I did not look anything up.

I did not run the father, I did not check the address, I did not query anything.

There was nothing I could have found in twenty minutes that a detective could not find properly in two days with a warrant.

And I did not call their mother, which felt wrong at the time and was correct.

You do not call a parent in a possible custodial abuse case until somebody senior has decided which parent.

Sergeant Reyes stood at that counter with me and read my notes and said four words.