To Probe A Beating Heart

by Wren, John B

  Jake arrived in Buffalo and went to a motel near his final destination. He was now Adam and the name would be used throughout this specific operation and then discarded, only to be resurrected when and if the any activity on this project came up in the future. He took out a new cell phone inserted a battery and browsed the speed dial options. He went back to number one and pushed. “Hey, it’s Adam, I’m here and ready to receive the data.” He closed his phone and opened his computer, made the appropriate connections between his cell phone and his computer and started to dial a number. The system was up and running and he watched the traffic coming in. His files were there, ready to be accessed. He sat on the edge of the bed going over them.

  Without an admission of some complicity on Averell’s part, there was no way he could be arrested and tried for any of the fifteen children that had disappeared or been murdered. It had been three days since Jim McClarry spoke to Aaron and his files had been distributed to the FBI’s offices at Quantico. Their review sparked a few phone calls to Jim at the office and at home. Even though the callers always identified themselves as being with the FBI, Jim was not certain just who was calling with the questions, but answered as best he could thinking at times that it may well have been Aaron’s people and not the FBI. Then again, they could well be the same people, Jim didn’t know. Nobody knew.

  Over the years since the Liam Rynne incident in California, the Clan had amassed a sizable source of money from a donation here and there to the proceeds of an operation where money was recovered and could be disbursed back to its rightful owners. Often there was a bit more than had to be sent back and an operating fund was established. There was enough money to run this level of operation and more. The Clan elders had to approve the use of money and this project was considered a priority.

  Through “Clan” connections, the family had access to a number of buildings of various descriptions around the country. In an industrial park in suburban Buffalo, New York a currently vacant building, originally designed as a light manufacturing plant, was made available for Adam to conduct the proceedings. It was estimated that it would take no more than two weeks to get everything that they needed from Averell, and the building would be secured for that period.

  Adam now had everything that he and his team needed, except their guest. A separate two man team would be responsible for acquiring Averell and delivering him to Adam’s team. This team would restrict their activities to that one task and they were done. The four men, including Adam, who would conduct the interrogation would be on the job the longest, perhaps one full week at most for any one of them except Adam, he would ride this out till the end. A third team would take Averell, after he was finished being interrogated, to his final destination. Adam would remain involved to be sure that the process was complete and their tracks were properly covered.

  The interrogation team assembled in Buffalo at a motel near the interstate. Adam was the lead, he would do the interrogation and be the

  prime and possibly only contact with Averell. Andrew was the back up for interrogation if absolutely necessary and split duty at the recording station with Bart. Bart’s strength was IT, but it’s use was limited. The team had the data base which Bart could manipulate and he was the primary on recording the sessions and making the edited tapes. In their first meeting, the target, Averell, was identified, everything that they knew about him was put on the table and added to the database. Then the eight specific cases that the team had assumed were Averell’s work were reviewed and the task of obtaining information was clarified. In each case they wanted to know how, when and where he took each girl. Exactly what he did with each girl and where they were today. The assumption was that they were all dead and Averell was the only one who knew where to look for them.

  The family had contacts in every city where each incident had occurred and they were alerted to be ready if assistance was needed. Adam had already requested as much information as possible on each specific case from those local police departments. A little additional information on four of the cases was tacked on to their files and all was coordinated through the data base that Jim McClarry had assembled.

  These men who were going to handle the interrogation were all very well versed in the art of questioning difficult criminals. Each had been through sessions while in the military with enemy combatants who had to be broken quickly. Information held by those people was needed to save lives, information that they were seeking from Averell was about people who were already dead. The task was not perceived to be difficult. It was simply a matter of time before Averell would tell them everything and they wanted to be done with him and get back to their lives and their families. Averell’s well being was not a prime consideration, but an accurate accounting was important. As Sean said to Jim on their first day as a team, “ we want him caught, not just somebody who might have done this, but THE somebody who DID do this.” The first order of business was to determine a questioning procedure. They decided to do a sleep deprivation process and confuse the time element. Averell would not be aware of the time of day or the day of the week. After being in their custody for a day, he may believe that a week had passed. If a week was required, then it may seem like a month to Averell. The net effect was a combination of needing sleep and thinking that he had held out for a long time and that the process would continue until he gave in. This technique worked on some hardened and well trained people and should work easily on Averell.

  The team had reviewed the fifteen possible cases attributable to an “Interstate ninety” predator and reduced the list to the same eight that the Heights detectives had been concentrating on. The limited information on the eight victims that they were going to pursue was reviewed and a circle of possible candidates for Averell’s focus was assembled. It did not take long to reduce that list to Sarah. The specifics behind his desire to kill his sister were not yet understood and may never be determined. It was sufficient for this investigation to know that she was the prime target and the similarities between Sarah and the eight victims led Averell to each one. Their objective was to establish that Averell was the predator who took Annette and get him to disclose the location of her remains. Everything else, all the other victims, were secondary to this objective. Secondary, but somehow just as important. The more the team, including the Heights people, dug into this case or the combination of the eight cases, the more each one of the victims became important to them. They wanted to find each one of them and give closure, such as it was, to each of the families.

