We reached my street seventeen minutes later.<\/p>\n
Julian drove too fast.<\/p>\n
I told him twice to slow down.<\/p>\n
The second time he listened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am not losing you in a car accident because Candice brought a truck.\u201d<\/p>\n
He gripped the steering wheel.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca was already on the phone with the deputy.<\/p>\n
By the time we turned onto my block, the scene looked like the kind of neighborhood disaster people pretend not to watch.<\/p>\n
A white box truck stood at the curb.<\/p>\n
Two men in gray work shirts waited beside it.<\/p>\n
The sheriff\u2019s vehicle blocked half the driveway.<\/p>\n
Thomas\u2019s locksmith van was still there.<\/p>\n
And Candice stood on the lawn holding a folder against her chest.<\/p>\n
She saw our car.<\/p>\n
Her face changed.<\/p>\n
Julian stopped at the curb.<\/p>\n
Before he could open his door, I said, \u201cNo shouting.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe forged your signature.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do not know that yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t sign anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know. The court needs more than my certainty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca glanced back at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian let out a breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cFine.\u201d<\/p>\n
We got out.<\/p>\n
Candice started toward Julian.<\/p>\n
He walked past her.<\/p>\n
That hurt her more than shouting would have.<\/p>\n
She turned to me instead.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn, this has become insane.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the box truck.<\/p>\n
\u201cI agree.\u201d<\/p>\n
She opened the folder.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was trying to prevent exactly this kind of chaos.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy emptying my house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy preserving property.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the movers looked embarrassed.<\/p>\n
Apparently Candice had told them a different story.<\/p>\n
The deputy approached us.<\/p>\n
\u201cMrs. Carter, the crew says they were hired to remove household belongings for storage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy Candice?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd she gave them written permission from me?\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
Rebecca held out her hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cMay I see it?\u201d<\/p>\n
The deputy handed her a photocopy.<\/p>\n
I watched Rebecca read.<\/p>\n
Her expression did not change.<\/p>\n
That meant very little.<\/p>\n
Rebecca could read a ransom note with the emotional display of someone checking grocery prices.<\/p>\n
Finally she handed it to me.<\/p>\n
The document was headed:<\/p>\n
PERSONAL PROPERTY REMOVAL AUTHORIZATION.<\/p>\n
At the bottom was my name.<\/p>\n
Evelyn Margaret Carter.<\/p>\n
The signature looked enough like mine to make my skin crawl.<\/p>\n
The looping E.<\/p>\n
The taller C.<\/p>\n
The little backward hook I sometimes made at the end.<\/p>\n
Julian stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s Mom\u2019s signature.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt looks like it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Candice folded her arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou signed it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLast month.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the kitchen table.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho was present?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJust us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConvenient.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were worried about hurricane season.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost admired the detail.<\/p>\n
A good lie usually came dressed in ordinary clothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said you wanted valuables moved into storage in case we had to evacuate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned to Julian.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is exactly what I have been telling you.\u201d<\/p>\n
He did not answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer memory is inconsistent.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Rebecca.<\/p>\n
\u201cMay I?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca nodded.<\/p>\n
I turned back to Candice.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat color pen did I use?\u201d<\/p>\n
She blinked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I signed it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBlue or black?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBlack, probably.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere exactly at the kitchen table were we sitting?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn, stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou remember the conversation but not where we sat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were at your usual chair.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich one?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one near the window.\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled.<\/p>\n
Candice hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no chair near the window.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face changed.<\/p>\n
Julian looked at her.<\/p>\n
My kitchen window faced the sink.<\/p>\n
No chair had been there since Arthur remodeled the room in 1998.<\/p>\n
The closest seat was six feet away.<\/p>\n
\u201cI meant the table side nearest the window.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich direction does it face?\u201d<\/p>\n
Candice glared.<\/p>\n
The deputy hid a smile.<\/p>\n
I continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did I say we should move first?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe valuables.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich valuables?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJewelry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI own one jewelry box.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd papers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich papers?\u201d<\/p>\n
