Chapter 2 - THE WOLF ON THE SILVER CUFF LINK
Six years earlier, Norah's father had died in a hospital corridor while she waited beside a vending machine.
His name was Samuel Hayes.
He had been a union electrician, the kind of man who could fix anything with copper wire, electrical tape, and stubbornness.
He had never been wealthy.
But he had never missed one of Norah's birthdays.
Never forgotten to call when he worked late.
Never let her believe that being poor meant being powerless.
Then a warehouse fire on Chicago's South Side changed everything.
Samuel had been working on an emergency electrical repair when the building caught fire.
He suffered severe burns and smoke inhalation.
For three weeks, he fought to survive.
During those weeks, he whispered things Norah didn't understand.
“Not an accident.”
“The wolf.”
“Tell them about the switch.”
She had assumed he was confused by medication and pain.
After his death, investigators concluded that faulty wiring caused the fire.
The warehouse owner denied responsibility.
The insurance company disputed the claim.
Norah inherited medical debt, funeral expenses, and a grief that never quite stopped hurting.
Now, standing in her basement room, she stared at the cuff link.
The black wolf.
She remembered seeing it on the hand of a man who visited her father's hospital room.
A stranger in a charcoal coat.
He had spoken to Samuel privately.
When Norah entered, the man left without introducing himself.
But she remembered the cuff link.
And the way her father had trembled after the visitor departed.
Norah sat on the bed.
Her hands shook.
Arthur Costello wore the same symbol.
Was it coincidence?
Or had the man who cried at her feet been connected to the tragedy that destroyed her family?
She turned the cuff link over.
On the back were two engraved letters.
D.C.
Not Arthur's initials.
Norah stared.
May you like
Then whispered:
“Who are you?”
