{"id":23766,"date":"2026-09-28T14:40:29","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T14:40:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=23766"},"modified":"2026-09-28T14:40:29","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T14:40:29","slug":"part-9-i-asked-doug-about-the-warehouse-fire-and-his-answer-forced-me-to-question-what-my-own-son-had-hidden-for-years-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=23766","title":{"rendered":"PART 9 \u2013 I Asked Doug About the Warehouse Fire, and His Answer Forced Me to Question What My Own Son Had Hidden for Years"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Doug walked into my kitchen carrying two pizza boxes and stopped the moment he saw my face.<\/p>\n<p>Bentley came in behind him with a paper bag tucked under one arm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe got pepperoni and cheese,\u201d he announced.<\/p>\n<p>Maddie pushed past both of them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd bread!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBreadsticks,\u201d Bentley corrected.<\/p>\n<p>Usually I would have smiled.<\/p>\n<p>Instead I kept looking at Doug.<\/p>\n<p>He noticed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing the children need to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That changed his expression.<\/p>\n<p>Bentley looked between us.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can hear stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know you can.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not a baby.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo. You&#39;re not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was exactly why I refused to make him carry one more adult problem.<\/p>\n<p>I pointed toward the living room.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTake Maddie. Start without us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bentley hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs this about Travis?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot directly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That answer was true enough.<\/p>\n<p>He took Maddie into the living room.<\/p>\n<p>Doug set the pizzas on the counter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I waited until I heard the television turn on.<\/p>\n<p>Then I asked, \u201cWhere did you work twelve years ago?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doug blinked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwelve years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnswer me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He stared at me for several seconds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cConstruction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCommercial.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor who?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA few companies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNames.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His shoulders tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMa.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNames.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He leaned against the counter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cArcher Development. Benton Mechanical for a while. Independent jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCounty work?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His face changed.<\/p>\n<p>Only slightly.<\/p>\n<p>But after the week I had just lived through, I had become very good at noticing slight changes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat county work?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInspections. Site prep. Contract maintenance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou worked with Gerald Pike?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now the change was unmistakable.<\/p>\n<p>Doug stopped breathing for half a second.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere did you hear that name?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I felt something cold move through me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo you know him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverybody in that business knew Gerald.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat isn&#39;t what I asked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked toward the living room.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKeep your voice down.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause the kids don&#39;t need this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor once we agree.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He crossed his arms.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat exactly did somebody tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you know Marcus Hale?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>Doug\u2019s face emptied.<\/p>\n<p>That frightened me more than denial would have.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoug.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is Marcus?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is he?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnswer me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked toward the window.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe should be dead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExcuse me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doug rubbed both hands over his face.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t mean literally.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat sounded remarkably literal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe disappeared after the fire.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat fire?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His eyes met mine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe warehouse.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For several seconds, neither of us moved.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew Travis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My voice dropped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow well?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat&#39;s not what Marcus says.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarcus called you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was the moment Doug realized he had said too much.<\/p>\n<p>I saw it.<\/p>\n<p>He saw me see it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy are you asking where he is?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doug pushed away from the counter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou need to tell Detective Harris he contacted you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter you answer me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMa, this isn&#39;t a game.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stepped closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt stopped being a game when a ten-year-old boy started rationing drinking water for his little sister.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doug flinched.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou think I don&#39;t know that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t know what you know anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His jaw tightened.<\/p>\n<p>I hated the look on his face because it reminded me of Ray whenever he was cornered by something painful.<\/p>\n<p>Not guilty.<\/p>\n<p>Guarded.<\/p>\n<p>There is a difference.<\/p>\n<p>But guarded men can still hide terrible things.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you sign Travis\u2019s locksmith authorization?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWere you involved in the warehouse fire?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you take money from Travis?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you help Gerald Pike falsify inspections?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doug stepped back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbsolutely not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why does Marcus say there is a recording with your voice on it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That landed.<\/p>\n<p>Doug stared at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRecording?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn the old phone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His face turned pale.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat old phone?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTravis\u2019s business phone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doug closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJesus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I had heard that tone before.<\/p>\n<p>Not surprise.<\/p>\n<p>Recognition.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew about the phone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI knew a phone existed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat was recorded?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He didn&#39;t answer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoug.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He walked toward the sink and gripped its edge.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot what you think.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have no idea what I think.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou think I was part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWere you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen explain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For several seconds, all I heard was Maddie laughing at something on television.<\/p>\n<p>Finally Doug said, \u201cI was working for Gerald.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I waited.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe wasn\u2019t just a county inspector. He coordinated subcontractors for municipal projects. Everybody wanted his approval because he could make a job move or stall it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTravis paid him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI learned that later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you know then?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEnough to know things weren&#39;t right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doug turned toward me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTravis\u2019s company was doing renovations and warehouse conversions. Some projects passed inspection too easily.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Gerald took money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou saw it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI saw envelopes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCash?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI assumed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy didn&#39;t you report it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His eyes hardened with shame.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I was twenty-eight, had a baby, a mortgage, and a father who had just had heart surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stopped.<\/p>\n<p>Ray\u2019s surgery.<\/p>\n<p>I remembered.<\/p>\n<p>Of course I remembered.<\/p>\n<p>Weeks in recovery.<\/p>\n<p>Bills.<\/p>\n<p>Doug working every hour he could.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI needed the job,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat doesn&#39;t make it right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Ray know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That hurt in a way I had not expected.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou never told him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI never told anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUntil now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUntil now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I pulled out a chair.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTell me about the fire.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doug sat opposite me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe warehouse belonged to a holding company Travis used. He stored equipment there. Tools. Materials. Things from different jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAmber believes most of it was removed before the fire.