Police reached Nolan Recovery at 9:34.<\/p>\n
Smoke was already visible from the highway.<\/p>\n
I watched the operation through fragments.<\/p>\n
Harris\u2019s calls.<\/p>\n
Radio traffic.<\/p>\n
Keene\u2019s updates.<\/p>\n
None gave enough.<\/p>\n
Amber sat beside me in the church fellowship hall with Bentley and Maddie.<\/p>\n
Doug paced.<\/p>\n
The pastor made coffee nobody drank.<\/p>\n
At 9:39, Harris called.<\/p>\n
\u201cBuilding on fire.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTravis?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnknown.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSloan?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVehicle is here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs he inside?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
A siren screamed through Harris\u2019s end.<\/p>\n
Then he disconnected.<\/p>\n
Bentley watched my face.<\/p>\n
\u201cFire?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at Maddie.<\/p>\n
She was coloring a church bulletin.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Travis start it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
No more questions.<\/p>\n
At 9:47, Keene called.<\/p>\n
Fire crews had found Peter Sloan in an office at the rear of the building.<\/p>\n
Alive.<\/p>\n
Unconscious.<\/p>\n
Hands bound.<\/p>\n
Smoke inhalation.<\/p>\n
No Travis.<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did he leave?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBack fence cut.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVehicle?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly motorcycle.\u201d<\/p>\n
The man seemed to keep exits the way other people kept spare change.<\/p>\n
At ten, firefighters gained control of the main blaze.<\/p>\n
Part of the office roof collapsed.<\/p>\n
Records burned.<\/p>\n
Computers melted.<\/p>\n
But not everything disappeared.<\/p>\n
A fireproof safe survived.<\/p>\n
So did a locked filing cabinet in a detached garage.<\/p>\n
And Peter Sloan survived long enough to be transported.<\/p>\n
That mattered most.<\/p>\n
At eleven-thirty, Harris returned to the church.<\/p>\n
His coat smelled of smoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look terrible,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTravis?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAgain.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
At least he had stopped pretending each escape was temporary bad luck.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat survived?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough to hurt him.\u201d<\/p>\n
The fireproof safe contained cash.<\/p>\n
Multiple identities.<\/p>\n
Prepaid phones.<\/p>\n
And the master list Daniel described.<\/p>\n
Not complete.<\/p>\n
But substantial.<\/p>\n
Names appeared beside favors.<\/p>\n
A police dispatcher who provided vehicle locations.<\/p>\n
A clerk who checked protection-order addresses.<\/p>\n
A utility employee who accessed service transfers.<\/p>\n
Two private investigators.<\/p>\n
Carla.<\/p>\n
Peter Sloan.<\/p>\n
Frank.<\/p>\n
And Travis.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is bigger than one man,\u201d Doug said.<\/p>\n
Keene nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMost entries are years old. Some people stopped. Some are dead. Some may never have known the full purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n
Important distinction.<\/p>\n
Not everyone on a list was automatically guilty.<\/p>\n
But enough names were active to explain how Travis kept finding people.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about Sloan?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan he talk?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber looked toward Maddie.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he help Travis find us?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLikely.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLikely?\u201d<\/p>\n
Keene caught himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cRecords show repeated searches connected to your previous addresses.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber's jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
At noon, police moved us again.<\/p>\n
The church was no longer considered safe after Travis\u2019s map.<\/p>\n
We went to a protected location outside the city.<\/p>\n
This one was an actual house.<\/p>\n
Small.<\/p>\n
Plain.<\/p>\n
Fenced yard.<\/p>\n
Maddie immediately found a patch of dirt and tried to dig with a spoon.<\/p>\n
Bentley sat on the back steps.<\/p>\n
I joined him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou did well today.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI sat in a church.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn't doing anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes doing nothing is the difficult choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked skeptical.<\/p>\n
\u201cSounds fake.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt often does.\u201d<\/p>\n
He picked at a loose thread on his jeans.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Mom going to jail?\u201d<\/p>\n
The question surprised me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would she?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe hid evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she was frightened.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo police understand circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked toward the house.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe lied.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout Dad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout Travis.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout Frank.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdults lie a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're supposed to say not all adults.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m too tired.\u201d<\/p>\n
That earned a smile.<\/p>\n
Then he became serious.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Ray lie to you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you still love him?\u201d<\/p>\n
The question landed gently.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
I considered.<\/p>\n
\u201cLove doesn't require pretending someone never failed you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley thought about that.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you be mad at somebody who's dead?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVery efficiently.\u201d<\/p>\n
He smiled again.<\/p>\n
Then looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m mad at Dad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor dying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFeelings are not famous for being logical.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
A car arrived.<\/p>\n
Harris.<\/p>\n
He stepped into the yard.<\/p>\n
\u201cSloan is awake.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber came outside.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs he talking?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris looked at Maddie.<\/p>\n
Then at Bentley.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should go inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber started to object.<\/p>\n
Then stopped.<\/p>\n
He had earned some truth.<\/p>\n
Not all.<\/p>\n
Enough.<\/p>\n
We sat around the kitchen table.<\/p>\n
Harris placed a notebook in front of him.<\/p>\n
