A new face appeared at Arthur’s frost-nipped front door two days later. Chloe Danvers introduced herself as an investigative journalist from *The Philadelphia Inquirer*. She wasn’t there about the bribe scandal.
“Alderman Pendelton,” Chloe began, her sharp eyes scanning his face. “I’m actually here about Marcus Gable.”
Arthur blinked, surprised. He pulled the report from his jacket pocket, handing it to her. “The man who declared my house a ruin.”
“Exactly,” Chloe said, flipping through the pages. “I’ve been tracking Mr. Gable for four months. He’s involved in a commercial tax exemption scheme up in North Philadelphia.”
She pointed to a specific notation on the report, a series of squiggly lines near a structural diagram. “This right here. His distinct fraudulent signature.”
“What is that?” Arthur asked, leaning closer.
“He uses it to exaggerate damage,” Chloe explained, her finger tracing the lines. “Saw it in three other illegal property flippings. Always the same hand.”
She looked up, meeting his eyes. “You’re not just fighting an eminent domain. Senator Croft’s using a dark-money political action committee called the Keystone Heritage Fund to buy up this entire block.”
Arthur felt a chill that had nothing to do with the freezing house. “An entire block?”
“Commercial developments,” Chloe confirmed, snapping the report shut. “I’m going to pull the city registry deeds. See what else Gable has been touching.”
“You think this is connected?” Arthur asked, gesturing vaguely at his home.
Chloe nodded slowly. “Given Gable’s history, and Senator Croft’s sudden interest in ‘urban renewal’ here, I’d say it’s more than connected. It’s part of a much larger blueprint.”
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