{"id":21069,"date":"2026-09-26T13:51:40","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T13:51:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=21069"},"modified":"2026-09-26T13:51:40","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T13:51:40","slug":"part-9-the-flash-drive-daniel-mailed-before-vanishing-contained-a-ledger-a-recording-and-one-file-named-with-my-daughters-due-date","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=21069","title":{"rendered":"PART 9 \u2013 The Flash Drive Daniel Mailed Before Vanishing Contained a Ledger, a Recording, and One File Named With My Daughter\u2019s Due Date"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For several seconds, nobody in the hospital room moved.<\/p>\n<p>Lena held the flash drive between two fingers as if it might burn her.<\/p>\n<p>Black plastic.<\/p>\n<p>Red stripe.<\/p>\n<p>The same drive I had found in Marcus\u2019s jacket before he locked me away.<\/p>\n<p>The same drive he had questioned me about until the questions became accusations.<\/p>\n<p>The same object I thought I had returned to his desk.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do you mean Daniel mailed it to you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My voice sounded sharper than I intended.<\/p>\n<p>Lena looked at Detective Ruiz, then at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t know what it was.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout a month ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore he disappeared?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRight before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t open the package.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow could you not open it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause it didn\u2019t come to my apartment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That stopped me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere did it go?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy office.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz stepped closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen did you receive it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t. Not directly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lena kept her eyes on the drive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of our administrative staff signed for a padded envelope addressed to me. I was working off-site that week. By the time I got back, Daniel was already missing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you didn\u2019t connect the package to him?\u201d Harris asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was no return address.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow did you know it was Daniel\u2019s?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t until yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My frustration rose.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why is it in your purse?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause when you told me about the black drive with the red stripe, I remembered the package.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou opened it here?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis afternoon. While you were with Amelia.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I pressed my palm against the hospital blanket.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you didn\u2019t call the detectives immediately?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was going to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLena.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wanted to make sure it was actually what you described before I dragged more people into this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz extended her hand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMay I?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lena placed the drive into it.<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz studied it without inserting it anywhere.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you access it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTouch anything besides the outside?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas it sealed when you opened the package?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnything else inside?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA note.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris looked up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lena reached into her handbag again.<\/p>\n<p>This time she removed a folded sheet of printer paper inside a clear plastic sleeve.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI stopped touching things after I read it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz took it carefully.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you put it in this?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did the note say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lena swallowed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSomething like, \u2018If you\u2019re reading this, I didn\u2019t get the chance to explain.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz unfolded the sheet.<\/p>\n<p>Her eyes moved quickly.<\/p>\n<p>Then more slowly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>She looked at Lena.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou didn\u2019t read the rest?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI read all of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why didn\u2019t you say anything?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I didn\u2019t know what it meant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d I demanded.<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz read silently for another second.<\/p>\n<p>Then she paraphrased.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel wrote that he had copied internal files because Victor had ordered him to alter transaction records connected to North Vale.<\/p>\n<p>He wrote that he believed money had been moved through false vendor accounts.<\/p>\n<p>He wrote that Marcus knew.<\/p>\n<p>He wrote that Evelyn had signed some documents without understanding them at first, then kept signing after she did understand.<\/p>\n<p>And he wrote one sentence about me.<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz looked up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel says, \u2018Claire Mercer is not part of this.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n<p>I had never known the man well.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe spoken to him twice.<\/p>\n<p>Yet he had known enough to separate me from what Marcus had done.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz kept reading.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe says if anything happens to him, the drive should go directly to law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lena looked miserable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t know the envelope was from Daniel until Claire described the drive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris asked, \u201cWas there any note outside the package?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHandwritten?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe envelope label was printed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPostmark?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lena nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLocal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwo days before Daniel disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The timeline tightened around us.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel prepared evidence.<\/p>\n<p>Sent it to Lena.<\/p>\n<p>Then contacted her about meeting.<\/p>\n<p>Then vanished.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus came home late, washed his boots with bleach, discarded clothing, and later approved payment to a towing company.<\/p>\n<p>The next morning Victor removed a heavy duffel bag from our garage.<\/p>\n<p>I felt cold despite the room\u2019s warmth.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOpen the drive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz shook her head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need a forensic copy before anyone accesses the original.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut what if Victor gets it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She handed the drive to Harris.<\/p>\n<p>He sealed it in an evidence bag.<\/p>\n<p>For some reason, watching the plastic close around it gave me more relief than seeing Marcus in handcuffs.<\/p>\n<p>Evidence could speak where fear could not.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about Victor?\u201d Lena asked.<\/p>\n<p>The security officer had left minutes earlier to search the parking structure.<\/p>\n<p>Harris checked his phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo confirmed sighting since the garage camera.