CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY ONE – THE TRUTH COMES OUT

Something in his tone made Charlotte pause. She studied his face, noting the dark circles under his eyes, the nervous twitch of his mouth. "Alright," she said cautiously. "But not here. Too open." The man nodded gratefully, leading her to a narrow alley between two buildings. Once they were out of sight of the main street, he began to speak in a low, hurried voice. "My name's Tom. I've been working at The Golden Mug since it opened. At first, I thought it was great. Good pay, exciting atmosphere. But then... things started happening. Things that didn't sit right." Charlotte listened intently as Tom spilled out a litany of unethical practices. Price fixing with suppliers to undercut competition. Health code violations covered up with bribes. Even tampering with rival pubs' utilities to cause "accidents." "But the court case," Tom continued, his voice dropping even lower. "That was the last straw for me. You should have won. The evidence was clear. But Vivian... she has the judge in