Stephen snorted as the courthouse came into view. Old brown brick, the building was three stories and housed the circuit court, the parks-and-recreation department, the mayor’s office, library and, of course, the police station. “I hate this place,” Stephen grumbled as she glided into a parking spot beneath the spreading branches of a maple tree.

“Good. Then let’s avoid it. All you have to do is stay out of trouble.” She cut the engine, pulled her cell phone from her purse and called Ellie so that the older woman wouldn’t worry if they were gone longer than expected. “We’ll come home as soon as we’re done here,” Tiffany promised her.

“Oh, good gracious.” Ellie, who believed Stephen was an angel, was worried. “Don’t let them bully him into saying anything he doesn’t want to.”

“I won’t.”

“Well, I’ll be here with Christina. Now, don’t you worry about us.”

“I won’t.” She hung up, flipped the telephone closed and stuffed it into her purse. “Okay, kid, you’re on,” she said to her son as she opened the car door. Mumbling under his breath, Stephen reluctantly climbed out of the car. She started for the building, then stopped dead in her tracks as she spied Katie Kinkaid. her younger half-sister, striding across the hot asphalt.

“Oh, great.”

“What?” Stephen asked. his attention drawn to the redheaded woman fast approaching. “Uh-oh.”

“Tiffany!” Katie waved one hand frantically in the air. Wearing a pair of khaki slacks, a white scoop-neck T-shirt and tan jacket, she headed toward them, the heels of her sandals slapping against the pavement. In her right hand she hauled an oversize leather briefcase.

“This is the one who’s your half-sister, right?” Stephen whispered.

“One of them.”

“The other one’s ‘the princess.’”

“We shouldn’t call Bliss that.”

“You named her.”

“I know, I know. Shh.” She pasted a plastic smile on her lips. “Hi, Katie.”

“Hi.” Katie’s wide smile was bright and infectious. Her green eyes sparkled, reflecting the afternoon sunlight. “Oh, gee, what happened to you?” she asked, cocking her head for a better view of Stephen’s injuries.

“Nothin’.”

“Doesn’t look like ‘nothin” to me,” Katie said, her face suddenly a mask of worry.

“A disagreement down at the Mini Mart,” Tiffany clarified and Katie’s eyes rounded.

“That was you? Gosh, I get to write about it, you know. Along with the obits and gardening news, I type up the police reports and while I was getting the info, I heard there was a scuffle down at the Mini Mart yesterday, but I didn’t know who was involved.” She touched Stephen’s temple and he jerked away. “Of course, if I’d really wanted to know, all I would have had to do was have coffee down at Millie’s, I guess.”

“It’ll be in the paper?” Stephen was horrified.