Page 38 of Justice for Samara

She just snuggled down beside him and closed her eyes. What a perfect day it had been! She knew work would be difficult the next morning, but that was okay. He’d be there, and she’d be there. Not only would she be working with and for him, but he treated all of the people in the office as his equal. She’d watched as he assumed the role of chief deputy, and he was fair but frank. Carter had told him to flex his authoritative muscles, and if he wanted someone to do something, he expected them to do it. The first three days she’d been there, she had watched Justin finally accept Michael’s authority and begin to work with him when he realized Michael didn’t want to be his boss. The man beside her in bed wanted to be a coordinator, a manager, and a sounding board. His door was open to everyone in the department, and that let Carter close his from time to time. Poor guy. The sheriff worked his ass off.

The next thing she knew, there was a crazy sound, and she sat straight up in bed. “What’s that?”

“It’s my phone. What the hell time is… Fuck. It’s after three o’clock.”

“Mine’s going off too.”

Michael punched the phone’s screen. “Shit, that can’t be good. This is not a drill of any kind.” He answered it with, “Chief DeputyEdwards.”

She answered hers in the next second. “DetectiveFutrell.”

“Samara, it’s Carter. Michael’s talking to dispatch, but I wanted to call you and tell you I want you on this case.”

“What is it, sir?”

“It’s a residential fire.”

She was already up and on her feet, and she could hear Michael prowling around on the other side of the bed. “A fire? That’s not our?”

“They found a body.”

“Yes, sir. I’m on it. Text me the address. And thank you, sir.”

“You’re welcome. I’d come too, but Sharla’s pulling an all-nighter and I’ve got the baby, so I can’t go.”

“Yes, sir. Understandable. I’ll be on my way in three. Thank you, sir.”

“You’re welcome. Thank you.” She hung up the call and tossed the phone on the bed.

Michael was trying to dress and talk on the phone at the same time. “Yes. Tell the fire marshal I’ll meet him in approximately ten minutes or less. Who?” There was silence, and she watched as he turned and stared at her, still talking on the phone. “Yes. Yes, thank you. Anything else I need to know? Okay. En route in five. Thanks, Renee.”

She pulled a pair of jeans on. “Dispatch?”

“Uh, yeah.” He’d gone back to dressing, but there was something unspoken in his voice. “We need to drive separately. It’s not that I don’t want them seeing us together. It’s that I’ll probably have to leave but you’ll still be at the scene.”

“Copy that, babe. I was going to suggest it anyway.” She’d drawn a tee on, put on her tool belt, and slipped on her shoes. “I’m ready to roll.” She watched as he did the same, but he said nothing. “Michael?”

He didn’t look up at her. “Hmmm?”

“Michael, what’s going on? There’s something you’re not telling me.” He said nothing. “What is it? You have to tell me.”

When he’d gotten his shoes on and was completely dressed, tool belt around his waist and badge clipped to it, he strode around the end of the bed and gripped her upper arms in his hands. “Listen to me. This has the potential to throw you, but don’t let it. You have a job to do, and I’m pretty sure you’re going to have a killer to catch. You can’t let this change the way you do your job. Do you hear me? Everybody will be watching, so do everything by the book and don’t cut a single corner.”

“Oh, yeah. That’s fine. But there’s something else. What aren’t you telling me?”

“The house?” She could feel her brows tipping toward the bridge of her nose, but the words he said almost knocked her feet from under her. “Their last name is Stadler.”

CHAPTER 6

“Initial impressions?”she asked the coroner as he stood there, taking pictures of the body or, rather, what was left of it.

“I initially thought maybe something had started the fire. You know, a bad light fixture or something. But the firefighters pointed something out. Hey, could you come talk to the detective?” he yelled at a firefighter, who waved back and ran toward the truck.

In a couple of seconds, the fire chief strode toward her. “I don’t think I know you.”

“DetectiveSamara Futrell, Trigg County Sheriff’s Department. The coroner was telling me there are some things you noticed.”

“Yeah. Take a look at this.” He stopped at the back corner of the end of the house in the area that had sustained the most damage. “See these marks?”

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