Susan did not cry immediately.<\/p>\n
She stared at the table as if the words from Malik\u2019s phone might rearrange themselves into something less consequential.<\/p>\n
Temporary guardianship.<\/p>\n
Diane looked at her aunt.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
Susan looked almost angry.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane believed her.<\/p>\n
The shock was too complete.<\/p>\n
Sanders asked Malik whether the petition had been filed.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas it notarized?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSigned and witnessed. There\u2019s also a draft declaration from Patricia.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen was it prepared?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEight days before Eleanor died.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane counted backward.<\/p>\n
Three days after the cassette argument.<\/p>\n
Three days after Arthur promised to replace the trust money.<\/p>\n
Her mother had stopped believing him almost immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy wasn\u2019t it filed?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sanders looked stricken.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is the central question.\u201d<\/p>\n
They drove to the storage facility.<\/p>\n
By the time Diane arrived, the box had been catalogued.<\/p>\n
She saw the petition through a clear sleeve.<\/p>\n
Eleanor\u2019s signature.<\/p>\n
Patricia\u2019s witness notation.<\/p>\n
Susan\u2019s name.<\/p>\n
Her own.<\/p>\n
A legal description of Arthur\u2019s unauthorized trust transfer.<\/p>\n
A request for immediate protective orders.<\/p>\n
And a handwritten note attached to the back.<\/p>\n
File if Arthur fails to restore funds or if my condition worsens suddenly.<\/p>\n
Diane read the final phrase twice.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy condition worsened suddenly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Susan stood beside her.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe went to the hospital three days later.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sanders corrected softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cFour.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t Patricia file it after Mom went to the hospital?\u201d<\/p>\n
No one knew.<\/p>\n
Ruiz walked over carrying another folder.<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly because someone paid her not to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane felt the answer before Ruiz opened it.<\/p>\n
Bank records.<\/p>\n
A deposit into Patricia\u2019s account.<\/p>\n
The morning after Eleanor was hospitalized.<\/p>\n
From one of Arthur\u2019s business entities.<\/p>\n
Sanders looked sick.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruiz told him.<\/p>\n
It was enough to change a frightened employee\u2019s life.<\/p>\n
Not enough to make the betrayal less ugly.<\/p>\n
Susan whispered, \u201cHe bought her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruiz answered carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe payment requires explanation. We should not assume purpose solely from timing.\u201d<\/p>\n
But everyone in the room understood the likely shape.<\/p>\n
Eleanor had prepared a petition.<\/p>\n
Patricia witnessed it.<\/p>\n
Eleanor entered the hospital.<\/p>\n
Arthur\u2019s company paid Patricia.<\/p>\n
The petition disappeared into storage.<\/p>\n
Diane remained with Arthur.<\/p>\n
Her assets remained hidden.<\/p>\n
And the trust money remained missing.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Arthur know about the petition?\u201d Diane asked.<\/p>\n
Sanders shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruiz turned another page.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe may.\u201d<\/p>\n
An email printout.<\/p>\n
Patricia to Arthur.<\/p>\n
Sent the same day as the deposit.<\/p>\n
Subject: Resolved.<\/p>\n
The body contained four words.<\/p>\n
Nothing will be filed.<\/p>\n
Diane stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cResolved.\u201d<\/p>\n
Susan\u2019s mouth twisted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat woman sold Eleanor\u2019s last attempt to protect her daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane thought of Patricia calling Daniel before her death.<\/p>\n
Threatening to confess.<\/p>\n
Maybe guilt had eventually become unbearable.<\/p>\n
Ten years too late.<\/p>\n
But real enough to scare Arthur.<\/p>\n
Lily arrived with Carol\u2019s lawyer\u2019s permission to remain near Diane and Susan while Carol continued cooperating.<\/p>\n
She read the petition quietly.<\/p>\n
Then looked at Diane.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were supposed to live with Susan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTemporarily.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStill.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lily looked away.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf that had happened, you wouldn\u2019t have lived with us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane imagined it.<\/p>\n
A different school commute.<\/p>\n
Susan\u2019s cramped apartment.<\/p>\n
No Carol.<\/p>\n
No constant comparison.<\/p>\n
No Arthur deciding every expense.<\/p>\n
The fantasy came too easily.<\/p>\n
That made it dangerous.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know if it would have been better,\u201d Susan said.<\/p>\n
Diane looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would have been different.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDifferent matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Susan nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane touched the clear sleeve.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Susan laughed weakly.<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently Eleanor trusted me more than I deserved.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wrote that you were emotionally entangled.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds like her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut she still picked you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Susan\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would have taken you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI would have fought Arthur.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Susan looked away.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the part that hurts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane understood.<\/p>\n
Not because Susan had failed.<\/p>\n
Because she had never been given the chance.<\/p>\n
Sanders began examining procedural notes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf this petition had been filed, the court almost certainly would have reviewed the trust transfer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCould Arthur have stopped it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe could have contested it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Patricia stopped it before it started.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane looked at Ruiz.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo the theft from the education trust stayed hidden.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd because I stayed with Dad, he controlled what I knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then ten years later, he tried to use Magnolia to replace what he stole.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is increasingly consistent with the records.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane sat down.<\/p>\n
The scheme was no longer a sudden crime.<\/p>\n
It was a maintenance operation.<\/p>\n
One lie had required another.<\/p>\n
One hidden transfer required a hidden petition.<\/p>\n
The hidden petition required silence.<\/p>\n
The missing trust funds eventually required Magnolia.<\/p>\n
And when Diane\u2019s consent became inconvenient, Arthur replaced Diane herself with Emily.<\/p>\n
A straight line.<\/p>\n
Ten years long.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens now?\u201d Lily asked.<\/p>\n
