contract with Mr.
Petty a year ago.
Why? He was one of those bad foster agencies I told you about, incompetent, careless, only in it for the money.
So why is he still working with children? When we pulled his license, he went into the private adoption business.
He earns fat fees, but he doesn't do adequate background checks on either the children or the parents.
You saw the result, Marc.
Yeah.
Do you know this woman? Yeah, Alma Cordoza.
We fired her three years ago.
Her child care theories were extreme, her case follow-up nonexistent.
Where is she now? Last I heard, she was doing consulting for private adoption businesses.
- Like with Petty? - It's possible.
She could have worked with him while she was with ACS.
Ignatius Petty Adoption Agency Queens, New York Wednesday, October 4 I serve an urgent need, detective.
There are thousands of childless couples in America, hundreds of thousands of poor children in the world.
I bring them together.
But sometimes they don't fit.
That's why Alma Cordoza was returning two of them to you.
Alma Cordoza doesn't ring a bell.
The house on Staines avenue, Brooklyn, does that ring a bell, Mr.
Petty? Yes.
As did your unauthorized entry.
You will be hearing from my lawyers.
What do you use that house for? It's a place where new adoptees and their parents can get together, maybe stay for a few nights.
We have professional staff on call.
It's comfortable, clean.
That place is a toilet.
The roaches are checking out.
If it's so wonderful, how come you cleared it out? I intend to sell and buy a better place.
I spare no expense when it comes to the well-being of my children.
You recognize these two? No, I don't, but we have so many children.
And you never heard of Alma Cordoza? I told you, I don't know her.
Then why is she hanging on your wall? I just assumed she was a friend of one of the parents.
People send us photos all the time.
Maybe we should go through your records and jog your memory.
That's not possible.
I have a duty of confidentiality to my clients.
And we have a duty to get a subpoena.
My lawyers will never let that happen.
Good-bye, detectives.
Here they come.
You better call your guy from the phone company.
Yeah.
Dani here.
You set up on his phone? Petty's dialing out.
The number is 718-555-0143.
Home or business? Lydia motel.
Jarrow street.
John, Petty just called the Lydia motel, Jarrow street, Brooklyn.
You guys go ahead.
We'll wait here.
Got it.
Man, I wish I had your connections.
- Who is it? - Room service, ma'am.
But I didn't order any Alma Cordoza? Yes.
I brought the children here because their adoptive parents in Albany couldn't handle them anymore.
You were taking them back to Mr.
Petty's agency.
Yes.
Marc was adopted from Haiti, Eden from Ohio.
I was gonna leave them at Mr.
Petty's house in Brooklyn until he found another home for them.
- But then you had the accident.
- It was Frank's fault.
I panicked, I was terrified they were gonna drown.
Because you cuffed them to the seat! It was for their own safety! How many kids did you smuggle around the state in chains? None.
I was only trying to help Eden and Marc.
You got a damn strange way of helping, lady.
Now what? Charge Alma and Petty with child endangerment and shut down his agency for good.
And the kids go to foster care.
ACS.
I can't just walk away from this.
You're not done yet.
Remember the smashed cassette Munch and Fin found? Lab put it back together.
Most of the tape was beyond repair, but I was able to clean up two sections.
Sound quality's poor, but I'd say there are three adults and a young girl.
Doing what? You'd better listen.
- Are the blankets wrapped tight? - Yes.
Then put the cushions on top.
Make sure her airway is clear.
I don't like it! I'm too hot! - Sounds like what, ten? - Hush now.
Now lie across her, transferring your weight gently.
You're hurting me! - What's this? - You have to trust us, baby.
That's the first part.
She's squashing me! Fight all you want, but we're going to win.
- That's the second man.
- Because we're stronger than you, Rose.
Get off of me! I can't breathe! Please! Please! That's the first part.
What the hell was going on? Sounds like some kind of therapy session.
Like rebirthing therapy.
They wrap you in blankets, lie on top of you to make you feel like you're being born again.
What's the point of that? Who cares? What happened to the girl? This part's shorter.
She's quiet.
Are you ready, Rose? Come on, now, Rose.
Come to daddy.
Rose? Rose, this isn't funny.
She's been sick all over herself.
Come on! Wake up! Don't.
Just wait.
He stopped the tape.
How long were they lying on her? Tape is three hours, and it stopped pretty much near the end.
They killed her.
- Let's go.
- Where? The house in Brooklyn where that tape was made.
Ground penetrating radar found a void, organic matter.
Dug down three feet.
What do we got, Melinda? Female, about nine years old.
Dead how long? Only a few days.
Cause of death was suffocation.
She aspirated her own vomit.
These marks? From the lividity, they were inflicted before she died.
There's also bruising to her ribcage and thighs.
She was abused over a prolonged period.
Yes.
But not sexually.
We got no hits on her fingerprints from the missing child database.
Just the name Rose.
I listened to the tape.
We don't know this is the girl in the tape.
Eden might know.
She said she has a sister named Rosemary, and there's a resemblance.
That's Rosemary.
You sure, Eden? She's my sister.
Okay, Melinda.
Wait! I wanna look.
When did you last see her? I don't remember.
Where did she live? A house.
A big house in the country.
With Alma? No.
With Rita and Bud.
Did you live there too? For a little while.
But I was very bad.
I had to be sent away.
To Alma.
Yes.
Did Rosemary get sent away? Rosemary wasn't so bad.
They just put her in the cage.
- Who is she? - That's Eden's sister.
