By early afternoon, the investigation had changed direction again.<\/p>\n
Daniel was no longer considered a likely accomplice.<\/p>\n
He was considered a witness in immediate danger.<\/p>\n
The envelope Vanessa handed him contained ten thousand dollars in cash.<\/p>\n
Daniel had secretly placed it inside an estate maintenance locker before disappearing.<\/p>\n
Federal agents recovered it wrapped in the same evidence-preservation plastic Ethan had supplied months earlier.<\/p>\n
He had not taken the bribe.<\/p>\n
He had preserved it.<\/p>\n
Ethan had anticipated more than I understood.<\/p>\n
Maya stood beside my bed reading the new reports while I pumped milk for Evelyn behind a hospital privacy curtain.<\/p>\n
It was one of the strangest moments of my life.<\/p>\n
Federal conspiracy on one side.<\/p>\n
Breast pump on the other.<\/p>\n
Grief somehow making room for both.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel's smarter than we thought,\u201d Maya said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe worked for Ethan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was occasionally contagious.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew Ethan suspected Vanessa.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn't Ethan tell us Daniel was helping?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOperational separation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds like him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe probably didn't want Daniel compromised if you reacted differently around Vanessa.\u201d<\/p>\n
I hated that the logic made sense.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo where is Daniel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo confirmed location.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
The phrase had become intolerable.<\/p>\n
I pushed the curtain aside.<\/p>\n
\u201cStop saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maya looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen give me facts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis car was found abandoned. No blood. No sign of violence. His bank accounts haven't been touched.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPhone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDiscarded twenty miles away.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnknown.\u201d<\/p>\n
I gave her a look.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
A NICU nurse entered carrying good news.<\/p>\n
Evelyn's oxygen requirements had improved.<\/p>\n
They hoped to reduce breathing support again that evening.<\/p>\n
For several minutes nothing else mattered.<\/p>\n
I visited her.<\/p>\n
She opened her eyes for perhaps three seconds.<\/p>\n
Dark.<\/p>\n
Unfocused.<\/p>\n
Beautiful.<\/p>\n
I whispered Ethan's name to her.<\/p>\n
Then hers.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn Claire Caldwell.\u201d<\/p>\n
When I returned to my room, Harris was waiting.<\/p>\n
Beside him stood a woman I had never met.<\/p>\n
Early forties.<\/p>\n
Dark suit.<\/p>\n
No nonsense in her posture.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire, this is Assistant U.S. Attorney Naomi Feld.\u201d<\/p>\n
Naomi shook my hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish we were meeting under different circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo do I.\u201d<\/p>\n
She sat.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe're preparing charges related to the hostage incident, attempted fraud, document destruction, and conspiracy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAttempted murder?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe're working toward it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEthan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you need?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvidence tying Richard and Vanessa directly to Dr. Vale's actions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have messages.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have suggestive messages.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have video.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have Vanessa present.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have Vale replacing medication.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have Ethan dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is missing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProof they knew the specific substance and intended death.\u201d<\/p>\n
I understood.<\/p>\n
\u201cVale can give you that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we find him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Vanessa.\u201d<\/p>\n
Naomi nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf she cooperates.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe will cooperate with anyone who gives her an exit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich may be useful.\u201d<\/p>\n
My anger sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want to make a deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have not offered one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Naomi held my gaze.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire, I understand why that would be difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, you don't.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Probably not.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer disarmed me slightly.<\/p>\n
She continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Vanessa can establish Richard directed the scheme, prosecutors may consider cooperation. If evidence shows she independently participated in murder, that changes everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knew enough to laugh while I was in labor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Naomi's expression hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat will not be forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard deserves prison.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the evidence supports it, that is where we intend to put him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Vanessa?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSame standard.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Harris.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is she saying?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe requested another interview.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Jonathan has stopped protecting her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas he protecting her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy withholding old evidence, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought about Vanessa inside the study.<\/p>\n
The scratches on her face.<\/p>\n
The instant reinvention.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does she want?\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris said, \u201cTo speak with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maya answered before I could.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Naomi remained neutral.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe says there is something she will tell only Claire.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds manipulative because it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAgreed,\u201d Maya said.<\/p>\n
I looked from one to the other.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat could she possibly tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris folded his arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe claims she knows where Dr. Vale went.\u201d<\/p>\n
That changed things.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLeverage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen let her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maya shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't need to be alone with her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStill no.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if Daniel is wherever Vale is?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Maya hated that point.<\/p>\n
Naomi spoke carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe could arrange a monitored video conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo physical contact.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCorrect.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward Evelyn's room.<\/p>\n
Then back.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thirty minutes later, Vanessa appeared on a secure screen.<\/p>\n
She wore county detention clothing now.<\/p>\n
Her hair was pulled back.<\/p>\n
No makeup.<\/p>\n
Without the expensive wardrobe and composed smile, she looked younger.<\/p>\n
Too young.<\/p>\n
That disturbed me.<\/p>\n
Because for the first time, I could see the girl Melissa had tried to protect.<\/p>\n
Then I remembered my broken phone.<\/p>\n
My hair in Richard's fist.<\/p>\n
My water breaking while Vanessa laughed.<\/p>\n
Compassion did not require amnesia.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is Vale?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her mouth twitched.<\/p>\n
\u201cStraight to business.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou always were like Ethan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is he?\u201d<\/p>\n
Vanessa leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst I need something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don't know what I'm asking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't care.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her expression hardened.<\/p>\n
Then softened again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want Richard to know I told you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI want him to know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he spent my entire life convincing me I owed him survival.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor years I thought Melissa abandoned me emotionally before she died. That's what Richard told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe lied.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew he was your father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd married you anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cSay it again.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause nobody says it plainly.\u201d<\/p>\n
So I did.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard knew there was a strong possibility he was your biological father before he married you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vanessa's eyes filled.<\/p>\n
She did not cry.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me Melissa had invented the paternity story to extort Thomas Caldwell.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe lied.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me I was Thomas's daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said marrying me would let us force Ethan to acknowledge me as family.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you agree?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt twenty-one?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her laugh was empty.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had no money. My mother was dead. Richard had paid my tuition, my rent, everything. He told me my entire life had been stolen by the Caldwells.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sounded exactly like Richard.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe made resentment feel like inheritance,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Vanessa looked at me.<\/p>\n
For the first time, something passed between us that was not hatred.<\/p>\n
Recognition.<\/p>\n
