Chapter 7

Nate returned to the station frustrated and confused. What was wrong with Ashley? Where did all the weird stuff come from? She had never done anything like that before. Was she trying to be some kind of psychic or something? Nate couldn’t connect the beautiful and polished woman he knew with the frail woman ranting strange things.
“What do you make of Ashley?” Nate asked Eric as Eric walked past his desk.
“I have no idea. You know her, is that like her?”
“Not at all. She’s never done that before. That’s the first time she’s seen a dead body since her husband and son died. Maybe she was thinking of them and reacting to that.”
“You’re probably right. On the other hand, the way we found the girl did suggest she’d been running away.” Eric laid some pictures of tire tracks on Nate’s desk. “These tire tracks also suggest that someone drove away quickly. We have molds down at the lab to try and identify the make and model of car. It’s possible that they stopped and the girl got out and ran away.”
“And then someone just killed her for that? It seems plausible but why would someone take her in the first place and then kill her so quickly?” Nate raked his hands through his hair and leaned back in his chair.
Loud voices reached Nate’s ears. He looked around Eric to see a rather round man standing behind the desk yelling at a uniformed officer. The officer was making attempts to calm the man down but they didn’t seem to be working.
“I want some answers and I want them now!”
The officer responded a voice to low to hear.
“Where is the detective in charge of my daughter’s case?” The man ignored the officer and began searching the desks beyond. Recognition dawned on Nate. This would have to be Daisy Brandt’s father. The morgue had just left a message stating he had positively identified the body and would be heading over to talk to Nate and Eric.
Eric realized the same thing. “Showtime,” he said.
“Mr. Brandt?” Nate asked approaching the man.
“Yes, who are you?”
“I’m Agent Zimmerman and this is my partner Agent Walker. We’re in charge of your daughter’s case.”
“And my wife’s?” The anger seemed to dissolve into pain.
Nate couldn’t even begin to imagine what this man felt. He had never lost anyone close to him. Even his parents were still alive. He found himself wishing for Ashley. She would understand this man’s pain and be able to talk to him much better. Nate pushed the thought aside. Why was he thinking of Ashley again?
“Yes, we are also working on that case. The two are being combined now and we have a lot of people on the job. I assure you that we are doing everything we can to find the man or woman responsible for your wife and daughter’s murder.”
The large man began to cry; his broad shoulders shaking with grief. Nate glanced down to the photos he had of the wife and daughter. Both of them had long brunette hair and very bright green eyes. Nate rarely saw such beautiful green eyes and both mother and daughter looked like a copy of the other. Nate couldn’t help but note how the large man next to him didn’t seem to fit with the pair he was looking at. He was clearly out of shape and wider than he was tall. He had a few extra chins and his eyes looked puffy even when they weren’t filled with tears. However, the man wore a Rolex watch and a very expensive suit that Nate couldn’t identify the brand of, he just knew it was more than a month’s salary. Nate also recalled that the wife was found murdered next to a Mercedes Benz sedan. Some married for looks, but many married for money. Could this man have been possessive enough to murder his wife and daughter?
“Mr. Brandt, we’d like to ask you a few questions.” Mr. Brandt looked up at Nate but didn’t bother to wipe away the tears rolling down his cheeks. Bright red splotches added to the man’s round face. He’d make a good Santa Claus if he changed his hair color from dirty blonde to white. Nate suppressed a smile.
“You can call me Harvey. I’m sure I’ve answered most of the questions already so you can write this down now. No, I did not have an affair. No, my wife and I were not fighting. I’m aware of how different we look. People tell us that all the time but I love…loved…my wife and my daughter and I wouldn’t do anything to harm them.”
“Where were you…”
“I was at work when my wife was in the accident. If you check the phone records you’ll see that we were on the phone right as she got hit. She said she would call me back after she called the police and exchanged information with the person she hit but she never got back to me. That’s when I called the police.”
