Laura Bennett had worked for David for almost six years.<\/p>\n
She left Mercer Development eighteen months before he asked me for a divorce.<\/p>\n
At least, that was what I had been told.<\/p>\n
Her departure had been sudden.<\/p>\n
One week she was coordinating David\u2019s travel, answering late-night calls and appearing at company dinners in tailored black dresses.<\/p>\n
The next week her name vanished from his office.<\/p>\n
When I asked what happened, David said she had taken another position.<\/p>\n
I remembered the conversation because he had been irritated that I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe left, Claire. People change jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did she go?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou worked with her for six years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you don\u2019t know where she went?\u201d<\/p>\n
He had laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou really think something happened between us, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n
I had denied it then.<\/p>\n
Not because I believed him.<\/p>\n
Because I disliked what suspicion turned me into.<\/p>\n
Now Laura\u2019s signature sat beneath the words Authorized Representative, Red Mesa Holdings.<\/p>\n
Daniel searched everything publicly available.<\/p>\n
Laura\u2019s home address had changed twice since leaving Mercer. Her professional profile disappeared around the same time. She held no visible position at another company.<\/p>\n
Financially, she seemed to vanish.<\/p>\n
Except for Red Mesa.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn\u2019t have millions to buy this land,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Daniel nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot according to anything I can find.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen she was a nominee.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica stood near the whiteboard.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor David?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOr for someone else,\u201d Daniel said.<\/p>\n
I looked at the map of northern Arizona.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat makes you hesitate?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the structure is unnecessarily risky if David simply wanted to own land secretly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe used money tied to Mercer Development. He created a trail.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe he thought nobody would follow it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel enlarged the transfer chronology.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the funds don\u2019t go directly from Mercer to Red Mesa. They pass through an investment entity first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the next problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
The intermediary was called Cedar Bridge Capital.<\/p>\n
Unlike Red Mesa, it had dozens of transactions.<\/p>\n
Its manager was an attorney in Scottsdale.<\/p>\n
Daniel recognized the firm.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey set up special-purpose entities.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClients. Investors. Partnerships.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica crossed her arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan we identify Cedar Bridge\u2019s investors?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot publicly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we subpoena.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat may take time.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Laura\u2019s signature again.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan we contact her?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica considered it.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot casually.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause we don\u2019t know her role.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe might tell us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe might warn David.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe might already be working with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
I hated waiting.<\/p>\n
For three years I had been told not to ask questions.<\/p>\n
Now that I was finally asking the right ones, every answer created another locked door.<\/p>\n
Daniel closed the deed file.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s focus on what we can prove.\u201d<\/p>\n
We built the timeline around Laura.<\/p>\n
She left Mercer Development four weeks before Red Mesa acquired the Arizona land.<\/p>\n
Three weeks before she left, David increased the insurance policy on my life.<\/p>\n
Two weeks later, Mercer\u2019s subsidiary approved the first Red Mesa-related borrowing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sequence is not comfortable,\u201d Jessica said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I replied.<\/p>\n
Daniel searched Mercer board records among the produced files.<\/p>\n
The acquisition financing had not been described to the board as a land purchase.<\/p>\n
It was categorized as a strategic investment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho approved it?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid and Ethan Pike.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor this entity, apparently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was allowed?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel shrugged.<\/p>\n
\u201cDepending on the operating agreements, possibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat back.<\/p>\n
\u201cEthan knew everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMore than we do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan we talk to him?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica\u2019s answer came immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough counsel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes he have a lawyer?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter this morning, I suspect he will.\u201d<\/p>\n
My phone vibrated.<\/p>\n
Unknown number.<\/p>\n
I almost ignored it.<\/p>\n
Then a text appeared.<\/p>\n
Do not mention my name to David. I need to speak with you.<\/p>\n
Below it:<\/p>\n
Laura.<\/p>\n
My heart stumbled.<\/p>\n
I turned the phone toward Jessica.<\/p>\n
She read it, then looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat answers whether she knows we\u2019re looking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did she get Claire\u2019s number?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe worked for David six years,\u201d I said. \u201cShe probably had it long before today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica held out her hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t respond yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
The second message came before I could give her the phone.<\/p>\n
I know about the policy.<\/p>\n
Everything inside me tightened.<\/p>\n
Jessica read that one twice.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat exactly are we waiting for now?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cFive minutes while I decide how to keep you from walking into something stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not meeting her in an alley.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m replying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith me present.\u201d<\/p>\n
I typed:<\/p>\n
Where do you want to talk?<\/p>\n
Her response arrived almost immediately.<\/p>\n
Not by phone. Not at your house. Tomorrow. Public place.<\/p>\n
Jessica took over.<\/p>\n
She suggested the lobby restaurant of a large hotel downtown at ten in the morning.<\/p>\n
Laura agreed.<\/p>\n
Then sent one final message.<\/p>\n
Come without David\u2019s people.<\/p>\n
I stared at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica did not answer.<\/p>\n
Daniel said quietly, \u201cMaybe she thinks you\u2019re being watched.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost dismissed him.<\/p>\n
Then I remembered David\u2019s warning.<\/p>\n
You have no idea what you\u2019re dealing with.<\/p>\n
