Mercer assigned two officers to me before I finished objecting.<\/p>\n
One remained near Holt Ridge.<\/p>\n
The other followed when I moved.<\/p>\n
I hated it.<\/p>\n
That was not a reason to refuse.<\/p>\n
The hotel changed too.<\/p>\n
Different property.<\/p>\n
Reservation under another name.<\/p>\n
No predictable room.<\/p>\n
Megan volunteered to stay with me.<\/p>\n
I told her no.<\/p>\n
She ignored me.<\/p>\n
By six-thirty, we were sitting in a suite that smelled like new carpet while Daniel participated in meetings by video.<\/p>\n
The charter flight from Denver never left.<\/p>\n
Federal agents and local authorities reached the airport before boarding.<\/p>\n
David Ward was arrested.<\/p>\n
Richard Lawson was detained.<\/p>\n
David Merton was questioned but not immediately charged.<\/p>\n
When Mercer called with the update, Megan raised both hands in the air like we had won a football game.<\/p>\n
I felt relief.<\/p>\n
Then remembered Aaron.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is Pike?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStill unknown.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes Ward know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s requested counsel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLawson?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCounsel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMerton?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCounsel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's their right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat near the window, looking at reflections instead of the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan Richard be charged?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLikely.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConspiracy, fraud, identity theft, wire fraud exposure. State and federal issues.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWard?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSimilar.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMerton?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLess clear.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about the threat document?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWard\u2019s encrypted file helps.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot enough?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt helps.\u201d<\/p>\n
I hated how much criminal law depended on that word.<\/p>\n
Helps.<\/p>\n
At seven-fifteen, Brooke\u2019s attorney called Evelyn.<\/p>\n
Brooke wanted to amend her statement.<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
I listened by secure conference.<\/p>\n
She sounded frightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remembered the insurance.\u201d<\/p>\n
I gripped the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAaron asked me questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat questions?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether Holt Ridge had insurance on you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said lenders usually require it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat part can be true.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked who benefits if you die.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room became still.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he ask you to find out?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooke started crying.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI looked through your office.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore you moved into the new house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you find anything?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA policy summary.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you gave it to Aaron?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know why?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you ask?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said it was for valuation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you believe him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot really.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
There it was again.<\/p>\n
Not really.<\/p>\n
The phrase that seemed to sit beneath every terrible decision Brooke had made.<\/p>\n
Not really believing.<\/p>\n
Not really asking.<\/p>\n
Not really stopping.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened after that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBrooke.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, nothing that I saw.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you ever hear Ward or Richard discuss me dying?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrooke.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you hear?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAaron and Ward argued.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stonebridge had dropped Ward around then.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWard said Aaron was getting sloppy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAaron said Richard wanted guarantees.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat guarantees?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
She hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cAaron said, \u2018I don't do accidents.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Every muscle in my body tightened.<\/p>\n
Mercer, listening on another line, said, \u201cExact words?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Ward say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooke swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said, \u2018Then somebody else will.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Megan sat down hard.<\/p>\n
