Chapter 2: The Secret Behind The Rescue Station
The next morning, I sat in my kitchen watching Emma sleep on the couch.
She refused to go upstairs.
She said she wanted to stay where she could see the doors.
That sentence hurt more than anything I had ever heard.
A six-year-old child should worry about cartoons, school projects, and missing her favorite toy.
She should not worry about whether an adult would hurt her.
I covered her with a blanket and walked into the living room.
Derek was standing by the window, holding a cup of coffee.
“You haven’t slept,” he said.
I shook my head.
“Neither have you.””
He looked toward Emma.
“I keep thinking about what we almost didn’t see.””
I knew what he meant.
If I had arrived five minutes later, would anyone have stopped Martin?
That question stayed in my mind like a warning.
A knock came at the door.
I immediately tensed.
Derek noticed.
“It’s okay,” he said.
“I’ll check.””
He opened the door.
A woman stood outside.
She looked nervous.
Her name was Sarah. She worked at the rescue station.
“I need to talk to you,” she said.
I stepped closer.
“About Martin?””
She nodded.
“I should have said something sooner.””
My jaw tightened.
“What did you know?””
Sarah looked down.
“There were complaints.””
“From who?””
“Volunteers. Employees. Even some families who brought their children there.””
I stared at her.
“And nobody stopped him?””
Sarah swallowed.
“People were afraid.””
Derek crossed his arms.
“Afraid of what?””
Sarah looked toward the street.
“Martin has a reputation. He tells everyone he’s the only reason the rescue station survives. He threatens to close it if anyone challenges him.””
I looked back at Emma.
The little girl who had tried to protect a puppy while nobody protected her.
“What else?”” I asked.
Sarah hesitated.
Then she reached into her bag and pulled out a small envelope.
“I found this hidden in the office.””
I opened it carefully.
Inside were handwritten notes.
Names.
Dates.
Complaints.
My heart sank.
Martin had been hiding everything.
“This is enough to prove what happened,” Derek said.
Sarah shook her head.
“There’s more.””
She looked frightened.
“What?””
She lowered her voice.
“Martin wasn’t alone.””
The room went quiet.
I stared at her.
“What do you mean?””
“He had someone helping him cover things up.””
“Who?””
Sarah looked at the envelope.
“There’s a name in the records.””
My fingers tightened around the paper.
“Whose name?””
Before she answered, my phone rang.
I looked down.
It was a number I didn’t recognize.
I answered.
“Hello?””
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then a man’s voice whispered.
“James… if you want to know why Martin was never stopped, you need to look at what happened six years ago.””
My heart stopped.
“Who is this?””
The man continued.
“Because the person who protected him is someone you trust.””
The call ended.
I stared at the phone.
Derek stepped closer.
“What happened?””
I looked at Sarah.
Then at Emma sleeping on the couch.
And finally at the envelope in my hand.
May you like
Because inside that envelope was a name.
A name that made me realize Martin’s secret was connected to my own family.
