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“So,” said Olivia, bum shuffling across the floor. “What we got?
Amanda pulled her thumb out her mouth with a pop. “Barbie. Ballerina. Some sick son of a witch took--” Her voice cracked. She shoved her thumb back in.
“I thought you'd quit.”
“Yeah,” Amanda said around her digit. “But take a look at that and tell me you don't want to start yourself.”
She peeled back the muslin cloth.
Olivia peered closer. “Gosh.”
Amanda nodded. “She was in plié position. Now she’s in pieces.”
It was a Barbie. Or what was left of one.
Both legs were severed at the hip joints. A purple crayon had been violently scribbled across her face in a jagged smear. Her hair, oh, her hair, was a shredded nest of plaits, knots, and glitter glue. Someone had attempted a topknot. Then given up. Then maybe chewed on it.
Olivia raised a fist to her mouth. Nauseous. She needed to be winded.
"Get Melinda over here.”
“She's on time out. She kept waking up the babies during nap time.”
“Get someone, Amanda. Anyone.”
Olivia wiped her nose with her sleeve, turned, and looked out over the playroom. A vast land of soft mats, foam tunnels, and small furniture. Somewhere out there, a criminal crawled free.
Fin toddled in, fell on his face and got up. “Got something, Liv.” He handed over a piece of paper, slightly soggy.
Olivia squinted. “What is this?”
“Photo fit of the perp.”
“It looks like a Cheeto smudge with glitter.”
Fin pointed. “Star sticker. Top corner.”
Her face went pale. “You don’t think--?”
Fin nodded. “Yeah. Same one who chewed up the Where’s Waldo book. He’s escalating.”
Sonny appeared beside them, pulling out his pacifier. “Barbie wasn’t even age appropriate. What was she doing here?”
Olivia sighed. “We talked about this, Carisi. Judge the crime. Not the victim.”
Sonny looked like he had been struck. His lip began to wobble.
“I know, I know!” she said quickly. “It’s okay. Just, find him. Before he goes full peekaboo.”
Sonny nodded gravely. “We may need to revisit the book. It could hold clues.”
Fin frowned. “The Grown-Up put it on the Top Shelf.”
Sonny sighed. “We are gonna need some stacking blocks. We will have to see Barba.”
Olivia shoved him over. “Go. Go do that.”
Fin and Olivia watched him crawl away.
“Are you kidding me?” said Rafael, shaking his head. “You think McCoy is going to let me get some of his blocks? After the last fiasco?”
“We had no idea Amaro would pinch the perp, Barba. He promised us that he would use kind hands.”
Rafael opened up his flip phone and began pressing buttons, giggling at the lights and beepy noises before remembering Sonny was watching. He pulled it closer to him with a suspicious look. “Still my turn.”
Sonny held up his palms. “I just want the blocks. I promise.” He paused. “The Barbie, Rafael. She came with a Chelsea doll.
“Okay?”
“We think Chelsea’s missing,” Sonny said.
Barba froze. “Barbie’s little sister?”
“She’s not in the doll bin. Just… gone.”
A long pause.
Barba sighed. “Fine. Take the blocks. For Chelsea.”
Amanda crouched low in front of the shape sorter. Across from her, Tasha jammed a square into the star slot and scowled when it didn’t fit.
“Tell me what you saw,” Amanda said.
Tasha shrugged, tried the same square again, harder. “I seen him round snacktime. But I was due a change.” She popped the block back out and shoved it into the triangle slot. “Didn’t see after that. Maybe Mason knows.”
Amanda scribbled on her notepad, tongue pressed to her cheek. “Mason who?”
Tasha ignored her, humming, finally sliding the square into the right hole with a satisfied grunt. She looked up sharply. “Look, I’m busy, okay? I gotta hand this over soon. Sharing is caring.” She shoved the sorter closer like that settled it.
From across the playmat, Mason crawled over on all fours, dragging a teething ring in his teeth. He plopped down, yanked the crayon-scribbled sketch from Amanda’s hand, and studied it upside down.
“Yeah. I seen someone like that. Round blocks corner. He was chewing.”
Amanda leaned closer. “Chewing what?”
Mason didn’t answer, already crawling back toward the foam tunnel. Over his shoulder he called, “I think I heard one of The Grown-Ups call him Carl.”
Carl?
Finally. A solid lead.
“That him?” Olivia asked, peering through the Wendy House window. “Carl? I know he likes to eat his boogers. But book chewing? Barbie breaking? ”
Fin looked over at Sonny, who looked like he had taken a blow. “We got the book and… we found…”
Fin patted his head. “Just tell her.”
Sonny sighed. “It had boogers on it.”
Olivia reeled, like she'd been slapped. She punched the side of the Wendy House. “The sick freak…”
She turned and looked through the window where Carl looked like he didn't have a care in the world. Just sitting laughing at his own feet. Did it even matter to him that he had just ruined a set?
Carl looked up, smiled, waved his foot at her.
Her eyes narrowed. “Charge him.”
“What are you doing?” Olivia asked Rafael softly.
He turned from where he was stacking teddy bears in a row. “Jury selection.” He glanced back “Fair. Balanced. Non-drooly,” he muttered. He held up a rubber duck. “What’s your bias?” He hurled it aside.
