kids. “I want to hear what they have to say, okay?”
“So do I!”
“Just don’t scold them the way you did me at that age. They’re not used to you.”
Emma scorched her with an indignant glare. “You didn’t set my shed on fire.”
“I could list twenty things I did that made you just as mad. I’m not saying they don’t deserve punishment. Just give me a chance to talk to them first. We’ll get more information that way.”
A glance at the two kids put that in doubt. Looking anxious, S.G. perched on Emma’s old corduroy-upholstered couch right away, but Dylan refused to join her. With his hands in the pockets of his hoodie, he gazed down at the old planked floor as if he wanted to strip the varnish from it with his eyes.
Kate decided not to give up her height advantage by sitting down. She took a position a few feet away from him, blocking the path to the mud room in case he tried to make a run for it. “Look, Dylan. This is just my friendly advice, but I promise you that stonewalling the legal system is not a good idea. If you were behind this fire, and the other ones, there’s going to be a serious price to pay. Your best option is to be open and forthcoming.”
He snuck a glance at S.G..
“You should just tell her,” the girl urged him. Tears streaked her face through a layer of dirt and soot. “Tell her everything.”
Dylan’s shoulders hunched forward. Even though she was furious about Emma’s shed, Kate’s heart went out to him. She remembered exactly how it felt to do something stupid and get in trouble for it.
The question was, did he know it was stupid? Did he regret his actions?
He looked up long enough to meet Kate’s eyes, then dropped his gaze down again. “If I tell you, will you be my lawyer?”
His voice wobbled as he made that request. He looked so young and out of his depth.
“Like I said, I’m not licensed here in Alaska. But I can help you find someone who is.”
“You would?” Another crack in his bravado as he glanced up at her. “Why? I—I set fire to your grandma’s shed.”
Emma marched over to him like one of her strutting roosters. “Why would you do such a thing? There was nothing in it! You emptied it yourself!”
Dylan turned red and twisted his hands in his pockets. “I know that! That’s how I knew it wouldn’t be a big deal.” He looked Kate’s direction again. “Why would you help me?” he demanded.
Emma whirled on her too. “Why would you, Kate? After what he did!”
Kate stood her ground against her furious grandmother. “He’s a minor and deserves representation. Besides, I know what it’s like to be a kid on your own. It sucks.” When Emma’s expression relaxed, she turned back to Dylan. “Tell me more about your situation. Where are you from?”
“Can I wait until he’s here?”
“He? You mean Darius?” That surprised her. As intimidating as Darius could be, why would the kid want to spill his guts in front of him? “You know he’s the fire chief, right? He’s not too happy with you right now.”
“I know who he is.”
Kate’s eyebrows lifted. There was something in the tone of his voice that set off her legal Spidey senses. “Fine, we’ll wait for Darius. Emma, want to make some tea or something?”
Her grandmother folded her arms across her chest. “I’m not making tea for the juvenile delinquent who burned my shed down.”
“I’ll fix it!” Dylan burst out. “I can work for free if you want. I can feed your chickens or whatever.”
“You’ll be feeding chickens until you’re thirty to make up for it.” Emma threw up her hands and headed in the direction of the kitchen.
“It’s just a stupid shed!”
“Okay, okay.” Kate came to Dylan’s side and shepherded him toward the couch. “Good rule of thumb. Don’t yell at the woman who could sue you for destruction of property.”
He snapped his mouth shut and plopped down on the couch next to S.G..
“That’s better.” Kate let out a breath of relief. She wasn’t used to dealing with minors. If only most clients did what she said so quickly. “Can you tell me why you came to Lost Harbor?”
He didn’t answer, apparently determined to wait for Darius.
“Okay, let’s try something else.” She turned to S.G.. “How did you get to know Dylan? You don’t have to share any of his personal details.”