Walker tapped a few things on his phone. “I’ve made contact with Detective Johnson. She seems more than capable and is taking the case seriously—”

“My sister didn’t do drugs. I would’ve known.”

Kennedy’s expression softened. “You two were just getting close again. Maybe she hid it from you.”

“No.” Anna’s face fell. “She has always been incredibly against drugs of any kind. I could barely get her to take an ibuprofen if she needed it.”

Walker cleared his throat. “Detective Johnson is going to do everything she can to figure out the what and the how of it. She still hasn’t been able to get ahold of your parents. Do you have another number for them?”

Anna went ramrod straight next to me. “No, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t help them find it.”

Walker’s gaze narrowed on Anna, assessing. “And why’s that?”

“Justin and Lyla…they can’t go to my parents.” Her hands fisted at her sides. “Do you know what I need to do to petition for custody?”

“Why can’t they go with their grandparents?” Walker asked slowly.

Anna’s mouth clamped closed. Everyone was quiet for a long beat. Waiting and watching.

Kennedy eased down next to Cain. “If you don’t tell us, we can’t help. Whatever you say won’t leave this room unless you want it to.”

Anna’s gaze swept around, stopping on me. It killed me, the fact that I was the one she trusted the least. But I swallowed down that hit and cleared my throat. “I can leave if that makes you more comfortable, but I do have a law degree that might come in handy as you’re figuring things out.”

“You do?”

“I never practiced, moved into programming and tech before I had a chance, but I went to a good school. I know more than the basics.”

She looked down at her hands as if her fingernails were suddenly the most important things in the world. “My father doesn’t accept anything less than perfection. And he makes his displeasure known with his fists.”

The rage that swept through me caught me off guard. “Is that why you ended up at the shelter?”

“It’s more complicated than that…” Anna let her words trail off.

The mask Walker had perfected over the years on the job slipped into place. You’d never know that, under it all, he wanted to level Anna’s father. “Were reports ever filed?”

Anna shook her head. “He was good at hiding it. And it was the worst for me. Chelsea was incredibly good at toeing the line, doing exactly what he expected of her.”

“Do Justin and Lyla have a relationship with their grandparents?” I couldn’t imagine exposing my children to someone I knew could be violent. But I also knew that family ties were the ones hardest to sever.