Daniel ran before Eleanor finished saying his name.<\/p>\n
The service corridor behind the conference room narrowed into a concrete passage that sloped toward the hotel\u2019s basement. Bare bulbs hung at irregular intervals. Pipes rattled overhead. The air smelled of dust, river damp, and hot electrical insulation.<\/p>\n
\u201cSophie!\u201d<\/p>\n
No answer.<\/p>\n
He heard footsteps somewhere ahead.<\/p>\n
Not running.<\/p>\n
Moving quickly, but controlled.<\/p>\n
That made him angrier.<\/p>\n
Richard knew the building.<\/p>\n
He knew Daniel would follow.<\/p>\n
Eleanor caught up behind him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel, stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
He turned so sharply she nearly collided with him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou stay away from me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Richard is doing what I think he\u2019s doing\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou do not get to tell me what anyone is doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe may be trying to protect her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone who lies to me eventually calls it protection.\u201d<\/p>\n
He turned and kept moving.<\/p>\n
The corridor split ahead.<\/p>\n
One stairwell went down toward loading access.<\/p>\n
The other continued beneath the hotel toward the parking structure.<\/p>\n
Daniel stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich way?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor listened.<\/p>\n
\u201cParking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause if Richard wants a vehicle, that\u2019s the fastest exit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel started toward the tunnel.<\/p>\n
Eleanor followed.<\/p>\n
He looked back.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said stay away.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know the lower access points.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll figure them out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou may not have time.\u201d<\/p>\n
He wanted to refuse her help.<\/p>\n
Instead he kept moving.<\/p>\n
The tunnel lights flickered once.<\/p>\n
Then twice.<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s phone showed no signal.<\/p>\n
Ahead, something metallic slammed.<\/p>\n
He accelerated.<\/p>\n
At the next bend he found one of Sophie\u2019s shoes.<\/p>\n
Pink canvas.<\/p>\n
White rubber toe.<\/p>\n
The left one.<\/p>\n
Daniel picked it up.<\/p>\n
For several seconds he could not move.<\/p>\n
Eleanor stopped behind him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wants you to follow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice had changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wants somebody to follow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard would not leave this by accident.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at the shoe.<\/p>\n
Sophie tied her laces badly.<\/p>\n
They came loose constantly.<\/p>\n
But this shoe had been removed cleanly.<\/p>\n
The laces were still tied.<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s fear changed shape.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would he want a trail?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he thinks we\u2019re not the only ones watching.\u201d<\/p>\n
Somewhere farther down the tunnel, a door banged open.<\/p>\n
Daniel moved.<\/p>\n
The passage ended at an underground loading bay.<\/p>\n
An SUV idled near a concrete pillar.<\/p>\n
Its rear passenger door stood open.<\/p>\n
Richard was beside it.<\/p>\n
Sophie stood next to him wearing one shoe.<\/p>\n
Daniel crossed the distance at a run.<\/p>\n
\u201cSophie.\u201d<\/p>\n
She broke away from Richard immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaddy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel dropped beside her and wrapped both arms around her.<\/p>\n
She clung to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t like that tunnel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Richard said I had to be quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at him over Sophie\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n
Richard stood still.<\/p>\n
No weapon visible.<\/p>\n
No attempt to flee.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou took her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stood.<\/p>\n
Sophie remained pressed against his side.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard looked toward Eleanor.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I saw her go into that room.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor\u2019s expression hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were watching me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was watching Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI received a message ten minutes before you arrived.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s anger held.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConvenient.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt said Sophie would be taken again if you met Eleanor alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you broke into the hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI used the service access Marcus identified.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd took my daughter without telling me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I had told you, Eleanor would have known.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor laughed once.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou overestimate your secrecy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard ignored her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got Sophie out of the conference room because I saw movement in the lower corridor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never saw a face.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how did they get past you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard pointed toward a steel fire door behind him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard them on the other side.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at Sophie.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid anybody touch you besides Richard?\u201d<\/p>\n
She shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you see anyone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Richard scare you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sophie hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cA little.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard looked away.<\/p>\n
Daniel lifted the recovered shoe.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou left this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo the anonymous sender warned you too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve been getting messages?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel watched him.<\/p>\n
Richard looked genuinely surprised.<\/p>\n
That did not make him innocent.<\/p>\n
Only complicated.<\/p>\n
Daniel handed Sophie her shoe.<\/p>\n
\u201cPut it on.\u201d<\/p>\n
She sat on the edge of a concrete barrier and began working the laces.<\/p>\n
Daniel faced Richard.<\/p>\n
\u201cEleanor says you\u2019ve represented Hartwell-linked entities for seventeen years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard looked at her.<\/p>\n
Then back at Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s stomach tightened despite expecting the answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou never told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause when your father hired me, Hartwell was already embedded inside Bellmont.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEmbedded how?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDebt. vendor agreements. insurance structures. development partnerships.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you represented them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI represented companies connected to them before I knew there was a common network.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor folded her arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat distinction becomes very useful after enough time passes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard\u2019s eyes sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou recruited half of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then I left.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou never left.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n
