The 2nd Cycle of the Darc Murders Omnibus (the acclaimed series from #1 Police Procedural and Hard Boiled authors Carolyn McCray and Ben Hopkin)

by Carolyn McCray

  “To be left alone?” Cam said, cutting her off. “I certainly do. But there’s more.”

  “What?” Jarom asked.

  “You didn’t cheat on your wife, did you?” Harper interjected.

  Once again, the two shared a look. Cam continued with her theory.

  “See, neither one of you reacted the way you should’ve earlier when my partner accused Jarom of cheating,” she said, watching the couple to gauge their reaction.

  “How exactly is someone supposed to react to that news?” Emma replied, her tone caustic.

  “You should have been shocked and angry.”

  “I was.”

  “No.” Cam shook her head. “You were shocked, yes. But not angry. And you, Jarom, you should’ve gotten defensive.”

  “Well, I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong,” he said, thrusting his chin out.

  “Sure. Maybe. But even there, you would have been reassuring your wife that you hadn’t. Instead, you both had the exact same response.”

  “And what was that?” he asked, the set of his jaw increasing.

  “Fear. You were both terrified. Of what?”

  Rachel moved forward from where she had been listening over on the side of the room.

  “Why in the world would you ask them that question?”

  “And why in the world would you be the one to step in and try to protect Emma and Jarom from it?” Harper asked, pinning the woman with her gaze.

  “There’s the other part of it,” Cam said, pointing to Rachel. “Her. And Bethany. What’s the relationship here? I’ll tell you what I think.”

  Everyone in the room was silent, and all eyes were on Cam except for her partner’s. She gentled her tone.

  “I think that we should be free to love whomever we love. And that there shouldn’t be any laws against that.”

  Emma blinked. “What… I don’t… What are you saying?”

  Cam decided to take a different tack. “I really like that picture of Jesus you have up there. He seems strong but kind and gentle. I have a hard time thinking of him that way, but I want to.”

  The three exchanged a look. Cam was pretty sure they knew where she was going with this. Harper, of course, had heard it all before they went into the house.

  “I’ve seen that picture before,” Cam said. “When a couple of Mormon missionaries came knocking on my door.”

  Rachel held up her hand. “We’re not Mormon.”

  “I know you’re not. Mormons don’t allow people like you in their church. Not anymore.”

  “People like us…?” Emma said, her voice trailing off.

  Cam let the silence sit for a moment before she spoke again. Even though she was near positive she was right, it was still a tough thing to say to someone.

  “Polygamists.”

  Emma, Jarom and Rachel sat there, their mouths hanging open. Cam could only imagine what they were feeling. Constantly concerned about getting caught, never able to open up or confide in anyone but their own family.

  And it was about to get even more uncomfortable for them. Because Cam had done something that had been necessary, but that could have put the Young’s… all three households, unless there were more that Cam hadn’t met… at risk.

  “The detectives are on their way over here right now.”

  Jarom’s expression sharpened. “You mean they’ve gotten a warrant?”

  “No,” Cam said, and took a breath. “They’re coming because I called them.”

  “You…?” Emma began, then trailed off, apparently unwilling to ask the question. Cam answered it regardless.

  “I told them my suspicions about you and your family.”

  Rachel stood and crossed the intervening space in two strides. She reared back and slapped Cam full across the face.

  Cam’s world went supernova on her for a moment, spangles dancing in front of her eyes. Considering the supposed breach of trust, she understood the response, although she was pretty sure she was going to feel and see the results of that slap tomorrow.

  She held up her hands, both to ask for some room to speak and to ward off any more unexpected blows. “Before I spoke to the lead detective, I made her promise that she’d only go after leads that related to the kidnapping.”

  “And you trusted her?” Rachel demanded, still standing above Cam, her face a black thundercloud.

  “Yes,” she replied. “I did. To be honest, when I told her, she said she never understood why it was illegal to have more than one wife, but not to have a wife and mistresses. Seems that one of her favorite shows right now is Sister Wives.”

