Dad was already moving before I stood.<\/p>\n
The deputy blocked the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cSir.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy daughter just screamed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen move.\u201d<\/p>\n
The deputy touched his radio.<\/p>\n
Dad reached for the handle.<\/p>\n
I grabbed his arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad.\u201d<\/p>\n
He turned on me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
The deputy spoke rapidly into his shoulder microphone.<\/p>\n
No response came at first.<\/p>\n
Then several voices overlapped.<\/p>\n
An alarm.<\/p>\n
A request for medical assistance.<\/p>\n
Something happening at the sheriff\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s face went white.<\/p>\n
\u201cVanessa.\u201d<\/p>\n
The deputy told us to stay inside.<\/p>\n
Dad ignored him.<\/p>\n
I stepped between them.<\/p>\n
\u201cDriving there won\u2019t help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s my daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know anything until you have a child.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sentence hit harder than he meant it to.<\/p>\n
He realized instantly.<\/p>\n
\u201cNatalie\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot now.\u201d<\/p>\n
My phone rang.<\/p>\n
Sheriff Mercer.<\/p>\n
I answered on speaker.<\/p>\n
\u201cVanessa is alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad gripped the back of a chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was assaulted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy Grant?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer\u2019s voice was clipped.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of Grant\u2019s attorneys brought an investigator with him. The investigator had legitimate credentials and was cleared into the administrative area.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe approached Vanessa while she was using a phone in an interview room.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou left her alone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA deputy was fifteen feet away.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat wasn\u2019t enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Mercer said. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe investigator pushed past the deputy and tried to take Vanessa\u2019s phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe phone she was using to call me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe he heard part of the conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s expression sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe storage unit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer went silent for half a second.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to Vanessa?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe hit the wall when he grabbed her. She has a cut on her head. Medical staff are checking her now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the investigator?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn custody.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor Grant?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are determining that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad gave an angry laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re determining it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrank.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe walks into your building with Grant\u2019s lawyer, attacks my daughter while she talks about Grant\u2019s evidence, and you\u2019re determining whether he works for Grant?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer did not rise to it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need you to remain where you are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad looked ready to argue.<\/p>\n
I took the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about Unit 214?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re obtaining a warrant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVanessa said it\u2019s under her name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe withdrew consent.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen who did?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer\u2019s pause frightened me.<\/p>\n
\u201cA document was filed electronically twenty minutes ago transferring the rental agreement from Vanessa to a limited-liability company.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat can happen that quickly?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNormally, not without proper authorization.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose company?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPike Memorial Services LLC.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cHarold\u2019s funeral home closed years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo who filed it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re tracing that now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad pointed toward the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re trying to empty the unit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer agreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI already have deputies en route.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why do you still need a warrant?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause a transfer document exists, questionable or not, and I am not giving Grant\u2019s attorney a procedural gift.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad muttered something about lawyers.<\/p>\n
Mercer continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s another issue.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course there was.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrant\u2019s attorney claims the unit contains privileged legal documents.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad shook his head in disbelief.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything becomes privilege when police get close?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t work that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it can delay access.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad looked toward the driveway.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomebody is going there.\u201d<\/p>\n
