Daniel did not speak for several seconds.<\/p>\n
Michael Grant.<\/p>\n
The name sat in the room like something poisonous.<\/p>\n
Laura\u2019s husband.<\/p>\n
The man who supposedly entered her life after she had already destroyed the first one.<\/p>\n
The man she said knew about Daniel and Ava but not about Owen.<\/p>\n
Emily looked at the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re certain?\u201d<\/p>\n
Detective Ramos answered carefully. \u201cCertain enough to treat it seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did he get access?\u201d Daniel asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re still establishing that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Laura give it to him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
Emily asked, \u201cWhat exactly has he been doing through the account?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ramos paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cReplying to inquiries. Accessing archived files. Moving money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared at the wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cSelling information.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn at least some cases, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily felt cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cMine?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found messages involving you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat messages?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne from Mark.\u201d<\/p>\n
They already knew that part.<\/p>\n
Ramos continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut there are others.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom who?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is where it gets complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel gave a bitter laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ramos ignored the comment.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne message was from someone asking whether Emily Carter had filed for divorce.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily\u2019s pulse shifted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout four months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at her.<\/p>\n
Before the barbecue.<\/p>\n
Before she left.<\/p>\n
Before anyone outside her small circle knew how close she was.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho asked?\u201d Emily said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe only have an alias right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat alias?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNorthbridge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cMeaning?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another message asked whether Daniel had received any distribution from the Whitmore trust.<\/p>\n
A third asked whether Ava remained living in the family home full-time.<\/p>\n
Emily felt the threads tightening again.<\/p>\n
Different interests.<\/p>\n
Different motives.<\/p>\n
One old account allowing them all to purchase pieces of the same family.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Michael answer?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith accurate information?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMostly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow would he know what was accurate?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is the question.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the call ended, Daniel immediately called Laura.<\/p>\n
She answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel?\u201d<\/p>\n
He did not bother with a greeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes Michael know about Owen?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Emily watched his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knows Owen existed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at Emily.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not what I asked.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura inhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew more than I told you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel shut his eyes.<\/p>\n
Emily felt no surprise now.<\/p>\n
Only exhaustion.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d Daniel asked.<\/p>\n
Laura\u2019s voice shook.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we met, I had records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat records?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of Owen\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe gave them to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore he died.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would Owen give you records?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura heard her.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmily?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wanted money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cBlackmail.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura whispered, \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he threaten?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat he would tell Ava everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ava.<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
Not Daniel.<\/p>\n
Not Emily.<\/p>\n
The daughter Laura had spent years insisting she wanted to protect.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat everything?\u201d Emily asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe surveillance. The letters. The fact that I kept asking about Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you paid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou funded him after he stopped working for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura began crying softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel turned away.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t insult me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI truly don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura\u2019s voice broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver time? Maybe eighty thousand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel spun around.<\/p>\n
\u201cEighty?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily felt sick.<\/p>\n
Laura continued quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot all at once.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat makes it worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel paced.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Michael knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo years into our marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stopped.<\/p>\n
Two years ago.<\/p>\n
Around the same period Michael began accessing Owen\u2019s account.<\/p>\n
Emily asked, \u201cHow did he find out?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura went quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe found bank statements.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently none of us are good at hiding paper.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily looked at him.<\/p>\n
He stopped.<\/p>\n
Laura continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked what the payments were.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you told him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPartly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does partly mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told him Owen had information about my old life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you tell him about Emily?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout Ava?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout Daniel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s voice dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said I was being exploited.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily could imagine it.<\/p>\n
Michael discovering his wife had been paying a dead man\u2019s brother or old business network to suppress evidence of her past.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d Emily asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said he would handle it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked toward her.<\/p>\n
That phrase.<\/p>\n
Handle it.<\/p>\n
The language people used when they wanted permission to act without scrutiny.<\/p>\n
Laura continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe contacted Owen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOwen was still alive then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a few months.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel snapped, \u201cYou married him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou lived with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou let him involve himself in this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily stepped in.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Owen died, did Michael take control of the business account?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura began crying harder.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew he could access it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not the same as knowing he used it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew he checked messages.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared at the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you told us he knew nothing about the investigator.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura\u2019s silence answered.<\/p>\n
