“Are you hungry?” he asked, and Henry blinked. He might have nodded a little, and Kerry took him to the kitchen and went through his sister’s pantry. He found some pasta and put water on the stove to cook.
“We like buttered noodles,” Phillip said, calming down as he sat in his chair. “Is Mommy really gone and not coming back?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so.” He believed in telling kids the truth. “But I’m going to be here, and you’ll live with me. I’ll care for you and do my best for both of you. Okay?” He had had this kind of conversation with a number of kids, but never before had he been a party to the situation.
“But I want Mommy back,” Phillip said softly, looking down at the table.
“I know you do,” Kerry said as gently as he could to both of them. “And if I could, I’d bring her back for you. But I can’t. No one can.”
“Why not?” Phillip asked, and Kerry knelt between the boys. “Grownups can do anything.”
Kerry sighed. “No, we can’t. Not really. But it’s okay to be sad and to cry if you want.” He tried to be as soothing as he could.
“When will Pebbles be back?” Phillip asked. “I want him.”
“I know you do, and the police will bring him back. I promise.” He was doing as much reassuring as he could. “Let’s have some lunch, and after that, we can find something to do.” He returned to the stove, got the pasta on, and pulled out some butter. He got the pasta cooked and drained, then put butter and a little garlic on it before making up their plates and setting them on the table.
The kids ate quietly, and Kerry got them each a glass of milk before sitting down with them. He wasn’t hungry, but he didn’twant them to be alone. Phillip talked through much of the lunch while Henry ate and stayed quiet.
After they were finished, he took care of the dishes and let the kids go to their rooms. Phillip played quietly in his room, while Henry lay on his bed staring up at the ceiling. Kerry went into the room and sat on the side of the bed. He figured he’d keep him company. “You can talk to me if you want.”
Henry shrugged.
“It’s perfectly okay to be sad and to feel bad.”
Again, he got a shrug. Knowing it was best not to push him, he squeezed Henry’s hand and then left the room. He knew it would help if six-year-old Henry talked about what he was feeling, maybe yell or even cry, but the silence was unsettling. Still, he knew he had to let things happen in Henry’s time.
Kerry cleaned up the kitchen and then wandered down the hall to Caroline’s room. He slowly opened the door and peered inside. The bed was unmade, but the room was spotless. He went inside and wished she was there to give him hell for being in her room, the way she had when they were kids. He sat on the side of the bed, wishing to all hell that she was still there. “Those boys need you. I know you wanted me to look after them, but I don’t know if I’m going to be good enough for that. What they really need is you, but you’re gone, and they’re stuck with me.” And he didn’t know what he was going to do.
ChapterTwo
“Get thetesting done as soon as possible,” Brian barked once they had finished with the scene. They had gathered a ton of evidence, and now it was time to get it processed so they could figure out what it would tell them. “Especially the dog. That evidence has a very fast expiration date.” Brian knew that the sooner he could get the dog returned to the family, the happier those kids would be.
The officer was holding the dog as still as possible, trying to muzzle him to prevent it from licking away any evidence. He nodded and hurried back to his vehicle, placing the dog into a crate and then taking off in the car.
Brian directed the rest of the officers processing the scene. Thankfully, this particular scene wasn’t gruesome, though it definitely left a feeling of violence in the air. He shook it off and continued his work.
Once they were done and Brian had reviewed the scene himself, they sealed up the garage in case it was needed again, and the various units left. Brian looked over the main portion of the ranch house and sighed. Then he went over and gently knocked on the door. Dr. Kerry Sutherland answered the door, his gaze narrowing in a few seconds. “I come in peace, okay?”
Kerry huffed and opened the door farther. The house was quiet and surprisingly free of emotional chaos. Or at least the loud kind. “What can I do for you?”
“How are the boys?”
“After getting something to eat, they were both wiped out. Phillip is up in his room asleep, and Henry is in his room as well. He isn’t speaking to anyone right now.”
Brian nodded. “I’m going to need to talk to them.”
“Not right now. They are going to need a chance to grieve. They both know what happened and what it means for them, to varying degrees, and they need a little time.” The challenge in his tone, even though he didn’t raise his voice, was impressive.
“A few days is fine. I’m not sure what they can tell me, though we do believe that they were home at the time of the… incident.” He was trying to be as gentle as possible. “I will have additional information for you once I can release it.”
“How did Caroline die?” Kerry asked.
Brian was reticent to release any information, but the family deserved to know some things. “She was strangled, I’m afraid. Whoever did this tried to make it look like she hung herself by stringing her up afterward. At least that is what I believe. Testing will confirm it.”
A little of the tension eased out of Kerry’s impressive brown eyes, grief hanging just under the surface. “I thought I was going to have to give you the list of what Caroline had to live for. She would never commit suicide. Those boys meant everything to her. She had built a good life and was doing well. I think my sister would be the last person to take her own life.”
“I didn’t know her, and in my job, we have to look at everything. But I tend to agree with you, and initial evidence seems to back up that conclusion. I sent one of the officers ahead so that samples could be taken from the dog right away. We have a forensic veterinarian that we work with, and he’ll get what we need quickly, so we can get….” He looked through his notes for the dog’s name.
