Richard lowered himself onto the concrete curb beside the abandoned service station.<\/p>\n
Only then did I see how badly he was hurt.<\/p>\n
Blood had soaked through his shirt near his upper arm. Melissa had wrapped a strip of fabric around it, but the makeshift bandage was already darkening.<\/p>\n
Liam moved instinctively toward his grandfather.<\/p>\n
Richard noticed and shook his head. \u201cIt went through.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were shot?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou say that like you missed the event.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was occupied.\u201d<\/p>\n
David crouched beside him. \u201cLet me see.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard laughed softly. \u201cConcern looks unnatural on you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTake the shirt off.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m seventy-one, David. Buy me dinner first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even Liam looked startled by that.<\/p>\n
David did not smile.<\/p>\n
He cut the sleeve open with a pocketknife and examined the wound.<\/p>\n
\u201cMelissa\u2019s right. Through-and-through.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI usually am,\u201d Melissa said.<\/p>\n
Richard looked at her. \u201cNo one likes confidence in an accomplice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not your accomplice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were once.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBriefly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLong enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped between them.<\/p>\n
\u201cHale.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said he helped my mother take Mitchell Coastal for himself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was his intention.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
David stopped working on the bandage.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSix months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you kept that to yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI keep most things from you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat strategy has gone extremely well.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Neither man seemed inclined to listen, so I raised my voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough.\u201d<\/p>\n
That worked.<\/p>\n
I looked at Richard.<\/p>\n
\u201cStart with Hale.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard leaned back against the wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cMartin became involved when Carol and I needed someone who understood corporate transfers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwenty-three years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou trusted him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI trusted his ambition.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds different.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid my mother trust him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe helped her create structures that kept assets beyond my immediate reach.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile representing you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWasn\u2019t that a conflict?\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard smiled faintly.<\/p>\n
\u201cMartin has always considered ethics an obstacle other people encounter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy help both sides?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he realized the fight itself could make him wealthy.\u201d<\/p>\n
David tied off the new bandage.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Hale want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMitchell Coastal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe company?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cControl.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard looked toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause control of the parent company meant leverage over every legitimate business beneath it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd every illegitimate one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was his plan?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo let Carol take the voting shares from me, then eventually acquire them from her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot initially.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did she find out?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYears later.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn.\u201d<\/p>\n
That name again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Evelyn discover?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHale had drafted a second set of documents.\u201d<\/p>\n
Melissa stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat documents?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAn assignment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA company Hale controlled.\u201d<\/p>\n
David swore.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat company?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMariner Fiduciary Services.\u201d<\/p>\n
Melissa\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that name.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Melissa answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cA trust-administration company.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOwned by Hale?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHidden behind two partnerships, apparently.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarol thought the Bennett trust protected the shares. Hale designed a mechanism allowing control to shift if certain conditions were met.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat conditions?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy death was one.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the others?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCarol\u2019s death.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo why didn\u2019t control shift?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the third condition never occurred.\u201d<\/p>\n
I already knew the answer would involve me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe beneficiary\u2019s consent.\u201d<\/p>\n
My throat tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy signature.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
David stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why Hale wants Sarah alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd cooperative,\u201d Richard said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens if I sign?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHale\u2019s company becomes managing trustee.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMeaning?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou keep the beneficial interest.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd he controls the trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo technically I own it while he decides what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEssentially.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds like something lawyers invented to make theft polite.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard almost smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarol said something similar.\u201d<\/p>\n
I ignored that.<\/p>\n
\u201cCould Hale force me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLegally? No.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd illegally?\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard looked toward the dark road.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have already established his flexibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liam crouched beside us.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy take Aunt Chloe?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo create pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut why her?\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Martin knows me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t explain why he thinks you care enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard\u2019s expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knows exactly how much I care.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer was simple.<\/p>\n
