“Amara has a cat named Sunshine that she’d like to have with her,” Sam said tentatively, hoping Lindsey and Terry weren’t allergic or something. She should’ve asked them before promising Sunshine a home, too. “Is that okay?”
“Of course. We’ll stop at the pet store to get what we need for her on the way home.”
“I’ll ask Animal Control to deliver her to your house.”
“She’s a very good girl,” Amara said. “You won’t even know she’s there.”
“Fine by me,” Lindsey said. “I love cats. I keep telling Terry we need one.”
“How can they get into the house?” Sam asked Amara.
“There’s a code on the back door. It’s 0312, which is King’s birthday.”
“Ironic.”
“I know, right?”
To Lindsey, Sam said, “Amara told me she might be interested in nursing.”
“Oh, that’s great. I have so many friends who are nurses.”
“If you ladies are all set, I’ve got to head back to the pit to see about cat transport,” Sam said.
“I’ll run Amara home to my house in a bit and get her set up.”
“Perfect. Amara, I’ll be in touch.”
“Thank you again for everything, Sam.”
“You’ve got my number if you need me.”
She nodded. “I’ll never forget your kindness today.”
Sam gave the young woman a quick hug. “And I’ll never forget your courage.”
Chapter Eight
After leaving Amara in good hands with Lindsey, Sam made her way back to the pit and found Hope and Captain Malone waiting for her, looking grim.
“What’s wrong?”
“Our new U.S. Attorney McDermott ordered us to release Amara’s parents,” Hope said.
“What? Why?”
“She said Amara’s statement isn’t enough on its own to proceed with prosecution.”
“The fuck it isn’t! It’s more than enough.”
“She wants physical evidence in addition to the testimony.”
“What about the fingerprints?”
“Funny story,” Hope said with an expression that indicated it was anything but. “Louis Bingham suffered third-degree burns, and his fingerprints are mostly gone.”
“Motherfucker,” Sam muttered. “What about the fact that they never reported him missing?”
“She said the defense would say it was because they’d argued and they figured he’d run away. Jurors with teenagers would totally buy that argument.”
