Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–…): Season 21, Episode 2 - The Darkest Journey Home - full transcript

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.

Thank you so much for
seeing me after hours.

I'm glad you could make the time.



Well, the new Deputy
Chief made it very clear

that this was mandatory.

- So thank you.
- Mm-hmm.

So, um, I have been investigating

sexual assault for 20 years,

and I'm pretty familiar with...

with trauma-based interviewing.

Of course.

So you know,

this part of the
training is role-playing.

Can you think of a trauma in your life?

A trauma.

Something that you may have
thought about a lot already.

Uh, okay. Uh, yes, um...



I'm ready.

Olivia, tell me what brought you here.

Help me understand
what happened to you.

Whatever comes to mind.

What you saw,

what you heard, if anything.

Uh...

I remember I came to.

And...

he was still in my apartment, and...

I just, uh...

just remember his breathing.

Olivia...

you ask victims

when they're at their most vulnerable

to go back to a place
they'd rather not go.

Okay.

Uh...

I felt, uh...

I felt him pulling the...

Duct tape...

Off my mouth, and it was burning.

Stinging.

I felt his...

I felt him breathing in my ear.

And the whole time,
I just kept thinking...

I'm a cop.

How could I have...

How could I have let my guard down?

Water?

Sure, yes. Thank you.

To a night out with
my two best persons.

Love you both so much.

Where's your ring, Raegan?

I didn't want to lose it.

Nothing to do with Richard working

a double shift this weekend?

Oh, I don't know what
you're talking about.

You're kidding, right?

Of course, I am. I love Richard.

And I love, love, love...

no, adore you guys.

Dude, come on, like...

He gave me something to drink.

It wasn't water.

It was vodka.

That he...

He forced down my throat.

Can you tell me what you felt?

Uh...

I felt his hand...

Ah!

Gripping my face.

Hard.

And then he put the...

tape back on.

And then he kissed me.

And I couldn't breathe.

And I was so scared.

And I knew...

And I knew that I was gonna die.

My car's one minute away.

You sure you guys don't
want to hit a club?

I have coke.

Put that away. Jesus, Raegan.

Pussies. Both of you.

There he is.

Nick. Kind of cute.

Are you sure you're okay, Raegan?

I am great.

Love you bores both to death.

- You're Nick?
- Yeah.

I'm Raegan.

Who are you?

I'm Julius. I'm your rideshare.

Oh, God.

Hey, you're pretty.

Wow. Shakespeare's got nothing on you.

Okay.

Out of my league. Got it.

What are you, afraid of me?

You okay? Seem pretty wasted.

Hey, uh, she gets dropped off
first, right?

Shut up.

Morning, Lieutenant. I mean Captain.

Should we throw you a party?

Please don't. And by the way,

if you guys really
want to make me happy,

sign up for your trauma-informed
interview training.

It's actually quite helpful.

What is this, a new Chief mandate?

It is, and he wants us to be better

at our jobs, Fin, don't you?

If he wants us to be better,

he should get us some more detectives.

We're working on that.

And by the way, nobody wants that

- more than I do.
- I hear you.

Hi.

Is this Special Victims?

It is. I'm Captain Benson.

- What's your name?
- Raegan.

Hey, Raegan.

Did something happen to you?

I have no idea.

I was with friends.

I took a QuikRide home.

I thought I was going home.

Can I see your phone?

Uh...

Okay.

I woke up in my bed.

I was all...

sticky.

Sore.

I think I was raped,
but I don't remember.

That's okay, Raegan.

We're gonna figure that out together.

So you took a QuikRide from
Chelsea to Sheepshead Bay.

Hold on, what?

Sheepshead Bay.
I don't even know what that is.

140? What the hell?

It should've been 15 bucks.

May I have that back?

I just need to take
a quick screen shot.

Thanks.

So...

you remember anything else?

I think he had his hands on my leg.

Could I have some water?

You know,
if I could just ask you to wait.

We're gonna go to the
hospital to get a rape exam.

Which hospital?

I can't go to Mount Sinai.

Uh, okay.

Um... you know what?
Let me make a quick call.

