Chapter 17 - The Gathering of the Board
The City Hall of Chicago was a massive, imposing classical structure of limestone and granite. The transit committee chamber was located on the third floor, a grand room of dark oak paneling, high arched windows, and rows of green leather seats.
The room was packed with reporters, city officials, and union representatives. At the high dais sat Alderman Thomas Miller and the other committee members, looking solemn and important.
Vincent and Tessa sat in the front row of the public gallery. Vincent looked imposing in a dark charcoal suit, his walnut cane resting between his knees, his hands folded over the silver head. Tessa sat beside him, her laptop open on her lap, her face calm and unreadable.
Silas Vance sat across the aisle, surrounded by his legal team and several large, imposing men in tailored suits. He looked relaxed, almost bored, as if the outcome of the vote were already decided.
"The committee will now hear arguments regarding the zoning permits for the proposed Corvino Logistics terminal in St. Louis," Alderman Miller announced, his voice echoing through the chamber. "As there have been significant environmental concerns raised by the transit committee, we will first hear from the representative of Ferrum Holdings."
Silas’s lead attorney stood up, presenting a polished, highly manipulative slide show detailing the "potential toxic hazards" of the Corvino terminal to the surrounding municipal water supply.
"Therefore," the attorney concluded, "we request a permanent injunction on all construction at the site, and suggest the land be transferred to Ferrum Holdings for a low-impact, regional transit facility."
A murmur went through the crowd. The reporters began typing furiously on their laptops.
"Thank you, counselor," Alderman Miller said, a smug smile touching his lips. "We will now hear from the representative of Corvino Logistics."
Tessa stood up. She didn't walk to the podium. Instead, she stood in the center of the aisle, her voice carrying over the murmur of the room with a crystal-clear, absolute authority.
"Thank you, Mr. Chairman," Tessa said. "Before we discuss the environmental merits of our terminal, I would like to present a late addition to the committee’s record. It is a certified financial deposition from Marcus Dunn, the former logistics coordinator for Ferrum Holdings."
Silas Vance froze. His relaxed posture vanished instantly, his eyes locking onto Tessa with a sudden, vicious intensity.
"Marcus Dunn was detained by federal authorities at the Canadian border yesterday afternoon," Tessa continued, her fingers tapping a command on her tablet. On the large projector screen behind the dais, a series of complex financial charts and wire transfer receipts appeared. "With his cooperation, we have successfully traced the source of the capital used to fund Ferrum Holdings. The twelve million dollars used to purchase the adjacent St. Louis parcel did not come from Canadian steel. It came from a series of illicit narcotics transactions routed through a sanctioned cartel account in Windsor, Ontario."
The chamber erupted into chaos. Reporters screamed questions, and the committee members began whispering frantically among themselves.
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Alderman Miller’s face went entirely white. He looked at Silas, then at the financial documents on the screen. "This... this is highly irregular—"
"And there's more, Mr. Chairman," Tessa said, her voice rising over the din. "We have also submitted evidence to the federal prosecutor linking those exact Windsor accounts to a series of offshore wire transfers made directly to the personal bank accounts of three members of this transit committee. Including you, Alderman Miller."
