Daniel wanted to call Detective Ramos immediately.<\/p>\n
Emily stopped him long enough to save the corporate record.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow call.\u201d<\/p>\n
He did.<\/p>\n
Ramos listened.<\/p>\n
He did not sound surprised.<\/p>\n
That unsettled Daniel more than shock would have.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou already knew,\u201d Daniel said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were working on the connection.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo Marissa?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo the address.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily leaned toward the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas Northstar hers?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it shared her business address.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel paced.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo she paid Owen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily corrected him.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone using an account linked to her address paid Owen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ramos said, \u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at Emily.<\/p>\n
She gave him a pointed glance.<\/p>\n
Facts.<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
Ramos continued. \u201cWe\u2019re checking bank records and corporate filings.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen will you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t give you a timeline.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel hated that answer.<\/p>\n
Emily accepted it.<\/p>\n
After the call, she returned to Marissa\u2019s notebooks.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe missed something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel sat.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are hundreds of pages.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we go through them carefully.\u201d<\/p>\n
They began with the final notebook.<\/p>\n
Marissa\u2019s handwriting was compact and inconsistent.<\/p>\n
Most pages contained appointments, client names, reminders, grocery lists, and numbers without explanation.<\/p>\n
Emily created an index.<\/p>\n
Daniel read aloud.<\/p>\n
\u201cDentist. Call L. Brightline archive. Cancel lunch. O.P. again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat date?\u201d<\/p>\n
He told her.<\/p>\n
She checked the payment timeline.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree days after Northstar paid Owen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cAgain.\u201d<\/p>\n
They continued.<\/p>\n
A later entry read:<\/p>\n
O.P. refuses written terms. Says N payment means agreement.<\/p>\n
Daniel frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cN could be Northstar.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily turned the page.<\/p>\n
Another entry:<\/p>\n
Need proof he continues after termination.<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarissa was paying him to prove he was still watching you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily\u2019s pulse quickened.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel almost objected to the qualifier.<\/p>\n
Then stopped himself.<\/p>\n
They read on.<\/p>\n
Marissa had written:<\/p>\n
Cannot tell L. She will panic and re-engage.<\/p>\n
Emily leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds like Laura.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel nodded.<\/p>\n
Another entry:<\/p>\n
E not in danger from L. Concern is O.P. monetizing file.<\/p>\n
Emily stared.<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
Marissa had believed Laura was no longer the primary threat.<\/p>\n
Owen was.<\/p>\n
Daniel turned another page.<\/p>\n
A sentence had been underlined twice.<\/p>\n
Need independent evidence before confronting him.<\/p>\n
Emily exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cNorthstar may have been a controlled payment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo see whether he would take money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOr to create a paper trail.\u201d<\/p>\n
They kept reading.<\/p>\n
Several entries referenced photographs.<\/p>\n
Dates.<\/p>\n
Locations.<\/p>\n
O.P. delivered material not requested.<\/p>\n
Payment preserved.<\/p>\n
Do not destroy.<\/p>\n
Daniel looked toward the box.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was building evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cAgainst Owen.\u201d<\/p>\n
The apparent betrayal shifted shape.<\/p>\n
Marissa had not necessarily hired Owen to continue surveillance.<\/p>\n
She may have paid him so she could document that he was willing to continue it without Laura.<\/p>\n
Daniel rubbed his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not go to the police?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily looked at the notebooks.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe she thought she didn\u2019t have enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOr she was protecting herself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth can be true.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel nodded.<\/p>\n
They reached an entry written approximately three years ago.<\/p>\n
Meeting with P.P. if O. escalates.<\/p>\n
Daniel froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cP.P.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeter Pike.\u201d<\/p>\n
They looked at each other.<\/p>\n
Emily called Peter.<\/p>\n
He answered cautiously.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s Emily Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs everything okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found your initials in Marissa\u2019s notebook.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peter went silent.<\/p>\n
Emily continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe planned to meet you if Owen escalated.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peter exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe did meet me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel leaned toward the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeveral times.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t mention that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t ask.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n
Emily spoke before he could.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Owen had crossed lines.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat lines?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKeeping files after clients terminated him. Selling information twice. Using personal details to pressure people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel asked, \u201cBlackmail?\u201d<\/p>\n
