Chapter 56 (The Mortal Multiverse : Liam Raven Harper)

Chapter 56 - Liam vs Marcus Hale Part-4

Liam PoV

I parked, locked the bike, and walked through the DA office doors with the file heavy in my bag.

The noon had teeth to it and the city outside felt the same, unaware.

Inside the DA office, Beth was at her desk, phone pressed to her ear, voice careful as she handled whatever Mr. Stone was throwing at her.

She cut the call the second she saw me. “Stone again,” she said, snapping the receiver into its cradle.

Her smile was professional, but her eyes were sharp. “He keeps offering better deals. He’s… desperate. Said he’ll make his client take the plea if I—” She stopped, and the question hung in the air.

I unzipped my bag and set a folder on her desk, the plain tab visible. “Read that,” I said. “It’ll explain why he’s desperate.”

She opened it, brows lifting as she flipped through.

Shock registered first, quick and hot; then a colour passed across her face that I’d learned was anger. “My God,” she breathed. “They’re worse than scum. How did you get all of this?”

‘I had to pull threads until one unraveled the rest,’ I thought, watching her. ‘No time for thanks. Time to move.’

“Be ready,” I told her. “This goes down today. Expect overtime.” I slid the file back. She nodded, mouth set.

She looked up. “You sure you want to go loud on this?”

“Yes.” I kept my voice steady. “We go now. We don’t whisper.”

She gave a short laugh—half disbelief, half grim approval—and I grabbed the file back. “Make sure to check the Chain of custody on everything.”

She tapped a note into the system and flashed me a quick smile that said she was already ten steps ahead.

I headed for Cameron’s office.

The secretary hesitated when I reached the door. “Mr. Harvey’s inside,” she said, eyes flicking toward the inner room.

“It’s important,” I answered. She nodded and pressed the receiver; the line clicked. “You can go in,” she said, and the door opened.

Cameron was seated behind his desk, perfectly at ease.

Harvey sat opposite him, leaning back with that calm arrogance that belonged to him.

Both looked up when I entered; neither looked surprised—only curious.

Cameron’s smirk was immediate. “Has the Hale matter been settled?” he asked as if he expected some tidy outcome.

I set the folder on his desk and let it land there with a quiet finality. “Not yet,” I said. “Read it.”

Cameron’s smirk faded as he flipped through.

Paperwork doesn’t lie; it only reveals. He finished with the report and passed pages to Harvey who read, then handed them back and stood without a word.

Where Cameron’s expression was the slow dawning of concern, Harvey wore it like a sharpening blade—quiet, professional interest.

Cameron was the first to speak. “We’ve got enough to nail Hale, Vega, Marino, and Dorian.” He folded his hands, eyes on me. “But Kane and Strauss—this is soft. You don’t have the formula. Without that, getting past a company lawyer and a lab head? That’s a different beast.”

Harvey didn’t need to spell the rest. He had that look—one part calculation, one part impatience. “You can scare people, but unless you have an R&D core that ties the powder? Corporate will bury this.”

I kept my face blank because I couldn’t let it betray what I’d chosen to do. “I know what the gaps look like,” I said. “I also know how to close them.”

Cameron’s brow rose. “How?”

I laid the simplest lie that would do the job: direct, credible, and urgent. “I have an informant who heard Strauss and Kane discussing formulation and distribution plans. He won’t step forward because his life would be at risk. If I put him in protective custody he’s gone—gone, not protected. I went ahead with the warrants so we can seize everything and then I’ll push the informant to testify once we have them secured.”

‘It’s show, not confession,’ I thought. ‘They don’t have to know how I’ll make it stick, only that I will.’

Cameron and Harvey exchanged a look—calculated, quick.

Cameron shrugged one shoulder like a man giving a verdict he’d already considered. “If you’re bluffing, this could blow up spectacularly,” he said. “But if you’re right, and you bring down Kane and Strauss… you’re not just a hot new prosecutor—you’re dangerous.”

Harvey leaned forward. “Dangerous is useful, Liam. Don’t let it make you sloppy.” His tone was almost a promise. “If you push the informant angle, you better have backups. This is Bratton Gould we’re dealing with; they’ll have every legal trick and political call they can make.”

“I’m not reckless,” I said. “I’ll handle it!”

Cameron stood and came around the desk. He patted my shoulder—one of his rare, public gestures of approval. “Good job,” he said, the smirk back but softer.

“You could’ve taken a quiet win with Hale. Instead you went for the whole damn table. That takes guts and a strong sense of justice. This is the kind of profile people climb on. Be careful—fame is useful, but it’s also a target.”

‘Fame doesn’t interest me,’ I thought. ‘Results and answers do!’

Harvey gave a short nod, the professional acknowledgment that crossed men like him. “Tread carefully,” he said the way people give warnings that are also compliments. “We’ll be at the courthouse. Don’t get sloppy.”

I left their office with the file lighter and my shoulders a touch heavier.

Outside, the hallway moved in its usual blur—assistants, clerks, people with their own small urgencies.

