Chapter 11
The monolithic glass-and-steel facade of the state attorney general's office reflected the pale pink hues of early morning sunrise. Leo parked his truck in the underground visitor garage, switching off the engine with a quiet sigh. They stepped out into the chilly morning air, carrying the heavy briefcase containing the soil samples, the encrypted USB drive, and Howard’s signed testimony.
Security at the entrance was strict, but Detective Vance had called ahead, clearing their names with the duty desk. They were escorted up to the fourth floor by a young clerk in a sharp charcoal suit who looked like he hadn't slept in forty-eight hours. The office of Senior Assistant Attorney General Sarah Collins was spacious, dominated by a large mahogany desk cluttered with legal briefs and steaming cups of black coffee.
Sarah Collins looked up as they entered, her sharp eyes assessing them both in a single, comprehensive glance. She was a woman in her late fifties with iron-grey hair and an unyielding demeanor that brooked no nonsense.
"Detective Vance briefed me on your encrypted drive and the preliminary soil samples," Collins said without preamble, gesturing for them to sit down. "If this data is authentic, we are looking at systemic felony fraud, environmental terrorism, and obstruction of justice at the highest corporate levels. But I need to know one thing before I sign these subpoenas: where did you get the primary ledger linking Marcus Thorne to the original cover-up?"
Elena placed the secure USB drive squarely in the center of the attorney general's desk. "Marcus didn't leave a suicide note or an embezzlement trail, Ms. Collins. He left an encrypted backup on an isolated server partition before his apartment was burned down. I spent three years decrypting it byte by byte after I discovered the discrepancies in the audit logs."
Leo leaned forward, his voice steady and low. "And my brother's name was cleared the moment Elena matched his digital signature to the unredacted Oakridge safety logs. They framed him to protect Pendelton."
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Collins stared at the USB drive for a long, silent moment. Then, she reached out, picked it up, and slid it into her secure desktop terminal. A series of green diagnostic bars flashed across her screen as the files authenticated. A slow, grim smile formed on her lips.
"Mr. Pendelton is currently holding an emergency board meeting on the top floor of GreenHorizon Tower to approve the next phase of suburban development," Collins said, standing up and reaching for her suit jacket. "Let'p go crash their meeting."
