Derek\u2019s first reaction was anger.<\/p>\n
Not at Marjorie.<\/p>\n
At Thomas.<\/p>\n
He caught himself almost immediately.<\/p>\n
A statement from Daniel Sloan was not yet proof.<\/p>\n
That realization stopped him.<\/p>\n
Months earlier, he would have built an entire conclusion from the first emotionally satisfying explanation.<\/p>\n
Now he handed the phone back to Olivia.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat exactly did Sloan say?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what we should find out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cTomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia raised an eyebrow.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not calling Harris tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is growth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m busy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked toward her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia laughed.<\/p>\n
The moment did not return completely.<\/p>\n
But neither allowed another family revelation to consume the evening.<\/p>\n
That was new too.<\/p>\n
They ate takeout.<\/p>\n
Talked about her apartment.<\/p>\n
Talked about the shop.<\/p>\n
Olivia left before midnight with the brass key in her purse.<\/p>\n
Derek slept better than he expected.<\/p>\n
The next morning, Harris played portions of Sloan\u2019s formal interview.<\/p>\n
Sloan claimed Thomas Hale first encountered Cedar Ridge through a real-estate investment proposal.<\/p>\n
Years before Marjorie\u2019s design business failed.<\/p>\n
Thomas considered buying a small commercial property with two coworkers.<\/p>\n
Cedar Ridge offered financing.<\/p>\n
Elizabeth Kline still controlled much of the company then.<\/p>\n
The deal never closed.<\/p>\n
But Thomas introduced Marjorie to Cedar Ridge when she later needed business capital.<\/p>\n
Derek stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Dad brought her there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Harris said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean he knew what it became.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOr what Kline would do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek looked toward Rebecca.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did Sloan say it like Dad gave them access to the family?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause from his perspective, Thomas created the relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek nodded.<\/p>\n
Language mattered.<\/p>\n
Introduced was not conspired.<\/p>\n
Access was not guilt.<\/p>\n
He felt almost proud of himself for making the distinction.<\/p>\n
Then Sloan\u2019s interview became harder.<\/p>\n
Thomas had also given Cedar Ridge basic family financial information during his abandoned property deal.<\/p>\n
Income.<\/p>\n
Assets.<\/p>\n
Property interests.<\/p>\n
Dependents.<\/p>\n
Derek\u2019s existence.<\/p>\n
Ordinary underwriting information at the time.<\/p>\n
Years later, Voss reused old files when Marjorie applied for loans.<\/p>\n
That was how Cedar Ridge initially knew about Derek\u2019s custodial account.<\/p>\n
Derek\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad gave them the map without knowing what they\u2019d do with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat appears closer to the evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sloan claimed Elizabeth Kline objected when she discovered old family information had been reused.<\/p>\n
Stephen Kline did not.<\/p>\n
Thomas eventually learned.<\/p>\n
That discovery became part of his conflict with Cedar Ridge.<\/p>\n
Derek leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo everyone keeps starting as one thing and becoming another.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDad starts as a customer, then becomes an investigator.\u201d<\/p>\n
He counted quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom starts as a borrower, then becomes participant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVoss starts as employee, becomes accomplice, then cooperates.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSloan?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca asked.<\/p>\n
Derek looked toward the transcript.<\/p>\n
\u201cStill figuring that one out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sloan admitted preparing documents he knew contained reproduced signatures.<\/p>\n
He insisted he believed Derek would later ratify them.<\/p>\n
Rebecca did not hide her skepticism.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe appears fond of the phrase \u2018later approve.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek gave a humorless laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom used the same excuse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Sloan may have taught it to her.\u201d<\/p>\n
The interview showed a culture of presumed consent.<\/p>\n
Prepare now.<\/p>\n
Explain later.<\/p>\n
Sign for someone because they will eventually agree.<\/p>\n
Use family information because it was already available.<\/p>\n
Every boundary treated as an administrative inconvenience.<\/p>\n
Derek recognized the philosophy immediately.<\/p>\n
It was his childhood with letterhead.<\/p>\n
Sloan\u2019s records also answered a question that had bothered Olivia.<\/p>\n
Why had Marjorie kept Thomas\u2019s incriminating tapes instead of destroying them?<\/p>\n
Sloan said Marjorie contacted him four days after Thomas died.<\/p>\n
She was panicked.<\/p>\n
She asked what would happen if police learned about the delayed ambulance call and Cedar Ridge documents.<\/p>\n
Sloan told her to destroy anything dangerous.<\/p>\n
Marjorie refused.<\/p>\n
Not from principle.<\/p>\n
From fear.<\/p>\n
