Neither Mara nor Daniel spoke for several seconds after the gunshot.<\/p>\n
The recorder continued to hiss.<\/p>\n
Then came the sound of shouting.<\/p>\n
Feet scraping.<\/p>\n
A woman crying out.<\/p>\n
Someone shouted, \u201cRobert!\u201d<\/p>\n
The tape tangled.<\/p>\n
The reel slowed.<\/p>\n
Then everything stopped.<\/p>\n
Daniel reached for the cassette.<\/p>\n
Mara caught his wrist.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat might be the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He examined the cassette through the plastic window.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s tape left.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mara pressed EJECT.<\/p>\n
The cassette rose.<\/p>\n
A section of magnetic tape had twisted beneath one spool.<\/p>\n
Someone had deliberately damaged it.<\/p>\n
Daniel swore.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan it be repaired?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCarter knows a guy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mara stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not calling Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis father is on the tape.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t make Carter guilty of anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. But it makes him involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel nodded reluctantly.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor once, I agree.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mara searched the toolbox.<\/p>\n
Beneath the cassette recorder lay a photograph.<\/p>\n
Four adults stood outside a half-built house.<\/p>\n
Robert.<\/p>\n
Evelyn.<\/p>\n
Thomas.<\/p>\n
And a fourth man Mara had never seen.<\/p>\n
Someone had written names on the back.<\/p>\n
ROBERT \u2014 EVELYN \u2014 THOMAS \u2014 SAM<\/p>\n
Samuel Wynn.<\/p>\n
Carter\u2019s father.<\/p>\n
A fifth figure stood partly visible at the edge of the photograph.<\/p>\n
Only one arm and the side of a dress remained.<\/p>\n
The rest had been cut away.<\/p>\n
Daniel examined it.<\/p>\n
\u201cRuth?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mara turned the photograph toward the light.<\/p>\n
The dress had tiny white flowers.<\/p>\n
She remembered seeing it somewhere.<\/p>\n
Not in life.<\/p>\n
In an album.<\/p>\n
Their mother had worn similar clothing.<\/p>\n
But the figure\u2019s wrist carried a thick silver bracelet.<\/p>\n
Aunt Ruth always wore one.<\/p>\n
Still did.<\/p>\n
Mara searched the first cardboard box.<\/p>\n
Tax records.<\/p>\n
Old business invoices.<\/p>\n
Property deeds.<\/p>\n
The second contained children\u2019s school papers, medical bills, and stacks of photographs.<\/p>\n
The third was almost empty.<\/p>\n
Only a ledger rested inside.<\/p>\n
Daniel opened it.<\/p>\n
Vale-Bell Construction.<\/p>\n
1987\u20131989.<\/p>\n
Most entries appeared ordinary.<\/p>\n
Materials.<\/p>\n
Payroll.<\/p>\n
Equipment rentals.<\/p>\n
Then, beginning in February 1989, the company had made repeated payments to a consulting company called S.W. Holdings.<\/p>\n
Mara traced the initials.<\/p>\n
\u201cSamuel Wynn.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel added several entries with his phone calculator.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlmost sixty thousand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a lot of consulting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEspecially for a construction company with six employees.\u201d<\/p>\n
The final payment was dated August 15.<\/p>\n
$42,000.<\/p>\n
Two days before the confrontation.<\/p>\n
Daniel pointed at the authorization line.<\/p>\n
RB.<\/p>\n
Robert Bell.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad authorized it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnless someone used his code.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel nodded.<\/p>\n
They photographed every page.<\/p>\n
Then Mara found a loose sheet inside the back cover.<\/p>\n
It was a handwritten list.<\/p>\n
Property addresses.<\/p>\n
Twelve in total.<\/p>\n
Beside four addresses was the letter E.<\/p>\n
Beside three was T.<\/p>\n
Two had R.<\/p>\n
The final three carried only question marks.<\/p>\n
Daniel recognized one address.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s Mom\u2019s house.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mara looked at the others.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are they?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably properties the company worked on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel searched one on his phone.<\/p>\n
His eyebrows rose.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat house belonged to Samuel Wynn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mara pointed at the mark beside it.<\/p>\n
E.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would Mom\u2019s initial be beside Samuel\u2019s house?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel searched another.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas owned this one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marked T.<\/p>\n
A third belonged to Robert Bell.<\/p>\n
Marked R.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t construction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mara stared at the pattern.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s ownership.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel searched the address of Evelyn\u2019s house.<\/p>\n
County property records showed it had once belonged to S.W. Holdings.<\/p>\n
Transferred to Evelyn Bell in September 1989.<\/p>\n
One month after Thomas disappeared.<\/p>\n
No purchase price listed.<\/p>\n
Mara whispered, \u201cMom got the house from Samuel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cOr from his company.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aunt Ruth would.<\/p>\n
The realization came to both of them at the same time.<\/p>\n
Daniel grabbed the toolbox.<\/p>\n
Mara gathered the ledger and photograph.<\/p>\n
They drove separately to Ruth\u2019s house.<\/p>\n
She lived twelve miles away in a small brick bungalow filled with bird feeders.<\/p>\n
Ruth answered wearing a lavender robe and slippers.<\/p>\n
When she saw the toolbox, she tried to close the door.<\/p>\n
Daniel caught it.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruth\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cTake your hand off my door.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTell us about August seventeenth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her expression changed.<\/p>\n
Barely.<\/p>\n
But Mara saw it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe heard the tape,\u201d Mara said.<\/p>\n
Ruth stepped backward.<\/p>\n
Daniel released the door.<\/p>\n
The three of them stood silently in the hall.<\/p>\n
Finally Ruth said, \u201cEvelyn should have destroyed that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe kept it for thirty-seven years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe kept everything that punished her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mara felt anger rise.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas came back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruth gripped the wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe came to Mom\u2019s house last night.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruth sank into a chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew he was alive, didn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou called his sister.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI called Margaret because Evelyn had asked me to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore she died.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mara crouched in front of her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Mom tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruth looked suddenly old.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said Thomas deserved to know when the funeral was.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe thought he might finally come home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe already did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruth covered her mouth.<\/p>\n
Daniel placed the photograph on the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho fired the gun?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruth stared at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one was shot.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t what I asked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSamuel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mara sat back.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt Dad?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen who?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruth\u2019s eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the ceiling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel exhaled sharply.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo make everyone stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened after?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruth looked toward the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cSamuel told us Thomas had discovered something he was never supposed to find.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot just money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLand.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ledger.<\/p>\n