Daniel stepped between them.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough.\u201d<\/p>\n
The single word echoed through the loading bay.<\/p>\n
He looked at Richard.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you handle Anna\u2019s accident investigation?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you suppress evidence?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Hartwell?\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard hesitated.<\/p>\n
Daniel saw it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe vehicle inspection report changed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
Richard continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe preliminary mechanical report mentioned inconsistent hydraulic pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer brakes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the final report?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRemoved that reference.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho changed it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never proved it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you ask?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe insurer. the inspection contractor. police liaison.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone blamed clerical consolidation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou accepted that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what did you do?\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard looked ashamed for the first time since Daniel had known him.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel felt something cold settle inside him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you were barely functioning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not why.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard said nothing.<\/p>\n
Daniel moved closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew that if you pushed, Meridian might surface.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou chose the company.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard met his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The honesty hurt more than an excuse would have.<\/p>\n
Sophie finished tying her shoe and stood.<\/p>\n
Daniel looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cSweetheart, go sit in the car.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at Richard.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis car?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel hesitated.<\/p>\n
Then nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoor open.\u201d<\/p>\n
She climbed into the rear seat.<\/p>\n
Daniel waited until she was inside.<\/p>\n
Then he turned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know Anna was investigating Hartwell?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot until after she died.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor interrupted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s false.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew about the outside counsel request.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew Anna asked for independent review.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou blocked it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou blocked Anna from hiring outside counsel?\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard answered quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe request would have gone through a board committee Hartwell could see.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought I was protecting her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere it is again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told her not to use company channels.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you tell her why?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you left her alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard absorbed that without argument.<\/p>\n
Eleanor looked toward the tunnel.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should move.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel snapped, \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause whoever warned Richard may still be nearby.\u201d<\/p>\n
As if answering her, a vehicle engine roared somewhere beyond the fire door.<\/p>\n
Marcus Reed\u2019s voice suddenly came through the concrete stairwell behind them.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel!\u201d<\/p>\n
He appeared with two officers.<\/p>\n
Richard exhaled.<\/p>\n
Marcus saw Sophie in the SUV.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou found her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel nodded.<\/p>\n
Marcus looked at Richard.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou took her?\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus\u2019s hand moved instinctively near his holster.<\/p>\n
Daniel raised a hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus understood.<\/p>\n
One officer checked the fire door.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s chained from the other side.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at Eleanor.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan anyone exit from there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. South ramp.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus spoke into his radio.<\/p>\n
\u201cCover south.\u201d<\/p>\n
A response crackled back.<\/p>\n
Too late.<\/p>\n
A black sedan had already left the property.<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s phone regained signal.<\/p>\n
Four missed calls.<\/p>\n
One from his mother.<\/p>\n
Two from Thomas.<\/p>\n
One from an unknown number.<\/p>\n
Then a new message arrived.<\/p>\n
You are wasting time deciding who lied least.<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
Another message.<\/p>\n
Open Anna\u2019s audio file again.<\/p>\n
At 14 minutes, 32 seconds.<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at Eleanor.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve heard the full recording?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat recording?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel ignored him.<\/p>\n
\u201cBack to headquarters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am not going there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou took Sophie. You\u2019re coming wherever I tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t enter Bellmont headquarters.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Hartwell controls more of that building than you do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s phone buzzed again.<\/p>\n
Do not take Eleanor to headquarters.<\/p>\n
This time, beneath the text, the anonymous sender attached a live photograph.<\/p>\n
Bellmont headquarters.<\/p>\n
Front entrance.<\/p>\n
Timestamped less than one minute earlier.<\/p>\n
Under it:<\/p>\n
Marcus Whitmore is inside.<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at Marcus Reed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhitmore returned?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus checked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo notification.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard pulled out his phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe shouldn\u2019t have access.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn\u2019t need access if someone let him in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked toward Sophie.<\/p>\n
