chapter 15: Fantasm of betrayal

Cassie felt uncertainty weighing down on her as she drove on the tortuous road that led her out of Gracetown. The night was serene and was accompannied with an unexplained tension. Her car healights sliced through the dark as they changed their gaze with Aaron. Anxious glances.

"Aaron, you know that we need to come up with a plan.we can't keep on running forever because i'm pretty sure that they will find us." Cassie said holding the steering wheel tightly,anxiety written all over her face.

"You are right,Sheriff." He said leaning forward. His brow furrowed. "But i think what we're in dire need of right now is information. And the key to getting that information is Harlan,and by finding him,i think we might be able to figure out whatever is going on."

"Then we should go to wheeler's office,and check if he was gathering some information. I'm sure he got a revelation, he had something against them." Cassidy urged.

They vigilantly made their way into the school building. The building had tall pine towering over it,which made it loom like a ghost in the darkness. She could see the shadows dancing on the ground,and the crickets which were loudly chirping nearby made the thought of getting in their more scary. Cassie could feel a chill down her spine. They quickly but carefully slipped their way through the entrance,and with the silence in the large empty hall,they could clearly hear the loud echo of their footsteps.

As they got into Wheeler's officea, Cassie couldn't help her mind bombarding her with questions. What secrets were hidden within those walls? They slowly pushed the door as it made creacking sounds. The room had a flickering light, there were papers spread across Wheeler's desk,as if he had left in a hurry.

Cassie searched through the drawers, while Aron examined the shelves. " could you please help me look for anything that tells us more about Harlan and all of his dealings." Cassie instructed

Time went by in anxious silence.

"Sherrif, you should see this." Aaron called Cassie ,his voice almost above a whisper.

She approached Aaron hastily. Her heart was racing due to anxiety. Aaron held up a folder, and it contents spilled out spreading all over the floor. Notes, photographs,documents and a blueprint. The notes painted an image of a hidden world below Gracwtown's opencast.

They came across different names. Local business owners,some members of the law enforcement. Apparently,they were all connected to Harlan in a way!

"This is clearly not only about drugs but also control." Cassie said leaning forward, her pulse was becoming tighter. She went through the names

"It seems like these people are integrated in every aspect of the town."

Suddenly, a noice came from the lower part of the hall. They both froze. Cassie quickly grabbed Aaron's arm. "We should hide."

They heard footsteps approaching as they moved behind the desk. They sound was becoming more clearer as it moved towards their direction. They both held their breath.

They heard a familiar voice. Sheriff Lawson!

"Principal wheeler was getting too close. He was going to expose us. We can't let a soul find out."he uttered

"So what next? What are we supposed to do? Wheeler is already dead. And it's so tiring cleaning up his mess." Another voice replied. One that she was not able to recognize.

"We make anyone who knows too much to disappear. We can't take chances. It's the only way to protect ourselves." Lawson replied with a diabolic voice

Cassie and Aaron exchaged glances. They were shaking,and their hearts raced. It was clear that Sheriff Lawson and his accomplice were not talking about Wheeler only. They were conniving; planning their next move to finish off any leach who was a threat to their activities.

Cassidy and Aaron came out of their hiding spot after ensuring that the footsteps were far gone.

"We have to get out of this place." Cassidy urged.

"Wait Sheriff. I think we should take this information to someone trustworthy." Aaron interrupted her.

"And who will that person be if the Sheriff who we are supposed to trust has stains. And you can see that everyone else is scared to take action." Cassidy said with evident frustration.

"I think i might know someone. There is an old detective. He worked with Wheeler sometime back. I think he got close to uncovering the truth,but he left the force. If anyone would be of help to us, i think that it's him." Aaron said thoughtfully.

"Oh, so do you know where we can find this old detective?" Cassie asked with a flicker of hope in his voice.

"Yeah, i happen to have his number. But he has been missing in action for sometime. I think the best way to find him now is to drive to his place."

Cassie agreed. They walked back to the car and sped away. Cassidy's mind was not settled. She couldn't get her mind off Sheriff Lawson's conversation and his accomplice. It was dawning on her time by time that the web of corruption was much bigger than she could have imagined. And she was caught, right in the middle of it.

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They drove out of town and arrived at a rundown shelter. The house was on the outskirts of Gracetown. The slightly lingering darkness devoured them as they got close.

"Are you ready?" Aaron asked with his fingers loomed on the doorbell.

"Yeah,we need answers,so yeah." Cassidy nodded confidently.

The door made creacking noises after they knocked. An exhausted- looking man,who was roughly in his fifties emerged behind the door.

"What do you want?" He asked in a skeptical voice.

