An annoying sound is disturbing the slumber of the Head Detective of the Santa Barbara Police Department. He grunts in his half awake state, he felt like he had just lay down and closed his eyes.
Another late night, another dead end.
He reaches over to press the snooze button on the clock but the sound continues to assault his hearing. He finally opens his eyes a little and realizes it is the phone and it won't stop ringing until it's answered. Reaching up to grab the phone at the same time as looking at the time on the digital clock, someone better have a good reason for calling at 3:04 in the morning.
"Lassiter!" He barks.
"Is this Carlton Lassiter?"
"Who wants to know?" It was too early; he was tired and was easily getting annoyed, if this was a prank call... He suddenly becomes wide-awake and sits up as the person on the other end continues this one sided conversation.
"What?…when?" He listens intently for awhile before responding. "Yes, yes, I'm still here." He swings his legs to the edge of the bed, grabbing a pen and paper, ready to quickly scribble down some information. "Give me your number so I – I can call you back. "Thank-thank you for calling me." He says when he finally ends the call a few minutes later, hanging up the phone and putting his head in his hands.
Victoria lays on her side of the bed, half asleep, waiting to hear about another police call he has to go on. That's why the phone is on his side of the bed, but she still hears it and knows what will happen next.
But he doesn't leave the bed, he doesn't say anything. She feels a slight vibration as she rolls over to see him shaking and the sounds of choking back tears.
She sits up to comfort her husband. "Carlton, what happened? What's wrong?"
"Mitchell and Colleen their- - he…she… they're both - -" He tries to choke out the words; he slowly loses control of his emotions. "Noo!" She begins to tear up as he manages to eek out the story. Carlton's sister Colleen, and her husband Mitchell were killed as a result of a head on car accident with a drunk driver- - who walked away with a few scratches.
She holds onto her husband as the news sinks in. "What about Sylvia?"
Sylvia was the couple's young daughter.
Their niece.
"Syl…she…she was at a friends house, thank God."
Carlton answers breathlessly. "She's with some friends right now."
That's how Carlton and Victoria Lassiter became the legal guardians of 11 year-old Sylvia Kathleen Compton.