She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes again. “That’s when I met Willy. He was helping me stay alive on the streets. I didn’t realize how scary it would be living on the streets, but with Willy there I was okay. I wasn’t scared.
“Then Willy was killed and I was alone. Some of Daren’s friends found me. Daren was the guy that tried to rape me. They dragged me to a warehouse. While I was being held in a warehouse with about thirty drunk and stoned idiots partying around me, some guy storms in and tries to drag me out of there. Halfway to the door someone shot him in the head, killing him instantly. Turns out that guy was a cop… and my father.”
“Zach was your father?”
“That’s what they tell me. I had no idea who he was, but he was pulling me out of there so I went with him.”
She squeezed her eyes closed to hold back the tears.
“Everyone ran out of the warehouse so I was able to get away. I was back on the streets and alone. Willy was gone. I couldn’t go home because I was afraid Daren would hurt my mother.”
She wiped her face with her hands. “Turns out it was all for nothing.” She sucked in a sob. “My mother was killed two days ago.”
“Oh my God, Katie. I’m so sorry.”
“She was my best friend. I loved her so much. I was trying to protect her and now she’s dead. It’s all my fault. Zach is dead and it’s my fault.”
“No, it’s not. The only person at fault is the person that killed them.”
“If I didn’t run away he wouldn’t have been in that warehouse. I would never have known who he was. He would never have known he had a daughter. A very stupid daughter. He would be here making wedding plans with Dani. I would have been home when they came looking for me. They would have no reason to kill my mom. I have no one left. All I have is a recurring nightmare of that night in the warehouse where a man I never met is killed trying to save me. Only when I wake up, he’s standing over me. But it’s not the same man. It’s his twin brother and he’s trying to help me.”
“Wow. Just wow,” Trisha exclaimed, and sat back. “Your life really does suck at the moment.”
“I told you.”
Trisha took her hands. “Katie, none of this is your fault. From what you said it’s this guy Daren’s fault.”
“I shouldn’t have run away.”
“Probably not, but you were only trying to protect your mother. Nobody can blame you for that.”
“Dani should. Jake should.”
“But they’re not?”
“No. They’re trying to help me. Probably just for Zach, but they’re trying to help me. I’ve been staying with Dani. Jake is right next door.”
“I think you should let them help you. I don’t know, Jake, but Dani needs to help you. It’s the kind of person she is.”
Katie wiped the tears away. “She’s not very good at it.”
Trisha laughed. “She’s a quick learner. She’ll get better.”
“I want to help them find whoever shot Zach, but I can’t remember anything that happened after he was shot.”
“I thought you said Daren shot Zach?”
“No. Daren and Zach were yelling at each other. Zach started to pull me out the door. Someone shot from behind us. It could have been Daren, but I don’t think it was. I don’t think he had a gun. No matter who it was, Zach was shot from behind. He didn’t have a chance.”
“You don’t know who had a gun that night?”
She shook her head. “Nobody pulled one out while I was tied up waiting for Daren.” Katie got up and grabbed their garbage.
“Are you sure? When you have thirty drunk, stoned, idiots in one place one of them is bound to do something stupid. If one of them had a gun, I’m sure he would have pulled it out trying to act cool.”
They headed back to the squad room. “If one of them did, I didn’t see it. At least I don’t think I did.”
“Maybe you should try being hypnotized.”
“Huh?”
Trisha took her arm, pulling her into the bathroom. “Katie, two years ago my mother was killed. I saw who did it, but I couldn’t describe him. I couldn’t remember what he looked like. My dad brought me to a psychiatrist. He hypnotized me. I was able to explain everything that happened. They caught the guy two days later. He’s now on death row.”
“I’m sorry. Do you miss her?”
“Every day. But my dad’s been great. It was a rough first year, but we worked it out.” Trisha brought her in for a hug. “And so will you. Your mother would want you to go on. She’d want you to be happy.”
Katie stepped back. “Maybe someday. Right now I think I need to be sad. I need to help find out who killed her. If you think a hypnotist can help, I’ll talk to Dani and Jake. See what they think.” They left the bathroom. “Somehow I get the feeling they won’t let me do it.”
“Why not?”
“They’ll think they’re protecting me by not making me remember.”
“Oh, I think they’ll be worried about you doing it, but I also think they want this guy bad enough to let you try if you want.”
“We’ll see.”
CHAPTER 24
DANI AND JAKE WERE COMING out of the captain’s office when Katie and Trisha returned to the squad room.
“We should be heading over to the Chartels. They’re expecting us at seven, and I’m hungry. We can grab something on the way.”
“Give me a minute with Trisha.” Dani motioned with her head for Trisha to join her in her office. “Grab Wilson and fill him in. I want him with us.”
“We have to bring Katie. Don’t you think having Wilson there also will be a little overwhelming for them?”
“Probably, but he needs to be included. I’ll explain it to them.”
“Okay, if that’s the way you want to play it.”
“It is.” Dani headed to her office, closing the door behind Trisha. “Is she going to be okay?”
Trisha smiled. “I have no idea. She says her life really sucks right now and I have to tell you I agree with her.”
“So she talked to you?”