She snapped, \u201cWhy are you interrogating me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you said I signed this during a conversation I supposedly forgot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca stepped in.<\/p>\n
\u201cCandice, we should stop there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause anything further may become relevant in an investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Candice laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cInvestigation?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca pointed to the signature.<\/p>\n
\u201cPotential fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is real.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen that will be determined.\u201d<\/p>\n
The movers began backing toward their truck.<\/p>\n
One said, \u201cMa\u2019am, we\u2019re not touching anything until this is sorted.\u201d<\/p>\n
Candice turned on him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI already paid your deposit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not the issue.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas walked over.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told them not to enter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Candice glared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have no authority here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNeither did your old keys.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost smiled.<\/p>\n
Rebecca asked the deputy, \u201cCan we document the authorization?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He photographed every page.<\/p>\n
Then Rebecca turned to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn, I need you to think carefully. Do you recognize anything about this signature?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked again.<\/p>\n
The shape was mine.<\/p>\n
But something bothered me.<\/p>\n
Not the letters.<\/p>\n
The pressure.<\/p>\n
My right hand had trembled slightly for the past three years, especially when signing slowly.<\/p>\n
That signature was smooth.<\/p>\n
Too smooth.<\/p>\n
Then I saw the M.<\/p>\n
My middle name.<\/p>\n
Margaret.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never sign Margaret.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d Julian asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI sign Evelyn M. Carter on legal documents.\u201d<\/p>\n
Candice\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n
I pointed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis says Evelyn Margaret Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca studied it.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re certain?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy full name appears on my deed, passport and birth certificate. But I have not written out Margaret in my signature since I married Arthur.\u201d<\/p>\n
The deputy noted it.<\/p>\n
Julian looked at Candice.<\/p>\n
She looked away.<\/p>\n
Rebecca asked, \u201cDo you have samples of your signature?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPlenty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRecent ones?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChecks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Candice immediately said, \u201cShe hasn\u2019t written checks in months.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned toward her.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
She realized the mistake.<\/p>\n
Too late.<\/p>\n
Rebecca noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you have been monitoring Evelyn\u2019s checking activity?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI live here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou lived here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Candice\u2019s eyes flashed.<\/p>\n
The distinction mattered.<\/p>\n
Past tense.<\/p>\n
The court order had changed the house before the locksmith ever arrived.<\/p>\n
Julian walked toward the porch.<\/p>\n
Candice followed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you going?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInside.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe court order says exclusive possession to Evelyn.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCorrect.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m her guest if she invites me.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou may come in.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
Candice stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face crumpled.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI need clothes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca intervened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can arrange supervised retrieval later.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou attempted to remove household property using a disputed authorization less than two hours after being told Evelyn had exclusive possession.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was protecting things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word came from Julian.<\/p>\n
Everyone looked at him.<\/p>\n
He turned toward Candice.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew the guardianship plan might fail.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew she hired a lawyer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJulian\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew we found the documents.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat has nothing to do with\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you came back with movers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her mouth tightened.<\/p>\n
He shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know who you are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Candice\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
I saw pain there.<\/p>\n
Real pain.<\/p>\n
That was the miserable thing about people.<\/p>\n
