Drop On By

Diane pounded on the door till it felt like her knuckles would crumble. “Open up!” She could hear scratching noises, steps, and water running. Finally, she heard locks and chains moving, followed by the door handle turning.

“What the hell do YOU want?” The woman’s blond hair was greasy and dark near the roots. Her eyes were squinting, and one eye was open slightly more than the other.

“Lauren, I need to talk to you. Now!” Diane forced the door open the rest of the way and entered Lauren’s apartment. She didn’t think it was possible, but Lauren managed to be even messier on this visit.

“I don’t know nothing about it!” Lauren screamed.

“About what?" “My sister and her husband!”

“Where are their kids, Lauren?”

“I don’t know.”

“Lauren, you may be in danger. You have to tell me where the kids are so I can get you and them to safety.”

“I don’t know.”

Diane paced around the room, then walked over to put a hand on Lauren’s shoulder to calm her down. Getting this sloppy skel to cooperate wouldn’t be easy. Diane decided to try another tack.

“Where’s Harry Denby?”

“Fuck Harry Denby! This is all his fault!” Lauren started sobbing and wringing her hands.

Diane heard a baby’s cry in another room, so she left Lauren in the living room and opened the bedroom door. Two small children looked up at her from the center of a dirty room stacked with dirty linen and old fast food containers. The smaller of the two was wearing a filthy, overflowing diaper and Diane could see a red rash on her skin near her waist. Diane hunted all over the room for a clean diaper, and finally found one tucked into a pocket in the children’s carryall bag. Diane tossed aside piles of dirty clothes, sheets and towels and finally found a towel that didn’t look or smell too foul. She took the diaper off the baby and tossed it, then took the baby into the bathroom and washed her off.

While she scrubbed the baby, Diane balanced her mobile phone on her shoulder and talked to a counselor at CPS. When she was finished with the call, she called to catch up on the news back at the precinct.