Peter hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he blackmail Laura?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMarissa?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Peter\u2019s voice lowered.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had evidence she helped Laura monitor your family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo she wasn\u2019t innocent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily appreciated the directness.<\/p>\n
Peter continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cEarly on, Marissa helped.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Laura\u2019s letters?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInformation about Daniel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMe?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
That fit.<\/p>\n
Marissa had participated before deciding things had gone too far.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe regretted it,\u201d Peter said.<\/p>\n
Daniel gave a bitter laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people in this story regret things after doing them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily looked at him.<\/p>\n
He stopped.<\/p>\n
Peter continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said Laura was spiraling and Owen was feeding it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMoney. Control. Entertainment. Pick one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily asked, \u201cWhat did Marissa do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe created Northstar.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it was hers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy pay Owen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo prove he would sell Emily\u2019s information without Laura\u2019s authorization.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n
Their interpretation had been right.<\/p>\n
Peter continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe asked him for updates through Northstar while pretending to represent a different client.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe never told me what identity she used.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe took the money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily stared at the notebook.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd sent photographs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why she preserved them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel asked, \u201cWhy didn\u2019t she tell Emily?\u201d<\/p>\n
Peter sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wanted enough evidence to shut Owen down without dragging Emily into it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily\u2019s mouth tightened.<\/p>\n
There it was again.<\/p>\n
Someone deciding what she should know for her own protection.<\/p>\n
Peter seemed to anticipate the reaction.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told her that was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou did?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Emily had already been harmed by people who thought they knew what was best for her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at Emily.<\/p>\n
The sentence landed painfully close to the truth.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd yet she still didn\u2019t tell me,\u201d Emily said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peter did not defend her.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone was afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily appreciated that answer too.<\/p>\n
Peter explained that Marissa eventually confronted Owen.<\/p>\n
She told him she had proof he was continuing surveillance without authorization.<\/p>\n
Owen threatened to expose her role in Laura\u2019s earlier monitoring.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo they deadlocked,\u201d Daniel said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a while.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat changed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOwen got sick.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHeart problems.\u201d<\/p>\n
Owen\u2019s death eighteen months earlier had been officially attributed to cardiac complications.<\/p>\n
Peter said his brother became erratic during the final year.<\/p>\n
He moved records.<\/p>\n
Closed accounts.<\/p>\n
Accused Marissa of stealing from him.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wasn\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she steal?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCopies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily looked at the box.<\/p>\n
Peter continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe copied everything she could because she thought Owen would destroy it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then he died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did Marissa wait?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Peter\u2019s voice became quieter.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe tried to contact you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout a year ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at her.<\/p>\n
Emily shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never heard from her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe sent something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA letter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily\u2019s stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo where?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour house.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Whitmore house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never received it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked genuinely alarmed.<\/p>\n
\u201cNeither did I.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peter continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told me she mailed it certified.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you have proof?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI might.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peter searched while they waited.<\/p>\n
A minute later, he returned.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a photograph of the receipt.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSend it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The image arrived.<\/p>\n
Emily enlarged it.<\/p>\n
The address was correct.<\/p>\n
The date was fourteen months earlier.<\/p>\n
Someone had signed for the letter.<\/p>\n
Daniel leaned over her shoulder.<\/p>\n
The signature was barely legible.<\/p>\n
Not Emily.<\/p>\n
Not Daniel.<\/p>\n
Not Ava.<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily zoomed farther.<\/p>\n
The first letter appeared to be H.<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s face drained.<\/p>\n
