{"id":25832,"date":"2026-09-30T01:46:59","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T01:46:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=25832"},"modified":"2026-09-30T01:46:59","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T01:46:59","slug":"part-8-the-recording-daddy-hid-inside-an-old-radio-revealed-why-travis-needed-my-land-and-why-carol-had-feared-his-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=25832","title":{"rendered":"PART 8 \u2013 The Recording Daddy Hid Inside an Old Radio Revealed Why Travis Needed My Land and Why Carol Had Feared His Story"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I returned to Daddy\u2019s house with Detective Bell\u2019s approval and Rebecca\u2019s warning not to disturb anything connected to the investigation.<\/p>\n<p>Travis was gone.<\/p>\n<p>His truck was not in the driveway.<\/p>\n<p>A deputy had already accompanied him earlier to collect clothing and personal items after Rebecca arranged temporary occupancy conditions through the court.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time since I learned about the accounts, the house was quiet.<\/p>\n<p>Not tense.<\/p>\n<p>Quiet.<\/p>\n<p>I stood in Daddy\u2019s kitchen and listened to the refrigerator hum.<\/p>\n<p>Beth came with me.<\/p>\n<p>She refused to let me search alone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat exactly are we looking for?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat narrows it down.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I smiled faintly.<\/p>\n<p>Daddy\u2019s estate box sat on the table.<\/p>\n<p>We had already found the letter, notebook, bank folder, and old records.<\/p>\n<p>But one line in the letter kept bothering me.<\/p>\n<p>Daddy had written:<\/p>\n<p>If there is ever confusion about what I intended, remember that I trusted machines more than memory.<\/p>\n<p>At first, I assumed he meant records.<\/p>\n<p>Bank statements.<\/p>\n<p>Receipts.<\/p>\n<p>Something mechanical about bookkeeping.<\/p>\n<p>Now I wondered whether he meant something literal.<\/p>\n<p>Daddy loved radios.<\/p>\n<p>Not fancy ones.<\/p>\n<p>Old shortwave sets.<\/p>\n<p>Cassette recorders.<\/p>\n<p>Weather receivers.<\/p>\n<p>He repaired them in the workshop long after everyone else switched to phones.<\/p>\n<p>Beth followed me outside.<\/p>\n<p>The workshop smelled exactly as it had when I was seventeen\u2014sawdust, machine oil, rust, and sun-heated plywood.<\/p>\n<p>Tools remained on pegboard where I had left them after Daddy died.<\/p>\n<p>Travis rarely used the place.<\/p>\n<p>He preferred the larger shed he had built near the driveway.<\/p>\n<p>I searched shelves.<\/p>\n<p>Two radios.<\/p>\n<p>A cassette deck.<\/p>\n<p>A box of blank tapes.<\/p>\n<p>Then I saw Daddy\u2019s old Grundig receiver.<\/p>\n<p>It sat beneath a canvas cover.<\/p>\n<p>I removed it.<\/p>\n<p>Dust rose.<\/p>\n<p>Beth sneezed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMachines more than memory,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The radio was unplugged.<\/p>\n<p>I turned it over.<\/p>\n<p>One screw on the back panel differed from the others.<\/p>\n<p>Newer.<\/p>\n<p>I found a screwdriver.<\/p>\n<p>Inside the radio housing, taped beside the speaker, was a small digital voice recorder.<\/p>\n<p>Beth stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have got to be kidding.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My hands began trembling.<\/p>\n<p>The recorder was ancient.<\/p>\n<p>Its battery had corroded.<\/p>\n<p>We did not touch the controls.<\/p>\n<p>I called Rebecca.<\/p>\n<p>She told me to stop immediately.<\/p>\n<p>Detective Bell arrived forty minutes later.<\/p>\n<p>He photographed the recorder before removing it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew this was here?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy did you look?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I showed him Daddy\u2019s letter.<\/p>\n<p>Bell read the line twice.<\/p>\n<p>Then he smiled slightly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour father liked puzzles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe liked backups.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The recorder went to evidence.<\/p>\n<p>I assumed we would wait days.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, technicians recovered the audio that afternoon.<\/p>\n<p>Bell asked whether I wanted to hear it.<\/p>\n<p>I did.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca sat beside me.<\/p>\n<p>The first file contained static and Daddy testing the microphone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRaymond Parker. Monday, ten fifteen a.m.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hearing his voice after thirteen years nearly undid me.<\/p>\n<p>Not weakened hospice Daddy.<\/p>\n<p>My father.<\/p>\n<p>Steady.<\/p>\n<p>Dry.<\/p>\n<p>Alive.<\/p>\n<p>I covered my mouth.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca waited.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can stop.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The next recordings were ordinary.<\/p>\n<p>Notes about medication.<\/p>\n<p>Instructions about the property.<\/p>\n<p>Reminders about insurance.<\/p>\n<p>Then Bell selected a file recorded four days before Daddy died.<\/p>\n<p>Daddy\u2019s voice was weaker.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI need this kept because Carol came today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My breath stopped.<\/p>\n<p>The recording continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe says Travis needs help starting something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rustling.<\/p>\n<p>A cough.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told her no.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>Daddy paused for breath.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI already loaned Carol twenty-four thousand. She has paid none of it back. She wants me to forgive that and give Travis forty-five thousand more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My eyes filled.<\/p>\n<p>Not from surprise.<\/p>\n<p>From vindication.<\/p>\n<p>Daddy\u2019s own voice.<\/p>\n<p>No interpretation.<\/p>\n<p>No reconstructed memory.<\/p>\n<p>He had said no.<\/p>\n<p>The recording continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told Carol the trust is June\u2019s protection. The land stays June\u2019s. The money stays June\u2019s. Travis gets nothing from it unless June chooses after I\u2019m gone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca squeezed my hand.<\/p>\n<p>Daddy coughed again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCarol became angry. Said I was judging her boy. Maybe I am.