For several seconds after Officer Morales finished speaking, nobody in Walter Fleming\u2019s office said anything.<\/p>\n
The forged paternity report seemed to settle over the room more heavily than the eighteen-million-dollar trust, Gabriel\u2019s assault, or Connor\u2019s disappearance.<\/p>\n
Walter stared at the desk.<\/p>\n
Kenneth recovered first.<\/p>\n
\u201cOfficer, when was the report created?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re still determining that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPrinted or electronic?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPrinted copy recovered from a locked drawer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAny indication who prepared it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas Connor\u2019s name on it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the tested father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Noah?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the child.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMelinda?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cListed as mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth paced toward the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes the document contain specimen dates?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat dates?\u201d<\/p>\n
Morales hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t give you the entire evidentiary record.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen tell me whether the alleged collection happened before or after Noah\u2019s birth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHospital collection?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPrivate laboratory?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe report claims home collection followed by laboratory verification.\u201d<\/p>\n
That immediately bothered me.<\/p>\n
\u201cVerified how?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at the report.\u201d<\/p>\n
Morales went quiet.<\/p>\n
Paper rustled on his end.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat exactly am I looking for?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChain-of-custody language.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt says identity was verified through government identification provided at collection.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen it contradicts itself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth stopped pacing.<\/p>\n
Morales asked, \u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA home collection can be legitimate for informational testing, but if this document claims formal identity verification and legal chain of custody, there should be a documented collector or supervised collection process.\u201d<\/p>\n
More paper moved.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a collector name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t disclose it yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs there a certification number?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Then Morales said, \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVerify it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth looked at me.<\/p>\n
I shrugged.<\/p>\n
It was the kind of inconsistency a physician learned to notice automatically. Medical paperwork was repetitive because traceability mattered.<\/p>\n
Morales thanked me and ended the call after repeating that I should not return home.<\/p>\n
Walter remained motionless.<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou believed this report existed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConnor told you it proved Noah was his.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he show you anything?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA photograph.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf the report?\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShortly after Noah was born.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo the forged document may be a year old.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth returned to the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Connor send the photograph electronically?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you still have it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter reached for his phone.<\/p>\n
Lydia interrupted.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore you produce anything, we need to discuss privilege and scope.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter gave her a tired look.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy son may have fabricated a DNA report to secure eighteen million dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen scope can wait five minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
She clearly disagreed but stopped arguing.<\/p>\n
Walter searched old messages.<\/p>\n
His thumb moved slowly.<\/p>\n
Then stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere.\u201d<\/p>\n
He handed the phone to Kenneth.<\/p>\n
I watched Kenneth enlarge the image.<\/p>\n
\u201cSame laboratory?\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cLooks like it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth photographed the screen with his own phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cSend the original to Lydia. She can preserve it properly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter did.<\/p>\n
I moved closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cMay I see?\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth showed me.<\/p>\n
The photograph captured only the upper half of the document.<\/p>\n
Connor Fleming.<\/p>\n
Noah Travis-Fleming.<\/p>\n
Probability of Paternity: 99.99%.<\/p>\n
The percentage sat prominently beneath a laboratory logo.<\/p>\n
I studied the page.<\/p>\n
Something bothered me.<\/p>\n
Not the percentage.<\/p>\n
Not the logo.<\/p>\n
The formatting.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d Kenneth asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I enlarged the photograph.<\/p>\n
Walter watched.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou see something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
The report listed Noah\u2019s date of birth.<\/p>\n
March 2.<\/p>\n
Below it was a sample collection date.<\/p>\n
March 16.<\/p>\n
Two weeks after birth.<\/p>\n
I stared at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat seems early,\u201d Kenneth said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n
I enlarged the address beneath the laboratory name.<\/p>\n
Indianapolis collection site.<\/p>\n
The street address looked familiar.<\/p>\n
\u201cGive me a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n
I searched the address on my phone.<\/p>\n
The result appeared.<\/p>\n
The building had once housed a diagnostic collection center.<\/p>\n
Once.<\/p>\n
I opened archived business information.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis location closed three years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth leaned closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe report is dated last year.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter\u2019s expression hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Connor used an old address.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhoever made this did.\u201d<\/p>\n
That distinction mattered.<\/p>\n
Kenneth immediately sent the information to Morales.<\/p>\n
Walter rose from his chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to find Connor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Kenneth said.<\/p>\n
