The Heiress He Underestimated novel Chapter 156

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ter 156 Evidence And Pizza

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“We’ll make sure of it,” Elera promised, though the weight of that promise felt heavier than

ever.

They talked for another hour, Angela sharing memories of her husband, little details that painted a picture of a good cop in a bad system. When they finally stood to leave, Angela hugged Elera tightly.

“Be careful,” she whispered. “The people he’s connected to… they’re not just in business. They’re in the system. They are the system.”

“We will,” Elera said.

Back in the car, with the tackle box on the seat between them, the mood was somber.

“Commissioner Dawes,” Drakonius said, staring out the window. “He’s the top cop in the city. And Judge Carballo… he oversees half the major financial crime cases. If they’re in your father’s pocket…”

“Then going through normal channels is useless,” Elera finished. “We can’t go to the police. We can’t go to the courts. He owns them.”

Frost, who was driving, spoke up from the front seat. “We need to go around them. Or above them. Federal level. GBI, maybe. Or the press. A story this big, with this much evidence, even a bought commissioner can’t squash it if it’s everywhere.”

“The press is a double–edged sword,” Drakonius said. “It also tips our hand. Once we go public, he’ll know we have this, and he’ll come after us with everything he has.”

“He’s already coming after us with everything he has,” Elera pointed out. She picked up the detective’s notebook, running her fingers over the worn leather. “We need to be smarter. We need to use this information, but we need to do it in a way that he can’t counterattack”

Her phone buzzed. A message from an encrypted server. It was from Nan

The files are in the drop. Be careful. He knows you’re digging. He has people everywhere. And he has something on me. I’m compromised. I can’t help you openly. But the tiles are real.

Elera showed the message to Drakonius.

“He’s scared,” Drakonius observed.

“He should be,” Elera said. She opened the secure link Xan had provided. There were dozens of files. Emails, voice memo transcripts and financial records. She opened one at random. It was a transcript of a conversation between Kieran and someone labeled “Commissioner.”

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Chapter 156 Evidence And Pizza

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Kieran: I need the Lyros case to stay closed.

Commissioner: It’s messy. The detective is asking questions.

Kieran: Then make him stop asking questions permanently. The usual bonus will be in your

account.

Commissioner: …Understood.

Elera felt sick. She closed the file. “He really does have the police commissioner.”

“And a judge,” Drakonius said, tapping the notebook. “We’re not just fighting ypur father. We’re fighting a piece of the city itself.”

They drove in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. The problem was enormous, a hydra with heads in law enforcement, the courts, and the business world. Cutting off one head would just make the others more dangerous.

“We need a plan,” Elera said finally. “A good one, a better strategy.”

“We need Clara,” Drakonius said. “And Frost. And maybe a whiteboard. And a lot of coffee.”

“And pizza,” Elera added. “Strategizing requires pizza.”

“See? This is why you’re in charge.”

When they got back to the cliff house, Clara was in the library, surrounded by three laptops and what looked like the entire genealogy of everyone who had attended a college party five years ago. She had sticky notes stuck to her forehead.

“Don’t ask,” she said when she saw them. “I’ve been down a rabbit hole. Did you know that Jennifer Martinez’s second cousin is a dog groomer who once groomed the mayor’s poodle? Because I do. I know far too much about it.”

“We brought evidence,” Elera said, holding up the tackle box.

“And pizza,” Drakonius said, holding up two large boxes.

Clara’s eyes lit up. “You are both my favorite people. Evidence and pizza, the two major food groups.” She pushed the laptops aside. “What did you get?”

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