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite everything, a laugh escaped me.<\/p>\n<p>That sounded exactly like him.<\/p>\n<p>The next sentence cut deeper.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTravis is charming when he wants something. June loves him. I won\u2019t interfere unless I see danger. But love does not make a man entitled to another person\u2019s inheritance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The recording ended.<\/p>\n<p>Nobody spoke.<\/p>\n<p>Bell opened another file.<\/p>\n<p>Timestamp: two days before Daddy died.<\/p>\n<p>The same date as the photograph.<\/p>\n<p>At first there was only room noise.<\/p>\n<p>Then voices.<\/p>\n<p>Carol.<\/p>\n<p>Warren Pike.<\/p>\n<p>Daddy.<\/p>\n<p>The recorder must have been somewhere nearby.<\/p>\n<p>Daddy sounded exhausted.<\/p>\n<p>Warren said, \u201cRaymond, this simply formalizes what we discussed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daddy answered, \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol spoke.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou said you\u2019d forgive the loan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI said I\u2019d consider it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Travis?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A chair moved.<\/p>\n<p>Warren\u2019s voice became soothing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe funds would still benefit June eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInvestment growth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daddy coughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen let June decide.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol said, \u201cShe doesn\u2019t understand investments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>The same argument Travis had made about me thirteen years later.<\/p>\n<p>Daddy replied, \u201cThen she can learn.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I wiped my eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Warren said something indistinct.<\/p>\n<p>Then Daddy raised his voice as much as he could.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is not what I agreed to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Linda had remembered correctly.<\/p>\n<p>Paper rustled.<\/p>\n<p>Warren said, \u201cWe can come back tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daddy answered, \u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The file ended.<\/p>\n<p>I expected relief.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, rage moved through me so cleanly that my hands became cold.<\/p>\n<p>They had known.<\/p>\n<p>Carol had known Daddy refused.<\/p>\n<p>Warren had known.<\/p>\n<p>And somehow money still moved three days later.<\/p>\n<p>Bell played the next file.<\/p>\n<p>It had been recorded the following morning.<\/p>\n<p>Daddy alone.<\/p>\n<p>His breathing was rough.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf something happens before I straighten this out, Warren Pike is not authorized to change the trust. Carol Hale is not authorized. Travis Hale is not authorized.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca closed her eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Daddy continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cElaine Parker is dead. Anyone using Elaine\u2019s name is committing fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n<p>He knew.<\/p>\n<p>Somehow Daddy had anticipated exactly what they might do.<\/p>\n<p>The recording crackled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI found paperwork Warren left behind. It had Elaine listed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His voice weakened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told June once that records matter. I hope she remembers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe trust is hers. The land is hers. That is my final instruction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The recording stopped.<\/p>\n<p>Bell did not immediately play anything else.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs that enough?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo prove what they did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s significant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSignificant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t use the word proof until I can support every element.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I nodded.<\/p>\n<p>Facts.<\/p>\n<p>Dates.<\/p>\n<p>Documents.<\/p>\n<p>He had taught me the rhythm already.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat else is on there?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bell looked at Rebecca.<\/p>\n<p>Then at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne final relevant recording.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlay it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Timestamp: the night before Daddy died.<\/p>\n<p>At first I heard television noise.<\/p>\n<p>Then Travis\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n<p>My husband had been in Daddy\u2019s bedroom.<\/p>\n<p>I had no memory of that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMr. Parker?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daddy responded weakly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s Travis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know who you are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A pause.<\/p>\n<p>Travis said, \u201cCarol says you\u2019re upset.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour mother lies when cornered.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My heart hammered.<\/p>\n<p>Travis laughed softly.<\/p>\n<p>Not amused.<\/p>\n<p>Nervous.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m just trying to help everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHelp June.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019m trying to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo. You\u2019re trying to get something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>Daddy continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou want a business? Build it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI need capital.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEarn it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Travis\u2019s voice hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou had help when you started.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot from a dying man whose daughter you plan to marry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t think I\u2019m good enough for her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think entitlement grows when fed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at the speaker.