“Did she say anything about the accident?” For some reason that bit of information was not in Nate’s notes. Occasionally the local police were territorial about things and information but Nate couldn’t imagine them actually wanting to work this case themselves. This was too big and would require way too much manpower. Nate was already wishing he could pass it along to someone else.
“Only that the guy just pulled out in front of her and cut her off. I know she dropped the phone so she could control the wheel and avoid him but I heard the crunch. She picked up the phone right after to say that she and Daisy were okay but then nothing.”
“Did you hear a gunshot?”
“No, she’d already turned her phone off by that point.”
“Did she happen to mention a license number or make of car?”
“No, she was going to get the guy’s information,” Harvey paused and looked up at the ceiling. Nate remained silent, waiting. “Wait, I do think she said it was an SUV. At one point she cursed at the big SUV that pulled out in front of her. That was right before the accident. My wife doesn’t like SUV’s and insists that we both drive very safe cars.” A small smile tugged at Harvey’s mouth and for a second Nate thought he could see why such a beautiful woman might actually fall in love with this large man.
“Do you remember anything else about the accident? Anything else she said?”
“I think that’s it. After she cursed at the SUV she said she would call me back and then the phone went dead. I figured she hung up on me. I didn’t give it a second thought until she didn’t call me back. That’s when I called the police to see if they had investigated the accident...”
“And your daughter was with her?”
“Yes, they were probably running errands. My wife home schools. We thought it best for Daisy. She, um, got picked on a lot at school so my wife thought it best to keep her home. She’d been doing really well these past two years. She had been a bit chunky like me.” Harvey shrugged and laughed. “Guess you could see that, huh? Anyway, she’d slimmed down quite a bit. Jenny kept her on a better diet. She had been in gymnastics. She was doing so well.” Harvey paused and rubbed his face. His pride in what his daughter had accomplished and his grief at their loss were evident. Still, Nate had to ask.
“Mr. Brandt, I must ask you this. Did you kill your wife?”
“Absolutely not! Why would you even ask me that?”
“I have to ask Mr. Brandt. I also have to ask if you murdered your daughter?”
“Are you crazy? No, I have never laid a hand on my daughter or her mother!”
“Was there any reason you would want them dead?”
Nate was pushing the man’s buttons, seeing how he would respond, seeing how angry he would get. Harvey’s knee was shaking and his arms were turning white as they held the arms of the chair. He looked as if he wanted to wrap his arms around Nate’s throat and squeeze tightly but he didn’t move. He breathed slowly and relaxed his grip on the chair. “Agent Zimmer was it?”
“Agent Zimmerman.”
“Fine, whatever. I did not murder my wife. I did not murder my daughter and I did not have anyone kill them. I was just called in to identify my daughter’s body and now I come here wanting to know what you know and instead you’re asking me if I’m guilty. I would appreciate it if you were out looking for who actually did kill my wife and daughter.” The words came out in a very controlled manner. Harvey Brandt had had practice at keeping his emotions under control.
“Do you know anyone who would want to harm you or your family?”
“I run a successful carpeting and tile business. I don’t make many enemies. I can’t imagine who would want to harm Jenny or Daisy.”
“Were they your only family?”
“I have a son in college from a previous marriage. Jenny was my first true love. My first marriage ended rather quickly. We were young and stupid but Jenny… Jenny and I hit it off right away. We got married and she was pregnant just six months later. We were so excited and when Daisy was born… Well, it was magical. We wanted more children but we just weren’t able to get pregnant after that. Daisy was our world. I don’t know what I’m going to do without them.” Harvey dropped his head into his hands and sobbed.
“Mr. Brandt, I promise you that we are doing everything we possibly can to find the man responsible for this crime…”
“Do you know what happened to my daughter?”
“What do you mean?”
“How did she die? I know that my wife was shot but no one said how my daughter died. Do you know?”
“We’re waiting for the autopsy report.”
“Was she hurt?” Harvey asked. Nate’s puzzled look must have registered for he continued, “Was she um, raped?”
