I stared at Michael\u2019s voice coming from Nathan\u2019s phone as if the device itself had betrayed me.<\/p>\n
\u201cA photograph of me leaving First County?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe day you met Patricia.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was the first day.<\/p>\n
Before Hillcrest.<\/p>\n
Before the storage unit had given up its boxes.<\/p>\n
Before Daniel.<\/p>\n
Before Calvin\u2019s tape.<\/p>\n
Someone had known almost immediately that Mama\u2019s trail had begun moving.<\/p>\n
\u201cSend it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael did.<\/p>\n
My phone buzzed.<\/p>\n
I opened the image.<\/p>\n
There I was walking down the bank steps with the flour tin tucked against my side.<\/p>\n
The photograph had been taken from across the street.<\/p>\n
Not close enough to identify the photographer in a reflection.<\/p>\n
Not far enough to be accidental.<\/p>\n
Russell leaned over my shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s surveillance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan held out his hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cForward the original file to me. Don\u2019t edit or screenshot it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Rebecca say with it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael answered, \u201cThree words.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat words?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk Linda why.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn\u2019t explain.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you respond?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI asked what she wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said, \u2018What Wayne left belongs to me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
My anger settled into something colder.<\/p>\n
\u201cWayne left me nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently she disagrees.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan asked, \u201cDid Rebecca threaten Linda directly?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDemand money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cState she was the photographer?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we should not assume she took it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I appreciated the correction even while hating the uncertainty.<\/p>\n
Russell said, \u201cWho else knew we were going to First County?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPatricia.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNathan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMama\u2019s instructions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMichael?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said. \u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel didn\u2019t know until later.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBank employees?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russell looked at my phone again.<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca could have hired someone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCould have,\u201d Nathan said. \u201cNot established.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked around Frank\u2019s workshop.<\/p>\n
Suddenly every window seemed too large.<\/p>\n
Every gap in the blinds seemed intentional.<\/p>\n
I walked to the door and looked outside.<\/p>\n
Our backyard was empty.<\/p>\n
The late afternoon sun touched the fence.<\/p>\n
A lawn mower droned somewhere down the block.<\/p>\n
Normal life continued with insulting confidence.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did Rebecca get Michael\u2019s number?\u201d<\/p>\n
I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe had it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom when?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter Wayne died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou spoke to her then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another omission.<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes briefly.<\/p>\n
\u201cMichael, we are reaching the point where \u2018I didn\u2019t think it mattered\u2019 is going to make me throw this phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo tell me everything about Rebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n
He inhaled.<\/p>\n
Wayne had fathered Rebecca Lane in 1956.<\/p>\n
Before he met Mama.<\/p>\n
Rebecca\u2019s mother was named Margaret Lane.<\/p>\n
Wayne never married her.<\/p>\n
He acknowledged Rebecca privately and sent money irregularly.<\/p>\n
For years, Rebecca believed Wayne worked construction and traveled.<\/p>\n
She did not know he had another family until she was a teenager.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she ever meet Mama?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMe?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot knowingly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRussell?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWayne visited her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow often?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes once a year. Sometimes less.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russell folded his arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo while he was controlling our house, he had another daughter nobody knew existed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The hypocrisy barely surprised me anymore.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he tell Rebecca about us?\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Evelyn trapped him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe claimed she knew about the Hillcrest fire and threatened to expose him unless he married her.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe married Mama in order to silence her, and then told Rebecca Mama blackmailed him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat seems to be the version.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Rebecca know Wayne set the fire?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she think happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAccident.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she know someone died?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she know about Michael?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot then.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCalvin?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy accident?\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Wayne tell her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat you tried to kill yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
The workshop became quiet.<\/p>\n
There it was again.<\/p>\n
The lie he had prepared in the hospital.<\/p>\n
The lie he carried for decades.<\/p>\n
Not merely defensive.<\/p>\n
Portable.<\/p>\n