\u201cSloan admitted helping Travis locate Amber.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber's face hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYears intermittently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMoney at first. Later blackmail.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Travis have on him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFinancial crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot relevant yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cSloan also admitted helping create false address records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the passports?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber gripped the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he know Travis planned to take Maddie?\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley\u2019s hands clenched.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTravis told him he needed records showing Amber and Maddie lived elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo support the false identity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber whispered, \u201cWhere was he taking her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMexico was one plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne?\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris looked uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were others.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat others?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSloan says Travis had been planning this for nearly a year.\u201d<\/p>\n
A year.<\/p>\n
Long before the hospital.<\/p>\n
Long before the water shutoff.<\/p>\n
Long before Bentley\u2019s first knock on my door.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d Amber asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe created a second residence record.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAn apartment in Ohio.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo establish documentation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber looked sick.<\/p>\n
Then Harris said, \u201cSloan claims Maddie has been there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Bentley reacted first.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe never went to Ohio.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m with her all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber covered her mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarla.\u201d<\/p>\n
We all understood.<\/p>\n
Babysitting.<\/p>\n
Trusted rides.<\/p>\n
Work shifts.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d Harris asked.<\/p>\n
Amber searched her memory.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast winter. Carla took Maddie overnight once.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had flu.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went to Grandma Renee\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber nodded.<\/p>\n
Her mother lived two towns away.<\/p>\n
Carla had taken Maddie.<\/p>\n
Supposedly to her own house.<\/p>\n
Maybe she had taken her across state lines.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened there?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Harris consulted his notes.<\/p>\n
\u201cSloan says Travis wanted photographs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf Maddie?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the apartment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo make it look like she lived there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber stood abruptly.<\/p>\n
Pain crossed her ribs.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was with her?\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris did not answer quickly enough.<\/p>\n
Amber's voice rose.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas Travis with my daughter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSloan says yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley went white.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA few hours.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber turned away.<\/p>\n
She pressed both hands against the counter.<\/p>\n
Maddie was in the next room humming.<\/p>\n
Unharmed now.<\/p>\n
Safe now.<\/p>\n
But a mother was discovering that the man she escaped had already held their daughter without her knowledge.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he hurt her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo evidence of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Sloan see?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe saw photographs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat photographs?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaddie playing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley looked toward his sister.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's why she knew Frank.\u201d<\/p>\n
We all turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe picture.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maddie had identified Frank.<\/p>\n
We assumed she saw him the morning Amber fell.<\/p>\n
Maybe she had.<\/p>\n
But perhaps she had seen him earlier too.<\/p>\n
Amber called her gently.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaddie?\u201d<\/p>\n
She came into the kitchen carrying her bear.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you remember going somewhere with Miss Carla where there was a man?\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris raised a hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmber.\u201d<\/p>\n
Right.<\/p>\n
No leading questions.<\/p>\n
They arranged another interview with Ms. Larkin.<\/p>\n
This time the result was clearer.<\/p>\n
Maddie remembered \u201cthe far house.\u201d<\/p>\n
She remembered Carla.<\/p>\n
Travis.<\/p>\n
And Frank.<\/p>\n
Frank had been there.<\/p>\n
Months earlier.<\/p>\n
That meant Frank knew Travis had access to Maddie long before he gave Amber the ledger.<\/p>\n
He had never warned her.<\/p>\n
My anger at the old man returned with full force.<\/p>\n
At three, the nursing facility called.<\/p>\n
Frank had regained consciousness.<\/p>\n
Amber wanted to speak to him.<\/p>\n
So did I.<\/p>\n
Harris arranged a recorded call.<\/p>\n
Frank\u2019s voice sounded barely present.<\/p>\n
Amber spoke first.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou saw Maddie with Travis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrank.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJanuary.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn't you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was trying to get her out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGet her out of what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTravis\u2019s plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could have called me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said if I warned you, he'd disappear with her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber's breathing became uneven.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou let me send my daughter with Carla again after that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't know you trusted Carla.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew Carla worked with Travis.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber cried.<\/p>\n