She wanted evidence she could use against Kline if he turned on her.<\/p>\n
The tapes became leverage.<\/p>\n
Derek closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo even preserving Dad\u2019s voice was partly self-protection.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
It hurt.<\/p>\n
Then he remembered the handwritten note from the ammunition box.<\/p>\n
If I destroy this, I become exactly what Thomas said I was.<\/p>\n
That note suggested another motive too.<\/p>\n
Fear and conscience.<\/p>\n
Again, both.<\/p>\n
Derek did not need to choose one.<\/p>\n
Harris continued.<\/p>\n
Sloan denied ordering threats against Olivia.<\/p>\n
Denied authorizing the dark SUV.<\/p>\n
Denied sending the photograph.<\/p>\n
Phone records supported some of his denial.<\/p>\n
The threatening number traced through a service linked more directly to Kline.<\/p>\n
The dark SUV had been leased by an associate of Voss, apparently at Kline\u2019s direction.<\/p>\n
Not every mystery belonged to Sloan.<\/p>\n
That clarity mattered.<\/p>\n
The investigation was finally narrowing instead of expanding.<\/p>\n
After the meeting, Derek and Olivia walked to the parking lot.<\/p>\n
She asked, \u201cHow do you feel about your father?\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek thought.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnnoyed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat seems healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m serious.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo am I.\u201d<\/p>\n
He smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spent a week turning him into the only responsible adult in the story.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe made mistakes. Big ones.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe also tried to repair them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek unlocked his truck.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I can live with that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds like forgiveness.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOr acceptance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe that.\u201d<\/p>\n
He paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think dead people need me to decide whether they deserve forgiveness.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia considered.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s probably true.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI just need to stop arguing with the version of Dad I invented.\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTherapy has made you repetitive.\u201d<\/p>\n
They separated for work.<\/p>\n
That afternoon, Derek received a letter from Marjorie.<\/p>\n
Not directly.<\/p>\n
Through her attorney, as agreed.<\/p>\n
The envelope sat unopened on his desk until closing time.<\/p>\n
Carlos noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou planning to stare through it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood luck.\u201d<\/p>\n
After Carlos left, Derek opened it.<\/p>\n
Marjorie\u2019s handwriting looked steadier than before.<\/p>\n
Derek,<\/p>\n
I learned today that Daniel told investigators about Thomas introducing us to Cedar Ridge.<\/p>\n
He paused.<\/p>\n
She continued.<\/p>\n
I spent years blaming Thomas for that introduction because it made my later choices feel less like mine.<\/p>\n
Derek leaned back.<\/p>\n
The next sentence surprised him.<\/p>\n
That was unfair.<\/p>\n
Marjorie wrote that Thomas had introduced her to Elizabeth Kline, not Stephen.<\/p>\n
At the beginning, the loan terms were ordinary.<\/p>\n
Marjorie borrowed too much.<\/p>\n
Hid losses.<\/p>\n
Refinanced.<\/p>\n
Then accepted increasingly bad terms because admitting failure felt worse.<\/p>\n
Stephen exploited that.<\/p>\n
But he did not force her to lie to Thomas.<\/p>\n
He did not force her to use Derek\u2019s information.<\/p>\n
He did not force her to send Sloan the signature sample.<\/p>\n
I did those things because each lie made the next lie easier.<\/p>\n
Derek read the sentence twice.<\/p>\n
No request followed.<\/p>\n
No plea for contact.<\/p>\n
No question about Olivia.<\/p>\n
Marjorie wrote:<\/p>\n
I used to think if I explained enough, you would understand me and understanding would become forgiveness.<\/p>\n
I am beginning to understand those are different things.<\/p>\n
Derek\u2019s eyes filled.<\/p>\n
The final paragraph was short.<\/p>\n
You do not owe me a relationship because I am finally telling the truth. I should have told it when it cost me something.<\/p>\n
Mom<\/p>\n
Derek folded the letter.<\/p>\n
For nearly an hour, he did nothing.<\/p>\n
Then he put it in his desk.<\/p>\n
Not the trash.<\/p>\n
Not his wallet.<\/p>\n
A drawer.<\/p>\n
A place for something that mattered without needing to control the present.<\/p>\n
That evening, Olivia called.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m outside your building.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek looked toward the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have a key.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why are you calling?\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I\u2019m practicing.\u201d<\/p>\n
He smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seconds later, the lock turned.<\/p>\n
Olivia entered using her own key.<\/p>\n
Derek felt the significance.<\/p>\n
He did not comment.<\/p>\n
She looked around.<\/p>\n
\u201cVery restrained.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI deserve recognition.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She carried a small overnight bag.<\/p>\n
Derek looked at it.<\/p>\n
Then at her.<\/p>\n
