Chapter 3
.
8:25am
.
Joe and I spoke to the security officer at the women's health clinic. They seemed willing, even eager, to provide us with what they had on the protestors who frequently demonstrated outside the clinic.
.
9:03
We began to question some of the people on this list. The murder likely happened in the middle of the night, all of these protestors claimed they were home sleeping at the time.
.
10:35
.
Joe and I returned to the station to speak with the medical examiner. So far we had no real leads. We tried to approach this logically and dis-passionately. In the history of the anti-abortion movement there had been extremists, those who bombed clinics or shot doctors, collateral damage wasn't exactly unheard of. But in the history of the movement, noone had ever deliberately targeted women seeking abortions. Still, since the day of the dissapearences, many types of criminals began to escalate, maybe the anti-abortion radicals were doing the same thing. Or maybe the person who got Bianca pregnant in the first place was worried she would say who molested her. That could be her father, or a teacher, some random psychopath who enjoyed molesting and murdering pre-teen girls. We hoped that the medical examiner could tell us more after the autopsy. We were not dissapointed.
.
10:53
.
At our request Michael came to the station to answer some questions.
.
Bill: Thank you for coming. We were hoping you could help answer some questions, but we should remind you that you have the right to speak with a lawyer. And you don't have to answer any questions that could potentially incriminate you.
Michael: Yes, I've heard all that. Constitutional protections for the guilty, I have no need for them. Anything I can do to help you arrest the religious fanatics who murdered my daughter.
Joe: You assume it was them. That girl who gave Bianca the card, Chloe, she assumes it might be you.
Michael: What the hell else is she going to say?
Bill: Yeah, she might be biased against you, you might be biased against you, we just want the facts.
Michael: Whatever questions you have, just ask.
Joe: How did your 13 year old daughter get pregnant?
Michael: I assume the old fashioned way. Probably some 13 year old boy she was experimenting with. Neither could have fully realized what they were doing. I don't know who he was specifically, and I wouldn't want to get some kid in trouble.
Joe: The medical examiner found trace amounts of the aborted fetus in your daughter's body, and it's DNA. This child's DNA closely resembled your daughter's DNA.
Michael: This fetus would have been her child, ofcourse they'd share DNA.
Bill: Yeah, but in this case, too much of her DNA.
Michael: I don't understand.
Bill: Every child gets approximately half their DNA from their mother, and half from their father. The only way this child could have this much of Bianca's DNA, was if they both shared the same father.
Michael: You're saying I molested my own daughter? I didn't.
Joe: Then perhaps you would be willing to submit a sample of your DNA for us to test.
Michael: I'd prefer not. It's against my religious beliefs.
Bill: Actually, given the evidence we have on you now, we can compel you to give us a sample. They'll discover whether you did in fact molested her. If you want any chance of leniency, we suggest you tell us the whole truth now.
Michael: Okay. Yes, I forced my own daughter to have sex with me.
Joe: And when she got pregnant?
Michael: She was scared, confused. I convinced her that an abortion would be best for everyone. But those religious fanatics couldn't leave well enough alone.
Bill: Did you know that Bianca called Chloe Steele?
Michael: Not until after the other officers told me.
Joe: Were you scared your daughter would tell us what you did?
Michael: Yes, but I didn't kill her. I still think it was one of those Jesus freaks. I saw them.
Bill: Saw who?
Michael: One person, outside Bianca's room, they shot her.
Joe: Who was it?
Michael: I don't know, they were wearing a black robe.
Bill: Why didn't you tell us about the man in the dark robe before?
Michael: I was scared of him.
Bill: At any rate, you're under arrest for sexual molestation of a minor. You have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney, and to have one present before any questioning. If you so desire and cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you before any questioning.