They Poisoned My Father, So I Bankrupted Their Billion-Dollar Empire

Chapter 25: The Smoking Gun

They met Martha at a public park. She was feeding pigeons, a large tote bag at her feet.

"He told me to shred them," Martha said, staring at the birds. "After the EPA inspection in '96. Thorne came to my desk and said, 'Burn the archives, Martha. Every page.'"

She reached into her bag and pulled out a stack of yellowed papers. They were preserved in plastic sleeves.

"But I didn't," she said. "I knew what they were doing was wrong. And I knew one day, they might try to blame me. So I kept them for liability insurance."

Elena took the documents. Her hands shook slightly as she read.

"These are signed," Elena gasped. "Thorne’s signature is on the order to falsify the safety reports. This proves corporate fraud and intentional malice."

"Is it enough?" Jack asked.

"It's the smoking gun, Jack," Elena said, looking up with a fierce grin. "With this, we don't just win a settlement. We send him to prison."

Martha stood up, dusting off her coat. "He was a cruel man," she said softly. "Make him pay."