I knew what he meant.<\/p>\n
Not deputies.<\/p>\n
Someone connected to Grant.<\/p>\n
Someone with another key.<\/p>\n
An hour later we learned he was right.<\/p>\n
East Mill Storage had security cameras.<\/p>\n
At 11:14 that morning, twelve minutes after Vanessa called me, a white cargo van entered through the rear gate using a valid access code.<\/p>\n
The van belonged to a cleaning company.<\/p>\n
The driver wore a company shirt.<\/p>\n
The plates were real.<\/p>\n
The company existed.<\/p>\n
The driver did not work there.<\/p>\n
He parked outside Unit 214.<\/p>\n
He opened it with a key.<\/p>\n
By the time deputies arrived, he had loaded six boxes.<\/p>\n
He abandoned the van when he saw patrol cars.<\/p>\n
Then he ran through a drainage ditch behind the property.<\/p>\n
Police found the van.<\/p>\n
They did not immediately find him.<\/p>\n
Four boxes remained inside.<\/p>\n
Two had already been placed in the cargo area.<\/p>\n
The warrant arrived shortly afterward.<\/p>\n
Sheriff Mercer called us from the scene.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrank, Natalie, I need both of you here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad grabbed his coat.<\/p>\n
This time the deputy did not stop him.<\/p>\n
East Mill Storage sat behind an industrial park near the edge of town.<\/p>\n
Rows of beige metal doors stretched beneath harsh afternoon sunlight.<\/p>\n
Unit 214 was near the back.<\/p>\n
Crime-scene tape crossed the opening.<\/p>\n
The cargo van stood nearby with both rear doors open.<\/p>\n
I smelled dust, oil and dry grass.<\/p>\n
Vanessa arrived in a second patrol car ten minutes after us.<\/p>\n
A white bandage covered the side of her forehead.<\/p>\n
Dad walked to her without hesitation.<\/p>\n
He stopped one step away.<\/p>\n
For a moment neither moved.<\/p>\n
Then Vanessa collapsed against him.<\/p>\n
Dad wrapped both arms around her.<\/p>\n
Whatever she had done, whatever he had learned, he still held her as if his body remembered being her father before his mind could calculate anything else.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n
Dad closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cLater.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLater.\u201d<\/p>\n
He held her until she stopped shaking.<\/p>\n
Then Sheriff Mercer brought us inside Unit 214.<\/p>\n
Shelving covered both walls.<\/p>\n
Boxes were labeled by year.<\/p>\n
Some bore the logo of Harold\u2019s former funeral home.<\/p>\n
Others had ordinary labels.<\/p>\n
Taxes.<\/p>\n
Property.<\/p>\n
Insurance.<\/p>\n
Estate.<\/p>\n
Dad touched one.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is all this?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer wore gloves.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re still inventorying.\u201d<\/p>\n
A technician photographed everything before anything moved.<\/p>\n
The first open box contained copies of Dad\u2019s bank statements dating back more than eight years.<\/p>\n
The second contained Mom\u2019s medical history.<\/p>\n
Not just the records connected to her death.<\/p>\n
Everything.<\/p>\n
Appointments.<\/p>\n
Prescriptions.<\/p>\n
Insurance claims.<\/p>\n
Lab reports.<\/p>\n
One folder contained notes about her blood pressure, cardiac symptoms and medication side effects.<\/p>\n
I felt sick.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey studied her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s voice came rough.<\/p>\n
Mercer did not disagree.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey documented vulnerabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vanessa stood behind us.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never saw these.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad looked at her.<\/p>\n
She did not defend herself.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew he kept financial files,\u201d she said. \u201cNot this.\u201d<\/p>\n
The third box contained death certificates.<\/p>\n
Just as she had described.<\/p>\n
Twenty-seven.<\/p>\n
They ranged across twelve years.<\/p>\n
Some deaths had occurred while Harold still operated the funeral home.<\/p>\n
Several involved elderly people.<\/p>\n
Three involved middle-aged adults.<\/p>\n
Each certificate had a colored sticker.<\/p>\n
Red.<\/p>\n
Yellow.<\/p>\n
Blue.<\/p>\n
No explanation.<\/p>\n
Dad asked the obvious question.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do the colors mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody knew.<\/p>\n
One certificate had initials in the corner.<\/p>\n
G.C.<\/p>\n
Another had H.P.<\/p>\n
A third had both.<\/p>\n
My mouth went dry.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrant and Harold.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
The fourth box held financial records associated with the dead.<\/p>\n
Property transfers.<\/p>\n
Insurance settlements.<\/p>\n
Estate inventories.<\/p>\n
Checks.<\/p>\n
Dad picked up one photocopy.<\/p>\n
A widow had sold property less than two months after her husband\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
The buyer was a holding company.<\/p>\n
That company later transferred the land.<\/p>\n
Eventually it became part of a development project managed by one of Grant\u2019s business partners.<\/p>\n
Dad looked at Mercer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t only about us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many families?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDeaths?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answers sounded worse each time.<\/p>\n
Vanessa sank onto a folding chair.<\/p>\n
I watched her.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Grant ever talk about Harold\u2019s funeral home?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Harold was terrible with money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything about records?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said old records were useful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought he meant finding heirs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad looked toward her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would Grant need to find heirs?\u201d<\/p>\n
