Right now? They needed a lot. Because they had nothing. Sam’s stomach sank. Where were they going to live? “No, we’re okay for now.”
Aubrey smiled. “Okay, just let me know if you need anything.”
Sam turned back to Bella once the administrative assistant was gone. “Did you have any friends over while I was out?”
She shook her head.
“This is serious, Bella.” Sam might regret telling her this, but the teen needed to understand the seriousness of the situation. “There was a dead body inside the house.”
Bella’s mouth fell open, and the muffin she’d picked up fell from her hand and landed on the conference table. “No. I promise. No one came over.”
“When you left to meet your friends, was there anyone in the neighborhood you didn’t recognize?” Sam couldn’t restrain her leg any longer and let it bounce.
Bella closed her eyes and thought a moment. “No, I didn’t see anyone.” A tear slid down her cheek. “Are we in danger again?”
Sam had asked for honesty, so that’s what she was going to give her sister. “I don’t know.”
Liam shut the door to his office, leaving Sophia alone. No matter how he tried to ask her about everything that had happened, she only said that they had met up with some friends at a skate park and moved on to a place nearby, where he’d picked them up.
She’d called him because their friends had wanted to go somewhere else and Bella hadn’t wanted to go.
He knew the story from there. He’d grill her more later, but right now, he had to deal with the Williams sisters. And before he could do that, he needed to go see his boss.
He knocked on the closed door of Supervisor Howard’s office.
“Come in.”
Liam opened the door and stepped inside the medium-sized office. Everything was neat and tidy, including the man behind the desk. Papers in a stack beside the keyboard. No coffee mug.
Howard said, “Roberts. What do you know?”
“I have the Williams sisters in the conference room. The fire chief said the blaze at their house is a result of arson and that there was a dead body inside.”
Supervisor Howard let out a whistle. “Do the sisters know anything?”
“I haven’t talked with them yet.”
“Why not?”
“A situation has come up, and I wanted to speak with you before I went to them.”
“Oh?” Supervisor Howard raised his eyebrows.
“Remember the telephone call I got from the school about my niece the other day?” When Supervisor Howard nodded, Liamcontinued. “She and a friend pulled the fire alarm at school. That friend was Isabella Williams.”
Supervisor Howard’s face hardened. He’d been out of town the last couple of days, and with Deputy Marshal Butler on suspension, it meant everyone was pulling double duty.
“You were in a meeting this morning, and I got the call about the fire before I could talk to you.”
“Can’t say that I’ve ever run into something like this in my career.” Supervisor Howard steepled his fingers in front of his chin.
“There’s more. I was on my way to the Williamses’ house when my niece called. She and Isabella Williams were together and needed a ride from a gas station on the corner of Oak and Fourth.”
Supervisor Howard sighed.
“I wanted you to be aware of this before I went in. I understand if you need to assign a new marshal to the case.”
“Under normal circumstances, I think that would be prudent, but unfortunately, I don’t have anyone else to assign them to. Butler and Albright are out, and Glover has a full schedule with her witnesses and working fugitive apprehension.” Supervisor Howard stood. “Does your niece know details about the Williams sisters?”
