First Family (Sean King & Michelle Maxwell 4)

“Momma, I saw the name down in the room. And her picture. We saw it on the TV.”

“Hush up, Gabriel. I ain’t telling you again.”

“A little girl’s life is at stake,” said Michelle. “A little girl not much older than Gabriel.”

“Mr. Sam ain’t hurting nobody. He ain’t like that.”

“Miss Tippi’s gone, Momma,” said Gabriel.

Ruth Ann’s jaw went slack. “What!”

“She’s not in her room. Mr. Sam took her.”

“Took her where?”

“Don’t know.”

“Ruth Ann, if you let us just look through the house, and we find nothing wrong, we’ll leave,” said Sean. “All we want to do is find Willa and take her back to her family.”

“That the little girl what her momma got killed?” said Ruth Ann, her grip on the shotgun loosening a bit.

“That’s the one.”

“What Mr. Sam got to do with that? You tell me!”

“He may have nothing to do with it. And if he doesn’t, then nothing happens to him. It’s that simple. And if you don’t believe he’s involved than you shouldn’t have a problem with us looking around,” said Michelle.

“Please, Momma, let’em.”

“Why you so all fired on them doing this, Gabriel?”

“’Cause it’s the right thing to do. Mr. Sam, he’d say the same thing if he were here.”

Ruth Ann stared at her son for a long moment, then lowered the shotgun and stepped back.

Sean and Michelle hurried into the foyer of Atlee and stared around.

“Like stepping back into the past,” muttered Sean.

Michelle had her attention on the woman who trailed them. “Ruth Ann, I’d like you to put that gun down and step away from it. Now.” Michelle had her hand on the butt of her pistol.

“Do it, Momma!” Gabriel had tears in his eyes.

Ruth Ann did as she was told and Michelle snagged the gun and emptied out the ammo.

“Gabriel,” said Sean. “What’s this room you’re talking about?”

They trooped down the stairs to the massive door.

“I don’t have the keys. Mr. Sam has’em.”

“Step back,” said Michelle firmly. They did and she took aim and placed two shots on either side of the lock. Then she holstered her gun, leapt across the space of the hall and leveled a crushing kick right where the lock connected with the doorjamb. It crashed open as Gabriel stared wide-eyed at the woman. Then he glanced over at Sean, who shrugged and smiled.

“She’s always been kind of a show-off,” he said.

They rushed into the room and Gabriel punched the light switch. When Sean and Michelle saw what was on the walls, their mouths gaped. Photos, index cards, written notes on chalkboards, pushpins, string connecting this part and that part.

Sean said, “Gabriel and Ruth Ann, do you know what any of this means?”