Chapter 49

For some reason Brian expected a dilapidated, ghost like Victorian structure on a hill like the Bates Hotel. Not at all. Brandon had grown up in a quaint, two story home nestled in the woods, probably built just after the depression. It had a big front porch, and remnants of flower beds along the walkways. The property was over grown, but in its day,  Brian thought with surprise, It might have been a lovely home.

Inside the same, neglected now, but once a home. Damien had sold off most of the furniture and any belongings that might have gave him a few dollars. But shadows of a family's life remained. There was a broken wooded table in the kitchen, and curtains still hang in the living room windows. Closet and drawers were empty. A couple of ancient receipts, A spare button a few pennies, and three rusted paper clips Brian found in one kitchen drawer.

Brian unfolded the receipts. One was for gas at Garner's he could barely make out the price of the gas, in the faded ink. The other receipt was for a package of cloth diapers.

He put the receipts back into the drawer and moved on. The only bathroom sat on the main floor. and three bedrooms two dormers upstairs  and one down stairs, they were empty except for a few pieces of furniture that had been not in so good shape to sell. Half the basement had looked to be finished off to be another bedroom, the floor had carpet  with indention's where a double bed had sat, and a broken nightstand was sitting against the wall. Grandpa's room. Brian thought, but wasn't sure why.

"Phil wandered in as Brian tugged open the nightstand drawer. An old bible sat inside.

"Anything?" Phil asked.

"Not really." He said picking up the bible.

Phil let out a long breath. "If Brandon was gonna come here, he would have done it already. When he  killed  Damien. Maybe. He wouldn't come back now."

"Unless he is planning to bring Sarra here."

Phil shook his head. "He's gotta know we were watching it."

Brian thumbed through the pages of the bible. The first page was missing, torn out. He frowned, trying to think what was on the first page of the bible... an inscription or dedication, maybe? Owners name?

His phone rang. "Fuller", he said setting down the Bible.

" Hey this is Gonzo." The Panama city agent  with the skinny glasses. "Where are you?"

" Over at the house Brandon James lived in. Damien's property."

"Good sheriff Parker just put me on a lead  a guy who knew Brandon back when. Wanna come?"

"Say where."

Where was a nursing home home ten miles from where they were on the way toward panama city.

"Its Tim Watts, the guy who was sheriff whe Brandon's little sister disappeared." Gonzo said. leading them down a wide sterile hallway. In the last room on the right Tim Watts sat in a wheelchair his fingers tapping on the arms. A big man once upon a time he had lost his bulk to inactivity of the chair. His jaws hung empty, his skin blue veined.

"Don't underestimate him." whispered Gonzo, giving the old man a wink. "He will chew you up and spit you out."

Brian smiled Sure enough the old sheriff's eyes were sharp as tacks. "Sheriff Gonzo," Brian said and shook his hand. He was surprised by the strength in it.

" You are FBI?" Watts asked but didn't wait for an answer. "You look like fucking FBI."

"Not anymore sir." Brian said. "But I am consulting with the task force. This is Lieutenant Phil Mead, Panama city PD." Greetings done. "You were working when Brandon James was a kid?"

"His little sister disappeared on December 14, 1991. I got the call at two thirty. It was a Saturday. I was cleaning up  my yard, getting ready for a reception the next week for my daughter's wedding."

Brian glanced at Phil, then at Gonzo, who smiled. " Told ya."

"What can you tell us about Brandon?"

"I can tell you that he was from a fucking freaky ass family."

"We just stopped by the house, it looked pretty normal to me.'

"That is the point everything looked normal. A single mother taking care of her son and baby girl, and also her father for a while. Then the girl disappears one day while Brandon was in the woods. Mom whispers in my ear that she thinks Brandon hurt the baby, Brandon keeps saying his mother hated Christie."

"They pointed the finger at each other?" Brian asked.

"Like I said freaky."

"What about the grandfather?" Phil asked.

Watts shook his head. "He was a mean old bastard for as long as I can remember. No surprise he scared Brandon's father off, and then the boy who looked at Colleen twice." He paused, his eyes searching for memory. " You know there was talk that Colleen had been pregnant once before, that Brandon was her second baby."

Brian frowned. That was something that they haven't heard yet.

"It was just a rumor. The James's were pretty private, reclusive almost. Rumors went around."

A third child, older than Brandon. The wisp of a thought went through Brian's mind while looking at the family Bible floated back into range. That is what is usually on the first page on a family's bible. Dates of births and deaths.

Huh.

" At any rate," Watts continued getting back to Phil's question. "The old man was sick a long time, cancer  I guess, and died just after Christi was born. Colleen went a little nuts after that.. saying Christi inherited problems from grandpa. But she wasn't one for doctors. Truth be told. I think Brandon's the only held things together after that, until his mom called it quits."

"Did anyone ever suspect Colleen's death wasn't a suicide?"

" You mean could a fourteen year old boy have gotten away with murder? Brandon was smart enough. There was a school counselor who actually suggested that. But from the evidence."...He shook his head.." It looked like suicide."

"School counselor? Could we still talk to him? Or her?" Phil asked.

" Her name was something like flower, like Rose or Daisy. No. Iris. That's it. Iris Bankes. But she turned missionary in the Philippines or somewhere, traveled all over places. I tried to reach her about 15 years ago when her cousin told me she was killed in a car crash, and couldn't do it."

Dead end. Brian thought. But he would check anyway.

"Wouldn't matter though." Watts continued. "Brandon wouldn't of shared any deep secrets with her. He didn't like her."

" Why not?"

" Before Christie disappeared, Iris called children services to go check on her. She claimed the baby wasn't being cared for properly."

" Did children services ever look?"

" Yup. Christie was fine. I mean she was born early, was a tiny thing and maybe not coming along as fast as most babies. But there was nothing to make authorities take her away."

Brian glanced at Phil. There has to be a record of that, anyway. "So it was a freaky family, but there was nothing that pointed to abuse or violence?"

Watts took a deep breath, a measured one, like he was trying to do without coughing. "Look, believe it or not, Brandon James was a good boy. Pretty good student, quiet kid. When Christie disappeared he was devastated."

"So what do you think happened to her?"

Watts sucked in  his teeth. "One of the thousands we will never know."

"Okay." Brian said. But frustration gnawed at him. "One more thing, Do you know of any reason Brandon James would have it in for Damien that owns the gun shop after all these years?"

The sheriff's eyes narrowed for a spilt second . That was all it took. " Something happen to Damien?"

"Uh, we just found him shot to death up at his gun range."

"Oh lord." He rubbed his hand over his face then finally looked up. "Damien turns up dead, I think I would look somewhere other that Brandon."

"Like where?"

"You ever met Damien's wife?"