No performance.<\/p>\n
For once, I believed him immediately.<\/p>\n
David stood and walked several steps away.<\/p>\n
Richard watched him.<\/p>\n
Something old passed between them.<\/p>\n
I wondered whether David had spent his entire childhood learning that his father\u2019s affection could be both genuine and dangerous.<\/p>\n
I looked at Richard.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is Hale taking her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA property near Cape Fear.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat property?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAn old marine warehouse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOwned by whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOriginally Mitchell Coastal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCurrently?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHale.\u201d<\/p>\n
Melissa frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would he use somewhere traceable to himself?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt isn\u2019t directly traceable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I gave it to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
David turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwenty-six years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLegal work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou paid a lawyer with a warehouse?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI paid Martin in many ways.\u201d<\/p>\n
David shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course you did.\u201d<\/p>\n
I took out my phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe call the police.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was not a request.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLocal police cannot be trusted with this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have said that repeatedly without giving me a name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I don\u2019t have one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we call federal authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n
David looked toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know someone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know everyone until they disappoint you.\u201d<\/p>\n
David ignored him.<\/p>\n
\u201cA federal investigator in Raleigh.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cName?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAgent Daniel Ruiz.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you trust him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs much as I trust anyone in law enforcement right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not reassuring.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn\u2019t know enough to be compromised.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes he know about the ledger?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout Richard?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard looked annoyed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough.\u201d<\/p>\n
I held out my hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cCall him.\u201d<\/p>\n
David hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow.\u201d<\/p>\n
He dialed.<\/p>\n
The call went to voicemail.<\/p>\n
David left a brief message asking Ruiz to contact him urgently from a secure number.<\/p>\n
Then he looked at Richard.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t wait.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Richard said. \u201cWe don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Melissa folded her arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou two are planning to go to the warehouse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d David said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is idiotic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard nodded. \u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou agree?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t say we shouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Melissa.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat alternative?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe verify Chloe is there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
David shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cHale would have destroyed it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Melissa took out her laptop.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have a computer in your car?\u201d Liam asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had one in Evelyn\u2019s borrowed car.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou stole Evelyn\u2019s car?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBorrowed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes she know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe will.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat seems to be a pattern.\u201d<\/p>\n
Melissa opened the laptop on the hood.<\/p>\n
\u201cChloe used an account connected to Blue Heron.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Richard said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf she logged into it from her phone, I may still have device information.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI administered some of the accounts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou still have access?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Liam.<\/p>\n
He gave me a tired expression.<\/p>\n
There was that word again.<\/p>\n
Melissa typed for several minutes.<\/p>\n
Then stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cInteresting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChloe\u2019s account logged in twenty minutes ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
David moved closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom where?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot enough precision.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCity?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNear Wilmington.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCould be the warehouse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCould be.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
Melissa stared at the screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe opened a document.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat document?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA Blue Heron asset schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe they forced her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat assets?\u201d<\/p>\n
Melissa opened the access log.<\/p>\n
Then her face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe edited it.\u201d<\/p>\n
David leaned closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she change?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne property description.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Melissa turned the laptop.<\/p>\n
A line of text appeared beside a parcel number.<\/p>\n
BLUE HERON \u2014 EAST DOCK \u2014 STORAGE B.<\/p>\n
Richard stood despite his wound.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the warehouse.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liam looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAunt Chloe left that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knew someone would check.\u201d<\/p>\n
Melissa nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cSmart.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard\u2019s expression shifted.<\/p>\n
Pride.<\/p>\n
Fear.<\/p>\n
Both.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan we see whether she\u2019s still logged in?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Session ended eleven minutes ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we know where she was.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas,\u201d Melissa emphasized.<\/p>\n
