but he hasn’t actually asked for one yet. Something must have happened out at his house? He mumbled that you lied to him and you’re going to charge him for holding a gun on Detective Mullins?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle it,” I said. “I’ll get someone to take over the desk for you. Just hurry and get those baby supplies.”
As ordered, Kellie headed for the door, and I called over to Officer Bill Conroy to cover reception—he was one of our up-and-comers, a young guy who’d been showing some good instincts since I arrived. “Is it true what we heard, that Detective Mullins’ daughter Laurel is among the dead?” Conroy asked.
“Yes,” I thought the kid looked like he might have been crying. His winter-blue eyes clouded over with the confirmation. Conroy and Mullins were close. I’d heard that they sometimes palled around after work. “Unfortunately, that is true.”
“I’m gonna have to go home after this then,” Conroy said. “I need to tell the family.”
“Mullins will probably want to break the news to his—” I began to explain.
“Chief, one of my moms is Mullins’ half-sister,” Conroy explained. “And my grandpa, Mullins’ dad, is gonna need to be told. He’s old and not in good shape. This is going to shake him.”
That’s the thing about plural marriage; lots of moms coming from the same families in a small town. It made it hard to keep track of who was related to whom. Conroy ran his hand through his shock of dark blond hair. “I don’t know if anyone’s told you yet,” he said. “But Anna and Laurel, they were really great people, the kind that would help anyone in a jam. Both of them as kind as the sun is bright. I can’t think why anyone would do this to them.”
I nodded. “I’ve heard. Sure, take an hour off to get with your family. I’m sorry, but then I’ll need you to head back here. I wish you could have longer, but we need you to work this. We’ll be chasing leads, I hope.”
“You bet,” he said, for the first time looking pleased. “Nothing I’d like better than to find the guy responsible.”
“Me either,” I said. “Listen, while you’re on the desk, call the county family services office and get a social worker out here. We need to place the baby.”
Naomi’s antennae rose up and she insisted, “I’ll care for Jeremy.”
I put my hand up to stop her. “It has to go through channels. There are regulations. And my guess is that Jeremy will be placed with a relative for now, an aunt most likely.”
“Well, if you must.” Naomi scowled at me, plainly disappointed. It struck me as odd when she asked, “Will Jacob be told that I helped with the child?”
I stared at her a moment and wondered why she’d asked that. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate all you’ve done, calling for help, looking after the baby.”
Naomi seemed pleased by that, but then pointed out, “If he lives.”
“Yes, if Jacob lives,” I agreed.
That settled, I shepherded Naomi past the officers’ cubicles and down the hall to interview room number two. “Wait here,” I said. “Kellie will bring you the formula as soon as she gets back.”
I started to walk away when she shouted after me. “Clara, I need that.” When I didn’t answer, she said, “The diaper bag.”
“Of course you do.” I unslung it from my shoulder and put it on the table. “It’ll be an hour, maybe a little more, but I’ll be back. Don’t leave.”
Naomi gave me another of her frowns, which I was getting pretty good at ignoring. On my way out of the room, I closed the door. Before I interrogated Carl, I had questions to ask my head detective, who it appeared had a hard time holding his temper.
“You went after Carl again?” I charged as I walked into the conference room.
The blinds were closed, making the room dim, and Mullins had his face buried in his hands. It was one of those you-could-cut-the-tension-with-a-knife atmospheres. It looked like Mullins had been crying, and Max had his hand on one of his shoulders, trying to console him. As soon as I said it, I regretted not starting out the conversation with a bit of empathy instead of an attack. But we had four dead bodies, two were children, and a guy with a cut throat. I couldn’t have anyone, not even a victim’s dad and my lead detective, undercutting the investigation. “Mullins, I am sincerely sorry for