“We don’t know the answer to that yet.”
“Will you tell me? When you find out, will you let me know?”
“I can do that, Mr. Brandt.”
“Do you have any more questions for me?”
“No, you’re free to go. Just be sure to stay within reach in case we have more questions for you.”
“Okay.” Harvey Brandt stood from his chair, extended his hand to Nate for handshake and turned to leave the building.
“I don’t think he did it,” Eric said from behind Nate. Eric had listened to the entire interview but had stayed silent. He was observing Harvey’s reactions and emotions.
“I don’t either. I can’t imagine he’d have any ties to the other girls but let’s run a background check just to be sure.” Nate was frustrated by the lack of leads and lack of evidence. He needed that autopsy report to find out what happened to the girl and he needed to find it soon. One girl dead didn’t look good for the other girls missing. This case was getting more serious and more complicated by the minute.
“Let’s call the coroner and see if he’s done with the autopsy. Maybe that will give us some idea of what’s going on,” Eric said.
“Better yet, let’s just go. If he hasn’t started then we can join him. I don’t want this taking any longer than it has to.” Nate grabbed his suit coat and headed out of the office with Eric on his heels.
The trip to the coroner’s office was short given the time of day. The lunch rush was over and the streets were clear. Nate pulled into the parking lot, climbed out of the car and headed into the building.
“Ah, Nathan, I’m not surprised to see you here so quickly. Mr. Brandt was in just a little while ago and he said he was on his way to you. Come, come, I have something to show you.” Dr. William Folek had to be approaching eighty years old but yet still he showed up every day to do his job; the same job he’d been doing for the last fifty years. Nate knew his gait had slowed and his skin had wrinkled but Nate knew his mind was clear and he was the best at what he did.
“Thank you, Dr. Folek.” Nathan and Eric followed Dr. Folek back onto the autopsy room. The stench was both repulsive and sterile. The air was much cooler. Nate knew it was to refrigerate the bodies and keep them from decomposing too quickly. Nate couldn’t help but notice the white sheet covering a body falling too short of the end of the table. No one that small should be on this table.
“Nathan, you know I’ve seen a lot in my life but I hate when I see this. This poor girl.” Dr. Folek shook his head as he pulled the sheet back. Daisy’s face looked pale and blue, her eyes closed, her mouth upturned in a small smile. The horrors this child had faced before her death were unfathomable.
“What happened to her?” Eric asked from behind Nate. Nate knew Eric wouldn’t stop any closer. Eric had two daughters of his own and the last thing he wanted to see was Daisy’s tiny body on the table.
“I’m sorry to say but this little girl was raped repeatedly before her death. Her body shows a great deal of recent trauma but death was by strangulation. I have a clear set of fingers around her neck and peticial hemorrhaging in the eyes. The fingers are large enough to be a man’s which fits with the trauma I’ve found.”
“Any trace evidence?” Nate couldn’t bring himself to say “sperm”.
“I may have found some but it’s quite degraded. It looks like there were multiple donors and that in itself makes a mess.”
“Multiple donors? Any idea how many?” Nate couldn’t comprehend how one man could take advantage of a little girl let alone a number of them.
“I can’t tell how many but I would guess somewhere upwards of ten.”
Nate thought he might be sick. This was worse than he ever could have imagined. He had to change the subject. “Anything else you can tell us?”
“It also appears that she had been cleaned.”
“Cleaned?”
“Possibly before the murder, possibly after but someone scrubbed her. The small amount of trace I did find was inside the uterus thus the degrading. I’m not sure you’ll get anything from it.”
“And under her nails?”
For the first time, Nate noticed a small glean in Dr. Folek’s eyes. “I did find some trace under her nails and I have sent it on to the lab. Hopefully there will be enough for DNA.”
Nate certainly had his doubts but he said a silent prayer that there would be some. How anyone could do this to a little girl was beyond him. But whoever could do this had to be stopped and now Nate knew it wasn’t just one man but many. How much worse could it get?