For several seconds I wondered whether I had misheard Harris.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmber paid him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what Peter claims.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo fake a burglary?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says she wanted anyone watching the shop to believe something valuable had been taken.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward Bentley.<\/p>\n
The manila envelope lay on the bed between us.<\/p>\n
A flash drive.<\/p>\n
Bank records.<\/p>\n
A black notebook.<\/p>\n
The real evidence.<\/p>\n
Amber had built layers of deception around it: a metal box, a decoy backpack, a staged burglary, and finally a birthday present entrusted to a child who did not even know what he carried.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to talk to her,\u201d Harris said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI intend to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re contacting Indianapolis.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Peter under arrest?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot currently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShould he be?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStaging property damage isn\u2019t our biggest concern right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho else knew about the plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer remained with me after the call ended.<\/p>\n
We returned downstairs.<\/p>\n
Bentley hugged the envelope against his chest.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need that,\u201d I told him.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBentley.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s Mom\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe gave it to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo keep safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice cracked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI kept it safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat beside him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now keeping it safe means giving it to Detective Harris.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked unconvinced.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if he loses it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if Travis gets it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was no accusation in the words.<\/p>\n
Only experience.<\/p>\n
Adults had been promising certainty around Bentley for days while reality kept proving them wrong.<\/p>\n
So I stopped promising.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know exactly what will happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
His fingers loosened slightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I know carrying this around puts you in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at the envelope.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Travis finds out I have it\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s exactly why it leaves your hands tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
He swallowed.<\/p>\n
Then slowly handed it to me.<\/p>\n
That small gesture required more trust than any child should have had to give.<\/p>\n
Detective Harris returned forty minutes later.<\/p>\n
He photographed everything at my table before sealing the items into evidence bags.<\/p>\n
The black notebook drew his attention most.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d Doug asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cLooks like payment records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIllegal ones?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carla leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan that put Travis away?\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris did not answer directly.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt can support an investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley watched the envelope disappear into Harris\u2019s case.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe make copies, document chain of custody, and get it to people who know what they\u2019re looking at.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen Travis can\u2019t get it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe can\u2019t erase every copy once investigators have it.\u201d<\/p>\n
That seemed to help.<\/p>\n
For the first time since discovering the birthday box, Bentley leaned back in his chair.<\/p>\n
The burden was no longer physically his.<\/p>\n
But Amber still owed us answers.<\/p>\n
Harris called her from my kitchen with the phone on speaker.<\/p>\n
A nurse confirmed she was alert enough to speak.<\/p>\n
Amber sounded wary as soon as Peter\u2019s name came up.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told us you paid him to stage the break-in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Harris waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Travis watches people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did it before.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter I first left him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Peter\u2019s shop have to do with it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeter agreed to take the blue box.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the box was empty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMostly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was inside?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOld papers. Nothing that mattered.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA decoy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why stage a burglary?\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber coughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause if Travis thought someone else had stolen the box, he\u2019d stop looking at Bentley.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went quiet.<\/p>\n
Bentley stared at the phone.<\/p>\n
Amber heard the silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs he there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBaby, I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou put the real stuff in my present.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou made me carry it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her breathing faltered.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought we\u2019d leave the next morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou got hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd he came back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber began crying.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked me for the box.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew he might?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought Peter\u2019s plan would pull him away.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley stood so suddenly his chair tipped backward.<\/p>\n
Everyone startled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said I didn\u2019t have to worry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber was silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said adults were handling it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted that to be true.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou lied.\u201d<\/p>\n
He walked out of the kitchen.<\/p>\n
I started after him.<\/p>\n
Carla touched my arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cGive him a second.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve given him too many seconds alone already.\u201d<\/p>\n
