Related Cases (1)
Related Novels (2)
Related Chapters (3)
The Bent Hinge
Words: 3147 · Source Novel:: The Ashford Hinge
In New Avalon, courier Lena Kessler struggles to deliver a sealed evidentiary package to Judge Marcus Thorne's chambers for the pivotal case of *Z.P. et al v. Bryant*. Her scanner malfunctions, smearing her own fingerprint onto the tamper-proof seal. Unaware, she leaves the compromised package with a junior clerk. That evening, archivist Tomás Varela, still grieving his daughter's disappearance, drunkenly argues with Judge Thorne, his old friend, at a dockside bar over the morality of indefinite detention. A shoving match ends with Thorne striking his head on a rusted iron hinge and falling into the bay. No one sees it.
Thorns of the Gavel
Words: 2983 · Source Novel:: Blood Along the Meridian
Judge Marcus Thorne, now the leading candidate for governor, arrives in New Austin for a rally. His fixer, a ruthless operative named Delia Crow, orchestrates a hit on Boone Lassiter, running him off a canyon road. Boone survives, gravely injured, and whispers a name to Connor before being airlifted: “Cobalt.” Connor realizes Cobalt is a private security firm hired by Thorne to clear the land of witnesses. Meanwhile, Deputy Jess Harlan begins to crack under guilt, confessing to Connor that he was ordered to stop Vargas specifically. Connor secures a sworn affidavit from Jess and hides it, but Sheriff Harlan catches Jess and has him involuntarily committed to a psychiatric facility, isolating the truth.
The Bone Orchard
Words: 2983 · Source Novel:: Blood Along the Meridian
Connor discovers the location Eligio Vargas had been watching: a stretch of federal land slated for the Trans-Meridian Highway project, championed by gubernatorial candidate Judge Marcus Thorne. With the help of a retired Texas Ranger turned smuggler, Boone Lassiter, Connor finds a shallow grave containing three bodies, all unidentified migrants killed execution-style. He learns the land was recently purchased through shell companies linked to Thorne’s campaign donors. Sheriff Harlan warns Connor to stay in his lane, revealing his own entanglement with Thorne, who once covered up a fatal DUI for the Sheriff’s late son. Connor secretly copies evidence files from the Sheriff’s home office, placing him in direct opposition to his mentor.