{"id":21074,"date":"2026-09-26T13:51:53","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T13:51:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=21074"},"modified":"2026-09-26T13:51:53","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T13:51:53","slug":"part-14-two-bodies-beneath-victors-warehouse-changed-the-case-and-marcus-offered-a-deal-only-after-learning-what-police-had-unearthed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=21074","title":{"rendered":"PART 14 \u2013 Two Bodies Beneath Victor\u2019s Warehouse Changed the Case, and Marcus Offered a Deal Only After Learning What Police Had Unearthed"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The first body was Daniel Mercer.<\/p>\n<p>Confirmation came the following afternoon.<\/p>\n<p>Dental records.<\/p>\n<p>Personal effects.<\/p>\n<p>Preliminary identification.<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz told us in person.<\/p>\n<p>Lena cried.<\/p>\n<p>I did not.<\/p>\n<p>Not immediately.<\/p>\n<p>I had never known Daniel well enough to mourn him in the way his brother would.<\/p>\n<p>What I felt was heavier and less clean.<\/p>\n<p>He had tried to warn me.<\/p>\n<p>He had collected evidence.<\/p>\n<p>He had mailed the drive.<\/p>\n<p>He had walked into Victor\u2019s house believing perhaps that facts still carried enough power to protect a person.<\/p>\n<p>Then he disappeared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCause of death?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPending autopsy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVisible injuries?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHead trauma.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnknown.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCould it have happened at Victor\u2019s house?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe blood Evelyn saw.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why take him to North Yard?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re reconstructing that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I knew one reason.<\/p>\n<p>Bodies were problems.<\/p>\n<p>Victor specialized in moving problems somewhere other people could not see them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about the second body?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIdentification pending.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMale?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAge?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLikely adult.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow long buried?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYears.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToo early to say precisely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCould it be twenty-nine?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz understood why I asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy grandfather?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lena said.<\/p>\n<p>I shook my head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrandpa wasn\u2019t missing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He died in a hospital.<\/p>\n<p>The second body belonged to someone else.<\/p>\n<p>But the timing might connect to the old fraud.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Victor own North Yard back then?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot directly. A predecessor company did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cConnected to him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course.<\/p>\n<p>Always one layer removed.<\/p>\n<p>That afternoon, Marcus asked to speak with prosecutors.<\/p>\n<p>The timing was not subtle.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe heard about the bodies?\u201d I asked Harris.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis attorney did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd suddenly he wants to cooperate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does he want?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cConsideration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor murder?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t know what charges will ultimately apply.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe helped carry Daniel in a tarp.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have video of him carrying a wrapped object.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I gave Harris a look.<\/p>\n<p>He remained unmoved.<\/p>\n<p>Facts.<\/p>\n<p>Again.<\/p>\n<p>I was beginning to understand that careful language was not weakness.<\/p>\n<p>It was how you built something Marcus could not talk his way around.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat is he offering?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInformation about Victor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPotentially substantial information.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes he admit what he did to me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis attorney has indicated he may plead to certain offenses.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCertain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe welded me into a cage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat conduct is documented.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe starved me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe forged my name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvidence supports multiple fraudulent documents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe planned my death.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat remains under investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked away.<\/p>\n<p>There it was.<\/p>\n<p>The line Marcus wanted to preserve.<\/p>\n<p>Abuser, perhaps.<\/p>\n<p>Kidnapper.<\/p>\n<p>Fraudster.<\/p>\n<p>But not murderer.<\/p>\n<p>Not a man who had planned to kill his pregnant wife after using her child to launder money.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does he say happened to Daniel?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHarris.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe claims Victor killed him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cArgument at Victor\u2019s house. Daniel threatened to go to authorities. Victor struck him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarcus says a bronze sculpture.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Daniel die there?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAccording to Marcus, not immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was worse.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe says Daniel was unconscious but breathing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd they took him to North Yard.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy not a hospital?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris did not need to answer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarcus helped.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does he say happened at the warehouse?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe says Daniel regained consciousness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I felt pressure in my chest.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarcus claims Victor refused to release him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey held him there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is Marcus\u2019s statement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSeveral hours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Marcus leave?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe says he tried to persuade Victor to let Daniel go.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarcus always becomes reasonable after someone else can contradict him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris gave the smallest nod.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does he say happened next?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictor killed Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarcus claims he did not see the final act.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cConvenient.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That surprised me.