{"id":23045,"date":"2026-09-27T19:55:48","date_gmt":"2026-09-27T19:55:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=23045"},"modified":"2026-09-27T19:55:48","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T19:55:48","slug":"part-16-marjorie-finally-stopped-running-at-the-abandoned-auto-shop-but-stephen-kline-arrived-before-police-could-secure-the-ledger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=23045","title":{"rendered":"PART 16 \u2013 Marjorie Finally Stopped Running at the Abandoned Auto Shop, but Stephen Kline Arrived Before Police Could Secure the Ledger"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The old McDowell shop had been vacant for years.<\/p>\n<p>Its sign was gone.<\/p>\n<p>Several windows were boarded.<\/p>\n<p>A chain-link fence surrounded the cracked parking lot.<\/p>\n<p>Derek knew every entrance.<\/p>\n<p>That knowledge was precisely why Harris refused to let him approach.<\/p>\n<p>Police established a perimeter two blocks away.<\/p>\n<p>Derek sat inside an unmarked vehicle with Olivia and Rebecca.<\/p>\n<p>The black ledger existed somewhere inside.<\/p>\n<p>So did Marjorie.<\/p>\n<p>Stephen Kline might be approaching.<\/p>\n<p>No one knew whether he was armed.<\/p>\n<p>No one knew whether Marjorie was.<\/p>\n<p>Derek\u2019s phone remained open to her last message.<\/p>\n<p>Bring police.<\/p>\n<p>For once, she had asked for the right thing.<\/p>\n<p>Harris stood outside speaking into a radio.<\/p>\n<p>Derek watched every movement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou okay?\u201d Olivia asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMe neither.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou didn\u2019t have to come.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He did not ask why she had.<\/p>\n<p>That mattered too.<\/p>\n<p>A negotiator called Marjorie.<\/p>\n<p>No answer.<\/p>\n<p>Called again.<\/p>\n<p>Nothing.<\/p>\n<p>Then Derek\u2019s phone rang.<\/p>\n<p>Mom.<\/p>\n<p>Harris signaled him to answer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMom.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can see police.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her voice was quiet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you bring Olivia?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek looked at his wife.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI need to talk to her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I owe her something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia held out her hand.<\/p>\n<p>Derek gave her the phone without hesitation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarjorie.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>Then Marjorie said, \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia\u2019s expression remained guarded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor which part?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat isn\u2019t specific enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>Marjorie breathed shakily.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor taking your card.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia waited.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor entering your home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Still she waited.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor reading your mail.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek\u2019s head snapped toward the phone.<\/p>\n<p>That detail was new.<\/p>\n<p>Marjorie continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor copying your financial information.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia closed her eyes briefly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor trying to convince Derek you were imagining things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That one landed hardest.<\/p>\n<p>Olivia\u2019s voice became quieter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew he would believe you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you used that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek looked down.<\/p>\n<p>Marjorie continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hated you because you noticed things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia\u2019s expression changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou didn\u2019t hate me because I took Derek away?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt first I told myself that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat was the truth?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou made him ask questions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Marjorie\u2019s voice broke.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe had never asked me questions before you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia looked at Derek.<\/p>\n<p>He stared at the floorboard.<\/p>\n<p>There it was.<\/p>\n<p>The foundation beneath years of conflict.<\/p>\n<p>Olivia had not created division.<\/p>\n<p>She had introduced scrutiny into a relationship built on unquestioned access.<\/p>\n<p>Marjorie said, \u201cYou were right to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek looked up sharply.<\/p>\n<p>Olivia did not respond.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI made your marriage impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo,\u201d Olivia said.<\/p>\n<p>Derek turned toward her.<\/p>\n<p>Olivia continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou made it difficult. Derek made his choices.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The words hurt him.<\/p>\n<p>They were also exactly right.<\/p>\n<p>Marjorie began crying.<\/p>\n<p>Olivia did not comfort her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is the ledger?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn the desk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre you alone?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris immediately wrote:<\/p>\n<p>ASK AGAIN.<\/p>\n<p>Olivia said, \u201cMarjorie, look at me as someone who has spent months documenting your lies. Are you alone?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>Then a whisper.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Every officer near the vehicle moved.<\/p>\n<p>Olivia kept her voice steady.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho is there?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe just came in.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek\u2019s blood went cold.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKline?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A male voice sounded in the background.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGive me the phone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marjorie said, \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A crash.<\/p>\n<p>The call disconnected.<\/p>\n<p>Derek reached for the door.<\/p>\n<p>Harris physically blocked it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s in there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd armed officers are going in.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>The old Derek would have pushed past.<\/p>\n<p>The old Derek would have made his panic everyone else\u2019s problem.<\/p>\n<p>He stepped backward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGet her out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re trying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Police entered through two sides.<\/p>\n<p>Seconds stretched.<\/p>\n<p>Derek heard commands.<\/p>\n<p>Then a loud bang.<\/p>\n<p>Olivia grabbed his wrist.<\/p>\n<p>He did not know whether the sound was a gunshot.<\/p>\n<p>A door.<\/p>\n<p>A flash device.<\/p>\n<p>Another command echoed.<\/p>\n<p>Then silence.<\/p>\n<p>Derek\u2019s breathing became shallow.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca stood beside the car, motionless.<\/p>\n<p>A radio crackled.<\/p>\n<p>One person detained.