“What did your father and mother think of that?”

He pauses for a very long time. “Mom was okay with it. Dad, not so much. They argued. Gave me extra chores. Dad said more work would keep my mind from thinking about anything else.”

“Did he punish you, outside of extra chores?”

Sarah squeezes her brother’s hand. “Yes. He was punished. But he deserved it; right, Joshua.”

“Right,” he says, finally looking up from the table. “He whipped my ass pretty good. Sarah’s right, though, I deserved it. I don’t have any issues with my dad or mom. She didn’t like it, but it wasn’t her role to stop it. So, yeah, he beat me. It just made me a better man. I don’t even think about it anymore.”

These two don’t even know they’ve been abused. Just like I didn’t know the way my folks lived their lives was narcissistic and utterly out of line. Kids accept so much. They want to please. They want approval.

Joshua, Sarah and I are alike in that way.

I switch subjects. “It troubled your aunt that the portrait of your parents was missing from its place in the front room. She couldn’t understand why that was.”

They exchange looks.

“That’s my fault, Detective Carpenter,” Sarah says. “It fell when I was dusting the frame. The glass shattered, and I haven’t found another piece big enough to replace it.” She turns to Joshua. “Now that we’re here in town, maybe we could buy some glass.”

“Good idea,” he says.

Then I give them potentially more bad news.

“Joshua,” I say, “you’re a legal adult so this doesn’t apply to you.” I direct my gaze to Sarah. “You’re only seventeen,” I start, “that means you’re a minor and, though you are seventeen, the state might require a temporary guardian until your folks get home.”

She pushes back from the table.

“I’m staying with Joshua. I’m not a kid.”

“I agree you’re mature for your age. The court will take that into account.”

Sarah reaches to her brother’s arm and pulls him up. Her face is red. “You can’t do this. We didn’t do anything wrong.”

I can’t back down. I try to calm her. “It’s not about that, Sarah. It’s the law.”

“Our parents are gone. We are alone. And you want to do this?”

“As I said, it’s the law.”

“It’s a cruel law. I thought you were going to help us. Not hurt us even more!”

It’s like I’d invited a firing squad. I wish I’d never brought it up. I wish that I’d let Juvenile handle it.

Joshua speaks up. “We’re going through enough shit right now.”

“I know, I’m sorry.”

Sarah glares at me. I don’t deflect.

“When will all of this happen?”