The address led Daniel to an abandoned distribution warehouse near the river.<\/p>\n
Marcus Reed arrived first in an unmarked security vehicle. Richard followed less than two minutes later with two corporate investigators and an off-duty police detective he trusted personally.<\/p>\n
Daniel parked behind them.<\/p>\n
Richard walked directly to his door.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou stay outside.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel got out.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis could be a kidnapping scene.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen call the police.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI already did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean you walk inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel showed him the photograph.<\/p>\n
Richard\u2019s expression tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did you get this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSame number.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus Reed studied the image.<\/p>\n
\u201cCould be staged.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt probably is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked toward the warehouse.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Gregory is either inside or somebody wants us to believe he is.\u201d<\/p>\n
A police cruiser turned onto the access road.<\/p>\n
Then another.<\/p>\n
Daniel waited until officers entered and cleared the first section of the building.<\/p>\n
Seven minutes later, an officer returned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s someone inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
They found Gregory in a windowless office behind the main loading floor.<\/p>\n
He was exactly where the photograph had shown him.<\/p>\n
Metal chair.<\/p>\n
Hands secured with plastic ties.<\/p>\n
Newspaper across his lap.<\/p>\n
A strip of tape covered his mouth.<\/p>\n
He was conscious.<\/p>\n
And terrified.<\/p>\n
When the tape came off, Gregory\u2019s first word was Daniel\u2019s name.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stood several feet away.<\/p>\n
Police photographed the room before cutting Gregory free.<\/p>\n
A medic checked his wrists.<\/p>\n
Gregory kept staring at Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t be here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s anger returned instantly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s interesting advice from a man who disappeared with company records.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m beginning to understand quite a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cGregory, who brought you here?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory looked toward the police.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want an attorney.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds familiar.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory\u2019s eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVanessa said the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fear moved across Gregory\u2019s face.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is she?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSuspended and under investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen it\u2019s already too late.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
He refused to answer.<\/p>\n
Daniel stepped nearer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree years ago, Anna discovered Meridian.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory opened his eyes.<\/p>\n
For the first time, the older man looked genuinely shocked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho told you that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory stared.<\/p>\n
Daniel took Anna\u2019s letter from his coat but did not hand it over.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe left this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have the letter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother kept it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDestroy it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The response came so quickly that everyone in the room fell silent.<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s voice cooled.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause whoever knows it exists will come for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory looked toward the police again.<\/p>\n
Daniel understood the calculation.<\/p>\n
He crouched slightly so they were at eye level.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone broke into Claire\u2019s apartment last night.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid they find the drive?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel did not react outwardly.<\/p>\n
Inside, everything sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know about the flash drive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory realized what he had revealed.<\/p>\n
Richard stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s on it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory looked trapped.<\/p>\n
Daniel did not let him recover.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it Meridian?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat exactly?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory stared at the concrete floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cRecords.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose records?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s pulse quickened.<\/p>\n
\u201cStart talking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory slowly shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t get to choose the room anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think I\u2019m afraid of prison?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m afraid of the people who made prison look safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel studied him.<\/p>\n
For three years he had thought of Gregory as a second father.<\/p>\n
Since morning, he had thought of him as a thief and perhaps something worse.<\/p>\n
Now Gregory looked like neither.<\/p>\n
He looked like prey.<\/p>\n
The medic asked whether Gregory knew how long he had been held.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince about three.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis morning?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory nodded.<\/p>\n
Daniel frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou left headquarters at two nineteen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI got a message.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it was Eleanor.\u201d<\/p>\n
The name hung in the air.<\/p>\n
Richard spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo retrieve Meridian files from the archive and meet her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAn underground garage near the old convention center.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel crossed his arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd instead you ended up here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory gave a bitter laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never reached the meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA vehicle blocked the exit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many people?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know. Two, maybe three.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou saw them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMasks.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVoices?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDistorted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProfessional?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory looked at Marcus Reed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cSecurity background?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCould be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s patience snapped.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough guessing. Why did Anna believe you were involved in Meridian?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I was.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard stiffened.<\/p>\n
Daniel said nothing.<\/p>\n
Gregory continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cBellmont expanded too quickly after your father died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father died after expansion had already slowed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what you were told.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
Gregory rubbed the red marks around his wrists.<\/p>\n
\u201cEdward had leveraged more than anyone realized. Hotels. Restaurants. Development sites. There were obligations hidden across partnerships.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHidden from whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause your father intended to clean them up before transferring full control.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s voice became flat.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe died before he could.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Meridian?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas supposed to solve the debt.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory looked toward Richard.<\/p>\n
\u201cPrivate financing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cOff-book?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPartially.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first, no. Eventually, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho created it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas brought us the structure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy uncle.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMarcus Whitmore was involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe built the accounting mechanisms.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Eleanor?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory went quiet.<\/p>\n
Daniel repeated the name.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was Eleanor\u2019s role?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory looked at him with something approaching pity.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe brought the money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe capital that kept Bellmont alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom where?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe never knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard spoke sharply.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou accepted millions in financing without knowing the beneficial owner?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think we were proud of it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you committed crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The admission silenced the room.<\/p>\n
Gregory leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas said the lender required anonymity. Eleanor guaranteed it. Marcus structured payments through vendor networks so the debt wouldn\u2019t trigger covenants.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI ran operations and made sure enough revenue flowed through selected properties.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBellmont House.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel thought of Vanessa ranking customers by expected spending.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why Vanessa was obsessed with revenue.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory looked surprised.<\/p>\n
\u201cVanessa?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said executive pressure forced her to improve numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never told her to discriminate against guests.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou hired her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou dismissed complaints.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory looked ashamed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Eleanor wanted Bellmont House\u2019s numbers protected.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you buried complaints.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou let employees get punished.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou let customers be humiliated.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory\u2019s eyes dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel wanted to hit him.<\/p>\n
