Chapter 18: The Fall of the Gavel
It started with a whisper.
A whisper that spread like wildfire.
Judge Gregory Ramsey, Norwegick's iron gavel, was exposed by noon.
The ledger I'd stolen the night before—its neat pages stained with the stink of bribery—was now scattered across every major desk in the city. Prosecutors, reporters, city council members, even the bake sale coordinator at Town Hall had seen it. And when Norwegick sees the truth, it doesn't heal—it hemorrhages.
Ramsey's signature was everywhere.
Bribes to shorten sentences. Payments to jail innocent kids while real criminals walked free. Whole cases rewritten with the flick of a pen and a fat envelope. Victims erased. Justice bought. Names of ruined families. Dates and dollar signs like tombstones on every page.
At 11:07 a.m., Channel 7 cut into its regular programming. The anchor's voice was a scalpel.
> "Breaking: Judge Gregory Ramsey, long-standing official of Norwegick's district court, is under investigation for judicial misconduct, bribery, and abuse of power. Leaked documents suggest years of corruption buried beneath the gavel."
They gave it a name: The Ledger Leak.
Ramsey didn't show up to court. Instead, he locked himself inside his lakefront mansion, flanked by sweaty lawyers and a wife who looked like she wanted to evaporate. He sent a panicked statement through his PR team, claiming the evidence was "doctored" and "a political hit job."
Yeah. Okay, Greg.
By noon, the courthouse was swarmed. Protesters chanted, journalists barked, and someone held up a sign that read: "WE WANT JUSTICE, NOT JUST JUDGES."
At 2:03 p.m., a brave soul spray-painted "KING'S JUSTICE" across Ramsey's pristine white garage.
I stood across the street in a diner booth, burger half-eaten, hoodie up. Watching. Listening.
I didn't need to be in the spotlight. Not yet.
Because Ramsey knew.
He knew someone had dug into his vault, cracked the safe, and slipped the blade beneath his robes. He just didn't know who.
And that was the fun part.
I pulled out Dad's notebook and crossed out Ramsey's name with a stroke so hard it dented the page. Two down. Dozens more to go. The hum inside me thrummed louder, hungry for more.
That night, Ramsey released a statement.
> "Due to personal health concerns, I will be stepping down effective immediately."
Health concerns. Right. He meant the panic attack he probably had when his bank accounts were frozen and Channel 7 started airing witness testimonies.
I leaned back, feet on the table, flipping a silver coin between my fingers.
Ramsey was done.
And Norwegick? It was one blade closer to crumbling.