I slid the bag across the counter to the hooded figure, who eyed me suspiciously. His hand darted out, dragging the bag closer as he peered inside. A moment later, his head jerked up, and he snarled, “Where did you get this?”

I met his snarl with a cold smile. “There’s more where that came from. And it would be my pleasure to share it with the public—unless we can come to an agreement.”

For a fleeting second, I saw terror flash in his eyes, mingled with something else… pain? But just as quickly, it vanished, replaced by the unflinching, hardened expression I had come to associate with him.

The brief glimmer of fear felt like a small victory, yet I couldn’t shake the unease creeping into my thoughts. Terror, I understood. The evidence in that bag could destroy everything he’d built. But pain? Was it the ghost of an old wound or the anticipation of something unraveling?

Questions churned in my mind, unanswered and unrelenting. I was standing at the edge of a dark, tangled web, and I had no choice but to dive in. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll get to the bottom of this.

A shiver of excitement coursed through me. The thrill of unraveling the mystery that had plagued this town for years was irresistible.

I glanced at the hooded figure again as he continued to inspect the contents of the bag. The tension in the air was almost palpable. He looked like a man teetering on the edge, caught between fury and despair.

In that moment, I knew: I was standing on the precipice of a story that would shake the nation to its core.