Chapter37

Chapter Thirty-Seven

The meeting was laced with tension as Fiona, Julian, Emma, Rosa, Victor and Sarah filed into their new secure office. Their recent meeting with Sarah had provided a boost to their evidentiary war chest, but it had also meant that now time was of the essence and they had to bring their findings to the authorities before Benton neutralized it.

Victor rolled out a large whiteboard, filled with names, dates and connections, all tied to Benton's network, across his desk. "We need to move, quickly. Benton is going to know, any minute, that Sarah is turned and he is going to be covering his tracks like a mad dog on a bone.

Emma nodded, her eyes on the board. "The new evidence Sarah gave us is verified. It's rock-solid right there—the financial records, the email exchanges, and the audio recordings. This is the nail in the coffin."

Julian added, "Also, we must think through what we will do with the media. Victor, could you fix a press conference once we hand over everything to Hayes?

On this, Victor nodded, "Already in motion. We have a few trusted journalists who can help us control the narrative and ensure the truth gets out there."

Fiona glanced around her to the others all nodding, some eager anticipation in their eyes; her mind was resolute and quick to the point. "Alright then, let's finalize everything. We'll present the evidence to District Attorney Hayes tomorrow morning. We need to make sure that every piece of information that we have is clear-cut and undeniable."

The following day, holding picked-over files, the team went to the district attorney's office. Her heart raced as they walked into the building, feeling she was approaching a stringent point in time in their struggle for justice.

District Attorney Marcus Hayes welcomed them to his office with great seriousness. "Good morning. I trust you've brought the new evidence?"

Fiona passed the updated dossier over to him. It now included the added information from Sarah. "Yes, Mr. Hayes. This includes all the latest evidence we've gathered, substantiated by our newest informant, Sarah Blake."

Hayes read through the papers in silence, his face getting increasingly red with each page. After what felt like a symphony of moments, he held his head up resolutely. "This is full. And other evidence to go through with a charge against Benton and the other cohorts. We're obviously going to have Sarah testify.

Sarah felt her body tense. She hadn't realized how stiff she had been until now, sitting with her hand over her mouth, barely breathing. "I'm, uh, prepared to testify. I want to see justice done here."

Hayes nodded a look of respect in his gaze. "We will push this straight through. I will get my team on this and take the first steps to bring them into legal hearings."

As the legal machinery had started charting out the process, Victor had organized a press meet to keep the citizens abreast of the developments in the case. It was supposed to be held in one the rooms in the City Hall with tight security. All of them knew well that nothing is going to stay as planned.
The room shivered with activity, as journalists were busy fixing their cameras and microphones. Fiona, Julian, Emma,  and Victor assumed their places at the front.

The one to take the stand first was Victor. "Good afternoon. We are here to bring to your awareness eventful developments in the case against Harold Benton and his network. As a result of the brave efforts of Fiona Collins, Julian Ward, and our new informant, Sarah Blake, we have been able to amass undeniable evidence of corruption, financial manipulation, and other crimes.

He passed the microphone to Fiona, who took a deep breath before talking. "It's been so long and it's been quite a rugged journey, but today we are taking a giant step closer to justice. All evidence that we have will be given to the district attorney, and we know that the people responsible will be brought to book.".

The journalists started firing questions, and Fiona, Julian, and Emma answered each in turn, making sure the story was coming out clear and rooted in fact. When the conference ended, Fiona felt weight lifted off of her shoulders. They had done all they could to bring the truth out to the public.

As the room partied inside the office upon the completion of their press conference, declaring victory, Fiona's phone buzzed with a message from a hidden number. "You've made a grave mistake. This isn't over."

Julian immediately called for security protocols and, with a trembling voice, he said, "We must assume attack mode. Benton's network will look for ways. We must hunker down and protect ourselves and families fully.

Victor, having monitored their security feeds, added, "I'll step up the surveillance around our houses and office. We really need to be on the lookout."

Fiona worked overtime in her house, reviewing some final notes. At a moment, she heard a sound outside her window. Her heart was reaching the top. With trepidation, she moved warily toward it. Two shadows were moving silently near the entrance of her building.

She immediately phoned Julian, who told her to go in and bolt the doors. "We shall be there in a matter of five minutes. Whatever you do, don't open the door for anybody,".
Within no time Julian, Emma, and Victor were there at her place. The burglars were taken by surprise. One tried to escape, but Victor, with his training in the military, caught hold of one of them, but the other ran helter-skelter into the dark.

They wheeled him through the threshold, but he was silent. Victor let one last call in, the police came and took the man. So many questions ran in Fiona's mind and such fears arose that were yet unknown, but they had to be strong.

The following day, a call came from District Attorney Hayes. "We've initiated the proceedings, and Benton's attorneys are out to obfuscate matters. However, what you have on your reports is strong evidence. Oh, and the man you detained last night—we have him identified as one of Benton's enforcers."

Fiona felt a wave of relief and renewed determination. "Thank you, Mr. Hayes. We'll keep up our end of support to this investigation by whatever means we have to.".

"Be alert at all times. Benton has a large network. They will do everything to secure their interest. But we are gaining headway," Hayes replied.

As days went by, the investigation team trudged on with their arduous work, with one surprising turn, when Sarah received an anonymous tip on a person of interest, key player number two from the Benton network, a high ranking bureaucrat in the state who engineered the whole scheme f theatrics that compelled justices of the peace to interpret the law in favor of Benton.

Fiona, Julian and Emma met with Sarah to discuss the new lead. "This could be the key to being able to bring the whole network crashing down," her voice was filled with determination.

Julian said aloud, "We've got to confirm this information firsthand and act real fast. If we succeed in exposing this government official, Benton´s power may be taken away."

Filled with new vigor after what they had learned, the team proceeded to gather evidence against the now-identified official. Working day and night, all team members were all certain that everything they gathered was true and cross-checked to other data.

Tension was rising as the team prepared to present this last bit of evidence to District Attorney Hayes. Fiona also knew that with this, Benton's network might be on the edge of complete destruction.

On the day they were set to meet with him, Fiona, Julian, Emma, and Sarah arrived at the district attorney's office with their evidence to present to Hayes. Huddling in a small waiting room awaiting their meeting, Fiona's phone rang from an unknown number, to which she answered carefully into the receiver, "Hello?"

What she heard on the other line was a deep, threatening voice, "If you go through with this, you'll regret it."

Her heart almost jumped out of her chest, but she would not be shaken. "We're not backing down.

The line went dead, and Fiona looked at her team. "They're scared. We're getting close."
District Attorney Hayes met them and went over the new evidence. Shock and realization passed through his eyes. "This is it. We can bring them all down with this.

It was in the course of the legal processes that Benton and his network began to fall apart. One by one, officer after officer was brought to the light, and Benton's high rank was stripped to unveil the corrupt official who led to Benton's influence and power falling like dominoes.

Celebrations abounded among Fiona, Julian, Emma, Rosa, Victor, and Sarah a few months later. Their tough stance had seen the conviction of Benton and the corrupt network that had now been dismantled.

Fiona raised the glass, appreciation and resolve shining in her eyes. "To everyone who stood by me and believed in the truth and fought for justice. We did it."

In the clink of the glasses across that made them smile, Fiona knew their way had been rough but was worth it. They found the truth, had demolished the strong network, and brought the justice in.

She pulled at that renewal of inner strength, and the sense of purpose looked at the faces of friends and allies around her. Fiona knew there were going to be new kinds of challenges and fights, but she was there for it, surrounded by a team that proved to be strong, tough, and truthful.