By nine o'clock the next morning, my kitchen looked almost exactly the way it did whenever Mark and Alicia visited, which was precisely what I wanted.<\/p>\n
The coffeemaker was full. Cinnamon rolls cooled beneath a clean dish towel. The table had been wiped twice, though it had not needed wiping the first time. Raymond's photograph remained above the fireplace. My grocery notepad, however, was hidden beneath my chair.<\/p>\n
Samuel arrived at 8:35 carrying two leather folders and a brown envelope.<\/p>\n
He wore the same charcoal suit he had worn to Raymond's funeral.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look like you're going to court,\u201d I told him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI dress this way to buy toothpaste.\u201d<\/p>\n
That made me laugh, which I needed.<\/p>\n
He placed his folders on the table but didn't open them.<\/p>\n
\u201cLocks?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChanged yesterday afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSpare keys?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEleanor has one. I have one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMark?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
My neighbor Eleanor had lived next door for nearly forty years. She had helped me choose my wedding-anniversary dress when Raymond and I renewed our vows. She knew when my porch light burned out before I did and considered neighborhood privacy a concept invented by people with something to hide.<\/p>\n
When I told her what had happened, she did not gasp.<\/p>\n
She said, \u201cI never liked the way that realtor looked at your back acreage.\u201d<\/p>\n
That had unsettled me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you notice?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wasn't looking at your house. He was looking through it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now Eleanor was across the street at her sister's home with instructions to watch the driveway. Samuel had insisted we have another person aware of the meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're making this feel like a police operation,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Samuel removed his glasses.<\/p>\n
\u201cDorothy, yesterday you learned two people intended to obtain broad legal authority over your property without explaining their true purpose. Caution is appropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy son is one of those people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared into my coffee.<\/p>\n
Samuel softened his voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn't mean you stop loving him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels like it should.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. It means you stop confusing love with permission.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sounded like Raymond.<\/p>\n
Perhaps that was why the words irritated me.<\/p>\n
I changed the subject.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you find?\u201d<\/p>\n
Samuel opened the first folder.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour house has been debt-free since 1998.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI found that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are the sole owner on the deed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo liens. No secondary mortgage. No home-equity loan.\u201d<\/p>\n
He turned a page toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the current conservative valuation is approximately four hundred thirty thousand dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cFour hundred thirty?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApproximately.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBruce said one-eighty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBruce didn't say that to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Alicia said he did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's important.\u201d<\/p>\n
He tapped the valuation.<\/p>\n
\u201cA legitimate realtor familiar with this area would know one hundred eighty thousand is far below market value.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCould Bruce simply be bad at his job?\u201d<\/p>\n
Samuel gave me a look.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt's possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you don't believe it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI prefer evidence to belief.\u201d<\/p>\n
He opened the second folder.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bank statements.<\/p>\n
Dozens of them.<\/p>\n
I recognized my account number.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the last four years,\u201d Samuel said, \u201cyou've transferred money regularly to an account provided by Mark and Alicia.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt embarrassed answering.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were struggling.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMortgage payments. Repairs. Children's expenses. Emergencies.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you ever see their mortgage statement?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRepair invoices?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOriginals?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He let the silence sit.<\/p>\n
I bristled.<\/p>\n
\u201cSamuel, I know what you're thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat am I thinking?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat I was foolish.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don't have to be polite.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI'm not.\u201d<\/p>\n
He leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrusting family isn't foolish. Continuing to trust after discovering deception would be.\u201d<\/p>\n
That quieted me.<\/p>\n
He slid a sheet across the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour transfers total a little over two hundred thousand dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the figure.<\/p>\n
Two hundred thousand.<\/p>\n
I read it again.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat can't be right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI would have noticed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou did notice individual payments.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut not the total.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMost people don't.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought of every request.<\/p>\n
A furnace.<\/p>\n
A roof.<\/p>\n
Property taxes.<\/p>\n
Medical bills.<\/p>\n
The twins' school expenses.<\/p>\n
Alicia had never demanded.<\/p>\n
She asked.<\/p>\n
That was what made it work.<\/p>\n
Samuel pointed toward several highlighted entries.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Alicia ever tell you these payments were connected to your house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said they were helping me manage expenses.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the money went to them.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said Mark had been paying certain things for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich things?\u201d<\/p>\n
I opened my mouth.<\/p>\n
Nothing came.<\/p>\n
Samuel waited.<\/p>\n
My face became hot.<\/p>\n
\u201cDorothy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded once.<\/p>\n
That was worse than criticism.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere's something else,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He removed another document.<\/p>\n
\u201cYesterday afternoon I reviewed the property history.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone requested information about your parcel six months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBruce Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan he do that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProperty records are generally accessible. The request itself isn't illegal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe requested more than the basic deed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cParcel boundaries. Access rights. easement history. lake frontage.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought of Bruce standing at my back window.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKnew what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat he wasn't here because Alicia wanted an investment property.\u201d<\/p>\n