I found Bentley sitting halfway up the staircase.<\/p>\n
He did not look at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom used me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The accusation was blunt.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe tried to protect you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe hid stuff in my bag.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn\u2019t ask.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if Travis knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe could have.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was the unbearable truth.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley wiped his eyes angrily.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy does everybody keep saying she protected me when she made it worse?\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat one step below him.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause adults can love someone and still make bad decisions when they\u2019re scared.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at the wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t make it okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me then.<\/p>\n
I think he expected me to defend Amber simply because she was his mother.<\/p>\n
I refused to do that.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe should not have placed that evidence with you without telling you.\u201d<\/p>\n
His face softened almost imperceptibly.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut she was frightened, sick, and running out of safe places.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s an excuse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an explanation.\u201d<\/p>\n
He thought about the distinction.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan I be mad?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt Mom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if she almost died?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
That seemed to matter.<\/p>\n
Children are often told gratitude should erase anger.<\/p>\n
It does not.<\/p>\n
Love and anger can occupy the same room.<\/p>\n
Bentley returned downstairs twenty minutes later.<\/p>\n
Amber was still on the phone.<\/p>\n
He sat without speaking.<\/p>\n
She did not apologize repeatedly.<\/p>\n
To her credit, she apologized once.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was wrong to put it on you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley stared at the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought you\u2019d never know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was wrong too.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
No dramatic forgiveness followed.<\/p>\n
None was needed.<\/p>\n
The truth had finally been spoken.<\/p>\n
Harris resumed questioning.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho knew the evidence was with Bentley?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCarla?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone from the shelter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone in law enforcement?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot the location.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many people knew the evidence existed?\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cTravis. Peter. Carla. An investigator named Martinez.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris wrote it down.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat agency?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think state insurance fraud at first. Then he said federal people might become involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you have contact information?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is your phone?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas it taken to the hospital?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought so.\u201d<\/p>\n
A nurse came on.<\/p>\n
She checked Amber\u2019s belongings.<\/p>\n
No phone.<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you last see it?\u201d Harris asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the bathroom before the ambulance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Travis know your passcode?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe used to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSame code now?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmber?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doug muttered something under his breath.<\/p>\n
Harris remained calm.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Travis may have your phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
That explained how he knew where she was.<\/p>\n
Hospital transfer records.<\/p>\n
Calls.<\/p>\n
Messages.<\/p>\n
Maybe location data.<\/p>\n
Every piece of Amber\u2019s life had been sitting inside a device Travis might have picked up while Bentley hid behind a shower curtain.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knows everything,\u201d Amber whispered.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Harris said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn\u2019t know we have the evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnless he heard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas it active during our calls?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI used the hospital phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe might know Peter staged the break-in.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe might know Bentley had something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris glanced at the boy.<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
We all understood what that meant.<\/p>\n
Bentley was still a target even though the evidence had left his hands.<\/p>\n
Harris arranged for a patrol car to remain near the duplex overnight.<\/p>\n
Doug offered to stay.<\/p>\n
Carla did too.<\/p>\n
I accepted both.<\/p>\n
No pride was worth gambling with two children.<\/p>\n
Around three in the morning, after everyone else had settled, I found Doug sitting alone at the kitchen table.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo should you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m seventy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not an argument.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt becomes one eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n
He almost smiled.<\/p>\n
Then his face hardened again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI keep thinking about shutting off that water.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat opposite him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should think about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going to tell you guilt is useless.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad would\u2019ve been ashamed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father made mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re comparing your worst day to his memory.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doug looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe would care more about what you do next.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doug rubbed his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m changing how we handle late rent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cActual welfare check before utilities are touched.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDirect contact, not just notices.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBetter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEmergency contact verification every six months.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n
