I called Patrice before Robert could stop me.<\/p>\n
She answered on the second ring.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice sounded tired.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Susan prepare a plan giving you control of my money?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Robert kept driving.<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
Finally Patrice said, \u201cWho told you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnswer me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
Robert swore under his breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout two weeks ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter the version naming Robert?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said Robert was becoming unreliable.\u201d<\/p>\n
He gave a bitter laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnreliable means I started saying no.\u201d<\/p>\n
Patrice heard him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are with him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is driving.\u201d<\/p>\n
She was quiet.<\/p>\n
I asked, \u201cWhat exactly did Susan offer you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t an offer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA contingency.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone around me has learned impressive words for theft.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t fair.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen make it fair. Explain.\u201d<\/p>\n
She exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cSusan said if Robert backed out, the documents could name me instead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFinancial agent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOver what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour accounts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy property?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert gripped the wheel.<\/p>\n
I asked, \u201cDid you agree?\u201d<\/p>\n
Patrice hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer hurt less than it should have.<\/p>\n
Perhaps I had reached saturation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought Robert was going to ruin everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is everything?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur chance to get out of debt.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour business.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
She was silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cPatrice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said if I managed things, I could make sure the children were protected.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
Susan used the same words with everyone.<\/p>\n
Protection.<\/p>\n
Family.<\/p>\n
Planning.<\/p>\n
Help.<\/p>\n
Soft language around hard intentions.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she ask you to keep the second plan from Robert?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked unsurprised.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she say he was trying to cut you out?\u201d<\/p>\n
Patrice sounded startled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert gave a humorless laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned back.<\/p>\n
Susan had not simply played them against me.<\/p>\n
She had played them against each other.<\/p>\n
To Robert, Patrice was becoming too ambitious.<\/p>\n
To Patrice, Robert would seize everything.<\/p>\n
Each received a version of the future in which the other became the threat.<\/p>\n
And both responded by moving closer to Susan.<\/p>\n
I asked, \u201cDid you see the second worksheet?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEmail.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStill have it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDisappearing messages?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Email.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why don\u2019t you have it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told me to delete it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTrash?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEmptied.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert glanced toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knew what she was doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
I ignored him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you print it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Patrice hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I heard the lie.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is the copy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour home?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my closet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert spoke loudly enough for her to hear.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not touch it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Patrice snapped, \u201cI\u2019m already driving home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen don\u2019t touch it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I asked, \u201cIs Susan capable of entering your house?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another silence.<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cPatrice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has a key.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert nearly swerved.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
I gripped the door handle.<\/p>\n
He corrected the car.<\/p>\n
\u201cSlow down.\u201d<\/p>\n
He breathed hard through his nose.<\/p>\n
Patrice continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe fed the dog once.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you give her the key?\u201d Robert demanded.<\/p>\n
\u201cMonths ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you get it back?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe returned one.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Robert.<\/p>\n
A copied key.<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
Susan had learned from repetition.<\/p>\n
Or perfected it.<\/p>\n
I spoke carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not go into your house alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Patrice\u2019s voice sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy children live there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
She went quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cGo somewhere public,\u201d I said. \u201cTake Karen and the children with you. Call police before entering.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour cousin entered my home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know that for certain.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe had my original will.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know she copied keys.\u201d<\/p>\n
More silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me she installed remote software on your devices.\u201d<\/p>\n
Patrice\u2019s resistance began to weaken.<\/p>\n
\u201cCall police.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSay it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll call.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow.\u201d<\/p>\n
She hung up.<\/p>\n
Robert drove in silence.<\/p>\n
Then said, \u201cThe second plan explains the package.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt explains the message. Not the package.\u201d<\/p>\n
He frowned.<\/p>\n
I continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone placed that box on Marlene\u2019s porch.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSusan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not know.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer bothered both of us.<\/p>\n
Because Susan had become convenient.<\/p>\n
Too convenient.<\/p>\n
Every unexplained act now fit into her shape.<\/p>\n
That did not guarantee she was responsible for all of them.<\/p>\n
I called Marlene again.<\/p>\n
Police had arrived.<\/p>\n
They told her not to touch the box.<\/p>\n
An officer would contact me.<\/p>\n
I thanked her.<\/p>\n
Then Robert said, \u201cWhat do you think is inside?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m done guessing.\u201d<\/p>\n