I wouldn't take Eden's word for it.
You saying Eden's a liar? She doesn't know the difference between truth and lies.
Well, DNA does.
They both have the same birth mother.
Even if that's true, doesn't mean they were adopted together.
Eden said they were.
- Rita and Bud.
Know them? - No! You recognize these voices? Now lie across her What is this? - You tell us.
- You're hurting me! You have to trust us, baby.
Turn it off.
It's not over yet.
She's squashing me! Fight all you want.
We're going to win.
Please turn it off.
I don't know anything.
Okay, Alma, we'll stop.
Even without Rose, we got you for child kidnap, attempted murder.
You're going away for a long time.
You know what they do to child abusers in men's prisons.
Women's are worse.
Come on, Alma.
Help us, we'll help you.
I don't know who the girl is.
But one of the men on the tape - he's a psychologist.
- Name.
Dr.
Rieff.
Offices of Dr.
Arlen Rieff 121 East 55th Street Thursday, October 5 Dr.
Rieff? What's this about? Your presence at a rebirthing session which caused the death of a young girl.
I haven't been at a rebirthing session in years.
Then who's this? - Are the blankets wrapped tight? - Yes.
Then put the cushions on top.
Make sure her airway is clear.
That's your voice, isn't it? What did you say happened to the girl? You know.
You were there.
I wasn't.
I was on the phone.
Have your technicians listen to the tape again.
I gave advice over speakerphone.
I wasn't there.
You think that makes it okay? I am not responsible for what happened.
You treated the girl without even seeing her.
You allowed a couple of freaks to suffocate her - while she begged for mercy? - I never heard that.
I was only on the phone for ten minutes.
I gave clear instructions.
I even insisted they tape the session to ensure it would be done appropriately.
It wasn't.
She's dead.
I don't understand it.
They've done dozens of rebirthing sessions.
Who are they? Bud and Rita Gabler from Poughkeepsie, New York.
Near Albany.
Rita Gabler? Can I help you? Detectives Stabler and Beck, NYPD.
We need to talk to you.
Oh, my gosh.
Has something happened? You know these girls? I don't think so.
Were you at 152 Staines avenue in Brooklyn last week? No.
What's this about? - We'd like to take a look around.
- All right.
Kids seem happy and healthy.
I counted nine kids in the yard and eleven beds in the house.
So one for Rosemary and who else? I don't know.
But I do know that woman's voice.
It's the one on the tape.
What's that for? Taking pictures for Eden.
Is this where you slept, Eden? In that bed.
Until I was sent away to Alma.
Why were you sent away? They said she was my mother now.
What about Rosemary? She didn't sleep there.
Where was her room? She slept outside? No.
In the barn.
What are you doing? Uh, my husband's gonna be here any minute now.
You're gonna, you're gonna have to wait.
No, this is really against the rules.
Oh, my god! It's okay.
We're friends.
- What's your name? - Joe.
How long you been in there, Joe? Two days.
I was bad.
I don't wanna get in trouble.
You won't.
You'll be fine.
What the hell's going on? - This is private property! - Your wife let us in.
Mr.
Gabler, why is that boy in a cage? For his own good! No! You bastard! You're under arrest.
/ Why? Endangering the welfare of a child.
He didn't do anything wrong.
Lady, shut up and get your ass out there.
You're under arrest too! Hey, Joe.
Come on.
It's okay.
Come on, now.
Good man.
Good man.
All right, come on.
Hold onto my hand.
We love our children.
That's why you keep them locked in cages? Nothing else worked! Joey, Joey kept trying to hurt the other kids.
Once when the basement door was open, Joey tried to push me down the stairs.
Was he punished for that? Rita said that he was mixed up, and I had to forgive him.
Charlie, did Rita or Bud ever hurt you? I swear, we'd never hurt our kids.
You just collect them to make money.
That's a lie.
Albany social services pays you over 8 grand a month.
We adopt handicapped children that no one else'll touch.
- That costs money.
- You're getting rich.
But that's not enough for you.
You have to treat them like dirt? Ask our children if we ever hit them.
Go ahead.
Ask them.
Did your parents hurt you, Wanda? They beat me with a shoe.
How often? All the time.
It never stopped? Not until Bud and Rita adopted me.
They're nice.
Bud and Rita never beat you? No.
Wanda, do you remember a girl named Rose? I don't know who she is.
She's one of the kids you love.
We found her in a hole in the ground.
Her name is Rose, and you killed her.
There's no record of a girl named Rose living with us.
Must be a mistake.
Is this a mistake too? She's squashing me! Fight all you want.
We're going to win.
Because we're stronger than you, Rose.
Get off of me! I can't breathe! Please! Everything we did, we did out of love.
- Don't say anything else, Rita.
- But those are your voices.
You call her by name.
You still don't know her.
- Where'd our lawyer go? - You don't know who it is? - Where did our lawyer go? - Let me play it again.
We're not saying another word until she gets here.
Not another word.
You don't know Rose, huh? They decided to stop talking.
Well, we got them talking enough on tape.
The tape is out.
On what grounds? The police manipulated the evidence.
The tape is edited.
Of course it was edited.
It was mangled.
There's no proof that it's a full and accurate account of what happened.
The defense can say that in the missing sections a spaceship landed and aliens squashed the girl with a giant pumpkin.
There's also no direct evidentiary link between the Rose on the tape and the girl found buried in the backyard.
Okay, Casey.
You gotta fight this.
I already fought.
I lost.