<\/p>\n<p>Harris continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarcus says Victor sent him outside to move Daniel\u2019s car.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut video shows Marcus carrying the tarp.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo he lied.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis statement conflicts with evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does his lawyer say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat Marcus panicked and helped conceal the death after the fact.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter the fact.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The phrase tasted rotten.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he mention the cage?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat he confined you because he believed Daniel had given you evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd welding it shut?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe says he intended to release you once the financial transfer was complete.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe denies intending to kill you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat was the death certificate?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe claims Victor created it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe guardianship memo?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe trust?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe forged signatures?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictor instructed him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe fake surname?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictor suggested it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I almost admired the completeness.<\/p>\n<p>Everything bad had a father.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus merely happened to be present.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does he say was supposed to happen to me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat after the transfer, you would be taken somewhere else and persuaded to leave the marriage quietly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at Harris.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPersuaded.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is his word.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith what? Another cage?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe did not specify.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd my daughter?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe claims you would have retained custody.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why draft a guardianship memo assuming my death?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe says he never saw it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I laughed again.<\/p>\n<p>This time my incision hurt.<\/p>\n<p>I pressed a hand against it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s lying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome portions are contradicted by evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan I hear his statement?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cActive investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I hated that too.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat is he offering about the second body?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe identified it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stopped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeter Sloan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The name meant nothing.<\/p>\n<p>Lena shook her head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho was he?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFormer Meridian employee.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My skin prickled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith Grandpa?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSecurity manager.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I understood immediately.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe had access to the bank archive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLikely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened to him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe disappeared twenty-seven years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOfficially?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReported missing by his family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNever found.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Marcus knows who is under Victor\u2019s warehouse floor?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe says Victor told him years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at Harris.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen Marcus knew his father had buried someone there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is what his statement suggests.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd he still took Daniel there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Whatever faint distinction Marcus hoped to draw between himself and Victor collapsed.<\/p>\n<p>He knew what North Yard was.<\/p>\n<p>He knew what the floor contained.<\/p>\n<p>And when Daniel became a problem, he helped take another man there.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy was Sloan killed?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarcus says he doesn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you believe that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris did not answer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Sloan help Grandpa?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re checking archived records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does the old tape say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour grandfather mentions someone named Pete.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat exactly?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe says Pete helped him copy access logs after original records disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo Sloan had evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd then Sloan disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The pattern was no longer theoretical.<\/p>\n<p>Grandpa investigates Victor.<\/p>\n<p>Records vanish.<\/p>\n<p>Grandpa is threatened.<\/p>\n<p>Security manager who helped him disappears.<\/p>\n<p>Decades later Daniel investigates Victor.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel disappears.<\/p>\n<p>Then I unknowingly become connected to Daniel\u2019s evidence.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus imprisons me.<\/p>\n<p>Not random violence.<\/p>\n<p>A method.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictor removes people who can expose him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris stayed careful.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe evidence shows multiple people connected to investigations of Victor suffered serious harm or disappeared. Determining responsibility is the purpose of the investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I nodded.<\/p>\n<p>I had asked him for facts.<\/p>\n<p>He gave them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does Marcus want in exchange for Sloan?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReduced exposure on certain charges.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWill he get it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s for prosecutors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan I stop it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can provide a victim impact statement and information. Charging decisions are not yours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I hated that most.<\/p>\n<p>But law was not revenge.<\/p>\n<p>I knew enough now to understand the difference.<\/p>\n<p>That evening, Amelia was cleared to leave the NICU permanently.<\/p>\n<p>She slept in a clear bassinet beside my hospital bed.<\/p>\n<p>For an hour, I watched her without thinking about Marcus.<\/p>\n<p>It felt like stealing time back.<\/p>\n<p>Lena brought dinner.<\/p>\n<p>Real food.<\/p>\n<p>Soup.<\/p>\n<p>Bread.<\/p>\n<p>Fruit.<\/p>\n<p>I stared at the apple on the tray.<\/p>\n<p>My stomach turned.