Chapter 8 - THE ANONYMOUS EMAIL The next morning, lender compliance received an anonymous message.
It accused Jackson Bellandi of hiding an illegal gambling operation inside his private estate.
Attached was a photograph.
The black ledger.
Open on the poker table.
The timestamp was devastating.
7:34 p.m.
Three minutes before the security camera went offline.
Jackson stared at the image.
"The ledger was already there."
Claire nodded.
"And someone photographed it before Leo entered."
The reflection in the polished poker table revealed part of a man's wrist.
A black watch.
Steel bracelet.
Chad wore a similar one.
But so did several other Bellandi men.
It wasn't enough.
The investigation needed more.
Then Owen arrived with another discovery.
At 8:12 p.m., an external drive had been connected to the administrator tablet.
At 8:13, the emergency system had been altered.
The script didn't disable all alarms.
Only children's emergency devices.
Jackson's blood ran cold.
"This was planned."
Claire nodded.
"Yes."
"Before Leo entered?"
"Yes."
Then Jackson understood something terrifying.
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Leo hadn't been the target.
He had been the unexpected witness.
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