Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series)

Gone (2006)

Diane Neal: ADA Casey Novak

Photos 

Quotes 

• Arthur Branch : [upon finding out that Jason is missing]  Why the hell wasn't Jason King in protective custody?

  Donald Cragen : His parents volunteered to take him out of town.

  Arthur Branch : With Nick Pratt and Doug Waverly out on bail? It was just a matter of time before they found out where Jason was. Is SVU tight?

  Donald Cragen : As a drum, sir. There's no way the leak came from my people.

  Arthur Branch : And I doubt it came from Casey. That leaves Liz Donnelly's office.

  Casey Novak : I'll notify her.

  Arthur Branch : No you won't. Not yet.

  Casey Novak : You're not suggesting that she's...

  Arthur Branch : The leak? Of course not. It's just that her people are the only ones I can't vouch for. You know, if she stops the trial now, double jeopardy attaches. We can never try Pratt or Waverly on these charges again.

  Donald Cragen : Well, can't you read Jason's grand jury testimony at trial?

  Arthur Branch : Not unless we can prove he's been harmed. Fourteenth Amendment gives Nick and Doug the right to face their accuser.

  Casey Novak : If we don't find Jason soon, I'm gonna run out of witnesses.

  Casey Novak : Get some more. Keep our case alive. Stall as long as you can.

• Judge Elizabeth Donnelly : Arthur? Casey?

  Casey Novak : We need to talk to you.

  Judge Elizabeth Donnelly : In the middle of a trial? I don't think so.

  Arthur Branch : The defense had their ex parte moment.

  Judge Elizabeth Donnelly : In chambers, not my living room

  Arthur Branch : This is different. Can you step outside a moment.

  Judge Elizabeth Donnelly : [Donnelly steps outside]  Why the cloak-and-dagger routine?

  Arthur Branch : We couldn't take the chance your house was bugged.

  Judge Elizabeth Donnelly : Bugged? Why would anyone want to bug my...

  Casey Novak : Jason King, our star witness disappeared last week. We have evidence he was kidnapped but we can't prove it.

  Arthur Branch : The leak's not in our office Liz, or SVU. Whoever took Jason had to find out where he was from somebody that works for you.

  Judge Elizabeth Donnelly : You think I have a mole in my office and you didn't tell me?

  Arthur Branch : My orders. If Jason's still alive, and the kidnappers find that we're on to them, they could kill him. We couldn't risk it.

• Detective Elliot Stabler : [after getting the results of the tire tracks]  Roadmaster Excelsiors, Used on any one of a couple dozen compacts.

  Detective Olivia Benson : It doesn't match our boys. None of their families own anything smaller than a C-Class Mercedes.

  Detective Elliot Stabler : And there was no sign of a struggle in or around the house. Jason must've known whoever came to get him.

  Casey Novak : It had to be Nick and Doug.

  Donald Cragen : Houdini couldn't make people disappear like these guys can.

  Casey Novak : How the hell did they find where Jason was staying?

  Detective Elliot Stabler : Are you saying they found out from us?

  Casey Novak : Why are you hanging around here when you should be looking for Jason?

  Detective Elliot Stabler : We're not hanging around, we've been busting our asses!

  Casey Novak : Jason is missing, and Nick and Doug are going to walk unless you call in the troops to find him!

  Donald Cragen : All right, look, we call in the troops, and everybody finds out Jason is gone. Now, you wanna think about that for a second or just keep playing you blame game?

  Casey Novak : [softly]  Is that was this is ? A game?

  Casey Novak : [Novak walks away. Stabler goes to follow but Cragen stops him] 

  Donald Cragen : I've got her.

  Donald Cragen : [Cragen follows Novak into his office] 

  Casey Novak : [voice breaking]  I told Jason everything would be okay.

  Donald Cragen : You don't know for sure that isn't.

  Casey Novak : We both know something bad happened to him. He trusted me and I let him down.

  Donald Cragen : Beating yourself up isn't gonna help us find him any faster.

  Casey Novak : You're right. If this gets out, I won't have a case. We have to keep it quiet.

  Donald Cragen : What's the next move?

  Casey Novak : I have to tell the D.A.

• Casey Novak : [after being ordered by Donnelly to produce Jason]  We're in trouble.

  Arthur Branch : I heard. We can't bank on the police to find Jason.

  Casey Novak : Any advice?

  Arthur Branch : Well, when under attack, circle the wagons. Go back to your office, Casey. Relax. Breathe. Then meet me by my car at 6:00.

  Casey Novak : We going somewhere?

• Donald Cragen : [about Jason]  You didn't kill him, Casey. He was dead the minute he got caught in cousin Nicky's web.

  Casey Novak : We have Jason's body. Let's get him some justice.

• Donald Cragen : [to Novak]  We had to arrest all three of them. You made the right call.

  Casey Novak : I swung for the fences and struck out.

  Donald Cragen : It was a ballsy move. You bought us time.

  Casey Novak : Yeah, until the D.A. finds out and filets me like a catfish.

• Arthur Branch : We could sure use a mistrial here, Liz.

  Judge Elizabeth Donnelly : Unless you can prove Nick Pratt and Doug Waverly bugged this office or that they murdered Jason King, you haven't got grounds for a mistrial.

  Casey Novak : We're out of witnesses.

  Judge Elizabeth Donnelly : I know, Casey. And I don't like it any more than you do, but I can't play games with the law. If you can find Jason by tomorrow or show me that he's met with foul play, I'll grant a motion to have his grand jury testimony read to the jury. Otherwise, there's nothing I can do.

• Judge Elizabeth Donnelly : [to Novak]  That liquid lunch isn't going to change what happened.

