I carried the photograph into the nearest conference room.<\/p>\n
Frank followed.<\/p>\n
Detective Lewis closed the door behind us.<\/p>\n
For several seconds, none of us spoke.<\/p>\n
The picture showed the Jefferson groundbreaking in May of 2007.<\/p>\n
Eleanor stood beside me in a cream-colored coat.<\/p>\n
I remembered that coat.<\/p>\n
She hated it because the sleeves were too long.<\/p>\n
Wyatt had been twenty-three then, recently home from college, standing somewhere outside the frame talking to drivers instead of executives.<\/p>\n
And Irving Palmer stood near the background.<\/p>\n
Younger.<\/p>\n
Thinner.<\/p>\n
But unmistakable.<\/p>\n
Lewis pointed at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re certain?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know him then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Eleanor?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her image.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Frank leaned over the photograph.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was Palmer doing in 2007?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lewis checked his phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cPublic records say commercial real estate.\u201d<\/p>\n
That fit.<\/p>\n
Jefferson had involved real estate brokers, lenders, surveyors, county officials, rail consultants, and landowners.<\/p>\n
Irving could have been there legitimately.<\/p>\n
But someone had saved this particular photograph inside the records file that was stolen.<\/p>\n
That was not random.<\/p>\n
Lewis asked, \u201cWho negotiated the Jefferson purchase?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did some of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho handled the rest?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEleanor.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour wife?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe handled more of Heartland than people realized.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was true.<\/p>\n
Eleanor never wanted a title.<\/p>\n
She disliked offices.<\/p>\n
She hated board meetings.<\/p>\n
But she understood contracts better than half the attorneys I knew, and she could read a person faster than anyone.<\/p>\n
When Heartland was small, she kept our books at the kitchen table.<\/p>\n
When it grew, she became the person I consulted before almost every major decision.<\/p>\n
Lewis tapped the photograph.<\/p>\n
\u201cCould Palmer have dealt with her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWould there be records?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought about it.<\/p>\n
Eleanor rarely trusted company archives with sensitive negotiations.<\/p>\n
She had another system.<\/p>\n
Boxes.<\/p>\n
Dozens of them.<\/p>\n
After she died, I moved most into storage.<\/p>\n
\u201cHome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lewis looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have files?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we\u2019re going.\u201d<\/p>\n
My house felt different with police in it.<\/p>\n
Not violated.<\/p>\n
Just exposed.<\/p>\n
Every framed photograph and piece of furniture seemed suddenly connected to an investigation I still did not fully understand.<\/p>\n
Eleanor\u2019s old records were in a locked storage room beside my workshop.<\/p>\n
Dust covered the top shelves.<\/p>\n
Boxes carried labels in her handwriting.<\/p>\n
Insurance.<\/p>\n
Taxes.<\/p>\n
Properties.<\/p>\n
Legal.<\/p>\n
Personal.<\/p>\n
I found Jefferson on the third shelf.<\/p>\n
The box was heavier than expected.<\/p>\n
We carried it to the dining table.<\/p>\n
Lewis put on gloves.<\/p>\n
So did I.<\/p>\n
Inside were purchase agreements, maps, engineering reports, rail projections, and handwritten notes.<\/p>\n
Eleanor wrote everything in blue ink.<\/p>\n
Dates.<\/p>\n
Names.<\/p>\n
Impressions.<\/p>\n
Questions.<\/p>\n
Halfway through the box, I found Irving.<\/p>\n
PALMER \u2014 DO NOT USE.<\/p>\n
The note was underlined twice.<\/p>\n
My pulse changed.<\/p>\n
Lewis leaned closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour wife knew him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Attached was a business card.<\/p>\n
IRVING PALMER
\nPALMER COMMERCIAL LAND SERVICES<\/p>\n
On the back, Eleanor had written:<\/p>\n
Tried to redirect sale through private buyer.
\nMisrepresented owner\u2019s asking price.
\nAsked too many questions about rail proposal.
