The first thing Ortiz did was lock down every exit from the hospital.<\/p>\n
The second was tell me not to leave the floor.<\/p>\n
I obeyed neither instinct nor anger. I stayed because running after Nolan without knowing where he had gone would only make me another person the police had to find.<\/p>\n
But standing still felt unbearable.<\/p>\n
The transport van had left through the service entrance less than seven minutes earlier. Security footage showed Nolan wearing a stolen staff jacket and cap, pushing Evelyn\u2019s wheelchair himself. The real orderly assigned to her had been found unconscious in a linen room with a head injury that appeared serious but not life-threatening.<\/p>\n
Nolan had planned enough to disguise himself.<\/p>\n
Not enough to hide his face from every camera.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew where the blind spots were,\u201d Ortiz said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019d been here often.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor Evelyn?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd possibly for Mercer Health.\u201d<\/p>\n
That company again.<\/p>\n
My name attached to rooms I had never entered, accounts I had never opened, people I had never hired.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you track the van?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey disabled the hospital GPS.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan may not be alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought of Evelyn\u2019s note.<\/p>\n
Find Daniel before Nolan does.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is Daniel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn custody.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen Nolan can\u2019t reach him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot physically.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means we don\u2019t know what Nolan thinks Daniel has.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pulled out my phone.<\/p>\n
The photograph of my father\u2019s final statement was still on the screen.<\/p>\n
Daniel Mercer is my son.<\/p>\n
The words felt impossible despite the evidence.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes Daniel know?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout Charles?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe told him enough to explain why he could be in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked to see you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe won\u2019t say.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course he wouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Everyone still believed truth was something to ration.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to talk to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz looked toward the elevators.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo do I.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel was brought to an interview room at the station under guard.<\/p>\n
By then, the hospital van had been found abandoned behind an old shopping center.<\/p>\n
Blood marked the passenger-side door.<\/p>\n
Not much.<\/p>\n
No bodies.<\/p>\n
No Evelyn.<\/p>\n
No Nolan.<\/p>\n
A witness reported seeing a dark sedan leave the area moments later.<\/p>\n
The license plate had been stolen.<\/p>\n
When Daniel entered the interview room, he looked at me and immediately knew something had changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan took Evelyn.\u201d<\/p>\n
He froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHospital transport van.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLess than two hours ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel swore under his breath.<\/p>\n
Ortiz sat across from him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would Nolan take her?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knows.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer came too fast.<\/p>\n
\u201cKnows what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout Charles.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father too.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes dropped.<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot until recently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow recently?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeven years.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeven years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everything had happened seven years ago.<\/p>\n
Evelyn\u2019s fall.<\/p>\n
Kessler giving her Voss records.<\/p>\n
Nolan searching the house.<\/p>\n
Daniel reappearing.<\/p>\n
The trust investigation.<\/p>\n
The hidden keys.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou found out then.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho told you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat back.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I was threatening to expose Nolan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does your parentage have to do with that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe thought it would stop me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause exposing Nolan risked exposing everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat everything?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked toward Ortiz.<\/p>\n
She said nothing.<\/p>\n
He turned back to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid Mercer knew I wasn\u2019t his.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan\u2019s father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Nolan know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid David treat you differently?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he resent you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel gave a bitter smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore than sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he know Charles was your father?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what did he believe?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Margaret had an affair.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe never knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did she take you in?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Margaret was dying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf the overdose?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore that.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was sick?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAddicted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause of Elias?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause of herself too.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer was less convenient than blaming one villain.<\/p>\n
I appreciated that.<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret asked Evelyn to take you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy Evelyn?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey knew each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough Elias.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everything ran through Voss.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was Evelyn doing around Voss?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told you she wasn\u2019t innocent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe worked for him.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn what way?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBookkeeping.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore Nolan was born.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA few years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Evelyn understood Vale.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe understood the laundering system.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cParts of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd she still acted confused.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe spent years convincing herself that what she did back then didn\u2019t count because she left.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did she leave?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Margaret overdosed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Evelyn think Elias caused it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo she took you to protect you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd raised you with David.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen had Nolan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat quietly.<\/p>\n
Nolan and Daniel had spent their childhood as brothers.<\/p>\n
Only one had been Evelyn\u2019s biological son.<\/p>\n
The other had been the child she chose to save.<\/p>\n
That complicated everything.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would Nolan care now that you\u2019re Charles\u2019s son?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked directly at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause of the holdings.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Charles\u2019s final amendment is challenged, bloodline matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca, seated behind me, leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot necessarily.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot legally under the amendment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause there were earlier documents.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat documents?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore Charles gave everything to Claire, he had drafted a split.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt anger rise again.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou. Elizabeth. Me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree children.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEqual thirds.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Dad sign it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen it doesn\u2019t matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo Nolan, it does.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he thinks I still have a copy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA draft copy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat good is an unsigned draft?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOn its own, none.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was another document.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz\u2019s expression sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat document?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA paternity acknowledgment.\u201d<\/p>\n
My chest tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSigned by Charles?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel did not answer.<\/p>\n
I felt my patience snap.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that what Nolan wants?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you have it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cSafe.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Everyone keeps one more secret in reserve and calls it caution.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pointed toward the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan has Evelyn. A man has been shot. Voss nearly died. My father is dead. My mother\u2019s grave was opened because Nolan hid evidence inside it. And you are still deciding which paper is too important to mention.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel took the anger without interrupting.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is the acknowledgment?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my storage unit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one police searched?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s another.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz muttered something under her breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA private vault.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cZurich?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGive her the location.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at me rather than Ortiz.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Nolan gets that document, he can use it to claim Charles considered me a beneficiary.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout a will?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn\u2019t need to win.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe needs delay.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca understood first.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe can tie up Bennett Family Holdings.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would Nolan care now? He has criminal exposure everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause money is leverage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz said, \u201cEscape money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDefense money,\u201d Daniel replied. \u201cSettlement money. Payments. Silence.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho else knows about the paternity acknowledgment?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knows it exists.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cElizabeth?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKessler?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVoss?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDefinitely.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
