“I’m in.”
They jogged to their cars. Phil waited next to the open door of Seth’s cruiser while Seth used his dashboard-mounted laptop to obtain Amber’s address. She lived in an apartment on the other side of Hannon. Seth led the way. In ten minutes they were parked outside a low-budget apartment complex. Three tan brick buildings edged a weedy courtyard. The parking lot formed the fourth side of the square. Seth scanned the cracked asphalt but didn’t see Bruce’s van.
Amber Lynn had lived in a one-bedroom unit on the first floor. A wreath adorned the door, and a single strand of colored Christmas lights bordered the window that faced the parking lot. Standing aside, Seth knocked on the door. No one answered. He knocked again. “Police! Is anyone inside?”
A door six units down the row opened, and an older woman stepped out onto the concrete. She took in Phil’s uniform, and concern lowered her gray brows. “Are you looking for Amber Lynn?”
Seth and Phil walked to her apartment door.
“Do you know her?” Seth asked.
“I’m Ethel Kaminsky. I babysit for Amber Lynn.” She opened her door and let them into a small living room. In one corner an artificial Christmas tree stood behind a baby gate barricade. A dark-eyed toddler knelt in front of a plastic barn. One chubby hand gripped a toy sheep. She turned big, brown eyes on Seth, and his heart ached.
“Do you live here alone, ma’am?” Seth asked.
She nodded. “I lost my husband twenty years ago.”
“Can we talk in the other room?” Seth asked.
Mrs. Kaminsky glanced at the baby and sniffed. “Of course.”
Seth tapped Phil on the arm. “Keep an eye on the baby.”
Phil squatted next to the child and picked up a fist-size plastic cow.
Mrs. Kaminsky led Seth into the kitchen. She angled her body to keep the baby within sight through the doorway. No frail old lady, she was tall and stout, with short white hair. Hard lines pulled at the corners of her mouth, as if she already knew what had happened. Her eyes were bleak. “Tell me.”
Seth did, using a quiet voice even though he knew the child in the next room couldn’t understand what he was saying.
“Oh no.” The news seemed to take Mrs. Kaminsky’s breath away. “I knew something was wrong when Amber Lynn wasn’t here bright and early to pick up Charlotte.” She eased into a chair.
“Are you all right, ma’am?”
She nodded.
“Was it typical for you to keep the baby all night?”
“Only when Amber Lynn sang with the band. There was no point in waking the little one, or me, after midnight.” Mrs. Kaminsky pressed her fingertips to her brow. “Oh my goodness. That poor baby.”
Phil cleared his throat from the doorway. “She doesn’t want to stay in the other room.”
The baby tottered across the carpet to Seth and raised her hands in the air. “Up.”
“Hello, princess.” Seth lifted her onto his hip.
Mrs. Kaminsky tilted her head. “Do you have children?”
“I have a daughter, and Charlotte and I have met.” Seth winced as the baby grabbed hold of his ear and pulled. “Amber Lynn was dating my brother-in-law. He brought them both to a couple of family dinners.”
“What’s going to happen to her?” Mrs. Kaminsky asked.
“For now, I’ll call social services.” But Seth couldn’t bear to pass the child off to a stranger. Maybe Carly could take charge of Charlotte. He shouldn’t call his wife into the case. They were both making an effort to prioritize their marriage, and increasing her workload was only going to undermine their efforts. But as the baby played with the lapel of his jacket, Seth knew he didn’t really have a choice. “Do you know if Amber Lynn had any family close by?”
Mrs. Kaminsky frowned. “She actively avoided her parents. From the few things she told me, I got the impression they were worse than useless.”
“Can you watch Charlotte for a little while longer?” Seth asked. “I have to get the super to let us into Amber Lynn’s apartment.”
“I have a key, if that helps.” Mrs. Kaminsky crossed the vinyl floor and opened a kitchen drawer. Handing the key to Seth, she took the baby. “In case I needed anything for Charlotte.”
“Thanks. We’ll be back.”
“All right.” Mrs. Kaminsky hugged the baby close as they left.
Seth and Phil donned gloves before they opened the door to Amber Lynn’s apartment. The door swung open into the living room, with the kitchen visible through a doorway. The floor plan echoed that of Mrs. Kaminsky’s unit. Seth and Phil hung back as they viewed the damage. The couch cushions had been slashed, the kitchen drawers pulled out, and the furniture upended.
The apartment had been ransacked.