\nDo not disclose Heartland plans.<\/p>\n
Frank let out a low whistle.<\/p>\n
Lewis asked, \u201cYou never saw this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI handled financing. Eleanor handled land negotiations.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked through the next papers.<\/p>\n
A letter appeared.<\/p>\n
Dated April 18, 2007.<\/p>\n
From Eleanor to our attorney.<\/p>\n
The language was precise.<\/p>\n
She believed Irving had attempted to insert himself between Heartland and one of the Jefferson landowners.<\/p>\n
He claimed to represent the seller.<\/p>\n
He did not.<\/p>\n
He tried to convince the seller that Heartland was backing out, then offered to purchase the land himself through another company.<\/p>\n
Lewis read silently.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe bought directly from the owner.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPalmer lost the deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much was the property worth then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout nine million total.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe eighty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the freight corridor happens?\u201d<\/p>\n
Frank answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly two hundred.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lewis looked back at the letter.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Irving tried to get the property twenty years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd failed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now he tried again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Through Wyatt.<\/p>\n
Through Sabrina.<\/p>\n
Through forged documents.<\/p>\n
The plan suddenly had roots older than Wyatt\u2019s marriage.<\/p>\n
Older than Sabrina\u2019s relationship with him.<\/p>\n
Possibly older than either of them knew.<\/p>\n
I found another note.<\/p>\n
This one was handwritten on yellow paper.<\/p>\n
Irving called again.
\nClaims investor wants option before state announces corridor study.
\nHow does he know about study?
\nAsked Howard to check source.<\/p>\n
Lewis looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cHoward?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHoward Bell.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy attorney back then.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStill alive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStill practicing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRetired.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lewis was already dialing.<\/p>\n
Howard answered on the fourth ring.<\/p>\n
He was eighty-one and living outside Tulsa.<\/p>\n
Lewis placed the call on speaker after explaining the investigation.<\/p>\n
Howard\u2019s voice became serious when he heard Irving\u2019s name.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you remember?\u201d Lewis asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was slippery.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSpecifics.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe somehow knew about preliminary rail planning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat information was confidential?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the time, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did he get it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe never proved it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Eleanor investigate?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Lewis.<\/p>\n
That was news to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she find?\u201d<\/p>\n
Howard hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cA state consultant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cName?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVictor Harlan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Every person in the room went still.<\/p>\n
Lewis asked, \u201cYou\u2019re sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbsolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor.<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
Twenty years earlier.<\/p>\n
Before he ever advised Heartland.<\/p>\n
Lewis said, \u201cWhat was Harlan\u2019s role?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe worked for the transportation planning commission.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt something cold settle in my chest.<\/p>\n
Victor had never mentioned that.<\/p>\n
Howard continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cJunior consultant. Economic forecasting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he leak information to Palmer?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe suspected it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProof?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Eleanor confront him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe believed him.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was unexpected.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Howard gave a faint laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Eleanor was difficult to fool.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even through the phone, I could hear affection in his voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told her someone had accessed his projections without permission.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPalmer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHarlan and Palmer had worked together before.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
Lewis asked, \u201cWhat kind of work?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReal estate feasibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor had not merely known Irving recently.<\/p>\n
He had known him for decades.<\/p>\n
Lewis asked, \u201cWhy didn\u2019t Harlan mention this now?\u201d<\/p>\n
Howard paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have no idea.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neither did I.<\/p>\n
But the omission mattered.<\/p>\n
We found more.<\/p>\n
Eleanor had kept copies of everything.<\/p>\n
A memo showed Victor had warned her that Irving was trying to acquire Jefferson because of a proposed future rail corridor.<\/p>\n
Victor claimed Irving believed transportation expansion would eventually make the land extremely valuable.<\/p>\n
The corridor was shelved in 2008.<\/p>\n
Everyone moved on.<\/p>\n
Everyone except Irving.<\/p>\n
