{"id":11620,"date":"2026-09-16T14:23:43","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T14:23:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=11620"},"modified":"2026-09-16T14:23:43","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T14:23:43","slug":"part-6-my-fathers-final-recording-revealed-a-meeting-nolan-had-erased-but-one-missing-voice-changed-what-we-thought-happened-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=11620","title":{"rendered":"PART 6 \u2013 My Father\u2019s Final Recording Revealed a Meeting Nolan Had Erased, but One Missing Voice Changed What We Thought Happened Next"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By the time the police brought us upstairs, dawn had begun bleaching the sky behind the trees. The Mercer house looked even worse in daylight. Dust coated the furniture. Water stains spread across the ceiling. One officer photographed the basement while another separated Nolan, Daniel, and me into different rooms.<\/p>\n<p>They placed Nolan in the front parlor.<\/p>\n<p>I was taken to the kitchen.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel waited on the porch with an officer beside him.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time since entering the basement, I was alone.<\/p>\n<p>I sat at a wooden table with initials carved into one corner.<\/p>\n<p>NM.<\/p>\n<p>DM.<\/p>\n<p>Nolan and Daniel.<\/p>\n<p>Children once.<\/p>\n<p>Brothers before betrayal turned them into strangers.<\/p>\n<p>An officer introduced herself as Detective Lena Ortiz.<\/p>\n<p>She was in her forties, composed, with the habit of listening without interrupting.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStart from the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I almost laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe beginning is twenty years long.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStart with tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I told her about Evelyn collapsing.<\/p>\n<p>The hospital.<\/p>\n<p>Thirty unanswered calls.<\/p>\n<p>Vanessa answering the thirty-first.<\/p>\n<p>Maui.<\/p>\n<p>The silver key.<\/p>\n<p>The inheritance.<\/p>\n<p>The messages.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel.<\/p>\n<p>The basement.<\/p>\n<p>When I finished, Ortiz had filled six pages.<\/p>\n<p>She tapped her pen against the notebook.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou understand some of what you\u2019re describing is secondhand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour mother-in-law told you your husband misappropriated funds.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou then discovered documents supporting unauthorized transfers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd an unknown caller told you your father did not die naturally.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas the caller Daniel?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou said he admitted sending messages.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said he sent the warnings and the photograph. I never asked whether he made the call.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz wrote something.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat distinction matters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid your father\u2019s death ever involve a police investigation?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot that I know of.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCause of death?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHeart attack.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAutopsy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The answer embarrassed me.<\/p>\n<p>I had been his daughter.<\/p>\n<p>How could I not know?<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz must have seen something in my face.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople don\u2019t always ask those questions when a doctor gives them an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy husband handled everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhich hospital?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I told her.<\/p>\n<p>She wrote it down.<\/p>\n<p>An officer entered carrying evidence bags.<\/p>\n<p>The recorder.<\/p>\n<p>Documents.<\/p>\n<p>The black ledger.<\/p>\n<p>My father\u2019s letter.<\/p>\n<p>The silver key.<\/p>\n<p>Seeing them sealed behind plastic made the morning feel more real.<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz looked at the recorder.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re going to preserve the original and make a working copy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan I hear the rest?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEventually.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI need to know what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI understand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, you don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The words came out sharper than intended.<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz did not react.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father died two days after writing me a letter saying my husband was dangerous. Twelve years later, I hear my husband threatening him on a recording. I need to know what happened in those forty-seven minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She held my gaze.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo do I.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That quiet answer steadied me.<\/p>\n<p>An officer appeared in the doorway.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDetective?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz stepped into the hall.<\/p>\n<p>Their conversation was too low to hear.<\/p>\n<p>When she returned, her expression had changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe played enough of the recording to confirm there are at least three people in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThree?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father and Nolan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My skin prickled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked toward the porch.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stood with his back to the window.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe told me he was helping my father.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean he was at that meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan I ask him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz closed her notebook.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need everyone\u2019s statements independently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs Nolan under arrest?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s being detained while we determine what we have.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor trying to burn evidence?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe saw that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd the assault on Daniel?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe saw enough of that too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It was not the answer I wanted, but it was more than I had possessed three hours earlier.<\/p>\n<p>My phone vibrated.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca.<\/p>\n<p>My attorney.<\/p>\n<p>I answered immediately.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClaire? What happened? Your voicemail scared the hell out of me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m at the Mercer house.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe old Mercer house?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith the police.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy are you with the police?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI found my father\u2019s trust.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>Then, \u201cI\u2019m coming.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRebecca\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI said I\u2019m coming.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She hung up.<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz raised an eyebrow.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy attorney.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo I need one?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone should have counsel when large financial allegations and old death investigations are involved.