Chapter 17
"We appreciate you taking the time to speak with us," Amanda smiled as Derek's sister, Abigail, brought a tray of lemonade and cookies. They were sitting in her living room. Amanda and Fin had made the trip to Queens while Elliot and Olivia were busy trying to get Bartoli to give them information on the sibling's father. Joe was busy digging through records to find out if the father was still alive and in the system.
"I have to admit, I wish that I didn't know why you were here. There could only be one reason," Abigail said as she took a seat in the soft plushy recliner. The two members of the NYPD were on the comfortable couch.
"You knew it was about your brother?" Amanda asked.
"I figured this day would come. My grandpa always tried to corral him, but no one could watch him twenty-four seven," Abigail heaved a sigh.
"Why don't we start with your father? Derek called him 'a piece of work' but then claimed that he left when he was seven," Fin spoke up while Amanda tried the lemonade and cookies. It was a warm welcome despite the fact that they were there to talk about her brother. Still Amanda wondered if it was the woman's mother who instilled this set of manners.
"Derek always had a skewed version of events. You know how they say that someone sees things from rose colored glasses? Well Derek's were the opposite of rose colored. A negative nelly is what Mom always called him but there was more to it. Like he viewed everything as a slight towards him, even if it wasn't. I could never figure it out. It led to a lot of arguments," she admitted. Still, it was a dodge of the original question and Amanda wondered why.
"So, your father?" The blonde steered the conversation back to the missing parent.
"Dad knew that there was something wrong with Derek. He tried multiple ways of getting him to try and shift his thinking. Problem was, Mom coddled Derek. Every time Dad tried something, Derek would go running to Mom, who automatically gave him whatever he wanted. Grandpa had to step in after Dad left," Abigail explained.
"He left because he and your mom couldn't agree on how to raise Derek?" Fin asked before going to the lemonade and the cookies.
"Honestly, Mom would never give me a straight answer. One day Dad went to work and never came home," Abigail heaved a sigh.
"Derek said that he went to your travel softball games. Did he meet you at the field?" Amanda wanted to know.
"No. That's the thing. It was like Dad dropped off the face of the planet. No cards at birthdays or gifts at holiday time. Nothing. Sure, Dad went to my games before he disappeared, but he went to Derek's games too," the woman said.
"You'll have to forgive us, but Derek said your Dad never went to his games and that you were dead. You talked about those odd colored glasses but that seems a little extreme," Fin gave her a look. The look of confusion that Abigail wore told them that even she was surprised.
"I'll admit, I haven't talked to him much since Mom died but he knows I'm not dead. He called me when he broke up with Christine. I was surprised that he'd managed to keep a relationship as long as he had but then again, he hadn't made any effort to move the relationship forward either. I mean they'd been dating for five years and they didn't even live together," Abigail said.
"Christine was raped and murdered the other day. Your brother did it," there was no good way to soften that blow and Amanda wished that there had been. Abigail's reaction was telling though.
"That's why Grandpa has been dodging my calls," she heaved another sigh and shook her head. She pulled her hands through her loose hair.
"You knew your grandfather was keeping an eye on your brother?" Fin wondered.
"Yes. He promised Mom that he'd keep him out of trouble. It wasn't an easy job and basically after Mom died, Grandpa spent almost every day keeping an eye on him. I was surprised when he told me that he'd gotten him a job in Boston but I figured it was a just a ploy to get him to forget Christine but that didn't work," Abigail said.
"Why wasn't it an easy job?" Amanda wanted to know. Everyone kept saying it, but it was like they were dodging bullets instead of words.
"Derek would get violent. Dad insisted that his outbursts were not normal for a kid his age. Mom never wanted to admit that there was something wrong with Derek. I think that was a protective mechanism. If she didn't piss him off, he wouldn't lash out at her. I never understood the behavior because my father was not a violent man. He would only raise his voice when it dealt with Derek," the woman explained.
"Violent how?" Fin pressed.
"He'd kick the wall until the drywall broke. He'd throw his toys down the stairs, not caring if anyone was on them. The dog would not go near him. One time, the school called. Derek had punched a kid in the back of the head. Dad lost it at that point. Derek was suspended from school and Dad called the family doctor, looking for direction. He dragged Derek kicking and screaming to a doctor visit. Mom couldn't stop him. Still Derek only went to the doctor's once for that, as far as I knew," Abigail said.
"And after your Dad left?" Amanda inquired.
"Well with Grandpa helping out, Derek's episodes became less so, but I never trusted that it was a permanent fix. I mean Grandpa didn't live with us. More than once, Derek lost control, and my Mom called Grandpa," the woman told them.
"What did your Grandpa do that got him under control?" Fin wondered.
"Honestly, I could never figure it out. Dad acting as the alpha-male didn't work. Grandpa did it and Derek would be mostly good for a week. I never questioned it. It was working. Still, as soon as I could, I moved out," Abigail said.
"He ever strike anyone? Kill small animals?" Amanda wanted to know.
"He tried hitting me but never Mom. I was faster than he was and could duck out of the way most of the time. I'd lock myself in the bathroom or my bedroom and he'd lose interest. One time, he came at me, and I grabbed my softball bat, which was nearby. He immediately backed down when I threatened to use it on him. Surprisingly, after that, he didn't come at me. As far as killing animals, I never saw it but like I said, the dog didn't like him," she frowned. That's when Amanda's phone rang. She excused herself and went into the other room.
"What's up Joe?" The blonde asked.
"The phone company sent over the voicemail recording. You guys gotta hear this," Joe told her.
"Ok. We'll be back soon. Is Bartoli being helpful?" Amanda wondered.
"Doctor Huang has been helping out and I think we know now what buttons to push with Derek's defense attorney. We do have a problem," Joe admitted.
"Problem?" The blonde asked.
"Boston called. They have Derek's DNA at multiple crime scenes," the newest member of the squad relayed.
"Shit," Amanda felt bad for the victims.
"We still get first crack at him but we gotta nail him to the wall," Joe said.
To Be Continued…