Frank sat back.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe waited twenty years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Lewis shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cOr he kept checking.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was more likely.<\/p>\n
Projects die.<\/p>\n
Then return under different administrations, different names, different budgets.<\/p>\n
If Irving had monitored transportation plans for two decades, the renewed proposal would have brought him back to Jefferson.<\/p>\n
Sabrina\u2019s marriage to Wyatt may not have begun as part of the scheme.<\/p>\n
Or maybe it had.<\/p>\n
That question bothered me more than I wanted to admit.<\/p>\n
Lewis found another envelope.<\/p>\n
SEALED \u2014 ABE ONLY.<\/p>\n
My name.<\/p>\n
Eleanor\u2019s handwriting.<\/p>\n
My fingers stopped.<\/p>\n
She had been dead nine years.<\/p>\n
I had never seen the envelope.<\/p>\n
Lewis slid it toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is yours.\u201d<\/p>\n
I opened it.<\/p>\n
Inside was a two-page letter.<\/p>\n
Abe,<\/p>\n
If you are reading this because something happened to me, don't turn it into a mystery where none exists. I am healthy enough today and expect to annoy you for years.<\/p>\n
Despite everything, I smiled.<\/p>\n
That was Eleanor.<\/p>\n
Then the letter changed.<\/p>\n
I am keeping certain Jefferson records separate because Irving Palmer contacted me again.<\/p>\n
The date was eleven years after the original purchase.<\/p>\n
Eight years before the kidnapping.<\/p>\n
She wrote that Irving had asked whether Heartland would sell Jefferson.<\/p>\n
Eleanor refused.<\/p>\n
He then asked whether ownership would pass entirely to Wyatt after our deaths.<\/p>\n
My breathing slowed.<\/p>\n
Lewis watched my face.<\/p>\n
I kept reading.<\/p>\n
I told him our estate plans were private.<\/p>\n
He laughed and said all companies eventually change hands.<\/p>\n
Something about the conversation felt wrong.<\/p>\n
I have asked Victor Harlan to monitor any attempted purchase through intermediaries.<\/p>\n
Victor.<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
But this time Eleanor trusted him.<\/p>\n
The letter continued.<\/p>\n
If Irving ever approaches Wyatt directly, tell our son the history. I know you dislike worrying him, but silence becomes dangerous when other people have information he does not.<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
Eleanor had warned me.<\/p>\n
And I had never read the warning.<\/p>\n
The envelope had sat inside a box for years.<\/p>\n
Maybe she intended to show me later.<\/p>\n
Maybe illness came first.<\/p>\n
Maybe we simply forgot.<\/p>\n
But the sentence remained.<\/p>\n
Silence becomes dangerous when other people have information he does not.<\/p>\n
That could have been written for the entire tragedy.<\/p>\n
Wyatt had hidden his investigation from me.<\/p>\n
Victor had hidden his history.<\/p>\n
Caleb had hidden his theft.<\/p>\n
I had hidden the trust structure.<\/p>\n
Everyone thought silence was protection.<\/p>\n
Irving used every silence as space to work.<\/p>\n
Lewis read the letter after I handed it to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cVictor was monitoring Palmer eight years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd didn\u2019t mention it yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need him back.\u201d<\/p>\n
This time Victor did not come voluntarily.<\/p>\n
Police found him at his office packing files.<\/p>\n
That looked bad.<\/p>\n
He insisted he was securing evidence.<\/p>\n
That sounded worse.<\/p>\n
Lewis interviewed him again.<\/p>\n
I watched.<\/p>\n
Victor looked at the old Jefferson photograph.<\/p>\n
His face changed immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou found it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lewis said, \u201cYou knew about this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou failed to mention twenty years of history with Palmer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t think it mattered.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lewis stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re smarter than that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cStart over.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor looked tired.<\/p>\n
\u201cPalmer and I worked together in the early 2000s.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoing what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReal estate analysis.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLegal?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlways?\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lewis leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never participated in fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you participate in?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInformation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMarket intelligence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConfidential?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you leak transportation proposals?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Palmer access them through you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy office key.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou gave it to him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI left it where he could copy it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIntentionally?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConvenient.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor looked angry.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was young.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t answer the question.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI trusted him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another man ruined by trust.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe used information from your office to target Jefferson.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEleanor discovered it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd still trusted you later.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knew I helped stop him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI gave her evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat evidence?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPalmer\u2019s purchase structure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is it now?\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lewis slid Eleanor\u2019s letter toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe asked you to monitor Palmer eight years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor read it.<\/p>\n
