There was no valid rebuttal to that statement. Her only hope, if she could call it that, was to persevere until he got tired of hanging around and either solved the crime surrounding Bobby Joe’s drug involvement or found a replacement to look in on her every so often.
When John joined her and started the engine without comment, Sam barely glanced in his direction. She didn’t dare. She was afraid if he demonstrated even the smallest kindness, she might break down and weep for the potential happiness that had slipped through their fingers and trickled away like a handful of raindrops. Or tears.
* * *
The child cowered in the backseat of the moving car. He knew he’d better stay very still when his father was in a bad mood. Lately, that was all the time, especially when he’d been working too hard and came home after dark.
His mama always cried a lot then. Danny had heard their arguments from his room and had pulled the covers over his head to drown them out.
Sometimes, his mama came to his bedside and sat there for a while afterward, whispering to him while he pretended he was asleep.
When he got big and strong like his daddy he’d take care of her, he vowed. She wouldn’t have to cry and be afraid then. They’d run away and find a nice house to live in with lots of pets and stuff like that.
The car slowed, then stopped. Danny heard the door slam so he peeked out. His daddy was standing at the curb talking to some men. They were all yelling and waving their arms.
“Mama?”
“Hush, honey. Be patient. Your father has some business to finish and then we’ll go on home.”
Danny drew up his knees, wrapped his thin arms around them and lowered his head so he wouldn’t have to look. Being grown-up was scary. He hoped he’d be happier than his daddy was when he got to be a man.
SEVEN
Sam had allowed John to pick her up for work early the following morning but she’d asked Alice to give her a ride into town on their lunch break so she could apply for a replacement driver’s license.
Since the sheriff’s office and police headquarters were practically next door to the DMV, she was afraid she might accidentally run into John. When that didn’t happen, she was actually disappointed.
“Proving once and for all that I am nuts,” she mumbled, climbing back into Alice’s two-door compact.
The older woman giggled. “You don’t have to try to convince me. I know you.”
“Thanks. Everybody needs friends who understand them.”
“So, did you get the new license?”
“Uh-huh. It was easier than I’d thought. They just took another picture, laminated a copy and that was that.”
“Too bad it’s not that easy to get your credit cards back.”
“I went ahead and permanently canceled all but one of them. I don’t live above my means so I really don’t need credit except in emergencies.”
“Speaking of emergencies, did you notice who showed up again today while you were on your morning coffee break?”
“No. Who? Not that I want to gossip,” Samantha added.
“Oh, you’ll be interested in this case. Remember that kid you were sure was being abused? Danny Southerland?”
“Yes…”
“Well, he came back. His mother brought him this time.”
Sam’s pounding heart sat like a lump in her throat. “How bad?”
“Bad enough, I guess.” Alice gave a shake of her tight blond curls. “Weiss admitted him for observation.”
“Oh, no. Why didn’t somebody tell me?”
“I just did. And now that I see your face, I know who turned the case in to the cops the last time.”
“How about this time? Was it reported?”
The other woman shrugged. “Don’t know. I doubt it, although Dr. Weiss did seem a tad upset.”
“I shouldn’t wonder. Poor Danny.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Make another report as soon as I’ve read the file and made sure this was no accident, I suppose. I saw the family just yesterday in Ash Flat. They all seemed pretty uptight, even then.”
“I sure don’t envy you when Weiss finds out you interfered,” Alice said flatly. “You know how he feels about Ben Southerland. You could lose your job over it.”
“I’ll do the right thing and leave the fallout to the Lord the way I always do,” Samantha replied. “If I let this situation go and something worse happens to that little boy, I’ll never forgive myself.”