Daniel looked older beneath fluorescent police-station lights.<\/p>\n
The confidence he had carried into the basement was gone.<\/p>\n
A bruise darkened one cheek where Nolan had struck him.<\/p>\n
His hands rested flat on the interview table.<\/p>\n
Ortiz sat beside me.<\/p>\n
Rebecca remained behind the glass.<\/p>\n
Daniel had agreed to speak with police present.<\/p>\n
That mattered.<\/p>\n
It did not make me trust him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou lied.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were at the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou watched my father die.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes lowered.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen start there.\u201d<\/p>\n
He inhaled slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cCharles called me from Kessler\u2019s car.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter leaving his office?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew he was sick?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me to meet them at the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had given Kessler the Voss file, but he still had copies of other records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe insurance?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAmong them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he know you received money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
I studied him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you learn about the policy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat night.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore or after he died?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at Ortiz.<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Charles arrived, he was conscious but weak. Kessler helped him inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t they use the emergency entrance?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKessler said Voss had arranged a private room.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVoss was there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe arrived minutes later.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Nolan?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Dad tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat he had been poisoned.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words were direct.<\/p>\n
No softening.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVoss had found digitalis.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Dad accuse Nolan?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas he certain?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
That mattered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he ask you to do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTake the records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe thought Nolan would try to get them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that why you had the storage unit?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat became part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cCharles asked me to make sure you received everything if he died.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anger rose.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou waited twelve years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou had one job.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause ten minutes later I learned something that made me question what Charles had given me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan arrived.\u201d<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had a copy of an insurance policy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe five million.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe accused me of arranging it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause D.M. Strategic Holdings was listed to receive part of the proceeds.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWere you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou expect me to believe Nolan secretly arranged to give you three quarters of a million dollars?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen explain it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cD.M. Strategic was not originally mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose was it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid Mercer.\u201d<\/p>\n
D.M.<\/p>\n
Not Daniel Mercer.<\/p>\n
David Mercer.<\/p>\n
Their father.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father created it decades ago. After he died, Nolan took control of several dormant entities.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how did it become yours?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI reclaimed it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter Charles died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo the insurance payment went into an account Nolan controlled.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you later took the company.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the money still inside?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeven hundred fifty thousand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Exactly what the records showed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy keep it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it was originally money Nolan stole from our father\u2019s company.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat wasn\u2019t your decision to make.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew it came from insurance on my father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you kept it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The admission sat between us.<\/p>\n
No justification could clean it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Dad ask you to do at the hospital?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked toward the observation glass.<\/p>\n
Then back at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot the records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked me to get you.\u201d<\/p>\n
My chest tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wanted me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you call?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n
I shook my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI called your house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan answered.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat you were asleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said you had taken medication because you were distraught.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hadn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said bringing you to the hospital would make things worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you listened to him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s voice sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI drove to your house.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI reached your street around twelve thirty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never saw you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour lights were off.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey weren\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knocked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one knocked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mind searched the memory.<\/p>\n
That night.<\/p>\n
I had been waiting for news about Dad.<\/p>\n
Nolan had told me Dad was being evaluated.<\/p>\n
Then Nolan called again after midnight and told me to try to sleep.<\/p>\n
I remembered making tea.<\/p>\n
I remembered sitting on the sofa.<\/p>\n
Then\u2014<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
A blank stretch.<\/p>\n
I looked at Ortiz.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
She saw it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t remember part of that night.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel watched me.<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan told me you were sedated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCould he have given you something?\u201d<\/p>\n
The question chilled me.<\/p>\n
Tea.<\/p>\n
Nolan had prepared it before leaving.<\/p>\n
I remembered that.<\/p>\n
Chamomile.<\/p>\n
Honey.<\/p>\n
A strange bitter taste I blamed on an old tea bag.<\/p>\n
\u201cI fell asleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat time?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t wake until morning?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI should have broken the door down.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He accepted it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened when you returned to the hospital?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCharles was worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas Nolan there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVoss?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKessler?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Dad say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked where you were.\u201d<\/p>\n
My throat tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you tell him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat I couldn\u2019t wake you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pain crossed Daniel\u2019s face.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe understood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat were his exact words?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said, \u2018Then Nolan got to her first.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked away.<\/p>\n
For twelve years, I had believed I missed my father\u2019s final hours because death moved faster than anyone expected.<\/p>\n
Now I knew someone may have made sure I slept through them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened next?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCharles started having trouble breathing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid hospital staff help?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVoss kept other staff away.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said Charles was his private patient.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCould he do that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat treatment did he give?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you see injections?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat were they?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Dad improve?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter the first one, briefly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the second?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
My hands became cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow soon after the second injection did he die?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout fifteen minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you see who administered it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVoss.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas Nolan present?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Nolan instruct Voss?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t hear him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid they speak privately?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about Kessler?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe left before the second injection.\u201d<\/p>\n
That matched the timeline.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI confronted Voss.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me Charles was dying from cardiac complications caused by digitalis.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you believe him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat changed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter Charles died, Nolan gave Voss something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAn envelope.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMoney?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI assumed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you see inside?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to Dad\u2019s statement?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI took it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Voss tried to destroy it.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father\u2019s handwritten statement.<\/p>\n
The one found in Daniel\u2019s storage unit.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you protected evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then hid it for twelve years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Nolan threatened Evelyn.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat if I went to police, he would prove she helped forge the insurance documents.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe did sign them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe also said he would prove she poisoned Charles.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cCould he?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you suspect her?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe had access to the water.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo did you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you poison my father?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Evelyn?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Nolan?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen who?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel rubbed his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is one thing I never told anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz sat straighter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore the meeting at the Mercer house, I arrived early.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow early?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwenty minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho was there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn was preparing coffee and water.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe filled a pitcher.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you see her put anything in it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what matters?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe left the room.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKessler came inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cKessler was at the house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor less than two minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said Voss sent him with documents.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he touch the pitcher?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse accelerated.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe took something from his pocket.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t see.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe leaned over the counter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you ask him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought he was taking medication himself.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou saw the man who later worked for Voss standing over the water my father drank, and you never told anyone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t connect it until after Charles died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKessler disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn\u2019t disappear. He drove Dad to the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean afterward.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you confront him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYears later.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s eyes met mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said the digitalis was never meant for Charles.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room became completely silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho was it meant for?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wouldn\u2019t tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you believe him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Charles wasn\u2019t supposed to drink from that glass.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart thudded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat glass?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe water Evelyn poured was for someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked toward the observation window.<\/p>\n
Then back at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re saying someone tried to poison Nolan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is what Kessler claimed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Dad drank it by mistake?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho would want Nolan poisoned?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel gave a tired, bitter laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy then?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe list was long.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz\u2019s phone vibrated.<\/p>\n
She read the message.<\/p>\n
Her expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
She stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cForensics got a preliminary match on the blood from Daniel\u2019s car.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt isn\u2019t mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKessler?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
Ortiz looked directly at Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt belongs to Elias Voss.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked older beneath fluorescent police-station lights. The confidence he had carried into the basement was gone. A bruise darkened one cheek where Nolan had struck him. His hands rested … <\/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-11625","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\/11625","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=11625"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11625\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11649,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11625\/revisions\/11649"}],"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=11625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}