Chapter 10 #2
“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 knew something about Torres. He looked at his watch. She was out on a fugitive hunt right now—catching bodies.
Since Hank was covering his shifts at court security, Liam decided they should make a run to the fire station to see if he could get any information from them and talk to Samantha about her landlord.
“Let’s go.” He pushed back from his desk and stood.
Sophia didn’t move. She slumped in the chair, staring at the wall. “I used to walk dogs after school,” she muttered. “Now I follow a US marshal around like one.”
“You brought this on yourself.” He grabbed his keys. “I can’t trust you to stay home, so you’re tagging along.”
He led the way down the secure entry and exit this time.
This morning he’d made her go through the full security check.
It was an experience she’d needed to have.
Once they were through, he’d leaned over and said it was much worse in jail.
He should have her sit in on one of the criminal trials. Let her see exactly what would happen.
He hadn’t let her attend any of the hearings with her mother.
He’d wanted to spare her, but in doing that, had he done her a disservice?
Yes, seeing her mother go through all of that would have been rough, but would they be in their current predicament if he had let her see it, experience it?
Had he inadvertently started the ball rolling that would crash her life like it had her mother’s?
Liam’s left wrist ached at the childhood memories.
The glass of milk he’d accidentally knocked over.
His father’s rage and the wrist fracture as punishment.
He’d simply fallen—that was the story the ER had gotten, anyway.
Broken bones healed, but experiences were relived over and over.
If Liam hadn’t let his sister take the fall for the car, their father wouldn’t have turned on her the way he had.
He’d been cruel before, but after that, Kayleigh could do no right.
And when you spent your whole life being treated like a criminal, maybe it wasn’t such a leap to become one.
Lord, forgive me.
“Where are we going now?” Sophia’s question pulled him from his thoughts.
“To the fire station.”
Sophia’s eyes lit up. “Do you think Bella will be there?”
He shook his head. “I doubt it. But if she is, it doesn’t mean anything. You’re staying in the vehicle.”
“Ugh.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Don’t worry. I’ll crack the windows.”
She turned and narrowed her eyes. “I’m not a dog.”
“I know that.” He smiled at her. “Seriously though, you will stay in the car. I won’t be long.”
Her face softened. “Okay.”
He pulled the vehicle into a parking spot in front of the fire station lobby and left it running.
Cool air blew over him as he opened the lobby door. A man in his thirties, dressed in duty clothes, sat at the welcome desk. Liam didn’t recognize him from his last few encounters with the station’s crew.
The guy’s bushy eyebrows rose. “Welcome to Station 4. How may I help you?”
He pulled his badge from his belt and showed it to the man. “Deputy US Marshal Liam Roberts. I need to see Captain Bennett, please.”
“Just a moment.” The man stood and disappeared through a double-paned glass door.
A few minutes later, the man returned, Captain Bennett on his heels.
“Deputy Marshal Roberts.” Captain Bennett stuck his hand out.
Liam shook it.
“Follow me.”
Captain Bennett led him into the open area and down a hall to a large office with a leather couch, a US flag on a pole in the corner, and half a dozen commendations hanging on one wall.
Captain Bennett shut the door behind him. “What can I do for you?” He took a seat behind a mahogany desk.
The station must have a pretty nice budget. Liam was not going to be jealous of this man’s desk—or the cushy chair he got to sit in. “I wanted to stop by and see if you’d been able to find out anything about the fire at Samantha Williams’s house.”
The captain leaned back in his chair. “Is this a Marshals matter?”
Liam needed to make sure Samantha’s cover remained intact. “Not officially. You see, Isabella and my niece, Sophia, are quite close.” Not exactly a lie. They knew each other enough to get into trouble together. “Anyone close to my family is close to me.”
Liam was not here on official business. The captain didn’t have to share any information. He could tell Liam to take a hike, and Liam would have to. He just hoped the man would be forthcoming with information.
This wasn’t just about the case—it was about protecting the life Sam had built here and proving to himself he could keep those he cared about safe. Success here meant more than a clean file; it meant trust, redemption, and finally, finding peace.
Captain Bennett studied him. “I understand.” He sat up and pulled a manila file over in front of him.
“Since Sam is part of our station, we aren’t handling the investigation, but I can tell you what they’ve told us.