Then I remembered Ethan.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou still helped kill my husband.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't know Vale would kill him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou stood in my kitchen while he replaced medication.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew the pills were altered.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you think would happen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMake him sick.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou expect me to believe that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard said Ethan needed a medical event.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething serious enough to get him hospitalized.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we could get access to his records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPaternity testing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The motive snapped into focus.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou wanted hospital samples.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe needed a confirmed genetic profile.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou already tested against Ethan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Northbridge sample was incomplete.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could have asked him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe would have refused.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he knew what you were doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you poisoned him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vanessa flinched.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought Vale was giving him something that would cause temporary hypertension.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou watched a doctor swap counterfeit tablets into my husband's prescription bottle.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd never warned him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you helped kill him whether you intended the final result or not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vanessa looked away.<\/p>\n
No defense came.<\/p>\n
Good.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is Vale?\u201d<\/p>\n
She swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a Northbridge property outside Millhaven.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cResearch storage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAddress?\u201d<\/p>\n
She gave it.<\/p>\n
Harris immediately wrote it down.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would he go there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he keeps records off-site.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat records?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPrivate clients.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMe?\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat records about me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPregnancy.\u201d<\/p>\n
I went cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard paid Vale to collect information from your obstetric practice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris's expression darkened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGuardianship.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
They had been preparing to portray me as medically unstable.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid they plan to harm Evelyn?\u201d<\/p>\n
Vanessa looked horrified.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou discussed guardianship before Ethan died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard said if Ethan died and you had a breakdown, he could temporarily control the trust as family guardian.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe couldn't.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe thought he could.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if I didn't have a breakdown?\u201d<\/p>\n
Vanessa said nothing.<\/p>\n
That silence answered too much.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was supposed to happen to me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing at first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter Ethan's death, Richard wanted you declared incompetent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMedical records. Statements. Grief.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if that failed?\u201d<\/p>\n
Vanessa whispered, \u201cHe said we'd create another crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maya closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
I stayed perfectly still.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of crisis?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't ask.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, you did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vanessa looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said pregnancy complications happen all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room became ice.<\/p>\n
My father had considered using my unborn child's birth to remove me from control of the estate.<\/p>\n
Possibly worse.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew that before coming to my house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you still came.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou still smashed my phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou still laughed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face crumpled briefly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was angry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo was I.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had just found out my husband might be my father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd my husband was dead because of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
She closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
When she opened them, whatever self-pity had surfaced disappeared.<\/p>\n
\u201cVale knows.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKnows what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard told him the compound worked too well.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse accelerated.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard knew Ethan died because of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you have proof?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVale recorded calls.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMillhaven.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat ledger?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPayments.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard. Jonathan. Clinic staff.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you tell Daniel to take the money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard wanted him gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKilled?\u201d<\/p>\n
Vanessa shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first, bribed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Daniel refused, Vale said he would handle him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Daniel alive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
The phrase struck differently coming from her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere would Vale take him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMillhaven.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris was already leaving the room.<\/p>\n
Naomi followed.<\/p>\n
Agents would move immediately.<\/p>\n
Vanessa called out through the speaker.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost ended the feed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is one more thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEthan knew I was Richard's daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe confronted me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree days before he died.\u201d<\/p>\n
I froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me to leave Richard.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sounded like Ethan.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said he had enough evidence to expose everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you threaten him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Richard know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot then.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how did he find out?\u201d<\/p>\n
Vanessa looked ashamed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told him.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
The final link.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Richard say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked whether Ethan had copied the evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI said probably.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened next?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard called Vale.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stared directly at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard him say, \u2018Tomorrow morning. No more delays.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
That was murder.<\/p>\n
Intent.<\/p>\n
Timing.<\/p>\n
Everything prosecutors needed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWill you testify?\u201d<\/p>\n
Vanessa closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAgainst Richard?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Vale?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if it sends you to prison too?\u201d<\/p>\n
A tear finally ran down her cheek.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The screen went dark.<\/p>\n
Maya sat beside me.<\/p>\n
Neither of us spoke.<\/p>\n
Then Harris called from the hallway.<\/p>\n
Agents were already en route to Millhaven.<\/p>\n
Forty-three minutes later, his secure line rang again.<\/p>\n
I answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cHarris?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found Vale.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel?\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
My heart stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cHarris.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe's alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
I covered my mouth.<\/p>\n
Maya grabbed my shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cCondition?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInjured. Conscious.\u201d<\/p>\n
Relief nearly broke me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Vale?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn custody.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRecords?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat records?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire, there's a recording.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf Richard?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough for what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo prove Ethan's death wasn't an accident.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Richard talk about what would happen after Ethan died?\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris went silent long enough that I knew.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told Vale Ethan's death was only phase one.\u201d<\/p>\n
My hand tightened around the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd phase two?\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris spoke very quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou.\u201d<\/p>\n
By early afternoon, the investigation had changed direction again. Daniel was no longer considered a likely accomplice. He was considered a witness in immediate danger. The envelope Vanessa handed him … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1902,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chapter-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1913"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1913\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1925,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1913\/revisions\/1925"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}