{"id":13369,"date":"2026-09-18T18:40:45","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T18:40:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=13369"},"modified":"2026-09-18T18:40:45","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T18:40:45","slug":"part-11-vanessas-email-put-her-inside-the-financing-scheme-but-her-confession-revealed-why-daniel-had-needed-my-passport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=13369","title":{"rendered":"PART 11 \u2013 Vanessa\u2019s Email Put Her Inside the Financing Scheme, but Her Confession Revealed Why Daniel Had Needed My Passport"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Vanessa answered my call only after Daniel had been gone twenty minutes.<\/p>\n<p>She whispered, \u201cClaire?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel is coming there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another pause.<\/p>\n<p>Then, \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know why.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI really don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour email sent my passport to the lender.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>I could hear traffic somewhere behind her.<\/p>\n<p>She was not at home.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVanessa.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can explain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m driving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClaire, please.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre you going to Elliot?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The answer was immediate.<\/p>\n<p>I no longer trusted immediate answers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you call him this morning?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you email him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVanessa.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe called me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard, standing beside me, wrote something on a pad.<\/p>\n<p>WHEN?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis morning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat time?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter Daniel came over.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Richard.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel came to you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe told me you went home after the train.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd then?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe came over this morning because he was angry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore he came to the townhouse?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat you\u2019d gone to your father.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnything about Brighton?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said Richard would probably find it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnything about the loan?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot the amount.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he tell you my signature had been copied?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her voice broke.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI swear.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why did you send my passport?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t know what it was for.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow did you get it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel gave me a scan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard stopped writing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMonths ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said Elliot needed identity verification because you might become an investor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was not an investor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know that now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew it then.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew I didn\u2019t know about North Shore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She said nothing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat means you knew I had not agreed to invest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel said he was going to tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter he had everything lined up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked toward the office.<\/p>\n<p>The phrase in Daniel\u2019s handwriting returned.<\/p>\n<p>Ask Claire after baby. Easier then.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou emailed my passport anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy from your account?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBrighton didn\u2019t have a real administrative email yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo you were its administrator.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTechnically.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEarlier you said it was temporary.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo Daniel\u2019s name wouldn\u2019t be on everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That sentence changed the room.<\/p>\n<p>Richard\u2019s pen stopped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy couldn\u2019t Daniel\u2019s name be on everything?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVanessa.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said because of Halcyon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard and I exchanged a look.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about Halcyon?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said lenders might ask questions if he was the primary sponsor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou never asked?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said there had been compliance problems at the old firm and he didn\u2019t want irrelevant history complicating the deal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So Brighton Meridian was not merely convenient.<\/p>\n<p>It concealed Daniel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Elliot suggest using you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think so.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you understand that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot really.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou signed the company paperwork.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou let them use your address.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou sent my passport.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou received money from my account.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t receive all of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere did it go?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel told me to transfer some to Elliot.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard moved closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe twenty-eight thousand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo Elliot personally?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo another company.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat company?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLook at your records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m driving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPull over.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPull over.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For once, she obeyed without arguing.<\/p>\n<p>I heard the indicator clicking, tires over rough pavement, then silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOpen your banking app.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t talk and\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen stop the call and send screenshots.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t want to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Daniel will be furious.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I almost could not believe it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re still worried about Daniel being angry?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen help me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her breathing became uneven.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe owes Elliot money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard\u2019s head came up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore North Shore?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow long before?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYears.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I felt the entire investigation shift beneath my feet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat kind of debt?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Daniel tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot directly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow did you find out?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI heard them arguing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLast summer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cElliot said Daniel had promised to make him whole.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard wrote the phrase exactly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Daniel say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat North Shore would fix everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I sat down.<\/p>\n<p>The acquisition was not merely Daniel\u2019s attempt to prove himself.<\/p>\n<p>It might have been a rescue.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Elliot lose?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHalcyon?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think so.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy would Daniel owe him for something that happened at Halcyon?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The repetition frustrated me, but this time I believed her.<\/p>\n<p>Vanessa had been useful precisely because she knew enough to perform tasks and not enough to understand them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSend the transfers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She began crying.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m scared.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat I did something illegal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Richard.<\/p>\n<p>He shook his head slightly, warning me not to advise her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t answer that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have Richard there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe represents me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan he represent me too?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard shook his head more firmly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVanessa, you need your own lawyer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She made a small sound.<\/p>\n<p>That frightened her more than anything else I had said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lawyer?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh my God.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cListen to me. Don\u2019t delete anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel told me to clean up the Brighton files.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard and I both froze.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis morning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat exactly did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said the deal was dead and I should clean everything up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he say delete?