“Good God. Do you know who? Do you know why?”
“We’re investigating. Ms. Young—”
“How old was she?”
“Twenty-two.”
“Does Mitzi know? Have you reached her mother?”
“Yes, I informed her mother.”
“Could you give me Mitzi’s contact? Or you could give her mine. I can’t imagine what she’s going through. Losing a child. Having a child killed this way. If there’s anything we can do to help…”
“Ms. Young, Ms. Starr—”
“Who?”
“Your sister changed her surname from Lauder to Starr.”
The bright blue eyes went blank as she nodded. “I see.”
“Your sister has declined to view or to claim her daughter’s body. She’s declined making any arrangements for her daughter’s burial or cremation.”
On that blank stare, Carmen shut her eyes. “Some things don’t change, do they?” she murmured. “Some people just never change.”
“I’ve notified your mother, and your father, your grandfather. We’re unable to find a location or contact for your grandmother.”
“Join the club,” Carmen said flatly, then shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. It really can’t matter. I assume none of them have changed either. I’m sorry, this is all so upsetting. What is your name?”
“Lieutenant Dallas.”
“Lieutenant, we’ll, of course, make arrangements for… Oh my Jesus.” Her eyes filled again. “I’ve already forgotten her name.”
“It’s Leesa. L-e-e-s-a. Leesa Culver. Listen, don’t beat yourself up. You’ve been blindsided.”
“You’re right about that.”
“Leesa’s father has also expressed no interest in making arrangements. Nor have the few family members on her paternal side we were able to contact.”
“All right.” Again, she covered her mouth with her hand. This time she took three slow breaths, then dropped it. “All right,” she repeated. “Canyou tell me what I need to do? How we go about… Give me a second to get my thoughts in order.”
“Take the time you need.”
“I don’t think we should bring her here. No one knows her, and that’s so sad. No formal funeral or memorial. It doesn’t make sense, does it? And that’s even more sad. How do I arrange for cremation, and maybe, ah…” She pressed a hand over her eyes a moment. “Okay, yes, is there a way to have a tree planted for her? Is there a way to arrange that?”
“Yes, I can put you in touch with someone to help you with that.”
“We’ll plant one here, too. In the yard, I think. I think that’s the right thing to do. I don’t know what else we could do for her. For Leesa. All right, tell me how we go about it all, and we’ll take care of it.”
Eve gave her Morris’s information, then, as she and Roarke had once planted a tree for a friend’s murdered sister, passed on that process.
“All right, thank you so much for the help. We’ll take care of this. Is my sister in New York?”
“No.”
“Just as well.”
“Ms. Young? Thank you.” When Carmen shook her head, Eve pressed on. “You were the last on my list, and the only one who’s shown compassion, who’s willing to make the effort. Leesa’s my responsibility now. It’s my job to find out who took her life, to bring her justice. It’s my duty to stand for her. You didn’t know her, but you’re willing to stand for her, too.”
