Raymond Shaw called again forty minutes later.<\/p>\n
This time he gave conditions.<\/p>\n
No police vehicles.<\/p>\n
No Thomas.<\/p>\n
No Ethan.<\/p>\n
No recording devices he could detect.<\/p>\n
One meeting.<\/p>\n
One person.<\/p>\n
Me.<\/p>\n
Daniel rejected it before Ray finished.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ray sounded amused.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen keep guessing.\u201d<\/p>\n
I took the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Henry trusted you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew my father?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew of him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wrote you a letter.\u201d<\/p>\n
That produced silence.<\/p>\n
Peter looked sharply toward me.<\/p>\n
Daniel did too.<\/p>\n
I had revealed more than he wanted.<\/p>\n
But the silence told me the information mattered.<\/p>\n
Ray finally said, \u201cThen Peter opened the file.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe should\u2019ve burned it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause dead judges don\u2019t have to live with consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought of every choice my father had kept from me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re right about that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ray seemed surprised.<\/p>\n
I continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want me there, tell me why.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the compass belongs to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt belonged to my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSame difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
Then Ray said, \u201cHenry told me you would make that distinction.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father talked about me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYears ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said you only knew of him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI lied.\u201d<\/p>\n
At least the men in this story remained consistent.<\/p>\n
Daniel motioned for me to end the call.<\/p>\n
I ignored him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you know about Caroline?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know where she went after the river.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlive?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia made a broken sound.<\/p>\n
Ray heard it.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou still there, Liv?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was alive when I last saw her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia gripped the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwenty-one years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
The hope in her face collapsed slightly.<\/p>\n
Not current proof.<\/p>\n
Only historical.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot on the phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
I asked, \u201cWhy did you steal the compass?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Thomas would kill me to get it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he order you to take Caroline?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room froze.<\/p>\n
Olivia whispered, \u201cRay.\u201d<\/p>\n
He kept speaking.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I did not kill her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Thomas order that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Caroline had evidence linking him to the old accounts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI took her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo where?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat meeting?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want the rest, come alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel reached for the phone.<\/p>\n
I stepped away.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ray gave an address.<\/p>\n
An abandoned roadside diner outside the city.<\/p>\n
Sunset.<\/p>\n
Then he said, \u201cIf I see Reeves, police, Ethan, Thomas, or anybody else I recognize, I leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou expect me to trust you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
That word again.<\/p>\n
Nobody expected trust anymore.<\/p>\n
Only calculation.<\/p>\n
Ray continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cBring nothing except the clothes you\u2019re wearing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the compass?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll bring it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you\u2019re the only one it\u2019s useful to now.\u201d<\/p>\n
The line went dead.<\/p>\n
Daniel stared at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are not going alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I\u2019m going.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is exactly how people disappear.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we plan it properly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe explicitly said no police.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe also spent twenty years running from my father\u2019s letter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t make him safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t say safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mara closed her laptop.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has a point.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re helping?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m saying Ray chose Claire because killing Claire would destroy his only leverage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnless Thomas is paying him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen he could have given Thomas the compass already.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel paced.<\/p>\n
Olivia said quietly, \u201cRay is afraid of my father.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough to protect Claire?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen that doesn\u2019t help.\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret sat at the far end of the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think she should go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone looked at her.<\/p>\n
She met my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot because Ray is trustworthy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Ethan will find him if you don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
That silenced us.<\/p>\n
Margaret continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy son has spent his whole life believing information belongs to whoever reaches it first.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked tired.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Ray truly knows what happened to Caroline, Ethan will try to get there.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought of his refusal to tell us his location.<\/p>\n
His continuing contact with Ray.<\/p>\n
His obsession with the ledger.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe may already know the diner.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel nodded reluctantly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s likely.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we go before him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel corrected me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe secure the area before you arrive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRay said no police.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said none he can detect.\u201d<\/p>\n
The plan formed reluctantly.<\/p>\n
Plainclothes officers would establish distant observation points.<\/p>\n
No marked vehicles.<\/p>\n
No one would approach unless I gave a prearranged signal or Ray attempted to move me.<\/p>\n
I would carry no visible recording device.<\/p>\n
Ortiz proposed a transmitter disguised inside the clasp of my bra.<\/p>\n
