CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY EIGHT – A CONSPIRACY?

The following morning, they made their way to the home of the family member who had been at the center of their investigation. As they approached the front door, Rebecca's heart was pounding. "Ready?" Jack asked, his hand poised to knock. Rebecca took a deep breath and nodded. "Ready." What followed was a tense confrontation. The family member, caught off guard by their evidence, initially tried to bluff his way out. But as Jack and Rebecca laid out the intricate web of connections they had uncovered, his façade began to crumble. "You don't understand," he said desperately. "I had no choice. They would have ruined me." "Who are 'they'?" Rebecca pressed. The man's shoulders slumped in defeat. "The Syndicate," he said quietly. "A powerful criminal organization that's been operating in Gilda's Bay for years." Rebecca and Jack exchanged glances. This was bigger than they had imagined. "Tell us everything," Jack demanded. Over the next hour, the man confessed to his role in the sch