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“She’s on her way here now with a social worker.”
Piper nodded.
“A neighbor found a note under her door this morning, stating she needed to come to Joanie’s apartment as she was ill. She called the building’s manager to open the door when no one answered, and they found Miss Prentice dead. It was an overdose. The baby was in her cot playing with her toys.”
“She told me she’d st-stopped.”
“When did you last see her?”
Dylan sat silently listening, watching. He was good at that, had been trained to observe. Piper answered the questions the man asked her, and while he was direct, Lieutenant Heath was never forceful or aggressive. Had he been, Dylan would have stepped in.
“Can you tell me anything about her boyfriend, Miss Trainer?”
“I only know him as Jace.”
“You ever meet him?”
“Once. I called in to see Joanie and Grace and he was there. I didn’t like him.”
“Why?”
“He watched me, and was always ordering Joanie about, controlling her. She was like his puppet; it was hard to watch.”
Lieutenant Heath took a picture off his desk and showed it to her.
“Is this him?”
Dylan had seen plenty of these types of pictures. Gaunt-looking people with big eyes and pale, pockmarked skin. Hair lank, with empty-eyed stares.
“That’s him.”
The man nodded and scratched something on the paper before him.
“We found his body three days ago in a house that is well known for selling drugs, Miss Trainer.”
“I shouldn’t say I’m happy about that, but I am,” Piper said. “But did Joanie know he was dead?”
“We believe she did, because we found something in the child’s diaper bag, a note addressed to you. I’m sure you will understand that we had to open it.”
Piper managed a jerky nod.
“We believe she took her life deliberately, Miss Trainer.”
“Oh, Joanie.”
Dylan leaned in and wrapped an arm around Piper when she made a noise that sounded like a wounded animal.
“Are you willing to identify Miss Prentice’s body, as she has no next of kin, Miss Trainer?”
“Are you sure there’s no one else?” Dylan spoke for the first time. He’d seen his share of bodies, and didn’t want that memory for Piper, especially not of her friend. It would be a lasting one, and one that would stick with her forever.
“I’m afraid not.”
“I need to do this for her, Dylan.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“I’m sorry, I can’t let you do that.”
