{"id":27317,"date":"2026-10-01T19:36:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T19:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=27317"},"modified":"2026-10-01T19:36:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T19:36:12","slug":"part-14-a-recording-made-before-laura-vanished-revealed-why-emily-became-her-obsession-and-why-owen-pike-never-truly-let-her-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=27317","title":{"rendered":"PART 14 \u2013 A Recording Made Before Laura Vanished Revealed Why Emily Became Her Obsession\u2014and Why Owen Pike Never Truly Let Her Go"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Daniel did not tell Ava immediately.<\/p>\n<p>He ended the call with Detective Ramos, placed his phone on the counter, and stood without moving.<\/p>\n<p>Ava watched him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked at his daughter.<\/p>\n<p>This was where his old instinct would have taken over.<\/p>\n<p>Protect her.<\/p>\n<p>Simplify.<\/p>\n<p>Delay.<\/p>\n<p>Decide what she could handle without asking.<\/p>\n<p>He pulled out a chair.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSit down.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ava\u2019s expression tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs it Mom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She sat.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel chose his words carefully.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe police found an old recording.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith Owen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ava waited.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel continued. \u201cIt was made before she left.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe believed I was planning to divorce her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause of Uncle Mark\u2019s file?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ava looked down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd she asked Owen to investigate someone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEmily?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel nodded.<\/p>\n<p>Ava closed her eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore you knew her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat part isn\u2019t clear yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ava pushed away from the table.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is insane.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel did not disagree.<\/p>\n<p>She paced to the window.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Mom know Emily?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnly from the Brightline connection, as far as we know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo she just picked her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ava turned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad, you keep saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause it\u2019s true.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ava looked frustrated.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel leaned forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI spent years filling gaps with assumptions. I\u2019m not doing that anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The frustration left her face.<\/p>\n<p>She nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel called Emily.<\/p>\n<p>She was at her friend Nina\u2019s house.<\/p>\n<p>He told her about the recording.<\/p>\n<p>Emily was quiet for several seconds.<\/p>\n<p>Then she asked, \u201cDid Ramos say I can hear it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAsk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou want to?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause everyone has been interpreting Laura for years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily\u2019s voice remained steady.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want to hear what she actually said.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The next day, Ramos arranged for them to listen to a relevant excerpt.<\/p>\n<p>The detective warned them that the recording was evidence and that context remained incomplete.<\/p>\n<p>Emily appreciated the warning.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked as though he wanted to skip it.<\/p>\n<p>They sat in a small interview room.<\/p>\n<p>Ramos placed a recorder on the table.<\/p>\n<p>The audio crackled.<\/p>\n<p>Owen\u2019s voice came first.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou want me to check Daniel?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Laura answered.<\/p>\n<p>Her younger voice struck Daniel harder than expected.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou think he\u2019s leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think he might.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why not find out?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause if I\u2019m wrong, I\u2019ll become exactly the person he thinks I am.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Owen laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat person?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJealous. Suspicious. Exhausting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked down.<\/p>\n<p>Emily watched him.<\/p>\n<p>Owen spoke again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen what do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a woman.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s breathing changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEmily Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Owen asked, \u201cWho is she?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe worked on the Brightline project years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s your threat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe isn\u2019t a threat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why are we talking about her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Laura\u2019s answer came after a long silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Daniel remembered her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily went still.<\/p>\n<p>Owen sounded confused.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe remembers people he admires.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel whispered, \u201cLaura\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The recording continued.<\/p>\n<p>Owen asked whether Daniel and Emily had an affair.<\/p>\n<p>Laura said no.<\/p>\n<p>Whether they had met privately.<\/p>\n<p>No.<\/p>\n<p>Whether they had spoken since the Brightline project.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Owen laughed again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen this is nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Laura\u2019s voice sharpened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room became silent except for the recording.<\/p>\n<p>Then Laura said something that changed Emily\u2019s understanding.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s why I need you to find out about her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Owen asked, \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause if she\u2019s ordinary, maybe I can stop thinking about her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily stared at the recorder.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Laura had not initially wanted evidence against Emily.<\/p>\n<p>She had wanted evidence against her own fear.<\/p>\n<p>Owen asked what she wanted him to check.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust public things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJob?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRelationships?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Laura hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAddress?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFamily?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Owen said, \u201cYou\u2019re paying me to Google somebody.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Laura replied, \u201cThen Google her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ramos stopped the recording.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot quite.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He restarted it later in the same conversation.<\/p>\n<p>Owen\u2019s voice was different now.<\/p>\n<p>More interested.