  Coincidence is a real thing. There are cases where the occurrence of two similar events are related and others where there is no connection at all. The team did not know if the eight cases were related, but it was a logical assumption and they followed that lead. The known, or the best of the assumptions at this point was restricted to the Melissa Winton case. They intended to build backwards from that and hopefully reach Annette. The similarities were enumerated and were going to be used in questioning Averell. How would he respond to each of these and which could trigger a rapid response leading to another victim. They had eight victims, but did not know if there had been others that they did not yet identify. The list of cases that Adam’s team would concentrate on was finalized. The other six cases were outside, possible, additions. Averell Danker was a suspect and only a suspect until he confessed to one or more of these disappearances. Then, it would be a matter of eliciting as many details about each abduction as possible. Everything that he admitted would be documented and given to the FBI and the local authorities when the team had completed their task. The difference being, this team, the clan, was not hampered by rules and regulations. They could use any means that worked to question a suspect without reservation, they could bribe, tempt or torture to achieve their goal. The objective was from the beginning and remained through the process, getting the truth. An admission to a crime because of fear of torture was no good. They needed a confession and proof. That proof would come in the form of a full desc
ription of the event and locating the remains of the victim. They had to be absolutely sure that they had the right guy. Hopefully this would be obtained without too much out of bounds questioning techniques, but all options were on the table.

  When Averell was questioned initially by the authorities in Cleveland Heights, he stated that he would like to refer to the personnel log that he kept, for a number of reasons. “I track my expenses in this notebook, and other things that help me with my job.” When questioned further, he stated that he had been keeping these records since he started his job and was sure that the old notebooks were all in a box back in Syracuse.

  “We would like to look at them if you don’t mind,” George said in an interview with Averell. “What do you write in them?”

  “Well, they are kind of personal, I mean, I wrote a lot of things as I met people and did things. It helps me keep a lot of the customers that I visit straight in my mind. You know, like Bob in the Cleveland Heights distribution center is a bit of a jerk, likes hockey and his wife just had a baby, I think about a week ago.”

  “You seem to remember that alright,” said George as he watched Averell’s expression.

  “Yeah,” said Averell, “That’s the point, I read my last notes for Cleveland Heights, last night and again this morning, before coming to town, learned that from a car salesman.”

  “So could you bring them in, let us look at them?”

  “If you really want to see them, but again, a lot of the stuff in there is very personal, I wouldn’t want it to get back to any of my customers, or my boss, I think that I said some things about him too.”

  “Please, Mr. Danker, seeing these logs could help us rule you out as a possible suspect and as a possible witness. Just how many books are there?,” asked Vince.

  “Oh, I really don’t know, I just toss them into a box in my garage when I have a new one well along the way. There may be fifteen, or twenty, I really don’t know, but I will put them in my car and have them with me on my next trip this way.”

  “When do you think that would be?,” asked George.

  “Oh, I could be back here in about two weeks with them.”

  “Or, you could have someone take them to the local police station and they could ship them here, today.”

  “Well they are in my garage, and it is not locked, they are in a box labeled “Log Books,” on a shelf. As you go into the garage, on the right hand side, kinda close to the work bench, maybe the second shelf up.”

  “So you give us permission to get them?”

  “Oh, sure, no problem. Just don’t look at the mess on the bench, I have been making Bird Houses for my deck out back.”

  “Thanks, we will be careful to not disturb anything else.”

  When the interview was over, Averell thought that he had won that encounter. “You see,” he said to himself, “planning.”

  “Yeah, planning, that was a good move.”

  “My logs, well they are a bit personal, but if they can be of assistance, well then, I suppose it would be okay.” He found it amusing to pretend that the material would be embarrassing, he pretended to be concerned that the people that he had criticized might learn what he wrote about them, and he laughed to himself as he told them how to retrieve the log books, all twenty seven of them. He knew exactly how many there were.

  When the police received the shipment, they counted out all twenty seven. The logs were labeled with beginning and ending dates. The first six were numbered 1 through 6 with a marker pen. The oldest ones were well worn, some were coming apart at the sewn binding. The books were fulfilling their purpose, they were demonstrating his alibi, his continuous alibi for nine plus years, from August 1989 to November 1998, all the time since he started his job. The log books showed his travel miles, gas purchases, meals client appointments and comments. As the team reviewed each case and compared the timing with the log books, they noted that Averell seemed to be more than 100 miles away from the scene of each abduction every time.

  “It doesn’t fit,” said Bart.

  “If he was thinking about being caught some day, he could have doctored the logs,” said Adam.

  “That would take some planning,” said Andy, “Is he that bright?”

  “I think that he is,” said Adam, “and in each case he would use an extra 300, 400 or 500 miles, with his travel schedule, that would be easy to bury.”

