Officer Susan Farrah leaned over her desk. "So now that you've made your phone call, tell me: how long have you known that Joey Baker was holed up around the corner?"
Viv couldn't help but notice that Officer Farrah looked terrible. As if she hadn't had any sleep for days. Of course Farrah's appearance was secondary to her other concerns. She'd been able to call Rex earlier. And then when she couldn't get hold of him, she called Sutton.
"I'm not under arrest," she’d explained. "Farrah wants my testimony." She'd disconnected still worried about Rex and his poker game.
Viv cleared her throat, refocusing on Farrah's question. "Oh, I just found out this evening." She rubbed her wrists in her lap. Tender to the touch, sore from being bound, she'd have to put ointment on them when she got home.
"And what exactly did Baker tell you?” Farrah took out her notepad.
"That he'd killed Carmine Nelson and left him between the sheets."
"And what about Gina—did she admit to anything?" Her grim expression only emphasized the dark circles under her eyes. Farrah nervously twisted her pencil between her thumb and forefinger.
"Only that there was no baby and that her uncle told her to watch out for Joey, keep him hidden." Viv thought for a moment. "And they don't seem to be getting along, I overheard them arguing on the phone and then they kept it up once they abducted me off the doorstep."
I was abducted. Me. A mere doula. A woman of a certain age. Who should be home contemplating her retirement hobbies.
Farrah's jaw tightened. She lowered her glance to write in her notepad.
Compassion welled in Viv’s chest for the police officer.
"Is everything okay?" Viv finally asked, knowing full well it wasn't her place to interfere.
"Business as usual." Farrah brushed her off. "So let's make sure I have everything. Nothing was in the baby stroller. Is that your official testimony?"
"Well," Viv hesitated, "I'm just saying there was no baby. But there was something hidden underneath the blankets and the mattress. A box."
"Like what? A box of drugs, maybe?" Farrah's voice took on new interest.
"I never said that," Viv exclaimed. "But it would be possible."
The officer scribbled with her pencil in her notebook. "Okay then, anything else?"
"Gina mentioned something about her uncle."
"Did she now…"
"I didn't catch his name," Viv said.
"That would be Dean. Good old Uncle Dean Marcella." Farrah looked away for a moment.
Viv felt her pulse quicken. "Like the secretary of the Desert Tortoise Estate's HOA? That Uncle Dean?"
"Yep, that's him. He owns the house they were staying in. That's how we finally found them." Farrah looked away again. "I think Marcella was hiding Joey Baker for some reason we haven't figured out yet."
"Everyone on the HOA has to own property in the community," Viv said thoughtfully. “That may explain why no one objected to Gina and her pretend baby. She looked like a young relative of a resident. She's too young to live here, but she passed as a family member." Viv looked thoughtful.
"Not just passed. As Marcella's niece, she qualified," Farrah insisted. "That's the way with these close-knit crime families."
"Like the mob kind of family?" Viv asked.
"That's right. They're everywhere. Loyalty is their motto first and foremost. They don't mind asking the kids to do the dirty work either, so long as no one blabs." Her voice sounded weary.
"But now we've got real evidence. A firsthand testimony." Officer Farrah shared a brief smile with Viv. Then she closed her notebook with a sigh. "After this you might have to hire private security for your own protection. We don't have enough staff to pull someone from our force for very long. I can send some muscle to your house for a few days. A guy I know. At least until we've finished with the official booking of Joey Baker and his accomplice."
Viv's heart dropped. I don't want a bodyguard. Rubbing the red marks on her wrists, the thought upset her.
Farrah tilted her chin for a moment to stare at the ceiling. Viv's eyes widened. The familiar curve of her jaw when she looks up… Oh no!