Chapter 43. The Judge’s Past
The courthouse smelled the same as it had a decade ago—dust, old paper, and faint mildew carried in from the humidity that never quite left Briar Ridge. Elijah had always hated it. Buildings carried memory, and this one whispered in echoes of verdicts that weren’t earned, oaths broken before the...

Chapters
1. Chapter One: The Fire
2. Chapter Two: The Body in the Creek
3. Chapter Three: Back for Her
4. Chapter Four: The Boy in Holding
5. Chapter Five: The Rich One
6. Chapter Six: You’re Still Him

7. 7. Courtroom Ghosts

8. 8. Two Cases, One Lawyer

9. 9. The Rules Here Are Different

10. 10. That Night Again

11. 11. No One Talks to Outsiders

12. 12. The Fire Was a Warning

13. 13. The Dead Boy’s Last Message

14. 14. The Lady at the Diner

15. 15. Town Without Guilt

16. 16. The Cresthaven Deal

17. 17. Matthew’s Journal

18. 18. She’s Starting to Ask

19. 19. The Burned Blueprints

20. 20. Small Town, Big Mask

21. 21. The Sermon That Lied

22. 22. The Whisper Tapes

23. 23. The Anonymous Letter

24. 24. Torn Between Two Fires

25. 25. The Old Trial

26. 26. The Brother’s Blood

27. Chapter 27. Don’t Dig Too Deep

28. 28. Who’s Protecting Who?

29. 29. Matthew’s Sister Talks

30. 30. The Mayor’s Dinner Party

31. 31. The Night of the Murder

32. 32. The Tapes Go Missing

33. 33. Eden’s First Panic

34. 34. Opening Statement

35. 35. The Eyewitness Cracks

36. 36. The Girl at the Tracks

37. 37. Noah’s Confession

38. 38. The Red Truck

39. 39. The Anonymous Witness

40. 40. Matthew’s Rage

41. Chapter 41. Who Lit the Fire?

42. Chapter 42. The Mayor’s Warning

43. Chapter 43. The Judge’s Past

44. Chapter 44. The Dead Priest

45. Chapter 45. The Deal on the Table

46. Chapter 46. Secrets in Eden’s Journal

47. Chapter 47. Courtroom Reversal

48. Chapter 48. The Man in the Photo

49. Chapter 49. Matthew’s Deal Gone

50. Chapter 50. Eden Disappears


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