CHAPTER 17 Why Did You Leave Me, Daddy
Mac, Ella, and Stewart walked into Chief Atkins office. The Chief looked up from his desk, surprised to see Mac and Ella and a gentleman he did not know. The Chief greeted Mac and Ella and turned to shake hands with the other man.
“Chief, I would like to introduce you to Stewart Baker.” Chief Atkins eyes brightened with surprise. “Chief, this is US Marshal Stewart Baker.” Chief Atkins looked stunned and very confused. “Have a seat Chief, this is going to take some explaining.”
A short while later Wally and Adam arrived at the Chief’s office, and soon after Toney, who had been notified to report to the Chief, was escorted in by two uniformed officers.
“What’s going on?” Toney wanted to know. “Am I being arrested?”
“No,” Mac replied. “But, your life has been threatened, as well as everyone else in this room. Have a seat, Toney, and I’ll explain.”
Mac again went through the entire scenario. “We have never been confronted with an intelligent, psychopathic serial killer before. The question gentlemen and Ella, is how do we handle this, and remain safe.”
As Mac finished his statement, Stewart spoke, “It is evident,” He began. “I have been working with this situation now for several years and it has taken this long to even get close to Colton and Denise. To have one of them in custody is indeed a major accomplishment. Our best source of information at this point is Denise and I think it is up to me to get her to talk.”
“I agree,” Chief Atkins said. “Wally, have her brought down to an interrogation room and let’s get started.”
The interrogation room was a bland room, no decoration at all. It had a wooden table and several chairs in the center of the room. There were windows high up on one wall to allow light to enter, but as far as a view outside, only the sky was visible. There were two doors on opposite sides of the room. One led out to a hallway, from which Denise is brought to the room. The other door led into an observation room. The observation room was setup with a platform built to allow observers access to several small window up next to the ceiling to view and hear what was taking place in the interrogation room. The other two walls had framing to simulate windows which served to mask to actual observation windows. Everyone and everything was in place and Denise was brought into the room.
She was placed in a chair facing the wall with the observation windows. The windows to the outdoors were on her right. From the observation windows, Adam looked at what he remembered as a beautiful, seductive woman, but who now appeared disheveled, unkempt, more like a scared child. She also appeared to have been crying. Denise sat at the table, wringing her hands, breathing very shallow, in anticipation of an interviewer coming through the door. Adam thought how this was much different than when he was confronted by a priestess, with a vast knowledge of the use of hypnotism and powdered forms of hallucinogenic drugs to subdue those she wished to control.
Denise waited. She looked all around. She reached her hand to the rungs near the base of the chair she was sitting in. Pulling on the rung, she felt it move slightly. A quick firm pull and she felt the rung break.
Denise’s attention quickly turned when she heard the door open. A deep breath, a loud gasp, and a terrified look came over Denise as she saw her father step through the door.
Stewart walked directly to the table, his eyes fixed on Denise, as she hung her head, refusing to look at him. He moved the chair at the table as if preparing to sit down,but stood stoically beside the table, fixated on the form in front of him that he knew was once his daughter.
“Hello, Denise.” Stewart said. He remained quiet, possibly expecting a response. But there was no response. Denise turned to her right in her chair, raised her head and stared through the windows at the sky above.
“Hello, Denise.” Stewart once again said. Still, there was no response. “Your mother said…”
He was quickly cut off as Denise spun around in her chair, her eyes full of fire and a totally different evil look upon her countenance. “Don’t you speak of my Mother!” she yelled at him. The wide eyed fiery glare slowly subsided, and she turned back to once again stare out into the blue sky.
“You are going to hear me. You are going to talk to me. You are going to help me find Colton.” Stewart yelled back at Denise.
In the observation room, Mac quickly stood, but Chief Atkins reached out taking him by the sleeve of his jacket, and lifting his hand to Mac, as a sign of ‘it’s okay.’ Mac sat back down. Adam shifted nervously in his chair.
Everything was quiet in the interrogation room. Stewart sat down in his chair. He looked at Denise, and he looked out to the blue sky. “It’s a beautiful day.” He said.
I remember days we would go down to the Mississippi and go fishing, or swimming. One day we paddled around the edge of the water in our boat in Boot’s Cove, gigging frogs. We took them home, cleaned them up, and your mom cooked the legs for our dinner. You were so proud, because you had provided dinner for the family.”
Denise didn’t answer, but just kept staring into the sky. A small bird lighted on the window sill. “See that bird, Daddy?” Denise asked.
“ Yes I do.” Stewart replied
She turned in her chair to directly face him. “That bird is free. In Louisana, all I wanted was for my Daddy to be free. To be home with me, to go to the river, to bring dinner home, to tuck me in at night. But my Daddy had lied. He was not at home with me because he lied. All I want now is to be free.” She slowly reached down to the rung on the chair that she had broken earlier. She completed the break of the rung and stood rapidly raising the jagged sharp end of the rung into the air. She plunged the sharp end into her chest. Her eyes widened, she took a deep breath, and fell to the floor.
A stunned silence filled the room, then all rushed to Denise. She had no pulse, no breathing. Stewart fell to his knees at her side. He cradled her in his arms and cried.
The investigators gathered back in the Chief’s office. A brief discussion of tactics and the search for Colton began.