“Who is defence?”
“Rita. Sonny asked Buchanan but he won't play with us because he says we are mean to him all the time.”
“Well. You did throw an airplane at him last time.”
“Because he wasn’t doing the game right!”
He turned from her and began fastidiously arranging the jury once more. He picked up an Action Man and studied it for a long moment before throwing it.
“This isn't a good look for us, Livvy.” He gestured out towards the daycare. “The Grown Ups are already upset about the Amaro situation. And gosh knows our unit needs the good press. Especially after--” He paused and swallowed.
“You can say it,” said Olivia, she turned, eyes suddenly watery. “After Elliot's mommy stopped bringing him.”
“I shouldn't have… That was different. Elliot got kicked out for fighting. Nick has hit way less kids,” answered Rafael. “Amaro will be back. I'm sure of it. Rita said she seen him covered in spots so it's maybe just the pox.”
She rubbed at her nose. “Maybe.”
“I'm on your side, Olivia. Ever since you gave me your juice box that day. That means something to me.”
“You like blackcurrant the best,” she sniffed.
“I do.”
“But this isn't about sides, Rafa. It's about justice.”
Rafael stopped and looked at her. “I got a chewed-up book, a mutilated doll, a missing sister, and a witness who hasn’t even gained object permanence. This… might not end the way you want.”
She took a deep breath and touched his arm. “I have faith in you.”
Rafael smiled, sadly. “I just hope it isn’t misplaced.
Elana belly-flopped into court, one shoe on her hand. “Court is now in session! My tummy is itchy.”
Rafael and Olivia exchanged a long, solemn look. Barbie could’ve been anything. A doctor. A horse rider. A vet. A chef. A mommy. A space explorer. A conductor . So many possibilities.
Carl chewed on a tambourine at the defence table while Rita tried to pry it loose without losing fingers. Even now. Even now he wasn’t taking this seriously.
Rafael stood and waddled up to the jury: a solemn row of teddy bears and one Paw Patrol.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,” he said, voice quivering, “I have… poo-poohed my pants.”
Elana squinted. “There will be a short recess while the prosecution has a diaper change.”
“That’s not fair!” said Rita stomping her foot. “I want to go first.”
“No, I go first?” Rafael said, adjusting the sleeve of his onesie. “I always go first. Because my mommy says I am the most specialist little guy!”
Rita stared at him, took a huge breath, then flung herself backward, kicked her legs, and held her breath.
Rafael pointed. “Drama tactic!”
“Counsellor, you will stand up right this -- no biting our friends!”
Rafael began to cry, holding his arm. Olivia bum-shuffled fast. But Sonny got there first. He held out the flip phone. Barba took it and clutched it to his chest like a comfort blanket.
“I’m not your friend anymore,” he muttered to Rita.
“If we’re done?” Elana sighed. “Proceed.”
Rafael huffed. “Permission to approach the defendant?”
“Just don’t poke him this time.”
Rafael crouched in front of Carl, who was trying to fit a square block into a round hole.
“Carl… are you a bad baby?”
Carl didn’t look up. “Nu uh.”
“Yu huh.”
“Nu uh!”
“Yu huh!”
Rita sprang to her feet. “Objection! Rafael is badgering the witness and hitting him with a rattle!”
“Sustained! Watch yourself, counsellor.”
Rafael narrowed his eyes. “Carl, did you or did you not wedge Barbie’s legs into the sandbox?”
Amanda whimpered and shoved her thumb in her mouth.
Carl didn’t blink. “Sonny put them there.”
Everyone gasped.
“No, I didn’t!” protested Sonny. “He’s a liar liar pants on fire.”
“I put it to you, Carl, that you not only placed Barbie’s legs in the sandbox, you not only chewed up the book but you put Chelsea in the potty.”
The crowd gasped again.
Carl glared at him. “Nu uh!”
Rafael tottered backward and shook his head. “I’m bored, I want to skip to the bit where I talk to the jury.” He spun round. “This isn’t just about one doll. It's about following the rules. Without law, we are chaos. Carl must be held accountable. Or tomorrow it’s Polly Pocket. Next week, Elmo.” He walked up to Chase from Paw Patrol. “Ask yourself… what if it was your doll?”
He turned. “Prosecution rests
Rita glared at him while chewing a crayon.
Elana stood tall. “This has been one of the most harrowing cases of my career. And with that, there is only one verdict I can possibly hand down. And that is--”
“Elana,” said the Grown-Up. “Your mommy’s here!”
“Wait, wait!” she cried as she was scooped up. “I was about to--”
The Grown-Up hefted her up on her shoulder and began to walk to away.
"I don't wanna gooooo...." Her voice faded down the hall.
Silence fell.
Olivia clutched Rafael's arm. “Is it…?”
He nodded. “Mistrial.”
Rafael and Olivia sat beneath the snack shelf, backs against a soft wall.
“She deserved better,” she said.
“She could have been dentist,” Rafael whispered.
They sat in silence. Across the room, Carl eyed the doll bin.
Rafael closed his eyes. “It’s a broken system.”
Olivia nodded. “But we’re gonna keep crawling.”