Ruiz answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinancial investigators reconstruct the transfers. Prosecutors decide charges. Civil counsel protects Diane\u2019s assets.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Arthur?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis attorney is arranging surrender for formal processing on potential fraud-related offenses.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo he\u2019s getting arrested?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPotentially. I don\u2019t want to overstate where the case stands.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about Carol?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer cooperation matters, but it does not erase her conduct.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lily nodded.<\/p>\n
She seemed relieved by that.<\/p>\n
Not because she wanted Carol punished.<\/p>\n
Because someone was finally refusing to make accountability disappear beneath family language.<\/p>\n
Diane asked to see Arthur.<\/p>\n
Malik objected at first.<\/p>\n
Then, with counsel present and no investigative questioning, he allowed a brief meeting.<\/p>\n
Arthur sat in a conference room with his attorney.<\/p>\n
No jacket.<\/p>\n
Sleeves rolled.<\/p>\n
For the first time Diane could remember, he looked like a man who had stopped performing competence.<\/p>\n
He looked tired.<\/p>\n
She placed a copy of the petition on the table.<\/p>\n
He saw Susan\u2019s name.<\/p>\n
His face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur did not answer.<\/p>\n
Diane sat across from him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew Mom wanted Susan to take me.\u201d<\/p>\n
His attorney said, \u201cArthur, do not respond to factual allegations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane looked at the lawyer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not asking for your help.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur stared at the petition.<\/p>\n
Then he said, \u201cI found out after she died.\u201d<\/p>\n
His attorney closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
Diane leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPatricia told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor money?\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur looked away.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat payment was not only for this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo there were multiple things you paid her to hide.\u201d<\/p>\n
His attorney intervened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re done if this continues.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur raised a hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The lawyer looked at him.<\/p>\n
Arthur spoke to Diane.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou deserve some answers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI deserved them ten years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word landed heavily.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you let me go to Susan?\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur took a long breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you were my daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had already lost Eleanor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you thought that meant you owned what was left?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is what you did.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at the petition.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought Susan hated me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe probably did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStill not a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told myself Eleanor wrote this while frightened.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wrote it after you stole from my trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur\u2019s mouth tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI intended to repay it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou keep saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it\u2019s true.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou intended lots of things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane\u2019s voice stayed calm.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou intended to repay the trust. You intended to protect me. You intended to keep the family together. You intended not to use Magnolia.\u201d<\/p>\n
She touched the petition.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd somehow every intention ended with you keeping control.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was trying to survive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo was Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
He lowered his eyes.<\/p>\n
Diane watched him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you pay Patricia not to file this?\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur\u2019s attorney began to speak.<\/p>\n
Arthur answered first.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane felt no surprise.<\/p>\n
Only confirmation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause if it was filed, the company\u2019s transfer would become public.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe money you took from me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were afraid of losing your company.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you let me stay with you because you loved me or because Susan getting custody would expose the theft?\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not fair.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane almost stood.<\/p>\n
Then stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cFair?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI loved you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t say you didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen don\u2019t reduce it to money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou reduced everything to money.\u201d<\/p>\n
He flinched.<\/p>\n
The attorney looked away.<\/p>\n
Arthur rubbed both hands over his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t lose the company.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it was everything I had built.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I was what Mom built protections around.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you hate her for that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cResent her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The honesty startled her.<\/p>\n
Arthur continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt like she expected me to fail.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe expected you to take money that wasn\u2019t yours.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had already done that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane looked at the petition.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to the trust money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBusiness debt.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMost.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you ever repay any?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruiz\u2019s records had shown partial restoration.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy stop?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe company worsened.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you decided Magnolia would solve it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur hesitated.<\/p>\n
His attorney shook his head.<\/p>\n
Arthur ignored him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve been planning this for three years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot the impersonation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe sale.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about the forged preliminary approval?\u201d<\/p>\n
