Title: The Silent Witness prompted by Michael Poole Overview: In the heart of New Orleans, a mid-tier but ruthless law firm becomes entangled in a dangerous game when their longtime, off-the-books drug supplier — a crucial and unexpected witness in a high-stakes probate battle — mysteriously vanishes. The disappearance threatens to expose a web of buried secrets, including blackmail, judicial manipulation, and a decades-old family betrayal. Plot Summary: Act 1 – The Case Katherine Maddox, a sharp, aging socialite, is suing her younger brother, Daniel Maddox, over the will of their late father — a wealthy oil magnate who died under suspicious circumstances. She claims Daniel manipulated their father, who was suffering from early-stage dementia, into changing the will to cut her out. Representing Katherine is Baker & Holt, a respected law firm with a reputation for getting things done by any means necessary. Katherine’s story seems airtight — until her brother produces an old letter suggesting that Katherine blackmailed him in 1974, threatening to expose a crime they both covered up unless he gave up his share of their mother’s inheritance. Act 2 – The Supplier Enter Raymond “Slick” Harper, a small-time drug dealer with a big secret: for years, he’s been supplying the senior partners at Baker & Holt with designer stimulants to keep their elite legal minds razor-sharp. But that’s not all — 50 years ago, as a teenage janitor in the Maddox estate, he witnessed the original blackmail incident and has quietly held onto evidence: an old tape recording hidden away for decades. Daniel Maddox's team discovers Raymond and intends to call him as a key witness to prove Katherine’s unclean hands. But before he can testify — Raymond vanishes. His apartment is ransacked. His street contacts say he skipped town. But others whisper that someone didn’t want him to talk. Act 3 – The Fallout A young associate at Baker & Holt, Maya Lin, discovers that senior partners were funneling hush money to Raymond not only for drugs but to keep him quiet. When she digs deeper, she uncovers internal memos showing the firm knew about Katherine's original blackmail — and still chose to defend her. Now caught between loyalty to her firm and a growing sense of justice, Maya races to find Raymond before someone silences him for good. But the deeper she gets, the more dangerous it becomes — someone inside the firm doesn’t want him found. Someone who knows that if Raymond testifies, the whole firm could go down. Act 4 – The Trial With time running out, Maya and a rogue investigator track Raymond to a rehab facility in Baton Rouge, where he's been hiding under an alias — not out of fear, but because he's been clean and trying to start over. In a climactic courtroom showdown, Maya gets Raymond on the stand. He plays the decades-old tape of Katherine's blackmail — but before the gavel drops, Baker & Holt throws one final legal Hail Mary: a motion to suppress based on Raymond’s criminal background and history of dealing drugs to the firm. The judge must now decide: does truth outweigh technicality? And can a crooked system ever deliver justice when everyone has something to hide? Themes: Corruption in high places The fragility of memory and truth Moral gray zones in the law Old sins casting long shadows