"Aaron Matthews." Aaron said extending his hands towards him. "We are in dire need of your help." He said,his voice filled with urgency.

"Help? I don't want trouble." The man's expression was filled with terror

Cassidy interposed. She sounded desperate."It's something about Wheeler."She paused searching for his expression. "He was killed, and we think that somehow, it has a connection to Harlan,and Sheriff Lawson. If you could please fill us in on what you know."

The man's eyes widened. His expression gleamed with revelation and terror.

"You should not be here. It's not safe."

"You think we don't know the risks involved?" Cassie said in a firm voice. "But we have to do something, we can't just sit by and watch them kill anyone who gets close to the truth."

He hesitated first, but invited them in.

"Okay, just make sure that this stays between us."

As they made their way in,Cassie could clearly feel the weight of secrets and unfolding mysteries replenishing in the air. They sat around an old wooden table littered with files and photographs for old cases.

"Can you kindly tell us what you know about Harlan?" Cassie inquired softly.

The man heaved heavily, he rubbed his caput.

"Harlan is a shadow. He been linked to many things,drug trafficking,extortion,among others in Gracetown. But funny enough, no one gets a hold of him, he has powerful allies; he is a protege'. "

"What do you mean by that?" Aaron urged the man on

"Harlan is the backbone of a grand operation. He's not just a dealer. And he has the entire system wrapped around his finger. He is a demigod to the authorities; the sheriffs are in his pocket,anyone who dare cross them is bound to end up dead or much worse." He said in a whisper.

Cassie gazed at Aaron who gazed back. Surprise was written all over their faces.

"What do you know about wheeler,what was he investigating?"

"Wheeler made a big revelation. He had already connected the puzzle between the town's elites and Harlan. He already had the evidence with him,but he didn't suceed in exposing it to people."The man said with a faint voice

"What do you mean?" Cassidy asked.

"Wheeler was meeting with someone; popularly known as the 'whistleblower'. The 'whistleblower' always have insider information on most of the significant figures in town. Wheeler and the whistleblower were supposed to meet the day Wheeler was killed. Although,i don't know what happened to the evidence that he had." The man said,frustration written all over his voice.

"Then we have to uncover the identity of the so called 'whistleblower'. That could be the only chance we have to expose Harlan and Sheriff Lawson."

Cassidy's mind raced. "We have to find out who that whistleblower is. It could be our only chance to expose Harlan and the sheriff." Cassie said her mind racing.

"If you are serious about this,then the only advice i would give you is to tread carefully. One thing about Gracetown mysteries is that the more you dig,the more you know about it,and that itself is the danger in it. The people involved doesn't take lightly anyone who tries to hinder their operation." The man said with a conflicted expression.

Suddenly,they heard a deafening crash which echoed behind the house. Their hearts sank.

"We need to get out of this place.Now!" Cassie shouted

They hastily made their way towards the door but it was opened before they got to it. They saw a figure standing in the doorway. The figure was perfectly lined against the flickering light.No! No! Cassie almost fainted from shock after recognizing the figure. He was unmistakable. His outline was quite familiar. Sheriff Lawson!

"Well,well, if it's not the busy bodies and the biggest snitches in Gracetown,then who is it?" He said,twitching his lower lips,a diabolical smile forming on his face. " So you thought you could outsmart me and run way with the truth,right?"

Cassie's heart pounded,her pulse accelerated. She stepped back. "What do you want Lawson?"

You are snooping where you don't belong. This ends now," he said in a stern voice as he stepped closer.

Shortly before Cassie opened her mouth to give a response to Sheriff Lawson,she heard movement behind Sheriff Lawson,and another figure emerged. It was Deputy Mc kinney. He seemed a little shaken and resolute. He stood in front of Cassie and Aaron.

"Sheriff Lawson,wait! Seems like these two are onto something great. We can't..."

Sheriff Lawson ignored him. He pushed him aside and advanced towards Cassie and Aaron.

"You two clearly have no idea on who you are dealing with. You think you can expose me?" He said with a snare.

"Sheriff Lawson, i'm warning you to get out of our way." Aaron shouted,his voice filled with rebellion

Cassie just stood their speechless, hoping for the best but expecting the worst to happen any moment from then. It dawned on her that this was not just a battle to uncover the truth,but it was also a battle for animation.

Cassidy's hope of living was restored by McKinney's next action. He stood steadily between them and the sheriff,acting as a barrier between them. He was ready to risk everything from them.

With the tension heightening,Cassie realized that they were stuck in a limbo. They had hidden secrets, betrayal, and were now standing on the steep cliff of danger. Their next move was to determine every outcome.