Chapter 5 #2
“Very well, then. Please have a seat in the lobby while I talk with your sister.”
Bella stood and left the room. The door clicked behind her.
“I’m sorry about this. Bella knows better than to pull the alarm.”
“It is my belief that Bella was coerced into pulling the alarm.” Ms. Duncan folded her hands on her desk.
Sam sat back in the seat. Was Bella covering for the girl sitting next to her? Was this the same friend that had gotten her into trouble yesterday?
Sam closed her eyes and sighed. It was time for the “be careful who you surround yourself with” talk again.
Liam stood by the wall to the left of the defense table in the Renegade Federal Courtroom, close enough to lunchtime that his stomach was rumbling. But that’s what happened when breakfast got skipped because a certain teen forgot to get more cream cheese for the bagels.
It had only been three hours since he’d clocked in, but it felt like he’d already pulled an eight-hour shift.
Time was passing slowly. That was the difference between high-stakes, adrenaline-filled fugitive apprehension.
What was it Albright had said yesterday?
They were government-funded stalkers? He had crossed the bridge to government-funded babysitter.
The defendant, dressed in prison garb, hands attached to the chain circling his waist, sat next to his attorney.
As court security, Liam divided his attention between the defendant and the gallery, watching for anything suspicious. Like signs the defendant was going to try to escape or a spectator was going to do something dangerous.
The hearing droned on, sounds whomping together around him until it all washed into one mass. Liam didn’t spend too much time trying to understand the legal jargon that was thrown around by the attorneys.
One of the double doors to the courtroom opened. He tensed and waited for whoever it was to enter.
Henry “Hank” Green, another older marshal assigned to Renegade, stepped in and took a seat at the back of the gallery.
Liam reached up and tapped the coiled earpiece. The courthouse radio traffic had continued throughout the hearing, so he wasn’t in here because of a threat, or Liam would know about it.
Maybe he had a personal stake in this hearing or the one that was going to come up next.
Liam focused back on the defendant and others in the room. Judge Mullinax banged the gavel on his desk, ending the hearing.
The defendant and his attorney turned to speak with each other. Hank made his way over.
Liam stepped forward, preparing to take the defendant out of the courtroom and back to holding.
“Deputy Marshal Roberts,” Hank said. “Supervisor Howard sent me to take your place.”
“Is something wrong?” Changing marshals in the middle of the day was uncommon.
“Everything is fine here, but the school called for you. Said it was important.” Hank grabbed the defendant’s arm as he stood from the table.
Liam looked at the phone on his belt. One missed call from the school. He had never even felt it vibrate. His pulse raced.
“Before you panic, Aubrey confirmed that it was not a situation that couldn’t wait until you were done with this hearing.” Hank led the defendant to the courtroom’s secure exit.
“Thank you.” He pulled the phone from his belt and checked the voice message that had been left. Please call me back.
He dialed the school’s number. “This is Liam Roberts, and I’m returning Ms. Duncan’s phone call.” He ran his free hand through his hair.
“One moment, please.” He was placed on hold, and digitized elevator music belonging in the 1990s started to play.
After a few moments, an unfortunately familiar voice answered: Principal Duncan. “Mr. Roberts?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to come pick up Sophia. She isn’t sick or injured, but she is in trouble. Your niece pulled the fire alarm today, causing the school to evacuate and the fire department to respond.”
Liam rubbed his hand down his face. “She did?”
“We can discuss it in more detail when you arrive, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to suspend Sophia for three days.”
His stomach turned. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Liam disconnected the call and stormed down the hall to the Marshals’ office. He pushed through the door.
Aubrey looked up from her computer screen. “Everything okay?”
Liam shook his head. “My niece has gotten herself into some trouble, and I need to pick her up from the school.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” She frowned.
“Me too.” He used his key card and let himself into the secure portion of the office. He walked down the hall to Supervisor Howard’s office to let him know he had to leave for the day.
Two days on the job and he was already having to take personal time off.
It took twenty minutes to get to the high school, and Liam used all of that time to pray for wisdom and discernment for everyone involved. His chest tightened at the sight of a fire engine parked in the bus lane.
What had Sophia been thinking?
He locked the SUV and marched inside. Sophia sat in a lobby chair next to a girl whose brown hair hung down and obscured her face.
She appeared to be about two inches shorter than Sophia and roughly the same weight, but that was a crude estimate since she was seated and slumped over a bit. Neither of them looked happy.