  “That show,” Emma said, her mouth twisted in a dark smile. “It’s a blessing and a curse.”

  “No one’s coming after you for your… lifestyle,” Cam reiterated. “All they want to do is help you find your baby.”

  The tension in the room dissipated, and Rachel dropped her aggressive stance. It seemed the three were taking their first breaths since Cam and Harper got there.

  “I’m sorry about the slap,” she said, in an apologetic tone.

  Cam nodded. To be blunt, it had been impressive. She wouldn’t have thought the young woman would have it in her.

  These women clearly knew how to take care of themselves.

  * * *

  For Harper, sometimes it was about the little things in life.

  Watching Detective Stickler deal with Cam being in the house was turning out to be pretty entertaining. The two facing off with one another was kind of like watching an unstoppable force confronting an immoveable object. Having come head to head with Cam’s stubbornness more than once, Harper had no idea how this was going to shake out.

  As for Harper herself, she’d been largely ignored. The CSI unit had asked her where the baby slept, but once they realized she had no clue as to the layout of the house, the conversation had ceased.

  “I’m going to say once more that I think having civilians here while--” Stickler began, speaking with Emma.

  The polygamist cut her off. “I feel far more comfortable with her being here. As well as her partner.” Emma gave a nod to Harper, making her feel like less of a third wheel. Nice of her.

  “Fine,” she said, her mouth set in a hard line. “Is there somewhere that we can ask you a few questions?”

  Emma motioned to the chairs and couch there in the living room. Once Stickler and her partner, whose name Harper had never caught, sat down, there wasn’t enough room left for Harper and Cam, so they were relegated to lurking about in the background.

  Harper wouldn’t have sworn to it, but it looked like Stickler was a touch pleased at that development. She leaned in to speak to Emma.

  “The statistics on familial abductions are overwhelming,” she began. “We wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we didn’t start there.”

  “We understand,” Emma replied and turned around to look at Cam. “Ms. Holdon explained that to us right from the beginning.”

  Harper squelched the desire to correct her. It was she who had first brought that subject up. Granted, it had been in relation to her husband being the kidnapper, but still…

  Stickler shot a look at Cam that Harper couldn’t quite make out. Irritation, perhaps, but it also seemed to have a touch of grudging respect. Or it could have just been the lighting.

  “Good,” she said. “Our desire isn’t to make your lives miserable. We just want to find your son.”

  “What can we do to help?” Jarom asked.

  “To start off with, I’m going to need everyone’s timelines for the last week. Where you were, what you were doing, who you were with.”

  “Everyone’s?” Rachel asked.

  “I’m afraid so. Each of you… women… is a potential suspect, as well as you, Mr. Young.”

  “I’m not a suspect, am I?” Emma said, surprise covering her face.

  “Yes, even you. With the… living arrangements of your family, we need to make sure that there’s no reason for any of you to have taken the child. Is there
any other family close?”

  They all shook their heads in unison. “No,” Emma answered. “Our families all live back in southern Utah. Except for Bethany’s. They’re up in Idaho.”

  “And are they all aware of…” Stickler made a gesture that included the three of them and their house.

  “Our living arrangements?” Jarom asked, his tone bitter. “Yes. They’re all of our faith.”

  Detective Stickler motioned for her partner to hand her something. The milquetoast woman handed over several photographs.

  “There are other motives for abductions, of course,” Sticker said. “And we want to make sure that we’re not leaving any stone unturned. Do you recognize any of these people?” She spread the pictures on the coffee table.

  Emma leaned in, scanning the faces laid out in front of her. Her gaze landed on one of them.

  “Him. I recognize him,” she said, pointing to one of the photos.

  “Do you know where from?”

  “The park. We belong to a Christian home-schooling co-op, and we schedule playtime for our kids there. I’ve seen him several times.” She glanced up at the detective. “Why? Who is he?”