David looked at Richard.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow far?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThirty-five minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe go.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped in front of him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do not storm a warehouse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one said storm.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re holding a gun.\u201d<\/p>\n
David looked down at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cFair.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard said, \u201cThere\u2019s an office building across from the east dock.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSecond floor has a view of the warehouse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOwned by you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy Hale?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen who?\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course it does.\u201d<\/p>\n
We drove in two vehicles.<\/p>\n
Melissa took Richard because his wound needed monitoring.<\/p>\n
David drove Liam and me.<\/p>\n
For most of the trip, no one spoke.<\/p>\n
Finally Liam said from the back, \u201cDad.\u201d<\/p>\n
David glanced in the mirror.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know Grandma put the shares in Mom\u2019s trust?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWould you tell us if you did?\u201d<\/p>\n
David\u2019s hands tightened around the steering wheel.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a fair question.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t rhetorical.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know Hale wanted the company?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew he wanted leverage. Not control.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Grandma trust you?\u201d<\/p>\n
David looked at the road.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you deserve it?\u201d<\/p>\n
A long pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liam leaned back.<\/p>\n
That answer seemed to satisfy him more than a defense would have.<\/p>\n
I watched David.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you take the ledger from the chest?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI learned Richard had located the storage facility.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOwen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIndirectly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had his phone monitored.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were spying on the man spying on our son.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes anyone in this family communicate normally?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liam said, \u201cAt least he knows.\u201d<\/p>\n
We reached the waterfront industrial district shortly after two in the morning.<\/p>\n
Cranes rose against the dark sky.<\/p>\n
The air smelled of salt, fuel, and mud.<\/p>\n
Richard directed us toward a narrow office building several hundred yards from the warehouse.<\/p>\n
The door opened with an old key he carried.<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou still have a key to property supposedly controlled by my trust?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCarol never changed this lock.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would she give you a key?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
Upstairs, dusty windows overlooked the east dock.<\/p>\n
One warehouse had lights burning inside.<\/p>\n
Two vehicles sat outside.<\/p>\n
A white van.<\/p>\n
A black sedan.<\/p>\n
Melissa used binoculars from an emergency kit in her car.<\/p>\n
\u201cMovement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d David asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne man near the loading bay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOwen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone else?\u201d<\/p>\n
She shifted position.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother near the office entrance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard whispered, \u201cHale uses private security.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cArmed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUsually.\u201d<\/p>\n
My phone vibrated.<\/p>\n
A message from an unknown number.<\/p>\n
COME TO THE EAST DOOR ALONE.<\/p>\n
Below it:<\/p>\n
TEN MINUTES.<\/p>\n
Liam saw it.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
David read over my shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not going.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard looked at the warehouse.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knows we\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another message arrived.<\/p>\n
SARAH ONLY.<\/p>\n
Then a photograph.<\/p>\n
Chloe.<\/p>\n
She was standing now.<\/p>\n
Still alive.<\/p>\n
Beside her was a clock.<\/p>\n
2:17.<\/p>\n
Proof of time.<\/p>\n
I zoomed in.<\/p>\n
Her face was bruised, but her eyes were clear.<\/p>\n
Then I noticed her right hand.<\/p>\n
Two fingers extended against her thigh.<\/p>\n
Then three.<\/p>\n
Then one.<\/p>\n
Two-three-one.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is she doing?\u201d Liam asked.<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
It meant something.<\/p>\n
\u201cRoom number?\u201d David suggested.<\/p>\n
\u201cCode?\u201d Melissa said.<\/p>\n
Richard leaned closer.<\/p>\n
Then his face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCarol taught that to the children.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA number substitution.\u201d<\/p>\n
David frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo-three-one means?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cB-C-A.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat means nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
David stared at Chloe\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Read positions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExplain.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSecond letter. Third letter. First letter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe visible words.\u201d<\/p>\n
We looked at the photograph.<\/p>\n
Behind Chloe hung a safety sign.<\/p>\n
AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.<\/p>\n
Second letter of AUTHORIZED: U.<\/p>\n
Third of PERSONNEL: R.<\/p>\n
First of ONLY: O.<\/p>\n
URO.<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
Liam said, \u201cMaybe from the clock numbers?\u201d<\/p>\n
Then I saw something else.<\/p>\n
Chloe was pointing slightly downward.<\/p>\n
At a label on the crate beside her.<\/p>\n
BAY C1.<\/p>\n
Two.<\/p>\n
Three.<\/p>\n
One.<\/p>\n
C.<\/p>\n
One.<\/p>\n
\u201cC1,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Richard\u2019s eyes widened.<\/p>\n
\u201cStorage Bay C1.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is there?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked toward the warehouse.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn old drainage access.\u201d<\/p>\n
David turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cStill usable?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was twenty years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere does it lead?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnder the east dock.\u201d<\/p>\n
Melissa lowered the binoculars.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen Chloe isn\u2019t telling us where she is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s telling us how to get to her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard lowered himself onto the concrete curb beside the abandoned service station. Only then did I see how badly he was hurt. Blood had soaked through his shirt near his … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28144,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28157","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\/28157","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=28157"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28157\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28203,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28157\/revisions\/28203"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}