Judge Terhune ruled that the tape was extremely prejudicial, and given the uncertainties of its prominence, inadmissible.
But there's no way they can deny they killed her.
They can say she died while they were trying to help her.
Trying to help her? They tortured her.
They kept her in a cage.
She's dead.
She can't testify.
And there's no record that Rose ever lived with Bud and Rita.
What about the other kids? Huang interviewed them.
They may be scared, they may be lying, but they all say they love Bud and Rita and want to go home.
Which leaves us with Rose's sister Eden.
No.
We can't traumatize her all over again.
I'll put the shrink on the stand, get him to say that Bud and Rita killed the girl.
You think he'll cooperate? If he doesn't, I'll charge him as an accessory to murder.
Trial Part 27 Tuesday, October 24 Dr.
Rieff, did you take part in a rebirthing therapy session conducted by Bud and Rita Gabler? They brought the girl, Rose, to New York, and asked me to participate in person.
I said I would only give advice over the phone.
What advice? I told Bud and Rita to make sure Rose was comfortable, that her airway was clear at all times, and that she understood we were trying to help her.
Did Rose seem distressed to you? All holding therapies induce fear and rage.
What I heard from Rose seemed within normal bounds, but I was only on the phone for ten minutes.
How long do these sessions last? Up to 12 hours.
on top of a 9-year-old girl? That sounds rather extreme.
This therapy is only used in extreme circumstances.
But that does not mean it's dangerous, if properly conducted.
What went wrong? They were arrogant.
When they heard Rose crying for air, they just believed that their therapy was working.
But no therapist, no parent should ever inflict that degree of pain on a child.
Thank you.
Why did you agree to help Bud and Rita with this child? They were afraid of her.
Afraid? She was only nine years old.
She twice attacked Rita and Bud with a knife.
Some nights they locked her in her room in case she tried to hurt them while they slept.
Your honor, this is all hearsay.
I have E.
R.
reports of their injuries, your honor.
Then why weren't the attacks reported to social services or the police? My clients didn't want Rose to be institutionalized.
Well, that's a pity, then.
She might still be alive.
Enough, Ms.
Novak.
Go on, Ms.
Emmett.
Do you know the work of Dr.
Tronick? Yes.
Including the still-face films he made of mother and infant interaction? Yes.
Your honor, I would like the jury to see defense exhibit one.
What is this, your honor, Ebert & Roeper? The witness has made an extraordinary claim that a child can terrorize two adults.
The jury should be given a chance to understand why.
You may proceed, Ms.
Emmett.
Why was the film made? As part of a study of how infants learn to interact with others.
The baby's happily interacting with her mother.
But what happens when the mother stops interacting with her? At first, the baby looks puzzled.
She reaches for her to get her attention, but she doesn't respond.
She smiles at her.
She still doesn't respond.
Now the baby looks hurt, but she keeps smiling.
As if she's saying, "look, I'm here.
" Yes.
The baby's more and more distressed, but she keeps trying, keeps smiling.
Why does she keep trying? It's our human instinct to seek contact.
We seek a response, any response.
And in the continued absence of response, helplessness creeps in, and despair.
The baby is left terribly alone.
What a good girl! In this case, contact was reestablished.
Mom and baby bond again.
Lights, please.
The baby endured 57 seconds of rejection but eventually was comforted.
Does that happen with children like Rose? Kids like Rose are born to addicted or absent parents.
As a baby, Rose would have followed her instincts, would have kept smiling, kept reaching out.
Not for seconds.
For months, for years.
She would have kept trying until her natural affections were burnt out.
And after that? Her only instinct is survival.
Most psychiatrists, they see these children as untreatable.
In your opinion, were my clients wrong to try and treat Rose? Well, it's hard to speak of right and wrong when they're facing an impossible choice.
To surrender Rose to an institution where she'll live her life in a state of overmedicated catatonia or to try and bring her back to life.
Thank you.
Redirect, your honor? Let's talk about right or wrong.
Was it right to hold Rose down for three hours until she choked to death on her own vomit? No.
Was it right to bury her in a dirty blanket in a yard? No.
No further questions.
What happened in there? My witness sandbagged me.
What do you mean? You have a relationship with Eden.
She's the only one that can tell us what Bud and Rita really did to their kids.
What do you want me to do? Tell the truth about Rita and Bud in court.
You mean the bad things? What bad things? They put a hose in my mouth and turned it on till water came out of my nose.
And they took away Charlie's wheelchair for two days, so he had to crawl.
And they made Joe eat his own barf.
Did you see them hurt your sister? I didn't see Rose because she was in the cage.
If you didn't see your sister, how did you know about the cage? Rita showed me.
She said I could be punished with the cage or the hose.
What did you do wrong? Eden? If you're in court, you have to tell the truth about everything.
What did you do wrong? I didn't finish my food.
Will Bud and Rita be in court? They won't be able to hurt you.
Yes, they will.
Not if they're in prison.
They're not in prison now.
They're here.
I see them when they come to visit the other kids.
They give me mean looks, like they want to kill me too.
We won't let them.
We'll move you to another home.
- They'll still find me.
- I'll protect you.
I'll do it if I can live with you.
I told you that's not possible.
But why? I have to work.
Not while I'm in court.
Please let me stay with you? Do you have a husband? Yeah.
But he died.
Then it's just you and me.
Come here.
Okay.
It's just while you're in court so you can feel safe.
- Remember we agreed on that? - Yes, I know.
Good girl.
Good night.