  Stickler shared a look with her partner, then turned back to Emma with some reluctance. “These are photographs of known sex offenders in the surrounding area.”

  Emma’s hand flew up to her mouth, and Rachel gave an audible gasp. Jarom half stood, then settled back into his seat on the couch, visibly troubled.

  “You think he might have something to do with…?”

  “It’s another avenue for us to pursue,” she replied with tact. “We have an even narrower window of time here than we usually do. It’s important we explore all options.”

  Emma got up and began pacing about the room.

  “Did this man ever approach your children?”

  “No,” Emma said, still moving. “I just thought he was a dad or an uncle of one of the kids there at the park. He always just sat on the bench off to the side.”

  Rachel opened her mouth, hesitated, then spoke. “I think I might have seen him walking around here, closer to the house.”

  “Are you sure it was him?”

  “No, but it could have been. I remember thinking that he wasn’t dressed for exercising.”

  At that point, one of the CSI team entered the room. “Detective, we found signs of tampering on the window. We dusted for prints and found a bunch on the sill.”

  “We need to get prints from each of you to compare against them,” Stickler said to the family. “Then we’re going to head back to check the fingerprints against the database. If they’re a match for that suspect, we’ll get a warrant.”

  Jarom stood, nodding, and crossed over to where Emma was still moving about the room. He took her in his arms and held her, looking back at the detectives. He cleared his throat, and when he spoke, his tone was husky.

  “Anything you need from us, we’ll give you.”

  Stickler and her partner stood, leaving the photos on the coffee table. “Don’t stray too far from here, and make sure you keep your phone line as open as possible.”

  They walked out the front door, and, judging by the looks on their faces, took the family’s hope with them.

  * * *

  Something was not sitting well with Cam. The detectives had a solid lead they were following up on, and Cam was almost positive that the kidnapping had nothing to do with any of the family members.

  But there was a nagging feeling that this had nothing to do with either. That the family secret of polygamy still had kernels of truth left to offer them.

  She moved into the living room, Harper right at her heels. “Mr. and Mrs.… and Mrs. Young.”

  “Please,” Emma said through her tears. “I think we’ve moved past that.”

  “All right, Emma, then. Do you mind if we talk through a few more things?”

  Jarom moved to sit next to his wife… scratch that, wives… on the couch, his face puzzled. “But they have a suspect.”

  “Yes, they do,” Cam conceded. “And it seems to be a strong one. Which is probably why they didn’t ask you the questions I’m about to.”

  “Such as?” Rachel asked.

  “Do you know anyone who has recently lost a child?” Cam asked Emma.

  The woman blinked, brushing away tears. The surprise nature of the question seemed to have stopped her crying for the moment. Good. Cam needed her focused.

  “Why?”

  “In addition to family members and sexual predators…” At Cam’s use of the word, Emma flinched. Cam continued in a gentler tone. “… there is another kind of kidnapping that is much less common. It’s referred to as an empty womb abduction.”

  “Empty…?” Emma started, and then seemed to understand. “Oh, no. No. Grace is a lovely person. She would never do anything like that.”

  “You know someone who has lost a child?” Harper cut in.

  “Yes. From SIDS. But there’s no chance she’s involved. She’s a good friend.”

  “When did she lose her baby?” Cam asked.

  “A couple of months ago. It’s been a tough time for her, but she’s doing a lot better recently. I’m telling you, it wasn’t her.”

  Jarom stepped in as well. “She’s always helped out teaching in the co-op, even though she didn’t have any children of her own. Until…” He waved his hands, a gesture of regret for her misfortune.

  “That’s the thing about empty womb snatchings,” Cam explained. “They seem totally normal. They are normal. Right up to the point that they snap.”

  Rachel moved in closer, grabbing and holding Emma’s hand. “I can vouch for what Emma says. Grace is a kind person. She would never do this.”

  “Hold on,” Cam said, her mind leaping to a conclusion. “Grace knows both of you?”

  “Yes,” Jarom said. “She’s a friend of the family.”

