Chapter 2
Sheriff Grady took the USB drive and the receipt.
He looked at them for a long moment.
Then he looked at Frank.
"Frank Carter," he said. "You're under arrest for suspicion of perjury, evidence tampering, and assault on a minor."
Frank sputtered. "You can't be serious! This kid—"
"Put your hands behind your back."
The cuffs clicked shut.
Frank was led to the squad car. Still yelling. Still protesting.
The neighbors stood there in silence.
Some looked at me with shame in their eyes.
Others quickly looked away.
Sheriff Grady turned to me.
"Cole," he said. "I need to talk to you and Ethan. Down at the station. But first... you okay?"
I nodded.
I knelt down next to Ethan.
"Come on," I said. "Let's go inside."
The house was quiet when we walked in.
It smelled like Frank's beer and cigarettes.
But it was still my house.
My childhood home.
The one my dad had built.
The one Frank had taken over after he married Mom.
The one I'd lost when I went to prison.
Ethan sat down at the kitchen table.
He was still shaking.
"I was so scared," he said quietly. "I thought he'd kill me if I told anyone. I waited until you came home. I knew you'd protect me."
I sat across from him.
My little brother.
I'd missed so much.
His first day of middle school. His birthdays. The day he grew taller than me.
Eight years.
Gone.
"Why didn't you tell someone sooner?" I asked.
"I tried," he said. "Once. I told Mom. She said I was lying. Said Frank would never do that. And then... she got sick. And she died. And I was alone with him."
His voice cracked.
"I kept the receipt. I found it in his old jacket pocket. I kept it for years. Waiting. And then I found the USB drive last week. I didn't know what was on it. But I knew it was important."
May you like
I reached across the table and squeezed his hand.
"You did good, kid," I said. "You were brave. Braver than me."
