THE TOWERS FAMILY SAGA
        EPISODE 25
Virginia entered the
living room holding two
mugs of instant coffee.
She stopped cold when she
saw Dave's grim face.
'The Rim?' she asked,
her voice flat and tired.
'I thought we buried that
for good in ninety-eight.'
Dave took a mug without
asking. 'Nothing stays
buried when the developers
start digging for a luxury
resort.'
'They found the canisters,
Robert. The ones your
father swore were empty.'
Robert sat down heavily on
the small sofa. The
radical honesty was no
longer a family game. It
was a legal ticking clock
counting down. 'How long
until the EPA arrives at
our door?'
'Forty-eight hours,' Dave
said, pacing the narrow
room. 'Maybe less if the
local press gets a whiff
of the name.' Virginia
looked at the thin walls
of their home. 'We can't
hide here, Robert. We
can't hide anywhere
anymore.' Bella let out a
low growl, her eyes fixed
on the door as if she
expected the law to kick
it in right now. Robert
looked at the ledger on
the coffee table. The
numbers didn't matter
anymore. The truth was
coming out of the ground
like a ghost. 'We have to
call James,' Robert said,
his voice shaking. 'James
is gone, Robert. You fired
him to save him,' Virginia
reminded him. 'I didn't
save him. I just left him
with the secrets.' Dave
looked at the couple. 'If
James talks, it's over. If
he stays silent, he goes
down with the ship.'
Robert stood up, his face
set in a mask of grim
resolve. 'I'm not letting
anyone else drown for my
father's dirty secrets.'
'Radical honesty starts
with me.' Bella chirped,
and the sound felt like a
judgment in the early
morning air. The coffee
went cold in the mugs.
The time for hiding was
officially at an end.

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