{"id":31503,"date":"2026-10-06T16:08:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T16:08:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=31503"},"modified":"2026-10-06T16:08:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T16:08:15","slug":"part-8-the-man-we-thought-died-with-my-mother-walked-into-the-hospital-and-asked-to-speak-with-my-father","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=31503","title":{"rendered":"PART 8 \u2013 The Man We Thought Died With My Mother Walked Into the Hospital and Asked to Speak With My Father"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We drove back to Portland separately.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica followed me.<\/p>\n<p>Maya met us outside St. Vincent.<\/p>\n<p>The three of us stood beneath the hospital entrance canopy while rain struck the pavement beyond it.<\/p>\n<p>Maya looked at Jessica for several seconds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictoria.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJessica.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhich name do you prefer?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jessica glanced at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJessica.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya nodded.<\/p>\n<p>No judgment.<\/p>\n<p>No warmth either.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel Mercer signed in yesterday at 4:08 p.m. He listed himself as a family friend.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat time did Dad go into surgery?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cApproximately 4:20.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe saw him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We took the elevator to intensive care.<\/p>\n<p>Dad was sleeping.<\/p>\n<p>A nurse confirmed that a man had briefly visited before surgery.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOlder gentleman?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSixties, maybe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he speak with Arthur?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor less than two minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWere you there?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo. Another nurse was.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you know what they discussed?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad stirred.<\/p>\n<p>His eyes opened.<\/p>\n<p>Then he saw Jessica.<\/p>\n<p>His entire body tensed.<\/p>\n<p>The monitor accelerated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGet her out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jessica backed toward the door.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not here to hurt you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOut.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya guided Jessica into the hallway.<\/p>\n<p>I stayed.<\/p>\n<p>Dad glared at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy would you bring her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I found the box.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His anger disappeared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou read Elena\u2019s letter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd the tape.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His face tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou listened with Jessica?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat wasn\u2019t yours to play.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s Victoria.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know who she is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His eyes opened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel Mercer visited you before surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad went completely still.<\/p>\n<p>That was answer enough.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know he\u2019s alive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYears.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stepped away from the bed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnother lie.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA promise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo whom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cElena.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The name hung between us.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs Mom alive?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad stared at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnswer me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStop saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know Daniel is alive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew Jessica was connected to Victor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEventually.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew she might be Elena\u2019s daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI suspected.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you said nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was trying to prove it before destroying your life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat strategy worked beautifully.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad looked older than I had ever seen him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Daniel know Jessica was Victoria?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy didn&#39;t he tell her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Victor was alive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s been dead six years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictor wasn\u2019t the only danger.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I remembered Jessica\u2019s message.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t trust anyone who says Victor acted alone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad looked toward the hallway.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaya.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s outside.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGet her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya returned without Jessica.<\/p>\n<p>Dad insisted the door be closed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is she?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWaiting room.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cArthur,\u201d Maya said, \u201cwhat aren&#39;t you telling us?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad stared at his hands.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictor had partners.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the company?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThree originally.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNames?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictor Morales. Samuel Pike. Raymond Cole.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya recognized one.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJudge Raymond Cole?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad nodded.<\/p>\n<p>I stared between them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA judge?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRetired now,\u201d Maya said.<\/p>\n<p>Dad shook his head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRetired doesn\u2019t mean harmless.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about Samuel Pike?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoctor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I remembered Elena\u2019s forced medical treatment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe doctor who evaluated Mom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlive?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPike died nine years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Cole?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I rubbed my forehead.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo Victor had a judge and doctor helping him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd others beneath them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMoney.