A Death in the Family

Chapter 9

"That's the conclusion you came to, was it?" Douglas bellowed, which made several of the guys in the department that were walking by his office look at him.

"Well...Ferdie... It's there, ain't it?" Cumberbatch began carefully, "Plain as the nose on my face! I say we start looking for that missing bag and the art supplies."

Douglas huffed.

"I'll check records and see what was returned to the family. If need be we go out there and speak to Steve Dooley, I'm sure he'll know."

Cumberbatch nodded, he looked satisfied.

"Well don't start asking the judge for search warrants yet," Douglas grumbled, "what are we supposed to ask Davey and Spinelli? If they nabbed any pencils recently?"

"You and I both know it's more than that." Cumberbatch returned.

Douglas stretched back in his office chair, making it creak ominously under his weight, and groaned.

"I'll give Steve Dooley a ring..." The sergeant glanced at the clock on the opposite wall, "If he's like anybody else he won't be home till at least five and we'll be late for dinner tonight."

"So who's breaking the news to the wives?" Cumberbatch quipped.

"That better be your first call before putting this to bed for the day. It's rare to find a good woman that respects your job but doesn't mind putting a late dinner on the table without getting up in your business about it."

Cumberbatch nodded.

"I guess my biggest problem is whether I make it to my son's ballgames and the rest of the kids extracurriculars..." He shrugged, "as long not too sore at me, teenagers you know."

"Soon they'll be off at college and out of the house." Douglas replied. "Though I hope my youngest graduates high school and remembers the rules of the road."

Cumberbatch laughed.

"Don't we all!"

It had been several weeks since the detectives had visited the Dooleys in person. Not only was this important it was relatively "after hours" since they had to wait until Steve Dooley returned home.

"Wouldn't wish this on those boys." Sergeant Douglas commented shaking his head.

Cumberbatch nodded.

"Certainly wouldn't want my kids in their situation."

Douglas knocked on the Dooley's door, and a few minutes later Steve Dooley appeared.

"Evening, officers. Good to hear you from you again."

"Likewise, Steve. We had a few minor questions."

"Certainly, come in. "Haven't started dinner yet but..."

"This won't take long." Cumberbatch cut in.

"We were wondering if you have the bag Lara had the day of her suspected murder. We know her purse and its contents were returned to you."

Steve nodded and scratched his chin.

"Sure, it's probably around here somewhere, probably in her studio."

"Would you show us, mind if we have a look?" Douglas asked.

The studio of the former artist seemed to be like a shrine. Not have much had been touched in the months since her death and as Douglas had surmised the bag had been haphazardly tossed into the room and was located in a corner under several portfolios.

"Thank you, Steve. We'll be in touch if we need anything else, and of course this will be returned to you as soon as possible once we have a chance to process it."

Steve Dooley nodded.

"Of course, I appreciate it. Good night."

The door was just closing when Henry and Connor emerged from their bedrooms.

"Hey dad, dinner ready yet? I'm starving!"

"Who was here, dad?" Henry asked.

"The cops. They were asking a few more questions about your mom's things and needed to test some things she had on her that day."

Henry frowned.

"I thought they were done with that, the stuff was returned to us."

"Well apparently they needed that totebag of hers." Steve Dooley shrugged.

"What did they want that for?" Connor asked. He sounded much more calm than usual and had been listening to the conversation quietly.

"Guess they found something, I'm sure they'll tell us soon."

"I hope so." Connor agreed. Then he changed the subject. "Hey dad, you still making those burgers tonight?"

"As soon as I can start the grill." Steve Dooley replied chuckling.

"Hmm..."

Sergeant Douglas glared at the lab reports in front of him. The crime lab had just got in the reports back on the stuff taken from Lara Dooley's totebag and it still puzzled him; the results were about as clear as mud. Certainly not what he wanted to see or what he had been expecting.

"What's the matter, Ferdie?" Cumberbatch asked as he leaned over his partner's shoulder.

Douglas grunted, blowing air into his mustache.

"It's a mess!" Douglas muttered, "DNA profiles everywhere; the family's been all over it so..."

"So we started taking elimination samples and run it again." Cumberbatch interjected picking up his partner's train of thought.

Douglas stood up shoving the reports to the other side of his desk.

"Looks like it." He grumbled, then in a quieter tone: "Man I hate to bother Steve again, the family's been through enough."

"You know as much as I do they want answers, at least for those boys. I can get over there for samples tomorrow." Cumberbatch offered.

"Right... And it's back to the drawing board." Douglas sighed. "If any of those unidentified samples match the suspects call me."

"You got it, Ferdie." Cumberbatch replied.

For today, Douglas returned to his other files including a recent burglary that had happened downtown the night before.