Chapter 12: The Person Behind The Curtain
I turned around.
The hallway was empty.
No footsteps.
No movement.
Nothing.
But I knew someone had been there.
The feeling was familiar now.
The same feeling I had experienced when I found the recording device.
The same feeling I had experienced when I saw the photograph.
Someone was always one step ahead.
I walked quickly toward Rachel’s office.
The door was open.
Too open.
Rachel never left doors open.
Not in a courthouse.
Not with sensitive files inside.
I stepped closer.
“Rachel?””
No answer.
Inside, papers covered the floor.
Her desk drawers were open.
Her computer screen was dark.
Someone had searched the room.
But they weren’t looking for money.
They were looking for information.
I found Rachel’s notebook under the desk.
A page had been torn out.
Only one sentence remained.
*THEY WERE NEVER AFTER THE JUDGE.*
I stared at the words.
A sound came from behind me.
I turned.
Rachel stood in the doorway.
Her face was pale.
“You shouldn’t be here.””
I exhaled.
“Where were you?””
“Trying to find the answer before they found me.””
“Who?””
She closed the door.
“Evelyn, we’ve been looking at this wrong.””
I held up the notebook.
“The note says they weren’t after me.””
Rachel nodded.
“They weren’t.””
“Then who?””
She looked at me.
“The case.””
I waited.
“The trial against Michael Voss.””
“That doesn’t make sense.””
“It does.””
She walked to the desk.
“Think about everything that happened.””
I did.
The attack.
The complaint.
The recording.
The missing prosecutor.
The fake evidence.
“They wanted me removed.””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because you were the only person who could legally force certain evidence into the record.””
My eyes narrowed.
“What evidence?””
Rachel opened her bag.
She removed a small flash drive.
“This.””
I looked at it.
“What is it?””
“The original files from the corruption investigation.””
The room became silent.
“Where did you get that?””
“Laura Bennett.””
My eyes widened.
“She gave it to you?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because she knew she couldn’t trust anyone else.””
I looked at the drive.
Ten years of secrets.
Ten years of unanswered questions.
“Why now?””
Rachel looked at me.
“Because Michael Voss wasn’t the mastermind.””
“Then who was?””
She didn’t answer.
Instead, she plugged the drive into the computer.
A folder appeared.
One file.
Only one.
The title:
*PROJECT BENCHMARK*
I clicked it.
A video opened.
The footage was old.
Grainy.
A meeting room.
Several people sitting around a table.
Judges.
Lawyers.
Officials.
My breath stopped.
Because one person in that room was someone I knew.
Someone I trusted.
Someone whose name had never appeared on any list.
Rachel watched my face.
“You recognize him.””
I couldn’t speak.
The video continued.
The man leaned forward.
“Once Carter is appointed, everything becomes easier.””
My hands went cold.
Because the voice was familiar.
Too familiar.
Then the camera angle changed.
The man’s face became clear.
And I finally understood.
The person who had orchestrated everything wasn’t trying to destroy my career.
They had built it.
They had helped put me on the bench.
They had shaped my entire future.
Rachel whispered:
“Evelyn…”
I couldn’t move.
Because the person on the screen was the last person I expected.
My mentor.
The man who recommended me for the judgeship.
The man who told me justice mattered more than power.
Former Chief Judge Richard Hale.
The video ended.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
A familiar voice spoke.
“Now you know.””
I froze.
“Judge Hale?””
A quiet laugh.
“After all these years, you finally looked in the right place.””
I gripped the phone.
“Why?””
His voice remained calm.
“Because you were never chosen to serve justice.””
A pause.
“You were chosen because you were easy to control.””
May you like
The line went dead.
And outside Rachel’s office, every light in the courthouse turned off.