Walter looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cExcuse me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice need to find Connor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is my son.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd currently a person police want to question regarding an assault, a fraudulent document and possibly witness intimidation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think I don\u2019t understand that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think being his father makes you particularly bad at understanding it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter\u2019s face went rigid.<\/p>\n
Lydia stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth did not move.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve spent a year cleaning up the legal consequences of Connor\u2019s dishonesty. I\u2019m not interested in watching another Fleming solve this privately.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter looked toward me.<\/p>\n
Perhaps he expected support.<\/p>\n
He found none.<\/p>\n
\u201cKenneth is right.\u201d<\/p>\n
His disappointment surprised me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think I would help him escape?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you\u2019ve helped him avoid consequences before.\u201d<\/p>\n
That landed.<\/p>\n
Walter turned away.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cI have.\u201d<\/p>\n
The admission removed the fight from the room.<\/p>\n
My phone vibrated.<\/p>\n
Melinda.<\/p>\n
I showed Kenneth.<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
I answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you safe?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStill with the person from last night?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice found Gabriel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice shook.<\/p>\n
\u201cKirsten, Connor called me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone in the office went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFive minutes ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom his phone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBlocked number.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wants Noah.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he threaten you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat exactly did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said this had gone far enough and I needed to bring Noah to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wouldn\u2019t tell me until I agreed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe sounded strange.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCalm.\u201d<\/p>\n
I understood why that frightened her.<\/p>\n
Connor\u2019s shouting had always been easier to manage than his calm.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he mention Gabriel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Gabriel was lying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything about what happened to him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said Gabriel staged everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth wrote it down.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Connor mention Raymond Vale?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis father?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMe?\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat you started this because you couldn\u2019t stand seeing him happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost smiled.<\/p>\n
Even now, Connor needed me to remain the center of his explanation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said you poisoned me against him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. There was something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked whether I had talked to Walter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter leaned toward the phone.<\/p>\n
I raised a hand to stop him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he believe you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he ask next?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether Walter had mentioned the trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth and I exchanged a look.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo he knows the trust is part of this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Melinda began crying quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cKirsten, I didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout the money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you believe me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer surprised her into silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause if you had known, you would have understood why Connor was so desperate to control paternity.\u201d<\/p>\n
She inhaled sharply.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought he wanted Noah because he loved him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe may.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room became uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
Walter looked down.<\/p>\n
I continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople can love someone and still behave terribly when fear and money are involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat am I supposed to do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFollow your lawyer\u2019s advice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hired one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wants an independent DNA test.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was inevitable.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you feel about that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m terrified.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her answer came immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Gabriel is Noah\u2019s father.\u201d<\/p>\n
No one spoke.<\/p>\n
Then she whispered, \u201cAnd I\u2019m terrified Connor isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
The distinction mattered.<\/p>\n
One fear concerned biology.<\/p>\n
The other concerned the collapse of the life she had built.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever the result is, Noah will still be Noah.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRemember that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter turned toward the window.<\/p>\n
Melinda said, \u201cThere\u2019s something I need to tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe old pregnancy.\u201d<\/p>\n
My attention sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI lied to Gabriel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn what way?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt didn\u2019t end naturally.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
Walter turned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI terminated it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice cracked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Connor know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he pressure you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer sounded genuine.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why hide it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Gabriel wanted children someday. I knew if I told him the truth, I\u2019d have to explain Connor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you weren\u2019t ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Connor go with you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
Connor\u2019s involvement explained the timeline.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened afterward?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe became obsessed with whether the baby had been his.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that led to the fertility specialist.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he tell you the result?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNever?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said the doctor told him everything was basically fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another lie.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you became pregnant with Noah, did you tell Connor about Gabriel immediately?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter Connor proposed.\u201d<\/p>\n