\u201cHelen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt could be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily called her.<\/p>\n
Helen answered cheerfully.<\/p>\n
The tone vanished when Emily explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t remember a certified letter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThink.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFourteen months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Helen went quiet.<\/p>\n
Daniel took the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWere you staying at the house?\u201d<\/p>\n
Helen hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n
He remembered.<\/p>\n
Ava had injured her ankle during volleyball.<\/p>\n
Helen stayed several days while Daniel traveled for work and Emily handled a major project deadline.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you sign for mail?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you remember an envelope addressed to Emily?\u201d<\/p>\n
Helen became silent.<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily\u2019s voice remained calm.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA large envelope.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you do with it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI put it with the mail.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the kitchen counter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
Daniel asked, \u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
A voice sounded faintly behind Helen.<\/p>\n
Ava.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat letter?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel straightened.<\/p>\n
Helen had apparently been at home with her.<\/p>\n
Ava came onto the call.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandma, what letter?\u201d<\/p>\n
Helen explained.<\/p>\n
Ava went silent.<\/p>\n
Then she said, \u201cI remember it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily\u2019s pulse accelerated.<\/p>\n
Daniel whispered, \u201cAva?\u201d<\/p>\n
The girl sounded frightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI took it.\u201d<\/p>\n
No one spoke.<\/p>\n
Emily sat down slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ava began crying.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it had your name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t explain why.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it might be from Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
By then Ava had spent years receiving secret correspondence.<\/p>\n
A mysterious envelope addressed to Emily could easily have looked like another piece of the hidden world Laura had taught her to search for.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you do with it?\u201d Emily asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI opened it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel whispered, \u201cAva\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily raised a hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was inside?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPapers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas there a letter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you read it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily\u2019s heart pounded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ava cried harder.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt said somebody had been watching you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked sick.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you never told her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI got scared.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is it now?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ava did not answer.<\/p>\n
Emily\u2019s voice stayed controlled.<\/p>\n
\u201cAva.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hid it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ava sniffed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Mom\u2019s old things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat old things?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe boxes in the attic.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stood immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m coming home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily grabbed her keys.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo am I.\u201d<\/p>\n
Twenty minutes later, they were climbing into the Whitmore attic.<\/p>\n
Ava followed behind them.<\/p>\n
She pointed toward three storage boxes Daniel had not opened in years.<\/p>\n
Laura\u2019s name was written on the side.<\/p>\n
Ava knelt.<\/p>\n
She removed old clothes, framed photographs, and a jewelry case.<\/p>\n
At the bottom lay a large envelope.<\/p>\n
Emily recognized her own name.<\/p>\n
She opened it.<\/p>\n
Inside was a letter from Marissa.<\/p>\n
The first sentence read:<\/p>\n
Emily, you do not know me well, but I owe you the truth because I helped create a situation that should never have touched your life.<\/p>\n
Emily kept reading.<\/p>\n
Marissa admitted giving Laura information.<\/p>\n
Admitted connecting Laura with Owen.<\/p>\n
Admitted staying silent too long.<\/p>\n
Then came the warning.<\/p>\n
Owen continued collecting information after Laura told him to stop.<\/p>\n
Marissa believed he intended to sell parts of the file.<\/p>\n
She had created Northstar to prove it.<\/p>\n
The final paragraph made Emily stop.<\/p>\n
Daniel saw her face.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily handed him the page.<\/p>\n
Marissa had written:<\/p>\n
I believe Owen has approached someone inside your family. I do not know who. Please do not assume every piece of information he received came from surveillance.<\/p>\n
Daniel read the sentence twice.<\/p>\n
Ava stared.<\/p>\n
Emily looked around the attic.<\/p>\n
Someone inside the family.<\/p>\n
Not Laura.<\/p>\n
Not necessarily Ava.<\/p>\n
Someone who had been close enough to know details Owen could not have learned from public records.<\/p>\n
And Marissa had suspected it more than a year before her death.<\/p>\n
Daniel wanted to call Detective Ramos immediately. Emily stopped him long enough to save the corporate record. \u201cNow call.\u201d He did. Ramos listened. He did not sound surprised. That unsettled … <\/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-27318","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\/27318","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=27318"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27318\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27364,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27318\/revisions\/27364"}],"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=27318"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27318"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27318"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}