He stared toward the ceiling where Bentley slept.<\/p>\n
\u201cI nearly evicted two kids who were hiding from a violent man.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes reddened.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I called it business.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did not comfort him.<\/p>\n
Some lessons deserve to sting long enough to alter behavior.<\/p>\n
Morning came gray and cold.<\/p>\n
The patrol cruiser remained outside.<\/p>\n
Bentley ate cereal.<\/p>\n
Maddie demanded toast cut into triangles.<\/p>\n
For thirty ordinary minutes, no one mentioned Travis.<\/p>\n
Then Carla\u2019s phone rang.<\/p>\n
She answered.<\/p>\n
Her face changed immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
She stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone watched her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
She hung up.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was St. Vincent.\u201d<\/p>\n
My chest tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmber?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
We exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone tried to get into her room.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris, who had returned minutes earlier, stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMan?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe claimed to be family?\u201d<\/p>\n
Carla nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said he was her brother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAmber doesn\u2019t have a brother,\u201d Bentley said.<\/p>\n
Harris was already dialing.<\/p>\n
The hospital went into security lockdown around Amber\u2019s room.<\/p>\n
Police reviewed cameras.<\/p>\n
Forty-five minutes later, Harris received a still image.<\/p>\n
He showed it to Bentley only after warning him.<\/p>\n
The photograph showed a man wearing a baseball cap and surgical mask.<\/p>\n
Most of his face was hidden.<\/p>\n
Bentley stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not Travis.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carla looked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doug looked.<\/p>\n
\u201cMe neither.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris zoomed in.<\/p>\n
The man\u2019s left hand rested on the reception desk.<\/p>\n
On one finger was a heavy square ring.<\/p>\n
Bentley leaned closer.<\/p>\n
His face went pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d Harris asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt Mr. Peter\u2019s shop.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone turned toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho wore it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe man talking to Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat man?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we went there before.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA month ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas Peter there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas Travis there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris pulled out his notebook.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did the man say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything?\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
Then opened them.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe called Mom by a different name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat name?\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley\u2019s voice dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cMrs. Nolan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carla gripped the table.<\/p>\n
Amber had been using Collins for years.<\/p>\n
Anyone calling her Mrs. Nolan knew her past.<\/p>\n
Harris asked Bentley to describe the man.<\/p>\n
Older than Travis.<\/p>\n
Gray hair.<\/p>\n
Heavy ring.<\/p>\n
Deep voice.<\/p>\n
Drove a silver SUV.<\/p>\n
Then Bentley remembered one final detail.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe gave Mr. Peter money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cCash?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know. A lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
The staged burglary suddenly looked different.<\/p>\n
Peter might not merely have been helping Amber fool Travis.<\/p>\n
He might have been talking to someone on the other side.<\/p>\n
Harris stepped away to make calls.<\/p>\n
Before he reached the door, his phone rang.<\/p>\n
He answered.<\/p>\n
His eyes shifted toward us.<\/p>\n
Then toward Bentley.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another.<\/p>\n
He ended the call.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d I demanded.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeter Hall is gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carla stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was supposed to remain available for questioning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe left his apartment during the night.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCar?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStill there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPhone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOff.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley whispered, \u201cThey took him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris did not dismiss it.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then another call came.<\/p>\n
This time he listened longer.<\/p>\n
When he hung up, he looked directly at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found Amber\u2019s missing phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBarton Road Auto.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody moved.<\/p>\n
Harris continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was inside Peter\u2019s desk.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carla stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Peter had her phone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSince when?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
The implication was immediate and ugly.<\/p>\n
If Peter had Amber\u2019s phone, Peter could have known where she was hospitalized.<\/p>\n
Peter could have known who she called.<\/p>\n
Peter could have known Bentley was with me.<\/p>\n
And Peter could have given every detail to someone else.<\/p>\n
Bentley\u2019s face crumpled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told Mom not to trust him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then, from outside, a car horn sounded twice.<\/p>\n
We all looked toward the window.<\/p>\n
A silver SUV sat at the curb.<\/p>\n
The driver\u2019s window lowered.<\/p>\n
An older man with gray hair looked directly at the house.<\/p>\n
On his left hand, resting on the steering wheel, a square silver ring caught the morning light.<\/p>\n
For several seconds I wondered whether I had misheard Harris. \u201cAmber paid him?\u201d \u201cThat\u2019s what Peter claims.\u201d \u201cTo fake a burglary?\u201d \u201cYes.\u201d \u201cWhy?\u201d \u201cHe says she wanted anyone watching the … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7806,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7813","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\/7813","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=7813"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7813\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7853,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7813\/revisions\/7853"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}