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Carly answered with a jerky nod. “When I got here, Caroline was screaming her head off and hungry. I have no idea how long she’d been left, but I think it had been some time because she was soaked through like she hadn’t been changed yet this morning.” She glanced down at the baby girl in her arms. “Poor little mite. She was very hungry, too, but she had cried herself into exhaustion and fell into a hard sleep after her bottle.”
One of the Savannah officers, an older man who reminded him of Denzel Washington, addressed Carly again. “Did you see or hear anything in the house or outside? A vehicle pulling away, a gunshot, anything?”
She shook her head. “But to be honest, I was so concerned about the baby I might not have heard it. She was wailing and the noise might have drowned out anything else. I searched the house calling for Kelly, and when I didn’t find her, I went outside.”
Lucas focused on the older officer. “Could you tell if anyone had broken in here and why she was outside?”
“Both entries were ajar, and we found moving boxes in the garage with the door open. We think she might have been unpacking while the baby was sleeping.” His gaze went to the baby girl. “Do we know who to call to care for her baby?”
“CPS has been called,” the other officer said. “They can care for her until we find her closest relative.”
“That might be me,” Carly said in a low voice. “She’s my deceased husband’s child.”
Both officers wore identical expressions of shock. “I see,” the older one said. “Are you willing to care for the baby for now?”
Carly’s gaze locked with Lucas’s, and he saw the plea in her eyes. She wanted to keep the baby after all that had happened? He gave a slight shake of his head, but it was more to clear his thoughts than to deny her what she clearly wanted. What would she do if he actually said no? They were living in his house, and another baby would add to the chaos. He could only imagine Ryan’s reaction.
“Lucas?” she whispered.
“Whatever you want to do is fine. We’ll make it work.”
Relief lifted her mouth in a smile. “I’ll keep her, Officer. Thank you. It’s only right. She’s my son’s sister.”
“CPS will talk with you, but you can take the baby for now.” He dug out his phone and both officers walked away.
Lucas watched the forensic team for a few seconds. “I have a bad feeling about this, Carly. Kelly seemed to have been working with Ivan Bury, who isn’t with Russian organized crime. From what I’ve learned about him, I don’t think he would have killed her.”
Lucas turned back to Carly and continued, “She was afraid that day we talked to her. If she wasn’t afraid of Bury, who scared her?”
“She came to for a few moments and said something about she was afraid he’d find her.”
“He? Did she say who that was?”
“No. I asked her, but she lapsed into unconsciousness again, and I ran inside to call 911.”
“Maybe she moved hoping to disappear. I’m sure she would have been found quickly. She was probably followed right here to the house. She only moved in two days ago.” He leaned down. “Let me take Noah, and we can go inside and pack up what you need. Where will she sleep?”
“They can sleep in the same crib. There’s room. I’ll mostly need her clothes and feeding supplies. Caroline’s on formula.”
He lifted Noah to his chest, and they went inside, where more techs swarmed the house looking for evidence. The sooner Lucas got them all home so he could go into the office and find out more, the better.
***
“What on earth were you thinking?” Emily’s dark hair held a trace of drywall dust as she stared at the baby girl in Carly’s arms. She’d come racing back from Gram’s house when Carly texted her an SOS. “That woman had an affair with your husband!”
All of Carly’s family stood in a circle around her, and they wore identical expressions of horror. She hugged the baby to her chest. “It’s not Caroline’s fault, and besides, she’s Noah’s sister.”
Isabelle stood in a shaft of sunlight streaming through the music room windows. “I’ll help take care of her. She’s like me, and I’ve always wished I got to see all of you more often. Noah will want his sister around. Maybe if we take care of her, Kelly will let that continue more easily than my mom did.”
Emily bit her lip and looked down but said no more. Amelia looked away, too, and even Gram looked a bit ashamed. Her initial reaction hadn’t been any better than the rest.
“Thank you, Isabelle,” Carly said. “Would you take her while I get a bottle ready? She’ll need to eat quite a bit today. I think she missed at least one meal and was screaming when I got there.” The baby had begun to waken and purse her lips, and the hungry cries wouldn’t be far behind.
Isabelle held out her arms, and Carly shifted the baby to her. “Lucas is getting her things from my trunk.”
Gram took a step closer as Caroline opened her blue eyes. Gram’s flowing skirt swished around her ankles. “Is he prepared for the added stress of another baby?”
“He told me I could do whatever I wanted.”