And I'll be right back.

Anything?

This girl got taken for a ride.

She was picked up at a
Casa Mezcal Dos in Chelsea.

One stop at West 40th, a rideshare,

then up to 117th Street.

- Her home address.
- So he did take her home.

But then it looks like
she changed her route.

She went over the Triborough
Bridge into Astoria for a stop,

and then to a bar in Sheepshead Bay.

Clemente's Maryland Crab House.

Okay, so canvass Clemente's,
talk to her friends,

track down the driver and
the rideshare passenger.

You know there's only
the two of us, right?

Who's gonna take the girl to the ER?

I'll take her.

_

Cuts, abrasions, splinters in her feet.

Fingerpad-bruising on her
neck, arms, and ankle.

She was held down.

And extensive vaginal and anal trauma.

They did a number on this girl.

I didn't let her drink.
You took a mouth swab?

Blood and urine.

- She can take a break now?
- Yeah.

Hey.

Well, that sucked.

I'm so sorry.

It's not your fault.

I-I hate when people say that.
Can I go home?

Not quite yet, Raegan.

Unfortunately,
you have a couple more procedures.

Let me... let me get
you some water first.

Um...

is there... is there anyone
that I can call for you?

Like my friends?

Sometimes they care.

Sometimes they just can't wait

to tell another crazy Raegan story.

But I feel like I can trust you.

You can.

Right.

So, full disclosure,

I drank a lot of tequila at the bar.

Okay.

And I took a Xany in the cab.

I just wanted to sleep when I got home.

And you know what?

None of that matters.

None of it.

Ah, that one.

She was a mess. Slurring her words.

Yelling. She okay?

Let's let me ask the questions.

When's the last time you saw her?

I dropped her off at some clam bar.

She changed her route halfway through.

Anybody with her at the bar?

I didn't hang around.

What about the other passenger?

I dropped him off before her.

He'll tell you same thing.

This your car?

No, no, no, I lease.

They give me a different
one every shift.

Look, she was crazy.

I just did what she asked.

No good deed, man.

She's okay, right? I mean, she's alive?

She may have had a
problem with her QuikRide.

What happened this time?

This time?

We love Raegan, but she's dramatic.

Half the stories, she's making up.
The other half...

Okay, well, your friend may
have been assault last night,

so did you see her get in the car?

Yes, she said the driver was cute.

She mention any other
plans she might've had?

No, I wanted her to wait for
my boyfriend to drive her home.

But she had that look in her eye.

You try arguing with a drunk Raegan.

So much for the gel manicure.

Just a few more minutes, honey.

I need a Bloody Mary.

I'll get you some aspirin,

and there are antibiotics
for you to take.

So, honey,
are you sure that there's nobody

that I can call for you?

Your parents?

Mom and Dad are on a
cruise on the Danube.

I do not want to worry them about this.

And I hate my sister.

Okay, Raegan...

you, uh...

you told me that you didn't want to go

to Mount Sinai Hospital, right?

Can you tell me why?

My fiancé is doing his residency there.

You're engaged.

I don't want Richard
to know about this.

He doesn't like me partying.

He'll be mad.

He has anger management issues.

Well, I could call him for you.

No, no. I-I'll call him.

But...

please be here when he shows up.

That girl from the rideshare?

She was, like,
completely bipolar or something.

- How you mean?
- She was all over me.

She wanted me to go home with her.

Asked me if I had any drugs.

And you didn't go with her?

A little crazy's okay,
but not the full fleabag.

She went to her apartment alone?

No, she got upset at me when
I wouldn't go up with her,

and then she asked the driver
to take her to some other bar.

You go there with her?

No, they dropped me off at home.

And where was she when you left?

She was in the backseat
yelling at the driver.

Whenever I close my eyes,

I can put myself there.

So, what, if anything, can you tell me,

about what you... what you
heard or what you saw?

I see...

white.

Silver.

It sounded like water.

So tell me about water.

Ah... ah!

I-I don't want to
think about it anymore.

- Okay.
- Captain?

Okay, okay.

I'll be right back.

The fiance’s here, Richard Rayburn.