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour designer is impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Laura said nothing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPromoted twice. Good salary. No criminal record. No bankruptcies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t ask for all that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s basic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStop.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Owen laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re jealous of a woman your husband met once.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Laura\u2019s voice became low.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI said stop.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ramos ended the clip.<\/p>\n<p>Emily sat back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat matters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe told him to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut she went back later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily refused to simplify Laura into either victim or villain.<\/p>\n<p>Both truths existed.<\/p>\n<p>Laura had created the obsession.<\/p>\n<p>Owen had learned how to feed it.<\/p>\n<p>Years later, Laura had paid him again.<\/p>\n<p>That was her responsibility.<\/p>\n<p>Ramos folded his hands.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe found later recordings too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much later?\u201d Emily asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter Daniel began dating you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n<p>Ramos continued. \u201cLaura contacted Owen again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat fits the emails.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut there\u2019s a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOwen already had a current file on you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore Laura rehired him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel leaned forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo he kept investigating her independently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat appears possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ramos shook his head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily thought of the notation.<\/p>\n<p>Retain independently.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLeverage,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Ramos looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn whom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s the question.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel understood first.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLaura.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily turned.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Owen kept information about Emily, he could use it to pull Laura back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ramos nodded cautiously.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is one possibility.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily felt sick.<\/p>\n<p>Laura\u2019s fear had created the first file.<\/p>\n<p>Owen may have kept that fear alive because it was profitable.<\/p>\n<p>The detective slid a photocopy across the table.<\/p>\n<p>It was a handwritten invoice.<\/p>\n<p>Monitoring \u2014 E.C.<\/p>\n<p>Below it:<\/p>\n<p>L.W. declined continuation.<\/p>\n<p>Then another line:<\/p>\n<p>Retained per O.P.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOwen retained it himself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily looked at Ramos.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about the photographs taken after Laura told him to stop?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome may have been his.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe found payments from another source.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel went still.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019re tracing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily\u2019s pulse quickened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot Laura?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot from any account we\u2019ve connected to her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked at Emily.<\/p>\n<p>A second client.<\/p>\n<p>Or someone using Owen for another reason.<\/p>\n<p>Ramos continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe also found a photograph of Laura meeting Owen after she left.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat isn\u2019t surprising.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe date might be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He slid it across.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel read it.<\/p>\n<p>Two days before Laura called Helen.<\/p>\n<p>The secret call after her disappearance.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked at the photograph.<\/p>\n<p>Laura sat across from Owen in a diner.<\/p>\n<p>On the back, someone had written:<\/p>\n<p>L.W. wants contact stopped. Refuses return.<\/p>\n<p>Emily read it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRefuses return?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ramos nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t know what it means.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel thought about Laura calling Helen.<\/p>\n<p>Asking how Ava was.<\/p>\n<p>Refusing to speak to her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat if she was considering coming back?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Owen talked her out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossible,\u201d Emily repeated.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel rubbed his forehead.<\/p>\n<p>Ramos cautioned them again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need evidence before assigning motive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily nodded.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel did too.<\/p>\n<p>They were learning the discipline of uncertainty.<\/p>\n<p>Outside the station, Daniel\u2019s phone rang.<\/p>\n<p>Laura.<\/p>\n<p>He stared at the screen.<\/p>\n<p>Emily said, \u201cAnswer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He did.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLaura.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her voice was strained.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe police contacted me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey asked about Owen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Laura inhaled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey found the recordings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She went quiet.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel waited.<\/p>\n<p>Finally she said, \u201cThere are things on those recordings I had forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLike asking him to investigate Emily before you left?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily stood beside Daniel but remained silent.<\/p>\n<p>Laura continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI need you to understand something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen explain. Don\u2019t ask me to understand first.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Laura absorbed that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOwen made things worse.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat does not remove what you did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Laura\u2019s voice trembled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe would bring me information I hadn\u2019t requested.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily stepped closer.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel put the call on speaker.<\/p>\n<p>Laura continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt first I told him to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe heard that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen he started telling me things anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think he enjoyed watching me react.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily looked toward the station entrance.<\/p>\n<p>Laura said, \u201cWhen I left, I owed him money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot Emily.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s expression hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLaura.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hired him to investigate you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel went still.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou told him not to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI changed my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA week later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily watched Daniel absorb it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I found another thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat thing?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA hotel receipt.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat hotel receipt?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn your jacket.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His face went blank.<\/p>\n<p>Then he remembered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChicago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was a work trip.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou told me you were in Milwaukee.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared.<\/p>\n<p>Then realization hit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe flight was diverted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Laura said nothing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe landed in Chicago because of the storm. The company booked rooms overnight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou never told me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI got home the next day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou never told me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause it was nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Laura laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Tiny omissions.<\/p>\n<p>Tiny assumptions.<\/p>\n<p>Each meaningless alone.<\/p>\n<p>Together, catastrophic.<\/p>\n<p>Laura continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI asked Owen to find out if you were having an affair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said no.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel opened his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe told you I wasn\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you still left?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Laura began crying.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked stunned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause by then I didn\u2019t believe reassurance anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily felt the sentence land.<\/p>\n<p>Fear had become self-sustaining.<\/p>\n<p>Evidence no longer mattered.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel whispered, \u201cSo Owen proved I wasn\u2019t cheating.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you left anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why keep paying him afterward?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Laura was silent.<\/p>\n<p>Emily already knew.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause checking had become the only thing that made you feel in control.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Laura inhaled sharply.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked at Emily.<\/p>\n<p>The pattern was painfully familiar.<\/p>\n<p>Ava\u2019s tests.<\/p>\n<p>Laura\u2019s investigations.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s peacekeeping.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone trying to control uncertainty instead of living honestly inside it.<\/p>\n<p>Laura said, \u201cOwen knew that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily spoke.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd used it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut you still chose it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Laura went quiet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily appreciated the answer.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel asked, \u201cWho else paid Owen to watch Emily?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Laura sounded confused.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe police found another payment source.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThink.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarissa?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe wanted it stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked at Emily.<\/p>\n<p>That matched everything they had seen.<\/p>\n<p>Laura suddenly inhaled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was someone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily\u2019s pulse shifted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOwen mentioned another person asking about Emily.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter you got engaged.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s voice tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe wouldn\u2019t tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Laura thought.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said I wasn\u2019t the only person interested in the future Mrs. Whitmore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily felt cold.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel asked, \u201cDid you ask what that meant?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe laughed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Laura\u2019s voice weakened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said some people had more practical reasons than jealousy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily stared at Daniel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat practical reasons?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The call ended ten minutes later without an answer.<\/p>\n<p>That evening, Ramos contacted Emily again.<\/p>\n<p>They had traced one of the unexplained payments.<\/p>\n<p>Not all the way.<\/p>\n<p>Only to a business account.<\/p>\n<p>The company no longer existed.<\/p>\n<p>Emily wrote the name down.<\/p>\n<p>Northstar Property Holdings.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel searched it.<\/p>\n<p>Nothing useful appeared.<\/p>\n<p>Emily tried old corporate records.<\/p>\n<p>The company had been dissolved.<\/p>\n<p>Then she found an archived registration.<\/p>\n<p>The listed mailing address looked familiar.<\/p>\n<p>She stared at it.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel noticed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily enlarged the record.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know this address.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom where?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She searched her old emails.<\/p>\n<p>Years of messages appeared.<\/p>\n<p>Then she found it.<\/p>\n<p>A vendor invoice from Brightline.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel leaned closer.<\/p>\n<p>Emily read the vendor name.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVale Consulting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel went still.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarissa?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily nodded.<\/p>\n<p>Northstar Property Holdings had once shared a mailing address with Marissa Vale\u2019s private consulting business.<\/p>\n<p>The woman who had warned Laura to stop.<\/p>\n<p>The woman who had preserved the records.<\/p>\n<p>The woman who claimed to fear Owen.<\/p>\n<p>Someone connected to Marissa had also paid him.<\/p>\n<p>And those payments began after Marissa supposedly refused to help Laura investigate Emily.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=27318\">Click here to continue reading: PART 15: Marissa\u2019s Secret Payments Seemed to Betray Everything She Claimed Until Her Final Notebook Revealed What She Was Really Trying to Prove<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Daniel did not tell Ava immediately. He ended the call with Detective Ramos, placed his phone on the counter, and stood without moving. Ava watched him. \u201cWhat happened?\u201d He looked &hellip; <\/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-27317","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\/27317","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=27317"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27317\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27363,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27317\/revisions\/27363"}],"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=27317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}