"Why didn't you call an ambulance?" Fin asked, questioning the manager, Yosef.
"The girl didn't want me to. She told me to call you guys instead, then would go when you and your partner showed up."
Munch hadn't come out of the back room when Fin took the manager aside. He had called for an ambulance, but other than that, didn't take his eyes off her. His demeanor was calm, but the panic was apparent from behind his dark glasses.
"Who did this to you, Danielle?"
She didn't speak for a moment, avoiding eye contact with her uncle. After a moment, she spoke, softly.
"I was late from coming home yesterday. I had to stay after school for a project, and didn't have time to call him. When I did get home, he was waiting for me."
Munch sighed, rubbing his permanently tired eyes. His younger brother Bernard had stopped talking to him after Danielle's mother died. He tried to maintain contact with his niece, after a couple years went by, the phone calls stopped. Munch now understood why.
The paramedics walked through the door, brushing past Munch to get to Danielle. They gently removed her from the chair and onto a stretcher. He didn't watch, staring down at his shoes.
"Can I ride with her?" he asked one of the medics.
"Sure."
Munch followed them out to the ambulance, stopping by the squad car where his partner was standing.
"She okay?" Fin asked, watching as the stretcher was pulled into the vehicle.
"I really don't know," Munch replied, not taking his eyes off the stretcher.
"What should I tell the capt'n?"
"That I'm going to the hospital with my niece, and to send someone out to look for Bernard Munch. I want that son of a bitch found."
Fin nodded, then got into the squad car as Munch went to get into the back of the ambulance. He sat next to the stretcher, where Danielle was laying with her eyes closed. Without the blanket, he could see what damage was done to his niece. There were dozens of bruises on her arms, along with a couple of burn marks. He gently placed his hand on top of hers, choking back the massive lump in his throat.