Olivia raised a hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne night.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not moving back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI still have my apartment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf this feels wrong, I leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you make a speech, I leave immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek closed his mouth.<\/p>\n
Olivia laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He took her bag only after she handed it to him.<\/p>\n
The night was almost painfully ordinary.<\/p>\n
They cooked.<\/p>\n
Olivia showered.<\/p>\n
Derek discovered he no longer had her preferred shampoo.<\/p>\n
She accused him of replacing her too efficiently.<\/p>\n
He offered dish soap.<\/p>\n
She threatened divorce.<\/p>\n
The word hung between them.<\/p>\n
Then both laughed.<\/p>\n
Later, they lay in bed.<\/p>\n
Not touching at first.<\/p>\n
The room where Marjorie had once searched drawers.<\/p>\n
The room Olivia had secretly monitored.<\/p>\n
The room where trust had disappeared long before she physically left.<\/p>\n
Derek stared at the ceiling.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWant me to stop talking?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He smiled in the darkness.<\/p>\n
Several minutes passed.<\/p>\n
Then Olivia moved closer.<\/p>\n
Her hand rested against his arm.<\/p>\n
Derek did not interpret it as more than it was.<\/p>\n
He simply stayed.<\/p>\n
In the morning, Olivia made coffee.<\/p>\n
Derek walked into the kitchen and saw her standing beneath the hook where the spare key had hung.<\/p>\n
The hook was empty now.<\/p>\n
The key belonged to someone again.<\/p>\n
Not because marriage automatically granted it.<\/p>\n
Because Olivia had chosen to take it.<\/p>\n
She looked over.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re staring.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re making it weird privately again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExtremely.\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled.<\/p>\n
Her phone rang.<\/p>\n
Rebecca.<\/p>\n
Olivia answered.<\/p>\n
Her expression became serious.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
She listened.<\/p>\n
Then looked at Derek.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay. We\u2019ll come.\u201d<\/p>\n
She ended the call.<\/p>\n
Derek felt tension rise.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKline\u2019s lawyers made an offer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPlea discussions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s for prosecutors.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPartly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia placed the phone down.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re also proposing a global civil settlement for several borrowers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAngela?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRuth?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot directly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUs?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek leaned against the counter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does Kline want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConfidentiality on some civil terms.\u201d<\/p>\n
His face hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou haven\u2019t read it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen read it first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek stopped.<\/p>\n
Old certainty.<\/p>\n
Old impulse.<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n
They met Rebecca that afternoon.<\/p>\n
The settlement was complicated.<\/p>\n
Some confidentiality applied only to exact settlement amounts and proprietary financial calculations.<\/p>\n
It did not prevent victims from discussing their experiences.<\/p>\n
It did not interfere with criminal testimony.<\/p>\n
It did not erase public records.<\/p>\n
Derek felt his initial objection loosen.<\/p>\n
Angela and other borrowers would decide independently.<\/p>\n
No one settlement required unanimity.<\/p>\n
Derek asked one question.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I accept, can I still say what happened to my family?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan Olivia?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan we testify?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan we provide records?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen I\u2019ll consider it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia looked at him.<\/p>\n
He noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a look.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou changed your mind after reading.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t tell anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
The proposed settlement could restore substantial funds to the Hale trust and Derek\u2019s personal losses.<\/p>\n
Enough that he would need to make decisions about money Thomas and Marjorie had spent years fighting over.<\/p>\n
For once, Derek did not feel urgency.<\/p>\n
He requested time.<\/p>\n
Rebecca gave it.<\/p>\n
Outside, Olivia asked, \u201cWhat will you do if the money comes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBorrower fund?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTrust?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBoat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve been talking to Carlos.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has excellent financial advice.\u201d<\/p>\n
They laughed.<\/p>\n
Then Derek became serious.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I want to create something in Dad\u2019s name.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
He thought about Thomas\u2019s mistakes.<\/p>\n
