The passport photograph showed Maddie younger.<\/p>\n
Perhaps two.<\/p>\n
Her cheeks rounder.<\/p>\n
Hair shorter.<\/p>\n
But unmistakably Maddie.<\/p>\n
The name beneath the picture was not hers.<\/p>\n
Madeline Nolan.<\/p>\n
I stared at the image Detective Harris sent securely to Doug\u2019s computer.<\/p>\n
Bentley stood beside me.<\/p>\n
He could read well enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan?\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed the laptop.<\/p>\n
\u201cGo play with Maddie.\u201d<\/p>\n
He frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cI already saw it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy does it say Nolan?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause somebody made something they shouldn't have.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTravis?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe think so.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked toward the living room.<\/p>\n
Maddie sat on the floor feeding imaginary soup to a stuffed bear.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan he take her because he's her dad?\u201d<\/p>\n
There are questions adults want more time to answer than children allow.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing someone's biological father doesn't mean you get to steal them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley remained tense.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes he get to see her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is something courts decide.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if Mom says no?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen her reasons matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
He studied my face.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're not sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure no one is taking Maddie today.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was the promise I could safely make.<\/p>\n
At eight-thirty, Harris arrived with a federal agent named Keene.<\/p>\n
The presence of a federal agent told me the passports had changed more than our morning.<\/p>\n
Keene was compact, gray-haired, and direct.<\/p>\n
\u201cDocuments appear fraudulent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAppear?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe'll verify.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere was Travis planning to go?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don't know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you find out?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe're working on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I gestured toward Bentley.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone keeps saying that in front of children who have spent ten days doing adults' work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keene looked at Bentley.<\/p>\n
Then adjusted his answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found airline searches on a phone recovered from the hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley stopped breathing for a second.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMexico.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas he going to take Maddie?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe're investigating that possibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley crossed his arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat means yes but you can't say it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keene almost smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means I don't say things before I can prove them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley seemed to respect that more than reassurance.<\/p>\n
Amber was discharged shortly before ten.<\/p>\n
Police transported her to a secure medical apartment instead of the duplex.<\/p>\n
We took Bentley and Maddie there.<\/p>\n
I had imagined the reunion many times since that first phone call.<\/p>\n
None of those imaginings matched what happened.<\/p>\n
Amber stood just inside the doorway wearing loose hospital clothes and holding one hand against her ribs.<\/p>\n
She looked smaller than I remembered.<\/p>\n
Paler.<\/p>\n
A bruise yellowed along her temple.<\/p>\n
For one second Bentley did not move.<\/p>\n
Neither did she.<\/p>\n
Then Maddie yelled, \u201cMommy!\u201d<\/p>\n
She ran.<\/p>\n
Amber bent despite the pain.<\/p>\n
Bentley moved immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cCareful!\u201d<\/p>\n
Even while running toward his mother, he was managing the situation.<\/p>\n
Amber knelt.<\/p>\n
Maddie crashed into her.<\/p>\n
Amber gasped but held on.<\/p>\n
Bentley stopped three feet away.<\/p>\n
His mouth trembled.<\/p>\n
Amber reached one hand toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome here.\u201d<\/p>\n
He shook his head.<\/p>\n
Not because he didn't want to.<\/p>\n
Because if he started, he knew what would happen.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou left.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber's face broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said you'd come back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn't call.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn't.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought you died.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her hand remained extended.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou weren't supposed to die.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
That did it.<\/p>\n
Bentley crossed the room.<\/p>\n
Amber wrapped both children against her.<\/p>\n
She cried silently.<\/p>\n
Bentley did not.<\/p>\n
Not at first.<\/p>\n
Then his shoulders began shaking.<\/p>\n
\u201cI kept her safe,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n
Amber kissed his hair.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI fed her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't let anybody take her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn't fix the water.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, baby.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was when he sobbed.<\/p>\n
Not loudly.<\/p>\n
Like someone who had learned crying might waste time.<\/p>\n
Amber held him harder.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were never supposed to fix the water.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said take care of her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley pulled back.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was scared and hurt, and I gave you a job no ten-year-old should ever have been given.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou did everything you could.\u201d<\/p>\n
She touched his cheek.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut none of it was supposed to be yours.\u201d<\/p>\n
He cried again.<\/p>\n
Maddie became upset because he was upset and began crying too.<\/p>\n
For several minutes none of us spoke.<\/p>\n
There was nothing useful to add.<\/p>\n
Later, after the children ate and settled near the television, Harris and Agent Keene sat with Amber at the kitchen table.<\/p>\n
I remained because Amber asked me to.<\/p>\n
Doug stayed near the children.<\/p>\n
Keene placed copies of the false passports in front of her.<\/p>\n
Amber stared at Maddie\u2019s photograph.<\/p>\n
