I stared at Elise.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou hired Caroline.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSix months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo investigate yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo investigate Felix.\u201d<\/p>\n
That made more sense and less sense simultaneously.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told Caroline to locate you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told her to make it look that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I knew Felix\u2019s family monitored me.\u201d<\/p>\n
My anger rose.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Caroline lied.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe protected me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy lying to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t authorize her to tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed once.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re all very good at deciding what I should know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise flinched.<\/p>\n
Fairly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could have contacted me months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree times.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never received anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word chilled me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you send?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLetters.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo my house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne. Two to your office.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw none of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Ingrid mentioned one.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mind raced.<\/p>\n
Felix collected our mail sometimes.<\/p>\n
His mother knew people at my office?<\/p>\n
Or perhaps the surveillance around me was broader than I understood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did the letters say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Felix was lying. That the trust involved your marriage. That I was pregnant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew you were pregnant six months ago?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. The first letter was before that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why hire Caroline?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Felix had started pressuring me to sign documents I didn\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat documents?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMedical releases. Financial agreements. Confidentiality papers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Caroline?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe found enough to know the trust was bigger than Felix admitted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t she tell me you were her client after we met?\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise looked ashamed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I told her not to unless I agreed.\u201d<\/p>\n
I opened my door.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m done.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNora.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m telling you now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly because anonymous texts forced you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s true.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked back at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know whether you\u2019re protecting your baby, yourself, Felix, or me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy baby.\u201d<\/p>\n
At least the answer came quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped out.<\/p>\n
Elise followed awkwardly.<\/p>\n
\u201cNora, please.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou slept with my husband for eighteen months. You helped his family investigate me before he married me. You agreed to a plan that used my infertility to keep me compliant.\u201d<\/p>\n
She lowered her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t get to ask me for trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Caroline doesn\u2019t either.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I walked away.<\/p>\n
My phone rang before I reached the other side of the parking lot.<\/p>\n
Caroline.<\/p>\n
I answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew she told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you send the texts?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you prove it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost hung up.<\/p>\n
\u201cNora, Elise\u2019s involvement is why I refused to name my client.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou let me think some mysterious third party was trying to save her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was trying to protect her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were protecting your contract.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat too.\u201d<\/p>\n
The admission stopped me.<\/p>\n
No excuses.<\/p>\n
No heroic language.<\/p>\n
Just truth.<\/p>\n
\u201cMeet me,\u201d Caroline said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have something you need before tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo send it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t transmit it electronically.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause someone accessed my office server last night.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped beside my car.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did they take?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing obvious.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA folder was opened that shouldn\u2019t have been.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat folder?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYours.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwenty minutes from you. Public place. You choose.\u201d<\/p>\n
I gave her the address of a crowded diner.<\/p>\n
When Caroline arrived, I was already in a booth near the windows.<\/p>\n
She sat opposite me.<\/p>\n
No folder this time.<\/p>\n
Only a small paper envelope.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor which lie?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor withholding Elise.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My chest tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cGo ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew about Room 214 before yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me you only knew records existed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew the room number.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know the address?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow convenient.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat part is true.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did you know 214?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA former trust employee mentioned it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI still can\u2019t identify him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he died.\u201d<\/p>\n
That stopped me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHeart attack.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNatural?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOfficially.\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything in this story comes with the word officially.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caroline slid the envelope toward me.<\/p>\n
Inside was a photograph of the gray-haired man I had seen at Barrington House.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is he?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMartin Voss.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTrust employee?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTrust administrator.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe administrator?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExecutive administrator for the Blake Family Legacy Trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
I studied his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told someone Sunday remains unchanged.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said Felix didn\u2019t need to know I found the room.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat makes less sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Felix is a beneficiary, not a controller.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re saying Felix isn\u2019t running this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen Ingrid?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInfluential. Not controlling.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHarold?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVoss?\u201d<\/p>\n
Caroline shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe administers conditions. He doesn\u2019t create them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho does?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the part everyone keeps avoiding.\u201d<\/p>\n
She removed another document.<\/p>\n
The Blake trust had been established by Felix\u2019s grandfather.<\/p>\n
Amended twenty-four years later.<\/p>\n
Then amended again.<\/p>\n
The most recent amendment came twelve years ago.<\/p>\n
I looked at the signature.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is Margaret Blake?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFelix\u2019s grandmother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought she died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEight years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how is she relevant?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the final amendment gave one person authority to interpret succession disputes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Caroline tapped the page.<\/p>\n
The name had been redacted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy can\u2019t you uncover it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n
She handed me a second page.<\/p>\n
I read the name.<\/p>\n
Sabine Blake.<\/p>\n
Felix\u2019s sister.<\/p>\n
I laughed because the alternative was screaming.<\/p>\n
\u201cSabine controls the trust?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot financially. But she\u2019s the designated succession arbiter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered dinner.<\/p>\n
Sabine had looked uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
She had told Ingrid maybe tonight wasn\u2019t the right time.<\/p>\n
I had interpreted that as guilt.<\/p>\n
Maybe it had been authority.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat power does that give her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there\u2019s disagreement about whether Felix satisfied the family requirements, Sabine decides whether distribution proceeds.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan she stop it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan she protect me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf she wants to.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
Another person who could help me.<\/p>\n
Another person who might be part of the trap.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes Felix know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbsolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes Elise?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought of the way Sabine had behaved around her brother.<\/p>\n
Not submissive.<\/p>\n
Not exactly.<\/p>\n
Watchful.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens Sunday?\u201d<\/p>\n
