{"id":14882,"date":"2026-09-20T15:34:50","date_gmt":"2026-09-20T15:34:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=14882"},"modified":"2026-09-20T15:34:50","modified_gmt":"2026-09-20T15:34:50","slug":"part-9-peter-vance-walked-into-my-house-with-a-settlement-offer-but-he-had-no-idea-i-had-already-read-my-mothers-warning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=14882","title":{"rendered":"PART 9 \u2013 Peter Vance Walked Into My House With a Settlement Offer, but He Had No Idea I Had Already Read My Mother\u2019s Warning"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I folded my mother\u2019s letter before I opened the office door.<\/p>\n<p>Downstairs, nobody was shouting. That frightened me more than raised voices would have. David\u2019s tone was low and controlled, the voice he used with bankers and contractors when he wanted everyone to believe a difficult situation remained manageable.<\/p>\n<p>Peter Vance answered him just as quietly.<\/p>\n<p>I slipped the letter into the inside pocket of my cardigan and left the rest of the packet on the desk. Before stepping into the hallway, I locked the office door behind me and put the key in my pocket.<\/p>\n<p>David looked up when I reached the bottom of the stairs.<\/p>\n<p>Peter stood beside him.<\/p>\n<p>He was perhaps fifty, lean, neatly dressed in a charcoal coat over a pale blue shirt. His hair was iron gray at the temples. Nothing about him matched the threatening figure I had unconsciously constructed while reading my mother\u2019s letter. He looked like someone who might sit beside you in an airport lounge and complain politely about delayed flights.<\/p>\n<p>That normality disturbed me.<\/p>\n<p>Brenda stood near the kitchen doorway with her arms folded.<\/p>\n<p>She looked furious.<\/p>\n<p>Peter smiled when he saw me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSarah.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stopped several feet away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have never met. Don&#39;t use my first name like we have.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His smile faded slightly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFair enough. Mrs. Harrison.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He waited.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMs. Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David\u2019s eyes flickered toward me.<\/p>\n<p>I had not used my maiden name socially in nine years.<\/p>\n<p>Peter nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMs. Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat are you doing in my house?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI asked him to come.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI asked you to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI did leave.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd then you brought him back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI brought someone who can explain what is actually happening.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Peter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI believe so.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen explain why my husband was discussing my inheritance with you while my mother was dying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David closed his eyes briefly.<\/p>\n<p>Peter did not.<\/p>\n<p>That interested me.<\/p>\n<p>He seemed prepared for the question.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was involved in financing arrangements with your husband and his brother.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cArrangements built around money neither of them owned.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot initially.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He adjusted one cuff.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEventually, anticipated family liquidity was discussed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I almost admired the phrase.<\/p>\n<p>Anticipated family liquidity.<\/p>\n<p>A dying woman\u2019s estate transformed into something sterile enough to put in a spreadsheet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy mother had a name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Peter nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvelyn Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hearing him say it made something tighten inside me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot personally.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew who she was.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you know who she was before you financed Jason?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A pause.<\/p>\n<p>Small.<\/p>\n<p>But there.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot when I first met Jason.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen did you find out?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLater.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much later?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Peter glanced at David.<\/p>\n<p>I noticed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo you rehearsed this conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David said, \u201cSarah.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon&#39;t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Peter raised one hand slightly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo one rehearsed anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou came to the home of a woman whose property appeared in forged financing documents, accompanied by the husband who transmitted those documents. You did not come here casually.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brenda looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>Peter\u2019s expression changed.<\/p>\n<p>The polite visitor disappeared.<\/p>\n<p>The professional negotiator remained.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI understand you&#39;ve found certain preliminary paperwork.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cForged paperwork.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI cannot speak to its origin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou received it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy office received many documents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you rely on it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo transaction involving your home was completed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Again, the defense was that the attempt had failed.<\/p>\n<p>I said, \u201cDid you know my signature was false?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you know I had not agreed?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDavid told you I was aware.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was my understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAwareness and consent are different.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo why did you proceed?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe didn&#39;t proceed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>He was good.<\/p>\n<p>Careful.<\/p>\n<p>Every answer technically responsive and strategically incomplete.<\/p>\n<p>My mother would have hated him.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps she had.<\/p>\n<p>I walked into the kitchen and placed my phone on the island.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSamuel is still available.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou&#39;re recording this?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI haven&#39;t started recording anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Peter looked at the phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore any recording begins, I would prefer counsel present.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen perhaps you shouldn&#39;t have come to my house without yours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For the first time, Brenda almost smiled.<\/p>\n<p>Peter noticed.<\/p>\n<p>He removed his coat and laid it across the back of a chair but did not sit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI came because David told me documents had surfaced and that misunderstandings were escalating.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMisunderstandings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy forged signature is a misunderstanding?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI said there are misunderstandings surrounding the larger situation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSuch as?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He considered the question.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour husband did not intend to steal your inheritance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David exhaled, relieved to hear someone say it.<\/p>\n<p>I looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>Peter continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was attempting to prevent cascading defaults involving multiple parties. The expectation was that, once your mother\u2019s estate settled, David would discuss a voluntary family restructuring with you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I let the words settle.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVoluntary.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter he had already told creditors the money could resolve his exposure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Peter did not answer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter he told Jason.