The silence in the room was thick with anticipation as Miss Donna's eyes scanned the photograph. Her brow furrowed, then raised in surprise.
"What is this?" she whispered, lifting the image closer to her face. "It's... it's the governor. Mr. Thomas Gall."
Detective Charles gave a solemn nod, watching her reaction closely. "Yes. That's him, standing right next to Mr. Lockwood. We found that photograph tucked behind a frame in Lockwood's study when my team and I searched his home for any useful intel. That wasn't all we uncovered either. We also found traces of deleted files and messages in his computer system."
Miss Donna looked up sharply. "Deleted messages?"
"Yes," Charles continued. "Most of them were corrupted, but our tech team recovered fragments. And those fragments point to something big. Something dark. Lockwood had ties to a secret trafficking network. They call themselves 'The Hallow Syndicate.'"
For a moment, the air stood still. Miss Donna exhaled deeply and, almost involuntarily, a small smile crept onto her lips. "Finally," she murmured. "A solid piece of evidence is surfacing."
Detective Charles tilted his head. "You smiled just now. And… I've been meaning to ask. The last time we met, at your house, you mentioned wanting to expose a secret about this very same governor. I didn't push you then. You were still grieving… after losing your bodyguard. I wanted to give you time. But now… are you ready to talk?"
There was a pause before she answered. Her expression grew heavy, and her hands folded in her lap. "Yes," she said softly. "I think I'm ready."
She looked up, her voice steady but tinged with the weight of memory. "Thomas Gall is not the man the public believes he is. A while ago, he requested a private meeting with me. I was skeptical, but I agreed. During that meeting, he asked, no, demanded, that I sentence an innocent man, Mr. Rogers, to prison. He even had the audacity to offer me a bribe, enough money to buy silence a thousand times over."
Charles's eyes narrowed. "And you refused."
"Of course I did," Donna replied. "My conscience wasn't for sale. My loyalty is to justice, not corruption. But that's when it all began, the threats, the intimidation. Not long after, my car was tampered with. I ended up in the hospital. I believe you remember seeing me there."
"I do," he said, his voice low with concern.
"Then, it escalated. My house was broken into. They didn't take anything of real value; it was more about sending a message. My bodyguard… he must have tried to protect me. He didn't survive."
Her voice cracked slightly. Charles stopped taking notes and looked at her with quiet respect.
"I'm sorry," he said. "Going up against someone like Gall is no small thing. But you don't have to do this alone anymore."
Donna nodded slowly, wiping the corner of her eye with a tissue from the desk. "So now that we have him linked to Lockwood and the Hallow Syndicate… Can we build a case?"
Charles leaned back slightly in his chair. "Yes… eventually. But it won't be easy. Men like Gall don't go down without a fight. We need more, more evidence, more testimonies, something airtight. Your statement is crucial, but we're just at the beginning."
He paused, then reached into his case and pulled out a weathered laptop. "There's something else," he said. "Our tech team restored this message thread that Lockwood had deleted. It's dated the same day he was found dead."
He opened the screen and turned it toward her. The message was chilling in its simplicity:
From: Thomas Gall, the governor
To: Mr. Lockwood, the CEO
"You can't leave this syndicate, Lockwood. You can't survive the consequences that come later on, dear brother."
Reply from Mr. Lockwood:
"I'm out. Period."
Miss Donna's eyes widened. "Brother? Wait, were they actually related?"
"We're not sure if it's literal or figurative. It could be a term of endearment used within the syndicate. But one thing is clear, Lockwood tried to cut ties. And hours later, he was dead. That's no coincidence."
"This is serious," she said, her tone darkening. "That message is damning. We have to dig deeper into this Hallow Syndicate. Who are they trafficking? Where? How far does this go?"
Charles nodded. "And we will. But first, we're bringing Gall in for questioning. That message might not be enough to charge him yet, but it's enough to rattle his cage, and maybe force his hand. I've seen men like him before. Arrogant. Calculated. But they slip eventually."
He closed the laptop gently, his eyes now distant, jaw clenched as he mulled over the web of lies unraveling before him.
"We'll get to the root of it," he muttered. "One layer at a time."
....
The Walk Out…
The morning sun cast a soft golden hue over the neighborhood park, painting the trees and sidewalks in a warm, forgiving light. It was early, just past 7 a.m., and the world hadn't fully woken up yet. Birds chirped lazily in the trees, and the occasional jogger passed by with earbuds in, locked in their own rhythm.
Lexy and Vicky jogged side by side, their sneakers pattering softly against the pavement. Lexy's ponytail swung with each stride, while Vicky huffed beside her, trying to keep pace.
"I have sex with Daven" Lexy said..
Then suddenly, Vicky slowed down, glancing sideways at her friend. Her eyes lit up with curiosity.
"Oh my gosh," she said between breaths, a teasing grin spreading across her face. "Don't tell me you finally did it, Lexy."
Lexy gave her a look, half embarrassed, half proud, and smiled, cheeks flushing just slightly.
"He promised me," she said softly, a bit dreamily. "And I believe him. He's a man of his word."
Vicky came to a slow stop and bent over, resting her hands on her knees as she caught her breath. Then she let out a loud laugh, her voice echoing slightly in the stillness of the morning.
"Okay, wait, let me catch my breath before you get all Disney princess on me," she giggled, straightening up. "Girl, all men say that. You know that, right?"
Lexy arched an eyebrow but didn't respond. Vicky wasn't done.
"And don't even get me started on you leaving work early last night," she continued, mock-scolding. "You, of all people, ditched your work for a man. A new man, at that. I was actually in shock, Lex."
She bumped her shoulder into Lexy playfully. "Guess that's what they mean by 'love is blind,' baby girl."
Lexy slowed her jog and sighed, her breath visible in the cool morning air. Her voice came low, laced with something like irritation.
"We know what we have, Vicky. You won't understand," she said, glancing over with a pointed look. "So stop trying to make him out like your fake, untruthful ex-boyfriends. He's not them."
Vicky's teasing smile faltered for a second. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry, don't get mad." She held up her hands, palms out. "I was just playing. Really. I'm happy for you. That's why I asked."
They jogged in silence for a moment, the tension thinning out as the rhythm of their feet took over again.
"So…" Vicky asked after a beat, her tone softening. "How is he?"
Lexy's face relaxed again, her earlier annoyance fading like morning fog. "Still asleep when I left," she said. "He looked so peaceful, I didn't want to wake him."
Vicky raised a brow. "He doesn't work today?"
"Not yet," Lexy answered. "He's in between jobs for now, but he's looking."
Vicky nodded, seeming to approve. But then a mischievous glint returned to her eye. She elbowed Lexy lightly.
"So... how was it?"
Lexy shot her a mock glare. "Vicky!"
"No, no, don't you dare play innocent now," Vicky teased, grinning ear to ear. "I know that walk. That glowy skin. You're glowing, Lexy."
Lexy bit her bottom lip, fighting back a smile. "Let's just say… it was worth the early night."
Vicky whooped and threw her head back in laughter. "I knew it! You bad girl!"
The two of them burst into laughter, their steps lightening, as the sun continued to rise and the morning carried on, less like a new day and more like the next page in a growing story neither of them could quite predict.