Chapter 2

The emergency room lights were too bright, the smell of antiseptic sharp and cold.

Emily sat hunched in a plastic chair, her clothes stained with her mother' s blood.

A doctor finally came out, his face serious.

"Your mother has multiple fractures. Two in her left arm, one in her right leg. And a severe concussion."

He paused. "She' s lucky. It could have been much worse."

Lucky. Emily felt a bitter taste in her mouth.

The next morning, her head throbbing, Emily walked into the Oakhaven Police Department.

She clutched a USB drive.

The diner' s security camera, miraculously, had caught most of it.

Chief Harris, a man with a perpetually bored expression, leaned back in his chair.

Emily placed the USB on his desk.

"This is footage of Paddy O' Doyle and his men attacking my mother and vandalizing her cafe."

Harris didn' t even look at it.

"Heard there was some trouble over at the diner."

He picked up a pen, tapped it on his desk.

"Sounds like a business dispute got out of hand, Emily."

"A business dispute?" Emily' s voice rose. "They beat her with baseball bats! She has broken bones!"

"Now, calm down," Harris said, his tone dismissive.

"Paddy O' Doyle is a respected businessman in this town."

"He' s a criminal," Emily shot back.

"Without more, I' d say there' s insufficient evidence for an arrest."

He finally glanced at the USB drive. "Probably just some blurry figures. These things rarely show anything clear."

Just then, the door to Harris' s office opened.

Connor O' Doyle, Paddy' s son, walked in.

He was slick, dressed in an expensive suit, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Chief, just came to see if everything' s under control."

His eyes flicked to Emily, cold and amused.

Harris straightened up. "Yes, Mr. O' Doyle. Just a misunderstanding."

Connor looked at Emily.

"Little Emily Callahan. Heard your mom had a fall."

His voice was smooth, but the mockery was clear.

"My family runs this town, girl. You should remember that."

Emily stared at him, her hands clenched into fists.

She went to the District Attorney' s office next.

They wouldn' t even meet with her.

A secretary told her they wouldn' t file charges based on the police report.

Or lack thereof.