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter he told Brenda.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brenda\u2019s mouth tightened.<\/p>\n<p>Peter said, \u201cThere were assumptions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMade by everyone except the person who owned the money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He lowered his voice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is fair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David turned toward him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Peter ignored him.<\/p>\n<p>That interested me too.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps he had not come to rescue David.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps David merely believed he had.<\/p>\n<p>I asked, \u201cWhy did you meet Michael Carter?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Peter\u2019s expression changed for the first time.<\/p>\n<p>Not dramatically.<\/p>\n<p>A narrowing of the eyes.<\/p>\n<p>A stillness around the mouth.<\/p>\n<p>David looked at me sharply.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow do you know about that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I almost laughed.<\/p>\n<p>My mother had been right.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you have to ask what I know before answering, then you already understand the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Peter pulled out a chair.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMay I sit?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can stand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He remained standing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, I met Michael Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnce?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mother\u2019s letter had mentioned David taking Peter to the second meeting. Perhaps there had been another.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDenver.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Michael had information relevant to certain historical assets.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCarter Meridian.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Peter studied me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know the name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know more than you hoped I did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David said, \u201cSarah, nobody hoped you wouldn&#39;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I turned toward him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy mother specifically warned me not to believe you if you claimed ignorance about Peter\u2019s identity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His face emptied.<\/p>\n<p>Brenda whispered, \u201cEvelyn wrote that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Peter looked at David.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time since entering, he appeared genuinely irritated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou told me she hadn&#39;t left Sarah details.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David said nothing.<\/p>\n<p>That was a revelation I had not expected.<\/p>\n<p>Peter had been operating under assumptions David supplied.<\/p>\n<p>I filed it away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Michael have that you wanted?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Peter\u2019s attention returned to me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDocuments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat documents?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRecords from Carter Meridian.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy mother had records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat was missing?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAn original ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The word meant little to me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat ledger?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Peter looked toward the window.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwenty-five years ago, when Carter Meridian was sold, several financial accounts were disputed. Your father claimed certain investments had been made outside the partnership structure. My father disagreed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel Vance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou&#39;re saying your father had a claim against my parents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am saying there were unresolved questions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy mother\u2019s letter says the company was sold and everyone received a settlement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is true.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen what remains unresolved?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe settlement relied on representations about what assets existed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I felt the first hint of a deeper problem.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat assets?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAn investment fund.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOwned by whom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is exactly the question.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David stepped closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeter, we don&#39;t need to get into ancient history.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Peter turned toward him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think we do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Their alliance was cracking.<\/p>\n<p>Good.<\/p>\n<p>I said, \u201cContinue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Peter explained that shortly before Carter Meridian was sold, money had been placed into a private investment vehicle registered through another entity. Daniel Vance believed those funds belonged partly to the company and should have been included in the sale calculations.<\/p>\n<p>Michael claimed the money belonged separately to him and Evelyn.<\/p>\n<p>The dispute was never resolved in court because the settlement ended the litigation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much money?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOriginally? Roughly eleven million.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brenda stared.<\/p>\n<p>I asked the obvious question.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd now?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Peter took his time answering.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDepending on how it was invested, potentially much more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI cannot know without records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEstimate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David said, \u201cSarah, don&#39;t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I ignored him.<\/p>\n<p>Peter finally answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSeveral hundred million dollars would not be impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The kitchen became silent.<\/p>\n<p>The $140 million penthouse suddenly seemed smaller.<\/p>\n<p>I thought of my mother\u2019s complicated trust.<\/p>\n<p>The old partnerships.<\/p>\n<p>Michael\u2019s disappearance.<\/p>\n<p>The investigator.<\/p>\n<p>The secrecy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is this fund?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don&#39;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why are you here?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I believe Michael does.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you wanted David to get the information from him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Peter looked at my husband.<\/p>\n<p>David stared at the floor.<\/p>\n<p>I understood.<\/p>\n<p>My estranged father had not merely been a source David approached for a loan.<\/p>\n<p>David had become useful to Peter because of me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you finance Jason because David was married to me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Peter\u2019s answer came carefully.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot at first.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEventually?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour family connection affected my willingness to continue negotiations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There it was.<\/p>\n<p>I looked at David.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI knew Peter thought Michael might have records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you kept borrowing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was already trapped.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo. You saw a second exit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n<p>Peter said nothing.<\/p>\n<p>I continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Jason\u2019s businesses recovered, you survived. If they didn&#39;t, my inheritance could cover you. And if Peter found whatever old money he thought my parents hid, perhaps that solved everything even more easily.