paint@intergate.bc.ca wrote:

       Now, her darling baby boy had returned, all grown up.
       And she might have to kill him.

[cut]

The problem is the tense agreement, "had returned" versus "might have to
kill".  Any opinions would be appreciated, even if you just think the
original version is fine.

------RM

The problem is actually in the first sentence. "Now" requires the present
perfect, not the past perfect.

  He has returned now.
  He had returned now.

This is wrong.  "Now" does not affect the tense of the verb at all -- if
the story is in past tense, this sentence should be past perfect, since
it refers to an event earlier in the story.

The two clauses don't have to agree, but if you change this then the two
sentences are closer in tense.

  Now, her darling baby boy has returned, all grown up.
  And she might have to kill him.

"She might have to kill him" looks confusing unless you know that
English does not have a future tense in the same sense that it has a
present and past tense.  Instead, there are modals indicating
possibility that themselves can be in the present or past tense. 
"Might" is the past tense of "may," and the sentence, in present tense,
would be "she may have to kill him."  The issue is further confused by
the use of "have to" (meaning "must"), which is something that most
grammatical models can't handle.  

In short, your sentence is fine.  It's the grammar rules that are screwy
here.  

-- David