<\/p>\n<p>One female located.<\/p>\n<p>Derek closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlive?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris listened.<\/p>\n<p>Then nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek bent forward with both hands on his knees.<\/p>\n<p>Olivia released his wrist slowly.<\/p>\n<p>Another radio message.<\/p>\n<p>No gunfire.<\/p>\n<p>The bang had been a metal door slamming during entry.<\/p>\n<p>Marjorie had a cut on her forehead from the earlier motel incident but no new major injuries.<\/p>\n<p>Stephen Kline was in custody.<\/p>\n<p>The black ledger was recovered.<\/p>\n<p>Derek laughed once.<\/p>\n<p>Then covered his face.<\/p>\n<p>He did not realize he was crying until Olivia handed him a tissue.<\/p>\n<p>Twenty minutes later, paramedics brought Marjorie outside.<\/p>\n<p>Her hair was disordered.<\/p>\n<p>Bandage on one hand.<\/p>\n<p>Bruise darkening her temple.<\/p>\n<p>She looked smaller than Derek remembered.<\/p>\n<p>Not innocent.<\/p>\n<p>Not monstrous.<\/p>\n<p>Just human.<\/p>\n<p>That was somehow harder.<\/p>\n<p>She saw him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDerek.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He remained behind the police line.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMom.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He did not answer.<\/p>\n<p>Officers escorted her toward an ambulance for evaluation.<\/p>\n<p>She stopped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPolice have it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy did you keep it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marjorie looked toward the building.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I wanted one thing Kline was afraid of.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor leverage?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor eight years?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt first.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd later?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLater I thought maybe someday I\u2019d tell you everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek swallowed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut you didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause every year I waited made the truth uglier.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He nodded.<\/p>\n<p>That he understood.<\/p>\n<p>Delay created its own prison.<\/p>\n<p>Marjorie looked toward Olivia.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI meant what I said.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia stood beside Rebecca.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI heard you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t expect forgiveness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia\u2019s face remained calm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marjorie almost smiled through tears.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat sounds like Martin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia stiffened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew my father?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow well?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBetter than I wanted to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia stepped closer to the line.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour father offered me a way out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore Thomas died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat way?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said if I gave him the full Cedar Ridge ledger and admitted what I had taken, he would help negotiate the debt and make sure Derek\u2019s money was restored.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI refused.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause admitting it meant Thomas would know everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe already did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t know how much.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marjorie looked toward Derek.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought I could fix it before he found out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek shook his head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat sentence has destroyed half our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paramedics needed to move her.<\/p>\n<p>Before she left, Marjorie said one more thing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour father didn\u2019t hate me, Derek.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She seemed surprised.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was leaving me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know that too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought that meant he hated me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek looked toward Thomas\u2019s old shop.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He understood now.<\/p>\n<p>Leaving could be an act of self-preservation rather than hatred.<\/p>\n<p>The realization brought his eyes involuntarily toward Olivia.<\/p>\n<p>She saw.<\/p>\n<p>Neither spoke.<\/p>\n<p>Stephen Kline was taken away separately.<\/p>\n<p>He said nothing.<\/p>\n<p>His attorney would eventually speak for him.<\/p>\n<p>The black ledger went into evidence.<\/p>\n<p>Forensic review began immediately.<\/p>\n<p>It contained dozens of borrower names.<\/p>\n<p>Repeated fees.<\/p>\n<p>Altered balances.<\/p>\n<p>Property references.<\/p>\n<p>Payments to Voss.<\/p>\n<p>Payments associated with Kline.<\/p>\n<p>Marjorie\u2019s transactions.<\/p>\n<p>And, crucially, handwritten notes connecting some loans to planned collateral acquisitions after default.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca read one line twice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey were targeting properties.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPotentially.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marjorie\u2019s debt was part of a larger pattern.<\/p>\n<p>Not the whole story.<\/p>\n<p>The ledger did not erase her thefts.<\/p>\n<p>It showed the machinery surrounding them.<\/p>\n<p>By midnight, preliminary review connected the attempted loan against Derek\u2019s inherited property to the same Cedar Ridge system Thomas had tried to expose eight years earlier.<\/p>\n<p>Derek sat in the station cafeteria with Olivia.<\/p>\n<p>Neither had energy left for the conference room.<\/p>\n<p>A vending machine hummed nearby.<\/p>\n<p>Derek pushed a paper cup between his hands.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happens to Mom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s not really my question to answer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Potential charges would depend on prosecutors.<\/p>\n<p>Identity theft.<\/p>\n<p>Forgery.<\/p>\n<p>Unauthorized financial access.<\/p>\n<p>Evidence concealment.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps conduct related to Thomas\u2019s delayed medical assistance, depending on law and evidence.<\/p>\n<p>Derek did not ask Harris to predict.<\/p>\n<p>He had learned enough about predictions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happens to Kline?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSame answer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He nodded.<\/p>\n<p>Olivia drank water.<\/p>\n<p>Derek looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd what happens to us?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She became still.<\/p>\n<p>He immediately added, \u201cYou don\u2019t have to answer tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia studied him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s new.