Investigation - Part 8

After a longer time Steven Otto returned to his office and home in Texas, gathering up all the materials he had and trying once more to get in contact with Mike Noose. Fin's brother proved elusive as ever.

Steven Otto had settled after a few days and was chasing other possible witnesses. He also updated Kenneth Loesing.

Steven started his day with breakfast with his family. It was good to be back. They had missed each other. After dropping off his granddaughter at school he went to his office and noticed immediately something was wrong. Steven was sure he had locked his office, when he had left the previous night. The door was open and it seemed somebody had searched Steven's files, but nothing was taken. Steven wondered what it had been all about. He didn't go to the police, since everything was in place and if he hadn't been conscious he wouldn't have noticed someone had rummaged through his paperwork. Whoever had been there had been very careful not to disrupt the looks of the office too much.

Steven was just settling down behind his desk, when his phone rang. It was a man, called Scott Manrique. He claimed he had heard from Patches Sigrist Steven was looking for witnesses that Fin Noose had been abused as a child. "Mr. Noose and I are childhood friends. If you are still looking for testimonies I'm willing to give you one and what I know about Fin's treatment by his parents." "I would be very grateful in fact." Mr. Otto was surprised Mr. Manrique was in town, so meeting was easy. "I'm bogged down by business, but I have tomorrow afternoon off. Can we meet at my hotel?" "Sure."

Scott Manrique was El Salvadorian American. He had grown up in Miami and went to the same school as Fin. Originally Scott's twin brother Jacob befriended Fin and the two had been closer than Scott and Fin were. Scott's and Fin's relationship changed again, when Jacob was killed nine years later.

Scott was staying at the Westin Galleria. His appearances was as Steven had thought. Scott couldn't deny his Latino heritage with his jet black hair and dark brown eyes. He was roughly Fin's age, medium height and burly. Scott was a warm host. They met at his room and had all the quiet and discretion needed. Scott made sure Steven was comfortable and had a drink and peanuts before he started talking about the subject, Fin's character, his perception of the Noose's family dynamic and how he had found out Fin had been beaten by his father. "Jacob and I were thirteen and Fin a bit older. We had agreed to meet after school to go windsurfing. When he didn't show up we stopped one of his classmates and asked if he knew where Fin was. He told us that Fin was sick. It was a bit surprising, because before the weekend he had been fit as a fiddle. So Jacob called Fin. Our friend was candid. He said he had been caught stealing by his parents. We thought he had been grounded until like forever and decided to keep him company, so we visited him the same day. His parents had to work. The risk of them catching us was very small. Fin was ashen faced, subdued and limping. My brother sensed his state of mind and thought Fin was angry and maybe even hateful towards his parents. He offered us a seat, but didn't take one himself. We were wondering what was going on, since Fin wasn't talkative. We checked if Fin had been grounded, which he confirmed. Jacob questioned him further. Fin admitted he had been thrashed by his father - his words, not mine. It explained why he was so down and limped. Jacob and I thought the spanking had taken place earlier in the day..." Scott stopped himself. It seemed a bit hard for him to go on. Steven asked: "It hadn't been the same day?" "No", Scott shook his head vehemently, "he had gotten his deserved deserts two days before. It was... quite shocking. If Fin's bottom was still so incredible painful after that amount of time it must have been a very harsh punishment." "Would you say it was abuse or just teaching Fin a lesson stealing was unacceptable?" Scott snorted. "Are you joking me?! That was not a lesson. It was outright abuse and to justify it Fin's parents hid behind self-righteousness and norms of society." "Did Fin ever tell you why he stole?" "No, but I can guess why he did it..." "What do you believe?" "It was a cry for attention and it was a sure way to get it." "Why would Fin need attention?" "It was very obvious his parents didn't care about him very much and focused their attention and love on his younger brother Mike. The only way to make them notice him was to screw up or rebel and he did both." "Can you give an example?" "Of course. When Fin had birthday he got a cake and the family celebrated dinner at a restaurant chosen by his parents. That was Fin's 18th. Mike, who had turned 17 a months earlier received also a cake, could choose the restaurant and invite friends too. In addition the Nooses gave Mike a Rolex watch with a personalized engraving. It was every year the same including other festive days like Christmas. You would have seen a major difference too, when visiting the brothers in their rooms. Mike had much more toys and books than Fin. While the relationship between Mike and the Noose's was warm and close, Fin was treated like he didn't belong. It was much easier for Fin's brother to get away with things than it was for Fin. He could for example visit friends longer or sometimes even on school days. Fin had to be home earlier and was very rarely allowed to go over to friends during the week." "That's very sad." "Yes, it is and it made me angry - I'm still quite upset about it. That's why I chose to talk to you. Fin wouldn't like it one bit." "I appreciate it. Did he ever tell you or your brother what was going on behind closed doors?" "You mean did he tell Jacob and me what happened exactly?" "Yes." "Unfortunately Fin can be very stubborn. It was the only time he admitted to have been physically punished. Probably because he couldn't avoid it. If it wouldn't have been obvious he was still suffering, I bet he wouldn't have lost a word about it. We tried to get out more of Fin, but he clamped up and was about to lose his temper, so we thought it was better to retreat." "Did Fin show later any signs he was beaten again?" "I'm not exactly sure. There were maybe four occasions I thought he had been beaten, because he behaved like the one time he admitted he had been punished." "Did you ask him about it?" "No. Jacob and I didn't want to pressure Fin, knowing how he reacts to that. Our friendship was more important than to find out what was going on at Fin's home." "Did you think talking about it to another adult you trusted about Fin's situation?" "Fin would have killed us if we had told anyone. He's very private and proud. He admitted it in confidence, so it wasn't our secret to tell." "If everyone would do that no perpetrator would be ever caught." "That's true, Steven. You don't know Fin, though. He would have denied the charges, if a teacher or someone from law enforcement would have questioned him. Fin is mentally strong and even the worst beating or neglect didn't destroy him. He might have psychological scars, but he's a survivor." "Are you sure Fin wouldn't have crumbled when he would have been interviewed?" "Positive. He's good at keeping secrets and as I mentioned he is very stubborn, so if he doesn't want to talk or do something he won't." "Mr. Noose sounds a very interesting person and I guess you are risking getting his wrath for talking to me, should he ever find out..." "He would bite off my head. That's for sure." "Would your friendship be over?" "No, I don't think so. We have been through a lot together and of course Fin would be very unhappy about my behavior. He would let me know and then cease contact until he was over it. Afterwards he would be treating me as if nothing had happened." "He holds a long grudge then?" "He does." "Does Fin tend to shout?" "No, he is self-controlled, so no shouting. In fact his eyes change color from blue grey to blue and he's lowering his voice. It's scary and most people, who recognize the warning signs back down before he explodes." "Is there anything else you could think of?" "I have told you everything I know." "You have been very helpful. Thank you. Should you think about anything else, please contact me again." "Sure, I will and it was my pleasure." 

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