Murder in the Boonies: A Sleuth Sisters Mystery (The Sleuth Sisters Book 3) by Maggie Pill Page B

didn’t obey immediately, and I called again. “Bud! We’re leaving.” Reluctantly he came to the car, where I introduced him to the girls. Iris and Pansy were polite. Daisy was thrilled. “A dog!” she squealed. “I always wanted a dog, but Ben says they chase animals and make them sick.”
    “Some do,” I told her. “You have to teach them not to.”
    She climbed into the back seat, calling, “C’mon, Buddy! Want to sit on my lap?” Amazingly, Buddy did. He jumped nimbly into the car and onto her lap, giving her an adoring look he usually reserved for me. Iris and Pansy got in on either side of Daisy, patiently enduring her comments about what a great dog Buddy is and how it would be nice if they could have a dog just like him. They agreed, but I could tell they had little hope such a thing could ever come to pass.
    “This is a really nice car,” Iris said from the back seat.
    “Yeah,” Pansy agreed. “We don’t have to sit sideways like in the truck.”
    “Did your mom and Ben take the truck?” I asked.
    “Iris drove it into the trees,” Daisy said proudly. “She didn’t even hit one.”
    I looked at Iris, whose face turned crimson. “We wanted people to think we left,” she said, “but I’d never drive on the road without a license.”
    Rose was gone. Ben was gone. Neither had left in the family vehicle.
    Each girl had packed a bag—literally, since they didn’t have suitcases. When we got to the house, I put them in our only guest room, which was fine with them, since they seemed to feel better staying together. Using the guest bath, each girl took a shower and put on clean clothes. They looked better, but I couldn’t help but notice that their new outfits, though cleaner than before, still screamed rummage sale.
    While the girls cleaned up, Barb called Rory to tell him the morning’s events. He said he’d call the sheriff’s office, since the farm was out of his jurisdiction. He called back to report that Rob Brill, the recently elected sheriff of Milldon County, was busy with a multiple vehicle accident. He suggested Rory talk to the girls about where their parents were.
    Rory arrived as I was helping Daisy put her hair into pigtails. She smelled of shampoo and soap, and I hugged her, unable to resist her cuteness. I loved raising boys, but I’ll admit it would have been nice to have one little girl to fuss over. “The police chief is going to talk to you,” I said, turning her so I could look into her eyes. “You have to tell him everything, okay?”
    She nodded emphatically. “It’s a sin to tell a lie.”
    “That’s true. Let’s go meet the chief.”
    Rory met the girls in my living room, which we thought was a better choice than an office. He introduced himself, telling the girls he was trying to get permission for them to stay with Barb and me for a few days. I saw Pansy bite her lip at his phrasing. There were no guarantees, but foster homes are always in short supply, and I thought our reputation would serve us well. Once that was established, he set his hands on his knees and leaned forward, ready to listen. “I need you to tell me everything you can about how your parents disappeared.”
    Iris glanced at Pansy, who gave the slightest of nods. Iris sighed. “A month ago, we came home from school and Momma was gone.” She paused, swallowing hard at the memory.
    “Where did she go?”
    “Ben said she ran away.”
    Pansy made a small noise of disgust, and her lips formed the word liar.
    “Pansy?”
    She shivered. “Nothing.” She turned to Iris, encouraging her to go on.
    Iris smoothed her hair, still wet from the shower. “We didn’t know what to do. Ben said if anyone found out our mom had left, we’d have to go to Social Services and they’d put us in foster homes. Ben said he’d take care of us if we kept up the work around the place.”
    “Slave labor!” This time Pansy’s voice was audible.
    “Pansy.” It was less a reprimand than a warning. Their