Chapter 2 - The Key in the Collar
Officer Miller stepped forward, heavy utility belt clinking. ""Time’s up, Vance. Let the boy go to his aunt."" Toby panicked, clutching Leo’s calloused thumb with both tiny hands. Before Miller could reach them, Toby tugged loose the pendant tucked beneath his dirty collar, dropping it right through the bar spacing into the cell dust. The heavy brass pendant carried a double-serpent crest—the personal seal of Councilman Donald Mercer. Leo’s pulse hammered. Three weeks ago, Leo had been a night foreman at Mercer Freight until sixty kilograms of contraband pharmaceuticals were planted inside his locker. He was remanded without bail, silenced before he could speak to investigators. Toby had not seen his mother since she disappeared three months prior; his guardian aunt had sworn she had no clues. Yet here was Mercer's private seal dangling around the toddler's neck. Leo covered the key with his boot sole just as Miller hauled Toby back. Toby screamed, kicking violently. Through the small barred window at the hallway's far end, Leo noticed an unfamiliar guard watching them, dialing an internal line.
