The crash came again.<\/p>\n
Louder.<\/p>\n
Glass scattered somewhere beyond the kitchen.<\/p>\n
Thomas shoved the red binder into my hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cBack door.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know this house.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another impact shook the rear wall.<\/p>\n
I heard wood splinter.<\/p>\n
I moved toward the hallway.<\/p>\n
Thomas grabbed a cordless phone from the table and dialed emergency services.<\/p>\n
Then the kitchen door burst inward.<\/p>\n
A man entered wearing a dark jacket and baseball cap.<\/p>\n
I saw only part of his face.<\/p>\n
Not Dale.<\/p>\n
Too thin.<\/p>\n
Younger.<\/p>\n
Thomas stepped between us.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet out of my house.\u201d<\/p>\n
The man did not answer.<\/p>\n
His eyes went straight to the binder in my arms.<\/p>\n
That told me everything.<\/p>\n
I ran.<\/p>\n
The back hallway ended at a mudroom.<\/p>\n
I yanked open the exterior door and stumbled onto a gravel path behind the house.<\/p>\n
Cold air hit my face.<\/p>\n
There was no fence.<\/p>\n
Only trees, an equipment shed and a field beyond.<\/p>\n
I heard Thomas shout behind me.<\/p>\n
Then a thud.<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
The man had followed.<\/p>\n
\u201cStop!\u201d<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
My car was in front of the house.<\/p>\n
Impossible to reach without circling.<\/p>\n
I ran toward the shed.<\/p>\n
The binder slammed against my ribs.<\/p>\n
Footsteps followed.<\/p>\n
Closer.<\/p>\n
I reached the shed and pulled the door.<\/p>\n
Locked.<\/p>\n
My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n
Then headlights appeared on the road.<\/p>\n
A pickup turned into Thomas\u2019s driveway.<\/p>\n
The man chasing me stopped.<\/p>\n
For half a second, we both stared.<\/p>\n
The truck accelerated.<\/p>\n
The stranger ran toward the trees.<\/p>\n
The pickup skidded to a stop near the side yard.<\/p>\n
Alan jumped out.<\/p>\n
\u201cNancy!\u201d<\/p>\n
I nearly dropped the binder.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did you find me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPam called.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course she had.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas is inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alan ran toward the house.<\/p>\n
I followed.<\/p>\n
Thomas was sitting on the kitchen floor, one hand pressed to his temple.<\/p>\n
Blood ran between his fingers.<\/p>\n
The intruder had knocked him into the counter.<\/p>\n
An overturned chair lay nearby.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he take anything?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Thomas looked at the binder.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sirens sounded in the distance.<\/p>\n
Alan crouched beside him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho was it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cDidn\u2019t recognize him.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did not entirely believe him.<\/p>\n
Neither did Alan.<\/p>\n
Thomas looked toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cCheck the binder.\u201d<\/p>\n
I opened it.<\/p>\n
Pages still appeared intact.<\/p>\n
Then I noticed the final section.<\/p>\n
Empty plastic sleeves.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was here?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cCopies of stock certificates.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlready were.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI removed them months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are they?\u201d<\/p>\n
His gaze shifted toward Alan.<\/p>\n
My brother noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think I\u2019m involved?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think too many Harpers have spent forty years proving they can\u2019t keep secrets straight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alan stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came here to help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Pam called,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did Pam know I was here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe put a tracker in your purse.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went silent.<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told me after Dale texted about Locker Three.\u201d<\/p>\n
My hand went automatically to my purse.<\/p>\n
Alan took it gently.<\/p>\n
\u201cMay I?\u201d<\/p>\n
I let him.<\/p>\n
He emptied the contents onto Thomas\u2019s table.<\/p>\n
Wallet.<\/p>\n
Keys.<\/p>\n
Tissues.<\/p>\n
Documents.<\/p>\n
A small makeup bag.<\/p>\n
Then, from an outer pocket, he pulled a flat black disk.<\/p>\n
I had never seen it.<\/p>\n
Thomas swore softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cPam tracked me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alan nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince Grandpa\u2019s funeral.\u201d<\/p>\n
My anger rose so quickly I could taste metal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said she was trying to keep Dale from getting ahead of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat does not answer the question.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wanted to know when you found something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo she could steal it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas pressed a towel to his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour cousin has always believed surveillance is a form of affection.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the tracker.<\/p>\n
That explained how Dale knew about the motel.<\/p>\n
Maybe.<\/p>\n
Unless Pam was feeding him information.<\/p>\n
\u201cTake me to her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alan shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice are coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey can take Thomas\u2019s statement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were attacked too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wanted the binder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you were carrying it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward the broken door.<\/p>\n
The intruder had entered with purpose.<\/p>\n
He had not searched.<\/p>\n
He had not threatened us for money.<\/p>\n
He knew exactly what he wanted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho hires someone to steal old accounting records?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone afraid of what they prove.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sheriff\u2019s deputies arrived minutes later.<\/p>\n
Thomas told them a stranger broke in and tried to take property.<\/p>\n
He did not explain the family history.<\/p>\n
Neither did I.<\/p>\n
