“That is anyone’s guess. Girl’s nuts. Maybe a voice told her to go kill Marie. So she goes to Marie’s assigned nursery—Nursery J. But Marie isn’t there. As a matter of fact, no one is there—”

“Budget cuts,” Decker interrupted. “Or so they claim. What a crock of shit!”

“Can we go on?”

“Go on.”

Marge said, “So no one’s there. Tandy takes one look at those babies and loses it. Her head starts playing tricks on her. She thinks about the baby she was forced to abort. She thinks about the pregnancy that wasn’t real. Voices start telling her to do things. The impulses take over. She grabs a baby.”

Decker said, “Then, to Tandy’s surprise, Lily Booker walks in and confronts her.”

“Exactly. Say a fight breaks out. Or maybe Tandy just lashes out. Who knows what was going through that girl’s head?”

“She seemed so damn…tormented, Marge.”

“Rabbi, that doesn’t mean she can’t do damage.”

A good point. Lots of crimes are committed under delusion. Decker said, “Go on with your theory.”

Marge took another breath. “So Lily confronts Tandy. Now Tandy’s a strong girl, an iron pumper. She smashes Lily on the head and kills her. Wasn’t there a big indentation in her forehead?”

“Yep,” Decker said. “Hennon thought it was done with a hammer.”

“And the frontal bones had been smashed, remember?”

Decker nodded. “Keep going.”

“Okay,” Marge said. “Then Marie walks in and sees what happened. Quickly, Marie thinks up a plan.”

“Wait, wait, wait a sec.” Decker held up the palm of his hand. “Marie walks in and finds out that Tandy has just murdered Lily and is in the process of swiping a baby. Suddenly, you’ve got Marie abetting Tandy in murder and kidnapping? Why would she do that?”

“Marie loved Tandy. Or maybe she just felt plain guilty over what went on between her and Professor Geoff. Marie was a martyr type.”

“Don’t buy it, kiddo. Maybe if Marie had been Tandy’s biological mother…but she wasn’t. I don’t see Marie risking her neck to help a friend.”

“Maybe Tandy was in the midst of a breakdown,” Marge suggested. “Look how sorry you felt for her.”

“But I wasn’t looking at a fresh dead body.”

“And you’re positive that Marie isn’t Tandy’s mother?”

“According to Lita Bellson, it would have been impossible.”

“And you think Lita’s reliable enough to notice everything that went on in her daughter’s life?”

“I think she’d notice if her kid was pregnant.”

“Marie’s a tall girl. She could hide a pregnancy.”

“You’re selling, Marge. But I’m not buying.”

“All right,” Marge said. “I don’t know why Marie would help Tandy, but let’s assume she did. Maybe Marie just panicked and didn’t think rationally.”