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m trying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek looked down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI kept thinking if I solved Mom, I could solve us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia said nothing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut those aren\u2019t the same problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven if everything she did gets proven, I still didn\u2019t believe you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI still made you defend basic boundaries.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI still treated your discomfort like an inconvenience.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her eyes lowered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He swallowed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not going to ask you to forget that because I finally learned how bad things were.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olivia\u2019s expression softened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It was not reconciliation.<\/p>\n<p>But it was the first thing she had thanked him for that had nothing to do with evidence.<\/p>\n<p>Derek sat quietly.<\/p>\n<p>After a while Olivia said, \u201cI haven\u2019t filed the divorce papers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His head rose.<\/p>\n<p>Hope arrived.<\/p>\n<p>He did not let it speak for him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She noticed the restraint.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not promising anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI need distance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI need therapy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo do I.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat wasn\u2019t an invitation to do couples therapy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She almost smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m serious.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo am I.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The silence between them became less hostile.<\/p>\n<p>Not comfortable.<\/p>\n<p>But honest.<\/p>\n<p>Harris entered the cafeteria carrying a file.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSorry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek looked up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat now?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe completed an initial review of Thomas\u2019s paramedic record.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek\u2019s body tensed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe medical examiner who reviewed the old case believes Thomas was experiencing an acute cardiac event before leaving the clinic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat matches everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWould an ambulance from the clinic have saved him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris sat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo one can say.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about the six-minute delay?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlso impossible to determine with certainty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo we\u2019ll never know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProbably not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek sat with that.<\/p>\n<p>For days he had expected truth to produce certainty.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, the truth produced limits.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas might have died even with immediate care.<\/p>\n<p>Or earlier transport might have saved him.<\/p>\n<p>No surviving expert could honestly promise either answer.<\/p>\n<p>What could be known was simpler.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas asked for help.<\/p>\n<p>Marjorie delayed it.<\/p>\n<p>Then concealed what happened.<\/p>\n<p>Derek did not need to invent anything beyond that.<\/p>\n<p>Harris continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s something else in the paramedic notes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen responders arrived, Thomas briefly regained partial consciousness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek froze.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThree words were documented.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek\u2019s throat tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat words?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris placed the copied report on the table.<\/p>\n<p>Patient repeatedly stated: \u201cCall my son.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek stared at the sentence.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas had wanted him.<\/p>\n<p>Not Martin.<\/p>\n<p>Not Samuel.<\/p>\n<p>Not police.<\/p>\n<p>Derek.<\/p>\n<p>His eyes filled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI never got a call.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked toward the cafeteria window.<\/p>\n<p>For eight years, Derek had believed his father died without asking for him.<\/p>\n<p>Now he knew otherwise.<\/p>\n<p>Marjorie had hidden that too.<\/p>\n<p>Olivia moved her chair closer.<\/p>\n<p>Not touching.<\/p>\n<p>Just closer.<\/p>\n<p>Derek wiped his face.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would\u2019ve gone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would\u2019ve been there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He stared at the report.<\/p>\n<p>Then his phone buzzed.<\/p>\n<p>A voicemail notification.<\/p>\n<p>Marjorie had apparently called while he was speaking with Harris.<\/p>\n<p>Derek listened.<\/p>\n<p>Her voice was tired.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDerek, there\u2019s one more thing I need to tell you about your father\u2019s last night.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Of course there was.<\/p>\n<p>The message continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen the paramedics came, Thomas woke up for a few seconds. He asked me to call you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek looked at Harris.<\/p>\n<p>Marjorie\u2019s voice broke.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told him I would.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut I didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek lowered the phone.<\/p>\n<p>Olivia sat silently beside him.<\/p>\n<p>The voicemail continued from the speaker.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was afraid if you came, he would tell you everything before I could explain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek\u2019s face crumpled.<\/p>\n<p>Marjorie whispered:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo I let you believe he never asked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The recording ended.<\/p>\n<p>Derek sat motionless.<\/p>\n<p>He had spent eight years grieving his father\u2019s silence.<\/p>\n<p>Now he understood the silence had never belonged to Thomas.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=23046\">Click here to continue reading: PART 17: Derek Finally Heard the Truth About His Father\u2019s Last Request, but Marjorie\u2019s Confession Opened a Deeper Question About Forgiveness<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The old McDowell shop had been vacant for years. Its sign was gone. Several windows were boarded. A chain-link fence surrounded the cracked parking lot. Derek knew every entrance. That &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22989,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23045","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\/23045","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=23045"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23045\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23080,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23045\/revisions\/23080"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/22989"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}