{"id":30521,"date":"2026-10-05T13:02:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T13:02:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=30521"},"modified":"2026-10-05T13:02:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T13:02:12","slug":"part-20-melinda-revealed-connor-had-targeted-her-before-their-affair-began-and-his-real-reason-led-back-to-my-fertility-treatment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=30521","title":{"rendered":"PART 20 \u2013 Melinda Revealed Connor Had Targeted Her Before Their Affair Began, and His Real Reason Led Back to My Fertility Treatment"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For the first time since the investigation began, I did not feel angry.<\/p>\n<p>I felt cold.<\/p>\n<p>Connor had been watching Melinda before the affair.<\/p>\n<p>Before the first pregnancy.<\/p>\n<p>Before he claimed confusion.<\/p>\n<p>Before any of the story we had reconstructed supposedly began.<\/p>\n<p>That meant something beneath everything else had started earlier.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>Melinda sniffed quietly on the phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t know exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThomas gave you dates.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat dates?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLate winter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Four years earlier.<\/p>\n<p>I calculated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cConnor\u2019s first secret fertility appointment was in spring.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore your pregnancy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore you slept together?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That mattered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy would Connor investigate you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn&#39;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Thomas?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said Raymond wouldn&#39;t tell him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen what did Thomas give you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPhotographs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Morales.<\/p>\n<p>His attention sharpened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPhotographs of what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOutside my office. My apartment. Restaurants.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlone?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMostly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMostly?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSometimes with Gabriel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So Connor knew about Gabriel before Melinda became pregnant.<\/p>\n<p>Before she confessed anything.<\/p>\n<p>Before he later pretended surprise.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow long had you been seeing Gabriel?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout six months.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Connor knew.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat else was in Thomas\u2019s report?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPhone numbers. My schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach turned.<\/p>\n<p>This had not begun as jealousy after an affair.<\/p>\n<p>It had begun as surveillance before one.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you confront Connor?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThomas told me not to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said he could learn more if Connor didn&#39;t know we had found out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone had been investigating everyone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Thomas learn?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Melinda hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSomething about you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My attention sharpened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said Connor was worried I knew too much about your fertility treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For a moment I thought I had misunderstood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy would that make him watch you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause you told me everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I remembered.<\/p>\n<p>The appointments.<\/p>\n<p>The failed cycles.<\/p>\n<p>The medications.<\/p>\n<p>My suspicions that Connor was avoiding testing.<\/p>\n<p>Melinda had been the person I confided in.<\/p>\n<p>Connor knew that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe thought I might figure out the problem was his,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>My pulse slowed in the way it always did when something terrible suddenly made sense.<\/p>\n<p>Connor\u2019s surveillance of Melinda had not begun because he desired her.<\/p>\n<p>It began because he feared her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat exactly did you know then?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat his testing was incomplete.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou told me he kept canceling appointments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told you I thought it was strange.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I remembered that conversation.<\/p>\n<p>We had been sitting in my kitchen.<\/p>\n<p>Melinda had poured wine.<\/p>\n<p>I had defended Connor.<\/p>\n<p>He&#39;s embarrassed.<\/p>\n<p>Give him time.<\/p>\n<p>She had frowned.<\/p>\n<p>Kirsten, what if he already knows something?<\/p>\n<p>I had laughed.<\/p>\n<p>I had forgotten that until now.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou questioned him,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA few weeks later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou confronted Connor about his fertility testing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat I should mind my own business.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe became nice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The phrase was chilling in its simplicity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe started calling more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Morales.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore the affair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe invited me to things. Asked about work. Asked about Gabriel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you thought?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat he was lonely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause our marriage was struggling.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was how Connor operated.<\/p>\n<p>Not always through aggression.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes through attention.<\/p>\n<p>He studied what someone needed and became it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened first?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe asked me to lunch.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRomantically?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you talk about?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said you were pulling away.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat I was too focused on work.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat fertility treatment had become an obsession.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was already building the story.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Melinda started crying again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI believed him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then another thought occurred.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy Gabriel?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Connor was watching you because of what you knew about me, why investigate Gabriel?