Secrets Never Die (Morgan Dane #5)(56)

His shoulders sagged. “I’m a business major at the university, and I work part time as a cashier at the grocery store. Rylee picked up a job at the pizza place in town to help out. As long as we stick to our budget, we scrape by.” Temper flared his nostrils. “But one of our neighbors called Child Protective Services, saying my sister is being neglected, which is a total lie. Now we have this social worker who shows up randomly to inspect the house. She’ll drive by the house late at night, hoping to catch Rylee alone. I don’t even know which one of the neighbors is calling.”

Morgan knew that once a family got caught in the social services snare, it was all but impossible to escape it. “Does the neighbor have any specific concerns?”

“I don’t know.” Trevor’s arms dropped to his thighs. “No one will tell me. The social worker keeps telling me if I don’t fully cooperate, she can take my sister away. She talked to the school and interviewed my other neighbors. It’s humiliating.”

And frightening, no doubt.

“I’m sorry this is happening to you,” Morgan said. “Does Rylee get into trouble at school?”

“No. Never. Her grades took a dive right after our parents died, but that’s understandable. She worked hard this semester to bring her grades back up.”

Trevor was at a distinct disadvantage if a social worker wanted to bully him. CPS would not tell him who made the report, and it was very difficult to prove one hadn’t done something wrong.

“When did this start?” Morgan asked.

“About a month ago.” Trevor leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. “I feel like we’re being watched all the time.”

“Do you have an attorney to protect your interests?” Morgan asked.

“I can’t afford an attorney,” he said.

“Would you allow me to contact social services on your behalf? You have rights, which I doubt they’ve made clear. They also have a limited amount of time to complete their investigation and declare the claim vindicated or unfounded.”

Trevor shook his head. “I can’t pay you.”

“That’s all right,” Morgan said. “It will not take up much of my time.”

Trevor licked his lips. He seemed to be making a decision. “I don’t normally accept charity, but I’ll take your offer. I can’t let them take Rylee. I’m all she has.”

And Morgan suspected the emotional dependence went both ways. Rylee was all Trevor had as well.

He got up and paced the area between the coffee table and the TV console. “The county sheriff left a message for me last night and another this morning. I haven’t had the guts to call him back. I’m afraid of what he’ll say. And when Rylee came home from work last night, she said a deputy had come to the pizza parlor looking for her in the afternoon. She hadn’t started her shift yet. She was so scared, she hid in the bathroom, and the other workers told the deputy she wasn’t there.”

All of this explained why she had run from Morgan and Lance. No doubt, the sheriff had also tracked Rylee through Evan’s cell phone records.

“He probably wants to talk to Rylee about Evan,” Morgan said.

“It’s not my neighbor’s CPS complaint?”

“I don’t think so.” Morgan assumed Rylee had not mentioned their conversation in the pizza parlor parking lot but decided not to bring it up. She needed Trevor to trust her.

Trevor exhaled. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your offer to help us. It bugs the hell out of me because I know the sooner I finish school, the better I’ll be able to support my sister. If I continue as a full-time student, I’ll graduate before Rylee starts college. I’ll be able to help with her tuition. She’s not athletic. She’s smart and gets good grades but not the kind that are going to win her merit scholarships.” He shook his head. “I’m not criticizing my sister. I’m not a genius or an athlete either. We’re regular people. Our parents taught us that if we worked hard, we could get ahead, but I’m starting to feel like that’s not true.”

“I’ll call CPS and see what I can do.” Morgan suspected the report was unfounded, but she made no promises. The home appeared orderly and clean. Trevor seemed sincere, and Rylee had acted to protect her brother. But Morgan had learned many years ago that situations were not always as they seemed. There was a small chance that the neighbor was right, which was the reason CPS was required to investigate every claim. “But I’ll be honest with you. Even if the accusation of neglect is declared unfounded, reports remain on file for years. Until she’s eighteen, you’ll have to be very careful.”

Trevor dropped back into the chair. He pushed a hand through his short hair. “So I should call the sheriff?”

“Yes,” Morgan said. “It’s never good to ignore the sheriff. If I’m wrong, and the call is about the neglect complaint, tell the sheriff I’m your attorney, and we’ll schedule an interview when we’re all available.”

The screen door opened, and Rylee walked in. She wore a frayed denim miniskirt and a black T-shirt. Her gaze landed on Lance and Morgan. Her face drained of color, and she spun, her hand reaching for the door as if to run through it.

“Wait!” Trevor called. “Ms. Dane is a lawyer. She’s not with CPS. She’s going to help us.”