Chapter 13 - The Press Conference
While Dominic screamed curses into a dead intercom system, United States Attorney General Vance stepped up to a bank of microphones on the granite steps of the federal courthouse downtown.
Camera flashes illuminated the damp morning air as reporters crowded forward, thrusting microphones toward the podium.
“Good morning,” Vance announced, his voice carrying across the plaza with absolute authority. “Today, the United States Department of Justice, in coordination with the federal judiciary, officially concludes the dismantling of the Ward Syndicate—a criminal enterprise that metastasized within our municipal infrastructure for over half a decade.”
A reporter from the regional daily newspaper shouted a question over the murmurs. “Mr. Attorney General, rumors have circulated that the investigation was fast-tracked due to a domestic incident involving the syndicate leader and a member of the judiciary's immediate family. Can you confirm this?”
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Vance paused, offering a measured, deliberate look at the assembled press corps.
“What I can confirm,” Vance stated firmly, “is that no criminal enterprise, regardless of how much capital it accumulates or how many local officials it compromises, is immune to the rule of law. The investigation relied on eighteen months of meticulous federal wiretapping, forensic accounting, and uncompromised judicial oversight. The syndicate is neutralized. Its assets are seized. Justice has been delivered.”