They could cause enormous harm and still possess feelings that were genuine.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am your wife.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou hid seventy-three thousand dollars in debt.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was trying to fix it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou took Nora\u2019s money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe abandoned it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew Nora was my daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Candice went still.<\/p>\n
The movers exchanged glances.<\/p>\n
Rebecca looked sharply at Julian.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not the place.\u201d<\/p>\n
He swallowed his anger.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Candice whispered, \u201cYou saw Samuel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her expression told me she had hoped we would not.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou had no right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo right to learn who I am?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t understand what he did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think he told you everything?\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
Candice\u2019s gaze moved to me.<\/p>\n
Then Rebecca.<\/p>\n
Then back to Julian.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe lied too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n
She folded her arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe gave me those records because he wanted to make himself look less guilty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca\u2019s voice remained calm.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat records are inaccurate?\u201d<\/p>\n
Candice looked away.<\/p>\n
I saw it.<\/p>\n
She had not meant to reveal that.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich records?\u201d<\/p>\n
No answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cCandice.\u201d<\/p>\n
She snapped, \u201cAsk Samuel why Arthur paid him.\u201d<\/p>\n
My breath caught.<\/p>\n
Julian stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk your precious doctor why Arthur sent him money every year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca\u2019s expression sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you have evidence of payments?\u201d<\/p>\n
Candice smiled without warmth.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the house.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Rebecca looked toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere specifically?\u201d<\/p>\n
Candice\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur\u2019s desk.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach turned.<\/p>\n
Arthur\u2019s desk was where Candice had spent so much time during the past year.<\/p>\n
Julian climbed the porch steps.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s look.\u201d<\/p>\n
Candice moved after him.<\/p>\n
The deputy blocked her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll stay out here.\u201d<\/p>\n
She glared.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is my property inside too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen make a list.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian, Rebecca and I entered.<\/p>\n
Thomas stayed outside.<\/p>\n
The house felt different.<\/p>\n
Not safer exactly.<\/p>\n
More exposed.<\/p>\n
Like a stage after the curtain had been pulled away.<\/p>\n
Arthur\u2019s desk stood in the small room off the dining area.<\/p>\n
The drawers were closed.<\/p>\n
Rebecca photographed everything before touching anything.<\/p>\n
Then she pulled on gloves from her bag.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy do you carry gloves?\u201d Julian asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI represent families.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was apparently explanation enough.<\/p>\n
The top drawer contained pens, stamps and old address labels.<\/p>\n
The second had utility records.<\/p>\n
The third stuck halfway.<\/p>\n
Julian crouched.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s something behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca stopped him.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me.\u201d<\/p>\n
She removed the drawer carefully.<\/p>\n
A manila envelope had been taped to the underside.<\/p>\n
My name was written on it.<\/p>\n
Not Arthur\u2019s handwriting.<\/p>\n
Candice\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Rebecca looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you want me to open it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inside were copies of checks.<\/p>\n
Dozens.<\/p>\n
Most dated between 1970 and 1986.<\/p>\n
Payable to Samuel Hayes.<\/p>\n
Julian\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n
Amounts varied.<\/p>\n
Five hundred.<\/p>\n
One thousand.<\/p>\n
Two thousand.<\/p>\n
Larger as the years passed.<\/p>\n
Rebecca arranged them chronologically.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese appear to support Candice\u2019s claim that Arthur paid Samuel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d Julian asked.<\/p>\n
I knew before anyone said it.<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Samuel had helped falsify a birth.<\/p>\n
Arthur had benefited.<\/p>\n
Payment completed the ugly picture.<\/p>\n
But Rebecca kept reading.<\/p>\n
Then she stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
She picked up one check.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis one isn\u2019t payable to Samuel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRose Whitaker.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat year?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c1970.\u201d<\/p>\n
A year after Julian\u2019s birth.<\/p>\n
Another check.<\/p>\n
Rose.<\/p>\n
Another.<\/p>\n
Rose.<\/p>\n
The payments had begun fourteen years before Arthur claimed to have reconnected with her.<\/p>\n
Julian went pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat means Dad knew where she was the whole time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Rebecca said.<\/p>\n
Samuel had lied.<\/p>\n
Or Arthur had.<\/p>\n
Possibly both.<\/p>\n
Then Rebecca found a folded sheet beneath the checks.<\/p>\n
One page.<\/p>\n
A list of dates.<\/p>\n
Next to each date, initials.<\/p>\n
A.C.<\/p>\n
S.H.<\/p>\n
R.W.<\/p>\n
And another set.<\/p>\n
E.M.<\/p>\n
My initials.<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca read the heading.<\/p>\n
