Chapter 571
SALEM P.D.
BRANDON: If there’s anything I can do to help, I will.
RAFE: We just need to ask you a few questions. You came back to town around the same time that Green and Dante did, is that correct?
BRANDON: Yes. Nicole called me one night, she was very upset, and she asked me to come as soon as I could.
BILLIE: If she was being harassed by these men, why would Nicole call you instead of the police?
BRANDON: Well, while I can’t speculate on her actions, as I’m not inside her head, I can make a decent guess. Nicole and I have always been close. Our childhood was fairly traumatic, especially for Nicole. Green was involved in part of that, and Dante bears a striking resemblance to her father, albeit several years younger than he would be were he still alive. Either way, the bond between Nicole and I has always been strong. As for why she didn’t go to the police at the beginning, and I do stress at the beginning, though I again cannot speculate on her actions, Nicole hasn’t always had a great relationship with the police.
BILLIE: We are aware of that, yes.
BRANDON: However, she and I did go to the police together after my arrival in town. We spoke with your boss, Abe Carver, and he put out a restraining order against these guys, which they ignored.
RAFE: Yeah, that’s what Nicole said, as well.
BILLIE: Would you say that you are protective of Nicole?
BRANDON: Nicole is more than capable of taking care of herself. I’ve always had a soft spot for her, she’s my sister, but she can handle herself.
RAFE: A few of our fellow officers are looking over CCTV footage from the party, and they’ve noticed that there is a brief period in which neither you, Nicole or your other sister, Taylor, are in the room.
BRANDON: Well, that doesn’t sound good.
RAFE: No. Do you have any reason why that might be?
BRANDON: Well, I can’t speak for my sisters, but I received a phone call and had to step out for a minute.
BILLIE: From whom?
BRANDON: The Horton Center. I was recently offered a job there, and they were calling to confirm my start date.
RAFE: Do you mind if we give them a call to confirm that?
BRANDON: If you feel it’s necessary, go for it. I don’t have anything to hide.
Outside, David and Carly were both exiting the police station.
DAVID: Well, this has been a crazy night, huh?
CARLY: It certainly has.
There was a long silence as they walked towards their cars.
DAVID: Hey, I was thinking, would you like to do this again sometime?
CARLY: Go to a party that gets interrupted by André and Kristen DiMera and then get questioned in a murder investigation?
DAVID: I was thinking more the hanging out with me part.
Carly smiled.
CARLY: I know, I was trying to be funny.
DAVID: I gotcha.
CARLY: And yes, I would, actually. Apart from all the craziness tonight as the evening got later, the part about dancing with you was fun.
DAVID: I’m glad.
David smiled back.
CARLY: Well, this is my car. We’ll talk soon and set up a date?
DAVID: You got it.
CARLY: Good. Good night, David.
DAVID: Night, Carly.
Carly got in her car. David watched as she drove away. Back inside, Taylor was now in the interrogation room.
TAYLOR: I only know what Nicole’s told me, and honestly, it’s not that much.
BILLIE: You’re Nicole’s sister. Surely she must have told you something.
TAYLOR: You must not know Nicole that well. Our childhood...it was a difficult time, for Nicole especially. Nicole and I aren’t what most people would call close, mostly stemming from a bunch of misunderstandings and failures to communicate on both sides.
RAFE: What about Brandon? Are you close with him?
TAYLOR: Closer than I am with Nicole. Brandon has always been the one to stop Nicole and I from fighting. He’s one of the few people Nicole will listen to, and one of the few people that can get us to stop being ridiculous with each other.
RAFE: Okay, so your closeness or lack thereof with your siblings aside, how much do you actually know about the two victims?
TAYLOR: Well, like I said, not much. I know that the older guy, Green, was my father’s business partner in the child porn industry. This Dante guy, though, all Nicole or Brandon told me was that he looked kinda like my father and that Green was trying to model him after him. The two of them were harassing Nicole, from what I understand.
BILLIE: Did they ever harass you?
TAYLOR: Nope.
BILLIE: Did they ever try to contact you at all?
TAYLOR: No. I only knew of them through what Nicole and Brandon have said.
RAFE: What about at the party? We know, obviously, that Dante and Green were there, and they were in masks. Did a masked individual that you don’t know come up to you at all?
TAYLOR: I can’t recall.
BILLIE: So, that’s not a no?
TAYLOR: It’s been a very long, intense night. A lot of people there were in masks. Is it possible that they made some form of contact with me during the night? Sure. But if they did, I didn’t know it was them. It’s not like Brandon or Nicole gave me a description of them. The first time I saw their faces was when we found the bodies hanging on the wall.
RAFE: There are a few minutes when both you, Nicole and Brandon are missing from the CCTV footage.
TAYLOR: I went to the bathroom. I mean, I can’t speak for Nicole or Brandon, but that’s where I was.
RAFE: I see. And you don’t have anyone that can back you up on that?
TAYLOR: Not unless there was anyone in a neighboring stall that I don’t know about.
Rafe and Billie glanced at each other.
RAFE: All right, we’re wrapping this up for tonight, but I have a feeling that we’ll be in touch with a few more questions in the near future, so don’t make any plans to leave town in the near future.
TAYLOR: Okay. I’ll help in anyway that I can, but I’ve already told you what I know.
Rafe nodded.
RAFE: Have a good night.
