Thankless in Death

I help you?”
    “Ma’am, I’m the police.” Eve held her badge up for the scan. “Lieutenant Dallas, NYPSD. I’m looking for your neighbor. Ms. Farnsworth?”
    The door opened. The woman sported a messy brown ponytail and bold red sweats with thick striped socks on her feet. As she studied Eve out of sleepy eyes, she shifted a bundle wrapped in a blue blanket from one arm to the other.

    It took Eve a moment after hearing the mewling sounds to identify a baby.
    “Why are you looking for her?”
    “I need to speak with her on a matter. She doesn’t answer her door or her ’link. Can you tell me when you last saw her?”
    “I guess it was last night. I got up to feed Colin, and she was out walking Snuffy.”
    “Snuffy?”
    “Her dog. She got a sweet little dog. I noticed her leaving the house with Snuffy, about eleven last night.”
    “You haven’t seen her today?”
    “Now that you mention it, I guess not. But Brad took the morning feeding—when she’d have walked the dog again. Wait a minute.” She stepped back, turned her head. “Brad!”
    Eve heard a thud, a distinct “ OW! ” The woman laughed. “He fell off the couch,” she told Eve. “Colin’s almost three weeks old. And it’s been almost three weeks since either of us got any real sleep. We’re on parental leave.”
    The man came out to join the woman. He looked rumpled, glassy-eyed, and rubbed his elbow. “What is it?”
    “It’s the police. They’re looking for Ms. Farnsworth.”
    “Why?”
    “I need to speak with her,” Eve put in. “Have you seen her today?”
    “I’m lucky to see period.” He rubbed at his eyes. “No, I guess not. Wasn’t she supposed to come by with that soup?”
    “Was that today?” The woman swayed side to side as what was in the blue blanket made piping sounds. “I guess it was, they blur. She was going to bring us soup, her grandmother’s recipe. She’s beensweet about checking on us and Colin, even picking up things at the market, or having her droid check in to see if we need anything.”
    “I think I saw her droid.”
    Eve shifted attention to the new father. “Her droid?”
    “Yeah, I was out a little while ago, just a walk, some fresh air. I think I saw her droid up the block, carrying some of the electronics. She’s got a load of them, used to teach Comp Science.”
    “Is something wrong?” the woman asked.
    “Stay inside.”
    Eve bolted back just as Peabody stepped away from the neighbor on the other side.
    “They haven’t seen her all day,” Peabody began. “She’s got a dog, and walks it regularly, but today … shit,” Peabody finished when Eve whipped out her master.
    “She’s got a droid. Neighbor spotted it carting electronics away. Record on.”
    “Shit,” Peabody said again, drew her weapon.
    They went through the door, Peabody right, Eve left.
    “Ms. Farnsworth,” Eve called out as she moved through the first floor, clearing. “This is the police.”
    She saw spaces on shelves and tables where the lack of balance told her something might have stood. She saw the destruction in the kitchen. And not a single comp or ’link on the first floor.
    She knew, head and gut, before they started upstairs, she knew they were too late.
    She smelled the urine, and the death, motioned Peabody to take the right again as they topped the stairs. She went left and into the home office.
    Barely cold, she thought as she checked the body. Another mean, ugly death, with her swimming in its wake.

    Then she put it aside, straightened.
    “We got a body,” she called out, and pulled out her comm to call it in.
    “Second floor’s clear, except for …” Peabody walked in, carrying a whimpering bundle. For a stunned instant Eve thought it was another baby.
    “What the hell?”
    “He was under the bed. I heard him crying when I went in to clear. And there was this little blanket, so I wrapped him up. He’s hurt, Dallas. I don’t know how bad.”
    “However bad, she’s worse.”
    “It’s her little dog. The neighbor said she walked Snuffy several times a day, but not today.”
    “No, she won’t be walking Snuffy anymore. We need field kits. I called it in.”
    “I’ll get them, but we have to do something for Snuffy.”
    Eve dragged a hand through her hair. She saw the dog clearly enough now, and pain in its soft brown eyes. “What?”
    “I’ll see if I can tag a vet while I’m getting the kits. He’s really hurt. Okay, Snuffy,” Peabody crooned as she walked