We drove another twenty minutes.<\/p>\n
My phone rang.<\/p>\n
Patrice.<\/p>\n
Her voice sounded different.<\/p>\n
Breathless.<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice are at our house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre the children safe?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. We\u2019re parked at a grocery store nearby.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe back door was unlocked.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert looked toward me.<\/p>\n
I put her on speaker.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas anything taken?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey don\u2019t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not enter until they tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
She hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe alarm history shows it was disarmed yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy whose code?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMine.\u201d<\/p>\n
He slammed his palm against the steering wheel once.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe stole your code too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Patrice\u2019s voice cracked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe you.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was not kindness.<\/p>\n
She heard that.<\/p>\n
I asked, \u201cDoes Susan know the children\u2019s schedules?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cSchool?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cActivities?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert looked alarmed.<\/p>\n
I said, \u201cTell police that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI already did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Good.<\/p>\n
Finally, someone was learning.<\/p>\n
Patrice took a breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe second worksheet isn\u2019t in the closet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything else missing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJewelry?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t check yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDocuments?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then she added, \u201cSusan sent me a text.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJust now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Patrice read it.<\/p>\n
You should have stayed loyal.<\/p>\n
Robert whispered, \u201cJesus.\u201d<\/p>\n
I asked, \u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wrote, Robert was always going to blame you.\u201d<\/p>\n
The manipulation continued even while Susan was being hunted.<\/p>\n
Every message aimed at fracture.<\/p>\n
I said, \u201cDo not respond.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSend screenshots to police.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then Patrice said something I did not expect.<\/p>\n
\u201cEleanor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. You keep thinking apology is the next step.\u201d<\/p>\n
She went quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTruth.\u201d<\/p>\n
I hung up.<\/p>\n
We were less than thirty minutes from my neighborhood when the officer handling the package called.<\/p>\n
\u201cMs. Morrison, we opened the box.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was inside?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCopies of documents.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse accelerated.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat documents?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeveral appear financial.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMine?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOriginals?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCopies.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA flash drive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert looked toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you opened it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. It will be handled as evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA handwritten note.\u201d<\/p>\n
My throat tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
He paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour family gave me everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Robert.<\/p>\n
His face went pale.<\/p>\n
The officer continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s also a list of names.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat names?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYours. Robert Morrison. Patrice Morrison. Karen Bell. David Morrison. Sophie Morrison.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe children?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is beside their names?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNumbers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of numbers?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert\u2019s voice sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cSocial Security numbers?\u201d<\/p>\n
The officer paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome appear to match that format.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt physically ill.<\/p>\n
Patrice had exposed not only me.<\/p>\n
Possibly the children.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre mine and Robert\u2019s listed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKaren\u2019s?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPatrice\u2019s?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone.<\/p>\n
Susan had collected identities as assets.<\/p>\n
The officer said investigators would work to determine whether any had been used.<\/p>\n
I looked at Robert.<\/p>\n
\u201cCall Patrice.\u201d<\/p>\n
He did.<\/p>\n
I listened while he told her.<\/p>\n
The moment he mentioned the children, her voice changed.<\/p>\n
All defensiveness vanished.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has Sophie\u2019s number?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPatrice\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, no, no.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe may not have used it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did she get it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
Patrice answered her own question.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy tax return.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
Dependents.<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
Susan had accessed their records.<\/p>\n
She had everything.<\/p>\n
Patrice began crying.<\/p>\n
Not because of a business.<\/p>\n
Not because of debt.<\/p>\n
Because the danger had finally touched the children directly.<\/p>\n
\u201cCall the credit bureaus,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
She was breathing too fast.<\/p>\n
\u201cPatrice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hear you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFreeze their credit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo yours too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKaren\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll tell her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert said, \u201cMine too.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone.\u201d<\/p>\n
The family had spent months trying to get access to my assets.<\/p>\n
Now we were all trying to stop someone from using theirs.<\/p>\n
The irony was almost too perfect.<\/p>\n
We reached my street shortly before five.<\/p>\n
A patrol car remained outside my house.<\/p>\n
Marlene stood on her porch but did not approach.<\/p>\n
I stayed in the car for a moment.<\/p>\n
My home looked exactly the same from the outside.<\/p>\n
White trim.<\/p>\n
Maple tree.<\/p>\n
Frank\u2019s old wind chime near the porch.<\/p>\n
Nothing visible announced that strangers had been inside my private rooms.<\/p>\n
I stepped out.<\/p>\n
Robert followed.<\/p>\n
An officer met us at the walkway.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need you to identify what\u2019s missing.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n
Inside, the house smelled faintly stale.<\/p>\n
Drawers remained open.<\/p>\n
Folders had been moved.<\/p>\n
The ceramic bird lay on the office floor inside an evidence marker.<\/p>\n
