Chapter 604
In a black Chevy SUV in the suburbs of New York.
Amir was in charge of driving and Luke was in the passenger side reading the information.
Suspect’s name, Tangie Bruns.
Age, 36.
Occupation, piano teacher.
Family member, daughter
Car, black Lexus sedan
Amir glanced at Luke and asked, “Anything new?”
Luke said, “I was wondering, if this man is the murderer, what is his motive?”
Amir analyzed, “The reason why Bloody Mike committed multiple murders back then.
It was because his career was devastated after his left hand was injured and he could no longer play the piano.
He took his music career very seriously and couldn’t accept this fact, leading to an inner distortion, envy and jealousy of those who had a pair of healthy and beautiful hands.
That’s why he cut off other people’s hands to fill the void within himself.” Amilton paused and continued.
“If Tangie Bruns is really the murderer we’re looking for.
Given that he has been in contact with Mike for a long time, his mind must have been influenced by Mike, and considering that he is also a pianist, his motive for killing is likely to be related to piano and music as well.”
Luke shrugged, “Killing someone because of his love for music, don’t you think it’s a bit ironic?”
Amir sighed, “Is there any less irony in this world?”
“Why do you find your words a bit pessimistic and misanthropic? That’s not the attitude of a young man.”
Amir corrected, “It’s not pessimistic, it’s sober.”
As they talked, the Chevy SUV pulled into the Bartlett neighborhood.
The community was located in a suburb of New York, slightly out of the way, but the living environment was not bad, each house had a small separate yard in front of it, which was not large, but it was still appropriate for a family to have a barbecue in the yard.
Amir and Luke stepped out of the SUV.
Luke examined his surroundings out of habit, the neighborhood streets were relatively clean and there were no suspicious figures to be found around.
Luke looked over to the yard of the Tangie Bruns house, the lawn was neatly cleaned and to the right of the house was the garage, the door to the garage was closed.
Amir rang the doorbell at the front of the yard.
“Ding-dong ……”
It didn’t take long for a white middle-aged man to appear on the visual doorbell screen, “This is the home of Donji Bruns, who are you looking for?”
Amir stared at the screen and replied, “Hello Mr. Bruns, we are FBI agents and would like to speak with you.”
The man frowned and asked rhetorically, “FBI? what do you want with me? I’ve never dealt with the FBI before.
Are you guys sure you don’t have the wrong guy?”
Amir said, “Mr. Bruns, we are indeed here to see you, it’s hard to tell in a sentence or two, it’s best if we can talk face to face.”
Tangie Bruns was silent for a moment, “I have something to do, and I have to go out in a few minutes.”
“We won’t take up too much of your time, I promise.”
“OK, you guys come on in.”
“Click!”
The courtyard door opened.
Luke and Amir walked into the yard.
At the same time, the door to the house opened and Tangie Bruns stepped into the yard, “Can I see your IDs again?”
Amir took out his credentials and handed them to the other party, “I’m Agent Amir of the FBI’s Criminal Investigations Division, and this is FBI Criminal Investigation Specialist Counselor Lee.”
Tangie Bruns looked at the ID and handed it back to Amir, “This is the first time I’ve dealt with the FBI. What do you guys want with me?”
Luke said, “Mr. Bruns, what we’re about to talk about may be rather personal, I suggest a quiet place.”
“As I said earlier, I have to go out in a few minutes, so I’m afraid I don’t have time to go anywhere else with you.”
“If it’s convenient, we can go to your home to talk.”
Tangie Bruns twisted her head to look at her house and refused, “I don’t really like strangers going to my house.
If you don’t feel comfortable talking here, we can make another appointment.”
Luke looked over at the Tangie Bruns’ house and spotted a face in the corner of the window, like a little girl, and before Luke could get a good look at it, the face disappeared.
“Let’s talk in the yard then.”
Tangie Bruns looked at her watch and pointed to a white plastic table and chairs off to the side, “Let’s sit down and talk.”
The three men sat down around the round white plastic table.
“What did you guys want to see me about?”
Luke got right to the point, “Do you know Mike?”
Tangie Bruns asked, “Bloody Mike?”
“That’s him.”
“Yes, I know him, and you’re here about him?”
“That’s right, how do you guys know each other?”
“We’ve known each other for a long time, he’s a pianist I admire, very talented, unfortunately ……
You should know very well what he’s been through.
If his hand hadn’t been injured, it’s likely that he would have become an existence comparable to Murray Pelletier.”
Luke didn’t know who Murray Pellethea was and wasn’t interested, “You guys have been in contact?”
“Yes, is that a problem?”