I looked at Jessica.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Two people are enough to look like a meeting. Three looks like an ambush.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next morning, Jessica and I arrived twenty minutes early.<\/p>\n
The hotel restaurant was busy enough to offer anonymity without intimacy. Business travelers sat over coffee. Two families clustered near the buffet. A television above the bar showed financial news with the sound muted.<\/p>\n
Laura arrived at 10:07.<\/p>\n
I recognized her immediately.<\/p>\n
She had changed.<\/p>\n
Her blond hair, once worn smooth and shoulder-length, was shorter and darker. She wore jeans, flat shoes and a gray jacket rather than the immaculate office clothes I remembered.<\/p>\n
But her walk was the same.<\/p>\n
Fast.<\/p>\n
Purposeful.<\/p>\n
She saw me and stopped.<\/p>\n
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.<\/p>\n
Then she sat.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you for coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica introduced herself.<\/p>\n
Laura nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know who you are.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid talks when he\u2019s angry.\u201d<\/p>\n
That landed unpleasantly.<\/p>\n
Jessica placed her phone face down on the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you represented by counsel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you currently employed by Mercer Development or any affiliated entity?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you own Red Mesa Holdings?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn paper.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mouth went dry.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor David?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
That surprised all three of us.<\/p>\n
Jessica leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura looked toward the restaurant entrance.<\/p>\n
Then back.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore I answer that, I need to know what David told you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy he divorced you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said we hadn\u2019t been happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura gave a bitter smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds like him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat he needed to protect you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed once.<\/p>\n
The sound came out sharper than I intended.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe company.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe tried to leave me with the company\u2019s liabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat wasn\u2019t the original plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura looked around again.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wanted you to take the house and two of the cleaner investment properties.\u201d<\/p>\n
I froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat makes no sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe thought those could be insulated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJuniper.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica\u2019s posture changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is Project Juniper?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura lowered her voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe land deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know about the land.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know Red Mesa bought it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know why.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen tell us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura wrapped both hands around the untouched coffee in front of her.<\/p>\n
\u201cArmitage didn\u2019t discover that corridor after Red Mesa bought the land.\u201d<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
She continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cArmitage helped create the corridor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough lobbying?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of relationships?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cState agencies. Utility executives. consultants. County officials.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat still doesn\u2019t explain Mercer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid learned where the preferred route was likely to go before the public knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t prove that part.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
She hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard Voss.\u201d<\/p>\n
I knew the name.<\/p>\n
Everyone in Phoenix business circles knew Richard Voss.<\/p>\n
He was an investor, political donor and longtime development financier.<\/p>\n
David admired him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told David?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot directly. Nothing was ever direct with Richard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica asked, \u201cWhat did he expect in return?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura\u2019s mouth tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cParticipation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMeaning?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid would provide a clean channel for capital. Red Mesa would acquire land. When Armitage or related buyers needed parcels, the investors would profit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Mercer Development supplied capital.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho supplied the rest?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough Cedar Bridge?\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
Daniel had been right.<\/p>\n
The structure was larger than David.<\/p>\n
I asked, \u201cWhy was Red Mesa in your name?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura looked directly at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause David couldn\u2019t be visibly connected.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was loyal.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word sounded like something she regretted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWere you sleeping with him?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica turned toward me.<\/p>\n
Laura did not flinch.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I believed her immediately.<\/p>\n
That surprised me.<\/p>\n
She continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was in love with him for a while. He knew. He liked knowing. But no, Claire. We never had an affair.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something ugly and oddly relieving loosened inside me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why disappear?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I found out the land deal wasn\u2019t what David told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat it was aggressive but legal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what did you discover?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura took a breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat the route information may have come from people who were not allowed to give it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica\u2019s voice became very quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cInside information from public officials.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBribery?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never saw money exchanged.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw consulting contracts. Retainers. Donations. Payments routed through firms that made no sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
My skin prickled.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd David?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe panicked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout two years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
The timing matched.<\/p>\n
Laura looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cA reporter started asking questions about land purchases along the proposed corridor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMason Hale.\u201d<\/p>\n