Daniel objected to Ray\u2019s condition.<\/p>\n
Ortiz ignored him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour safety is not negotiable.\u201d<\/p>\n
I agreed.<\/p>\n
The law could sort out admissibility later.<\/p>\n
Staying alive came first.<\/p>\n
Before leaving, I needed one thing.<\/p>\n
I called Ethan.<\/p>\n
He answered on the first ring.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re meeting Ray.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not a question.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe contacted me too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat you\u2019re his preferred audience.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he give you the diner?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cStay away.\u201d<\/p>\n
He laughed softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think you can order me around now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at my bruised wrist.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I can make consequences clearer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat consequence?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you show up, I tell police everything you admitted on the phone before you have time to build another explanation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were going to do that anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen that threat doesn\u2019t work.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was right.<\/p>\n
I changed tactics.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you come, Ray leaves.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe may.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Caroline disappears again.\u201d<\/p>\n
That mattered.<\/p>\n
Ethan breathed out.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to know what happened to her too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I spent twenty-one years wondering whether my father lied to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sounded true.<\/p>\n
It did not make him innocent.<\/p>\n
\u201cStay away.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll try.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s what you get.\u201d<\/p>\n
The line went dead.<\/p>\n
Daniel had heard.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019ll come.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret whispered, \u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia looked toward the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father might too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes Thomas know the diner?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo idea.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you contact him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s in custody.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel nodded.<\/p>\n
At least one variable contained.<\/p>\n
The drive to the diner took forty-five minutes.<\/p>\n
Ortiz rode with me until the final staging point.<\/p>\n
Then I transferred to my own small car, one the police arranged through an impound pool to avoid using anything Ray might recognize.<\/p>\n
The sun had dropped low.<\/p>\n
Long shadows stretched across fields.<\/p>\n
The diner sat beside an old state road that had been bypassed years earlier.<\/p>\n
Half the windows were boarded.<\/p>\n
The sign had lost three letters.<\/p>\n
No other cars were visible.<\/p>\n
I parked.<\/p>\n
My hands were cold.<\/p>\n
Ortiz\u2019s voice came softly through the hidden transmitter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe see you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did not answer.<\/p>\n
That was the arrangement.<\/p>\n
If I touched my left earring twice, officers moved.<\/p>\n
If I scratched my right wrist, they waited but prepared.<\/p>\n
If I removed the earring, immediate intervention.<\/p>\n
I stepped out.<\/p>\n
The air smelled of dry grass and fuel.<\/p>\n
The diner door stood open.<\/p>\n
Inside, Ray Shaw sat at a booth.<\/p>\n
The compass rested on the table.<\/p>\n
I recognized it immediately.<\/p>\n
My mother had carried it on hiking trips before illness made long walks impossible.<\/p>\n
Seeing it in his possession made me angrier than I expected.<\/p>\n
Ray was in his late sixties.<\/p>\n
Heavy shoulders.<\/p>\n
Close-cropped gray hair.<\/p>\n
The kind of face that had been broken and healed more than once.<\/p>\n
He gestured toward the opposite seat.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look like Henry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone keeps saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019d hate it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat.<\/p>\n
\u201cGive me the compass.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLater.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He smiled faintly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat part you got from him too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is Caroline?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ray looked through the dusty window.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know Thomas wanted her dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe sent me to bring her to an old quarry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo witnesses.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas she hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot when I picked her up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she go willingly?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told her Olivia was in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought of nineteen-year-old Olivia.<\/p>\n
Caroline would have followed.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe got in your car.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened at the quarry?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas was there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone else?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ray hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard.\u201d<\/p>\n
I had not expected that.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard Blackwood?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas had called him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone started arguing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout Caroline?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout the ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
\u201cCaroline told Richard she had copies.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wouldn\u2019t say.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Thomas do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPulled a gun.\u201d<\/p>\n
My hand tightened beneath the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he shoot her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho did he shoot?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ray looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard talked him down.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost laughed at the absurdity.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard saved Caroline?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat night.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why did she disappear?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Richard offered her a choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat choice?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLeave. Never contact the company again. He\u2019d give her money, new documents, somewhere to start over.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia\u2019s entire life had been shaped by a disappearance that might have begun as forced exile.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Caroline agree?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo go to police.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat stopped her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard told her Thomas would implicate Evelyn.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat had Evelyn done?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ray\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the part nobody likes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat part?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first property scheme wasn\u2019t Richard\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered Margaret and Mara reaching that possibility at the studio.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn created it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Thomas?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ray looked at the compass.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Henry Caldwell.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore he was a judge.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ray shrugged.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou asked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father was a prosecutor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore that he was a lawyer.\u201d<\/p>\n
