“I can’t. They were such a nice family.” Her voice weakened. “I know some folks resented their wealth, but that’s petty, small-town jealously. Roy was such a good man with a good heart. I don’t mind telling you that a while back I was let go for spilling a tray on him, but he stepped in and, being a club board member, ensured I kept my job. He’s a kind, fair man.”

“And how did Janie come to work for him?”

“It was out of that incident. Roy said he and his wife were looking for a new sitter and he asked about her because she sat for one of his managers, Marv Lander.”

“Marlene, have you ever heard of Ritchie Hicks?” Sloan asked.

She considered the name before shaking her head.

“Have you ever been inside the Tullock home on Old Pioneer?”

“No, but Janie has, many times.”

“You’re getting ahead of us.” Sloan turned to Janie, then back to her mother. “We’re going to need to collect Janie’s fingerprints, and yours.”

“Why do you need our fingerprints?”

Janie lifted her face from the pillow, worry blossoming on it.

“It’s okay.” Jurek smiled. “It’s routine. We create a set of elimination prints so we have a record of all the prints we’d expect to find in the house and run them against any others we might find there.”

Janie’s face had turned white, which Sloan noted.

“It really is routine,” Sloan said. “We’d like you to volunteer to have this done later today.”

Janie was silent.

“Yes, of course,” Marlene said. “Anything to help.”

“Thank you.” Sloan sipped coffee. “Now, I’d like to talk to Janie alone. We can go in her room and Bill can stay here with you, if that’s okay with you both?”

Marlene’s back straightened. “Why alone?”

“It’s just procedure,” Sloan said, “because she was in the house and one of the last to see the family.”

Marlene looked at the officers, then at Janie, assessing if her daughter could undergo questioning by Sloan without her present. It took a moment before she decided.

“All right,” Marlene said, then to Jurek, “I’ve got some fresh muffins, if you’d like?”

“Sure,” Jurek said.

“Thanks,” Sloan said. “Janie, want to take me to your room?”

Still hugging her pillow, she led Sloan into her bedroom, which immediately grew smaller when the investigator entered and shut the door.

Janie sat on her bed holding her pillow. Sloan pulled the desk chair over, taking stock of the room, its peach walls, and posters, her shelves with stuffed animals, pictures and keepsakes.

“You’ve got a pretty room,” Sloan said.

“Thanks.”

“I know it must be so hard for you, with all that’s happened?”

Nodding, Janie clenched her eyes, squeezing out new tears. Sloan spotted a tissue box and held it for Janie to pull out what she needed.