Sleep tight, little girl.
Okay? I can't sleep.
Oh, my god! Let me go! Leave me alone! I want to die! Let me die! I wanna die! Why'd you do it? So you'd never leave me.
You could have killed us both.
Then we'd be together.
I'm sorry.
Where are you going, Dani? The verdict in? The jury found Bud and Rita guilty of criminally negligent homicide.
They'll serve a max of two years.
They got away with it.
How's she doing? They put her in restraints.
She, she kept scratching herself.
Dani, this is not your fault.
I can't do this.
Why? I fix things.
It's who I am.
- And I can't fix the little girl.
- That's not what we do.
But you want to.
And I thought I could.
How do you keep doing this job? Because I have to.
Why? We don't make a difference.
Dani, you can do this.
Are you asking me to stay? Dani, I can't.
You've got to be here for yourself, not for me.
Yeah.
Bye, Elliot.
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.
¢Ü And me to walk dost make ¢Ü ¢Ü within the path of righteousness ¢Ü ¢Ü even for my own name's sake ¢Ü I can't hear you, Marc.
¢Ü And though I walk in death's dark vale ¢Ü I'm tired.
I said keep singing.
But my throat's sore.
Do what I say.
Watch out for the truck! Help me! John, what do we got? The van tried to take a shortcut to Brooklyn.
The river got in the way.
Anyone get out? Just the passengers.
No sign of the driver.
So why's this ours? Take a closer look.
I'm not gonna hurt you, sweetie.
Ligature marks.
Hi, I'm Elliot.
What's your name? Who did that to you, honey? Boy's the same.
Hasn't said a word.
Got an answer on those ligatures.
Handcuffed to the seats? - How'd they get out? - Driver must have freed them.
Looks like there were two adults.
A woman with one shoe, and a man with no hair.
We gotta get those kids to talk.
Looks like somebody already has.
The girl would only talk to Dani.
All she said was her name was Eden, the boy's name was Marc.
We know who else was in the van? Divers are searching the river, nothing yet.
Van was registered to Frank Hovis of Albany.
Unmarried, no kids, couple pops for assault.
Anything on Cinderella? Uh, maybe Frank's a tranny.
Cinderella's definitely a woman, and Frank needs to join the hair club for men.
Van came through the Lincoln tunnel at 3:35 this morning.
Get their faces on the news.
Say they were in an accident, could be injured and disoriented.
- Where's Elliot and Dani? - Interviewing the kids.
Give them the Lincoln tunnel photo.
So, Eden, what's her name? She's my mom.
Her name is Alma.
And this guy here, is he your dad? What about Marc? Is he your brother? I never saw him before last night.
I see.
I have a sister named Rosemary.
Really? Where's she? I don't know.
Can I live with you? I don't think that's possible.
Why not? Don't you like me? Of course I like you.
Do you have too many children already? I don't have any.
- That's sad.
- You bet.
Listen, where was Alma taking you? I don't know.
Was she taking you to a new house? I don't know.
Fin said you were talking to the boy.
Well, I tried.
He wouldn't say a word.
I'm not even sure he speaks English.
Get Huang to have a go at him.
Dani doing okay? Yeah.
See a future for her here in SVU? Sure.
You don't want your old partner back.
Since when was that up to me? Munch and Fin have anything? They're checking out the driver's mom.
She's in Queens.
Hovis Residence Queens, New York Tuesday, October 3 I haven't seen Frank in years.
We think he may have been in an accident, Mrs.
Hovis.
Well, excuse me that I don't burst out weeping.
The only time I hear about that deadbeat is when you cops come looking for him.
You mind if we check around? Yes, I do.
I'm a respectable woman.
I live alone.
And I don't want the neighbors talking.
They already are.
Found these on your clothesline.
Where'd they come from? Well, how should I know? Must have fell out of a plane on the way in to Kennedy.
I think I hear someone inside.
Don't worry, ma'am.
We'll protect you.
Hey, hey! Who says you can come in? He is not here.
Nobody is here.
Frank, that's pathetic.
- How'd he get in there? - Give it up, mom.
Look, I didn't do anything.
Yeah, just leave two kids to drown.
I saved them.
I, I risked my own life to get them out.
After you handcuffed them to the chair.
It wasn't me, no way.
It was that crazy bitch.
This crazy bitch? Yeah, Alma.
She said she didn't cuff them, they'd try to jump out.
After the van went in the river, did Alma get out okay? Oh, yeah, Alma was fine.
Didn't try to save her kids, though.
What's your relationship to the children? Zero.
I rent my van out.
This Alma hired me to drive them from Albany to Brooklyn.
Where in Brooklyn? She said she'd tell me when we got close.
She was a very untrusting woman.
Look, am I gonna get my van back? It's my livelihood.
It's called evidence, moron.
Here's a rug to keep you warm.
- He give up Alma's last name? - Cordoza.
But no address.
Says he picked them up on a street corner in Albany.
We know anything more about the kids? No girls named Eden in Albany's school system, and all boys Marc's age and race are accounted for.
Two children nobody knows, handcuffed and driven over a hundred miles in the middle of the night.
What's going on? Maybe child porn.
Prostitution? Little girl say anything about that? No.
But maybe she's too traumatized.
Where's Elliot? He's with Dr.
Huang talking to the boy.
Well, keep digging till you find Alma.
I meant you too.
I'd like to listen in.
I might get a lead.
Huang getting anywhere? Not yet.
Kid hasn't talked or made eye contact.