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI helped move some.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach turned.<\/p>\n<p>Doug saw it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn&#39;t know there would be a fire.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat the lease was ending.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe two weeks before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere did the equipment go?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThree different locations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy three?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn&#39;t ask.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat seems to be a theme.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His mouth tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen the fire happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInsurance paid Travis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you said nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn&#39;t connect it immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen did you connect it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA few weeks later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTravis paid Gerald.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou saw that too?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI heard them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doug\u2019s voice dropped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn Gerald\u2019s office.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did they say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEnough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBe specific.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked at the table.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTravis said the warehouse problem was handled. Gerald said he&#39;d already signed off on the inventory inspection.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore or after the fire?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut the inventory wasn&#39;t there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo Gerald confirmed destroyed property he knew had been removed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd where were you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the hallway.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cListening.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWalked away.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at my son.<\/p>\n<p>He did not defend himself.<\/p>\n<p>That almost made it worse.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat is on the recording?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t know exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarcus says your voice is there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doug nodded slowly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was one night Travis called me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSame week.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he want?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe wanted me to say the equipment had been in the warehouse when I last worked there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll of it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told him I wasn&#39;t getting involved.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat could be the recording.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doug hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>I felt anger rise.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo not start choosing truths now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGerald threatened me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy job. Licenses. He said he&#39;d make sure I never worked county contracts again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo I backed off.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou mean you stayed quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about Marcus?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doug leaned back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarcus was different.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was scared.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf Travis?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf what Travis had done.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Marcus know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t know all of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarcus believed the fire wasn&#39;t just fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSomeone was supposed to be inside.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room seemed to shrink.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA security guard.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My skin prickled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe warehouse had a guard?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPart-time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas he there?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSomeone changed his schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarcus thought Travis did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy would Travis want him there?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doug shook his head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat&#39;s the part I never understood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas Travis trying to kill him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho was the guard?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEddie Voss.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The name meant nothing to me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened to him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cQuit afterward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause somebody scared him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTravis?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou&#39;ve kept this for twelve years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile Amber was blamed for debt.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doug\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn&#39;t know Amber.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut you knew Travis cheated people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew Gerald helped him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew insurance money was dirty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you said nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doug looked down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That single word cost him something.<\/p>\n<p>Not enough.<\/p>\n<p>But something.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy did Marcus say you should be asked about Travis\u2019s signature?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe probably meant the work orders.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe locksmith paper had your signature.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn&#39;t sign it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCould Travis copy it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doug laughed without humor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe had dozens of old invoices with my signature.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>That explained too much.<\/p>\n<p>Travis had not needed access to my house.<\/p>\n<p>He had used old paperwork.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy didn&#39;t you tell police any of this when you realized who Travis was?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doug did not answer.<\/p>\n<p>That silence made me angrier than anything else.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou recognized him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot at first.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you said Amber&#39;s ex-husband&#39;s name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you still stayed quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was going to tell Harris.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter someone else got hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat&#39;s not fair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFair?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My voice rose.<\/p>\n<p>Bentley\u2019s television volume lowered.<\/p>\n<p>I caught myself.<\/p>\n<p>Then whispered, \u201cA woman nearly died. Two children were abandoned. A man may be bleeding somewhere because of this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn&#39;t cause that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo. But silence helped Travis become the kind of man who believed nobody would stop him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doug stared at me.<\/p>\n<p>I had never spoken to my son that way.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps I should have years earlier.<\/p>\n<p>He looked toward the living room.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#39;ll tell Harris everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTonight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doug pulled out his phone.<\/p>\n<p>Before he could dial, headlights swept across the front window.<\/p>\n<p>A police cruiser.<\/p>\n<p>Detective Harris got out.<\/p>\n<p>He knocked once and entered when I opened the door.<\/p>\n<p>His eyes went directly to Doug.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood. You&#39;re here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doug\u2019s expression tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was about to call you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That stopped him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris held up his phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarcus Hale contacted dispatch.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My heart jumped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe&#39;s alive?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHospital.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Relief hit first.<\/p>\n<p>Then fear.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe collapsed outside a gas station fourteen miles south.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he say who stabbed him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTravis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris looked at Doug.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe also said you need to hear something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doug\u2019s face went pale.<\/p>\n<p>Harris continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe recovered audio from the old phone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room went completely still.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour voice is on it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doug nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI figured.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut Marcus was wrong about one thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe recording isn&#39;t from the night of the fire.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doug frowned.<\/p>\n<p>Harris watched him carefully.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#39;s from three days before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doug sat down slowly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd according to the recording, somebody told Travis exactly when the warehouse would be empty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I felt my stomach drop.<\/p>\n<p>Harris\u2019s eyes never left my son.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat somebody sounds like you.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=23767\">Click here to continue reading: PART 10: The Recording Made Doug Sound Complicit Until One Missing Sentence Revealed Who Had Manipulated Both Him and Amber<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Doug walked into my kitchen carrying two pizza boxes and stopped the moment he saw my face. 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