Chapter 5
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4:04pm
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The idea that Michael might take his own life rather than go to prison as a known child molester was not out of the realm of possibilities. It also meant we would never know for certain that he also murdered his daughter, but that sometimes happened. The unusual part was that he allegedly hanged himself by jumping off the cot in his jail cell, yet his feet were hanging above the cot. One of our forensic people, Barry, gave me and Joe an explanation.
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Barry: As far as we can tell, Michael made himself a noose from his bed linens, and was able to tie it to the ceiling lamp in his cell.
Bill: So why were his feet hanging above his cot?
Barry: Because in order to reach the lamp, he would have had to climb onto the corner wall. His legs would have had to stretch and hold on.
Joe: Is that even possible?
Barry: It's not easy. To do this Michael must have been very determined to die. But when you consider the alternative, he must have had some idea what people in prison do to child molesters.
Bill: Yeah, I guess it is possible.
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4:57pm
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It was just a few minutes until our shift was over, Joe and I were talking about the case.
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Joe: Something bothering you about this case?
Bill: Maybe. Something he said, about the mysterious man in the dark robe.
Joe: He wasn't a criminal mastermind, when he saw we had the evidence against him he said the first thing that popped into his head.
Bill: Yeah, probably. The man in the other cell, said he heard Michael talking to someone before his death.
Joe: And he was so high he could barely remember his own name.
Bill: Do you think it's odd that the security cameras go off just before Michael hanged himsef?
Joe: The way they've been cutting our budget for years.
Bill: Yeah, you're probably right.
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As I left the precinct for the day I decided to stop somewhere before heading home. I went to a local church, and to my surprise I saw Chloe Steele. This time she was with an older man I presumed to be her father. She came over to talk with me.
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Chloe: Detective, are you here to question me again?
Bill: No. You were right about one thing, it was Bianca's father who raped her. We don't know for certain he murdered her, he might have commited suicide. At any rate we no longer consider you a suspect.
Chloe: That's a relief. Is that why you came here, to tell me that?
Bill: No. As a detective I've figured out that many of the people who dissapeared were more religious than most, including my wife.
Chloe: You think you might be ready to accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior?
Bill: Let's say I'm willing to listen to what the pastor is willing to say.
Chloe: All are welcome in the house of the lord. Please come in.
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I still wasn't sure what I was expecting to find in there, I'm still not sure what comes next. But for now, I'm willing to listen.