Chapter 83: Cutting the Ground from Under

The path through fire began not with a blaze, but with the quiet rustle of old paper. Following Holly’s cryptic directions, Gideon found himself in the cramped, musty archives of the village hall long after the last clerk had gone home. The key, discreetly left for him under a loose floorboard, felt cold and heavy in his hand, a tangible piece of a conspiracy he was about to unravel. Holly’s information was a breadcrumb trail: a series of specific dates, invoice numbers for community projects...