Forced to Kill

Harv stepped forward. “Ms. Dalton, you’re one of the bravest women I’ve ever met. I mean it. I’m not just saying it to patronize you.”

“I don’t feel very brave right now. I’m scared for my girls.”

“We’re going to find them. Do you know if Duane was in Washington when your kidnapper forced you to contact him?”

“No, he was in Eastern Europe, at one of his job sites. I don’t know exactly where.”

“How long ago did you make that call?”

“I think around three days. I’m not sure how long I’ve been here. They kept me in there the entire time except to use the bathroom.”

“Have you been in contact with Duane since?”

“No. But he talked to the girls. I heard them talking through the ceiling. They sounded really scared.”

“When was that?”

“Yesterday sometime.”

“Was that the last time you saw your kidnapper or your girls?”

“Yes.”

“Did the man say anything about where he was going next?”

“No, but I overheard bits and pieces of their conversation. I’m sure I heard San Diego a few times. Is any of this going to help you find them?”

“Yes, absolutely.” Harv paused to think for a moment. “I have one more question about your ex-husband. You said he only saw his daughters on occasion. Did he ever come out here to see them?”

“A few times.”

“Okay, now do you have any idea where Duane usually stayed when he came to San Diego?”

Nichole thought for a moment. “He stays in a really big house in the Lomas Santa Fe area. I think it’s a friend’s.”

“Have you ever been there?” Harv asked.

“Three or four times. Just to drop off or pick up the girls. Never inside.”

“Can you tell us where it is?”

She took another drink of water. “I only remember turning onto El Camino Real from Via de la Valle. It’s a few miles up.”

“Is there anything about the property that stands out? Anything you remember?”

“I don’t know.”

“You’re doing fine.” Harv paused. “Think you can re-create the step-by-step process you went through when the kidnapper made you call Duane?”

Nathan knew Harv had purposely changed directions. Debriefing often employed this method. New memories could trigger older ones.

“I think so,” she said. “He set up the video camera and connected it to his laptop. He made me call Duane and then made him connect to a Web site so he could see me. Then he took the phone. I couldn’t hear what Duane said.”

“What did he say to Duane?”

She shook her head. “I was so scared. I don’t remember.”

“I want you do a breathing exercise with me, okay? Close your eyes and take a deep breath. I want you to let it out slowly. We’ll do it together.… Breathe in deep, and let it out slowly. Let your pain recede into the background. Listen to my voice and picture a dark blue color, like a twilight sky. Take another deep breath and let it out slowly. See the twilight sky in your mind. Let’s take another deep breath together. Let it out slowly. Deep breath. Out slowly. One more time.”

Nathan watched Nichole’s expression ease. Atta boy, Harv. His partner was so good at this kind of thing that even Grangeland’s expression seemed to ease.

“Keep your eyes closed and picture the twilight sky. Concentrate on my voice. Take another deep breath and let it out slowly.” Harv’s tone had taken on a soothing, melodic cadence. Nathan found himself deep breathing with Nichole. “Rewind your thoughts. Go back to the call. Picture yourself as you were at the time and see the event as it unfolds. He took the phone from you and spoke to Duane. What happened next?”

“He said something about being attacked, asked if Duane knew about it.”

Harv waited.

“He wouldn’t let Duane ask any questions. He shocked me with a stun gun to make Duane talk. It was horrible. Duane said something to him and he covered me with a sheet.”

“What happened next?”

“He said he’d keep his men away from us if Duane cooperated. He held a box of condoms up to the camera. I was so scared my girls were going to be raped.”

“I know this is painful to relive, but you’re helping us a lot. What happened next?”

“He brought my girls into the room. He told me he’d kidnapped them, but he never let me see them. Before that, I could only hear them upstairs. They were so scared. He taped my mouth closed.” She began to cry again.

Nathan shook his head at Montez’s cruel methods.

Harv continued. “Keep you eyes closed. What happened next?”

“He said he didn’t care about Duane. He wanted someone else.”

“Okay, I want you to keep your eyes closed. Take another deep breath and let it out slowly. Everything you’re remembering will help us find your girls. Let’s drive to the house in Lomas Santa Fe together. You turn north on El Camino Real and go up the hill. Do you remember crossing any streets with stop signs? Anything like that?”

“Yes, we went past a stop sign, but I don’t know the street’s name.”

“Don’t worry about that. What does the house look like?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen it. Duane didn’t want me to drive up.”

“You can’t see it from the street?”

“No.”

“So you drop the girls off at the driveway and they walk up to the house?”

“It’s a safe neighborhood. Duane meets them at the top of the driveway.”

“The house is above the street?”

“Yes.”

“What does the driveway look like? Is it asphalt or concrete?”

“No. It’s made of bricks.”

“Bricks? Or pavers? Maybe interlocking pavers?”

“Yes, pavers.”

“Does the property have a fence?”

“Yes.”

“A rail fence?”

“Yes. It’s white.”

“You’re doing great, Ms. Dalton. Is there an electric gate to get in?”

“Yes.”

“Which side of the street is it on?”

“The right side.”

“Okay, picture the entrance in your mind. You pull up to the driveway and stop. The electric gate is on the right. The girls get out. Can they walk around the gate?”

“Yes, it’s just to stop cars.”

“Is the gate white too?”

“I don’t remember.”

“What else do you see? Does the entrance have anything architectural? An arch, maybe some stone columns? Anything like that?”

“A stump.”

“Stump? What do you mean?”