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“She’s not autistic. She suffered some kind of traumatic brain injury when she was young. It left her without communication skills, plus she has a few other physical issues.”
“But nonverbal is nonverbal, right? The cause doesn’t matter. It’s how to bridge the gap.”
“Fair enough.”
“Hang on. I’m Googling.”
D.D. could Google. But it felt nice to sit here and let Alex do it. She heard a crash in the background, then Alex muttering, “Slow down,” to their son. Based on the ensuing noise, no decrease in activity actually happened, which made it just like usual. God she was homesick. When had she, a proud workaholic, become such a sap? But yes, she’d give anything to be with her husband and son right now.
“Picture boards,” Alex announced abruptly. D.D. pulled herself together, hastily wiping at her eyes. “Or really, apps on iPhones and tablets with pictures grouped by category. Skimming quickly, it sounds like some people who can’t recognize or speak words can still identify pictures. So, just because your girl can’t say ‘apple’ doesn’t mean she can’t point at a picture of an apple.”
“Pictures,” D.D. murmured. She closed her eyes, feeling like an idiot. “Of course. She gave me a drawing of the demon. She can communicate with pictures. How do I get one of these apps?”
“You can order them, but the site I’m on wants you to log in as a speech pathologist or something like that. You know what, start with your smartphone. The emojis on the text screen.”
“Which are already grouped by emotion, object, food, animal. Interesting.”
“Then load up on paper and markers. I know you can’t draw.”
D.D. nodded. She didn’t have an artistic bone in her body.
“But maybe she can,” Alex finished.
“That makes sense. At least it will get us started.” She tilted her head, considering. “How do you conduct a forensic interview of a minor utilizing only pictures? First, you have to establish competence. Give me an example of a truth. Give me an example of a lie. Then there’s the matter of not leading the child, meaning I can’t ask yes-or-no questions. Again, how do you do that when pictures are the only form of communication?”
“I’m afraid I can’t help you with that, love. Now you are going to need an expert. But remember, there’re many ways to use witness testimony. Maybe, given the limitations, conducting an interview that meets the highest legal bar of court testimony is impossible. But she’s hardly the first witness who, for whatever reason, can’t. A judge might still be willing to accept yes-or-no answers from a nonverbal witness as adequate grounds for, say, a search warrant. Something of that nature.”
“Which might lead us to evidence we can use in court.” Okay. D.D. was starting to get a plan together in her mind. “How’s the home front?” she asked wistfully, just as another crash sounded in the background.
“Pretty much the same as always,” Alex observed.
“Sorry I’m away for so long.”
“You kidding? Quality time with the wild child? I’ll have you know Jack and I have perfected our burps and moved on to farts. Be glad you’re away.”
“Well, when you put it that way.”
“Sounds like you’re onto something major,” Alex said more quietly.
“I think so. Certainly much more than a single cold case involving a single predator.”
“You have a current murder, you said?”
“Last night.”
“In other words, your investigation is starting to spook someone.”
“I think more than someone. I think someones.” D.D. looked around the room the motel owner hadn’t wanted them to be staying in anymore. For a reason she couldn’t explain, the hair prickled at the back of her neck. “Whatever’s going on here, I think it’s been going on a long time, maybe even longer than fifteen years. And it’s not Jacob Ness. Or at least, not just Jacob Ness. It involves this entire community in one way or another. Town this small, even those who claim they don’t know, know something.”
“They just haven’t wanted to see,” Alex finished for her. “Except now there’s a squad of outsiders, poking the bees’ nest.”
“Exactly.”
“Be careful,” he warned.
“Always.”
“Come home safe.”