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The phrase old death investigation made my stomach twist.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre you reopening my father\u2019s case?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t say that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut you\u2019re considering it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m considering facts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWait here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The next hour passed slowly.<\/p>\n<p>I watched police move through the house.<\/p>\n<p>Evidence technicians entered the basement.<\/p>\n<p>Nolan was eventually taken outside in handcuffs.<\/p>\n<p>He saw me through the kitchen window.<\/p>\n<p>He stopped.<\/p>\n<p>For a second, neither of us moved.<\/p>\n<p>Then he smiled.<\/p>\n<p>Not warmly.<\/p>\n<p>Not cruelly.<\/p>\n<p>It was the smile he used when reminding someone that a negotiation was not finished.<\/p>\n<p>My phone rang.<\/p>\n<p>Vanessa.<\/p>\n<p>I almost declined.<\/p>\n<p>Then I remembered she had answered.<\/p>\n<p>I stepped away from the window.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHello.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClaire?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI heard something happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNolan texted me before his phone went off.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe told me not to speak to you or police.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he say why?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said Daniel had resurfaced and was trying to frame him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you know about Daniel?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you know Nolan had a brother?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe told me he was an only child.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course.<\/p>\n<p>Vanessa exhaled shakily.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClaire, I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor which part?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow long have you really been together?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The silence answered before she did.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwo years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nolan had told me six months.<\/p>\n<p>I almost laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he tell you he was leaving me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLast year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat stopped him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said your father\u2019s estate was complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My pulse changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat divorce would expose financial issues that needed to be resolved first.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There it was.<\/p>\n<p>Even the affair had been governed by money.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you ever see documents?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he talk about my inheritance?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnce.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I sat straighter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said money belonging to you had been invested under his control.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe never told me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he say where?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vanessa hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut he kept talking about Switzerland.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked toward the sealed ledger.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAccounts?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI assumed so.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe met someone there twice last year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMan or woman?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA man.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cName?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe called him E.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I wrote it on a scrap of paper.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVanessa, why were you in Maui?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNolan said once he finished something with his mother, we could start over.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Something with his mother.<\/p>\n<p>My grip tightened around the pen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat something?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said she had property and documents that belonged to him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe key.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he mention a basement?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVanessa?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My skin went cold.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat if he could get into the basement before Daniel did, everything would be over.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked through the window at Daniel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Nolan know Daniel was alive?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The answer struck hard.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe told me Daniel had been blackmailing him for years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nolan had looked at Daniel in the basement and said, You died.<\/p>\n<p>Another performance.<\/p>\n<p>Another lie.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he know Daniel was coming here?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think so.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why did he act surprised?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vanessa began crying quietly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought he was getting divorced.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know that sounds stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I surprised myself with the answer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt sounds familiar.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We were both silent.<\/p>\n<p>Then she said, \u201cThere\u2019s something else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNolan had another phone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlways.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat number?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know. He never let me use it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you see him call anyone?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnce. In Maui.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said, \u2018Tell E the old woman finally gave it up.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My breath stopped.<\/p>\n<p>Evelyn.<\/p>\n<p>The key.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he know she gave it to me before he texted?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then Vanessa remembered something.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said someone at the hospital confirmed it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked down the hallway.<\/p>\n<p>Someone at the hospital.<\/p>\n<p>Someone had been watching Evelyn.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClaire?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have to go.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne more thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen Nolan left Maui, he took the first flight out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo. It doesn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause he already had a ticket.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor when?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLast night.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Before Evelyn collapsed.<\/p>\n<p>My skin chilled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat time was the flight?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEleven forty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBooked when?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCheck.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSend me everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I ended the call and immediately told Ortiz.