His face hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t create that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho did?\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur looked toward the glass door.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarol.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarol forged it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told me she could make the transaction easier.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfterward.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you used it anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo when exactly am I supposed to find the innocent version of you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur had no answer.<\/p>\n
Diane stood.<\/p>\n
He looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cDiane.\u201d<\/p>\n
She waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is something you don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
She almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout the house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur\u2019s attorney murmured, \u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur ignored him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWestbridge wasn\u2019t the first buyer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane sat back down.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone made an offer for Magnolia years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeven years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was eleven.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur looked uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel tried to buy it from you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe offered to buy my influence over the trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t own it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur named a sum.<\/p>\n
Far below market value even then.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you agree?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn\u2019t have the money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo principle finally arrived when the check bounced.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe later found investors.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWestbridge?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know. The deal collapsed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you telling me this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Daniel has wanted Magnolia longer than you realize.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI already know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn\u2019t return six months ago only because I called him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was already here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlmost a year ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoing what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTrying to locate Patricia.\u201d<\/p>\n
The storage unit.<\/p>\n
The cassette.<\/p>\n
The hidden petition.<\/p>\n
Daniel had claimed Patricia contacted him six months ago.<\/p>\n
Arthur was saying Daniel had been looking for her earlier.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur said, \u201cBecause Daniel believed Eleanor left another document.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat document?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou expect me to believe you never learned?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Daniel think it did?\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur hesitated.<\/p>\n
Then answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe thought Eleanor changed the ownership structure of Magnolia again before she died.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sanders had mentioned additional protections.<\/p>\n
Diane\u2019s pulse quickened.<\/p>\n
\u201cChanged it how?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho would know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPatricia.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane stood again.<\/p>\n
Patricia\u2019s storage box had contained the petition.<\/p>\n
The cassette.<\/p>\n
Copies.<\/p>\n
But perhaps not everything.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Daniel find what he wanted?\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause if he had, he wouldn\u2019t need me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane left the room.<\/p>\n
Sanders was waiting outside.<\/p>\n
She told him.<\/p>\n
His expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is one possibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother may have created a contingent remainder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn normal language.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe may have specified what happens to Magnolia under certain conditions before you reached adulthood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLike what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDeath. Incapacity. Improper transfer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow would that matter now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Arthur attempted an unauthorized transfer while you were still a minor, it could have triggered something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the fake signing happened after eighteen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe preliminary approval was dated while you were seventeen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane stopped.<\/p>\n
The forged document Carol created.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if someone tried to use that before my birthday?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sanders looked grim.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need county records.\u201d<\/p>\n
They pulled them electronically.<\/p>\n
At first there was nothing.<\/p>\n
Then Sanders found a rejected filing.<\/p>\n
Six weeks earlier.<\/p>\n
A notice tied to Magnolia.<\/p>\n
Submitted by Westbridge.<\/p>\n
Based on Diane\u2019s forged preliminary approval.<\/p>\n
Rejected because Diane was still a minor.<\/p>\n
Diane stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey already tried.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore I turned eighteen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sanders scanned the trust language.<\/p>\n
Then froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
He kept reading.<\/p>\n
\u201cMartin.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cEleanor added a protective clause.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane felt her heartbeat accelerate.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does it do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf anyone attempted to transfer Magnolia without valid authorization before you turned eighteen, administrative control over the property automatically shifted to an independent protective trustee pending court review.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sanders turned the page.<\/p>\n
The name appeared at the bottom.<\/p>\n
Not Susan.<\/p>\n
Not Sanders.<\/p>\n
Not Daniel.<\/p>\n
Patricia Cole.<\/p>\n
Diane stared.<\/p>\n
Her mother had given Patricia the last line of defense.<\/p>\n
And Patricia had died three weeks ago.<\/p>\n
Susan did not cry immediately. She stared at the table as if the words from Malik\u2019s phone might rearrange themselves into something less consequential. Temporary guardianship. Diane looked at her … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5030,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5044","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\/5044","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=5044"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5044\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5062,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5044\/revisions\/5062"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5030"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5044"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}