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course.<\/p>\n<p>The least complicated motive in the entire story.<\/p>\n<p>Maya asked, \u201cWhere does Daniel fit?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe worked for Victor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jessica had described Daniel as holding evidence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAccounting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad\u2019s voice weakened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe discovered the trust fraud. He and Elena started collecting proof together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd they became involved.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad looked away.<\/p>\n<p>That must have hurt him once.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe it still did.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cElena and I had separated briefly,\u201d he said. \u201cVictor had nearly broken us. She thought staying with me put Ethan in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou weren&#39;t together when Jessica was conceived?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot until later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There was no anger in his voice.<\/p>\n<p>Only history.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cElena returned to me before Victoria was born. She wanted us to raise both children.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat stopped her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictor found out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad explained that Victor had Daniel beaten and threatened to kill me if Elena tried to keep the baby.<\/p>\n<p>Elena surrendered Victoria.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel disappeared.<\/p>\n<p>Arthur and Elena reunited.<\/p>\n<p>Then the fire happened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Daniel supposedly died,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictor wanted everyone to believe that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Daniel had evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere has he been?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMoving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor thirty years?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUntil Victor died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why not come forward?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCole.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The retired judge.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel believed Cole still had enough influence to bury the case.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya paced slowly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe twenty years ago. Not now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel didn\u2019t know who to trust.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd he trusted you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEventually.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I leaned against the wall.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy did he visit yesterday?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe had news.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat news?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout Elena.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Everything stopped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe found a photograph.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLast month.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf Mom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA woman he believes is Elena.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCalifornia.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRecent?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTaken six weeks ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My chest tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShow me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t have it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho does?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is Daniel?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad shook his head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya took out her phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have his address.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe won&#39;t be there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause he told me he was leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe believed someone followed him to the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I thought of the break-in.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe didn\u2019t see.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut he said they drove a black SUV.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I remembered something.<\/p>\n<p>Outside Maya\u2019s office, before the blinds were closed, a black SUV had been parked across the street.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe coincidence.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe not.<\/p>\n<p>I told her.<\/p>\n<p>Maya\u2019s expression changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf someone followed Daniel here, and someone followed you to my office\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey know we&#39;re together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She nodded.<\/p>\n<p>I went into the waiting room.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica was sitting alone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe&#39;re leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaya\u2019s office first.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jessica stared past me toward the elevators.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon&#39;t turn around.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Every instinct told me to do exactly that.<\/p>\n<p>I resisted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do you see?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA man.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t know his name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why does he matter?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause he worked for my father.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya emerged from Dad\u2019s room.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica whispered, \u201cKeep walking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We moved toward the opposite corridor.<\/p>\n<p>I heard elevator doors open behind us.<\/p>\n<p>Footsteps followed.<\/p>\n<p>Not running.<\/p>\n<p>That somehow made them worse.<\/p>\n<p>We turned a corner.<\/p>\n<p>Maya led us toward a staff stairwell.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan we use this?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToday we can.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She pushed through.<\/p>\n<p>We descended one floor.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica grabbed my arm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe used to come to our house when I was a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI never knew.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSecurity?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We exited onto another floor.<\/p>\n<p>Maya called hospital security.<\/p>\n<p>By the time guards reached the elevators, the man was gone.<\/p>\n<p>The security cameras captured him leaving through the east entrance.<\/p>\n<p>He entered a black SUV.<\/p>\n<p>The plate was obscured.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica watched the footage with her arms wrapped around herself.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cName?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told you, I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThink.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father called him Mr. Grey.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya and I exchanged a look.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA nickname?