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you their description so you can get started on the identification, and you can come back tomorrow to take a statement?”
    “Yes, ma’am, we can do that,” Captain Howe agreed before Rob could say anything. “Officer?”
    Officer Moniz pulled out his notebook and nodded. “Go ahead, doc.”
    Rob glowered at them all indiscriminately, but gave her an extra frown. “Fine. Father is an adult Caucasian male, age approximately thirty to forty, who states his name is Alasdair but did not seem to remember his surname. Height about six-three, build strong but a bit underweight, perhaps due to malnourishment. Brown shoulder-length hair. Eyes brown. Slight peculiarity in hands—”
    Garland turned to him. “What?”
    “Didn’t you notice? He’s got webs.”
    “Webs?”
    Rob waggled his hands. “Just below the first knuckle of each finger. It’s rare, but it happens. Most people have them removed as children. The boy has them too.”
    This time there was no mistaking the captain’s heartfelt expletive. Rob looked at him in puzzlement “Is anything wrong, Ed?”
    Captain Howe’s face had gone white again but he shook his head. “No. I, uh…I just remembered something I forgot to do this morning.” He pulled his own notebook from his pocket and scribbled something in it. “Go on.”
    Garland could see his by the set of his jaw that his teeth were clenched. What had that been about? She looked at Rob.
    He shrugged and shook his head at her very slightly, then continued. “No tattoos or other distinguishing marks noticed during rendition of medical attention. Extensive cuts and contusions recently inflicted, serious but not life-threatening, definitely intentional and possibly ritualistic.”
    The captain’s pencil paused. “That’s—that’s a little hard to prove, don’t you think?” he asked.
    “Do you want to see them?”
    “It’s not necessary,” he said quickly. “And the boy?”
    Rob ran through a quick description of Conn. Captain Howe listened impassively while the junior officer scribbled away, then turned toward the front door. “Well, I think we’ve got what we need here. Moniz?”
    “Can I offer you a cup of coffee before you go?” Garland asked. “I’d just made a fresh pot before you arrived.”
    The captain shook his head and continued edging toward the door. “Thank you, ma’am, but we need to get back to the station and start running some checks on this—on him.” He jerked his head toward the stairs. “We’ll get back to you as soon as we find anything out. See you later, Doc.” He reached for the doorknob.
    “I’ll call this week,” Moniz said to Rob. “Bye, Miz Durrell.” He ducked his head and followed Captain Howe.
    Rob shook his head as she closed the door behind the two officers. “I wish I knew you better, so I could spank you. Garland, are you nuts?”
    “Why? Captain Howe obviously didn’t want anything to do with them. And I can’t just abandon them. You heard what I said.”
    “I heard you, and I’m going to use your words against you. You were right, this guy’s not a stray dog that you can start feeding because he wandered into your yard. What if it turns out that he’s an addict? Or fleeing the mob or something? Do you really want to get embroiled in this?”
    “Does he look like an addict or a criminal to you?” she demanded. “Does the boy? He’s just a baby, for God’s sake. Somebody hurt them and abandoned them to die on a beach. Now somebody’s got to help them, and I guess that’s me.”
    “But damn it, Garland…”
    “What?” She stood still and met his eyes, not blinking. “Who better? I already know a thing or two about being hurt and dumped.”
    He looked at her, ruffling his hair in agitation, then sighed. “All right. If you’re not going to be reasonable, then you’ve got to let me help you. You’ve just moved to town after a nasty divorce and it sounds like you’ve got your own healing to do. Taking on someone else’s