The deputy photographed the damage and collected a muddy shoe impression near the kitchen entrance.<\/p>\n
When he asked whether I knew the attacker, I said no.<\/p>\n
That part was true.<\/p>\n
After they left, Thomas insisted he could remain at home.<\/p>\n
I refused.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re coming with us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m eighty-two, not eight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were just hit in the head.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alan said, \u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cNone of your business.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite everything, I almost smiled.<\/p>\n
We drove him to urgent care.<\/p>\n
He received four stitches.<\/p>\n
While he was being examined, Alan and I waited in the parking lot.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know about Thomas?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSince 1998.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat year again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandpa called me after Robert Ellis left.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy ex-husband.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas says Robert took money from Dale.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alan rubbed his jaw.<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard the same.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo keep quiet about the trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know I had a trust?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat phrase is getting old.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew Grandpa had protected assets for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you signed a document blocking me from them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought I was protecting those assets during your divorce.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy forging my signature?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t forge it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho did?\u201d<\/p>\n
Alan looked straight ahead.<\/p>\n
\u201cPam.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe signed my name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe copied it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Grandpa asked her to.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer made me physically turn toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandpa told Pam to forge my signature?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would he do that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo stop Robert Ellis from claiming you had undisclosed assets.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds illegal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt probably was.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at my brother.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you signed as witness.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKnowing I wasn\u2019t there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned back against the seat.<\/p>\n
Every new fact made Grandpa less simple.<\/p>\n
He had protected me.<\/p>\n
He had lied to me.<\/p>\n
He had hidden money.<\/p>\n
He had instructed others to forge my name.<\/p>\n
He had decided which truths I was capable of handling.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Mom know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much of my life was staged?\u201d<\/p>\n
Alan answered quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore than you deserved.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was the closest he had come to apologizing.<\/p>\n
I opened my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Dad mean when he said someone was looking for the money again?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThink.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alan\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe the trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Dad specifically said the money was never the real secret.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe company?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas emerged forty minutes later with a bandage above his eyebrow.<\/p>\n
He refused observation.<\/p>\n
We drove back toward Moberly.<\/p>\n
Halfway there, he said, \u201cStop at the old cemetery.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alan looked at him in the mirror.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Nancy needs to see something.\u201d<\/p>\n
The cemetery lay on a hill beyond town.<\/p>\n
Grandpa had been buried there beside Grandma.<\/p>\n
My mother\u2019s grave stood two rows away.<\/p>\n
I had visited it many times.<\/p>\n
Thomas led us past her marker.<\/p>\n
Then behind a cedar tree.<\/p>\n
There was another family stone.<\/p>\n
HARPER.<\/p>\n
Names were engraved across the front.<\/p>\n
Henry\u2019s parents.<\/p>\n
Two infant siblings.<\/p>\n
Raymond Harper.<\/p>\n
Died 1989.<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cRaymond died in Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you were told,\u201d Thomas said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did he actually die?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas tapped the stone.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis marker was placed when Raymond disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pattern was unmistakable.<\/p>\n
My father had been declared dead but lived.<\/p>\n
Now Raymond too?<\/p>\n
\u201cIs anyone in this family actually dead when they say they are?\u201d<\/p>\n
Alan gave Thomas a furious look.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t need to tell her here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere would you prefer?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Alan.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Raymond alive?\u201d<\/p>\n
Alan took a long breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLast confirmed sighting was 2004.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cArizona.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt cold despite the sun.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy fake his death?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas said, \u201cBecause the company investigation was getting closer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho helped him?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
I already knew that silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cPam?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Thomas said.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandpa?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen who?\u201d<\/p>\n