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe could still be here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I instinctively glanced toward the door.<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz noticed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve placed security outside.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan he get to Amelia?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The certainty helped.<\/p>\n<p>Barely.<\/p>\n<p>Harris prepared to leave.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ll get this processed immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t promise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I hated that answer because it was reasonable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat if the files are encrypted?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe deal with that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat if Daniel put something on there about where he went?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ll find it if it\u2019s there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd what if Victor knows Lena had it because somebody inside the hospital told him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That made both detectives pause.<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz looked toward the door.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy do you think that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe texted less than an hour after she took it out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lena frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou think he saw me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think Marcus watched everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean Victor does.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But I remembered the first message.<\/p>\n<p>Your sister has something that belongs to us.<\/p>\n<p>Not might have.<\/p>\n<p>Has.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow would he know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nobody answered.<\/p>\n<p>Harris stepped into the hall.<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz stayed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m going to request the hospital review cameras on this floor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lena looked toward the ceiling.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou think somebody followed me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think we should not assume anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was the detective\u2019s version of yes.<\/p>\n<p>My daughter remained in the NICU two floors away.<\/p>\n<p>I felt suddenly useless.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want Amelia moved.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can ask about additional security.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t want her name on anything Victor can access.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hospital records.<\/p>\n<p>Birth information.<\/p>\n<p>Visitors.<\/p>\n<p>For months, Marcus had built control through ordinary systems.<\/p>\n<p>Accounts.<\/p>\n<p>Forms.<\/p>\n<p>Names.<\/p>\n<p>I no longer believed paperwork was harmless.<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll speak with security.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A nurse appeared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClaire, you\u2019re due for medication.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I almost refused automatically.<\/p>\n<p>Then caught myself.<\/p>\n<p>The nurse was not Marcus.<\/p>\n<p>The hospital was not the cage.<\/p>\n<p>I took the medicine.<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz left.<\/p>\n<p>Lena sat in the chair beside my bed.<\/p>\n<p>Neither of us spoke.<\/p>\n<p>After several minutes, I said, \u201cYou should have told me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo. You always say I should have trusted you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She looked down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can\u2019t ask me to tell you everything and then hold back something like this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her jaw tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI found it today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you were going to wait.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was trying not to scare you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s what Marcus always said.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The words landed hard.<\/p>\n<p>Lena looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>I regretted them instantly.<\/p>\n<p>But not entirely.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She sat straighter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t mean you\u2019re like him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know what you meant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She rubbed her forehead.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI keep trying to protect you from the next thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t need that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou just came out of a cage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know exactly where I came from.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her eyes filled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked away.<\/p>\n<p>She continued quietly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI spent three weeks thinking maybe I had pushed you too hard. That maybe you really wanted space. That maybe calling police would make you hate me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy would I hate you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause every time I questioned Marcus, you defended him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That hurt because it was true.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was scared.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought if you made him angry, he\u2019d punish me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lena\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou never told me that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI barely admitted it to myself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence settled between us.<\/p>\n<p>I watched light move across the window.<\/p>\n<p>Then Lena said, \u201cI should have opened the package.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI should have gone to the police when Daniel disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI should have broken into your house the first day you stopped answering.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite everything, I almost smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou would have gotten arrested.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWorth it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m done treating every bad decision like proof we failed each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That surprised me.<\/p>\n<p>I touched the edge of the blanket.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe know what we know now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A knock sounded.<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz returned.<\/p>\n<p>Too soon.<\/p>\n<p>Her expression had changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe hospital camera review found Victor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn this floor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lena stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwenty-three minutes ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My heartbeat accelerated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe did not enter this room.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere did he go?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNear the family waiting area.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re checking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas he alone?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That answer frightened me more.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho was with him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA hospital employee.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat employee?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re identifying her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lena swore.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid she bring him up here?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked toward the door.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes Marcus know people here?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he ever mention anyone?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictor?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I thought of Victor\u2019s company.<\/p>\n<p>Donations.<\/p>\n<p>Fundraisers.<\/p>\n<p>Boards.