“Not at first, but I got a few things out of her.” Trisha sat in the chair opposite Dani. “She blames herself for both her mother and father’s death. You’re going to have a tough time getting her to stop that.”
“Yeah, we figured that.”
“I think you letting her help find out who did it will be a big help. She needs to feel useful.”
“That’s not a problem. She is useful. I can make sure she knows how much.”
“She also feels alone. She knows you’re trying to help her now, but she doesn’t know what’s going to happen once you catch the guy.”
“We’ve told her we’ll always be around for her.”
“She probably heard you. She just doesn’t believe it. She’s probably thinking once you get the info you need, you’ll get too busy for her. Honestly I thought that after my mom was killed.” She sighed. “Dad was working a lot. I thought he forgot about me for a while there, but suddenly he was back. He took interest in my life again. But it was a tough few months.”
“Yeah, I remember that. It was Zach that noticed what was happening. We both had a talk with him.”
“Thank you. I really needed him. Katie really needs you and Jake now.”
“Make her feel useful and make sure she knows we will not forget about her once we find this guy. Anything else?”
“From my personal experience I would say don’t lie to her and keep her in the loop about what’s going on. I know it hurt me when I asked my dad questions and he ignored them or changed the subject without answering.”
“Got it. Thanks for talking to her. I really appreciate the input.”
“Anytime. Believe it or not I do remember that you were there for me when my mother was killed. Anything I can do to help you help her, all you have to do is ask.”
“Did you exchange numbers?”
Trisha got up. “Yup. If you think she needs to talk to som
eone that’s not you or Jake, remind her she has my number.”
Dani got up, following her out the door. “Thanks again. Maybe when this all settles down we can have one of those movie nights we used to have.”
“I’d like that.” Trisha headed to the captain’s office.
Dani headed for the door, rubbing a hand across Zach’s picture as she went. “Wilson, Katie, you’re with us. Let’s go.”
“But…”
“No buts. Let’s go.”
Slowly they got up and followed Dani and Jake out. Dani flipped the keys to Jake so he could drive. In the car, Dani turned to face them. “We’re going to talk to the Chantels. One of the girls that was killed looks like the twin to their daughter, Melissa. We thought it was Melissa until they confirmed it wasn’t.”
“How can that be?” Katie asked.
“That’s what we’re going to find out. Since you’re both working hard on this case, I thought you’d like to be in on the interview. Four of us walking in is going to be a little overwhelming for them, but I think you should be there.”
“I don’t have to go in,” Katie said. “I can work on my laptop in the car while I wait.”
Jake grinned. “Yeah, right. You’re not leaving our sight, kid. Not until we find Daren anyway.”
“We’ll stay in the background,” Wilson declared. “Don’t worry about us.”
“Jake, you’re lead,” Dani told him as they walked up to the door.
“Yes, ma’am.” He laughed as he knocked.
Mrs. Chantel answered quickly. She scanned all of them before focusing on Dani. “Four of you? This must be really important.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jake answered. “We think it could be. May we come in?”
She stepped back to allow them to enter. “Sure. I’m sorry; I’m running a little late. I just got in. Please have a seat. Just let me check on Melissa. I’ll be right with you.”
She led them into the family room and waited for them to sit before heading up the steps.
Walking through the house while they waited would have been rude, but Dani wanted to do it. She wanted to get a feel for these people. Looking around the family room gave her what she needed though. They are a family that loves each other. She could tell by the pictures on the wall. She could tell because the room was comfortable and looked lived-in. She would have bet her last paycheck that a family with two surgeons would be stuck up and standoffish. Looking at this room they are anything but that.
Mrs. Chantel came in less then five minutes later. It seems she took the time to change from her tailored suit into jeans and T-shirt. “Sorry, sorry. As I said I’m running a little behind.” She stood by the entrance to the room and blew out a breath. “Can I get you anything? Coffee, tea, soda?”
“We’re good,” Jake answered. “Will Mr. Chantel be joining us?”
“Oh, didn’t I tell you? Sorry. He’s also running late, but he called me from the car. He should be here in about ten minutes. We can start if you want. He’ll catch up when he gets here.” She sat on the chair opposite Jake.
Jake didn’t want to start without Mr. Chantel, so to stall he asked, “How’s Melissa doing? Has she gotten over the shock yet?”
“Actually, she’s been quiet. I had her stay home from school today. I stayed with her until about two o’clock, but I couldn’t miss a meeting at the hospital this afternoon. If she doesn’t open up by the morning, I’ll take her to see someone.”
“Maybe sitting in on this meeting might help. Katie is about her age. Maybe they can talk for a few minutes. Speaking to someone her own age about what she’s feeling might help. It might help her to know what we’re doing to find out who our Jane Doe is.”
Mrs. Chantel looked at Katie, then back to Jake. She shrugged. “Sure, it couldn’t hurt. Katie, her door is second on the left. Why don’t you go see if she’d like to sit in on this.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
When Katie was gone, she asked. “Why is a sixteen-year-old involved in this?”
“She’s had a rough few days herself. One of the deceased was a friend of hers. We thought it might take her mind off her troubles if she helped to find out what happened to him. It seems to be working.”
