"The rest of your family is gone! Who would it be putting in danger?!" Steve yelled incredulously.
Maddy looked at him silently.
"Who would it be putting in danger?!" He repeated angrily.
"You, and Luke. The guy I was talking to at the game." She finally replied.
"And you thought you would let your father die to protect us?" He said,
frustrated.
"He wasn't supposed to die. Nobody was. I just had to keep quiet, and everything would be okay." she said quietly.
"What were you keeping quiet about? What happened?" Steve asked, a little more sympathetic.
"I was walking home from a basketball game, and I saw this man talking to a woman. They were fighting and yelling at each other. He pulled out a gun and shot her twice in the chest. He looked around and saw me. He walked up to me, and made me swear not to tell anybody what I saw. He said he would kill my father and Luke." She said, her eyes frightened as she retold the memory.
"Wait, so he knew who you cared about? Knew who to threaten if you spoke out?" Steve looked confused.
"Yes, because he worked with my father. For 10 years. It was my father's publisher." She said sadly.
"When did this happen? Where?" he said.
"About a week ago. In the alley where my father was killed. That's why you found my prints. I was walking down that alley because it's a shortcut to my house." She answered him.
"Okay, okay." Steve replied. "Thank you. Now let's go catch this guy."
"Wait," Maddy said suddenly. "You have to keep you and Luke safe. He threatened y'all, I can't let anything else happen to the people I care about."
"I'll put you in protective care with him while I'm gone. I'll be safe, I promise." he replied calmly.
