Mitch tipped his chair back, curled his fingers behind his head, and started to realize what the detective was alluding to. Perhaps the rumors he’d heard earlier that morning were true. The rest of the people around the table must have heard the same rumors, but no one wanted to accept that Danny might have beaten his wife and child to death, as the news reports contended.

Now they were completely silent, save for Maryann, who said softly, “I didn’t want to believe it when I first heard it.” Carolyn stared at her without a clue. Then she turned to Thompson, touched his hand, and said, “What are you trying to tell us?”

“Listen, I know this isn’t going to be pleasant to hear, and if anyone wants to leave before I go further, please do so.” No one moved. “As awful as a simple gunshot, multiple homicide would have been, this wasn’t that. This was much worse. It’s easily the most horrific crime scene I have ever encountered in my career.”

“Perhaps it’s time for you to tell us the details,” Pete said in a quiet, dull monotone. No one wanted to go there, but everyone knew they had to.

“Both victims were brutally stabbed and beaten in a manner that is commonly referred to in a homicide investigation as ‘overkill,’ meaning the victims would have died had they only incurred a fraction of their wounds, but the killer continued to stab and bludgeon them in an excessive and frenzied manner. I’m sorry to have to be so graphic, but there is no other way to say it.”

Carolyn simply stood up and walked out the front door without bothering to collect her coat. Mitch went after her and brought her back inside; he asked Anna to take her to the kitchen and sit with her for a few minutes. Then he returned while Thompson was starting to describe the crime scene.

“At some time, but definitely after midnight, Danny went upstairs to Rachel’s room with the intent to bludgeon her to death. She was apparently sleeping at that time.”

“Bludgeon her with what?” Mitch asked.

“Are you familiar with the furniture in the house?” he asked Mitch.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Then you might recall that there was a brownish lamp in the living room that had a very heavy base. Danny cut the cord with a small kitchen knife, removed the lamp shade, and used that as the primary weapon.”

Despite the fact Carolyn was repulsed by what she overheard while sitting in the kitchen, she walked back into the dining room to ask the question that was on everyone’s mind at that moment.

“Did Rachel ever know what happened?” She prayed that at least it had ended quickly. Dear God, she thought, if only she could have been given that small gift.