Caroline folded her hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cBased on what I\u2019ve reconstructed, they\u2019ll ask you to sign guardianship consent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cElise showed me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you agree, the child can enter the household after birth. Felix satisfies the biological-descendant requirement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the trust pays out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter verification.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
Caroline hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cApproximately eighty-four million dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
For several seconds, I thought I had misheard.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCurrent estimated value.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat back.<\/p>\n
Eighty-four million.<\/p>\n
Suddenly surveillance made sense.<\/p>\n
Private investigators.<\/p>\n
Hidden contracts.<\/p>\n
Medical files.<\/p>\n
Years of manipulation.<\/p>\n
People had destroyed families for far less.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much does Felix receive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPotentially half.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHalf?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe other portion goes to Sabine.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo she benefits too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen she has every reason to approve.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFinancially.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat other reason would matter?\u201d<\/p>\n
Caroline gave me a look.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is exactly what I\u2019ve been trying to determine.\u201d<\/p>\n
My phone vibrated.<\/p>\n
A message from Sabine.<\/p>\n
Can we talk before tomorrow?<\/p>\n
I showed Caroline.<\/p>\n
\u201cCoincidence?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I replied.<\/p>\n
Where?<\/p>\n
Sabine answered within seconds.<\/p>\n
Not by phone. Come to my place tonight. Alone.<\/p>\n
Caroline shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to know what she knows.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen meet publicly.\u201d<\/p>\n
I typed.<\/p>\n
Somewhere public.<\/p>\n
Sabine responded.<\/p>\n
Can\u2019t. They\u2019re watching.<\/p>\n
I showed Caroline.<\/p>\n
Her face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho are \u2018they\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
I met Sabine at nine that evening.<\/p>\n
Not at her house.<\/p>\n
I refused.<\/p>\n
We compromised on the underground parking structure beneath her office building.<\/p>\n
Concrete walls.<\/p>\n
Bright lights.<\/p>\n
Cameras.<\/p>\n
Not exactly safe, but less private than she wanted.<\/p>\n
Sabine arrived alone.<\/p>\n
She looked exhausted.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know.\u201d<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t a question.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRoom 214.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho gave you the key?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause only three keys existed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho had them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandmother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMartin Voss.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the third?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sabine looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMe.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse accelerated.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you send it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how did someone get one?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re the succession arbiter.\u201d<\/p>\n
She closed her eyes briefly.<\/p>\n
\u201cCaroline found that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wondered how long it would take.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long have you known I was selected?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer hurt even though I expected it.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sat at my wedding.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou gave a speech.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou called me your sister.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. You don\u2019t get tears before explanations.\u201d<\/p>\n
She wiped them away.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did Felix marry me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words were plain.<\/p>\n
No cushioning.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he ever love me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sabine looked away.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t something I can answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can tell me what he said.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first, no.\u201d<\/p>\n
The honesty cut deeper than any lie.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd later?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough to stop?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
Whatever Felix felt, money had remained stronger.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did your grandmother choose you to arbitrate?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sabine swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she didn\u2019t trust my parents.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knew what the trust had turned them into.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why create these conditions?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy grandfather created most of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the amendment?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe tried to weaken them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy making you arbiter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you reject the guardianship plan?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWill you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sabine\u2019s silence answered.<\/p>\n
I stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cEighty-four million dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Caroline told you that too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you reject it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWill you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed.<\/p>\n
At least everyone was consistent.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need my share.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNeed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think I don\u2019t know how that sounds.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt sounds like forty million dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy husband is in debt.\u201d<\/p>\n
I hadn\u2019t known Sabine was married.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been hiding it for years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMore than we can pay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you\u2019re willing to sacrifice me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen reject the plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not that simple.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is from where I\u2019m standing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sabine looked toward the ramp.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course there is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cElise\u2019s child may not qualify.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s Felix\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trust doesn\u2019t only require biological descent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sabine\u2019s voice dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe child must be born within the recognized marriage household structure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why they need guardianship.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s an older interpretation.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat interpretation?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat the biological mother must also become legally connected to the household.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought of Elise.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAdoption?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMarriage?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sabine looked at me.<\/p>\n
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.<\/p>\n
Then I understood.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey need me gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Martin uses the older clause, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Felix\u2019s unfiled divorce papers.<\/p>\n
The dissolution provision.<\/p>\n
The plan suddenly shifted again.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re asking me to accept the baby knowing that might not satisfy the trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sabine nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo get your signature first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAcknowledgment that Felix is the father and that you consent to integrating the child into the family.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds harmless enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause once you sign, they can use it in the divorce.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey can argue you accepted Felix\u2019s relationship with Elise.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat I forgave the affair.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey file the divorce. Felix marries Elise.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sabine\u2019s voice barely carried.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the trust pays.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Sunday isn\u2019t about giving me a baby.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about getting rid of me without a fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My phone buzzed.<\/p>\n
Felix.<\/p>\n
Where are you?<\/p>\n
Another message.<\/p>\n
I came home early.<\/p>\n
Another.<\/p>\n
Nora?<\/p>\n
Sabine looked at the screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
I slipped the phone away.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne question.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho sent the key?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told you, I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why are you afraid?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause if it wasn\u2019t me or Voss, there\u2019s only one person who could have had my grandmother\u2019s key after she died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sabine whispered the name.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour husband.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at Elise. \u201cYou hired Caroline.\u201d \u201cYes.\u201d \u201cSix months ago.\u201d \u201cYes.\u201d \u201cTo investigate yourself?\u201d \u201cTo investigate Felix.\u201d That made more sense and less sense simultaneously. \u201cYou told Caroline to … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25356,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25363","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\/25363","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=25363"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25363\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25398,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25363\/revisions\/25398"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}