THE TOWERS FAMILY SAGA
        EPISODE 27
The silence of the
morning was broken not by
a buzzer, but by a heavy,
authoritative knock.
Robert opened the door to
find a man wearing a dark
windbreaker. 'Robert
Towers?' the man asked.
Robert nodded slowly. A
thick envelope was
pressed into his chest.
'You've been served.
United States District
Court.' Robert watched the
man walk away down the
hall. He didn't need to
open it to know the
exact contents. The EPA
wasn't just asking
questions anymore. They
were seeking massive
damages. Minnie stood
in the kitchen, her
knuckles white against
the counter. 'How much,
Robert?' she asked, her
voice trembling. Robert
looked at the first page
of the filing.
'Everything we don't
have,' he replied. 'And
then some.' Bella
stretched on the rug, the
legal papers crinkling
under her paws like a dry
warning. Robert sat down
and began to read the
charges. Criminal
negligence. Environmental
crimes. Conspiracy to
hide toxic materials. The
words felt like lead
weights on the page. 'I
have to call James,'
Robert said, reaching for
his phone. 'No,' Minnie
said, walking into the
room. 'James has his own
lawyer now. He has to
protect himself.' Robert
looked at his wife,
realizing she was right.
The radical honesty had
isolated him at the top
of a very small mountain.
'I'm the one they want,'
Robert whispered. 'I'm
the one who signed the
checks.' Bella looked up
at him, her tail swishing
slowly on the floor. The
storm was here, and there
was no shelter left in
the city for him.

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