<\/p>\n<p>Lena noticed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll get rid of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t have to prove anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I picked it up.<\/p>\n<p>Red skin.<\/p>\n<p>Unbruised.<\/p>\n<p>Fresh.<\/p>\n<p>I cut it with the plastic knife into small pieces.<\/p>\n<p>Ate one.<\/p>\n<p>Sweet.<\/p>\n<p>Crisp.<\/p>\n<p>For a moment I was back inside the cage, scraping brown flesh from a rotten apple because my daughter needed calories.<\/p>\n<p>I put the piece down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lena removed the tray without comment.<\/p>\n<p>Later Ruiz arrived carrying copies of old bank records.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe found Peter Sloan in your grandfather\u2019s memorandum.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe provided security-access logs showing Victor entered the records archive after hours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore documents disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe night before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd nobody charged him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictor claimed he was retrieving client files.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened to Sloan?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThree months later, missing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas Victor questioned?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBriefly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Because the evidence was under concrete.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Marcus say about him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictor told him Sloan tried to extort the family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarcus says Victor described North Yard as the place where disloyal people ended up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Marcus still brought Daniel there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he ever threaten me with North Yard?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot directly, according to what you\u2019ve told us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>No.<\/p>\n<p>He had not needed to.<\/p>\n<p>I did not know what it meant.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about my grandfather\u2019s accident?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStill under review.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAny connection?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe found something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I waited.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeter Sloan\u2019s missing-person file contains a witness statement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom whom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA mechanic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he see?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA company vehicle near Sloan\u2019s home the night he disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictor\u2019s?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRegistered to a Meridian vendor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cConnected to Victor?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCompany owner was one of the borrowers your grandfather flagged.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I leaned back.<\/p>\n<p>Every road returned to the same man.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does this have to do with Grandpa\u2019s accident?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe same vehicle was repaired eight weeks later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFront-end damage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lena whispered, \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz remained measured.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe timing is near your grandfather\u2019s crash. That does not establish the vehicle caused it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut you\u2019re looking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Amelia.<\/p>\n<p>She stretched one tiny hand above her head.<\/p>\n<p>Twenty-nine years of concealed harm had reached her before she took her first breath.<\/p>\n<p>That thought made my anger feel inherited.<\/p>\n<p>I did not want that for her.<\/p>\n<p>I wanted this to end here.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat would it take to arrest Victor?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz did not answer immediately.<\/p>\n<p>Then her phone rang.<\/p>\n<p>She stepped into the hallway.<\/p>\n<p>When she returned, her expression had changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictor\u2019s residence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOfficers went to execute another warrant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe isn\u2019t there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My pulse quickened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is he?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCar?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPhone?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOff.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lena stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe ran.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz remained careful.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe is currently unaccounted for.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSame thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot legally.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes he know Marcus is talking?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVery possibly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked toward Amelia.<\/p>\n<p>Hospital security.<\/p>\n<p>Restricted records.<\/p>\n<p>Locked floor.<\/p>\n<p>None of it felt sufficient anymore.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan we leave?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot without a safety plan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wasn\u2019t asking to leave alone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re arranging protection.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My phone vibrated.<\/p>\n<p>Unknown number.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone froze.<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz took it.<\/p>\n<p>A photograph had arrived.<\/p>\n<p>No text.<\/p>\n<p>She opened it.<\/p>\n<p>Her face changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She turned the screen toward me.<\/p>\n<p>My house.<\/p>\n<p>Photographed from across the street.<\/p>\n<p>Taken recently.<\/p>\n<p>The police tape was visible across the front entrance.<\/p>\n<p>Timestamp: fourteen minutes earlier.<\/p>\n<p>Then a second message arrived.<\/p>\n<p>This one contained four words.<\/p>\n<p>Ask Marcus who started this.<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz immediately called Harris.<\/p>\n<p>Officers were dispatched.<\/p>\n<p>Traffic cameras were checked.<\/p>\n<p>Victor\u2019s vehicle had been seen near my neighborhood.<\/p>\n<p>He had not fled the city.<\/p>\n<p>He had gone back to the beginning.<\/p>\n<p>And whatever Marcus had told police, Victor believed there was still one secret dangerous enough to keep him from running.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=21075\">Click here to continue reading: PART 15: Victor Returned to My House for Something Hidden Before the Wedding, and the Police Trap Forced Marcus to Admit What He Had Never Told Me<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The first body was Daniel Mercer. Confirmation came the following afternoon. Dental records. Personal effects. Preliminary identification. Ruiz told us in person. Lena cried. I did not. Not immediately. I &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-21074","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\/21074","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=21074"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21074\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21109,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21074\/revisions\/21109"}],"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=21074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}