Chapter three: And what about the case?
Woody comes to the lab, not bothering with a greeting. - The whole neighborhood is in this together, I'm telling you, Nigel… Nobody saw anything, nobody heard anything but the usual yelling of a couple and a bunch of kids crying. But nothing out of the ordinary, as they pointed out. How is that possible? Men coming and leaving the apartment, the pitch remaining almost the same the entire time. Three of them, at different times, from what I could get out of them. -
- And the girl? Did she saw anything? - Nigel is not in the least worried about his non-greeting friend, he's just too used to it.
- Well, it seems that Alissa, Miranda's daughter, witnessed the whole event, but she doesn't want to say a thing about it. And that is not a pleasant fact, you know? The social worker, a Mr. Jones, -he points out- is with her now, and he doesn't want me anywhere near the girl…- He is telling all this matter-of-factly, but it's obvious that he is concerned. - What did you find on the knife? - He's struggling to get his act together, but after discussing with Jordan a minute ago, he's having problems with that.
- Well, Woodrow, no wonder that you're not allowed to be near the children. You have to cool your temper, mate. - Nigel regrets his words the instant they come out of his mouth. Woody is now like a volcano bound to explode.
- Oh, really? … And WHAT ABOUT THE KNIFE?.. mate.- Exploding indeed.
- Oookay , let's see. I found some fingerprints on it. One pair belongs to the mother and other ones I'm trying to identify. Already running them through the base. The blood comes from Miranda, and beside that I have nothing much. The tox screen came out clean, and… she was pregnant.-
- What?! Another child? She already left six kids without a mother… six! And a myriad of fathers! I can't find them all! What was with this woman? She was only twenty-nine, you know? How can you leave so many children without a mother? - Lava coming out instead of words.
- Who are you angry at? The victim or the murderer? –
- Well, the killer, of course, no questions asked.-
- One can only tell… -
- What?-
- Nothing, nothing… mate.-
- Dr. Cavanaugh, this situation is pretty compromised. I already told Detective Hoyt he's not allowed to talk to the children yet. They are in a shock and we split them into pairs. We can't have them all together. You know? – Mr. Jones, the same one who was with Alissa at the crime scene, is trying to explain while they walk rather fast along a hallway. With people coming from all directions, Jordan is finding too difficult to keep pace.
- I know the circumstances are quite delicate, but the only thing I'm asking for is to see Alissa just for a moment and find out if she can tell us something, not reliving the whole thing, but something… that we can use…- Jordan keeps colliding with people along the way, but that doesn't stop her- I'm a doctor and a woman, and soon I'll be a mother, too. I think I can handle her without further compromising the state of affairs… Besides, you won't be able to give the children to their fathers if we don't know whether one of them is a murderer. They are our principal suspects, but as far as we know, there are four of them…- Mr. Jones, stops without a warning, making Jordan bump into him.
- You've got just five minutes, and I'm witnessing the meeting, OK?-
-OK, that's all I'm asking for, Mr. Jones…-
- Come with me then, I'm already on my way to check on Alissa and Luisa, her sister, from the same father I think.-
- Alissa? This is Dr. Cavanaugh; she's trying to help you, dear… She wants to know if you saw something that can help to catch the one who… who hurt your mother, baby.- This time, the one to speak is a lady, a real nice one, middle-aged, motherly attitude. Alissa is sitting in a chair in a little room, which appears to be the lounge of a modest, nice house. Jordan and Mr. Jones are sitting in similar chairs, opposite the girl.
- I don't want to say anything, Mrs. Riddle. I don't…- Alissa is frightened and reluctant to talk. She keeps glancing to the window, from where you can see a little garden and a play yard, and another girl who resembles Alissa a lot, but she is a little younger and has light brown hair, contrasting the almost black of hers.
- Is that your sister, sweetie? – Jordan is pointing to the girl in the yard. – She's really beautiful, and you two are very much alike, you know?-
- Mhm? – Now she's a little bit less afraid although she's not talking yet.
- I would have loved a sister when I was your age, you know? It would have been better to be with someone who would understand me. I was only ten when somebody killed my mother… that is the most awful thing that has ever happened to me… - The girl is really interested in what Jordan is saying, and looks at her with eyes open wide. - All my life I was afraid of sharing this feeling with other people because I thought nobody would be able to understand. But, you know what? I was wrong. You have to trust other people; you can be surprised how often they share the same fears. They understand and they can help you. - Jordan is talking in a warm, sad voice, and she seems to be absorbed in a memory, her eyes full of tears that are threatening to find their way out. She holds them back and waits for Alissa to answer.
- I saw everything… - she finally says, in a very small voice that you had to be very quiet to hear.
- Yes, dear? And what was it? – asks Jordan
- I saw him stab my mom…- she cries and Mrs. Riddle embraces her.