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We left separately again.<\/p>\n<p>This time I rode with Maya.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica followed.<\/p>\n<p>Halfway downtown, her car disappeared from my mirror.<\/p>\n<p>I called.<\/p>\n<p>No answer.<\/p>\n<p>I slowed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon&#39;t stop,\u201d Maya said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s gone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCall again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Voicemail.<\/p>\n<p>Then my phone received a photograph.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica had sent it.<\/p>\n<p>A black SUV filled her rearview mirror.<\/p>\n<p>Below it she had written:<\/p>\n<p>He followed me instead. I\u2019m taking him away from you.<\/p>\n<p>I called again.<\/p>\n<p>Nothing.<\/p>\n<p>Then another message appeared.<\/p>\n<p>Go find Daniel.<\/p>\n<p>I stared through the windshield.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s deliberately drawing him away.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya glanced at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOr making us believe she is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I hated that she was right.<\/p>\n<p>But I hated myself more for considering it.<\/p>\n<p>We continued to Daniel Mercer\u2019s address.<\/p>\n<p>Dad had been correct.<\/p>\n<p>The house was empty.<\/p>\n<p>The front door was unlocked.<\/p>\n<p>Inside, drawers had been opened and cabinets searched.<\/p>\n<p>Whoever had arrived before us had been thorough.<\/p>\n<p>Maya called the police.<\/p>\n<p>I walked through the living room.<\/p>\n<p>Photographs covered one wall.<\/p>\n<p>Landscapes.<\/p>\n<p>Buildings.<\/p>\n<p>People I didn\u2019t recognize.<\/p>\n<p>Then I saw my father.<\/p>\n<p>A photograph taken from across the street showed Dad leaving his bungalow.<\/p>\n<p>Another showed me.<\/p>\n<p>I was getting out of my car at work.<\/p>\n<p>Another showed Jessica shopping.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel had been watching all of us.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEthan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya stood beside a desk.<\/p>\n<p>She held an envelope.<\/p>\n<p>My name was written across it.<\/p>\n<p>Not Dad\u2019s handwriting.<\/p>\n<p>We opened it.<\/p>\n<p>Inside was a recent photograph.<\/p>\n<p>An older woman sat outside a small coastal caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n<p>Her hair was mostly silver.<\/p>\n<p>She wore sunglasses.<\/p>\n<p>One hand rested around a coffee cup.<\/p>\n<p>I had never seen that face at that age.<\/p>\n<p>Still, I knew her.<\/p>\n<p>The shape of her mouth.<\/p>\n<p>The curve of her cheek.<\/p>\n<p>The eyes visible faintly behind the lenses.<\/p>\n<p>My mother.<\/p>\n<p>On the back, Daniel had written a location.<\/p>\n<p>Mendocino, California.<\/p>\n<p>Six weeks earlier.<\/p>\n<p>Below it was another sentence.<\/p>\n<p>She asked about Ethan.<\/p>\n<p>I sat down.<\/p>\n<p>Maya continued searching the envelope.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A folded note.<\/p>\n<p>Only a few lines.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel wrote that Elena had stayed hidden because the evidence against Victor\u2019s network was incomplete. Someone still connected to the old conspiracy had spent decades tracking the surviving records.<\/p>\n<p>He believed the person had recently learned about Ethan.<\/p>\n<p>About Jessica.<\/p>\n<p>And about the hidden documents.<\/p>\n<p>The final sentence was underlined.<\/p>\n<p>If anything happens to me, the person you need to identify is the one Arthur still refuses to suspect.<\/p>\n<p>I read it twice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaya.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho does Dad refuse to suspect?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Before she could answer, my phone rang.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica.<\/p>\n<p>I answered immediately.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her breathing was ragged.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI lost the SUV.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know. Industrial district somewhere east of the river.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSend your location.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then she said, \u201cEthan, I remembered his name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMr. Grey?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat wasn\u2019t his real name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat was it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI heard my father use it once when they were arguing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She took a breath.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThomas Barrett.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The name meant nothing to me.<\/p>\n<p>Then something shifted in my memory.<\/p>\n<p>Linda Barrett.<\/p>\n<p>The hospital employee who had called me.<\/p>\n<p>The woman who personally handed me Dad\u2019s envelope.<\/p>\n<p>The woman who knew Dad had warned me about Jessica.<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Maya.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLinda.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLinda Barrett.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya went pale.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica heard me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho\u2019s Linda?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I remembered Linda\u2019s calm voice.<\/p>\n<p>Her silver-framed glasses.<\/p>\n<p>Her hand on my arm.<\/p>\n<p>Your father has already gone into surgery.<\/p>\n<p>She had known about the envelope.<\/p>\n<p>She had handled it.<\/p>\n<p>She knew Maya was there.<\/p>\n<p>And if Thomas Barrett was connected to Victor, Linda might not merely share his surname.<\/p>\n<p>Maya was already searching.<\/p>\n<p>Her expression changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI found Thomas Barrett.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFormer private investigator.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor Victor?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis company received payments from Morales Holdings for almost twenty years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLinda?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya searched again.<\/p>\n<p>Then she looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThomas Barrett is her husband.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room seemed to contract.<\/p>\n<p>Dad had warned me about Jessica.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel had warned that Dad was refusing to suspect someone.<\/p>\n<p>But Linda Barrett had been beside him in the hospital at the precise moment he tried to protect his secrets.<\/p>\n<p>My phone vibrated with another incoming message.<\/p>\n<p>Unknown number.<\/p>\n<p>A photograph loaded.<\/p>\n<p>Dad asleep in his hospital bed.<\/p>\n<p>Taken minutes earlier.<\/p>\n<p>Underneath it were six words.<\/p>\n<p>You should have left the envelope closed.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=31504\">Click here to continue reading: PART 9: The Photograph From My Father\u2019s Hospital Room Proved Someone Had Reached Him Before I Could Warn Anyone<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We drove back to Portland separately. Jessica followed me. Maya met us outside St. Vincent. The three of us stood beneath the hospital entrance canopy while rain struck the pavement &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31495,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31503","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\/31503","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=31503"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31503\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31538,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31503\/revisions\/31538"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/31495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}