I knew that.<\/p>\n
A young attorney at a small real-estate practice.<\/p>\n
But I had never connected him to the Vales.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHelped structure the first trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
My chest tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ray nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to Caroline, he didn\u2019t know it was fraud at first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to Caroline?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe kept letters.\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn her cache.\u201d<\/p>\n
The compass.<\/p>\n
The Vale property.<\/p>\n
Everything converged.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Richard know about Dad?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did my father keep the ledger?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause guilt makes loyal custodians.\u201d<\/p>\n
The cruelty of the sentence landed hard.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t pretend you knew him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew men like him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou did not know him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ray studied me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe not.\u201d<\/p>\n
I forced myself back to Caroline.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened after the quarry?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard convinced Thomas to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI drove Caroline away.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBus station.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer car was found there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Richard moved it later.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ethan had lied.<\/p>\n
Or been lied to.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Caroline board a bus?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did you take her?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ray stared at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo Henry.\u201d<\/p>\n
My skin went cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father had Caroline?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor one night.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe trusted him more than Richard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen where did she go?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ray looked toward the window again.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wanted protection.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFederal?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was scared Olivia would be punished for helping Ethan find her.\u201d<\/p>\n
The tragedy twisted tighter.<\/p>\n
Caroline had disappeared partly to protect the sister who had accidentally betrayed her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did she go, Ray?\u201d<\/p>\n
He finally answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cCanada.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia\u2019s voice was not in the room, but I could imagine her hearing this later.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnder another name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she live?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ray nodded.<\/p>\n
My pulse hammered.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said you knew where she was.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew where Henry sent her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was twenty-one years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you lied.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anger rose.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is she now?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ray reached into his jacket.<\/p>\n
My fingers moved toward my earring.<\/p>\n
He froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cEasy.\u201d<\/p>\n
He produced an envelope.<\/p>\n
Set it on the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy last contact with Caroline was six months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s alive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was six months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
My eyes burned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOpen it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I reached toward the envelope.<\/p>\n
Then headlights swept across the diner windows.<\/p>\n
Ray\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
He looked toward the road.<\/p>\n
A black sedan stopped outside.<\/p>\n
Not police.<\/p>\n
Not Thomas.<\/p>\n
Ethan stepped out.<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
Ray stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou brought him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I touched my right wrist.<\/p>\n
Prepare.<\/p>\n
Do not move yet.<\/p>\n
Ethan entered the diner.<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
Then Ray.<\/p>\n
Then the compass.<\/p>\n
\u201cGive it to Claire.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ray laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re still giving orders.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m telling you the only way this ends without you becoming Thomas\u2019s scapegoat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ray\u2019s hand drifted toward his jacket.<\/p>\n
Ethan stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not armed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone says that before they surprise you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cEthan, leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re destroying the meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
He pointed toward my shirt.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe police transmitter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz\u2019s voice in my ear went silent.<\/p>\n
Ethan almost smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know the model.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ray\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou wired her?\u201d<\/p>\n
I moved toward my earring.<\/p>\n
Ray pulled a gun.<\/p>\n
Ethan lunged.<\/p>\n
And everything happened at once.<\/p>\n
Raymond Shaw called again forty minutes later. This time he gave conditions. No police vehicles. No Thomas. No Ethan. No recording devices he could detect. One meeting. One person. Me. … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28237,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28252","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\/28252","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=28252"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28252\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28298,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28252\/revisions\/28298"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}