<\/p>\n<p>Daddy had seen Travis more clearly in a few years than I had in nine years of marriage.<\/p>\n<p>Travis said, \u201cI love June.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen don\u2019t touch what belongs to her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The recording ended.<\/p>\n<p>I leaned back.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca exhaled.<\/p>\n<p>Bell made a note.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat clarifies Raymond\u2019s intent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt destroys Travis\u2019s story.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt contradicts important parts of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I almost objected to his careful language.<\/p>\n<p>Then I understood why he used it.<\/p>\n<p>A case was not built from anger.<\/p>\n<p>It was built from pieces that survived scrutiny.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happens now?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe continue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bell received a message.<\/p>\n<p>He read it.<\/p>\n<p>His expression changed slightly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He placed the phone face down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe executed a search warrant on Carol Hale\u2019s residence this afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My heartbeat quickened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you find?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t discuss everything yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnything?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He considered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA locked document box.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca leaned forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat was inside?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bell looked directly at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCopies of Raymond\u2019s trust paperwork.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I felt no surprise anymore.<\/p>\n<p>Then he added, \u201cAnd records connected to Gulf Horizon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That surprised me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCurrent records?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo Carol was involved.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cApparently more than she has admitted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bell hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne document appears to be a draft agreement between Carol and Travis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDistribution of proceeds if your property secured Gulf Horizon financing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey were dividing money from my land.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPotential proceeds.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe financing target was larger than we knew.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca asked, \u201cHow large?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bell answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne point two million dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The number barely registered.<\/p>\n<p>Then it did.<\/p>\n<p>My eleven acres.<\/p>\n<p>Daddy\u2019s house.<\/p>\n<p>The pond.<\/p>\n<p>The workshop.<\/p>\n<p>Everything Travis had dismissed as something he maintained with his paycheck.<\/p>\n<p>He had intended to leverage it for more than a million dollars.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat was Gulf Horizon actually doing?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bell closed his notebook.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s the next problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He glanced at Rebecca before answering.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome of the investors\u2019 money appears to be missing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Travis planned to cover it with my property?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re investigating whether the financing was intended to address existing obligations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n<p>Not build a future.<\/p>\n<p>Cover a hole.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca asked, \u201cHow urgent was the financing?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bell looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVery.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow urgent?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was a deadline.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThree weeks from now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I thought of the accounts.<\/p>\n<p>My removal.<\/p>\n<p>The redirected property notices.<\/p>\n<p>The forged signature.<\/p>\n<p>Everything suddenly had a clock attached.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened in three weeks?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bell\u2019s answer turned every piece of the story again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lender was scheduled to verify ownership directly with you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I understood.<\/p>\n<p>Travis knew the lie could not survive contact with me.<\/p>\n<p>That was why he had tried to control the mail.<\/p>\n<p>That was why he had removed my account access.<\/p>\n<p>That was why he had told Melissa and Derek he was handling me.<\/p>\n<p>He had needed me uninformed until financing closed.<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Rebecca.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan they still use the property?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan Travis still get the money?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot through your land.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bell stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat creates another issue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople who are desperate for money sometimes become more dangerous when the money disappears.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I thought of Travis grabbing my wrist.<\/p>\n<p>The door slap.<\/p>\n<p>The voicemail.<\/p>\n<p>Carol standing outside my house saying people could get hurt.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time, those moments stopped feeling like anger.<\/p>\n<p>They felt like warnings.