  Casey Novak : Yeah, but it'll help me forget.

  Judge Elizabeth Donnelly : You played the hand you were dealt.

  Casey Novak : I had to look Jennifer Durning's parents in the eye and tell them that their daughter would never get justice because I let Nick Pratt and Doug Waverly get away with murder.

  Judge Elizabeth Donnelly : Well, that wasn't your fault, but it will be if you let them get away with another one and don't try to stop it.

  Casey Novak : We haven't found Jennifer, so what makes you think Jason's gonna be any different?

  Judge Elizabeth Donnelly : Because whoever planted that bug in my office knows what happened to him and you are going to find that person if you have to interrogate everyone who works in that courthouse. Trial's over, Casey. Put the gloves on for round two.

• [Nick, Doug and Jason are in court being arraigned] 

  Oliver Gates : This is preposterous.

  Judge Alan Ridenour : No one asked you yet, Mr. Gates. Bail?

  Casey Novak : The People request remand.

  Oliver Gates : And the defense moves for immediate dismissal of all charges. The People can't even make out the basic elements of a crime, Your Honor. Jennifer Durning has a history of running away.

  Casey Novak : Once, when she was 14.

  Monica Bradshaw : They can't prove she's dead. They still don't have the body.

  Judge Alan Ridenour : Is that true, Ms. Novak?

  Casey Novak : Yes, Your Honor.

  Judge Alan Ridenour : Then on what basis were the defendants arrested?

  Casey Novak : A tip to the police hotline saying that Mr. Waverly was leaving the country. Detectives arrested him boarding a chartered plane to Rio De Janeiro.

  Monica Bradshaw : Which is not a crime, and where my client's father was taking him on legitimate business for his produce company.

  Casey Novak : And from where, conveniently, we'd never be able to extradite him.

  Judge Alan Ridenour : [to Novak]  Do the People have evidence that a rape or murder took place?

  Casey Novak : More than enough to guarantee an indictment.

  Judge Alan Ridenour : Well, care to share that with us, Counselor?

  Casey Novak : We have a videotape of the defendants serving the victim alcohol just before she disappeared. Now, beyond that, the People are not prepared to divulge anything further.

  Dave Seaver : They have nothing, Your Honor. You can't prove murder without a dead body or rape without a live victim.

  Judge Alan Ridenour : I'm familiar with the laws of evidence, Mr. Seaver. On the charge of endangering the welfare of a minor, the defendants are released on their own recognizance.

  Casey Novak : Your Honor, move that the court seize the passports of all three defendants.

  Judge Alan Ridenour : So ordered. However, until the people secure indictments, I have no choice but to grant the defense motion. The charges of rape and murder are dismissed.

• Detective Elliot Stabler : [reviewing the case with Novak]  Okay, we know Jennifer went to the dance club with her friend. She left the dance club at 11:30 with Nick, Doug and Jason. She came back to her hotel room right before 1:00 a.m.

  Casey Novak : Okay, so she goes up to her room, she gets the mystery phone call and then she leaves again at 1:14.

  Detective Elliot Stabler : Right, for the last time. After that, there's no sign of any of them until Nick and Doug turn up at the Bayside diner and call the precinct about their car at 3:19 a.m.

  Casey Novak : You know, Jennifer's hotel is in Midtown, right? Middle of the night, no traffic, Bayside diner's a 15-minute trip from there.

  Detective Olivia Benson : Gives them more than two hours to kill Jennifer, dump her and the car.

  Detective Odafin 'Fin' Tutuola : Get to the diner, grab a cup of Joe, report the Chevy stolen

  Detective Elliot Stabler : Maybe it was stolen.

  Detective Odafin 'Fin' Tutuola : A '71 Chevelle? At today's gas prices?

  Detective Olivia Benson : Look, we checked every cab in the city, including gypsies. Nobody drove those kids to that diner.

  Donald Cragen : There's over a thousand places in Queens alone they could've dumped Jennifer and the car. We don't even have a place to start.

  Arthur Branch : [Walking into the precinct]  You can start by thinking about what the hell you're doing before you do it.

  Casey Novak : [to Stabler]  Here we go.

  [to Branch] 

  Casey Novak : I tried to reach you, your secretary said you were giving a speech.

  Arthur Branch : You guaranteed an indictment on the record in open court?

  Casey Novak : I had no choice.

  Arthur Branch : We're gonna be lucky if we don't get sued by those three boys for false arrest.

  Donald Cragen : We know they did it, Mr. Branch. We've got DNA, witnesses, videotapes.

  Arthur Branch : Without a body or a confession, arresting them today makes us all look like idiots. Now, find the girl or flip one of these kids before their lawyers find out what we've got on them.

  [Branch walks away] 

  Detective Elliot Stabler : Flip them? Their lawyers start crying every time we get near them.

  Casey Novak : We have more than enough evidence for warrants to swab them for DNA. Maybe that'll scare one of them into giving it up.

• Casey Novak : [to Jason]  Nicky and your so-called friend Doug blamed the entire thing on you. They're trying to screw you to the wall to save themselves. Don't let them.

• Casey Novak : Both boys said the same thing: Jason raped Jennifer and then he masterminded her murder.

  Dave Seaver : And you believe them?

  Casey Novak : They're the only ones talking.

  Dave Seaver : I can't make Jason talk to you.

  Casey Novak : Well, if he doesn't, he's gonna spend the rest of his very long life in prison.

  Dave Seaver : I told him that.

  Casey Novak : What did he say?

  Dave Seaver : He'd jump off the Brooklyn bridge before he'd rat out cousin Nicky.