What did that woman do to him? - Let me know if he opens up.
- Yeah.
Why don't we try a game? I'm gonna draw a house.
Oh, well, I'm not very good at this, am I? But you could do better.
Now, why don't you draw the people that you live with? Like your mom or your dad? Or an animal? Did you have a pet, like a cat or a dog? You're angry, Marc.
- Can you tell me why you're angry? - Shut up! I got him.
Okay.
Okay.
You gonna faint on me? Thanks.
What's up with that boy, doc? My guess is reactive attachment disorder.
Children deprived of love and affection, particularly as infants, grow up unable to interact with others.
That doesn't sound like Eden.
Well, she could still have R.
A.
D.
Some kids like Marc cope by withdrawing completely, and others like Eden become indiscriminately affectionate.
- Were they raised together? - No.
Eden says she doesn't know Marc.
And Marc speaks French, but with an accent like he's from west Africa or Haiti.
Kids adopted from abroad often have attachment disorders which the adopting families don't even realize until the kids are living with them.
Might be the reason why they're in that van together.
Their families just dumped them? Return to sender, back to the agency who put them up for adoption in the first place.
So Marc and Eden just end up with ACS? Not our job anymore.
Until some creep hurts them again.
We still haven't found the woman who hurt them already, Alma Cordoza.
A wet woman with one shoe probably wouldn't want to take the subway.
So I called all the cab companies.
I found a driver who picked up a woman around 4 A.
M.
near the river and took her to Elliot, the E.
R.
Everybody else, Brooklyn.
New York Tuesday, October 3 Police.
Open up.
Maybe the cab driver gave us the wrong address.
I don't see anyone inside.
Where's Dani Beck? Wasn't she supposed to meet us here? This place looks abandoned.
Gives me the creeps.
This milk is fresh.
Looks like they left in a hurry.
Nobody home.
There were kids here.
Where'd they go? From the number and sizes of prints, it looks like dozens of kids have been living here.
- No sign of Alma? - Nothing yet.
CSU found these in the builder's dumpster two doors down.
Kids' clothes, toys.
Any letters, bills? No.
Whoever did the clean-out was pretty careful.
Something here.
Initials.
R.
R.
B.
Handwritten.
And a date.
Four days ago.
See if you can still play any of it.
Canvass the neighbors.
Find out who owns this place, who pays the bills.
Where's detective Beck? Just gotta wait for my tetanus booster, then we're outta here.
- Don't know how you kept your cool.
- Adrenaline.
Yeah.
But that had to hurt.
- I couldn't have stayed so calm.
- Yeah, you could.
You know the right thing to do.
Just because you know what's right doesn't mean you do it.
- Elliot, I - Thank you, doctor.
Elliot? Don Cragen called and said you had been stabbed.
It was a kid with a pen.
- He shouldn't have called you.
- Yes, he should have.
We were worried about you, dad.
Honey, it's nothing, really.
Uh, this is my new partner, Dani Beck.
- My wife Kathy.
- How do you do? - Kathleen.
- Hi.
What happened to Olivia? Well, she's doing a job.
She's with the feds.
Um, listen, I'm gonna go check on Eden, all right? I'll see you guys.
- Take care of him.
- We will.
Thanks.
Are you serious, dad? A kid stabbed you? Your father probably yelled at him.
Yeah, for not doing his homework.
Administration For Children's Services Emergency Shelter Tuesday, October 3 She was dead on her feet, poor little thing.
What about Marc? He's at st.
Paul's psychiatric.
I'm afraid he had to be medicated.
Medicated.
For how long? Well, hopefully, he'll be discharged soon and we can find him a home.
But we will have to tell any foster parents what he did to your partner.
- No one'll take him.
- There are group homes.
Albany's social services had no records of these kids.
They just dropped out of the system.
ACS in Florida, New Jersey, anywhere could have placed Eden in a lousy foster agency with poor follow-up, irregular home visits.
And she disappears off the radar.
Families move quickly.
Bureaucracies don't.
I'm sorry.
I gotta take this.
Dani Beck.
Yes, captain.
First you checked on your partner, then you checked the kids.
And when exactly did you plan on doing what I told you? I'm sorry.
- I'll get over there now.
- It's too late.
CSU's finishing up.
Did they find anything? If you'd been there, you'd know.
The house is owned by the Ignatius Petty adoption agency.
Munch and fin will talk to Petty tomorrow.
You and Elliot talk to ACS, see what they know about them.
I'll go talk to them now.
You'll go home and get some sleep.
It's after midnight.
You still here? Came back.
Say, um, what do you know about Ignatius Petty adoption agency? We terminated our contract with Mr.
Petty a year ago.
Why? He was one of those bad foster agencies I told you about, incompetent, careless, only in it for the money.
So why is he still working with children? When we pulled his license, he went into the private adoption business.
He earns fat fees, but he doesn't do adequate background checks on either the children or the parents.
You saw the result, Marc.
Yeah.
Do you know this woman? Yeah, Alma Cordoza.
We fired her three years ago.
Her child care theories were extreme, her case follow-up nonexistent.
Where is she now? Last I heard, she was doing consulting for private adoption businesses.
- Like with Petty? - It's possible.
She could have worked with him while she was with ACS.
Ignatius Petty Adoption Agency Queens, New York Wednesday, October 4 I serve an urgent need, detective.
There are thousands of childless couples in America, hundreds of thousands of poor children in the world.
I bring them together.
But sometimes they don't fit.