  “I suppose,” said Bart, “but like Andy said, that takes planning. Look at the book, it looks like a log and diary all in one. He would have to do this sneaky accounting every day until he had covered his tracks.”

  “Yeah,” said Bart, “a clever little bastard.”

  “Exactly, “ said Adam, “I think he was solidifying his alibi from day one. This guy has to feel as though he is untouchable. He figures that if he cleans up all trace of his actions, develops an alibi, records it in a way that looks innocent, if the day ever comes that he is caught, he can bring these logs out and say, see here, I was nowhere near that place on that date. But what actually happened, the Heights police requested the books, that worked for Danker, He ‘reluctantly’ allowed them to read them.”

  “Crafty,” Bart leaned back in his chair and looked at Adam, “but we can use that. Once he sees that this ruse is not working, his little brick house will start to fall apart.”

  “Yeah, I think you’re right. Now I want another stick to beat him

  with, what else do we have?”

  Averell’s history from Bucharest to Syracuse and Rochester was studied. His name changes and his parent changes were identified. The team had people in Syracuse photograph the house where he grew up, the house where Ellie lived today, his high school, neighbors, stores, and of course Sarah, Ellie and Steve. They also had people in California photo Allen and his new family. There were also photos of the alleged victims and the areas from which they were taken. As they examined the current photos, Bart asked if there were any photos of Sarah when she was about six to eight or nine. Adam placed a request for additional information and within a few hours, a photo from a school yearbook in 1981, when she was eight years old was e-mailed to the team. Bart took the photos of Sarah, and each of the victims and stepped back. “Bingo, looky here y’all,” he said as he pointed at the photos. “These eight and Sarah could be sisters, they could be nine-uplets or whatever it is for nine that look alike, well almost alike.”

  They stared at the board for a few minutes and Adam said, “well we do have our link. Just as we thought, he’s been killing his sister. Should we contact her and see what we can gain?”

  Aaron looked at the pictures of Sarah and said, “No, we do not want any contact outside our circle of people. If we get what we want, we won’t need anyone else, if we don’t, we do not want any loose ends, so no contact, especially with his family.”

  Andy was poring over the paperwork and spread out several things on a table. The team sat down and the discussion continued with Bart saying, “So this guy hates his sister, wants to kill her and is taking it out on the rest of the world. Nice.” The team spent all day reviewing the information that they had on the eight prime cases and even though the others were able to be discounted more heavily now, they kept them at the ready. As the interrogation team was getting ready for Averell, they built a series of rooms in the industrial building as a stage for the interrogation. Averell would be contained in a large square ‘cell’ that was ten feet on one side. The walls were twelve feet high and four large, bright light fixtures were suspended at the twelve foot level. The door into the cell had no knob on the inside and the hinges were not visible from the inside. A second small door about two feet high and one foot wide opening to a small cubby hole was next to the door. A corridor was constructed outside leading to two doors. One door led to a bathroom with a shower, the other was for the team to gain entrance to this small layout. There was no view of the outside world from inside the suite and all was painted a bright white. Four cameras were installed in the ‘cell’ high enoug
h that they could not be reached standing on the floor. There was one in each wall and the monitors and recording equipment were controlled by Bart outside the suite. A microphone was in front of the monitors and Adam wore an earpiece. The team was busy preparing the building and rehearsing the procedure to be used in questioning Averell. They wanted to avoid physical force, depending on his own mind to manipulate him into compliance. They were going to deprive him of any view outside his cell, and withhold the time of day. His food would be limited, keeping him hungry at all times and he would not be told his whereabouts or the identity of his captors.

  “The cleaner the confession, the better and we want this to be rock solid. Anybody could make him confess to all of these abductions, but we want to be absolutely sure that we have the right guy. No questions, no maybes.” said Adam as the team was ready to begin the interrogation.

  On Thursday, September 23, 1999, at approximately 8:15 in the evening, Averell Danker was confronted in front of his town house in Rochester, New York by two men in dark suits and dark glasses.

  “Excuse me, are you Mr. Danker, Mr. Averell Danker?”

  “Yes, what is this about, and who are you?”

  “We have a few questions for you.”

  The first man took hold of Averell’s right arm and the second man

  grabbed his left arm. The first man then pulled a hypodermic needle from his pocket, pulled the needle cover off with his teeth and injected the full syringe into Averell’s upper arm through his shirt.

  Averell twisted and looked at the man with the needle, “I have nothing to say to you guys,” and he went completely limp.

  The two men “assisted” him into a black Chevrolet Suburban with tinted windows. A bag was placed over his head and handcuffs were placed on his wrists and his ankles. He was then driven to the suburb outside Buffalo, New York and handed over to the interrogation team at the industrial park, in the middle of the night. The driver and his partner were relieved of any further responsibility and were driven to a nearby motel where they went their separate ways with the simple direction, “What you don’t know, you cannot tell, so say nothing, ask nothing and enjoy the rest of your life.” The men shook hands and went their separate ways, never knowing the other’s names and never intending to see one another again.