Not loudly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI trusted you because Ray did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Frank whispered, \u201cRay stopped trusting me.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was true.<\/p>\n
The letter had said it.<\/p>\n
I do not trust Frank's courage, only his guilt.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened in Ohio?\u201d Harris asked.<\/p>\n
Frank coughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cTravis wanted photos. Documents. He wanted to establish a history.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor custody?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor abduction?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy were you there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo stop him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn't.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI took something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone became still.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s phone?<\/p>\n
I leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich phone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe old one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was on it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything he thought made him powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Frank breathed slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hid it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
He almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cRay taught me.\u201d<\/p>\n
My patience broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrank, if you give me another riddle, I will personally haunt you before you're dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doug covered his mouth.<\/p>\n
Even Harris looked away.<\/p>\n
Frank managed a weak chuckle.<\/p>\n
\u201cFair.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is the phone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRay\u2019s memorial.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe searched the bell tower.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot the tower.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe garden.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mind went to the memorial plaque.<\/p>\n
Beside it, Ray\u2019s rose bed.<\/p>\n
And the stone bench Doug and I donated after the funeral.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat exactly?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnder his name.\u201d<\/p>\n
The memorial plaque.<\/p>\n
Police returned to the church.<\/p>\n
Beneath the plaque, sealed inside a plastic container, they found an old smartphone.<\/p>\n
Damaged.<\/p>\n
But intact.<\/p>\n
Keene\u2019s technicians powered it carefully.<\/p>\n
No passcode.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of files.<\/p>\n
Photographs.<\/p>\n
Messages.<\/p>\n
Recordings.<\/p>\n
Then one video.<\/p>\n
January.<\/p>\n
The Ohio apartment.<\/p>\n
Maddie sat on a carpet playing with blocks.<\/p>\n
Carla stood nearby.<\/p>\n
Frank argued with someone behind the camera.<\/p>\n
Then Travis stepped into view.<\/p>\n
He crouched beside Maddie.<\/p>\n
She looked at him without recognition.<\/p>\n
\u201cKnow who I am?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
Maddie shook her head.<\/p>\n
Travis smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou will.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber turned away from the screen.<\/p>\n
Bentley did not.<\/p>\n
He stared.<\/p>\n
Then the video shifted.<\/p>\n
Carla said, \u201cThis is enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Travis replied, \u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Frank said, \u201cLeave the kid alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Travis laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou all keep calling her the kid.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then he looked directly toward the camera.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s my insurance.\u201d<\/p>\n
The video ended.<\/p>\n
No physical harm.<\/p>\n
No obvious injury.<\/p>\n
But the intention was unmistakable.<\/p>\n
Harris immediately added kidnapping-related charges to the warrant request.<\/p>\n
Then technicians found a message sent from that phone after the Ohio visit.<\/p>\n
Travis to Peter Sloan.<\/p>\n
NEXT TIME I TAKE HER, SHE DOESN'T COME BACK.<\/p>\n
Amber closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
The room became very quiet.<\/p>\n
Bentley reached for his mother\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n
This time, instead of gripping it like a protector, he simply held it.<\/p>\n
Then Harris\u2019s phone rang.<\/p>\n
He answered.<\/p>\n
His expression sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
We waited.<\/p>\n
He hung up.<\/p>\n
\u201cTravis was spotted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBus terminal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLeaving?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBuying a ticket.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo where?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChicago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keene was already moving.<\/p>\n
Then Harris added, \u201cHe wasn't alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWoman matching Carla Reeves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Impossible.<\/p>\n
Carla was supposed to be in the hospital.<\/p>\n
Harris checked the report again.<\/p>\n
Then his face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot Carla.\u201d<\/p>\n
He turned the phone toward us.<\/p>\n
A security-camera still showed Travis beside a blond woman in a brown coat.<\/p>\n
At first glance she resembled Carla.<\/p>\n
Then Amber gasped.<\/p>\n
I looked closer.<\/p>\n
The woman was younger.<\/p>\n
Same jaw.<\/p>\n
Same eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is she?\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber whispered the name.<\/p>\n
\u201cNicole.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCarla\u2019s daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy is she with Travis?\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber stared at the image.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't know she knew him.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Carla did.<\/p>\n
When Harris called the hospital and showed her the photograph, Carla began screaming.<\/p>\n
Not from pain.<\/p>\n
From terror.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has Nicole.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he abduct her?\u201d<\/p>\n
Carla cried harder.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why is she with him?\u201d<\/p>\n
Carla\u2019s answer changed the entire shape of the pursuit.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Nicole thinks Travis is her father.\u201d<\/p>\n
Police reached Nolan Recovery at 9:34. Smoke was already visible from the highway. I watched the operation through fragments. Harris\u2019s calls. Radio traffic. Keene\u2019s updates. None gave enough. Amber sat … <\/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-7658","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\/7658","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=7658"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7658\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7678,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7658\/revisions\/7678"}],"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=7658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}