That's why Alma Cordoza was returning two of them to you.
Alma Cordoza doesn't ring a bell.
The house on Staines avenue, Brooklyn, does that ring a bell, Mr.
Petty? Yes.
As did your unauthorized entry.
You will be hearing from my lawyers.
What do you use that house for? It's a place where new adoptees and their parents can get together, maybe stay for a few nights.
We have professional staff on call.
It's comfortable, clean.
That place is a toilet.
The roaches are checking out.
If it's so wonderful, how come you cleared it out? I intend to sell and buy a better place.
I spare no expense when it comes to the well-being of my children.
You recognize these two? No, I don't, but we have so many children.
And you never heard of Alma Cordoza? I told you, I don't know her.
Then why is she hanging on your wall? I just assumed she was a friend of one of the parents.
People send us photos all the time.
Maybe we should go through your records and jog your memory.
That's not possible.
I have a duty of confidentiality to my clients.
And we have a duty to get a subpoena.
My lawyers will never let that happen.
Good-bye, detectives.
Here they come.
You better call your guy from the phone company.
Yeah.
Dani here.
You set up on his phone? Petty's dialing out.
The number is 718-555-0143.
Home or business? Lydia motel.
Jarrow street.
John, Petty just called the Lydia motel, Jarrow street, Brooklyn.
You guys go ahead.
We'll wait here.
Got it.
Man, I wish I had your connections.
- Who is it? - Room service, ma'am.
But I didn't order any Alma Cordoza? Yes.
I brought the children here because their adoptive parents in Albany couldn't handle them anymore.
You were taking them back to Mr.
Petty's agency.
Yes.
Marc was adopted from Haiti, Eden from Ohio.
I was gonna leave them at Mr.
Petty's house in Brooklyn until he found another home for them.
- But then you had the accident.
- It was Frank's fault.
I panicked, I was terrified they were gonna drown.
Because you cuffed them to the seat! It was for their own safety! How many kids did you smuggle around the state in chains? None.
I was only trying to help Eden and Marc.
You got a damn strange way of helping, lady.
Now what? Charge Alma and Petty with child endangerment and shut down his agency for good.
And the kids go to foster care.
ACS.
I can't just walk away from this.
You're not done yet.
Remember the smashed cassette Munch and Fin found? Lab put it back together.
Most of the tape was beyond repair, but I was able to clean up two sections.
Sound quality's poor, but I'd say there are three adults and a young girl.
Doing what? You'd better listen.
- Are the blankets wrapped tight? - Yes.
Then put the cushions on top.
Make sure her airway is clear.
I don't like it! I'm too hot! - Sounds like what, ten? - Hush now.
Now lie across her, transferring your weight gently.
You're hurting me! - What's this? - You have to trust us, baby.
That's the first part.
She's squashing me! Fight all you want, but we're going to win.
- That's the second man.
- Because we're stronger than you, Rose.
Get off of me! I can't breathe! Please! Please! That's the first part.
What the hell was going on? Sounds like some kind of therapy session.
Like rebirthing therapy.
They wrap you in blankets, lie on top of you to make you feel like you're being born again.
What's the point of that? Who cares? What happened to the girl? This part's shorter.
She's quiet.
Are you ready, Rose? Come on, now, Rose.
Come to daddy.
Rose? Rose, this isn't funny.
She's been sick all over herself.
Come on! Wake up! Don't.
Just wait.
He stopped the tape.
How long were they lying on her? Tape is three hours, and it stopped pretty much near the end.
They killed her.
- Let's go.
- Where? The house in Brooklyn where that tape was made.
Ground penetrating radar found a void, organic matter.
Dug down three feet.
What do we got, Melinda? Female, about nine years old.
Dead how long? Only a few days.
Cause of death was suffocation.
She aspirated her own vomit.
These marks? From the lividity, they were inflicted before she died.
There's also bruising to her ribcage and thighs.
She was abused over a prolonged period.
Yes.
But not sexually.
We got no hits on her fingerprints from the missing child database.
Just the name Rose.
I listened to the tape.
We don't know this is the girl in the tape.
Eden might know.
She said she has a sister named Rosemary, and there's a resemblance.
That's Rosemary.
You sure, Eden? She's my sister.
Okay, Melinda.
Wait! I wanna look.
When did you last see her? I don't remember.
Where did she live? A house.
A big house in the country.
With Alma? No.
With Rita and Bud.
Did you live there too? For a little while.
But I was very bad.
I had to be sent away.
To Alma.
Yes.
Did Rosemary get sent away? Rosemary wasn't so bad.
They just put her in the cage.
- Who is she? - That's Eden's sister.
I wouldn't take Eden's word for it.
You saying Eden's a liar? She doesn't know the difference between truth and lies.
Well, DNA does.
They both have the same birth mother.
Even if that's true, doesn't mean they were adopted together.
Eden said they were.
- Rita and Bud.
Know them? - No! You recognize these voices? Now lie across her What is this? - You tell us.
- You're hurting me! You have to trust us, baby.
Turn it off.
It's not over yet.
She's squashing me! Fight all you want.
We're going to win.
Please turn it off.
I don't know anything.
Okay, Alma, we'll stop.
Even without Rose, we got you for child kidnap, attempted murder.
You're going away for a long time.
You know what they do to child abusers in men's prisons.
Women's are worse.
Come on, Alma.
Help us, we'll help you.
I don't know who the girl is.
But one of the men on the tape - he's a psychologist.
- Name.
Dr.
Rieff.
