[ Maybe Root could say a peaceful life was taken from her, that tragedy came to her doorstep and wrenched it away, but that's not really true. Root had plenty of opportunities to turn away like everyone else in Bishop had. She just hadn't.

She couldn't stop wondering what had happened to Hanna, couldn't stop spinning it around in her mind, each version more gruesome than the last. Knowing that kind of awfulness was out there, just under the surface...

She shrugs and sips her drink. ] Once you see it, you can't stop seeing it. Like a magic trick after you learn how it's done.

I know I couldn't go back.