Those murders were a hell of a thing, and Ned felt for the Tullocks’ relatives because he knew the pain of losing someone and there was no one in this world that he would wish it upon.

Something nudged his ankles and he looked down to see Willow, his wife’s cat.

“Git,” he said as four police cars, two marked and two unmarked, lights flashing, rolled into his driveway and parked.

“Ned!” Flo, his wife, called from the side door of the house, where she was standing with their daughter and pointing to two more police cars beyond the old RV in the rear alley. Ned looked to the front, to the back, and front again as officers and people in plainclothes approached from both directions. His eyes narrowed on the highest-ranking one he knew, Jurek, an Eternity sergeant.

“Bill, what the hell’s this?”

Jurek put up his palms. “Take it easy, Ned. Step back from the truck. Keep your hands where we can see them.”

“Why?”

“Police business. Do as I say.”

Bewildered but halfheartedly, Ned complied, then eyed the woman with Jurek who was holding papers. She handed some to him.

“Ned Mitchell. I’m Sergeant Lou Sloan, RCMP. This is a warrant to search your residence and property.”

“Search warrant—but why? What for?” Ned’s eyes swept over legal wording. “Is this because I moved the cars on Old Pioneer?”

But Jurek and Sloan continued on to Flo and Marie. Ned moved to join them but two officers blocked him, one saying: “Stay where you are, Ned. Don’t interfere.”

“Interfere with what? Someone tell me what the hell’s going on!”

In that instant, Ned saw his daughter, her arms fused around her mother as if expecting to plummet from the surface of the earth, her eyes wide with fear as if she had somehow known this was coming. Then Ned, not believing this, heard Sloan say:

“Marie Louise Mitchell, I’m arresting you in relation to the murders of Royston Tullock, Connie Tullock, Linda Tullock and Neal Tullock…”

“Are you out of your mind?” Flo shouted, moving in front of her daughter protectively, as ready as a mother grizzly to protect her. “She’s just a child! This is wrong—”

“Step out of the way,” Jurek said.

“Bill!” Ned shouted. “Put a stop to this! Please!”

Jurek and other officers moved in, prying Marie from her mother, fastening her wrists with handcuffs.

“You need not say anything…” Sloan continued “…anything you do or say may be used as evidence. Do you understand?”

“No!” Marie cried out. Her knees crumpled and two male officers half dragged, then all but carried her down the driveway, her toes brushing the asphalt, placing her into the back of one of the cars.

Flo and Ned were blocked by officers from approaching it, leaving them staring at Marie, who’d leaned to the side window.