Offices of Dr.
Arlen Rieff 121 East 55th Street Thursday, October 5 Dr.
Rieff? What's this about? Your presence at a rebirthing session which caused the death of a young girl.
I haven't been at a rebirthing session in years.
Then who's this? - Are the blankets wrapped tight? - Yes.
Then put the cushions on top.
Make sure her airway is clear.
That's your voice, isn't it? What did you say happened to the girl? You know.
You were there.
I wasn't.
I was on the phone.
Have your technicians listen to the tape again.
I gave advice over speakerphone.
I wasn't there.
You think that makes it okay? I am not responsible for what happened.
You treated the girl without even seeing her.
You allowed a couple of freaks to suffocate her - while she begged for mercy? - I never heard that.
I was only on the phone for ten minutes.
I gave clear instructions.
I even insisted they tape the session to ensure it would be done appropriately.
It wasn't.
She's dead.
I don't understand it.
They've done dozens of rebirthing sessions.
Who are they? Bud and Rita Gabler from Poughkeepsie, New York.
Near Albany.
Rita Gabler? Can I help you? Detectives Stabler and Beck, NYPD.
We need to talk to you.
Oh, my gosh.
Has something happened? You know these girls? I don't think so.
Were you at 152 Staines avenue in Brooklyn last week? No.
What's this about? - We'd like to take a look around.
- All right.
Kids seem happy and healthy.
I counted nine kids in the yard and eleven beds in the house.
So one for Rosemary and who else? I don't know.
But I do know that woman's voice.
It's the one on the tape.
What's that for? Taking pictures for Eden.
Is this where you slept, Eden? In that bed.
Until I was sent away to Alma.
Why were you sent away? They said she was my mother now.
What about Rosemary? She didn't sleep there.
Where was her room? She slept outside? No.
In the barn.
What are you doing? Uh, my husband's gonna be here any minute now.
You're gonna, you're gonna have to wait.
No, this is really against the rules.
Oh, my god! It's okay.
We're friends.
- What's your name? - Joe.
How long you been in there, Joe? Two days.
I was bad.
I don't wanna get in trouble.
You won't.
You'll be fine.
What the hell's going on? - This is private property! - Your wife let us in.
Mr.
Gabler, why is that boy in a cage? For his own good! No! You bastard! You're under arrest.
/ Why? Endangering the welfare of a child.
He didn't do anything wrong.
Lady, shut up and get your ass out there.
You're under arrest too! Hey, Joe.
Come on.
It's okay.
Come on, now.
Good man.
Good man.
All right, come on.
Hold onto my hand.
We love our children.
That's why you keep them locked in cages? Nothing else worked! Joey, Joey kept trying to hurt the other kids.
Once when the basement door was open, Joey tried to push me down the stairs.
Was he punished for that? Rita said that he was mixed up, and I had to forgive him.
Charlie, did Rita or Bud ever hurt you? I swear, we'd never hurt our kids.
You just collect them to make money.
That's a lie.
Albany social services pays you over 8 grand a month.
We adopt handicapped children that no one else'll touch.
- That costs money.
- You're getting rich.
But that's not enough for you.
You have to treat them like dirt? Ask our children if we ever hit them.
Go ahead.
Ask them.
Did your parents hurt you, Wanda? They beat me with a shoe.
How often? All the time.
It never stopped? Not until Bud and Rita adopted me.
They're nice.
Bud and Rita never beat you? No.
Wanda, do you remember a girl named Rose? I don't know who she is.
She's one of the kids you love.
We found her in a hole in the ground.
Her name is Rose, and you killed her.
There's no record of a girl named Rose living with us.
Must be a mistake.
Is this a mistake too? She's squashing me! Fight all you want.
We're going to win.
Because we're stronger than you, Rose.
Get off of me! I can't breathe! Please! Everything we did, we did out of love.
- Don't say anything else, Rita.
- But those are your voices.
You call her by name.
You still don't know her.
- Where'd our lawyer go? - You don't know who it is? - Where did our lawyer go? - Let me play it again.
We're not saying another word until she gets here.
Not another word.
You don't know Rose, huh? They decided to stop talking.
Well, we got them talking enough on tape.
The tape is out.
On what grounds? The police manipulated the evidence.
The tape is edited.
Of course it was edited.
It was mangled.
There's no proof that it's a full and accurate account of what happened.
The defense can say that in the missing sections a spaceship landed and aliens squashed the girl with a giant pumpkin.
There's also no direct evidentiary link between the Rose on the tape and the girl found buried in the backyard.
Okay, Casey.
You gotta fight this.
I already fought.
I lost.
Judge Terhune ruled that the tape was extremely prejudicial, and given the uncertainties of its prominence, inadmissible.
But there's no way they can deny they killed her.
They can say she died while they were trying to help her.
Trying to help her? They tortured her.
They kept her in a cage.
She's dead.
She can't testify.
And there's no record that Rose ever lived with Bud and Rita.
What about the other kids? Huang interviewed them.
They may be scared, they may be lying, but they all say they love Bud and Rita and want to go home.
Which leaves us with Rose's sister Eden.
No.
We can't traumatize her all over again.
I'll put the shrink on the stand, get him to say that Bud and Rita killed the girl.
You think he'll cooperate? If he doesn't, I'll charge him as an accessory to murder.
Trial Part 27 Tuesday, October 24 Dr.
Rieff, did you take part in a rebirthing therapy session conducted by Bud and Rita Gabler? They brought the girl, Rose, to New York, and asked me to participate in person.