Samuel didn't answer.<\/p>\n
The doorbell rang.<\/p>\n
Both of us looked toward the hall.<\/p>\n
It was too early for Mark.<\/p>\n
Samuel checked his watch.<\/p>\n
9:12.<\/p>\n
I went to the door.<\/p>\n
Eleanor stood outside holding a foil-covered plate.<\/p>\n
\u201cI brought muffins.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou baked?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBought them. I said I brought them.\u201d<\/p>\n
I let her inside.<\/p>\n
She handed the plate to Samuel.<\/p>\n
\u201cAttorney.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNeighbor.\u201d<\/p>\n
They had known each other for decades and communicated mostly through mock hostility.<\/p>\n
Eleanor turned to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere's something you should know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour daughter-in-law drove past twice.\u201d<\/p>\n
My skin prickled.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEight twenty. Eight fifty-five.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI've recognized that white SUV since she nearly backed into my mailbox.\u201d<\/p>\n
Samuel stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas she alone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst time, yes. Second time, I couldn't tell.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she stop?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe she was checking whether I was home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor snorted.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knows you're home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Samuel said nothing.<\/p>\n
That worried me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they're bringing documents, someone may be preparing them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBruce?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor crossed her arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat exactly happens at ten?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey talk,\u201d Samuel said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Dorothy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cListens.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor smiled at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're good at that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently people forget.\u201d<\/p>\n
At 9:47, Samuel moved his car behind Eleanor's garage.<\/p>\n
He returned through the side gate.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're hiding?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI'd prefer they speak freely.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere will you be?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDen.\u201d<\/p>\n
The den opened into the kitchen through a wide doorway. We closed the pocket doors, leaving a narrow gap.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis feels dishonest,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Samuel looked almost amused.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are coming to persuade you to sign legal documents. You are entitled to have counsel present in your own home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why hide?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you need to know whether they tell you the truth before they know I'm listening.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer I accepted.<\/p>\n
At 9:58, a car pulled into my driveway.<\/p>\n
I watched from behind the curtain.<\/p>\n
Mark got out first.<\/p>\n
He wore khakis and the blue jacket I had given him for his birthday.<\/p>\n
Alicia emerged carrying a cream-colored folder.<\/p>\n
Then a second car stopped near the curb.<\/p>\n
My breath caught.<\/p>\n
Bruce Carter stepped out.<\/p>\n
He walked toward Alicia.<\/p>\n
They spoke briefly.<\/p>\n
Mark remained by the front door, staring at the porch.<\/p>\n
Alicia handed Bruce something.<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
Then he returned to his car and drove away.<\/p>\n
Samuel had seen it through the den window.<\/p>\n
He whispered, \u201cInteresting.\u201d<\/p>\n
The doorbell rang.<\/p>\n
I took one breath.<\/p>\n
Then another.<\/p>\n
I opened the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark hugged me.<\/p>\n
I let him.<\/p>\n
That was the hardest part.<\/p>\n
He smelled like the cedar aftershave Raymond used to buy him every Christmas.<\/p>\n
For one painful second, he was sixteen again, coming home after wrecking his first car and burying his face against my shoulder because he thought his father would kill him.<\/p>\n
Then I remembered his voice.<\/p>\n
How much would be left?<\/p>\n
I stepped away.<\/p>\n
Alicia kissed my cheek.<\/p>\n
\u201cMorning, Mother D.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMorning.\u201d<\/p>\n
She lifted the folder.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe brought a few things to discuss.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you said.\u201d<\/p>\n
They entered.<\/p>\n
Alicia glanced toward the driveway.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou changed the lock.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
She recovered quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI noticed the hardware.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOld lock was sticking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark stared at the new deadbolt.<\/p>\n
Neither asked why I hadn't given them a replacement key.<\/p>\n
We sat at the kitchen table.<\/p>\n
I poured coffee.<\/p>\n
Alicia complimented the cinnamon rolls.<\/p>\n
Mark barely touched his.<\/p>\n
For eleven minutes, they talked about ordinary things.<\/p>\n
The grandchildren.<\/p>\n
School.<\/p>\n
A neighbor's new fence.<\/p>\n
A football game.<\/p>\n
I wondered whether people planning a betrayal always needed small talk first.<\/p>\n
Finally Alicia touched the folder.<\/p>\n
\u201cMother D, Mark and I have been worried.\u201d<\/p>\n
I glanced at my son.<\/p>\n
He looked exactly as instructed.<\/p>\n
Sad.<\/p>\n
Concerned.<\/p>\n
Practiced.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout you being here alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI've been alone four years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, but things change.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat things?\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled gently.<\/p>\n
\u201cAge changes things.\u201d<\/p>\n
There are ways to insult an elderly person without ever raising your voice. Alicia had mastered several.<\/p>\n
Mark leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, remember when you slipped last winter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOn ice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could have been hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI bruised my elbow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt could've been worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo could crossing the street.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alicia gave a small laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe're not saying you're incapable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not yet, I thought.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just think it might be wise to plan ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA place where you'd have support.\u201d<\/p>\n
She opened the folder.<\/p>\n
A glossy brochure appeared.<\/p>\n
Silver Meadows.<\/p>\n
I pretended to study it.<\/p>\n
\u201cPretty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExpensive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot terribly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