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnless he needed to know whether you could be useful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat are you saying?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked through the conference-room window.<\/p>\n<p>The answer was ugly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cConnor knew he might not be able to father a child.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Morales turned toward me.<\/p>\n<p>I continued slowly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe knew Walter cared about descendants.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kenneth\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd he knew Melinda had a boyfriend.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA fertile alternative.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Melinda made a choking sound.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not saying he planned Noah.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKirsten\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m saying he may have recognized that your life offered him something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA child.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She began crying harder.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s monstrous.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If true.<\/p>\n<p>But we still needed evidence.<\/p>\n<p>I turned toward Morales.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes Raymond Vale have records from the earliest surveillance?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe haven&#39;t finished inventory.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFind the first invoice Connor paid him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Morales nodded.<\/p>\n<p>Kenneth said, \u201cAnd the first stated objective.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Exactly.<\/p>\n<p>If Connor had hired Vale before the affair, the reason might be documented.<\/p>\n<p>Three hours later, we had an answer.<\/p>\n<p>Not from Connor.<\/p>\n<p>From Raymond.<\/p>\n<p>He finally agreed to speak without immunity after prosecutors made clear that cooperation would affect charging decisions but guarantee nothing.<\/p>\n<p>We watched through a video connection from Kenneth\u2019s office.<\/p>\n<p>Raymond Vale looked terrible.<\/p>\n<p>Bruising marked one side of his face.<\/p>\n<p>He seemed offended by his own vulnerability.<\/p>\n<p>Morales sat across from him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen did Connor Fleming first hire you regarding Melinda Travis?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Raymond thought.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFour years ago. February.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPurpose?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo assess whether she was trustworthy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor whom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cConnor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause she was close to Kirsten.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My pulse changed.<\/p>\n<p>Morales asked, \u201cThat was all?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Raymond smiled faintly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe wanted to know who Melinda was sleeping with.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Raymond looked toward the camera.<\/p>\n<p>He knew I was watching.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Connor had already received his preliminary fertility results.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n<p>February.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier than we thought.<\/p>\n<p>Before the later specialist report.<\/p>\n<p>Before the documented diagnosis.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cConnor already knew?\u201d Morales asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe knew enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat his numbers were terrible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he mention inheritance?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFirst meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kenneth leaned forward.<\/p>\n<p>The plan had begun much earlier.<\/p>\n<p>Morales asked, \u201cWhy investigate Melinda\u2019s romantic life?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Raymond shrugged.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cConnor said if his marriage failed, he needed options.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOptions for what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room went silent.<\/p>\n<p>Melinda\u2019s theory became more plausible with every word.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he intend to pursue Melinda romantically?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe didn&#39;t say.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Raymond smiled without warmth.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said she trusted him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I felt sick.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat she wanted children.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Melinda\u2019s voice had gone completely silent on our conference call.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Gabriel?\u201d Morales asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was useful information.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Melinda became pregnant, Connor wanted to know what complications existed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This was not an affair spiraling into lies.<\/p>\n<p>At least not entirely.<\/p>\n<p>Connor had entered the relationship already treating people as variables.<\/p>\n<p>Morales asked, \u201cDid Connor ever say he planned to claim another man\u2019s child?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Raymond frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That mattered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat if the doctor was wrong and he could father a child, he needed a woman who wanted one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo perhaps he believed Melinda could give him a biological child.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen Gabriel was a risk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The distinction softened one possibility without making the behavior decent.<\/p>\n<p>Connor may not have planned to steal another man\u2019s child.<\/p>\n<p>But he had identified Melinda as a potential route to the family status he feared losing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about Kirsten?\u201d Morales asked.<\/p>\n<p>Raymond looked toward the camera again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cConnor didn&#39;t plan to divorce her at first.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My chest tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why Melinda?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInsurance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One word.<\/p>\n<p>That was worse than romance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he mean?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Kirsten learned about the diagnosis and left, he wanted another path.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kenneth muttered something under his breath.<\/p>\n<p>Morales asked, \u201cDid Connor love his wife?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Raymond laughed quietly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople like Connor confuse needing someone with loving them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I disliked Raymond.<\/p>\n<p>I also suspected he was right.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he ever ask you to harm anyone during that period?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cManipulate Melinda?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot directly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you help him get close to her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo Connor did that himself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Morales changed direction.