Do you know what room she's in?

Great, thank you.

Dr. Rayburn.

Hi, I'm Captain Benson.

How is she?

She's been through trauma.

She told me. Um...

has she finished her rape kit yet?

She has, and we'll need to collect

a sample from you as well.

For exclusion. I-I understand.

Um...

does she want to see me?

She said that she does.

Because sometimes...

Sorry, uh...

it's... a lot.

- Richard.
- Baby! Oh.

It's okay, it's okay.
I'm here to take you home.

It's okay.

So, Raegan still
doesn't remember anything.

Tell me that you got
something from the rape kit.

Her blood alcohol was 0.1.
Presence of Xanax.

She disclosed the
drinking and the drugs.

There were also traces of marijuana,

of cocaine, MDMA, and Ambien.

Okay, that's a lot. Anything else?

Presence of semen from
two different donors.

Neither matches the fiancé.

So the driver and the passenger.

- Not according to them.
- Mm-hmm.

Listen, her girlfriends
implied that this isn't

her first night as a blackout drunk.

I mean, there's been
four visits to the ER

over the past year,
all alcohol-related.

Um, no family here. No siblings.

Her father's deceased.

Her mom's in an
assisted living in Boca.

And these two suspects?

No records. Nothing on social media.

The passenger's app shows

he was dropped off at
his place at 1:35 a.m.

Well, that doesn't necessarily mean

that he got out of the car.

Can anyone put her at Clemente's?

No, and there's nothing
on security cameras.

Where are we with the suspects' DNA?

Counselor Carisi isn't sure
that we have probable cause.

They have him on a
short leash over there.

So retrieve abandoned samples.

Have CSU run her apartment.
She could've been raped there.

On it.

What?

Raegan reminds me of my sister.

She's the kind of girl
that just craves drama.

I can see that.

But... something did happen to her.

It would just help if she
could remember anything.

Yes, it would,

and she's had a night's sleep,

and I'm gonna talk to her again.

- All right.
- And Rollins.

This interviewing technique

actually helps people remember things.

There's sand and gravel in these shoes.

Some in the bed too.

Amanda. Ice matcha latte.

Amanda.

Hey. Uh, excuse me.

- That's oat milk, right?
- Yeah.

Hey, this doesn't look like oat milk.

All right, well, I made it myself.

Can you taste it?

- I can't just taste it.
- You can't?

Oh, you don't know how?
Come here, come here.

Listen, you just put your
lips around the straw,

and then... and then you suck it.

That's how you taste it.

Can you do it?

That is oat milk.

- Thank you, Julius.
- No problem.

My bad. Thanks.

_

Good luck.

Raegan?

Raegan?

Thank God you're here. He hit me.

Richard?

You should see your face.

No.

He didn't hit me, but he obviously
doesn't believe me.

Okay, Raegan, can we... can we talk?

Richard didn't hit me.
He's never even yelled at me.

I know he's mad. I wish he would yell.

I deserve it.

I cheated on him.

- Okay.
- But...

you don't want to talk about this.

We can talk about whatever
you want to talk about.

I had to pee.

I had to go so bad.

I begged them to let me up.

Please. Just to use the bathroom.

They just laughed.

They were raping me.

And...

I was worried about messing their bed.

Okay, so this girl
claims she doesn't remember

changing her route to Sheepshead Bay?

Well, her memories are
coming back in pieces,

but we don't have the whole puzzle.

There's no evidence that
she was ever in the bar,

nothing on her phone indicates
that she was meeting someone,

and the cell got
turned off at 1:20 a.m.

We found grit in her shoes and bed,

all consistent with the
marinas in the area.

Okay, so working theory
is she was assaulted

by the passenger or the driver?

Or both.

There were two semen samples,

and her narrative is "they," "them."

So they raped her under a boardwalk?

Well, she remembers being in a bed.

It could've been a boat.
Clemente's is right by a marina.

- You did a canvass?
- The waterfront's dead after midnight.

Okay, so what do you need?

Credit cards, cell records,

anything that will put Nick
or Julius at that location

after 1:30 when they both
swear that they weren't there.

