Four people were seated in chairs in front of Taured’s desk in formal clothing. They all looked up in surprise when she stepped into the room. She was wearing an ankle-length dress and she felt embarrassed to be standing in front of them barefoot, but her shoes had been taken after her mother had died. For a few terrible seconds, her vision blurred in and out, and she thought she was going to faint. She didn’t look at Taured, who she knew was sitting behind his desk, or Sara’s father, who stood slightly behind his pastor, ready to carry out instructions at a moment’s notice. She stood in front of the three men and one woman. She heard her name spoken from behind her, but she ignored it. The female police officer didn’t look happy to be there and since Summer wasn’t, either, she directed her words to her.

“My name is Summer Downey. My mother was Lorraine Downey. My father is dead, too, and I want to go live with my grandparents, Mark and Gilda.”

“This is the minor that you said ran away?” The female police officer stood. Her hand was on the holster at her waist.

The man sitting next to her, a jowly, bald man, said, “Sit down, O’Connor.” O’Connor sat down. “Where have you been, young lady?”

“They locked me away so I couldn’t speak to you,” she said.

He turned to Taured, his little downturned mouth wriggling unhappily. “Explain this, Taured.”

They weren’t asking her, she realized. But then he did something that straight-out shocked her. Taured looked Summer in the eyes and said, “Why don’t we let the young lady explain herself.”

Not what she was expecting.

She turned to the woman—O’Connor. “He killed my mother. It wasn’t an accident.”

The toad man spoke up. “Young lady, we know it wasn’t an accident. Your mother was ill in heart and mind. She was an addict. Do you understand that?”

“There was nothing wrong with her. She was fine. She would never take drugs. She hated what they did to my dad.” Summer stared between the three strangers, trying to understand why they were reacting the way they were. The only one who looked disturbed by what she’d just said was O’Connor. Summer looked at the third person now, a man who’d been quiet for the exchange. Seemingly unbothered by the entire ordeal, he looked at his watch.

“We’ve tried to protect her from a lot of it,” Taured said.

“That’s a lie! He locked her in a room and starved her—he tortured her! And not just her. He’s done it before! Ask anyone!” She was shaking now—her entire body and her voice. The quiet man looked at Taured.