Later that evening I got a call from Cross that everything went perfect and they were able to find the original formula from Dr. Strauss notes.

Each and every one of them have refused to speak without their lawyers.

I am fine with that, with the original formula in hand it is to bring the whole lot down.

I opened my office door and Beth was at her desk working on one of my tasks.

“Beth, Cross has done his part. I’ll be going there and sent over the reports of all the arrests and searches conducted. Make sure to summarise everything and check for any discrepancies that can cause harm to the case”

“Understood” she replied and went back to working

I took my bag and left to the Precinct

The precinct was alive with motion — phones ringing, uniforms passing by, and the low hum of victory that came only after a long, brutal day.

Every major target was in custody: Marcus Hale, Victor Marino, Francesco Dorian, Carlos Vega, Adrian Kane, and Dr. Leonard Strauss.

And in my hands — inside an evidence bag sealed tight — was the final piece of the puzzle: the original formula for the lactose powder.

Cross was leaning back in a chair, eyes red from exhaustion but still sharp.

Ruiz was standing near the window, gulping down black coffee, his hands trembling from adrenaline.

“Hell of a day,” Cross muttered, his voice gravelly. “I’ve seen takedowns, but this… this was something else.”

Ruiz chuckled. “Yeah, and I didn’t even get to throw a punch. Kinda disappointed.”

I smirked slightly. “You’ll live. Besides, paperwork’s your battlefield now.”

Cross looked over at me. “You think Harrington will push this to trial right away?”

I nodded, holding up the sealed evidence bag. “With this in hand? He’ll want to. The formula ties everything together and had my source check it and it came out as what we expected — the powder, the deaths, the entire operation.”

Ruiz stepped closer, lowering his voice. “And you’re sure this is the real thing? Not some decoy?”

I placed the bag carefully on the table. “We ran chemical verification through the Oscorp database before sealing it. It’s legit. Strauss didn’t even try to hide it as it didn’t belong to him in the first place but used it to earn some money outside Oscorp. Guess he thought no one would ever connect him to Kane.”

Cross sighed. “Pride always gets ‘em.” He straightened and grabbed his jacket.

“Alright, let’s go see the tomorrow judge before the defense starts whispering to the press.”

Next day

Manhattan Criminal Courthouse – Judge Harrington’s Chambers

Judge Harrington looked up from his desk, visibly surprised as the three of us entered.

His robe was slightly wrinkled — he’d clearly been called in early.

“Detective Cross. Officer Ruiz. Counsellor Harper,” he greeted with a tired edge. “I trust this is important? I already granted the warrants you requested yesterday.”

“It is Your Honor,” I said, stepping forward. “We’ve executed all the warrants. Every primary suspect is in custody, and…”

I placed the sealed evidence bag gently on his desk. “…we have the original formula for the lactose powder and it is indeed harmful”

The judge’s brows rose. He motioned for his clerk to take the evidence. “Is that confirmed?”

Cross nodded. “Yes, sir. It’s been verified through Oscorp. Dr. Leonard Strauss used Oscorp’s formula to make money with Adrian Kane.”

The judge leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. “So it’s true. The so-called ‘performance protein’ is indeed harmful…”

“It’s not a supplement, Your Honor,” I said firmly. “It’s poison disguised as progress. They knew what it was doing and kept distributing it for profit.”

Ruiz stepped in, tone grim. “Two athletes, one boxer, multiple horses and hounds are dead because of that powder and if Hale’s hadn’t been arrested, it would’ve gone unnoticed.”

The judge rubbed his temple. “My God…”

Cross took a step forward. “Your Honor, with all due respect, we can’t wait weeks for standard trial prep. Every one of them has high-powered lawyers. If they make bail or delay proceedings, half of them will vanish before this even reaches a jury.”

I nodded. “We’re requesting an expedited trial for all primary suspects under public safety and evidence protection clauses. We have the proof and there’s nothing left to debate.”

The judge looked between us — first at me, then at Cross and Ruiz. His expression softened from fatigue to determination.

He adjusted his glasses and said, “You realize this will cause waves across the media. Once I sign this, there’s no going back.”

Ruiz smirked. “Waves are fine, sir. As long as they drown the right people.”

That got a short laugh out of Cross.

Even the judge cracked a faint smile.

Then Harrington straightened, took a deep breath, and reached for his pen.

“You’ve done exceptional work, all of you,” he said, voice firm again. “I’ll grant your motion. The expedited trial will begin within forty-eight hours. I’ll also order that all defendants remain in custody until verdict.”

Cross gave a small, satisfied nod. Ruiz exhaled in relief.

I just said quietly, “Thank you, Your Honor.”

The judge looked up from signing the last page and met my eyes. “Mr. Harper. Once this goes public… the city will either hail you as a hero.”

“Just doing my duty as a public servant, Your Honor”

As we turned to leave, Cross clapped my shoulder. “Harper, I’ve gotta admit—sometimes you scare me.”

Ruiz chuckled. “Nah. I’m just glad he’s on our side.”

I didn’t answer.

I just looked back once, at the judge reviewing evidence, and thought —

‘I can see the end’

The End