I said I would only give advice over the phone.
What advice? I told Bud and Rita to make sure Rose was comfortable, that her airway was clear at all times, and that she understood we were trying to help her.
Did Rose seem distressed to you? All holding therapies induce fear and rage.
What I heard from Rose seemed within normal bounds, but I was only on the phone for ten minutes.
How long do these sessions last? Up to 12 hours.
on top of a 9-year-old girl? That sounds rather extreme.
This therapy is only used in extreme circumstances.
But that does not mean it's dangerous, if properly conducted.
What went wrong? They were arrogant.
When they heard Rose crying for air, they just believed that their therapy was working.
But no therapist, no parent should ever inflict that degree of pain on a child.
Thank you.
Why did you agree to help Bud and Rita with this child? They were afraid of her.
Afraid? She was only nine years old.
She twice attacked Rita and Bud with a knife.
Some nights they locked her in her room in case she tried to hurt them while they slept.
Your honor, this is all hearsay.
I have E.
R.
reports of their injuries, your honor.
Then why weren't the attacks reported to social services or the police? My clients didn't want Rose to be institutionalized.
Well, that's a pity, then.
She might still be alive.
Enough, Ms.
Novak.
Go on, Ms.
Emmett.
Do you know the work of Dr.
Tronick? Yes.
Including the still-face films he made of mother and infant interaction? Yes.
Your honor, I would like the jury to see defense exhibit one.
What is this, your honor, Ebert & Roeper? The witness has made an extraordinary claim that a child can terrorize two adults.
The jury should be given a chance to understand why.
You may proceed, Ms.
Emmett.
Why was the film made? As part of a study of how infants learn to interact with others.
The baby's happily interacting with her mother.
But what happens when the mother stops interacting with her? At first, the baby looks puzzled.
She reaches for her to get her attention, but she doesn't respond.
She smiles at her.
She still doesn't respond.
Now the baby looks hurt, but she keeps smiling.
As if she's saying, "look, I'm here.
" Yes.
The baby's more and more distressed, but she keeps trying, keeps smiling.
Why does she keep trying? It's our human instinct to seek contact.
We seek a response, any response.
And in the continued absence of response, helplessness creeps in, and despair.
The baby is left terribly alone.
What a good girl! In this case, contact was reestablished.
Mom and baby bond again.
Lights, please.
The baby endured 57 seconds of rejection but eventually was comforted.
Does that happen with children like Rose? Kids like Rose are born to addicted or absent parents.
As a baby, Rose would have followed her instincts, would have kept smiling, kept reaching out.
Not for seconds.
For months, for years.
She would have kept trying until her natural affections were burnt out.
And after that? Her only instinct is survival.
Most psychiatrists, they see these children as untreatable.
In your opinion, were my clients wrong to try and treat Rose? Well, it's hard to speak of right and wrong when they're facing an impossible choice.
To surrender Rose to an institution where she'll live her life in a state of overmedicated catatonia or to try and bring her back to life.
Thank you.
Redirect, your honor? Let's talk about right or wrong.
Was it right to hold Rose down for three hours until she choked to death on her own vomit? No.
Was it right to bury her in a dirty blanket in a yard? No.
No further questions.
What happened in there? My witness sandbagged me.
What do you mean? You have a relationship with Eden.
She's the only one that can tell us what Bud and Rita really did to their kids.
What do you want me to do? Tell the truth about Rita and Bud in court.
You mean the bad things? What bad things? They put a hose in my mouth and turned it on till water came out of my nose.
And they took away Charlie's wheelchair for two days, so he had to crawl.
And they made Joe eat his own barf.
Did you see them hurt your sister? I didn't see Rose because she was in the cage.
If you didn't see your sister, how did you know about the cage? Rita showed me.
She said I could be punished with the cage or the hose.
What did you do wrong? Eden? If you're in court, you have to tell the truth about everything.
What did you do wrong? I didn't finish my food.
Will Bud and Rita be in court? They won't be able to hurt you.
Yes, they will.
Not if they're in prison.
They're not in prison now.
They're here.
I see them when they come to visit the other kids.
They give me mean looks, like they want to kill me too.
We won't let them.
We'll move you to another home.
- They'll still find me.
- I'll protect you.
I'll do it if I can live with you.
I told you that's not possible.
But why? I have to work.
Not while I'm in court.
Please let me stay with you? Do you have a husband? Yeah.
But he died.
Then it's just you and me.
Come here.
Okay.
It's just while you're in court so you can feel safe.
- Remember we agreed on that? - Yes, I know.
Good girl.
Good night.
Sleep tight, little girl.
Okay? I can't sleep.
Oh, my god! Let me go! Leave me alone! I want to die! Let me die! I wanna die! Why'd you do it? So you'd never leave me.
You could have killed us both.
Then we'd be together.
I'm sorry.
Where are you going, Dani? The verdict in? The jury found Bud and Rita guilty of criminally negligent homicide.
They'll serve a max of two years.
They got away with it.
How's she doing? They put her in restraints.
She, she kept scratching herself.
Dani, this is not your fault.
I can't do this.
Why? I fix things.
It's who I am.
- And I can't fix the little girl.
- That's not what we do.
But you want to.
And I thought I could.
How do you keep doing this job? Because I have to.
Why? We don't make a difference.
Dani, you can do this.
Are you asking me to stay? Dani, I can't.
You've got to be here for yourself, not for me.
Yeah.
Bye, Elliot.