Chapter 5 - The Fallout
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The story broke the next morning.
Every news outlet. Every channel. Every headline.
"HARTLEY FAMILY ACCUSED OF MURDER, CORRUPTION"
"BODIES FOUND ON ESTATE GROUNDS"
"MATRIARCH ELEANOR HARTLEY ARRESTED"
I watched from a safe house. A small apartment in a city I'd never been to. My contact had arranged it. Said I'd be safe here.
The footage showed Eleanor being led out of her mansion in handcuffs. Designer dress. Pearl earrings. Same outfit she'd worn to my funeral.
She didn't look sorry. She looked furious.
Ethan was arrested at his office. Crying. Begging. The cameras caught everything.
The rest of the family scattered. Some fled the country. Some turned themselves in. Some were found hiding in basements and motels.
One by one, they fell.
And I watched. Every arrest. Every headline. Every moment of their destruction.
It was satisfying. But it wasn't enough.
Because I knew they'd find a way out. They always did.
Unless I made sure they couldn't.
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I called Detective Morrison.
"The evidence. Did you see it?"
"I saw it. It's damning."
"Enough to put them away?"
"Enough to put them away forever. If it holds up."
"It'll hold up."
"How can you be sure?"
"Because I have more."
Silence. Then: "What do you mean?"
"There's more evidence. Hidden. Places they didn't think I'd look."
"Where?"
"I'll tell you. But first, I need you to promise me something."
"What?"
"No deals. No pleas. No leniency. They go down for everything."
He was quiet for a long moment. Then: "I can promise the department will do everything in its power."
"That's not enough."
"It's what I can give you."
I sighed. "Fine. Meet me tomorrow. I'll show you."
"Where?"
"The old Hartley warehouse. Downtown. Midnight."
"The warehouse? Why there?"
"Because that's where they kept the bodies."
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