I stood in the doorway.<\/p>\n
My private space had become a scene.<\/p>\n
Robert stayed behind me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did not answer.<\/p>\n
I walked to the desk.<\/p>\n
Tax folders gone.<\/p>\n
Passport gone.<\/p>\n
Insurance records gone.<\/p>\n
A folder containing copies of investment statements gone.<\/p>\n
The original will gone.<\/p>\n
Then I checked the cabinet beside the bookshelf.<\/p>\n
Something else was missing.<\/p>\n
I stared at the empty slot.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d Robert asked.<\/p>\n
I pointed.<\/p>\n
\u201cA binder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat binder?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrank\u2019s estate papers.\u201d<\/p>\n
He frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would Susan want Dad\u2019s documents?\u201d<\/p>\n
I did not know.<\/p>\n
Those papers were years old.<\/p>\n
Death certificate.<\/p>\n
Probate documents.<\/p>\n
Old property records.<\/p>\n
Past beneficiary statements.<\/p>\n
Nothing I could imagine useful now.<\/p>\n
Then I remembered something.<\/p>\n
Frank had kept records of a small investment account we closed after his death.<\/p>\n
The account no longer existed.<\/p>\n
But the statements might show something important.<\/p>\n
Signatures.<\/p>\n
Account numbers.<\/p>\n
Historical transfers.<\/p>\n
I opened another drawer.<\/p>\n
The old check register was gone too.<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t only about my current information.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe took your father\u2019s records.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at the empty shelf.<\/p>\n
The officer asked us to list everything.<\/p>\n
I did.<\/p>\n
Then Robert found something wedged behind the desk.<\/p>\n
A photograph.<\/p>\n
He picked it up by the edge before the officer stopped him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t touch that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Too late.<\/p>\n
Robert stared at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
His face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped closer.<\/p>\n
The photograph was old.<\/p>\n
At least fifteen years.<\/p>\n
Frank stood outside our house beside Robert.<\/p>\n
And between them was a woman I recognized only after several seconds.<\/p>\n
Younger.<\/p>\n
Different hair.<\/p>\n
Same eyes.<\/p>\n
Susan.<\/p>\n
I felt the room tilt.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is she doing there?\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert looked horrified.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
The officer took the photograph carefully.<\/p>\n
On the back, someone had written a date.<\/p>\n
Seventeen years earlier.<\/p>\n
I stared at it.<\/p>\n
Patrice had not married Robert until fourteen years ago.<\/p>\n
According to everything we had been told, Susan entered our family through Patrice.<\/p>\n
But the photograph proved Susan knew my husband and my son three years before Patrice ever became my daughter-in-law.<\/p>\n
I turned toward Robert.<\/p>\n
His face was drained of color.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew her before Patrice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is standing beside you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t remember this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at the picture.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened that day?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
He seemed genuinely frightened.<\/p>\n
Then a memory came to me.<\/p>\n
Seventeen years ago, Frank had briefly considered investing in a small property-development partnership.<\/p>\n
He had eventually backed out.<\/p>\n
At the time, he told me the numbers felt wrong.<\/p>\n
I had forgotten the name of the person who introduced the deal.<\/p>\n
Robert had been working in commercial lending then.<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Susan know your father through work?\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes widened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
The officer turned the photograph over again.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s another name written here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat name?\u201d<\/p>\n
He read it aloud.<\/p>\n
Thomas Vale.<\/p>\n
Susan\u2019s former husband.<\/p>\n
The room went silent.<\/p>\n
I stared at the picture.<\/p>\n
Susan.<\/p>\n
Thomas.<\/p>\n
Frank.<\/p>\n
Robert.<\/p>\n
All connected years before Patrice supposedly introduced Susan into our lives.<\/p>\n
Everything we had believed about where this began was wrong.<\/p>\n
My son whispered, \u201cMom, I swear I didn\u2019t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we need to find someone who does.\u201d<\/p>\n
My phone rang.<\/p>\n
Daniel.<\/p>\n
I answered immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was about to call you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo was I.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI spoke to Thomas again.\u201d<\/p>\n
My grip tightened around the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Susan did not meet your family through Patrice.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho did she meet first?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrank.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer landed heavily.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA failed investment deal seventeen years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the photograph in the officer\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n
Daniel continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas claims Frank discovered Susan was moving investor money through accounts that did not match the partnership records.\u201d<\/p>\n
My throat tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Frank do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe threatened to report it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert looked at me.<\/p>\n
I put the call on speaker.<\/p>\n
Daniel continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas says Susan begged Frank not to involve authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrank walked away from the investment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he report her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas doesn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward the empty shelf where Frank\u2019s estate binder had been.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, Susan stealing his old files made sense.<\/p>\n
She was not only looking for my financial information.<\/p>\n
She was looking for something Frank had kept.<\/p>\n
Evidence.<\/p>\n
Records.<\/p>\n
Something from seventeen years ago that could still matter.<\/p>\n
I asked, \u201cDid Thomas say what Frank had?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse accelerated.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCopies of bank transfers.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went completely still.<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s voice lowered.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd one handwritten ledger Susan believed Frank kept after the deal collapsed.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the empty cabinet.<\/p>\n
The missing binder.<\/p>\n
The vanished check register.<\/p>\n
Susan had not returned to my life because Patrice happened to mention an older woman with money.<\/p>\n
She had returned because she already knew exactly who I was.<\/p>\n
And she was searching my house for something my husband had hidden seventeen years earlier.<\/p>\n
I called Patrice before Robert could stop me. She answered on the second ring. \u201cWhat?\u201d Her voice sounded tired. \u201cDid Susan prepare a plan giving you control of my money?\u201d … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20705,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20717","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\/20717","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=20717"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20717\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20752,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20717\/revisions\/20752"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/20705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}