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt wasn&#39;t like that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow was it different?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David opened his mouth.<\/p>\n<p>Nothing came.<\/p>\n<p>Peter finally sat despite my earlier answer.<\/p>\n<p>He looked tired.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMs. Carter, your husband made poor decisions. So did Jason. But there is a way to stop this from becoming destructive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I almost smiled.<\/p>\n<p>Here it was.<\/p>\n<p>The reason he had come.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA negotiated resolution.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith whose money?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot necessarily yours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen explain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Peter removed a slim folder from inside his coat.<\/p>\n<p>David stared at it.<\/p>\n<p>He had not known about the folder.<\/p>\n<p>Another useful detail.<\/p>\n<p>Peter placed it on the island.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am prepared to release David and Jason from specific personal guarantees.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brenda whispered, \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn exchange,\u201d Peter continued, \u201cI want access to the Carter Meridian records currently controlled by the Carter estate, including any materials your mother received from Michael during the last two years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I did not touch the folder.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou want my mother\u2019s files.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCopies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Michael\u2019s location.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI already know where Michael lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why not ask him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe refused.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Peter\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe believes the records should remain private.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen I agree with him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou haven&#39;t seen them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNeither have you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His eyes hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis isn&#39;t merely a family matter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt became one when you used my husband\u2019s debt to reach my family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is not what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why forgive millions in guarantees for some old papers?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brenda looked sharply at Peter.<\/p>\n<p>The question had landed.<\/p>\n<p>Peter folded his hands.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause litigation is expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He waited.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat&#39;s not the reason.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David said, \u201cSarah, take the deal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I turned toward him slowly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew he was going to offer this?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why are you telling me to accept something you haven&#39;t read?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause if he releases the guarantees\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou survive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His face reddened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo does Jason.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAgain, you survive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Peter interrupted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe offer has a deadline.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course it did.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cForty-eight hours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I laughed.<\/p>\n<p>A real laugh this time.<\/p>\n<p>After months of secrecy, years of debt and twenty-five years of buried family history, Peter Vance expected me to make a decision in two days.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His expression remained composed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou should read it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI will give it to Samuel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is reasonable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut the answer to giving you my mother\u2019s private records is no.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon&#39;t decide emotionally.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The phrase irritated me more than it should have.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy mother died six months ago. My husband forged\u2014or knowingly transmitted forged\u2014financial documents. You entered my home because you want records connected to a dispute involving your father and mine. Emotion is not the unreliable part of this conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Peter looked at me for several seconds.<\/p>\n<p>Then he nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFair enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He stood.<\/p>\n<p>David stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat&#39;s it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou said you could fix this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI said there was a possible resolution.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can&#39;t leave.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Peter put on his coat.<\/p>\n<p>David stepped between him and the doorway.<\/p>\n<p>Something passed between them.<\/p>\n<p>Not friendship.<\/p>\n<p>Not even business trust.<\/p>\n<p>Fear.<\/p>\n<p>Peter said quietly, \u201cMove.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David did.<\/p>\n<p>Before leaving, Peter turned toward me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAsk Michael what happened to Thomas Reed\u2019s ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mother\u2019s letter had mentioned Thomas Reed.<\/p>\n<p>The accountant who died in the car accident.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does Michael have to do with it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Peter opened the door.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAccording to my father, Michael took it the night Reed died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour father accused him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father spent twenty years trying to find it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Peter\u2019s expression became unreadable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would like to know why.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He left.<\/p>\n<p>The front door closed.<\/p>\n<p>David immediately reached for the folder Peter had left behind.<\/p>\n<p>I took it first.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon&#39;t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSarah, this could release me from millions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Jason.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have to consider it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at the man who had brought Peter Vance into my house despite knowing my mother feared him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou still think this is about saving you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is about saving our life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no \u2018our life\u2019 until I know what you did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His face hardened.<\/p>\n<p>Brenda whispered, \u201cDavid, stop.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He ignored her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you refuse that offer just to punish me, you&#39;ll destroy everything we&#39;ve built.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I slipped Peter\u2019s folder beneath my arm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked toward the office where my mother\u2019s letter waited.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou started destroying it before she died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My phone vibrated.<\/p>\n<p>A new message.<\/p>\n<p>Unknown Colorado number.<\/p>\n<p>I opened it.<\/p>\n<p>Sarah, this is Michael. Samuel told me you know.<\/p>\n<p>A second message arrived before I could respond.<\/p>\n<p>Do not give Peter Vance the Carter Meridian files.<\/p>\n<p>Then a third.<\/p>\n<p>Your mother did not have Thomas Reed\u2019s ledger.<\/p>\n<p>I stared at the screen.<\/p>\n<p>One final message appeared.<\/p>\n<p>I do.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=14883\">Click here to continue reading: PART 10: My Father Finally Told Me What Thomas Reed Had Recorded, and Why My Mother Hid an Eleven-Million-Dollar Secret for Twenty-Five Years<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I folded my mother\u2019s letter before I opened the office door. Downstairs, nobody was shouting. That frightened me more than raised voices would have. 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