He needed somewhere secure.<\/p>\n
Somewhere outside Bellmont.<\/p>\n
Somewhere Hartwell would not expect.<\/p>\n
His mind landed on one place.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first Bellmont property.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe original restaurant?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father\u2019s old office upstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been closed for renovation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at Eleanor.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
She seemed ready to argue.<\/p>\n
He held up the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want me to believe anything you say, you\u2019ll sit in a room with the people you accuse and prove it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard asked, \u201cWho exactly are we bringing?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked from him to Eleanor.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then he looked at Marcus Reed.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
He paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if police can move him safely, Gregory.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard understood.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want everyone together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s voice lowered.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to see who is afraid of whom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Forty minutes later, the old Bellmont restaurant looked nothing like the place Daniel remembered.<\/p>\n
Plastic sheets covered the dining room.<\/p>\n
Tables were stacked beneath drop cloths.<\/p>\n
The kitchen had been stripped to bare steel.<\/p>\n
Upstairs, Edward Mercer\u2019s old office remained mostly untouched because Daniel had postponed renovating it.<\/p>\n
His father\u2019s desk sat beneath the same window overlooking the street.<\/p>\n
Anna had once teased that the room smelled permanently of coffee and tax returns.<\/p>\n
Daniel set the laptop on the desk.<\/p>\n
Sophie sat in the adjoining sitting room with two uniformed officers and a tablet.<\/p>\n
She objected to being separated again.<\/p>\n
Daniel promised the door would remain open.<\/p>\n
This time he intended to keep that promise.<\/p>\n
Thomas arrived first.<\/p>\n
He entered the office and stopped when he saw Eleanor.<\/p>\n
His face turned hard.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor gave him a tired smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cStill dramatic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou brought her here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe brought Sophie somewhere first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas\u2019s expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou took Sophie?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor said nothing.<\/p>\n
Margaret arrived next.<\/p>\n
She froze at the sight of Thomas.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me you were home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEarlier.\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret stared.<\/p>\n
Daniel noticed.<\/p>\n
There were too many private histories in the room.<\/p>\n
Gregory arrived under police supervision, wrists free but accompanied by a detective.<\/p>\n
When he saw Eleanor, he physically stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel watched carefully.<\/p>\n
Gregory\u2019s fear was immediate.<\/p>\n
Real.<\/p>\n
Eleanor looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look terrible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou always did enjoy understatement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard stood near the wall.<\/p>\n
Marcus Reed stayed by the door.<\/p>\n
Daniel waited until everyone settled.<\/p>\n
Then he closed the office door but left the adjoining one to Sophie open.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one leaves until I understand what Anna knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas started to speak.<\/p>\n
Daniel raised one hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have all lied to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked around the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome by omission. Some directly. Some because you thought protecting Bellmont mattered more than telling me the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
His gaze settled on Richard.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome because you convinced yourselves silence was protection.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard did not look away.<\/p>\n
Daniel opened the audio file from Gregory\u2019s hidden drive.<\/p>\n
He dragged the progress bar forward.<\/p>\n
14:20.<\/p>\n
Static.<\/p>\n
Footsteps.<\/p>\n
Anna\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know who Hartwell answers to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Every person in the room changed.<\/p>\n
Daniel noticed.<\/p>\n
The recording continued.<\/p>\n
Eleanor\u2019s voice responded.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think you do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna said, \u201cI saw the beneficiary structure.\u201d<\/p>\n
A chair scraped.<\/p>\n
Then another voice appeared.<\/p>\n
A man.<\/p>\n
Not Thomas.<\/p>\n
Not Gregory.<\/p>\n
Not Richard.<\/p>\n
Not Marcus Whitmore.<\/p>\n
Older.<\/p>\n
Measured.<\/p>\n
Familiar enough that Daniel felt recognition without immediately finding the name.<\/p>\n
The voice said:<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were never supposed to see that page.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna answered:<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you should have hidden it better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel froze the recording.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is that?\u201d<\/p>\n
No one answered.<\/p>\n
He looked at each face.<\/p>\n
Thomas\u2019s expression had gone pale.<\/p>\n
Margaret looked confused.<\/p>\n
Gregory stared at the floor.<\/p>\n
Eleanor closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
Daniel turned on her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
She opened them.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor said nothing.<\/p>\n
Daniel restarted the audio.<\/p>\n
The man spoke again.<\/p>\n
Now Daniel heard it clearly.<\/p>\n
Edward Mercer.<\/p>\n
Dead for five years.<\/p>\n
Anna had recorded him three years ago.<\/p>\n
Two years after his funeral.<\/p>\n
Daniel stared at the laptop.<\/p>\n
His entire body went cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n
No one in the room moved.<\/p>\n
The recording continued.<\/p>\n
Anna whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told Daniel you were dying.\u201d<\/p>\n
Edward answered:<\/p>\n
\u201cI was.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThen whose funeral did we attend?\u201d<\/p>\n
The file cut to static.<\/p>\n
Daniel stared at the screen.<\/p>\n
Behind him, Sophie laughed softly at something on her tablet in the next room.<\/p>\n
The ordinary sound made the revelation worse.<\/p>\n
Daniel looked up slowly.<\/p>\n
No one wanted to meet his eyes.<\/p>\n
His voice came out barely above a whisper.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father is alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel ran before Eleanor finished saying his name. The service corridor behind the conference room narrowed into a concrete passage that sloped toward the hotel\u2019s basement. Bare bulbs hung at … <\/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-30635","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\/30635","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=30635"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30670,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30635\/revisions\/30670"}],"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=30635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}