Martin\u2019s files.<\/p>\n
Angela\u2019s lost home.<\/p>\n
Ruth trying to buy hers.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe legal help for people dealing with predatory loans.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds like a lot of work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou hate paperwork.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll hire Rebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, you won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
They both laughed.<\/p>\n
Derek looked toward the parking lot.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want Dad\u2019s name on something because he was perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want it there because he finally tried to repair what he helped start.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat makes more sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
They walked toward their cars.<\/p>\n
Two vehicles.<\/p>\n
Two homes.<\/p>\n
Two lives beginning to overlap again without disappearing into each other.<\/p>\n
Before Olivia got inside, she looked at Derek.<\/p>\n
\u201cTonight?\u201d<\/p>\n
He smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy place?\u201d<\/p>\n
She shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cMine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek paused.<\/p>\n
He had never spent the night at her apartment.<\/p>\n
Her separate life.<\/p>\n
Her territory.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Derek?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCall when you\u2019re downstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n
He understood.<\/p>\n
Her key to his home did not automatically create access to hers.<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n
She drove away.<\/p>\n
Derek stood beside his truck for a moment.<\/p>\n
Then his phone rang.<\/p>\n
Marjorie\u2019s attorney.<\/p>\n
He considered letting it go to voicemail.<\/p>\n
The call might concern the case.<\/p>\n
Specific.<\/p>\n
Necessary.<\/p>\n
He answered.<\/p>\n
The attorney spoke briefly.<\/p>\n
Marjorie had signed an amended cooperation statement.<\/p>\n
There was one final disclosure.<\/p>\n
Something she had never told police.<\/p>\n
Never told Thomas.<\/p>\n
Never told Sloan.<\/p>\n
Derek\u2019s stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
The attorney paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore Thomas died, Marjorie had opened a life-insurance policy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn Dad?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer chilled him.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn who?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOn you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek went silent.<\/p>\n
The attorney continued.<\/p>\n
The policy had lapsed years ago.<\/p>\n
No claim had ever been made.<\/p>\n
But Marjorie had used Derek\u2019s personal information to obtain it without telling him.<\/p>\n
Derek closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
Another violation.<\/p>\n
Another document.<\/p>\n
Another decision made in his name.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo hundred fifty thousand dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBeneficiary?\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarjorie.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek stared across the parking lot.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApproximately nine months before your father died.\u201d<\/p>\n
The timing mattered.<\/p>\n
Not because it proved violence.<\/p>\n
It did not.<\/p>\n
But because Thomas\u2019s recovered records showed he had discovered something about insurance shortly before his death.<\/p>\n
Derek remembered the later attempt to change his workplace beneficiary.<\/p>\n
The same pattern had existed years earlier.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy is she telling us now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause investigators found a premium payment reference in the black ledger. She knew they would eventually trace it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek almost laughed.<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
Truth arriving just ahead of proof.<\/p>\n
He asked the question he had learned to ask.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does the evidence establish?\u201d<\/p>\n
The attorney hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly that the policy existed, that Marjorie was beneficiary, and that she did not disclose it to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek nodded even though nobody could see him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen that\u2019s all I\u2019m going to believe.\u201d<\/p>\n
He ended the call.<\/p>\n
For the first time since the nightmare began, a new revelation did not immediately become a new story inside his head.<\/p>\n
He had learned to wait for facts.<\/p>\n
Even when the facts concerned a quarter-million-dollar policy his mother had secretly taken out on his life.<\/p>\n
Derek\u2019s first reaction was anger. Not at Marjorie. At Thomas. He caught himself almost immediately. A statement from Daniel Sloan was not yet proof. That realization stopped him. Months earlier, … <\/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-23057","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\/23057","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=23057"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23057\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23092,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23057\/revisions\/23092"}],"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=23057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}