<\/p>\n<p>Bell told me not to stay alone.<\/p>\n<p>Beth immediately volunteered.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca supported it.<\/p>\n<p>I agreed.<\/p>\n<p>That evening, we drove back toward Beth\u2019s house.<\/p>\n<p>Halfway there, my phone rang.<\/p>\n<p>Melissa.<\/p>\n<p>Her voice was barely above a whisper.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJune, something happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDerek went to the Gulf Horizon office.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe wanted to get his laptop before police sealed everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe place was empty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEmpty how?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cComputers gone. Files gone. Everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere\u2019s Travis?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019m calling.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Beth.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Melissa inhaled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis truck was seen at the office forty minutes before Derek arrived.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I immediately called Bell.<\/p>\n<p>He told us to keep driving and not go home.<\/p>\n<p>Then another call came through.<\/p>\n<p>Carol.<\/p>\n<p>I almost ignored it.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca\u2019s earlier advice echoed in my mind.<\/p>\n<p>No direct contact.<\/p>\n<p>But Bell was still on another line with Beth.<\/p>\n<p>I answered without speaking.<\/p>\n<p>Carol sounded terrified.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJune.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I remained silent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlease listen to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTravis knows about the recordings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My skin went cold.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou told him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy should I believe you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause he came here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwenty minutes ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he want?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe old papers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you give them to him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe police already took them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol began crying.<\/p>\n<p>Real crying.<\/p>\n<p>Messy, breathless, uncontrolled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said I ruined everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe took my keys.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKeys to what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy storage unit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The same kind of place where Derek had found Daddy\u2019s box.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s in it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>Then Carol whispered, \u201cThe originals.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My heart slammed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOriginal what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe papers Warren made.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I gripped the phone.<\/p>\n<p>Beth looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>I mouthed storage unit.<\/p>\n<p>Carol continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJune, those documents show exactly what happened to Raymond\u2019s trust.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you destroy them?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI kept them because Travis scares me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The confession came out almost too softly to hear.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou were protecting yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAgainst your own son.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol sobbed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe learned everything Warren taught us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Us.<\/p>\n<p>The word mattered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Warren teach you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow to make paperwork look complete.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach twisted.<\/p>\n<p>Carol breathed shakily.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Travis got better at it than Warren ever was.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked through the windshield at the dark road ahead.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is the storage unit?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol gave me the address.<\/p>\n<p>Beth relayed it to Detective Bell.<\/p>\n<p>Then I asked the question that had been waiting since Daddy\u2019s recording.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCarol, did you steal my father\u2019s money?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She went silent.<\/p>\n<p>Long enough that I heard the tires humming beneath our car.<\/p>\n<p>Finally she said, \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My eyes closed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut I didn\u2019t take all of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe money for my house.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSeventeen thousand?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Travis?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe took the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=25834\">Click here to continue reading: PART 9: Carol\u2019s Storage Unit Held the Original Fraud Files, but One Missing Folder Proved Travis Had Reached Them Before Police Did<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I returned to Daddy\u2019s house with Detective Bell\u2019s approval and Rebecca\u2019s warning not to disturb anything connected to the investigation. Travis was gone. His truck was not in the driveway. &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25822,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25832","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\/25832","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=25832"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25832\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25936,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25832\/revisions\/25936"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}