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Juvenile Detail. An 8-month-old baby is taken from its mother, and Joe Friday is out to find it.
Reporting into the chief in the squad room, Joe Friday and Frank Smith give the details of the latest missing baby incident. It’s a carbon copy of the other two cases. A working-class family, no family or friends who would want to see harm done, and no real leads. The cops discuss setting up a decoy to lure in the kidnapper when a caller phones, frantic to clear her name.
Mrs. Bolger is a neighborhood lady who babysits. Has someone been accusing her? Is the lonely just being paranoid? Joe describes the development of the investigation in his usual voiceover, but it doesn’t stop yet another kidnapping. A baby is taken, then returned in a 24 hour period, with the only sign of harm being a little exposure, and an item is missing from the baby’s belongings.
A report from a cleaning woman tells of used baby clothes being stored in her employer’s home. What’s unusual about that? Plenty of women hang on to old baby clothes. The items match things missing from the returned babies. Mr. Roth is interviewed, but all he knows is that his wife works with children shelters. The cops learn about the childless couple, and catch up with Doris explains her uncontrollable urge.