Captain, we got a hit
from a military database

on the DNA from one
of the semen samples.

Nick or Julius?

Neither, it's...

It's some guy named Dennis Callahan.

Yeah, that's Dennis. My old boss.

I like your hair that way.

So, Raegan, can you help me understand

why the lab found traces

of Dennis' semen,

from the oral swab in your Invisalign?

I couldn't tell you.

I didn't want Richard to find out.

Okay, well, you need to tell me now.

I gave Dennis a quick
blowie that afternoon.

We were in Barney's,

I was helping him pick out
something for his wife,

the dressing room was right there.

You don't believe me, ask him.

I believe you.

But, Raegan, going forward...

I need you to tell me everything.

Do you understand?

Everything.

Please don't tell Richard.

Well, that's... that's not my place.

Tell me about your parents.

And your sister?

Is that what this is about?

You're mad because I
changed a few details?

I exaggerate sometimes. So what?

Life is boring,

and my version is a
lot more interesting.

I don't need this.

Raegan. Hold on.

- I thought I could trust you.
- Okay, Raegan...

You betrayed me!

I was raped. Screw you.

- I don't want to talk to you.
- I gathered that.

You haven't returned any of my calls.

You're a real Angela Lansbury.

Raegan.

What do you want?

I want...

us to start over.

I know that you were raped.

- How do you know?
- I just know.

Look...

Can we... can we try something?

Your memory is coming back in pieces,

and that's normal.

But I think that...
that you'll remember

more details if we retrace your route.

If I don't want to?

Then we don't. And it stops here.

But I think that this
is your best chance...

and mine...

to figure out what happened to you.

So how long does this take?

My captain wants me to do the training,

but I'm right in the middle of a case.

Uh, that's not really how it works.

Oh, right, I'm...

I'm very interested in how this works.

I've read a lot about
trauma-informed questioning.

That's great, but this is about

experiencing it for yourself.

You want me to pretend to be a victim?

Actually, I'm going to ask you to think

of some past trauma,

some moment where you had
control taken from you.

Like giving birth?

That could work.

Or a car accident.

Or something when you were young.

It's up to you.

Sure. Um... uh, sure.

Yeah, I mean, I have one, um...

It's okay if I'm over it?

Of course.

I was feeling invincible.

Like I could do anything.

I-I could see my friends.

Their lips were moving,

but I couldn't hear
what they were saying.

It was silent.

Okay, tell me about silent.

I tuned everything out.

Focused on my phone.

The driver's little picture.

Besnick.

Weird name.

I...

I-I got into the car.

I didn't hesitate.

Shouldn't I have had a
premonition or something?

Not always.

And even when people do,
they don't act on it.

They get into the elevator.
They stay in the car.

You're doing great.

I smelled the Jack
Daniel's on his breath.

He was drunk.

I laid down on the bed
like he asked me to.

Tell me more about that.

I tried...

to just lay there.

I was listening to the
TV in the next room.

"The Price Is Right."

Then he got...

he got rough with me.

You know, I told him...

to slow down.

Then he...

he hit me.

Banged my head against the headboard.

I mean, I was... I was bleeding.

- You were bleeding?
- Yeah.

We were here.

I know it.

- That smell.
- What smell?

From the fryers.

Sour in my mouth.

I kept thinking, "Where are my shoes?"

So you were barefoot?

Yeah.

Gravel.

Stuff under my feet.

It hurt.

- He started dragging me.
- He?

A big man.

Uh, he was older.

Then the smell changed.

The ocean.

Low tide. I was here.

I know I was here.

I heard the gunshot,
and I knew what it was.

And I saw my mom fall.

I tried to get to her, but I was a kid.

They wouldn't let me get to her.

Tell me more.

I just wanted her to get up.

That's all I wanted.
I just wanted her to get up.

Okay.

I see what you did there.

You help the vic go back there,

and you just stay out of the way.

- Am I right?
- That's right.

Sometimes this can bring up feelings

you may not want to have.

It's okay.

I know they're still there.

I think I was here.

Okay.

Just anything that comes to you.

They were laughing, singing.

You remember what they were singing?