The addresses.<\/p>\n
Ruth continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the eighties, the county planned a highway extension. Samuel worked in the assessor\u2019s office. He knew which farmland the county would buy before anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel understood first.<\/p>\n
\u201cInside information.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruth nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe used Robert and Thomas\u2019s company to purchase options on land through shell companies.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Dad know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas discovered it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mara asked, \u201cAnd Mom?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruth\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn helped Samuel.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room became silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d Mara asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she thought Robert was going to leave her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor Thomas?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruth looked at Mara.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mara frowned.<\/p>\n
Ruth corrected herself.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mara\u2019s heartbeat changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cExplain.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRobert discovered Thomas might be your biological father. He wanted a blood test.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom refused?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was terrified.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Robert had told her if Thomas was your father, he didn\u2019t know whether he could stay.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words hurt despite the decades.<\/p>\n
Mara looked away.<\/p>\n
Ruth continued carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn believed she might lose her marriage, her home, everything. Samuel offered her money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn exchange for helping him steal from the company?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cForty-two thousand dollars?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened after Samuel fired the gun?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas said he was going to the police.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSamuel threatened him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruth looked at Mara.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mara felt her stomach turn.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said he would tell Robert that Thomas had been secretly visiting Evelyn.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas he?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why would that matter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Samuel had photographs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas picking you up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mara stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSchool. Parks. Once outside our house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat makes no sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruth began crying.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas loved you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mara\u2019s throat tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe thought I might be his.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was watching me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot like that. He kept his distance. But Samuel made it look worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel muttered, \u201cBlackmail.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruth nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cSamuel told Thomas that if he went to the police, Robert would see the photographs and think Thomas had been sneaking around the family.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas still disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruth wiped her face.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause later that night Samuel came back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mara\u2019s pulse jumped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith who?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruth looked directly at Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Evelyn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Mom do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told Thomas he had to leave town.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would he listen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she gave him something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mara thought of the cash hidden in the flour tin.<\/p>\n
\u201cMoney?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruth\u2019s voice became barely audible.<\/p>\n
\u201cA birth certificate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mara went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cMine?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruth shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared at her.<\/p>\n
Ruth reached into a drawer beside the chair.<\/p>\n
She removed an old envelope.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have spent thirty-seven years wishing Evelyn had burned this too.\u201d<\/p>\n
She handed it to Daniel.<\/p>\n
Inside was a photocopy of a birth certificate.<\/p>\n
Daniel Bell.<\/p>\n
Date of birth correct.<\/p>\n
Mother: Evelyn Bell.<\/p>\n
Father:<\/p>\n
Samuel Wynn.<\/p>\n
Daniel sat perfectly still.<\/p>\n
Mara felt the room tilt.<\/p>\n
Carter Wynn\u2019s father.<\/p>\n
Samuel Wynn.<\/p>\n
The man who had helped Evelyn steal money.<\/p>\n
The man who had fired the gun.<\/p>\n
The man whose son Daniel later hired to investigate the entire mystery.<\/p>\n
Ruth said, \u201cEvelyn wasn\u2019t afraid Daniel would discover Thomas was his father.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes moved to Mara.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was afraid Daniel would discover Samuel Wynn was.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked down at the document.<\/p>\n
Mara finally understood the warning in the flour tin.<\/p>\n
Do not tell Daniel until you know what happened in August.<\/p>\n
But Ruth was not finished.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s another reason she didn\u2019t want Daniel to know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel raised his head.<\/p>\n
Ruth whispered, \u201cSamuel Wynn didn\u2019t die in 1998 like everyone believes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruth looked toward the front window.<\/p>\n
A black sedan had stopped across the street.<\/p>\n
A man stepped out.<\/p>\n
Daniel recognized him first.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruth stood abruptly.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carter Wynn crossed the road carrying a brown envelope.<\/p>\n
Ruth backed away from the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou cannot let him inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mara turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruth\u2019s face had become gray.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Carter isn\u2019t Samuel\u2019s son.\u201d<\/p>\n
A knock sounded at the door.<\/p>\n
Ruth looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s Samuel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neither Mara nor Daniel spoke for several seconds after the gunshot. The recorder continued to hiss. Then came the sound of shouting. Feet scraping. A woman crying out. Someone shouted, … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10857,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10861","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\/10861","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=10861"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10861\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10881,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10861\/revisions\/10881"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}