Ortiz stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe retrieve it now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll need me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBiometric lock.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMine.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou built a vault with biometric access?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve spent twenty-five years being hunted by people who forge signatures.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fair.<\/p>\n
Ortiz arranged the transfer.<\/p>\n
Before we left, my phone rang.<\/p>\n
Unknown number.<\/p>\n
Everyone froze.<\/p>\n
Ortiz nodded.<\/p>\n
I answered on speaker.<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Then Evelyn.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice was weak.<\/p>\n
I gripped the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t ask.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Nolan hurt you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the background I heard a vehicle.<\/p>\n
Road noise.<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan is with you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPut him on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
That surprised me.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cListen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice sharpened in the way it had when she first made me call Nolan from the hospital.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou cannot give him Daniel\u2019s paper.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n
His face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know about the acknowledgment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan wants it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Charles wrote more than paternity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat more?\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn started coughing.<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a second page.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel went pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat second page?\u201d<\/p>\n
He leaned toward the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn heard him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, thank God.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat second page?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou never saw it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn began crying.<\/p>\n
\u201cCharles added instructions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat instructions?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor his children.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Ortiz.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn lowered her voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan thinks it identifies the person who ordered Claire\u2019s poisoning.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went completely still.<\/p>\n
Daniel whispered, \u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow would Charles know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe learned at the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn did not answer.<\/p>\n
Then Nolan\u2019s voice appeared faintly in the background.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough.\u201d<\/p>\n
I heard movement.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn!\u201d<\/p>\n
The phone changed hands.<\/p>\n
Nolan came on.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice was tired.<\/p>\n
Not frantic.<\/p>\n
That scared me more.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet her go.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I have what I need.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel\u2019s acknowledgment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe full document.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says he only saw one page.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how do you know there\u2019s another?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDad told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou mean Charles?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nolan\u2019s voice hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father.\u201d<\/p>\n
David Mercer.<\/p>\n
Another dead man.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did David know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMore than everyone thinks.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did he tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore he died.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n
He was visibly shaken.<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan, where is Evelyn?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSafe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou pushed her down stairs once.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo forgive me if your word is worthless.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t hurt her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou already did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe acknowledgment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if I give it to you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom walks away.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI disappear.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz\u2019s expression hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nolan laughed softly through the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI assume Ortiz is listening.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cDetective, if you\u2019re there, understand something. If you follow us, I destroy the second page.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel leaned toward the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t have it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I know where it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019m buying with your document.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan, who ordered the poisoning?\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause once you know, everything gets worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything is already worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou still think Charles was the center of this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was my father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou delayed help.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou stole from me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou drugged me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI kept you asleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s called drugging.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you wouldn\u2019t follow me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo the hospital?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought whoever had tried to poison you might try again.\u201d<\/p>\n
That confirmed what my father had written.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you still didn\u2019t tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could. You chose not to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
His honesty no longer comforted me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBring Daniel to the old Mercer mill.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stood abruptly.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nolan heard him.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrother.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t call me that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nolan gave a small laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cI suppose we\u2019re done pretending.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou kidnapped Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe came willingly at first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn shouted something in the background.<\/p>\n
Nolan spoke over her.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne hour.\u201d<\/p>\n
The line went dead.<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at Ortiz.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Mercer mill is abandoned.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLayout?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLarge.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEntrances?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSix at least.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSurveillance?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably Nolan\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz began issuing orders.<\/p>\n
I looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did David tell Nolan before he died?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did David die?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwenty-three years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked toward the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cHeart attack.\u201d<\/p>\n
The same answer.<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas Voss involved?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s silence said enough.<\/p>\n
Ortiz stopped speaking into her radio.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas David Mercer\u2019s death investigated?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAutopsy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho signed the death certificate?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cElias Voss.\u201d<\/p>\n
A cold certainty settled over me.<\/p>\n
There had never been one death.<\/p>\n
There had never been one family.<\/p>\n
There had never been one crime.<\/p>\n
The entire structure had been built on repeating the same method until everyone stopped seeing the pattern.<\/p>\n
I looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan thinks the second page says who tried to kill me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd David knew something before he died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if the second page isn\u2019t about the poisoning twelve years ago?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else could it be about?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward the photograph of Evelyn\u2019s note on Ortiz\u2019s phone.<\/p>\n
Find Daniel before Nolan does.<\/p>\n
Maybe Evelyn had not been afraid Nolan would kill Daniel.<\/p>\n
Maybe she was afraid Nolan would finally learn what their father had hidden from both of them.<\/p>\n
I turned toward Ortiz.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not going to the mill empty-handed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe get Daniel\u2019s document first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if there really is a second page?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we find out why everyone has been willing to kill for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The first thing Ortiz did was lock down every exit from the hospital. The second was tell me not to leave the floor. I obeyed neither instinct nor anger. I … <\/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-11631","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\/11631","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=11631"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11631\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11655,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11631\/revisions\/11655"}],"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=11631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}