<\/p>\n<p>She listened without interrupting.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan you get travel records?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis second phone?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we establish probable cause.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cE?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ll identify him if he exists.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca arrived twenty minutes later.<\/p>\n<p>She crossed the kitchen and hugged me hard.<\/p>\n<p>I did not realize how badly I needed it until my knees weakened.<\/p>\n<p>Then she stepped back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTell me everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I gave her the shortest version possible.<\/p>\n<p>By the end, she looked furious.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou signed estate paperwork Nolan prepared?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you still have copies?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ll get the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz returned carrying a laptop.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My heart began pounding.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe recorder?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca sat beside me.<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz placed the laptop on the table.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe made a copy. I\u2019m going to play a section.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The audio began with my father and Nolan arguing.<\/p>\n<p>Then the third voice appeared.<\/p>\n<p>A woman.<\/p>\n<p>My father said, \u201cEvelyn, you heard him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My breath left me.<\/p>\n<p>Evelyn.<\/p>\n<p>She had been there.<\/p>\n<p>The recording continued.<\/p>\n<p>Nolan said, \u201cMom, stay out of this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Evelyn replied, \u201cYou forged Claire\u2019s name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI fixed a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou stole.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI invested.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My father interrupted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou did this to your brother too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A chair scraped.<\/p>\n<p>Nolan\u2019s voice sharpened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel is a criminal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My father replied, \u201cDaniel is standing outside.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Ortiz.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel was there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She nodded.<\/p>\n<p>On the recording, my father continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe gave me the original records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nolan said, \u201cYou have no idea what he\u2019s capable of.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Evelyn answered, \u201cI know what you are capable of.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>Then another sound.<\/p>\n<p>A door opening.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s younger voice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou wanted proof? Here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Four people.<\/p>\n<p>My father.<\/p>\n<p>Nolan.<\/p>\n<p>Evelyn.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel.<\/p>\n<p>The argument intensified.<\/p>\n<p>My father said he would go to the police.<\/p>\n<p>Nolan demanded the documents.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel refused.<\/p>\n<p>Then something crashed.<\/p>\n<p>Evelyn shouted.<\/p>\n<p>My father cursed.<\/p>\n<p>The recording became chaotic.<\/p>\n<p>Someone said, \u201cDon\u2019t touch him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then came a sound I will never forget.<\/p>\n<p>A dull impact.<\/p>\n<p>A body hitting something hard.<\/p>\n<p>The recording continued for six seconds.<\/p>\n<p>No one spoke.<\/p>\n<p>Then Daniel whispered, \u201cOh, God.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My hands went cold.<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz paused the audio.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need the rest before drawing conclusions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlay it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClaire\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlay it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca put a hand on my arm.<\/p>\n<p>I looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlease.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz resumed.<\/p>\n<p>Evelyn was crying.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel said, \u201cCall an ambulance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nolan answered, \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My chest tightened.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel shouted, \u201cHe hit his head!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nolan said, \u201cIf we call anyone, all of us are finished.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Evelyn screamed, \u201cHe needs help!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then my father\u2019s voice appeared.<\/p>\n<p>Weak.<\/p>\n<p>Barely audible.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n<p>The recording ended.<\/p>\n<p>Just like that.<\/p>\n<p>Forty-seven minutes and twelve seconds.<\/p>\n<p>No ambulance.<\/p>\n<p>No explanation.<\/p>\n<p>No final conversation.<\/p>\n<p>Only my name.<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz closed the laptop.<\/p>\n<p>I stood because I could not remain seated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened after that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvelyn knows.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel knows.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Nolan knows.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked toward the hospital in my mind.<\/p>\n<p>Evelyn lying beneath white blankets.<\/p>\n<p>Evelyn telling me she was ashamed.<\/p>\n<p>Evelyn saying my father became frightened before his death.<\/p>\n<p>She had not told me she was there when he was injured.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTake me to her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz shook her head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe could die.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen we don\u2019t have time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca rose beside me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz considered us.<\/p>\n<p>Then an officer entered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDetective.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He handed her a phone.<\/p>\n<p>She read something on the screen.<\/p>\n<p>Her expression tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe hospital called.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvelyn?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s conscious.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I exhaled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut someone entered her room forty minutes ago using a staff access badge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My skin went cold.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen the nurse returned, Evelyn\u2019s oxygen line had been disconnected.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=11621\">Click here to continue reading: PART 7: Someone Tried to Silence Evelyn Before She Could Tell Me the Truth About the Night My Father Never Came Home<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By the time the police brought us upstairs, dawn had begun bleaching the sky behind the trees. The Mercer house looked even worse in daylight. Dust coated the furniture. Water &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11614,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11620","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\/11620","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=11620"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11620\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11644,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11620\/revisions\/11644"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11614"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}