Emily did not answer immediately.<\/p>\n
Peter Pike\u2019s voice came through the speaker with the careful restraint of someone who had rehearsed the conversation before making it.<\/p>\n
Daniel stood beside the crooked table, his attention fixed on Emily\u2019s phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat records?\u201d Emily asked.<\/p>\n
Peter exhaled. \u201cMy brother kept files on people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. You know about the work Laura paid him to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel leaned closer. \u201cWhat\u2019s the difference?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe files I\u2019m talking about weren\u2019t client files.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily exchanged a glance with Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat were they?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInsurance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s jaw tightened. \u201cAgainst whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone he thought might become a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peter paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cClients included.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily looked toward Marissa\u2019s box.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMarissa?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMe?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe so.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel swore quietly.<\/p>\n
Emily remained still. \u201cWhy are you calling now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause somebody contacted me yesterday asking whether I still had Owen\u2019s storage-unit key.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s posture changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou answered a stranger asking about your dead brother\u2019s storage unit?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I hung up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peter\u2019s irritation sounded genuine.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen I received a photograph.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily\u2019s skin prickled.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy house.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked toward her windows.<\/p>\n
Peter continued. \u201cTaken recently. My truck was in the driveway.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you call the police?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey made a report.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you still have the key?\u201d Emily asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes anyone know where the unit is?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhoever sent the picture might.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis sounds like a trap.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peter heard him.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt might be.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why involve Emily?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I found her name in Owen\u2019s things after he died.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s voice sharpened. \u201cAnd you waited eighteen months?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t understand what I was looking at.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not good enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily raised a hand.<\/p>\n
Daniel stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeter,\u201d she said, \u201cwhat exactly did you find?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA notebook.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMostly codes. Initials. Dates.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd my name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot your full name. E.C.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n
Peter continued. \u201cBut one page has an address beside it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily\u2019s stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cMine?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAn old one, according to public records.\u201d<\/p>\n
The apartment she had lived in before marrying Daniel.<\/p>\n
Emily sat down.<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s face darkened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA date and the words \u2018client terminated.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily thought about the surveillance photographs ending seven months before her wedding.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat date?\u201d<\/p>\n
Peter told her.<\/p>\n
Emily opened the timeline on her laptop.<\/p>\n
She found the final photograph.<\/p>\n
Then compared it.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo days later.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel leaned over her shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe surveillance stopped two days before Owen wrote client terminated.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily corrected him. \u201cWe don\u2019t know that\u2019s what it means.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel nodded reluctantly.<\/p>\n
Peter said, \u201cThere\u2019s another notation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily waited.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018Retain independently.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence settled over the apartment.<\/p>\n
Daniel stared at the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Laura stopped paying him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what it sounds like,\u201d Peter said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Owen kept collecting information.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily rubbed her forehead.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Peter\u2019s answer came quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause my brother liked leverage more than money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily thought of Marissa\u2019s warning.<\/p>\n
She had been afraid of Owen.<\/p>\n
Now the reason was becoming clearer.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell us about the storage unit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peter explained that Owen had rented it under a business name. After Owen\u2019s death, Peter had inherited responsibility for several remaining possessions. He had visited once, seen boxes of old business records, and left them alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you throw them away?\u201d Daniel asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI almost did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat stopped you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMarissa.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe contacted you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout three months after Owen died.\u201d<\/p>\n
That placed the conversation more than a year before Marissa\u2019s own death.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat some of Owen\u2019s records involved people who never consented to being investigated.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily\u2019s fingers tightened around a pen.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe asked you to preserve them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t she take them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said she was afraid removing anything would alert someone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe never said.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel paced toward the window.<\/p>\n
Emily asked, \u201cDid Marissa have access to the unit?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Laura?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peter\u2019s voice lowered.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Owen kept a second key somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stopped pacing.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you don\u2019t know where.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily looked at the box on her table.<\/p>\n
Marissa had copied records because she feared Owen.<\/p>\n
Owen had preserved records because he wanted leverage.<\/p>\n
Laura had spent years operating through both of them.<\/p>\n
Now someone wanted the storage key.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should not go there ourselves,\u201d Emily said.<\/p>\n
Daniel nodded immediately.<\/p>\n
Peter sounded relieved. \u201cThat\u2019s what I was hoping you\u2019d say.\u201d<\/p>\n
They agreed that Peter would provide the unit information to the detective assigned after Emily\u2019s report.<\/p>\n
Nothing would be moved without documentation.<\/p>\n
Nothing would be privately retrieved.<\/p>\n
For once, everyone involved would resist the temptation to become their own investigator.<\/p>\n
After the call ended, Daniel remained standing.<\/p>\n
Emily closed her laptop.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should go home.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked surprised.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if whoever called Peter\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am already staying somewhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe police have the report.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy locks are being changed tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
His expression shifted.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou arranged that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel almost smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course you did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily\u2019s eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat wasn\u2019t criticism.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRecognition.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked away.<\/p>\n
He put on his coat.<\/p>\n
At the door, Daniel paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmily.\u201d<\/p>\n
She waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know this isn\u2019t the important thing right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sentence usually means the opposite.\u201d<\/p>\n
He accepted the correction.<\/p>\n
\u201cI miss you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily\u2019s face became still.<\/p>\n
Daniel continued before she could answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not asking you to come back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI just didn\u2019t want every conversation between us to become evidence and police reports without saying it once.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI miss parts of us too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hope flashed across his face.<\/p>\n
She saw it and continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not a promise.\u201d<\/p>\n
His expression steadied.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
He left.<\/p>\n
Emily locked the door.<\/p>\n
Then checked it once.<\/p>\n
Not twice.<\/p>\n
The following afternoon, Detective Ramos called.<\/p>\n
The storage unit had been located.<\/p>\n
Peter had provided the key.<\/p>\n
A warrant was being sought because ownership and privacy issues surrounding the business records were complicated.<\/p>\n
Emily appreciated the caution even though waiting made her restless.<\/p>\n
Daniel handled waiting badly.<\/p>\n
He cleaned.<\/p>\n
By evening, the barbecue debris was finally gone.<\/p>\n
He swept every remaining shard of glass from the patio.<\/p>\n
Ava watched through the kitchen window.<\/p>\n
When he came inside, she asked, \u201cWhy now?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel leaned the broom against the wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I should have done it days ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ava looked toward the patio.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou left the glass there because of Emily.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLike punishment?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel thought about it.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ava sat at the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat seems dramatic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel laughed.<\/p>\n
The sound surprised both of them.<\/p>\n
Ava smiled faintly.<\/p>\n
It disappeared quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Mom call?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel did not ask whether she meant it.<\/p>\n
She was allowed contradictory feelings.<\/p>\n
Her second therapy session had gone better than the first.<\/p>\n
At least, that was all she had volunteered.<\/p>\n
Daniel was learning not to treat privacy as resistance.<\/p>\n
He started making dinner.<\/p>\n
Ava watched him chop onions.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you think Emily will ever come back?\u201d<\/p>\n
The knife stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo the house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know what you meant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ava picked at a loose thread on her sleeve.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf she did, I wouldn\u2019t act like before.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel set the knife down.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe you mean that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ava looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Emily does not owe us another chance so we can prove we learned something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ava swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel resumed chopping.<\/p>\n
After a moment, she said, \u201cI want her to know I\u2019m trying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe probably does.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you apologized without demanding forgiveness.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ava considered that.<\/p>\n
Daniel added the onions to the pan.<\/p>\n
His phone rang.<\/p>\n
Detective Ramos.<\/p>\n
He answered immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got access to the unit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel turned off the stove.<\/p>\n
Ava watched his face.<\/p>\n
Ramos continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a lot of records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDozens of boxes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel gripped the counter.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything involving Emily?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
His stomach dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs she safe?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have nothing indicating an immediate threat.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you find?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA file with her name.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
Ramos continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cPhotographs. Notes. Public records. Some material we haven\u2019t identified yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRecent?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe file appears to stop several years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut there\u2019s something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ava was watching him.<\/p>\n
Daniel turned slightly away.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found a file labeled Whitmore.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt contains information on you, Ava, your mother Helen, and Laura.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared at the wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would Owen investigate Laura if she was his client?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s one of the questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ramos continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are audio recordings.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s pulse accelerated.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf who?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeveral people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEmily?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot in the samples we checked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel lowered himself into a chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is she saying?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to review everything before drawing conclusions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDetective.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ramos paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne recording appears to be a conversation between Laura and Owen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout Emily?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked toward Ava.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does Laura say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe tells him to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApproximately seven months before your wedding.\u201d<\/p>\n
That aligned with the end of the photographs.<\/p>\n
Daniel whispered, \u201cShe did stop it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen Owen continued?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is what we\u2019re investigating.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ava stepped closer.<\/p>\n
Daniel held up one finger.<\/p>\n
Ramos added, \u201cThere\u2019s another recording you should know about.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s chest tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt predates Laura leaving you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow far?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout three weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stood again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is on it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOwen and Laura.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s voice became quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are they talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ramos hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour divorce.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was no divorce.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe says she found documents on your computer and believes you\u2019re preparing to leave her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
Mark\u2019s divorce packet.<\/p>\n
The misunderstanding that had metastasized into years of damage.<\/p>\n
But Ramos was not finished.<\/p>\n
\u201cOwen tells her he can find out whether you\u2019re seeing someone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s throat tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura says no.\u201d<\/p>\n
That surprised him.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe says she doesn\u2019t want him following you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked toward Ava.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what does she want?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ramos answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe asks him to find someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
The detective paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmily Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily did not answer immediately. Peter Pike\u2019s voice came through the speaker with the careful restraint of someone who had rehearsed the conversation before making it. Daniel stood beside the … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27303,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27316","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\/27316","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=27316"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27316\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27362,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27316\/revisions\/27362"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/27303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}