<\/p>\n<p>He liked putting his name on walls.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWait.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz leaned closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictor donated to this hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was a gala.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus made me attend two years ago.<\/p>\n<p>Victor had given money to renovate part of the surgical wing.<\/p>\n<p>I remembered him standing beside a plaque with his name on it.<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz\u2019s expression tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhich wing?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She left again.<\/p>\n<p>Ten minutes later, hospital administration moved me to another room under a restricted registration.<\/p>\n<p>Amelia\u2019s access record was flagged.<\/p>\n<p>Security stationed two officers near the NICU.<\/p>\n<p>Nobody used our names aloud in hallways.<\/p>\n<p>The precautions should have reassured me.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, they confirmed that Victor had reach.<\/p>\n<p>That evening, Harris called Lena.<\/p>\n<p>The forensic team had begun examining Daniel\u2019s drive.<\/p>\n<p>Most of the files were ordinary spreadsheets.<\/p>\n<p>Some were scanned documents.<\/p>\n<p>Several directories were encrypted.<\/p>\n<p>But one audio file opened immediately.<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz came back to the hospital so I could hear a portion.<\/p>\n<p>She warned me first.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel recorded this himself. We believe the date is about five weeks ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlay it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The sound began with scraping.<\/p>\n<p>Then Daniel\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n<p>Nervous.<\/p>\n<p>Breathing too quickly.<\/p>\n<p>He said the date.<\/p>\n<p>He said his full name.<\/p>\n<p>Then:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf this ends up being necessary, Victor knows the accounts are false. Marcus is moving the money. Evelyn knows enough to be scared, but she keeps signing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My heart pounded.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClaire doesn\u2019t know. I\u2019ve checked. Her signatures are inconsistent because some are real paperwork Marcus slipped past her, and some are outright fabricated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n<p>He had understood exactly how it happened.<\/p>\n<p>Then came a pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI confronted Marcus today. He asked what I copied. I lied.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz stopped the audio.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happens next?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt continues.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlay it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She did.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s voice returned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe thinks the copy is still in my office. It isn\u2019t. If I can reach Claire or her sister before Victor realizes what I found, I may have enough time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A faint sound occurred in the recording.<\/p>\n<p>A door.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel whispered, \u201cSomeone\u2019s here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then the file ended.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor that recording.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are others?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSeven.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do they say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re still processing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lena stood by the window, arms folded tightly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAny recording from the night he disappeared?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about the encrypted folders?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStill working.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz placed her phone on the table.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is one directory we can read.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s it called?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>I noticed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s named with a date.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat date?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She told me.<\/p>\n<p>For a moment, I did not understand why it sounded familiar.<\/p>\n<p>Then my hand moved instinctively to where my pregnancy had once curved beneath the blanket.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was my due date.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s inside?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnly one file.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA spreadsheet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t fully understand it yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTell me what you do understand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She opened a printed screenshot.<\/p>\n<p>There were columns.<\/p>\n<p>Dates.<\/p>\n<p>Initials.<\/p>\n<p>Amounts.<\/p>\n<p>A heading labeled FINAL TRANSFER.<\/p>\n<p>My name appeared beside one row.<\/p>\n<p>Claire Mercer.<\/p>\n<p>Next to it was Amelia\u2019s due date.<\/p>\n<p>Next to that, a large dollar amount.<\/p>\n<p>Then a status field.<\/p>\n<p>Pending.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat am I looking at?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re tracing it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy is my due date there?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhose spreadsheet is this?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMetadata points to an account used by Marcus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room tilted slightly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy would he attach my baby\u2019s due date to a money transfer?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz did not speculate.<\/p>\n<p>I did.<\/p>\n<p>He told me I was not supposed to go into labor yet.<\/p>\n<p>He needed nine more days for the corporate transfer.<\/p>\n<p>Evelyn said the papers had to be finished.<\/p>\n<p>The spreadsheet used my daughter\u2019s due date.<\/p>\n<p>The cage sat in the basement beside hidden records.<\/p>\n<p>The answer seemed close enough to feel but not yet clear enough to name.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened after that date?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz pointed at another column.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis entry is marked \u2018close.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClose what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd the amount?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust over eleven million dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lena stared at the page.<\/p>\n<p>I felt my pulse in my throat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEleven million.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat was supposed to happen to me when it closed?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>No one answered.<\/p>\n<p>I looked at the due date again.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus had not merely known when Amelia was expected.<\/p>\n<p>He had built a financial deadline around it.<\/p>\n<p>I understood then why he reacted with fear when my labor began early.<\/p>\n<p>Not concern.<\/p>\n<p>Schedule disruption.<\/p>\n<p>Somewhere inside Daniel\u2019s encrypted files was the reason my pregnancy had been turned into a countdown.<\/p>\n<p>And Victor knew exactly what that countdown ended with.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=21070\">Click here to continue reading: PART 10: Daniel\u2019s Encrypted Files Revealed Why Marcus Needed My Baby Born on Schedule, and Evelyn Finally Broke Her Silence About the Plan<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For several seconds, nobody in the hospital room moved. Lena held the flash drive between two fingers as if it might burn her. Black plastic. Red stripe. The same drive &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21060,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21069","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\/21069","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=21069"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21069\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21104,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21069\/revisions\/21104"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/21060"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21069"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21069"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}