Emily closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
Another lie.<\/p>\n
Not a misunderstanding.<\/p>\n
Not a fearful omission.<\/p>\n
A direct lie.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d Emily asked.<\/p>\n
Laura whispered, \u201cBecause if Daniel knew, he would think Michael was involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily opened her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. You knew enough then.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura stopped crying.<\/p>\n
Emily continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou may not have known every transaction. You knew he had access to Owen\u2019s account. You knew he was reading messages. You knew he was trying to control the damage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura\u2019s breathing became shallow.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you decided we did not need that information.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked toward Emily.<\/p>\n
There was no triumph in her face.<\/p>\n
Only fatigue.<\/p>\n
Laura said, \u201cI thought he was protecting me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily answered quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sentence has hurt enough people already.\u201d<\/p>\n
No one spoke.<\/p>\n
Then Daniel asked, \u201cWhere is Michael?\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does he do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProperty acquisitions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n
Property.<\/p>\n
The Whitmore trust involved commercial property.<\/p>\n
Daniel asked, \u201cFor who?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGrant Urban Development.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily\u2019s pulse quickened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHas his company ever bought property from the Whitmore trust?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura went silent.<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily\u2019s voice sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat answer needs checking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel opened his laptop.<\/p>\n
He searched the property names listed in the trust documents.<\/p>\n
One parcel appeared.<\/p>\n
Sold three years ago.<\/p>\n
Buyer: Grant Urban Development Holdings.<\/p>\n
The room changed.<\/p>\n
Daniel stared at the screen.<\/p>\n
Emily whispered, \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura heard the word.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel could barely speak.<\/p>\n
\u201cMichael\u2019s company bought the property.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat property?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trust property.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura\u2019s breathing stopped.<\/p>\n
Daniel continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe sale that generated the money Mark redirected.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura whispered, \u201cThat\u2019s not possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily looked at the corporate filings.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s voice became cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Michael know I was a beneficiary?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he know Mark?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily searched further.<\/p>\n
Grant Urban Development had used an outside brokerage firm.<\/p>\n
The broker name appeared.<\/p>\n
Samuel Reed.<\/p>\n
The accountant who had access to Owen\u2019s business email.<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cSamuel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily nodded.<\/p>\n
The same man connected to Owen\u2019s books.<\/p>\n
Northstar\u2019s filings.<\/p>\n
And now the trust property sale.<\/p>\n
Daniel spoke into the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura, Michael\u2019s company bought the property through a broker connected to Owen.\u201d<\/p>\n
She went completely silent.<\/p>\n
Emily watched Daniel\u2019s anger transform into something colder.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Michael know when he married you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura whispered, \u201cI don\u2019t know anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer sounded genuine.<\/p>\n
That frightened Emily more than another lie.<\/p>\n
Daniel asked, \u201cDid he know your connection to the Whitmores before you started dating?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did you meet?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt a conference.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat conference?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReal estate redevelopment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at Emily.<\/p>\n
Laura continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cMichael was speaking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAcquiring distressed commercial parcels.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel shut his eyes.<\/p>\n
A trust holding commercial land.<\/p>\n
A developer acquiring it.<\/p>\n
A woman connected to the beneficiaries.<\/p>\n
A private investigator maintaining information on all of them.<\/p>\n
Too many overlaps.<\/p>\n
Emily forced herself back toward facts.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura, did you tell Michael your former married name when you met?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he react?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he ask about Daniel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout your old family?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n
Ramos needed all of this.<\/p>\n
Before they could call, Daniel\u2019s phone buzzed.<\/p>\n
A text from Detective Ramos.<\/p>\n
Do not contact Michael Grant. We are on our way to speak with him.<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did he know?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily looked at her own phone.<\/p>\n
The police had likely traced enough already.<\/p>\n
Another message arrived.<\/p>\n
Michael is not at work.<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s stomach dropped.<\/p>\n
Laura\u2019s voice remained on speaker.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe isn\u2019t where you think he is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura whispered, \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked toward the dark window.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is Ava?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura sounded confused.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does Ava have to do with this?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel was already calling his daughter.<\/p>\n
No answer.<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
No answer.<\/p>\n
He called Helen.<\/p>\n
She answered immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cAva\u2019s with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cKeep her there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Helen heard his tone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLock the doors.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJust do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He ended the call.<\/p>\n
Laura was crying again.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Michael dangerous?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n
Neither knew.<\/p>\n
That was the problem.<\/p>\n
Ramos called moments later.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found Michael\u2019s car.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOutside a storage facility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s skin prickled.<\/p>\n
\u201cOwen\u2019s?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ramos paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
She went silent.<\/p>\n
Daniel looked toward the phone.<\/p>\n
Laura whispered, \u201cI don\u2019t have a storage unit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ramos heard her.<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently Michael does.\u201d<\/p>\n
The unit was rented under Laura Grant\u2019s name.<\/p>\n
Opened eighteen months earlier.<\/p>\n
The month Owen died.<\/p>\n
Emily\u2019s stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s inside?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re waiting on access.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at Laura through the phone as though he could see her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did your husband inherit from Owen?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura started crying.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
For once, Emily believed her completely.<\/p>\n
Daniel did not speak for several seconds. Michael Grant. The name sat in the room like something poisonous. Laura\u2019s husband. The man who supposedly entered her life after she had … <\/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-27324","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\/27324","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=27324"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27370,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27324\/revisions\/27370"}],"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=27324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}