Useful whenever he needed to explain me to someone else.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said the family blamed him afterward.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConvenient.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Rebecca believe him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think she did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know her well?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen stop telling me what you think and tell me what you know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael accepted that.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I know is that she defended him after he died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe contacted Evelyn.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMama?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout three months after the funeral.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe believed Evelyn had hidden assets.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBased on what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWayne told Rebecca he had money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd land.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat assets did she think Mama had?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA bank account.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan leaned closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe second account?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much had been in it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cHighest balance I saw was approximately eighty-four thousand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russell swore.<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cEighty-four thousand dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStolen from us?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom whom else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBusiness partners. Cash jobs. Insurance money. Possibly Hillcrest proceeds.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did it go?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMostly Rebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore Wayne died?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo why did she accuse Mama of having it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Wayne told her there was more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan asked, \u201cWas there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Frank\u2019s workbench.<\/p>\n
One hundred thousand in Calvin\u2019s trust.<\/p>\n
Almost nineteen thousand in Mama\u2019s tin.<\/p>\n
Eighty-four thousand in Wayne\u2019s secret account.<\/p>\n
Money had moved through this family like blood through hidden arteries.<\/p>\n
Nobody saw the whole circulation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Mama tell Rebecca?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat she knew nothing about Wayne\u2019s accounts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas that true?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Rebecca believe her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca threatened to contest Wayne\u2019s estate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat estate?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe land and some personal property.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut she already received the land.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough a transfer made before Wayne died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen there was nothing to contest.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan said, \u201cDid she file anything?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo the dispute ended.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor Evelyn, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor Rebecca?\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael went quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I knew the next question mattered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe started collecting Wayne\u2019s papers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom where?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cArkansas. His old job sites. People who knew him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said she wanted to prove Evelyn had stolen from him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russell gave a humorless laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe spent years trying to prove the opposite of what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she find anything?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse jumped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRecords Wayne kept away from Evelyn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich could explain why she knows about the flour tin.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
I returned to the photograph.<\/p>\n
\u201cMichael, did Rebecca send anything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA scan.\u201d<\/p>\n
My patience snapped.<\/p>\n
\u201cSend everything at once.\u201d<\/p>\n
A moment later three files arrived.<\/p>\n
The first was the photograph.<\/p>\n
The second was a handwritten page.<\/p>\n
Wayne\u2019s writing.<\/p>\n
I recognized it immediately.<\/p>\n
Dates.<\/p>\n
Initials.<\/p>\n
Amounts.<\/p>\n
At the top:<\/p>\n
E.H. \u2014 18,940.<\/p>\n
My breath caught.<\/p>\n
Mama\u2019s exact flour-tin amount.<\/p>\n
Russell leaned closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did Wayne know?\u201d<\/p>\n
The date beside the entry was 2001.<\/p>\n
Mama\u2019s restitution ledger had existed by then.<\/p>\n
Wayne apparently knew the balance.<\/p>\n
Below it:<\/p>\n
L.C. \u2014 owes nothing. She got enough.<\/p>\n
My jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
Even in private, Wayne had rewritten theft as generosity.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
R.C. \u2014 3,400 unresolved.<\/p>\n
Russell went pale.<\/p>\n
The missing money attributed to him.<\/p>\n
Wayne knew.<\/p>\n
Another line:<\/p>\n
C.R. trust? Michael.<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
Calvin Rhodes.<\/p>\n
Trust.<\/p>\n
Michael.<\/p>\n
\u201cWayne knew about Calvin\u2019s trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael swore softly through the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said he didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know he knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
The distinction mattered.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow could he?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have no idea.\u201d<\/p>\n
The final line on the page:<\/p>\n
Rebecca \u2014 make whole before E.H. gets anything.<\/p>\n
Russell looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was moving money to Rebecca deliberately.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan said, \u201cThis page suggests he considered Rebecca a creditor or beneficiary.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody knew.<\/p>\n
The third file was stranger.<\/p>\n
A photocopy of a deed.<\/p>\n
Twenty-six acres in Arkansas.<\/p>\n
Wayne Harper to Rebecca Lane.<\/p>\n
Transfer price:<\/p>\n
Ten dollars and other valuable consideration.<\/p>\n
Dated 2016.<\/p>\n
Three years before Wayne died.<\/p>\n
At the bottom, Rebecca had written:<\/p>\n
This was not all.<\/p>\n
I looked at Nathan.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does she think is missing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to ask her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russell immediately said, \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s having you followed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has a picture of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich is why I want to know where it came from.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe believes Wayne.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen she needs evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe may not care about evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen I still need to know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russell stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cLinda, every time we open another door, somebody is standing behind it with forty years of damage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo maybe don\u2019t walk into this one blind.\u201d<\/p>\n
