Ben had not expected Elijah to challenge him. It was probably because he had always considered Elijah a son, and his own children never challenged him - except Simon at times. "I ain't expectin' you to be corrupt and partial. I expect you to catch real criminals and deal with the real problems of this town and stay out o' family business."

Elijah frowned. "I take care of any injustice that is in the law books. Hurtingbsn adult happens to be one. Even if you see it as punishment, the law doesn't make that distinction. I want yo help but you are being difficult with this."

"Rose says 'e didn't come in to report..." Ben said. "So I don't see what the law's got to do with it."

Elijah rose his brow. "Murder victims never report themselves. We can take witness reports and it may hold, it might not. I still take it seriously especially when I know Simon has the marks they mentioned."

"Did 'e come in to show?" A grass, after all.

The constable shook his head. "I had happened to have seen them before the report was made, so I knew the report matched."

"So what do you still want from me?" Ben said.

Elijah frowned and began to write something. "Are you saying you caused it ? And as punishment for something he did?"

"Aye." Ben said.

Elijah nodded and quickly wrote things down. "May I ask what he did to deserve it? And if you plan on doing it again if he does the same thing?"