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTell us about Thomas.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Raymond\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy son has nothing to do with this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have footage of him following Connor before the shooting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Raymond went still.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat shooting?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Morales explained.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time, Raymond looked genuinely frightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThomas didn&#39;t shoot Connor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause he wouldn&#39;t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat isn&#39;t evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs Thomas working for Red Marsh?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRebecca and Claire Fleming?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you recruit him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you know where he is?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen did you last speak?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat everything had gone too far.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMeaning?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said Rebecca wanted to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Morales leaned forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStop what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe operation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat operation?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Raymond looked at the camera.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBreaking Walter Fleming\u2019s control.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Walter was watching from his own attorney\u2019s office.<\/p>\n<p>I wondered how that felt.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat was Thomas supposed to do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCollect proof. Track money. Document Connor\u2019s fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cViolence?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnonymous threats?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen who escalated?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Raymond stared at the table.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think Thomas did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Morales\u2019s expression sharpened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe became obsessed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith Connor?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Claire left him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor Connor?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Raymond rubbed his forehead.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause of Connor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The old photographs.<\/p>\n<p>The drug use.<\/p>\n<p>Treatment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThomas blamed Connor for losing Claire.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Red Marsh later put him back near her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat seems reckless.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told Rebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe ignored you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Thomas want?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Raymond looked exhausted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe wanted Connor destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFinancially?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt first.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd later?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Raymond stared toward the camera.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Morales asked, \u201cDid Thomas assault Gabriel?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think so.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo make it look like Connor had escalated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Thomas send Kirsten the threatening message?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPhotograph Melinda?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStage your kidnapping?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Raymond\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe forced me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Everyone in our room went still.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe had a gun.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo make Connor look guilty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Connor participate voluntarily?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt first he thought it was theater.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat matches Connor\u2019s story.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened later?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThomas told me the final step was Connor leaving the country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you offered the charter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy cooperate?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Thomas said if I didn\u2019t, he would expose everything I\u2019d done.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Morales stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou had already committed enough crimes to be blackmailed by your own son.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Raymond gave a tired smile.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is Thomas now?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho does?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Raymond hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>Then said, \u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The video interview ended soon after.<\/p>\n<p>My phone rang immediately.<\/p>\n<p>Walter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His voice sounded urgent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClaire left.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwenty minutes ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith Rebecca?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNobody knows.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Morales.<\/p>\n<p>He was already making calls.<\/p>\n<p>Then my phone chimed.<\/p>\n<p>A message from Claire.<\/p>\n<p>I had never given her my number.<\/p>\n<p>There was no text.<\/p>\n<p>Only a photograph.<\/p>\n<p>Noah sat strapped into his car seat.<\/p>\n<p>Melinda was beside him.<\/p>\n<p>Her eyes were wide with terror.<\/p>\n<p>The next image showed Claire behind the wheel.<\/p>\n<p>Then the message arrived.<\/p>\n<p>Tell Connor to come alone.<\/p>\n<p>My blood went cold.<\/p>\n<p>A final line appeared.<\/p>\n<p>He wanted a family so badly.<\/p>\n<p>Now he can choose what it costs.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=30523\">Click here to continue reading: PART 21: Claire Took Melinda and Noah to Force Connor Into the Open, but Her Message Concealed Who Was Actually Controlling the Abduction<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For the first time since the investigation began, I did not feel angry. I felt cold. Connor had been watching Melinda before the affair. Before the first pregnancy. Before he &hellip; <\/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-30521","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\/30521","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=30521"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30521\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30610,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30521\/revisions\/30610"}],"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=30521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}