I understood his fear.<\/p>\n
But fear had directed this family long enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe contact her through me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cLinda.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe sent my photograph to Michael. She wanted me to know she can see me. I want her to hear my voice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat does not require an in-person meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFine.\u201d<\/p>\n
I called.<\/p>\n
Michael gave me the number.<\/p>\n
Rebecca answered after four rings.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice startled me.<\/p>\n
Older.<\/p>\n
Low.<\/p>\n
Not like Wayne.<\/p>\n
Not like Mama.<\/p>\n
Just a woman.<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca Lane?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy name is Linda Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
\u201cI wondered how long Michael would take.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sent him my photograph.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you take it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho did?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA man I hired.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russell muttered something beside me.<\/p>\n
I kept my voice level.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy were you having me followed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou hired a man who photographed me leaving a bank.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hired him to watch Patricia Monroe.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Nathan.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy Patricia?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Wayne wrote her name down.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore he died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he write?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk Patricia what Evelyn hid.\u201d<\/p>\n
My skin prickled.<\/p>\n
Mama had trusted Patricia.<\/p>\n
Wayne apparently knew enough to suspect her.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo your investigator watched Patricia and saw me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he follow me after the bank?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI paid him to watch Patricia. Not you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cName.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis name.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca hesitated.<\/p>\n
Then gave it.<\/p>\n
Nathan wrote it down.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will verify.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGo ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n
She did not sound frightened.<\/p>\n
That helped.<\/p>\n
Not trustworthy.<\/p>\n
But not evasive.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you send Michael the photograph?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I wanted you to contact me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could have called.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou wouldn\u2019t have answered.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t try.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you chose intimidation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI chose proof.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProof of what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Evelyn\u2019s secret money existed.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the flour tin.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think the money belongs to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think some of it might.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know where it came from.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her confidence irritated me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Then Rebecca said, \u201cWayne wrote down eighteen thousand nine hundred forty dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw the page.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat number appears in three places in his papers.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne ledger. One letter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat letter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Evelyn had money that belonged to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWayne stole money from me and Russell for years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve heard your version.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt heat rise.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy version is supported by bank records.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Nathan touched my arm lightly.<\/p>\n
Stay factual.<\/p>\n
I continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cRecords show Wayne deposited money taken from my settlement. He paid people connected with changing statements after my accident.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca did not answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Wayne tell you he pushed me into traffic?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said you slipped.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a recording of him admitting he shoved me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Longer now.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe never said that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told you a version that protected him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca\u2019s voice hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd your mother told you what protected her.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
Because that was also true.<\/p>\n
Mama had lied.<\/p>\n
Repeatedly.<\/p>\n
Rebecca knew enough to make the point land.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe did.\u201d<\/p>\n
My answer surprised her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not asking you to believe Mama.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen who?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDocuments. Recordings. People who admitted what they did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca breathed into the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you want from me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou contacted us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI want the ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat ledger?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich one?\u201d<\/p>\n
She went quiet.<\/p>\n
That told me she had not expected the question.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many are there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt least three.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWayne said one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence again.<\/p>\n
Then Rebecca said, \u201cI have something you need.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWayne\u2019s last notebook.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse jumped.<\/p>\n
\u201cOriginal?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did you get it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s in it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNames.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYours. Russell\u2019s. Michael\u2019s. Daniel Mercer\u2019s. Calvin Rhodes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russell leaned closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Mama?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you want for it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s vague.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo is everything Wayne left me.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time, I heard something beneath her defensiveness.<\/p>\n