Alicia hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cDepends on services.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much for me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout three thousand monthly,\u201d she admitted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's thirty-six thousand a year.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are packages.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't need a package.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMother D\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI need my house.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Mark rubbed his palms together.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, nobody is taking your house.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words were so close to the truth that they sounded rehearsed.<\/p>\n
I looked directly at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens to it if I move?\u201d<\/p>\n
He glanced at Alicia.<\/p>\n
There.<\/p>\n
That tiny movement.<\/p>\n
I had spent thirty-eight years raising him. I knew every version of his guilty face.<\/p>\n
Alicia answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe'd probably help you sell.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor how much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven't discussed exact numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lie.<\/p>\n
I folded my hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cWould I choose the realtor?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood. I like that young woman from Keller's office.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alicia's smile tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cBruce already knows the property.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBruce?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. You met him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe could make things very simple.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't want simple.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI want accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alicia shifted.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
She removed a stack of documents.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that's why we brought these.\u201d<\/p>\n
I didn't touch them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are they?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJust paperwork allowing us to help manage things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat things?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBanking. Bills. Property matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSounds broad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really isn't.\u201d<\/p>\n
From the den came no sound.<\/p>\n
Samuel was listening.<\/p>\n
Alicia pushed the papers closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou'd still control everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why do you need my signature?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo make things easier if something happens.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat might happen?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her patience flickered.<\/p>\n
\u201cDorothy, we're trying to protect you.\u201d<\/p>\n
She had stopped calling me Mother D.<\/p>\n
I noticed.<\/p>\n
Mark noticed too.<\/p>\n
He reached for my hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, please.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
His eyes were wet.<\/p>\n
That part wasn't acting.<\/p>\n
He was frightened.<\/p>\n
But frightened of what?<\/p>\n
Hurting me?<\/p>\n
Disappointing Alicia?<\/p>\n
Losing the money?<\/p>\n
I pulled my hand back gently.<\/p>\n
\u201cI'd like to read these.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alicia reached for the papers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can explain them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can read.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course. I only meant the language is technical.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen I'll have an attorney explain it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room changed.<\/p>\n
Not dramatically.<\/p>\n
Just enough.<\/p>\n
Alicia's shoulders stiffened.<\/p>\n
Mark looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere's no need to involve an attorney,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt's standard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen an attorney should understand it quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled, but the warmth had disappeared.<\/p>\n
\u201cSamuel is old-fashioned.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse kicked.<\/p>\n
She knew exactly who my attorney was.<\/p>\n
I had never discussed Samuel with her beyond the funeral.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know who I'd call?\u201d<\/p>\n
Alicia froze.<\/p>\n
Only for a second.<\/p>\n
But I saw it.<\/p>\n
Mark looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
She recovered.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou've mentioned him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHave I?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
She laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't keep records of every conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did now.<\/p>\n
I reached beneath my chair.<\/p>\n
The grocery notepad rested against my fingertips.<\/p>\n
Before I could pull it out, Mark suddenly said, \u201cMom, there is something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alicia turned sharply.<\/p>\n
\u201cMark.\u201d<\/p>\n
He ignored her.<\/p>\n
His face looked sick.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlicia told me the house still had debt on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart began pounding.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat debt?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at his wife.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe mortgage.\u201d<\/p>\n
I said nothing.<\/p>\n
Alicia went pale.<\/p>\n
Mark continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said some of the money you've been sending us was covering payments connected to this property.\u201d<\/p>\n
I watched Alicia.<\/p>\n
She whispered, \u201cThis isn't the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Mark said. \u201cI think it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
I slowly stood.<\/p>\n
Then I walked to the den doors.<\/p>\n
Alicia frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cMother D?\u201d<\/p>\n
I pulled them open.<\/p>\n
Samuel Price stepped into the kitchen carrying the blue binder.<\/p>\n
Mark's face collapsed.<\/p>\n
Alicia stared at him.<\/p>\n
Samuel placed the binder beside the unsigned power-of-attorney documents.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
No one answered.<\/p>\n
He sat beside me.<\/p>\n
Alicia remained standing.<\/p>\n
Her eyes moved from Samuel to the binder, then to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is this?\u201d<\/p>\n
I reached beneath my chair.<\/p>\n
I brought out the grocery notepad.<\/p>\n
I placed it in the center of the table.<\/p>\n
The first line was visible.<\/p>\n
7:19 \u2014 She signs whatever we put in front of her.<\/p>\n
Alicia read it.<\/p>\n
All the color disappeared from her face.<\/p>\n
Then she looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou heard us.\u201d<\/p>\n
I met her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
By nine o'clock the next morning, my kitchen looked almost exactly the way it did whenever Mark and Alicia visited, which was precisely what I wanted. The coffeemaker was full. … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7974,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7976","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\/7976","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=7976"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7976\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8023,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7976\/revisions\/8023"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}