“What kinds of things do you talk about amongst yourselves?”
“Music. It’s a hobby we share.”
“Did you guys ever talk about it, the murders he committed back in the day?”
“No, I’m not interested in those.”
Luke tried, “Doesn’t it scare you to be in contact with a serial killer like that?”
Tangie Bruns asked rhetorically, “He’s in prison and can’t get out, even if I go to visit, there’s no way I can have direct contact, so what’s there to be afraid of?”
Amir said, “It’s not just the behavior that scares people like him, it’s the thinking and ideas.
As far as I know, the average person is scared to mention serial killers, let alone have contact with them.”
Tangie Bruns said, “I know what you mean, I was scared too when I first heard he was a murderer.
I didn’t even believe he was the killer at first, and I first corresponded with him to seek confirmation of this.
Later I realized that the reason why he killed was out of his love for music, and that this love was so deep and so powerless that it gave him despair and made him do that irrational thing.
He’s completely different from those murderers who kill out of lust for money and sex.”
Amir frowned slightly, “You sound as if you still have some sympathy for him.”
“Can’t say I sympathize, I know he did something wrong, but at the same time also he got what he deserved and that’s why he’s staying in prison.
I was just communicating with him about music, which isn’t illegal.”
Luke changed the question, “Do you own a black Lexus automobile?”
Tangie Bruns nodded, “Yes.”
“May I see it?”
“Why would you want to see my car?”
“Just to look.”
Tangie Bruns resisted a little, “I don’t think the FBI found me just to look at my car.
I refuse.”
“OK,” Luke tried, “Did you take this car out on the night of October 3rd?”
“No, I didn’t drive out that day.”
“Did you lend this car to anyone else on October 3rd?”
Tangie Bruns hesitated for a moment, “No.”
Luke stared at the other man, vaguely seeing signs of lying on his face.
Luke pulled out a picture of the deceased Grace Blumberg, “Did you know her?”
Tangie Bruns picked up the photo and looked at it, “Never seen her, why?”
“She was killed the night of October 3rd.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“After she was killed, her arms were cut off and a blood symbol was left behind.” Luke pulled out the picture of the blood symbol again.
Tangie Bruns frowned tightly, “Mike has been locked up in prison, how could he ……” Said Tangie Bruns as if he thought of something, “Are you guys suspecting me?
Are you here because you suspect me of being a murderer?
Come on, I admit that I know Mike, but there are a lot of people who know Mike, that doesn’t make me a murderer.”
Luke was intent, “On the night of October 3rd, a witness saw a black Lexus sedan near the crime scene.”
“No no no, that has nothing to do with me, you’ve got the wrong guy.” Tangie Bruns stood up and pointed out of the yard.
“Please leave my house.”
Luke said, “Mr. Bruns, we’re not doubting you, but we’re hoping you can provide some clues that will help the case ……”
“Ringing ……” Amir’s cell phone rang and he stepped aside to answer the call.
“Like I said, I have nothing to do with this case, you guys are totally wasting your time, go investigate someone else.” Donji Bruns said, turning around and heading for the house.
Luke stood up and was about to say something else when Amir did walk over and said softly, “Luke, something’s wrong.”
“What is it?”
Amir glanced at Tangie Bruns, who had walked into the house, and replied, “The NYPD has found another body, the same blood symbols were found around the body, and, the victim’s legs have been chopped off.”
“You’re sure it was the legs that were cut off and not the arms?”
“I confirmed that it was indeed both legs that were cut off, and that they were not found without the severed legs, which were most likely taken by the killer.
I know it’s a little different from Red Mike’s modus operandi, but the police found blood symbols at the scene that are unique to Red Mike, and they felt that it was the same murderer who did it, which is why they contacted us.”
Luke glanced at the Tangie Bruns house and then headed out to the yard, “Let’s get in the car first.”
The two got into the car and Amir started it while asking, “What do you think about Tangie Bruns?”
Luke thought for a moment, “There’s something abnormal about this guy, he’s definitely hiding something, it’s best to get someone to keep an eye on him.”
Amir said thoughtfully, “I feel the same way, he makes me uncomfortable and has horrible ideas, with a father like that, his daughter must be miserable.
Besides, he’s very resistant to us, the family is probably hiding some secrets.”
“Proof, the proof we need now, otherwise he’s just guessing out of thin air if he’s suspicious.” Luke was also a bit depressed, one case hadn’t been cleared up yet, and there was a new dead person, the reporters would definitely not let go of such a big story, and all the major TV stations would be scrambling to cover it.
The pressure on the FBI investigators would also multiply.