Her expression went utterly still.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did you get this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich room?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaintenance storage.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at Harris.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe's done this before.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room quieted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d Keene asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cTravis talked about disappearing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYears ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he ever use false documents?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he have connections?\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople from repo work. Somebody who made driver's licenses.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cName?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLuis or Louis. I never met him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keene wrote it down.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy Mexico?\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis father lives there part of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNear M\u00e9rida. At least he used to.\u201d<\/p>\n
The investigation widened again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does Travis want with Maddie?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Amber looked at the passport.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo win.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn't an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
She rubbed her forehead.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I left, he said I could take Bentley because Bentley wasn't his. He said one day I'd have something that was his, and then I\u2019d understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were pregnant?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo he didn't know about Maddie.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot then.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you become pregnant?\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore I left.\u201d<\/p>\n
I understood.<\/p>\n
She had not known yet.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you find out?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the shelter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you hid it from him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did he find out?\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber stared toward the children.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarla.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told her last year.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was my friend.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words carried a particular humiliation.<\/p>\n
Trusting the wrong person often feels like a moral failure even when it is not.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she tell him immediately?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't think so.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cMessages suggest she began answering questions about two months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber nodded slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat matches the calls.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat calls?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBlocked number.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou recognized him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first nothing. Breathing. Then music.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat music?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA song he used to play.\u201d<\/p>\n
Agent Keene asked the name.<\/p>\n
Amber gave it.<\/p>\n
He wrote it down.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen he started talking?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe records Frank gave me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Frank had already contacted you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you agree to take them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Ray died protecting something that should have been exposed years earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked away.<\/p>\n
That sentence cut in two directions.<\/p>\n
Pride and anger.<\/p>\n
Grief and admiration.<\/p>\n
All of it at once.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are Frank's copies?\u201d Harris asked.<\/p>\n
Amber looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone stiffened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy locker.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keene stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe searched your locker.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey aren't inside it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen where?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBehind it.\u201d<\/p>\n
She explained that one metal panel beneath the employee lockers could be removed with a screwdriver.<\/p>\n
Inside was a gap.<\/p>\n
She had hidden the flash drive and copied ledger there.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not the duplex?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Travis was watching the house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI suspected.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYet the children remained there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did not think he would come while I was home.\u201d<\/p>\n
The guilt in her voice made Harris soften.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one is suggesting you expected this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI should have told somebody.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
She flinched.<\/p>\n
I continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut fear taught you not to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat does not mean staying silent was right.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keene sent officers to retrieve the hotel evidence.<\/p>\n
While we waited, I asked the question that had bothered me since seeing the false passport.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would he need Amber's passport too?\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber looked up sharply.<\/p>\n
Keene answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly to make it appear mother and daughter traveled together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo he could take Maddie while records showed Amber with her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's one possibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber went pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe could make it look like I left.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Bentley?\u201d<\/p>\n
Keene said nothing.<\/p>\n
Amber understood.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn't need Bentley.\u201d<\/p>\n
The cruelty of it sat between us.<\/p>\n
Bentley was not Travis's biological child.<\/p>\n
Therefore, in Travis's warped accounting, Bentley was disposable.<\/p>\n
Amber stood too quickly.<\/p>\n
Pain crossed her face.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want protection on him too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. More.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris said, \u201cAmber\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe threatened Bentley before.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYears ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou never reported that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber looked toward the living room.<\/p>\n
Bentley could not hear.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe took him.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart slammed.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor how long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree hours.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Bentley was little?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFour.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTravis picked him up from daycare before I got there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow was he authorized?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wasn't supposed to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew the director's husband.\u201d<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
