The Shadow Tycoon
Copyright© 2026 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 61: Only Two Choices Remain
“Right now, you have two choices...”
Director Johnson stood before the bookshelves in Michael’s study. Looking over the volumes, many of them showing clear signs of use, he found his opinion of Michael improving for the first time.
He had always assumed Michael wasn’t much of a reader.
Apparently, he had been wrong.
A surprising number of the books had obviously been read.
Suppressing a sigh, he turned back toward Michael.
“The first option is this. Young Michael broke into William’s house and stole his ring. You wanted William to drop the charges, so you framed him and tried to force him into backing down through your own methods.”
This was William’s version.
William had insisted that Michael’s actions amounted to attempted murder, but Director Johnson had rejected that characterization.
He understood very clearly that if attempted murder became part of the narrative, combined with everything else already being discussed, Michael could very well find himself facing charges of first-degree murder.
William had survived.
But given the public outrage and the damage already done, a jury would almost certainly find Michael guilty, and any judge would be inclined to impose a severe sentence in order to calm public anger.
If it reached that point, it would no longer be a matter of three or five years behind bars.
He could spend the rest of his life in prison.
Twenty years at the very least.
Thirty. Fifty.
Perhaps more.
Breaking the law while serving as a law enforcement officer was always an aggravating factor during sentencing. No matter how much additional punishment it brought, the public rarely thought it excessive.
Michael’s breathing grew heavier.
He raised his head and glared at Director Johnson with undisguised hatred.
Johnson ignored both the look and the hostility behind it.
“This has nothing to do with my son,” Michael growled. “My son was framed by William too...”
Johnson glanced back at him.
To this day, no one fully understood what had happened with Young Michael.
The young man had confessed to the crime in full, yet refused all communication with his father.
What secrets lay behind that decision, nobody knew.
Perhaps Michael was right.
Perhaps William had indeed framed him.
But that wasn’t how a judge would see it.
“The second option,” Johnson continued, “is that you had a personal grudge against William.”
“You felt he didn’t show you enough respect. It wounded your pride. So you repeatedly targeted him, trying to make him recognize the difference between the two of you and show you the respect you believed you deserved.”
This was Director Johnson’s version.
If too much attention was placed on Michael’s crimes and those of his son, people would inevitably begin wondering whether similar behavior existed among rank-and-file law enforcement officers elsewhere.
It was better to downplay the criminal aspect and focus on a personal conflict.
Simply put, the goal was to make Michael’s character the issue.
Michael fit that narrative perfectly.
By the time the story reached the public, no one would even need to write a script.
All reporters had to do was interview people who had interacted with Michael, or some of his coworkers.
The conclusions would practically write themselves.
Michael’s image in the public eye would become far more concrete.
And far uglier.
The upside was that Sabine City IRS would distance itself from the affair.
Questions about law enforcement conduct would disappear with it.
Michael tugged hard at his hair.
His lips had gone pale from how tightly he was pressing his jaws together.
Pain lingered in his eyes.
So did despair.
But he understood perfectly well that he had to choose.
The first option was impossible.
It would drag his son directly into the spotlight.
People would condemn him.
They would condemn Young Michael.
His wife and the rest of his family would not escape public scrutiny either.
There was only one choice left.
The second.
When Michael finally made his decision, Director Johnson felt something stir inside him, though he could not quite identify it.
Before leaving, he even joked with Michael.
“There won’t be any need to coordinate stories.”
He smiled faintly.
“Just be yourself.”
“People will believe that’s the truth.”
It sounded cruel.
Forcing a man to choose the manner in which he would endure one of life’s most terrible punishments.
But there was no alternative.
The campaign to reverse public opinion would require cooperation from both Michael and William.
Without those reporters possessing such impeccable “professional ethics” digging up more “inside information,” the truth the public needed to see would never emerge.
To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account
(Why register?)
* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.