” He opened the folder and moved a couple of pages about.
“It was definitely arson. There were traces of accelerant all over the house and several ignition points. Whoever did this wanted the house to burn, and with it, the body.”
“Any idea whose body it was?”
Captain Bennett shook his head. “The remains are with the forensic pathologist now. We’re still trying to get in touch with the property owner.
Sam said he stopped by a couple nights ago and said he was going out of town.
So far, he hasn’t returned any of our calls.
She was given a number for someone should she need anything, but unfortunately, that burned with the house. ”
Liam pulled a card from his wallet. “I’d appreciate it if you’d let me know if anything happens. As a professional courtesy.”
Captain Bennett accepted it. “Professional courtesy?”
“Yes, gotta look out for my niece’s friends.” Liam stood. “Is Samantha here today?” He rubbed his hands on his pants.
“Of course you do.” The captain gave him a knowing smile. “She’s out today. I’ll let her know you stopped by.”
He probably thought there was something between Liam and Sam, or that Liam at least wanted something to be there. He was going to allow him to think that. If he thought this was a personal thing, it worked in Liam’s favor.
Would it really be so bad if everyone thought they were together? It might actually make his job easier.
As they walked toward the lobby, Dean, Sam’s new roommate, sauntered up.
“Deputy Marshal, nice to see you again.” He stuck his hand out.
Liam shook it. “How’s Samantha doing?”
Dean’s grip tightened. Interesting.
They released hands.
“About as good as one can expect. My wife is helping her get things sorted today.”
“I’m glad she has people around to help her.
” Liam tried to gauge Dean’s feelings about Samantha.
Yeah, he was married, but that didn’t mean there weren’t feelings there, even if the guy never acted on them.
Liam had seen all kinds of things in his line of work, and at this point, he was rarely surprised.
“Yeah, it is. You work with people enough, they become family. She’s like the little sister I never knew I wanted.”
Liam relaxed a little. “I can only imagine.”
He wouldn’t know exactly the relationship firefighters developed, because he didn’t spend the same amount of time with his coworkers as they did.
But it didn’t mean he didn’t know what camaraderie was.
Marshals might not live together for hours, but they did spend hours together and watched each other’s backs.
Shared life-and-death situations. Similar, but different at the same time.
“I’ll let her know you dropped by.” Dean waved as he wandered off.
Liam climbed into his vehicle, relieved Sophia was still in it.
She turned slightly in her seat. “Now where?”
“One more stop and then back to the office.”
“I should have brought a book.” She leaned her head back against the headrest.
“I can arrange that.” Surely there were some books floating around the office. Was she too young to start studying the Marshal manual?
He shook his head and pulled out of the parking lot.
The drive to the coroner’s office only took ten minutes, hardly giving him enough time to figure out how to be a father to a teenage girl.
“You’re going in there?” Sophia’s face paled. “There are dead people in there.”
“Unfortunately. It’s a part of the job.” He opened the door.
“How many dead bodies have you seen?”
“Too many.” He stepped out and turned to face her. “Stay in the car. Lock the doors.”
“Yes, sir.” She saluted him.
He shook his head and shut the door. After showing the receptionist his badge, he was escorted to the coroner’s office.
“Deputy Marshal Roberts.” A petite woman in her early forties, dressed in scrubs, stuck her hand out.
He shook it. “Dr. Falleur.”
“What can I do for you today?”
“I was wondering about the body found in the fire yesterday. Do you have an identity yet?”
He had a pretty good idea who the victim might be, and if so, the Marshals would need to investigate how a witness set to testify had been killed.
Hopefully she was willing to say, even if it wasn’t technically his case to work. He had a little more freedom with the forensic pathologist than he did with the fire captain. She was less likely to ask probing questions since she was used to dealing with law enforcement.
She rounded the desk and tapped the screen of her tablet. “The body was too burnt for a visual identification. I can tell you it’s a man. Luckily, his right hand was curled in a fist under his body. I’m dehydrating his fingers. Hopefully, it’ll be enough to get prints.”
Then they had to hope that his prints were in the system. If so, it wouldn’t take long to determine the victim’s identity. Then they’d be a step closer to finding out if Samantha’s cover had been blown.
And whether he had to upend her entire life just to keep her safe.