I did not speak.<\/p>\n
I was afraid that if I did, the first words out of my mouth would be the wrong ones.<\/p>\n
Clara stared at her hands.<\/p>\n
The hospital room felt suddenly too small for the history that had just entered it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWere you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
My voice sounded unfamiliar.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot long.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long, Clara?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeven weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
I knew that.<\/p>\n
I needed details because details were easier than meaning.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI miscarried.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word erased every angry question before I could ask it.<\/p>\n
I looked away.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded once.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her expression tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the part I don\u2019t know how to explain.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTry.\u201d<\/p>\n
She took a slow breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had been talking about children for years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd every time we got close to trying seriously, something happened with the company.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered.<\/p>\n
An acquisition.<\/p>\n
A financing round.<\/p>\n
A regulatory issue.<\/p>\n
Always something.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought if I told you I was pregnant, you\u2019d be happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI would have been.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice cracked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what made it worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found out on a Monday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere was I?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBoston.\u201d<\/p>\n
A deal.<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were supposed to come home Wednesday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou extended the trip.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cUntil Friday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI decided I would tell you in person.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen on Thursday night, I started bleeding.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
She did not look back.<\/p>\n
\u201cI drove myself to urgent care because I didn\u2019t want to scare anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou drove yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you call Maya?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was traveling.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMe?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were in a dinner meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n
The shame was immediate.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t know that would matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you tried?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her silence told me something.<\/p>\n
\u201cClara.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI called once.\u201d<\/p>\n
My chest tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t get it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hung up before voicemail.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was different.<\/p>\n
Human.<\/p>\n
Painful.<\/p>\n
Not manipulated.<\/p>\n
Not stolen.<\/p>\n
Just two people missing each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey confirmed the pregnancy was ending.\u201d<\/p>\n
She wiped her cheek.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered that week.<\/p>\n
I came home Friday night after midnight.<\/p>\n
Clara had been in bed.<\/p>\n
Quiet.<\/p>\n
I had assumed she was angry that I extended the trip.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t tell me then.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you walked in talking about the acquisition.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt the memory return.<\/p>\n
I had taken off my coat and spent twenty minutes explaining a negotiation.<\/p>\n
Clara had listened.<\/p>\n
I had never asked why she looked pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou asked me whether I had remembered to send a revised benefits schedule to your assistant.\u201d<\/p>\n
I covered my face.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t remember that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI do.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words were not cruel.<\/p>\n
They were worse.<\/p>\n
They were factual.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I don\u2019t think you do.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes softened.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut that wasn\u2019t the only reason.\u201d<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo days later, Elise came over.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cElise knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI needed someone.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sentence hurt because it was reasonable.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe stayed all afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first, nothing. She made food. Sat with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen she asked whether I was sure I wanted to tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n
My attention sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would she ask that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said you were under enormous pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cElise said that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told you not to tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat exactly?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said if I told you then, you would blame yourself. You\u2019d abandon the Boston deal. You\u2019d start watching me constantly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds like something she could predict.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe kept returning to one idea.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat there was nothing you could do now.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cSilence as an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said some grief didn\u2019t need to become shared damage.\u201d<\/p>\n
I hated the sophistication of it.<\/p>\n
Not an obvious lie.<\/p>\n
A plausible idea delivered to a woman who was physically and emotionally shattered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you decide?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo wait.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor how long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought I\u2019d tell you when things calmed down.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost laughed.<\/p>\n
Things had not calmed down in years.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJulian started pushing the company toward another expansion.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSouthshore came later.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. This was before Southshore.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Elise talk about Julian?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said he understood what you needed professionally.\u201d<\/p>\n
The phrasing bothered me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what did you need?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFreedom from distractions.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked away.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she call you a distraction?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot directly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAgain.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
We sat in silence.<\/p>\n
Then I asked the question I feared.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Julian know you were pregnant then?\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cElise says he did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow could he?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe clinic billed insurance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCompany plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cElise was helping redesign benefits around then.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Julian somehow had access.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe through her.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pieces formed a shape I did not like.<\/p>\n
Three years ago, Clara became pregnant.<\/p>\n
A medical claim entered the company benefits ecosystem.<\/p>\n
Elise had access.<\/p>\n
Julian had ambitions and unauthorized administrative permissions.<\/p>\n
Then Clara miscarried before I knew.<\/p>\n
If Julian knew anyway, he had information about my marriage that even I did not possess.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you ever try to tell me later?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeveral times.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were busy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds like an excuse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would start and then stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause every month that passed made it harder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was ashamed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I had kept it from you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I took her hand.<\/p>\n
She did not pull away.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were grieving.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo were you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
The tragedy of that sentence was almost impossible to sit with.<\/p>\n
A child I never knew existed.<\/p>\n
A grief Clara carried alone.<\/p>\n
A silence I had mistaken for irritation.<\/p>\n
Then another pregnancy months before our marriage collapsed.<\/p>\n
The pattern was no longer only corporate.<\/p>\n
It was intimate.<\/p>\n
I asked, \u201cDid Elise ever mention that pregnancy again?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter I found the Southshore payments.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara\u2019s eyes narrowed as she remembered.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said I needed to stop sacrificing my health for a company that had already cost me enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds like compassion.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut maybe she knew more.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My phone rang.<\/p>\n
Nina.<\/p>\n