\u201cAgreement renewals.\u201d<\/p>\n
My hands went cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cAgreement between whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo names listed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian pointed to the dates.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s 1974?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca examined it.<\/p>\n
\u201cE.M. acknowledgment.\u201d<\/p>\n
I shook my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never signed anything in 1974 about Rose or Samuel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe not knowingly.\u201d<\/p>\n
The thought sickened me.<\/p>\n
I remembered Arthur bringing papers home for taxes.<\/p>\n
Insurance.<\/p>\n
Refinancing.<\/p>\n
Medical claims.<\/p>\n
How many times had I signed where he pointed?<\/p>\n
Trust made paperwork effortless.<\/p>\n
That was one of trust\u2019s dangers.<\/p>\n
Rebecca examined the final page.<\/p>\n
Her expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a notation from 2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
She read carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cC.C. advised. Original agreement located.\u201d<\/p>\n
Candice Carter.<\/p>\n
2019.<\/p>\n
The same year she had visited Samuel.<\/p>\n
Julian whispered, \u201cOriginal agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward the window.<\/p>\n
Candice stood outside beside the deputy, watching the house.<\/p>\n
She knew what we were finding.<\/p>\n
And suddenly I understood why she had returned with movers.<\/p>\n
Not to empty my house.<\/p>\n
To find something before we did.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe agreement is here,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Rebecca nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost likely.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian turned toward the desk.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe search everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca stopped him.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause if we are dealing with possible fraud, theft, forged documents and hidden estate records, random searching can create evidentiary problems.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe secure the room.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI call the deputy.\u201d<\/p>\n
She did.<\/p>\n
Ten minutes later the office door was sealed pending proper documentation.<\/p>\n
Candice watched from the lawn.<\/p>\n
Her face gave nothing away.<\/p>\n
Then she asked to speak to Julian privately.<\/p>\n
He refused.<\/p>\n
She asked again.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor twenty-two years I\u2019ve been your wife.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd for how many of those years have you known Nora was my daughter?\u201d<\/p>\n
Candice flinched.<\/p>\n
\u201cJulian.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNine.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cNine years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought telling you would destroy you.\u201d<\/p>\n
He laughed softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cFunny. Everyone keeps saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at him desperately.<\/p>\n
\u201cSamuel did not tell you the whole truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the agreement involves you.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn what way?\u201d<\/p>\n
Candice shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI promised Arthur.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur is dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen stop obeying a dead man who lied to all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
She closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
Rebecca spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cCandice, withholding information now may worsen your situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Candice opened her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think I\u2019m the villain.\u201d<\/p>\n
No one answered.<\/p>\n
She laughed once.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have no idea what Evelyn did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julian stepped between us.<\/p>\n
\u201cStop.\u201d<\/p>\n
I touched his arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Candice.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did I do?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told you, I can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou already accused me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said no one knows what I did. Finish the sentence.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stared at me.<\/p>\n
Then she whispered, \u201cThe agreement exists because you found out in 1974.\u201d<\/p>\n
My knees weakened.<\/p>\n
\u201cFound out what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout Julian.\u201d<\/p>\n
The lawn seemed to tilt.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Candice nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew he wasn\u2019t your biological child.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not true.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou signed the agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Candice looked almost relieved.<\/p>\n
As if she had finally reached the weapon she had been saving.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen find it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca stepped closer.<\/p>\n
Candice continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause when you do, Evelyn, you are going to see your own signature.\u201d<\/p>\n
We reached my street seventeen minutes later. Julian drove too fast. I told him twice to slow down. The second time he listened. \u201cI am not losing you in a … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6364,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6371","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\/6371","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=6371"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6371\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6389,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6371\/revisions\/6389"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}