Free Ransom by Danielle Steel Page B

serious matters to discuss. Like the eighth-grade boy in their school who had evidenced some recent interest in Ashley. As far as she was concerned, that was a lot more important, and more interesting than the police.
    “Tell Marcy you'll call her back. And you can tell the detectives yourself that you were sleeping,” Fernanda said, as she preceded them downstairs and they followed her to the kitchen. The children came into the room right behind her, as the two detectives stood up and smiled at them. They were a nice-looking bunch of kids, and she was a nice-looking woman. Ted Lee suddenly felt sorry for her, and from the look on her face when she'd answered him, he got the feeling her widowhood was recent. He had an instinctive sense of things, after almost thirty years of asking questions and watching people when they answered. She had looked wounded when she answered him, but she looked more comfortable now, surrounded by her children. He noticed that the little redheaded boy looked like an imp, and he was staring up at him with interest.
    “My mom says you're not going to arrest us,” Sam piped up, and everyone in the room laughed, as Ted smiled down at him.
    “That's right, son. Maybe you'd like to help us with the investigation. How does that sound? We could deputize you, and when you grow up, you can be a detective.”
    “I'm only six,” Sam said apologetically, as though he would have liked to help them out if he were older.
    “That's all right. What's your name?” Detective Lee was good with kids, and instantly put Sam at ease.
    “Sam.”
    “I'm Detective Lee, and this is my partner, Detective Stone.”
    “Was it a bomb?” Will interrupted, and Ashley rolled her eyes at her brother, convinced it was a dumb question. All she wanted was to go back upstairs and get back on the phone.
    “Maybe,” Ted Lee said honestly. “It might be. We're not sure yet. Forensics has to check it out. They're going to be going over the car pretty closely. You'd be surprised what they can find out.” He didn't tell the kids, but they already knew it had been a bomb. There was no point frightening the neighbors by telling them yet. What they wanted to know now was who had done it. “Did any of you go outside, or look out your windows before you heard the explosion?”
    “I did,” Sam said quickly.
    “You did?” His mother looked at him with amazement. “You went outside?” It seemed more than unlikely to her, and she looked at him skeptically, as did his brother and sister. Ashley thought he was lying to seem important to the police.
    “I looked out the window. The movie got kind of boring.”
    “What did you see?” Ted asked with interest. The boy was cute as could be, and reminded him of one of his own sons, when he was little. He had had that same open, funny way of talking to strangers, and everyone he met loved him as a result. “What did you see, Sam?” Ted asked, sitting down on one of the kitchen chairs, so he didn't tower over him. He was a tall man, and once he sat down, Sam looked him right in the eye without hesitating.
    “People were kissing,” Sam said firmly with a look of disgust.
    “Outside your window?”
    “No. On the movie. That's why it was boring. Kissing is stupid.”
    Even Will smiled at that one, and Ashley giggled, while Fernanda watched him with a sad smile, wondering if he'd ever see kissing again in real life. Maybe not in her lifetime. Only in his. She forced the thought from her mind, as Ted asked him more questions. “What did you see outside?”
    “Mrs. Farber walking her dog. He always tries to bite me.”
    “That's not very nice. Did you see anyone else?”
    “Mr. Cooper with his golf bag. He plays every Sunday. And there was a man walking down the street, but I didn't know him.”
    “What did he look like?” Ted asked almost casually.
    Sam frowned as he thought about it. “I can't remember. I just know I saw him.”
    “Did he look weird or scary? Do you remember