Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

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.

The cheetah is the fastest animal on the planet.

And it can eat up to 22 pounds of meat in one sitting.

Like Billy.

Mrs. Drayson.

Stay with the class, Linda.

I don't think she's okay.

Oh, my God. Excuse me.

Excuse me, I think this woman needs some help.

Her name is Laurel Linwood.

A class of sixth graders found her

at the New York Natural History Museum this morning.

She was shaking. She was crying.

Security called 911, they took her to St. Vincent's,

and the hospital called us. Was she raped?

That's what she told the doctor.

They did a rape kit. Tox screen was clean.

And Lieutenant, I got to warn you.

She's in real bad shape.

We couldn't get her to say anything.

- Okay, thanks. - Hey.

Laurel, this is Lieutenant Benson.

Okay, hey, Laurel. Do you mind if I join you?

Is it okay if I call you Laurel?

So the doctor who examined you

thinks that... that you may have been raped.

That's okay. So...

We have plenty of time.

We can talk whenever you're ready.

What's the point?

You'll never catch him.

What makes you say that?

Because I can't remember a damn thing.

Laurel, how did you get to the museum?

Did you meet him in the museum?

That's okay.

That's okay.

So, yesterday,

where did you go?

I went to the florist on the corner.

I didn't buy anything.

I just like to smell the flowers in the morning.

I can't think of a better way to start your day.

Old Spice.

He smelled like Old Spice.

- The man who attacked you? - Mm-hmm.

I know because my father...

Okay. Okay.

So, Laurel, what else do you remember?

I can remember the smell of gardenias but I can't...

I can't remember. That's perfectly okay.

And if there's anything else that you do remember

even if you think that it's bizarre or irrelevant.

You know... you know what I remember when...

When he...

That stupid National Geographic video.

The antelope are running across the plain,

and then out of nowhere a cheetah pounces

and sinks his teeth into their warm flesh.

I was thinking about the other antelope.

The ones that got away.

I mean, you think they'd learn, right?

But there they are the next day

running happily across the plain.

Hey, Laurel.

This is a very common first reaction,

to blame yourself.

But that's wrong.

Not to the cheetah it's not.

I mean, who's really in control?

Who really has the power?

You'll have to admit

the antelope really makes the cheetah

work his ass off for his dinner.

You think I'm silly.

No.

No, I don't.

I don't think you're silly

at all, and nothing you say is silly.

What you experienced,

this type of trauma, Laurel,

plays games with your memory.

It's like a puzzle.

And you and me are gonna figure out this puzzle together.

We're gonna figure out what happened.

So.

Right, you remember the flower shop?

And then what happened? Where did you go?

I must have walked up Madison.

To work?

I'm a personal trust manager at the Commerce Bank.

Great. Do you walk to work every day?

I could take the number four train, but it's so crowded.

Madison Avenue during rush hour is just as bad.

All the people.

All the eyes.

What about them?

Oh, come on.

You're a pretty woman.

You know.

Men stare at you.

What do they expect?

That you'll forget your plans.

You'll forget you had to go to work.

You'll ditch everything.

Everything on your schedule and just lift up your skirts

and do it on the sidewalk?

Well, if you stare back at them

they often... they often look away.

- And if they don't? - Is that what happened

to you yesterday, Laurel?

Did somebody stop you on the sidewalk?

- No, I just... I don't know! - It's okay.

It's okay... It's okay.

Laurel's like a role model, you know?

Really professional.

Her clients love her.

- Is she okay? - She could be better.

Oh.

Do you know if she was dating anybody?

Uh, no one special that I know of.

What about last night? Did she have any plans?

- I doubt it. - Why's that?

Her dad died. Yesterday was his funeral.

And is that him?

Oh, yeah, they took it last summer in Sagaponack.

That's her sister, Leah. She's a lawyer.

You know where we can find her?

At a firm in Midtown.

- Excuse me. - Give me a sec.

Thanks.

Laurel.

I'm so sorry about your father.

Listen, after everything that you've been through,

it's completely normal.

I'm so sorry.

My father had a lot of friends.

He saved a lot of lives.

He was a very important surgeon.

And you loved him very much.

It feels like there's a hole inside of me.

Hm.

- Is your father still...? - Uh, no.

No, he's not.

I guess I was expected to speak at the funeral,

but, you know, it just didn't feel right.

I mean, my father knew I loved him.

Why should I have to tell all those people?

Besides, Leah told everyone how wonderful he was

and how he took us to ball games

and he taught us how to swim.

And took you to the museum?

Every Sunday.

That was our special time.

While Leah went shopping with Mother,

we went to the West Side.

And then we went to Bellini's.

It's not there anymore.

My father would order calamari, and I would get...

What?

What is it, Laurel?

Last night

I remember

that the calamari wasn't nearly as good as Bellini's.

There was too much breading.

Okay, so you went to dinner last night.

Do you remember where?

We were sitting at a bar.

With the man who attacked you.

And there was a soccer game playing on the TV.

Do you remember what you drank?

Vodka probably. That's what I always drink.

Okay.

Sounds terrible, doesn't it?

Like I'm some kind of drunk?

So, Laurel, can I ask you a question?

Sure.

Has this ever happened to you before?

You mean have I been raped?

Well...

This cheetah, right?

The cheetah in the Nat Geo video.

All the eyes on Madison Avenue. They're all...

They're all predators.

Don't you ever feel like prey?

No. No, I don't.

You can wear a badge.

And you can carry a gun, Lieutenant.

There will be a moment when your guard is down.

A moment of weakness.

Big fish eat the little fish,

and there's not a damn thing we can do about it.

We're all prey.