Connections.<\/p>\n
Favors.<\/p>\n
Routine exploited as access.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo prove he could.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber\u2019s voice shook.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe brought Bentley back untouched and told me, \u2018Now you know.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt suddenly ill.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was why you left.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe next morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ray found her shortly afterward.<\/p>\n
The pieces locked together.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Ray know Travis had taken Bentley?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is why he helped you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris wrote quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Travis say recently about Bentley?\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said I chose the wrong boy.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
But I thought she did.<\/p>\n
Or feared she did.<\/p>\n
Keene\u2019s phone rang.<\/p>\n
He answered.<\/p>\n
Listened.<\/p>\n
Then looked at us.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey recovered the flash drive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere's more than financial records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVideo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Frank or Ray had apparently copied surveillance footage from Nolan Recovery.<\/p>\n
One file showed Travis meeting with men in the company yard.<\/p>\n
Another showed him handing over envelopes.<\/p>\n
Another captured license plates.<\/p>\n
Then Keene paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is footage from seven years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber\u2019s fingers tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTravis following Ray\u2019s truck.\u201d<\/p>\n
My breath stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the day of the ladder accident?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe're checking timestamps.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doug heard us and came into the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Keene repeated it.<\/p>\n
Doug sat slowly.<\/p>\n
The video did not show the accident itself.<\/p>\n
But it placed Travis on our street less than an hour before Ray fell.<\/p>\n
Harris made a call to reopen Ray\u2019s incident immediately.<\/p>\n
Amber covered her mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cI brought this to your house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou did not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Ray hadn't helped me\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe chose.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe chose.\u201d<\/p>\n
My voice shook.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo did Frank. So did Travis. So did I. So did Doug.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward Bentley.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that boy has spent enough time thinking every bad thing is his responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber nodded through tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe gets that from me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen perhaps both of you can stop practicing.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was harsher than comfort.<\/p>\n
But true.<\/p>\n
At two in the afternoon, police located the man believed to have produced the passports.<\/p>\n
Louis Serrano.<\/p>\n
He was arrested outside a print shop in Indianapolis.<\/p>\n
By three-thirty, he was talking.<\/p>\n
He admitted Travis had ordered documents for Amber and Maddie.<\/p>\n
He also admitted making a third passport.<\/p>\n
Not Bentley.<\/p>\n
Travis Nolan.<\/p>\n
Under another name.<\/p>\n
Travel planned for Sunday night.<\/p>\n
Yesterday.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe missed the flight?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Keene nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen where is he?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe're checking alternatives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley entered the kitchen carrying Maddie's cup.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom says Maddie needs more juice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s some in the refrigerator.\u201d<\/p>\n
He opened it.<\/p>\n
Then paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere's a phone in here.\u201d<\/p>\n
We all stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley reached behind the juice carton.<\/p>\n
Harris moved instantly.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon't touch it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Too late.<\/p>\n
Bentley had already lifted a small prepaid phone.<\/p>\n
Its screen lit.<\/p>\n
One unread message.<\/p>\n
No sender name.<\/p>\n
Just a number.<\/p>\n
Harris took it with a gloved hand.<\/p>\n
The message had arrived thirty seconds earlier.<\/p>\n
YOU BROUGHT POLICE TO THE WRONG PLACE.<\/p>\n
Amber went white.<\/p>\n
Keene stood.<\/p>\n
Harris checked the windows.<\/p>\n
I looked around the secure apartment.<\/p>\n
Only police, Amber, the children, Doug, and I knew we were there.<\/p>\n
Or should have known.<\/p>\n
Then a second message arrived.<\/p>\n
ASK ARLENE WHO IS AT HER HOUSE.<\/p>\n
My blood turned cold.<\/p>\n
My house.<\/p>\n
The duplex.<\/p>\n
Harris called the officers stationed there.<\/p>\n
No answer.<\/p>\n
He tried again.<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
Then the security system on my phone sent an alert.<\/p>\n
BACK DOOR OPEN.<\/p>\n
I stared at the screen.<\/p>\n
Another notification followed.<\/p>\n
INTERIOR MOTION DETECTED.<\/p>\n
Doug was already reaching for his keys.<\/p>\n
Harris blocked him.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is my mother's house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that message is designed to pull you there.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was right.<\/p>\n
Then my phone rang.<\/p>\n
Home landline.<\/p>\n
The number displayed beneath it was my own.<\/p>\n
I answered on speaker.<\/p>\n
For several seconds, nobody spoke.<\/p>\n
Then a man's voice filled the room.<\/p>\n
Travis.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou found Ray's letters.\u201d<\/p>\n
I gripped the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
A soft laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you know he should've minded his business.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot talking to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cArlene.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have something that belongs to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ledger?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
\u201cMy daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
The passport photograph showed Maddie younger. Perhaps two. Her cheeks rounder. Hair shorter. But unmistakably Maddie. The name beneath the picture was not hers. Madeline Nolan. I stared at the … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7642,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7653","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\/7653","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=7653"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7653\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7673,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7653\/revisions\/7673"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}