Confusion.<\/p>\n
Maybe anger.<\/p>\n
Maybe grief.<\/p>\n
She had inherited her own version of Wayne.<\/p>\n
Not the man I knew.<\/p>\n
A father who visited.<\/p>\n
Sent money.<\/p>\n
Complained about the family who trapped him.<\/p>\n
Perhaps loved her in whatever damaged way he could.<\/p>\n
Learning what he actually did would not be simple.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you want money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLand?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe flour tin?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to see the ledger showing where the eighteen thousand nine hundred forty came from.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Nathan.<\/p>\n
He nodded once.<\/p>\n
That was possible.<\/p>\n
Evidence exchange.<\/p>\n
Not payment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca\u2019s voice softened.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Wayne told me that money came from my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said Margaret gave Evelyn money to leave him alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
That made no sense.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLate eighties.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMama never mentioned Margaret.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe she lied.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe Wayne did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word came quietly.<\/p>\n
It was the first time Rebecca allowed it.<\/p>\n
I leaned against Frank\u2019s workbench.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you believe?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was more honest than anything else she had said.<\/p>\n
Nathan took the phone.<\/p>\n
He introduced himself and proposed a document exchange at his office.<\/p>\n
Copies first.<\/p>\n
Originals only after authentication.<\/p>\n
Rebecca agreed.<\/p>\n
Then she said, \u201cThere\u2019s one condition.\u201d<\/p>\n
I took the phone back.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRussell comes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My brother stiffened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Wayne left something for him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA letter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russell shook his head immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca heard.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou might.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
She paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cTom Weaver wrote it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russell froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWayne had a letter Tom wrote to you before he died.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russell\u2019s face emptied.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did Wayne have it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did.<\/p>\n
Or thought I did.<\/p>\n
Wayne collected leverage.<\/p>\n
He kept people separated by intercepting what they might say to one another.<\/p>\n
Calvin\u2019s letters.<\/p>\n
Tom\u2019s letter.<\/p>\n
Probably others.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen can you come?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cTomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMemphis.\u201d<\/p>\n
My skin prickled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re already here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor how long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFour days.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russell stared at me.<\/p>\n
Rebecca continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came when my investigator told me Patricia met with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou came before contacting Michael.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to see whether Wayne was right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat your mother left instructions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow would he know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis notebook.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca inhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn will confess after I\u2019m dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words chilled me.<\/p>\n
Wayne had known Mama.<\/p>\n
Maybe better than any of us wanted to admit.<\/p>\n
He knew she would wait.<\/p>\n
He counted on it.<\/p>\n
Rebecca continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnder that he wrote, \u2018Pantry first.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared toward the house.<\/p>\n
The flour tin.<\/p>\n
The beginning.<\/p>\n
\u201cWayne knew about the pantry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why didn\u2019t he find the evidence?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maybe he knew Mama hid money there but not where.<\/p>\n
Maybe he believed he had time.<\/p>\n
Maybe age made him careless.<\/p>\n
Or maybe Mama had finally become better at hiding than he was at searching.<\/p>\n
Rebecca said one more thing before hanging up.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a page in the notebook about Frank.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat page?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll show you tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I don\u2019t understand it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
She hesitated.<\/p>\n
Then read:<\/p>\n
F.C. knows Calvin. He thinks that is the worst of it.<\/p>\n
My skin went cold.<\/p>\n
Frank knew Calvin was my father.<\/p>\n
Wayne\u2019s note implied there was something worse.<\/p>\n
Or something Wayne considered worse.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s underneath?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo words.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk Evelyn.\u201d<\/p>\n
The call ended.<\/p>\n
Russell looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat could be worse than Calvin?\u201d<\/p>\n
I folded Frank\u2019s letter and put it back into its envelope.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan closed his legal pad.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Wayne did.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked through the workshop window toward my house.<\/p>\n
Frank had died believing he knew one terrible family truth.<\/p>\n
Mama had died knowing dozens.<\/p>\n
And Wayne, even from the grave, had apparently left one more thing positioned between them.<\/p>\n
I stared at Michael\u2019s voice coming from Nathan\u2019s phone as if the device itself had betrayed me. \u201cA photograph of me leaving First County?\u201d \u201cYes.\u201d \u201cWhen?\u201d \u201cThe day you met … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21822,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21839","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\/21839","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=21839"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21839\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21874,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21839\/revisions\/21874"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/21822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21839"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21839"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}