Vanessa rubbed her forehead.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe bought distressed property. Houses tied up in estates. He said if you find the right family member, you can make deals before everyone else understands the value.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer looked at her sharply.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you participate?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you introduce him to families?\u201d<\/p>\n
Vanessa hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI worked at the county clerk\u2019s office for six years.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered.<\/p>\n
Vanessa had processed property records after college.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou gave him information.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told him when probate cases opened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer\u2019s pen stopped moving.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat information wasn\u2019t always public immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vanessa looked sick.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else did you give him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNames. Addresses. He said it was for real-estate leads.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad turned away.<\/p>\n
Vanessa whispered, \u201cI didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
He faced her again.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sentence is becoming very expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
A technician called Mercer from the rear shelf.<\/p>\n
He had found a locked case.<\/p>\n
Black.<\/p>\n
Heavy.<\/p>\n
A locksmith opened it under camera.<\/p>\n
Inside were three digital recorders.<\/p>\n
A stack of flash drives.<\/p>\n
Two notebooks.<\/p>\n
And several envelopes.<\/p>\n
One envelope had my mother\u2019s handwriting.<\/p>\n
FOR NATALIE.<\/p>\n
My heart stopped.<\/p>\n
Mercer photographed it before handing it to me with gloves.<\/p>\n
The envelope had already been opened.<\/p>\n
Grant must have found it.<\/p>\n
Inside was a short letter.<\/p>\n
Mom explained that if I was reading it, something had gone wrong.<\/p>\n
She had discovered that Grant\u2019s theft from our family was connected to older schemes involving Harold\u2019s business.<\/p>\n
She did not yet know whether anyone had been deliberately harmed.<\/p>\n
But she believed records had been falsified after certain deaths.<\/p>\n
One sentence made Dad sit down.<\/p>\n
Harold is frightened of Grant, but fear is not innocence.<\/p>\n
Another followed.<\/p>\n
Grant has learned that death creates opportunities for people willing to move faster than grieving families.<\/p>\n
I read that sentence twice.<\/p>\n
Vanessa began crying.<\/p>\n
Sheriff Mercer opened one of the notebooks.<\/p>\n
The pages contained names.<\/p>\n
Dates.<\/p>\n
Property values.<\/p>\n
Insurance amounts.<\/p>\n
Next to some names were symbols matching the colored stickers on the death certificates.<\/p>\n
Red.<\/p>\n
Yellow.<\/p>\n
Blue.<\/p>\n
There were handwritten amounts beside certain entries.<\/p>\n
Payments.<\/p>\n
Dad pointed at one.<\/p>\n
\u201cEleanor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom\u2019s name appeared near the end.<\/p>\n
Eleanor Cole.<\/p>\n
Beside it: RED.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
61K exposure.<\/p>\n
Estate revision pending.<\/p>\n
N. receives evidence.<\/p>\n
F. removed 7:10.<\/p>\n
I felt cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cF.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrank.\u201d<\/p>\n
Removed at 7:10.<\/p>\n
That was when Harold called with the fake medical emergency.<\/p>\n
Below that:<\/p>\n
V unstable.<\/p>\n
H confirms hospital.<\/p>\n
G handle recorder.<\/p>\n
Then one final line.<\/p>\n
If E won\u2019t sign, proceed B.<\/p>\n
Dad looked at Sheriff Mercer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is B?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer turned backward through the notebook.<\/p>\n
Other entries contained similar letters.<\/p>\n
A.<\/p>\n
B.<\/p>\n
C.<\/p>\n
Different deaths.<\/p>\n
Different colors.<\/p>\n
Different outcomes.<\/p>\n
Then a deputy called from outside.<\/p>\n
They had caught the man from the van.<\/p>\n
He had been hiding in an abandoned equipment shed half a mile away.<\/p>\n
He carried no identification.<\/p>\n
But his phone contained messages.<\/p>\n
One had been sent thirty-two minutes earlier.<\/p>\n
The recipient was saved only as G.<\/p>\n
The message read:<\/p>\n
Couldn\u2019t get all of it. Police came early.<\/p>\n
A reply had arrived.<\/p>\n
Then burn what you have.<\/p>\n
The man had sent another message.<\/p>\n
What about the red book?<\/p>\n
The reply was immediate.<\/p>\n
That one cannot reach Mercer.<\/p>\n
Sheriff Mercer looked down at the notebook in her hands.<\/p>\n
A red leather cover.<\/p>\n
Dad stared at it too.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is in there?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer turned the first page.<\/p>\n
Names filled both sides.<\/p>\n
More than fifty.<\/p>\n
She turned another.<\/p>\n
And another.<\/p>\n
The room became silent.<\/p>\n
At the bottom of one page, a familiar name appeared.<\/p>\n
Harold Pike.<\/p>\n
Beside it was tomorrow\u2019s date.<\/p>\n
Dad looked at me.<\/p>\n
Harold had asked for protection from Grant.<\/p>\n
According to the red book, he had good reason.<\/p>\n
Because someone had already scheduled him to become the next death.<\/p>\n
Here is the continuation with Parts 9\u201312 only.<\/p>\n
Dad was already moving before I stood. The deputy blocked the door. \u201cSir.\u201d \u201cMy daughter just screamed.\u201d \u201cI heard.\u201d \u201cThen move.\u201d The deputy touched his radio. Dad reached for the … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18275,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18283","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\/18283","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=18283"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18283\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18333,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18283\/revisions\/18333"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18283"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18283"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18283"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}