His face softened when he saw her handwriting.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was one of the best people I ever knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why didn\u2019t you tell Abraham?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I promised her I wouldn\u2019t unless Palmer moved again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe moved.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told Wyatt.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot Abraham.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWyatt asked me not to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lewis\u2019s patience thinned.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou keep making promises to the wrong people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor accepted that quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Palmer want eight years ago?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJefferson.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe believed the rail corridor would return.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he know it would?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how did he know about the current proposal?\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor looked away.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lewis leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cSay it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor\u2019s voice dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has someone inside the transportation department.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
Another accomplice.<\/p>\n
\u201cName.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree weeks ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExact words.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor stared at the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said, \u2018The route is back. This time it\u2019s real.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said approval would happen by spring.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPublic announcement?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSummer.\u201d<\/p>\n
If true, Irving had months to acquire Jefferson cheaply before the market knew its value.<\/p>\n
Lewis asked, \u201cWho could provide that information?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSenior planning staff. Consultants. Maybe someone in the governor\u2019s infrastructure office.\u201d<\/p>\n
The conspiracy no longer ended at a basement.<\/p>\n
It touched state government.<\/p>\n
Finance.<\/p>\n
Real estate.<\/p>\n
Heartland.<\/p>\n
And perhaps people we had not identified.<\/p>\n
Victor looked toward the glass.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lewis said, \u201cGo ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPalmer didn\u2019t choose Sabrina\u2019s marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n
My entire body tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSabrina met Wyatt on her own.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer brought unexpected relief.<\/p>\n
Then Victor continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut when Irving learned who Wyatt was, he encouraged the relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n
Relief disappeared.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard him say it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYears ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Sabrina had finally made herself useful.\u201d<\/p>\n
My hand clenched.<\/p>\n
Lewis\u2019s expression hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Sabrina know why?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot at first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first?\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did she learn?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter the engagement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she try to leave?\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was the first thing I had heard that complicated my view of Sabrina.<\/p>\n
Lewis asked, \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIrving threatened her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYet she married Wyatt.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd later became part of the plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVoluntarily?\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor struggled with the answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eventually.<\/p>\n
A word large enough to hold years of choices.<\/p>\n
The victim Sabrina may once have been did not erase what she later did to Wyatt.<\/p>\n
But it meant Irving\u2019s control extended into his own family long before the basement.<\/p>\n
Lewis\u2019s phone buzzed.<\/p>\n
He checked the message.<\/p>\n
Then another.<\/p>\n
His face sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d I asked from the observation room, though he could not hear me.<\/p>\n
Lewis ended the interview abruptly.<\/p>\n
He came through the door holding his phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey identified Meridian Transit\u2019s beneficial owner.\u201d<\/p>\n
Frank stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cPalmer?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSabrina?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen who?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lewis turned the screen toward me.<\/p>\n
The name took a moment to register.<\/p>\n
I knew it.<\/p>\n
Every resident of Missouri knew it.<\/p>\n
State Transportation Commissioner Daniel Reeves.<\/p>\n
One of the officials responsible for reviewing the new freight corridor.<\/p>\n
The man positioned to know exactly when Jefferson would become valuable.<\/p>\n
I carried the photograph into the nearest conference room. Frank followed. Detective Lewis closed the door behind us. For several seconds, none of us spoke. The picture showed the Jefferson … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10775,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10782"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10802,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10782\/revisions\/10802"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}