That surprised me.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe proposed before Noah was born?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPrivately.\u201d<\/p>\n
I had not known.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you tell him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout three months into the pregnancy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe disappeared for two days.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe came back with a DNA testing brochure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter gripped the edge of his desk.<\/p>\n
I leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of brochure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you ever complete a test?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went completely still.<\/p>\n
\u201cNever?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Connor told Walter there was one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he ever collect Noah\u2019s saliva?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot with me present.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid anyone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse accelerated.<\/p>\n
Then the fake report was not merely altered.<\/p>\n
The entire test had been invented.<\/p>\n
Melinda began breathing quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cKirsten?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there was never a test\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t jump ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut he told everyone\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
A knock sounded on Walter\u2019s office door.<\/p>\n
His assistant entered.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Fleming, there are detectives here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cSend them in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Officer Morales entered with another detective.<\/p>\n
His eyes moved from Walter to Kenneth and finally to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe verified the collector certification.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe number belongs to a real technician.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid that person collect Noah\u2019s sample?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Morales placed a photograph on the desk.<\/p>\n
The technician\u2019s name had been typed beneath the signature line.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone stole his credentials?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth pointed at the signature.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you identify who created the document?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found metadata on an electronic version.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cElectronic version?\u201d<\/p>\n
Morales nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cA copy was recovered from Connor\u2019s computer.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat metadata?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe document originated from another machine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re tracing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you have something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Morales looked toward Walter.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe user account that created the original file was labeled RVale.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter sat down.<\/p>\n
Raymond Vale.<\/p>\n
Melinda was still on speaker.<\/p>\n
She heard the name.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh God.\u201d<\/p>\n
Morales continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course there was.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe document was created eleven months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter Noah\u2019s birth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Connor received it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWithin minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter looked sick.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Vale fabricated the report for Connor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is one possibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat's another?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Vale created it independently and Connor later used it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did not believe that.<\/p>\n
Neither did Kenneth.<\/p>\n
Morales turned toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cDr. Sinclair, you should know we\u2019ve also identified the location in the photograph sent to you yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe picture of Melinda?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA parking lot near a motel off Interstate 65.\u201d<\/p>\n
Melinda made a startled sound.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe person helping me took me there before we moved somewhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Morales\u2019s expression sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is helping you?\u201d<\/p>\n
She went silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cMs. Travis, we need the name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI promised I wouldn\u2019t say.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis person may be connected to whoever photographed you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she hates Connor.\u201d<\/p>\n
She.<\/p>\n
I looked at Walter.<\/p>\n
He frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Melinda exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cConnor\u2019s mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter went completely motionless.<\/p>\n
I had not seen Evelyn Fleming in nearly two years.<\/p>\n
She and Walter had divorced when Connor was twenty-three and rarely appeared in the same room afterward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does Evelyn know?\u201d Walter asked.<\/p>\n
Melinda heard him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does Evelyn know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Melinda said. \u201cShe said she's been waiting years for Connor to make one mistake she could prove.\u201d<\/p>\n
A cold feeling moved through me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat mistake?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Melinda hesitated.<\/p>\n
Then answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth looked at Walter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat money?\u201d<\/p>\n
Melinda continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot the money sent to Gabriel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walter\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe money Connor took from Kirsten.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
Melinda whispered, \u201cEvelyn says she knows where he hid the rest of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
For several seconds after Officer Morales finished speaking, nobody in Walter Fleming\u2019s office said anything. The forged paternity report seemed to settle over the room more heavily than the eighteen-million-dollar … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30493","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\/30493","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=30493"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30493\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30592,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30493\/revisions\/30592"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}