Chapter 7 #2
Loud music played in the background.
“Who is us, and why aren’t you at home?” He clenched his jaw.
He was on duty and on his way to an emergency situation, but his niece needed him.
How was he supposed to choose? It wasn’t like he could call someone else to pick her up.
They were new in town. He didn’t have any friends or family here.
After visiting the Williams sisters with Aubrey a few nights ago, he had the feeling she wouldn’t mind, but he didn’t want to impose. This was his problem.
“Me and Bella are at the corner of—” She paused. “Oak and Fourth Street.”
“Isabella Williams is with you?” The decision was made for him.
“Yes.”
“Are you two safe? Did you sneak out of the house?” And yet she’d called him, even knowing how much trouble she would be in. Something was wrong, but she’d done the right thing.
“We’re fine.” She sounded exasperated. “We’re at a gas station. They let us use the phone.”
And she didn’t think he’d want to know why?
“Stay where you’re at. I’ll be right there.” He killed the lights and sirens and busted a U-turn, gripping the steering wheel until his fingers were numb.
What were the two girls doing out in the first place? He couldn’t speak for Isabella, but Sophia was grounded. And why was Isabella’s house on fire? Unease swirled in his gut.
He pulled the vehicle into the parking lot of the gas station, jumped out, and headed to the entrance.
Sophia and Isabella pushed through the glass door and met him in the parking lot.
“I’m sorry, Uncle Liam.” Sophia at least had the good sense to look ashamed.
“Get in the vehicle.” He marched back to the driver’s side.
The girls slid into the back seat of the SUV, tossing their backpacks on the floorboard.
“Buckle up.” He pulled out of the parking lot and activated the lights, foregoing the sirens so he could question the girls. “I need to know right now where you two have been and how long you’ve been gone.”
In the rearview, the two girls looked at each other. Something passed between them.
“This is extremely important. Do not lie to me. This is more than just breaking the rules and sneaking out.” He slowed at a stoplight and made sure all vehicles yielded to him, then accelerated quickly.
Sophia sighed. “We met at the skate park a couple hours ago.”
“Isabella, what were you doing before you left your house?” He glanced at her in the rearview mirror, wondering if she’d left the stove on or something.
“Um, nothing? I mean, my sister gave me some chores. I did a few of them. I was supposed to be back in time to finish them before she got home, but—”
Sophia nudged her, and Bella stopped talking.
Liam made a mental note to dig into that later. First, he needed to determine what she knew about the fire. “Were you burning candles or did you leave the oven on?”
He slowed at another intersection.
“No, why?”
“Because when Sophia called me, I was on my way to a fire at your house.”
He was opening a can of worms in front of Sophia. She would surely have questions as to why he knew their house was on fire and why he would be responding to it. He’d have to think about an excuse to give her later. Right now, information was needed.
Isabella leaned forward. “Is everything okay?”
“I don’t know anything other than there is a fire. Did you notice anything odd or unusual in the neighborhood when you left?”
“No.” She shook her head. “Oh my gosh, does my sister know?” Isabella’s eyes widened.
“I assume so. Why don’t you call her and let her know we’re on our way?”
Isabella looked at her lap. “We didn’t take our phones with us.”
That explained the gas station phone, but not why they’d called him.
“Why did you leave your phones at home?” But he already knew the answer.
“So if you checked my location, it would show I was still at home,” Sophia answered.
“What were you doing there instead of being home?”
“Oh no.” Isabella leaned forward and stared out the windshield.
Several fire engines lined the block. Hoses were strewn about, and firefighters were busy doing their jobs. Smoke hung heavy in the air. Bystanders lined the sidewalk, watching the commotion.
Liam pulled his SUV to the blockade, threw it in Park, and turned to address the girls. “Stay in this vehicle and do not leave. Do you understand?” He looked at both girls and waited for them to acknowledge his instructions.
“Yes, sir,” they said simultaneously.
He jumped from the vehicle, pulled his shield from his belt, and flashed it to the officer manning the perimeter. “Deputy US Marshal, where’s incident command?”
The officer pointed to a trio of firefighters gathered on the sidewalk in front of the house. He recognized the commander from the shooting at the motel. This was Sam’s team. They’d been the ones to respond to her house.
He scoured the scene as he made his way to the trio, trying to find Sam, but there was no sign of her. Of course, some of the firefighters were still in full turnout gear, and he couldn’t see their faces through their face shields.
One of the men saw him approach, an older guy with dark curly hair. “Can I help you?”
“Deputy US Marshal Liam Roberts.” He showed the man his badge. “I’m checking in on a situation that may involve people I’m concerned about. Nothing official here—just hoping you can help me out.”
Liam had to dance a fine line. He needed to determine what was going on without alerting anyone to the Williams sisters’ status as witnesses. If people assumed they were personal friends because the teens were also friends, this would be a whole lot easier.
“Captain Bennett. Good to meet you.” He motioned to the house. “Residential fire. There’s a body inside and clear signs of an accelerant used. We’ll know more after the investigation that will confirm whether it’s arson.”
Had Sam come home early from her shift? His thoughts turned to Isabella in his SUV. Were they looking at a murder investigation? He blinked rapidly at the scene in front of him.
“Do we have an identity on the victim?”
It was surely too soon to know for certain, but the question had to be asked.
“Not an official one. One of our firefighters, Samantha Williams, lives here with her fourteen-year-old sister Isabella. Right now, Isabella is unaccounted for.” The man’s voice cracked. “Sam is over there. Devastated.”
Liam whipped his head in the direction the captain pointed. She sat on the curb, wrapped in the arms of another firefighter, who’d shed his coat.
“Isabella Williams is not inside that house.” He turned to go to the duo seated on the curb.
“How do you know?” Guarded hope filled the captain’s face.
“Because she’s in the back seat of my SUV.” He walked toward where Samantha was seated. “Ms. Williams?”
The man looked up and glared at Liam. “Now’s not the time.” His arm tightened around Samantha, whose face was buried in his chest and shoulders, shaking with sobs.
“It’s not Isabella.” The words rushed out of his mouth. He needed to end her suffering. Because he knew what it was like to lose someone. His sister had gone to prison, but it was still a type of grief—Sophia didn’t have her mother in her life, and he didn’t have his sister here with them.
Samantha whipped her head around and stared at him with bloodshot eyes. “What did you say?”
“Bella is in my SUV.”
Samantha pushed herself free of the man and stood up, looking around wildly. She grabbed his forearm. “Take me to her. Now.”
“This way.” He led her to the vehicle.
Before they could reach the blockade, the door opened, and Isabella stepped out.
“Bella!” Samantha raced to her sister and grabbed her in a bear hug. “I thought you were dead.”
Isabella wrapped her arms around Sam. “Yeah, well…I wasn’t home.”
“Where have you been?” Samantha pulled away and framed Isabella’s face with her hand. “I called. You didn’t answer.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” Tears streamed down Isabella’s face.
Samantha pulled her back into a hug. The two sisters stood embracing each other, sobs racking their bodies.
Liam turned away, not wanting to intrude on their private moment.
If Samantha and Isabella Williams were standing in front of him, then who was dead inside their house?
The hair on his neck stood on end. He turned back to them, scanning the area. This had to be considered a targeted attack. “I’m sorry to interrupt,” Liam said, “but for the sake of your safety, we need to get you both out of here.”