I had never heard the name.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica asked, \u201cWhat outlet?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was freelance by then.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe used to work at the Arizona Ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica wrote the name.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he publish anything?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura\u2019s eyes shifted toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s one reason I wanted to talk.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something in her face made me grip the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe contacted me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter I left Mercer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDocuments.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you give them to him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened after that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura\u2019s voice dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cDisappeared how?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe stopped answering.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople stop answering.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI went to his apartment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica interrupted.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou went there personally?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout seventeen months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you find?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing dramatic. No broken door. No blood. Nothing like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why call it disappearing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause his laptop was gone. His clothes were mostly there. His passport was there. His cat was there.\u201d<\/p>\n
That last detail chilled me more than anything else.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to the cat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI took it to his sister.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica asked, \u201cWas he reported missing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid police investigate?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey said there were signs he had left voluntarily.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you believe that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause three days before he vanished, he sent me copies of the documents he had gathered.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heartbeat quickened.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you still have them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo they include David?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word hit harder than I expected.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know the full extent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you know enough to text me about my insurance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
The thing she had come to tell me.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire, the policy wasn\u2019t purchased for estate planning.\u201d<\/p>\n
My fingers curled around the edge of the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was it for?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCollateral.\u201d<\/p>\n
I blinked.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the Juniper financing arrangements.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica\u2019s eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said the beneficiary was David.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat does not make it straightforward collateral.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I could hear my pulse.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you saying?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura leaned closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe original documents included an assignment that was never supposed to remain permanent. David told me it would be reversed when the financing stabilized.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAssigned to whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCedar Bridge.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard Voss?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEffectively.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt sick.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy death would have paid a lender connected to Richard?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPartly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPartly?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura closed her eyes briefly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe policy was larger than the obligation it secured.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the remainder?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid.\u201d<\/p>\n
For a moment, every sound in the restaurant disappeared.<\/p>\n
Jessica spoke first.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid David understand that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he arrange it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe signed the documents.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pushed back from the table.<\/p>\n
Laura reached toward me, then stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire, I am not saying David wanted you dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is an impressive sentence to have to say.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m telling you because you need the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe truth is my husband secretly increased a policy on my life while entering a questionable financing deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you helped him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy should I believe anything you say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I brought proof.\u201d<\/p>\n
She reached into her jacket.<\/p>\n
Jessica tensed.<\/p>\n
Laura removed a small flash drive.<\/p>\n
She placed it on the table between us.<\/p>\n
\u201cMason\u2019s files.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica did not touch it.<\/p>\n
\u201cCopies?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of several.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho else has them?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura looked toward the entrance again.<\/p>\n
\u201cMason did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the drive.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy give this to me now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause David filed that custody motion.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat made you suddenly grow a conscience?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes met mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt made your name appear in court records connected to Red Mesa.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo people who had stopped paying attention to you may start again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cold moved along my arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura\u2019s answer came almost as a whisper.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard Voss.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura Bennett had worked for David for almost six years. She left Mercer Development eighteen months before he asked me for a divorce. At least, that was what I had … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32346,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32352","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\/32352","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=32352"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32352\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32387,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32352\/revisions\/32387"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/32346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=32352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=32352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=32352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}