Alan looked toward my mother\u2019s grave.<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at Elaine Harper\u2019s stone.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s documented.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe helped Raymond disappear?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would she help the man who threatened Dad?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe believed Raymond could lead them to Robert.\u201d<\/p>\n
My anger tangled with confusion.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe thought Dad was alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wanted to find him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo she helped Raymond.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a while.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe realized Raymond was using her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAccess to Henry.\u201d<\/p>\n
The wind moved through the cedar branches.<\/p>\n
A memory surfaced.<\/p>\n
My mother crying in Grandpa\u2019s kitchen when I was about twelve.<\/p>\n
I had been sent outside.<\/p>\n
Later she told me they were arguing about Grandma\u2019s medical bills.<\/p>\n
Maybe nothing in my childhood had been what I thought.<\/p>\n
Thomas pointed toward Raymond\u2019s marker.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree months before this stone went up, he transferred several Harper assets.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo Dale?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo who?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou.\u201d<\/p>\n
I blinked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe moved property into entities ultimately benefiting you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat makes no sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnless he was afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf Grandpa?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought about the missing ledger.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas reached into his coat and removed a folded photocopy.<\/p>\n
It was a letter.<\/p>\n
Raymond\u2019s signature appeared at the bottom.<\/p>\n
Thomas let me read.<\/p>\n
The letter was addressed to Henry.<\/p>\n
It accused someone of turning the theft scheme into something much bigger than Raymond had intended.<\/p>\n
It said Raymond had originally taken money.<\/p>\n
He admitted that.<\/p>\n
But he claimed another person began using his shell companies to move far larger assets.<\/p>\n
Someone who had access to the family and knew how to imitate signatures.<\/p>\n
My hand tightened around the paper.<\/p>\n
\u201cPam.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I kept reading.<\/p>\n
Raymond wrote that this person had learned financial records from the inside.<\/p>\n
Had access to Henry\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
Could move between Robert, Raymond and Henry without attracting suspicion.<\/p>\n
The final paragraph named no one.<\/p>\n
Only an initial.<\/p>\n
E.<\/p>\n
I looked toward my mother\u2019s grave.<\/p>\n
Elaine.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alan\u2019s voice was rough.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what Grandpa thought too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re saying my mother stole the company?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cRaymond wanted Henry to think she did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Elaine came to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
My eyes moved to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c1998.\u201d<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe brought me documents.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat documents?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvidence showing the forged transfers weren\u2019t hers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose were they?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone using her initials.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at Alan.<\/p>\n
My brother\u2019s face drained of color.<\/p>\n
I followed his expression.<\/p>\n
Then I understood.<\/p>\n
\u201cE wasn\u2019t Elaine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen who?\u201d<\/p>\n
Alan whispered, \u201cEdward.\u201d<\/p>\n
The name meant nothing to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is Edward?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas folded the letter.<\/p>\n
\u201cEdward Dale Harper.\u201d<\/p>\n
My cousin Dale\u2019s full legal name.<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDale was behind the later transfers?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome,\u201d Thomas said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow old was he?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOld enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought of Dale\u2019s insistence that I burn the bonds.<\/p>\n
His knowledge of the furnace.<\/p>\n
His ownership of the split companies.<\/p>\n
The motel payment to my ex-husband.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why does everyone keep acting as though Raymond is the center?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Raymond started it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Dale perfected it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas nodded.<\/p>\n
My phone buzzed.<\/p>\n
A voicemail.<\/p>\n
Unknown number.<\/p>\n
I put it on speaker.<\/p>\n
My father\u2019s voice emerged.<\/p>\n
\u201cNancy, if you\u2019re with Thomas, ask him what he did with the certificates.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas went rigid.<\/p>\n
The message continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not go to Locker Three. It was compromised years ago. The seal book isn\u2019t there anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
Then Robert said:<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother moved it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The voicemail ended.<\/p>\n
I looked at Thomas.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
He did not answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did my mother put it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas looked toward her grave.<\/p>\n
Then, very slowly, he pointed down.<\/p>\n
The crash came again. Louder. Glass scattered somewhere beyond the kitchen. Thomas shoved the red binder into my hands. \u201cBack door.\u201d \u201cWhat about you?\u201d \u201cI know this house.\u201d Another impact … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20918,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20925","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\/20925","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=20925"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20925\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20960,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20925\/revisions\/20960"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/20918"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}