  “She knows you’re polygamists?”

  Emma shrugged. “It was a long time ago. A couple of years, at least. She put two and two together, I guess.”

  “But she’s always been supportive of us,” Rachel interjected. “I mean, it was weird for her at first, but she always said that she envied how close our relationship was with Jarom.” She gave a half-laugh. “And how nice it must be to have built-in sisters to help out with things.”

  Cam tried to slow her breathing. “Has she ever been over to your house?” she asked.

  “Sure. Once or twice after the play group.”

  This was it. This was what they had been missing. Cam was sure of it.

  “I’m going to need her address.”

  * * *

  The house was dark when Harper and Cam approached. It was bigger than the Young’s, more well-appointed. Now that Harper understood that the Young’s were maintaining three households, it made sense that Jarom’s salary didn’t stretch quite as far as might be expected.

  But here, it was evident that there was no division of resources. There was a tire swing tied to the tree in the front yard, but as Harper passed by she could see that the tire and the rope were both brand new.

  This was a couple that had been expecting and planning for an addition to their family. A hope that had been cut short in an instant.

  Harper knew exactly how that felt.

  They moved to the front door. Glancing at her watch, Harper saw that it was 2:13 in the morning. Kind of early to accuse someone of a child snatching.

  She consoled herself with the thought that if it wasn’t Grace, she’d be more than happy to try to help out her friends in any way possible. Harper herself would, right?

  Then again, two in the morning was pretty damn early.

  Cam rang the doorbell a couple of times. Harper winced, but realized her friend was right. Once might not be enough at this hour.

  Far before she would have expected possible, a female voice called out through the door. “Who’s there?”

  “Mrs. Peña? I’m so sorry for the hour. We’re friends of the Y
oung’s. Emma and Jarom?” Cam responded.

  The door opened a crack. “It’s two in the morning.”

  “I know, and we’re so sorry. We wouldn’t intrude if it weren’t an emergency.”

  The porch light turned on and the door swung open a bit further. “What’s the problem?” Grace asked, rubbing her eyes. Harper took a closer look. Either this woman woke up looking like she’d just stepped out of a catalogue, or she hadn’t been asleep when they rang the bell.

  “The Young’s baby has been taken,” Cam said.

  There was a pause, then Grace inhaled sharply. “What? You… you can’t be serious.”

  “I’m afraid we are,” Harper said, stepping in a bit closer. The woman backed up a step, drawing the door in closer. She seemed to do it without conscious thought.

  “The Young’s identified someone that they had seen around the neighborhood. They said you might have spotted him as well,” Cam said. Her voice carried no hint of suspicion, and Harper recognized once more how good she was at this stuff. “Would you mind taking a look?” Cam held out the picture she had taken from off the Young’s coffee table.

  “Um. Yes. Sure.” She took the photo and glanced at it, licking her lips. “No, I don’t think I’ve seen him.”

  “Are you positive?” Cam pressed. “Emma said she had seen the man at the park where you sometimes go for the home-school co-op.”

  She looked again. “Oh, maybe. I’m not sure. I’m not all that good with faces.”

  “Is your husband here? Maybe we could ask him.”

  Grace shook her head. “No. He’s out of the country right now on business. Doesn’t get back for another week or so.”

  Cam nodded. Harper wasn’t sure what they were going to do now. It seemed like they’d hit a dead end. But then Cam spoke again.

  “I’m so sorry. My cell phone’s dead. Do you mind if we come in and use yours? Just want to check in with the Youngs.”

  Brilliant.

  Grace Peña swung the door open wide, although her body language was screaming that she wanted to do nothing of the sort. “The phone’s in the kitchen. Right through there.” She pointed down the hall.

  Cam turned to Harper. “You stay here. I’ll just be a second.”

  Grace swung back and forth between them, seemingly unsure of who to stay with. She began following Cam into the kitchen, glancing back over her shoulder every few seconds to make sure that Harper hadn’t moved.