Because they’d been caught?
He opened the lobby door, and the girls looked up. He knew the other girl’s face. He’d seen it on his computer yesterday afternoon. Isabella Williams.
Voices from his left drew his attention to a narrow hallway, where a woman in a blouse and slacks walked side by side with Samantha Williams.
Liam and his niece had been in town less than a week, and Sophia had managed to get herself tangled up with one of his witnesses. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
“Thank you, Ms. Williams,” the principal said.
“Yes, ma’am.” Samantha stopped in her tracks when she saw him in the lobby. Then she wiped the shocked look from her face and turned to her niece. “Bella. Let’s go.”
“Mr. Roberts, you and Sophia can follow me.” Principal Duncan gestured down the hallway.
At the mention of his name with Sophia’s, Samantha’s head whipped in his direction.
He ignored Sam’s stare and looked at Sophia. “Let’s go.” He jerked his head in the direction of the principal.
Principal Duncan closed the door once everyone was in the room. “Please, have a seat.”
Liam glanced at Sophia, who sat in the office chair, arms crossed over her chest, a frown pulling down her face. He took the vacant seat next to her.
Principal Duncan took a seat at her desk and faced Sophia. “Would you like to tell us why you pulled the fire alarm today?”
“Because I could,” Sophia grumbled.
“Sophia.” Liam gritted his teeth.
“What? She asked for a reason.”
“It’s time to be serious.” He fisted his right hand.
“I am being serious. I pulled the fire alarm because it was there and I wanted to. So punish me and let’s move on.” She settled into the chair.
“Sophia, you can wait in the lobby.” Principal Duncan waited for Sophia to excuse herself and close the door behind her.
“I’d like to apologize for this. I don’t know what’s going on with her.” Liam rubbed his hand on his thigh. “I mean, I know, but I don’t know how to handle it. This all stems from her mother’s arrest and the upheaval it has caused.”
“I understand she’s had a very difficult time lately. Something no teenager should have to deal with.”
“I agree, but that doesn’t change the fact it’s a situation she has to deal with. Hard isn’t an excuse.” He couldn’t do anything about the past. All he could do was help her now and make sure both their futures were better.
“Have you considered getting Sophia some counseling?”
“It has been suggested to me, yes.” A few of his friends in Virginia had mentioned it. He hadn’t had the time to find anyone since the move.
“Mental health is an important part of human well-being. None of us like the stigma associated with it, but if a person was sick or broken, treatment would be sought to heal them. Mental health is no different.”
Liam said, “It is something I’d like to pursue if it will help her. We’re new to Renegade. Do you have any suggestions?”
“I do have a list of counselors who work with the school. They come in and do therapy sessions on-site, so students don’t miss too much of their classes. It’s also discreet, so the students don’t have to feel embarrassed.”
“I appreciate it.” Liam relaxed a little.
“Now, back to today’s events. Because of the seriousness of the action, Sophia will be suspended for three days. We have video footage of the two pulling the alarm.”
Interesting.
“That being said, I’m not certain that they weren’t coerced into doing this.”
“You think someone forced them into it? Or dared them?”
“The footage shows the two of them meeting with a group of students just before pulling the alarm.”
Sounded like they needed an investigation. “And have you questioned those students?”
“I can’t give you any details, but we are looking into the possibility. Obviously, Sophia has decided not to incriminate anyone else. Maybe that’s something you can get her to talk to you about.”
Would she talk to him if she was in trouble? He hoped she would. “We’ll sit down tonight, and I’ll see if I can get her to open up to me.”
“I’d appreciate it if you would let me know what you’re able to find out. If it involves others in my school, I want to address it.”
“Yes, ma’am. I certainly will.”
“Even though she is suspended, Sophia will still have access to her online classroom and is expected to maintain her studies.” Ms. Duncan slid a piece of paper across her desk. “This is her login information, which she should already have.”
She opened one of her desk drawers and pulled out another sheet of paper. “This is that list of counselors.”
Liam accepted the papers. “Thank you.”
She smiled. “Thank you for coming in. Please let me know if there is any other way we can assist you and Sophia.”
“I will.” Liam opened Principal Duncan’s office door and walked the short distance to the lobby. Sophia had returned to the seat she’d occupied when he arrived.
“Time to go.” He used his no-nonsense marshal voice to convey how serious he was.
He and Sophia were going to have a come-to-Jesus meeting tonight.