Chapter 13: The Unraveling of an Empire
Sarah Jenkins pulled the first sheaf of documents from the envelope—the original land titles bearing forged signatures and Arthur Pendelton’s detailed voice memos on a micro-cassette. She flipped through the papers with practiced speed, her eyes scanning the financial ledgers with mounting intensity.
"Where did you get these?" Sarah asked, her voice dropping to an intense whisper.
"From Julian's private wall safe," Clara replied, settling Lily onto a spare office chair where the little girl immediately curled up with her stuffed rabbit and fell back asleep. "And from a security guard who watched Julian cover up Pendelton's murder."
Sarah looked up from the desk, studying Clara with a mixture of professional awe and deep empathy. "Julian Vance is one of the city's largest campaign contributors. The police commissioner plays golf with him every Sunday. If we run this story, there will be immediate fallout. He will use every lawyer and politician in his pocket to shut us down."
"He already has," Clara said evenly. "That's why I'm here instead of a police precinct. A police report can be buried in a drawer. Printers running a front-page exposé cannot be stopped once the ink is dry."
Sarah nodded slowly, a fierce smile touching the corners of her mouth. "You've got steel in your spine, Mrs. Vance. Most women in your position would be hiding in a hotel room."
"I was hiding for five years," Clara said quietly. "Never again."
Just then, the phone on Sarah’s desk shrilled loudly. Sarah picked up the receiver, listening intently as the voice on the other end spoke at a rapid pace. Her expression darkened.
"Yeah... right. Hold the presses? No, absolutely not. Run it," Sarah snapped into the phone before slamming the receiver back onto its cradle. She looked up at Clara. "That was downstairs security. A black sedan just pulled up to the lobby entrance. A man in a tuxedo demanding to know if a woman and child entered the building."
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Clara’s heart skipped a beat, but her resolve didn't fracture. "Julian."
"He moves fast," Sarah muttered, standing up and grabbing her trench coat. "The back service exit connects to the subway tunnels. Take this flash drive containing digital scans of everything you brought. If I don't make it to print, you take it to the federal prosecutor's office in the federal plaza three blocks north."
