"My career isn't relevant."
Whitmore stepped closer.
"Everything is relevant."
Malcolm stared at him.
Whitmore lowered his voice.
"You are young."
"I am."
"You have decades ahead of you."
"I hope so."
"It would be a shame if this case ended that."
Malcolm understood.
It was a threat.
Not explicit.
But unmistakable.
He reached for his recorder.
Whitmore noticed.
His expression changed.
"You're recording?"
"Yes."
"Without my knowledge?"
Malcolm smiled faintly.
"Your Honor's rules require me to preserve any communication that could affect an active proceeding."
Whitmore stared at him.
Then he walked out.
Malcolm waited until the door closed.
Then he called Rebecca.
"We have a problem."
"What happened?"
"Chief Justice Whitmore just threatened me."
Silence.
Then Rebecca asked:
"Are you sure?"
Malcolm looked at the recording device.
"Completely."
The Hidden Ledger
The investigation changed overnight.
Rebecca requested emergency subpoenas.
State Police investigators searched financial records.
Malcolm ordered preservation of courthouse security footage.
The defense filed motions accusing the prosecution of misconduct.
The media discovered that a sitting judge had been threatened.
The story exploded.
But Malcolm remained quiet.
He knew publicity could help.
It could also destroy a case.
Three days later, a sealed envelope arrived in his chambers.
No return address.
Inside was a handwritten note.
LOOK AT THE PROPERTY ROOM.
Under it was a key.
Malcolm showed Rebecca.
"Trap?"
"Probably."
"Then why send it?"
"Because whoever sent it wants us to find something."
They went to the courthouse property room with a State Police investigator.
The key opened a cabinet.
Inside were boxes.
Old evidence.
Confiscated weapons.
Sealed envelopes.
Case files.
One box had been opened recently.
Its label read:
ORTIZ — PERSONAL EFFECTS
Malcolm stared.
"That box should have been transferred to the State Police."
The investigator nodded.
"It should."
Inside they found a phone.
A notebook.
A photograph.
And a USB drive.
Rebecca plugged the drive into an isolated computer.
There were twenty-seven files.
Financial records.
Audio recordings.
Photographs.
Internal messages.
Then one spreadsheet appeared.
The title was:
OPERATION HARVEST
Rebecca read the names.
Her face went pale.
"What?"
Malcolm looked.
The spreadsheet listed suspects.
But not criminals.
Judges.
Prosecutors.
Police commanders.
Business owners.
Politicians.
Journalists.
Some had been paid.
Some had been threatened.
Some had been blackmailed.
One column contained coded amounts.
Another listed "compliance status."
Rebecca whispered:
"This is bigger than the police unit."
Malcolm nodded.
"Much bigger."
At the bottom of the spreadsheet was a second list.
JUDICIAL TARGETS
Malcolm's name was there.
So was Rebecca's.
And Maria Ortiz's.
And Samuel Ortiz.
Next to Malcolm's name were three words.
Discredit. Isolate. Remove.
Rebecca stared.
"Remove?"
Malcolm didn't answer.
Then they heard footsteps outside.
The door opened.
Daniel Mercer entered.
His weapon was drawn.
"Step away from the computer."
Rebecca immediately stood.
"You can't be here."
Mercer pointed the gun.
"I said step away."
Malcolm looked at him.
"Officer Mercer."
Mercer's face was different now.
No arrogance.
Only fear.
"You don't understand."
"Then explain."
"They're going to kill you."
"Who?"
Mercer swallowed.
"I don't know everyone."
"You know enough."
Mercer lowered the gun slightly.
"I thought this was about money."
Rebecca asked:
"What is it about?"
Mercer looked at the screen.
"Control."
He took a breath.
"The unit was only one part."
"Who runs it?"
"I never met him."
"Name."
Mercer shook his head.
"He's called the Broker."
Malcolm frowned.
"Who is he?"
"The man who buys information."
Mercer looked toward the door.
"They know I'm talking to you."
A gunshot exploded through the window.
Mercer fell.
Rebecca screamed.
Malcolm dropped behind the desk.
Another shot.
Glass shattered.
The State Police investigator rushed inside.
Mercer was bleeding heavily.
Malcolm crawled toward him.
"Stay with me."
Mercer grabbed his sleeve.
"I didn't kill Ortiz."
"I know."
"Please."
"Tell me who ordered it."
Mercer's eyes filled with fear.
"I never saw his face."
"Then tell me what you heard."
Mercer struggled to breathe.
"He said..."
"What?"
Mercer whispered:
"The judge has to fall before the verdict."
Then he passed out.
The investigator called for medical assistance.
Rebecca looked at Malcolm.
"The courthouse isn't safe."
Malcolm nodded.
"I know."
The Attempt
Two days before closing arguments, Malcolm received a court order from the administrative office.
He was being removed from the case.
Reason:
Potential judicial bias.
The document accused him of having personal connections to several witnesses.
It was false.
Every allegation was fabricated.
But it was enough to create chaos.
The media exploded.
Defense attorneys demanded his removal.
Political commentators questioned his impartiality.
Whitmore held a press conference.
"The judiciary must remain above suspicion," he said.