She stood up. “If you say so. I need a cup of coffee. Excuse me.”
Dani stared at her back as she left. “She’s trying to be strong, but this little situation is getting to her.”
“Maybe talking it out will help her, too.”
Mr. Chantel came through the door as Katie and Melissa came down the steps. “Sorry I’m late. Did I miss anything?”
Jake stood, extending his hand. “No, sir. We were just about to get started.”
Mr. Chantel shook his hand and greeted Wilson and Katie as Jake introduced them. Mrs. Chantel came back in with coffee, soda and cookies on a tray. Mr. Chantel kissed her cheek and took the tray from her. Dani’s original thoughts of a loving family were just confirmed. She felt a pang of jealousy for a moment, but quickly dismissed it.
When everyone was set with their drinks, Jake spoke, “We appreciate you taking the time to talk with us. I’m sorry, but the direct route is the best way to go here, so I’m just going to get right to the point. Mr. and Mrs. Chantel, are you one hundred percent sure you do not want to lay claim to the girl you saw in the morgue yesterday?”
Mr. Chantel squeezed Mrs. Chantels hand as they both said at the same time. “I have no idea who she is.”
Dani raised an eyebrow at their responds. For a second she thought maybe she got it wrong about them, but quickly changed her mind. You could tell it wasn’t a rehearsed response. They just happen to think alike.
“Then we have a problem. The DNA test you agreed to came back today. There is a 99.7% match to our Jane Doe and to you. Both of you. Sorry to say, but you are her parents.”
“What? No!” Mrs. Chantel gasped.
“How can that be?” Mr. Chantel asked as he put his arm around his wife.
Jake looked at Melissa before he asked his next question. He hoped with everything in him that she knew how she was conceived. “Did you happen to use a fertility clinic about seventeen years ago?”
They both moved their eyes in Melissa’s direction.
Mr. Chantel answered, “Yes, we did.” He jumped up. “Do you think they stole our samples? They can’t do that.”
“No, sir. They can’t.” Jake looked at Melissa. “Is it okay to continue this conversation in front of Melissa?”
Melissa stepped up to stand next to her parents. “I know all about how I came about. I’d like to stay if that’s okay.”
Mr. Chantel put his arm around his daughter. “What’s going on, Detective?”
“We’re not sure. But we’re going to find out. What was the name of the clinic and who was your doctor?”
“We had another daughter,” Mrs. Chantel whispered as she held her hands over her chest.
“No, honey. If we did we would have loved her like we love Melissa. She would have been with us, not on the streets.”
“But her DNA matches us. How can that be?”
They both turned to Jake. “Tell us what happened back then. How does a fertility clinic work?”
Mrs. Chantel answered. “We tried for over three years to get pregnant. Finally, after we finished our surgical residency, we decided we needed a little help. We did some research and ‘Family Way’ was the best around. We went in and talked with Dr. Oberman, the head of the facility. We both had a physical. Lenny’s count was a little low, but not by much. They said it would be fifty-fifty chance it would work. We decided to take the chance.”
Mr. Chantel continued. “We set up a schedule where for three months they would harvest Helen’s eggs. After that I would go into a room and do my thing. In our case they inseminated the egg with my sperm in a test tube. We waited three long days to see if it had taken. It didn’t. We were told we had to wait six months to try again. In that time we had to limit our sexual intercourse to only when Helen
was ovulating.”
Mrs. Chantel took Melissa’s hand in hers. “We debated whether we would try again, but in the end there was no option. We both wanted a child. So after six months we tried again. This time they did it differently. They injected the sperm into me when I was ovulating. I stayed still for a little over half an hour. We held our breath the whole time. Again, we waited three days to see if it had worked. It was the most stressful three days of our life, but in the end it was the happiest day of our life.”
Mr. Chantel took Melissa’s other hand. “We got our daughter.”
The room was quiet for a long minute before Jake spoke. “Did you happen to check into if what you went through is typical for this procedure?”
“To be honest, no. We knew the basics, of course, being doctors, but we assumed that they were the pros at this, so we went with it.”
“It took the first time, didn’t it?” Mrs. Chantel asked as she looked at the floor.
“We don’t know that,” Jake answered. “But we’re going to find out.”
Dani spoke for the first time. “You’ve been a big help to us. I’m sorry that this happened to you. We’ll do everything we can to find out what happened.”
“This girl—she was living on the streets?”
“Seems that way, but we haven’t been able to ID her yet.”
Mr. and Mrs. Chantel looked at each other for a moment before he turned back to Dani. “If it turns out that she’s was alone, we’d like to take care of her, if you know what I mean.”
Dani shouldn’t have been, but that surprised her. “Are you sure? She’s not your responsibility.”
“Yes, Lieutenant, she is.”
Dani nodded. “I’ll make sure you know what we know about her.”
“Thank you,” Mr. and Mrs. Chantel said at the same time.
As soon as the door closed behind them Dani issued the orders. “Wilson, first thing in the morning I want to know everything there is to know about the Family Way Clinic and Dr. Oberman.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
As they pulled away from the curb, Katie asked, “Did someone steal their kid?”
Fatally Linked Page 19