I answered immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you find Maya?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know where Elise is?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer rental car crossed into Virginia.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat makes no sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaya\u2019s phone is moving with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNorth or south?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNorth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cToward what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re mapping possibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cState authorities are involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan they stop the car?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot without clearer grounds. Maya hasn\u2019t been reported abducted because we don\u2019t know whether she went voluntarily.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe used Maya\u2019s phone and admitted she \u2018took\u2019 her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat helps.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen stop them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re working on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara leaned toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell Nina what Elise said.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did.<\/p>\n
Silence followed.<\/p>\n
Then Nina said, \u201cThe prior pregnancy matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI assumed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMore than emotionally.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf medical information was accessed improperly, that creates another data trail.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you find it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe already started.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about Holloway?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s stable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKey?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe confirms Elise added it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says she wanted Clara eventually to discover Room 417.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not simply tell her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe claimed direct communication was unsafe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHelpful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHolloway also says Elise asked him to preserve records concerning a private investigator.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cName?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGavin Roarke.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wrote it down.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho hired him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA Mercer consulting subsidiary.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOn paper.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cActual client?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHolloway believed Julian.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you locate Roarke?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe died fourteen months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCar accident.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAccident?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOfficially.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat word is doing a lot of work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRecords?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis business archives were inherited by his widow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes she still have them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFind out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s one more thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cRoarke billed surveillance involving Clara and another person.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cElise.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara stared at the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina repeated it.<\/p>\n
\u201cElise was surveilled too.\u201d<\/p>\n
That changed everything.<\/p>\n
If Julian had hired a private investigator to follow Clara and Elise, then Elise may not have been Julian\u2019s willing partner from the beginning.<\/p>\n
Maybe she became one.<\/p>\n
Maybe she was coerced.<\/p>\n
Maybe she was trying to undermine him.<\/p>\n
Or maybe surveillance had nothing to do with trust.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat dates?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStarting about three years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first pregnancy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy Elise?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnknown.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara whispered, \u201cBecause I told her.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was plausible.<\/p>\n
If Clara confided in Elise, monitoring Elise would reveal what Clara was thinking.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else did Roarke watch?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need his files.\u201d<\/p>\n
I asked, \u201cWhere is the widow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNorth Carolina.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everything went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina gave a town.<\/p>\n
Less than two hours from the hospital.<\/p>\n
Clara looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t say anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were about to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe may have records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are not leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not the patient.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re also Leo\u2019s father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can go and come back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSend investigators.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNina?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI agree with Clara.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone is becoming very comfortable with that sentence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy local team is already driving there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara relaxed slightly.<\/p>\n
Then another call came through.<\/p>\n
Maya.<\/p>\n
I answered instantly.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaya?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice was weak.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara grabbed the phone from my hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you with Elise?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is she?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe left.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she hurt you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
Maya breathed slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe came to the house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you go with her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said she knew who broke in.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wouldn\u2019t tell me in the house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you got in her car?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know how that sounds.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt sounds insane.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maya\u2019s voice broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe showed me a picture of Leo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara went silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat picture?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHospital picture.\u201d<\/p>\n
My skin crawled.<\/p>\n
\u201cSame as mine?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Maya hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeo alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara covered her mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cTaken when?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cToday.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood.<\/p>\n
Hospital security had supposedly restricted access.<\/p>\n
If Elise had a fresh photograph, the breach was ongoing.<\/p>\n
Maya continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said if I wanted him safe, I needed to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did she take you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA motel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe asked me about the blue folder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cElise thinks you do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Maya hesitated.<\/p>\n
Clara heard it.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaya.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI moved some of Clara\u2019s things after she came home from the hospital three years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat things?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMedical papers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe blue folder?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think so.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara stared at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI put boxes in Mom\u2019s old storage unit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStill there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAddress?\u201d<\/p>\n
Maya gave it.<\/p>\n
I wrote it down.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did Elise leave you?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe got a call.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t hear the voice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Maya took a breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said, \u2018You were supposed to keep Liam away from this.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Clara.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said, \u2018If he learns about the first pregnancy, he\u2019ll understand what you did.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat who did?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she say a name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then Maya whispered, \u201cBut she sounded scared.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf Julian?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer mattered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause right before she left, she said something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said, \u2018Julian was only useful because he believed he was in control.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went silent.<\/p>\n
Clara\u2019s hand found mine.<\/p>\n
Maya continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think Elise works for Julian.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neither did I anymore.<\/p>\n
Not exactly.<\/p>\n
And that meant the person we had spent two days treating as the center of the conspiracy might only be one part of it.<\/p>\n
I did not speak. I was afraid that if I did, the first words out of my mouth would be the wrong ones. Clara stared at her hands. The hospital … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23789,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23810","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\/23810","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=23810"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23810\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23874,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23810\/revisions\/23874"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}