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said clear out the old documents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEmails. Drafts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard held out his hand for my phone.<\/p>\n<p>I switched to speaker and placed it on the desk.<\/p>\n<p>He said, \u201cVanessa, this is Richard Bell. I do not represent you. Do you understand?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo not delete anything else. Do not alter devices or accounts. Speak with independent counsel as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAm I in trouble?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI cannot advise you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She began crying harder.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t forge anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard said, \u201cI didn\u2019t say you did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I leaned toward the phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho did?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou sent my passport.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho asked you to?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he send you the copy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you ever send samples of my signature?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Elliot ask?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>My skin prickled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVanessa.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnce.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOctober.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he ask for?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe wanted an example of how you signed legal documents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you send?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why did he ask?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said the lender wanted to make sure the consent form matched identification.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat makes no sense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you tell Daniel?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI forwarded the email.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe told me to ignore it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That helped Daniel.<\/p>\n<p>For once.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you still have that email?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t search while driving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m parked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen look.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I heard tapping.<\/p>\n<p>A minute passed.<\/p>\n<p>Then Vanessa inhaled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cForward it to Richard.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He gave her an address.<\/p>\n<p>Seconds later his computer chimed.<\/p>\n<p>He opened the message.<\/p>\n<p>The email was exactly as Vanessa described.<\/p>\n<p>Elliot had asked:<\/p>\n<p>Need specimen signature for CWH. Any executed docs available?<\/p>\n<p>Vanessa had forwarded it to Daniel.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s reply appeared beneath.<\/p>\n<p>No. Do not send him anything. Claire has not approved.<\/p>\n<p>I stared at the screen.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time all day, documentary evidence supported Daniel.<\/p>\n<p>Not completely.<\/p>\n<p>But clearly.<\/p>\n<p>He had told Vanessa not to provide a signature.<\/p>\n<p>Richard said, \u201cThat matters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I nodded.<\/p>\n<p>My emotions did not know what to do with the information.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel had stolen from me.<\/p>\n<p>Hidden the acquisition.<\/p>\n<p>Supplied my passport.<\/p>\n<p>Discussed my assets.<\/p>\n<p>Allowed the financing process to continue after learning Elliot was pushing for consent.<\/p>\n<p>But he had also explicitly written that I had not approved.<\/p>\n<p>People were easier when they were entirely guilty or entirely innocent.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel was neither.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened after that?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>Vanessa sniffed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cElliot got a signature somehow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know how.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard searched the forwarded chain.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s an attachment from Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I leaned closer.<\/p>\n<p>It was a PDF.<\/p>\n<p>A household insurance renewal.<\/p>\n<p>Signed by me.<\/p>\n<p>My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n<p>The date was six weeks before Elliot\u2019s request.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy did Daniel send you this?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vanessa hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe asked me to print it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSeptember.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was at a client meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you send it to Elliot?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Elliot have access to your email?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Brighton?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI used the same password for some things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard looked up sharply.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat things?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEmail. Document storage. The lender portal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho knew the password?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnyone else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cElliot.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There it was.<\/p>\n<p>Richard leaned back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo Elliot potentially had credentials that could access an email account containing a document with Claire\u2019s genuine signature.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vanessa went silent.<\/p>\n<p>I felt sick.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Daniel?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A car horn sounded faintly through the phone.<\/p>\n<p>Then Vanessa gasped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel\u2019s calling.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnswer him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t want to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou should tell him you\u2019re safe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard raised a finger.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut do not discuss documents until you have counsel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I repeated that.<\/p>\n<p>Vanessa ended the call.<\/p>\n<p>For several seconds Richard and I sat silently.<\/p>\n<p>Then he said, \u201cThis changes the forgery question.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt could have been Elliot.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWithout Daniel knowing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I should have felt relief.<\/p>\n<p>Instead the truth became messier.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes it change the money?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe hidden deal?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe passport?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe house?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe note about after the baby?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I nodded.<\/p>\n<p>One piece becoming less terrible did not repair the rest.<\/p>\n<p>My phone rang again.<\/p>\n<p>This time it was Daniel.<\/p>\n<p>I answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVanessa isn\u2019t home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is she?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s safe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou talked to her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did she tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat you owe Elliot money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>Long enough that I knew she had finally reached the part Daniel had never intended me to discover.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>He did not answer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His voice came back quieter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClaire, that has nothing to do with you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at the townhouse around me.<\/p>\n<p>At the binder.<\/p>\n<p>At my passport on the lender file.<\/p>\n<p>At thirty-eight thousand dollars from my account.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt became about me when you started paying him with my money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wasn\u2019t paying a debt.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat were you paying?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDeal expenses.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why did he say North Shore would make him whole?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel said nothing.<\/p>\n<p>I heard a car engine on his end.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDriving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>Then said, \u201cI\u2019m going to find Elliot.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard immediately shook his head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI need to talk to him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo. You need to preserve everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe forged your signature.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t know that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The certainty in Daniel\u2019s voice stopped me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel, how do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He breathed out.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause he\u2019s done it before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I gripped the phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo whom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel did not answer immediately.<\/p>\n<p>When he finally did, his voice was barely above a whisper.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo me.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=13370\">Click here to continue reading: PART 12: Daniel\u2019s Secret From Halcyon Finally Explained His Debt to Elliot, and Why North Shore Had Become More Than an Investment<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Vanessa answered my call only after Daniel had been gone twenty minutes. She whispered, \u201cClaire?\u201d \u201cWhere are you?\u201d A pause. \u201cAt home.\u201d \u201cDaniel is coming there.\u201d Another pause. Then, \u201cWhy?\u201d &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13358,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13369","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\/13369","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=13369"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13369\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13393,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13369\/revisions\/13393"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}