They were making fun of me.

Calling me uptight.

Uptight girl.

Uptown girl?

No!

Oh, God.

This is it.

I can't go in there.

- Raegan, Raegan...
- Please don't make me.

- It's okay.
- Don't make me.

It's okay, honey. Honey, it's okay.

- Don't make me.
- It's okay.

Hey, Raegan.

Honey, you don't have to.

I just...

I just want this not to have happened.

I know, I know, I know.

We're done, we're done. We're done now.

I know.

We're done, and you did great.

You did great.

The nine-nine called,
and they just picked up

the owner of the boat, Anthony Marino.

He lives in Brooklyn.
They're bringing him in now.

Turns out Julius the passenger

used to work at Marino's restaurant.

Phone record shows Julius
calling Marino from the car.

We've also got Marino at
Clemente's on security cams

with an unidentified dark-haired man.

Now, Raegan remembered an older man.

This may be a fourth rapist.

So this guy Julius gets
into a car with a drunk girl,

and he and the driver have two friends

that they can call at 1:00 in
the morning for a gang rape.

What kind of animals are these guys?

Lowlifes know lowlifes.

- Have Nick or Julius invoked yet?
- Not yet.

Okay, so we work these scumbags

until they confess.

Nobody walks out of here tonight.

Hmm. Anthony Marino.

Yeah, I don't know
anybody by that name.

Wrong answer.

You called him at 1:10 that morning.

- Misdial.
- For four minutes?

Last chance, Julius.

Hey, have you ever
heard of a butt dial?

You wrote this on your IG.

Now, either you're stupid
or you think I'm stupid.

Okay, yeah. I used to work for the guy.

But that doesn't mean
that I met him on his boat

for a gang bang.

So what do you mean?
You just set it up?

I want a lawyer.

I dropped her at Clemente's.
I went home.

- Stop it.
- I-I...

I said stop it!

We have CSU techs going over
every inch of that boat.

We're gonna put her there.
We're gonna put you there.

- I drove home.
- I don't believe you.

You want to know why?

'Cause you turned off
your cell at 1:30.

You didn't want anybody to track you?

I was trying to save the battery.

You know what I'm noticing?

Nick, you're getting
really stressed out.

Worried about keeping
track of your lies?

- No.
- No?

I mean, yes.

Yes. I-I mean, yes.

Yeah, I thought so.

The victim remembers your
boat, Anthony.

I don't know nothing about that.

Not according to the driver.

Look who else is here.

Your friend Julius.

He sold you out.

His lawyer's on his way
here to cut him a deal.

Look, I don't know what
those guys are saying,

but swear to God,

Julius called to borrow my boat.

I figured he was hooking
up with somebody.

If I'd known it was this...

I got a daughter,
I'm going through a divorce.

- I'm on the straight-and-narrow, man.
- That's good.

The victim remembers a big, older man.

Now, that is you, right?

Tell us how to find this guy.

I don't remember his face.

I'm sorry.

That's okay.

But the other guys,

the driver, the passenger,

they're under arrest?

Well, they're being interrogated now.

What are they saying?

Well, they're lying, but...

but we're gonna sort that out.

The older man.

I-I can't remember his
face, but I can...

I-I can remember him holding me down.

Holding you down?

What did your body feel like?

My arms were above my head.

He had me pinned down.

H-he had a... he had
a tattoo on his arm.

It was a flag.

Uh, the face was all
black with a white bandana

around the eyes.

That is very helpful.

Frank Corso?

Yeah, what's this about?

Can you go ahead and step outside?

You may not want
your wife to hear this.

- So?
- So you're under arrest.

I'll go, but don't cuff
me in front of everybody.

Turn around.

You have the right to remain silent.

Anything you say can and
will be held against you

in a court of law.

You have the right to an attorney.

Can't afford one,
one will be appointed to you.

Yes.

That's it, what is it?

It's a Corsican flag.

He was the one.

- Did he admit it?
- Not yet.

- And the others?
- They're...

they all have different stories.

Like what? I'm crazy and I wanted it?

Raegan,
let's not get ahead of ourselves.

