{"id":30644,"date":"2026-10-05T15:22:01","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T15:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=30644"},"modified":"2026-10-05T15:22:01","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T15:22:01","slug":"part-18-the-identity-of-claires-daughters-father-exposed-a-family-relationship-that-gave-someone-outside-bellmont-access-to-every-mercer-secret","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=30644","title":{"rendered":"PART 18 \u2013 The Identity of Claire\u2019s Daughter\u2019s Father Exposed a Family Relationship That Gave Someone Outside Bellmont Access to Every Mercer Secret"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Thomas sat down without being asked.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel remained standing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSay it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas rubbed both hands over his face.<\/p>\n<p>Margaret looked as if she wanted to disappear.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel repeated himself.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSay it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas finally looked up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEmma was my daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room went silent.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClaire and you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYears ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore Claire joined Bellmont security.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel tried to place the timeline.<\/p>\n<p>Claire was Anna\u2019s older sister.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas was Daniel\u2019s uncle, twenty years Claire\u2019s senior.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou had an affair with my wife\u2019s sister.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas flinched.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt wasn\u2019t\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel raised a hand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo not improve the vocabulary.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas stopped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Anna know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Dad?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Margaret nodded.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel laughed once.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExcellent. Another family secret everyone protected from me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was Claire\u2019s decision.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo hide Emma\u2019s father?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I was married.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou had a wife.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt the time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Emma?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI supported her privately.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPrivately meaning secretly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked toward Margaret.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy does Renner care who Emma\u2019s father was?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She shook her head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas did.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel saw it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas stood slowly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEmma\u2019s treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe had a rare immune disorder.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel remembered hospital stays.<\/p>\n<p>Claire disappearing for weeks.<\/p>\n<p>Anna traveling to help her sister.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does that have to do with Renner?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas looked toward the window.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHartwell paid for some of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel felt cold.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI asked Eleanor for help.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Eleanor was not there to answer.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe experimental treatment wasn\u2019t covered.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo you used Hartwell money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI used a medical foundation they controlled.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel understood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey had leverage over you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Claire know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEventually.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Anna?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s anger sharpened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Emma died anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow old?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel remembered Anna returning from the funeral.<\/p>\n<p>She had sat in the kitchen without speaking for nearly an hour.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel had assumed grief explained everything.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe it had.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe fear had been there too.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRenner said the contact used Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard spoke.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCould refer to Claire.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOr Emma.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked at Thomas.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOr somebody using the Carter family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus Reed had been quiet.<\/p>\n<p>Now he asked, \u201cWho administered Emma\u2019s treatment?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA clinic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cName?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSt. Alban Research Center.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus took out his phone and typed.<\/p>\n<p>Signal was weak but enough.<\/p>\n<p>His expression changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe center closed two years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel waited.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOwnership?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus looked up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHartwell-linked foundation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas swore.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel felt another thread tightening.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho was Emma\u2019s doctor?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDr. Julian Cross.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus searched.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo current medical license.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another search.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRevoked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClinical trial irregularities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard stepped closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus read.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnapproved protocols. falsified consent records. financial conflicts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is Cross?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo public address.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas whispered, \u201cHe disappeared after Emma died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou investigated?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClaire did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did she find?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat Cross had been paid through a private consulting firm.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel already knew.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNorthbridge?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas shook his head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnother one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCarter Strategic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared.<\/p>\n<p>The surname again.<\/p>\n<p>Richard frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho owned it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas answered reluctantly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel felt the room tilt.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClaire paid Emma\u2019s doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn paper.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStop saying on paper like paper doesn\u2019t put people in prison.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe did not control the company.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho did?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI never found out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked at Marcus Reed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSearch it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus did.<\/p>\n<p>The corporate history was deliberately thin.<\/p>\n<p>Carter Strategic had been formed twelve years earlier.<\/p>\n<p>Registered agent: a law firm.<\/p>\n<p>Beneficial ownership sealed.<\/p>\n<p>Payments connected to Hartwell entities.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel asked, \u201cWho created it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard had gone still.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel noticed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy firm.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore I worked directly for Bellmont.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor whom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe client instruction came through Eleanor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel almost laughed.<\/p>\n<p>Every path returned to the same small circle.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Eleanor know Claire was the nominal owner?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Claire?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEventually.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked at Thomas.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo Hartwell funded Emma\u2019s treatment through a company named after Claire, then used that company to pay the doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nobody answered.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s mind returned to Renner.<\/p>\n<p>Ask Anna\u2019s sister who Emma\u2019s father was.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas being Emma\u2019s father meant Emma was a Mercer descendant.<\/p>\n<p>A Mercer child.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel felt something cold.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas Emma included in the family ownership trusts?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas looked up sharply.<\/p>\n<p>Margaret whispered, \u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He understood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas she?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour father created a confidential trust for her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFive percent contingent interest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard inhaled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat matters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMeridian conversion formulas were based partly on Mercer-family beneficial ownership.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo Emma affected control.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas looked horrified.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard continued carefully.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf she held contingent Mercer interests, her existence changed succession calculations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s thoughts accelerated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd her death?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCould redistribute those interests.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo whom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas\u2019s face collapsed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou inherited her interest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot directly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA trust I controlled.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>Emma died.