Sam forced a tight smile, preparing herself for the usual platitudes.
The woman looked from Sam to Bella and back. “She looks like she’s a shopper. Would you like a drink while you wait for your sister?”
“You have no idea. She’d shop until she dropped if I let her.” She smiled, a genuine one this time. “I don’t need anything right now.”
“Why don’t you humor an old lady.” The woman smiled sweetly.
Sam didn’t want to be rude. She looked at Bella, who was admiring some dresses. Cass was with her. Everything would be okay.
“Yes, ma’am.” She followed the woman to a small café area just off the clothing section.
“Have a seat.” The woman went behind the counter and grabbed a couple bottles of water and a plate of cookies. “My name’s Barbara.”
“Sam.”
“I won’t pretend to know what you’re going through right now. That’s your story.” Barbara took a seat. “But I know you’ve been through a lot. It’s okay to be overwhelmed.”
Sam opened her mouth to respond, but Barbara held up a hand. “You don’t have to explain, and I’m not going to ask. If you want to tell me, I’ll listen, but that’s not what we’re about.” She nudged the plate of cookies closer to Sam. “We’re called to help others and to spread the good news of Christ.”
Sam had believed that good news once. It had been such a relief to learn there was a God in heaven who saw her, who loved her and had come to save her. But in the end, what had that knowledge actually changed for her?
She tapped her fingers on the tabletop.
“I’m guessing you have your doubts about God.”
Was her discomfort that obvious? “You’d be correct.”
“I was in your shoes once. Not that I know your whole story, but I’ve doubted God plenty in my life. I’ve seen some evil things, child.” Barbara reached over and patted her hand. “But I’ve also seen miracles.”
The woman’s hand was warm over hers, not ice cold like she’d expected an older woman’s hand to be. If this woman had seen evil, how could she continue to believe in a good God?
Barbara gave Sam’s hand a light squeeze, then let go. “Just like Romans 8:28 tells us, bad things happen, but God will use those bad things for good. Take Joseph, Job, Moses, the bleeding woman, and Mary Magdalene, for example.”
Sam folded her hands in her lap. Some of those names sounded familiar, but she couldn’t remember much of their stories. Except maybe that Joseph was the one with the colorful coat.
“All great stories that you’ll find in the Bible, but the most important one is that of Jesus. He was crucified for our sins, ensuring we have eternity with God.” The old woman stood, then went back to the counter and picked something up from behind it.
She placed an old, worn Bible in front of Sam. The cover was ratty, and the pages were crinkled. It had been well read.
“Take it. Read it. Start with the gospel of Mark. Come back if you have questions.”
Sam gasped. “I can’t take this.”
It was much too personal. She hadn’t asked for this. It felt far too much like giving a person something dear. Who would do that with a stranger?
“I insist. Consider it a loan.” Barbara smiled. “Read over it, and bring it back when you’re done.”
Sam blinked back tears. The weight of the Bible in her hands felt heavier than it should have. “Thank you.”
Liam had spent last night seeking the Lord in prayer and asking for guidance on how to proceed with Sophia and Samantha and Bella. He’d prayed protection over all of them.
He’d gotten up early this morning and dragged Sophia out of bed. She was going to spend the day at the Marshals’ office, so he would at least know where she was.
Sophia parked herself in his extra office chair while he did a deep dive into the Williams sisters’ case. None of the major players were missing, so they, at least, could be ruled out as the dead body in the house. That didn’t mean it wasn’t someone connected to the Mob. It just meant he had to do more digging.
He turned his attention to the owner of the property, Dr. Cameron Torres. Liam dug into the file a little, realizing it was the same guy Howard had mentioned. Dr. Torres had been scheduled to testify and, shortly thereafter, go into WITSEC himself. He was the missing witness from the hearing the other day. There weren’t any updated notes in the file saying he’d been found. Could he be the guy in the fire?
If so, that would open a whole other can of worms. He made a mental note to touch base with Howard to see if the boss could give him any insights. If the boss wasn’t in, maybe Glover knewsomething about Torres. He looked at his watch. She was out on a fugitive hunt right now—catching bodies.