You're not going to tell them

about me and my old boss, are you?

Raegan, if this goes to trial,

then everything in your rape kit

goes to discovery.

They're going to get away with this.

Promise me they won't.

I can't promise you that.

Captain.

We got Corso's DNA on the rape kit,

and DNA puts all four
of them on the boat.

What's Corso saying?

Nothing new. The girl was wild.

She couldn't get enough of him.

Of course.

And what about Anthony?

Still claiming he was never there.

Also, his DNA is not in the rape kit.

Okay, and where are we

with the driver and the passenger?

Nowhere, they both lawyered up,

and they're digging into Raegan's past.

Liv, how do you think

she's gonna hold up on the stand?

I don't know.

I wanted all four of these guys to go,

but maybe we gotta cut
one of them a deal.

On a gang rape?

Carisi, I can't tell Raegan that.

As much as I hate to say
it, I think Carisi's right.

It's better to get three than none.

Yeah, and Anthony
Marino is in the middle

of a custody battle.

He's got the most to lose.

Okay.

Mr. Marino.

- Are you ready to talk?
- I am.

One word for you.

Lawyer.

We're listening, Counselor.

Your client took a call
from one of the perps.

He then called Frank Corso,
who met him at Clemente's.

His DNA is all over the crime scene.

Ah, no.

You mean all over his boat.

Not the rape kit.

That's why we're sitting here.

You want him to cooperate, he walks.

Not on this, he doesn't.

This girl remembers more every day,

and now she places him on the boat.

- That girl's a bagful of crazy.
- Anthony.

How would you know that, Anthony?

Since you were... you
were never on the boat.

Right?

All right, I was there.

But the minute I saw how
messed up she was, I left.

I didn't want nothing to do with it.

You just... you left?

You didn't intervene?
You didn't call the police?

- Nothing?
- He's here now.

Good Samaritan.

You want him to testify against
those other three goons,

- he walks.
- Uh-uh,

he just placed himself on the boat.

And now we take him
right back off again.

Look, you're new to this, Mr. Carisi.

The only thing that matters

is what we decide right here,

right now, in this room.

And if you want him to flip,

he goes home to his family.

Either he was there, or he wasn't.

My client got a call
from an old friend.

He loaned him his boat.

He had no idea what was going on,

and if he had known,
he would've called the cops.

That doesn't help my case.

He only realized what happened

when he saw the mess on his boat.

He confronted his friend who
told him about the gang rape

in detail...

which we will provide.

No, I'm not gonna have
him lie on the stand.

Oh, you don't want this to go to trial.

That girl,

she'll be a puddle when
I get through with her.

So the owner of the boat, Mr. Marino,

good family man, he told us,

that he wasn't there for any of this,

and that if he had been
there, he would've stopped it.

What? It's his boat. He was there.

Well, his story is, he didn't rape her.

You and the other guys did.

He's lying. He tried.
He couldn't get it up.

Nick, hold on.

We tell you what happened...

I'll take it into consideration.

Look, this whole thing
was my passenger's idea.

He calls the boat guy. They set it up.

Boat guy calls his friend.
I didn't even rape the girl.

Okay, so maybe you just held her
down, touched her.

- No!
- No, you didn't touch her at all?

You didn't at least cop a feel?

No, I put her shoes back on,

made sure she had her purse and phone.

I drove her home.

If I hadn't done that,

who knows what would've
happened to her?

You know what, Nick? I-I believe you.

I do, you're the, uh,
the good guy here.

I'm just gonna...

just gonna need you to
write out a statement.

Okay? Everything that you just said.

Okay.

Boat owner turned first,

and then the driver

turned on the boat
owner and the passenger.

So this isn't going to trial.

Everybody's gonna take a plea.

Okay. Is that supposed
to make me feel better?

Raegan, this is going to take time.

How many times have
you told that to someone?

Too many.

Raegan, it's not gonna be easy.

But you survived the assault.

And you're going to survive this.

You've said that before too,

- haven't you?
- I have.

Because it's true.

How do you know?

Because I did.

So if you ever want or need to talk...

I'm here.

I know.

It's gonna be okay.