Instead he asked the question that mattered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to Anna?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory\u2019s face closed.<\/p>\n
Daniel took one step closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory did.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you sabotage her car?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know her brakes were failing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot until afterward.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Thomas?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Eleanor?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory looked away.<\/p>\n
That was enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think she did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Eleanor knew everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard moved closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvidence?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnna began tracing Meridian beyond Bellmont.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo the lender.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she find?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know the full answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou expect me to believe that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI stopped asking questions years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel held up Anna\u2019s letter.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wrote that you thought Meridian was about control.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wrote that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was before I understood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnderstood what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory\u2019s eyes moved toward the detectives.<\/p>\n
\u201cMeridian wasn\u2019t a loan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA purchase.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel felt cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf Bellmont?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe contracts were designed so that if certain conditions occurred\u2014loan defaults, executive changes, ownership incapacity\u2014the lender could convert debt into controlling interests.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cOwnership incapacity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory did not answer.<\/p>\n
Daniel understood.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy withdrawal after Anna died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did that trigger?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGovernance provisions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard swore under his breath.<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s voice remained quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Anna dies. I step away. Bellmont becomes vulnerable to takeover.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory looked miserable.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what Anna believed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel felt the room tilt.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe confronted me five days before the crash.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Meridian had been designed around you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAround me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour ownership. Your habits. Your family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel went still.<\/p>\n
Gregory continued reluctantly.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said somebody had studied what would happen if you became unable\u2014or unwilling\u2014to manage the company.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd losing Anna would accomplish that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked away.<\/p>\n
The thought was too clean.<\/p>\n
Too monstrous.<\/p>\n
Too plausible.<\/p>\n
Richard asked the next question.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Eleanor brought the financing, who did she represent?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory stared at the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel showed him the photograph sent by the anonymous source.<\/p>\n
The handwritten instruction was visible.<\/p>\n
ASK HIM WHO ELEANOR VOSS REALLY WORKS FOR.<\/p>\n
Gregory read it.<\/p>\n
Then closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s voice hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe worked for a private investment group.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cName.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never saw a legal entity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cName.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe called them Hartwell.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard immediately typed into his phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cHartwell what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing. Just Hartwell.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did they want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cControl of hospitality assets.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why hide?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Bellmont wasn\u2019t their only target.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho else?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cFamily companies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cBusinesses where ownership depended heavily on one person. A founder. A child. A widow. Someone whose absence could destabilize everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s stomach turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey engineered instability.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just described it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know what the contracts did. I don\u2019t know what Hartwell did outside the contracts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard looked up from his phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m finding several Hartwell entities but nothing connecting them directly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Anna tried.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s phone vibrated.<\/p>\n
Unknown number.<\/p>\n
He opened the message.<\/p>\n
A single sentence appeared.<\/p>\n
Gregory is lying about the crash.<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at him.<\/p>\n
Gregory noticed the change.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel showed him the message.<\/p>\n
Gregory\u2019s face drained of color.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not true.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich part?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t sabotage her car.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t what the message says.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory stood too quickly.<\/p>\n
A detective told him to sit.<\/p>\n
Gregory ignored him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did not kill Anna.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what are you lying about?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory\u2019s breathing became uneven.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGregory.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried to stop it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Daniel felt something inside him go still.<\/p>\n
\u201cStop what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory looked toward the doorway as though expecting someone to appear.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnna called me the night before the crash.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told me she was going to the police.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe had enough evidence?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe thought so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told Thomas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel took one step back.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI panicked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause if Meridian became public, Bellmont would collapse. We would all face charges.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you betrayed her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened after you told Thomas?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel moved closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas said he would speak to her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat night.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s fists tightened.<\/p>\n
Gregory\u2019s voice cracked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe next morning, Anna called me again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat time?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout seven thirty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her crash had occurred at 8:12.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said somebody had been in the garage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told me the brakes felt wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room disappeared around Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew before she drove.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what did you tell her?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory\u2019s face crumpled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told her not to drive the car.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel barely managed the next words.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why did she?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou spoke to her forty minutes before she died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you call the police?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you call me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you go to her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory\u2019s voice became barely audible.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Thomas called me two minutes later.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Thomas say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me to stay out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared at the man who had attended Anna\u2019s funeral.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou obeyed him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I have regretted it every day since.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stepped away before anger overcame judgment.<\/p>\n
His phone buzzed again.<\/p>\n
Unknown number.<\/p>\n
A photograph loaded.<\/p>\n
Security camera still.<\/p>\n
Anna\u2019s car entering a parking garage the night before her death.<\/p>\n
A man stood near the driver\u2019s side.<\/p>\n
The image was grainy.<\/p>\n
But the face was visible.<\/p>\n
Thomas Mercer.<\/p>\n
Below it:<\/p>\n
Thomas touched the car.<\/p>\n
But he did not sabotage it.<\/p>\n
There was one final line.<\/p>\n
Ask Gregory who arrived after Thomas left.<\/p>\n
Daniel raised the phone.<\/p>\n
Gregory looked at the image.<\/p>\n
His face changed again.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho came after Thomas?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory backed toward the wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel, don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho came after Thomas?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory finally whispered the name.<\/p>\n
\u201cEleanor.\u201d<\/p>\n
The address led Daniel to an abandoned distribution warehouse near the river. Marcus Reed arrived first in an unmarked security vehicle. Richard followed less than two minutes later with two … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30626,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30632","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\/30632","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=30632"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30632\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30667,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30632\/revisions\/30667"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}