In the end, his charming insistence had paid off and Social Services were able to find something on Danny Harrison. The problem was that said findings made Ryan question all the other things they'd discovered about the man thus far.
"So, the name was right, the age was not…", he explained, causing his partner to turn around in his chair and join him by his desktop, "He's actually thirty-three years old. According to this, a report was filed by…his mother…"
"His mother?"
Leaning in close enough that their shoulders were touching, Esposito squinted, trying to discern the handwritten notes.
"Says here his mother actually contacted Social Services when Danny was seven, asking for help. It seems that he was giving her a lot of problems, constantly lying, making up things to get attention. She was worried that he would lie to Social Security about being abused."
"That sounds to me like she's just doing damage control, bro. A typical abuser trying to water down the victim's statement. Who'd believe him after she pulled that?"
Even though his partner had a valid point, Ryan shook his head.
"Looks like they did a home visit and he accused the agent of inappropriately touching him. His mother may have not been that far off after all. Says here that three years later, he ran away from home. His mother thought he was looking for his father who lives in California but he never arrived there. Sounds like he just dropped off the face of the earth and reappeared ten years ago in New York, without anybody worrying about him in the meantime. No record of schooling, no college, nothing. Everything has been a lie. It's astounding he survived on his own for so long."
Straightening back out in his chair, Esposito clenched his jaws in obvious discomfort.
"Some ten year old kid, out alone in this world, no school, no military, nothing? What happened in those years to turn him into a monster?"
With an uncomfortable shrug, Kevin moved his eyes off the monitor and glanced over at his partner.
"It's hard to say, my friend. But for one reason or another, he picked John Normal Collins as his mentor."