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas\u2019s position strengthened.<\/p>\n<p>Anna discovered Hartwell.<\/p>\n<p>Then Anna died.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel felt sick.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Hartwell engineer Emma\u2019s treatment?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas shouted, \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The force startled everyone.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel did not move.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas\u2019s eyes filled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI loved her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t say you hurt her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou thought it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m thinking everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas turned away.<\/p>\n<p>Margaret began crying quietly.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked at Richard.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFind Emma\u2019s medical files.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThose may be sealed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnseal them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll try.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo better.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus Reed\u2019s phone rang.<\/p>\n<p>He answered.<\/p>\n<p>Listened.<\/p>\n<p>His expression changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPolice found Claire.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stepped toward him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbandoned service station fifteen miles from here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSophie?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe never had Sophie.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe note was true. Claire moved Sophie to another secured officer before leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Relief passed through him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClaire?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCondition?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInjured.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGunshot.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel went still.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan she talk?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re transporting her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHospital?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus nodded.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel was already moving.<\/p>\n<p>The drive took thirty-four minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Claire was in surgery when they arrived.<\/p>\n<p>A detective met Daniel outside the emergency department.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe was shot once in the shoulder.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho did it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe says Paul Renner.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRenner shot her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s what she said before sedation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is he?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy were they together?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel paced.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid she have anything?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPhone. flash drive. recorder.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked at Richard.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGet copies legally.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard nodded.<\/p>\n<p>The detective continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was something else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe kept repeating a name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s pulse quickened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhose?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEmma.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel waited.<\/p>\n<p>The detective added:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe said, \u2018Emma was the first one.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nobody spoke.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked at Thomas.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas shook his head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hours passed.<\/p>\n<p>Claire survived surgery.<\/p>\n<p>Police allowed Daniel into recovery after she woke.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas remained outside.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel sat beside her bed.<\/p>\n<p>Claire looked impossibly pale.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou look terrible,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel almost laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo do you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He leaned closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRenner?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her expression changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe found me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe wanted the flash drive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he get it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy shoot you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe thought I was working for them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire swallowed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHartwell.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel shook his head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRenner told me he was hired by someone using Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire closed her eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She opened them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJulian Cross.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEmma\u2019s doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy would he use your name?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Carter Strategic was mine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn paper.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire gave a weak smile.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ve heard that phrase a lot today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToo much.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She shifted painfully.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCross used my company to communicate with Renner.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho controlled Cross?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought Eleanor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThought?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnna found something else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel waited.<\/p>\n<p>Claire\u2019s eyes filled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEmma wasn\u2019t only a patient.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat was she?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA test.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExplain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHartwell wanted to understand how family instability affected control structures.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel felt cold.<\/p>\n<p>Claire continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey tracked illness, inheritance, executive behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUsing a sick child?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know whether they caused her illness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid they alter her treatment?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire started crying.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think they delayed the treatment that could have helped.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked away.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas had been right outside.<\/p>\n<p>He had to hear this eventually.<\/p>\n<p>But not yet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Emma\u2019s decline changed Thomas.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey were studying him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd ownership.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEmma was the first one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe first Mercer family member they used as a variable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel felt nauseated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Anna?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe second.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room went silent.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s voice became very quiet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey didn\u2019t necessarily want Anna dead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey wanted to see what happened to me if she was threatened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRenner was told to frighten her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHer death was unintended.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy Renner.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel caught the distinction.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCross wanted escalation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause he wasn\u2019t studying Bellmont for Hartwell anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen for whom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire reached toward the bedside drawer.<\/p>\n<p>Her hand trembled.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel helped.<\/p>\n<p>Inside was a photograph police had apparently returned with her personal effects.<\/p>\n<p>Julian Cross.<\/p>\n<p>Paul Renner.<\/p>\n<p>A third man.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel knew him.<\/p>\n<p>Older.<\/p>\n<p>Thin.<\/p>\n<p>Standing beside Cross at a medical conference.<\/p>\n<p>Edward Mercer.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father knew Cross.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore Emma\u2019s treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYears.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel felt anger building.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Dad create the research?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Anna?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe found correspondence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSafe box nine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel remembered Anna\u2019s notebook.<\/p>\n<p>SB-9.<\/p>\n<p>The third copy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhich bank?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire whispered the name.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFirst Commonwealth. Downtown branch.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stood.<\/p>\n<p>Claire grabbed his wrist.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWait.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s something you need to understand before you open it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnna stopped investigating Hartwell at the end.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe found something worse.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire\u2019s grip tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe found evidence Hartwell had been created to fight another network.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCreated by whom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire looked toward the photograph of Edward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour father.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=30645\">Click here to continue reading: PART 19: Anna\u2019s Safe-Deposit Box Revealed Hartwell Was Never Edward\u2019s Greatest Secret and That Meridian Had Been Built for a War Inside His Own Family<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thomas sat down without being asked. Daniel remained standing. \u201cSay it.\u201d Thomas rubbed both hands over his face. Margaret looked as if she wanted to disappear. Daniel repeated himself. \u201cSay &hellip; <\/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-30644","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\/30644","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=30644"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30644\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30679,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30644\/revisions\/30679"}],"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=30644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}