The room seemed smaller.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho was somebody else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas Merton there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLawson?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho else knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the call, Mercer was silent for several seconds.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat supports threat planning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you charge Aaron with planning murder?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWard?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot from one statement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you believe it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer chose his words carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe someone in that conspiracy discussed creating an event involving you.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was bureaucratic language for something ugly.<\/p>\n
I stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy wait?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf killing me helped them, why not do it months ago?\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn answered from the screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause financial coercion was safer.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs long as you might sell, settle, or become exhausted, violence would create unnecessary risk.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd when Stonebridge backed away?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe available exits narrowed.\u201d<\/p>\n
North Vale foreclosure became more important.<\/p>\n
Then Brooke defected.<\/p>\n
The documents surfaced.<\/p>\n
The plan began collapsing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich makes now worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer said, \u201cPotentially.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wonderful.<\/p>\n
At eight, Daniel called separately.<\/p>\n
He had found another Stonebridge email.<\/p>\n
Ward sent it after the company ended his consulting agreement.<\/p>\n
To Mark Ellison:<\/p>\n
You\u2019re making a mistake. Hale will not remain in control through Q1.<\/p>\n
Ellison replied:<\/p>\n
Do not contact us again.<\/p>\n
January through March.<\/p>\n
Ward had expected me out of control within months.<\/p>\n
Burnout?<\/p>\n
Forced sale?<\/p>\n
Removal?<\/p>\n
No way to know.<\/p>\n
The protection detail suddenly felt less intrusive.<\/p>\n
At eight-forty-two, my phone buzzed.<\/p>\n
Unknown encrypted message.<\/p>\n
No number.<\/p>\n
Just text.<\/p>\n
DON\u2019T TRUST WARD\u2019S FILES.<\/p>\n
I showed Megan.<\/p>\n
She called Mercer before I could.<\/p>\n
A second message arrived.<\/p>\n
RICHARD NEVER APPROVED THAT PLAN.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
WARD ADDED IT.<\/p>\n
My pulse quickened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is this?\u201d<\/p>\n
I typed before Mercer could tell me not to.<\/p>\n
The reply came immediately.<\/p>\n
AARON.<\/p>\n
Megan swore.<\/p>\n
Mercer got on the line.<\/p>\n
\u201cStop responding.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe contacted me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you trace it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe're trying.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another message.<\/p>\n
YOU WANT THE TRUTH OR NOT?<\/p>\n
Mercer told me exactly what to send.<\/p>\n
Who authorized a personal event?<\/p>\n
Aaron replied:<\/p>\n
WARD TALKED ABOUT IT. RICHARD SAID NO.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
RICHARD WANTS YOUR COMPANY BROKEN. NOT YOU DEAD.<\/p>\n
That was comforting only by comparison.<\/p>\n
Mercer had me ask:<\/p>\n
Did Ward hire anyone?<\/p>\n
Long pause.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
I DON\u2019T KNOW.<\/p>\n
Another:<\/p>\n
I QUIT AFTER CHRISTMAS.<\/p>\n
I typed:<\/p>\n
You did not quit. You disappeared.<\/p>\n
His response:<\/p>\n
SAME DIFFERENCE NOW.<\/p>\n
No.<\/p>\n
It wasn't.<\/p>\n
Mercer instructed:<\/p>\n
Where are you?<\/p>\n
Aaron replied:<\/p>\n
SAFE.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
BROOKE IS LYING ABOUT SOME THINGS.<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
What things?<\/p>\n
SHE KNEW ABOUT THE INSURANCE DOCUMENT.<\/p>\n
Brooke had admitted finding the real policy.<\/p>\n
Aaron claimed more.<\/p>\n
Mercer had me ask:<\/p>\n
What did she know?<\/p>\n
Aaron:<\/p>\n
SHE SIGNED THE FAKE BENEFICIARY FORM.<\/p>\n
My heart sank.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
SHE SAID IF SOMETHING HAPPENED TO YOU SHE WANTED HER SHARE.<\/p>\n
Megan whispered, \u201cJesus.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the screen.<\/p>\n
That didn't sound like the Brooke I had just heard crying.<\/p>\n
But I had already learned how dangerous that sentence was.<\/p>\n
I didn't know what Brooke was capable of.<\/p>\n
Not anymore.<\/p>\n
Another message:<\/p>\n
ASK HER ABOUT SEPTEMBER 14.<\/p>\n
I looked at Mercer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened September fourteenth?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe'll check.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aaron sent another.<\/p>\n
AND ASK HER WHY SHE FOLLOWED YOU TO GREENVILLE.<\/p>\n
My skin prickled.<\/p>\n
I had gone to Greenville on September fourteenth for a lender meeting.<\/p>\n
Alone.<\/p>\n
At least I thought alone.<\/p>\n
Mercer asked:<\/p>\n
Why did she follow Miranda?<\/p>\n
Aaron:<\/p>\n
WARD TOLD HER TO.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO LEARN HER ROUTE.<\/p>\n
Megan stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cRoute for what?\u201d<\/p>\n
I didn't type it.<\/p>\n
Mercer did.<\/p>\n
For what purpose?<\/p>\n
Aaron took almost a minute.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
I TOLD WARD I WOULDN\u2019T HELP.<\/p>\n
A second message.<\/p>\n
BROOKE DID.<\/p>\n
My stomach turned.<\/p>\n
Mercer called his office.<\/p>\n
September fourteenth needed immediate reconstruction.<\/p>\n
Traffic cameras.<\/p>\n
Phone locations.<\/p>\n
Company calendar.<\/p>\n
Brooke\u2019s movements.<\/p>\n
Everything.<\/p>\n
I typed one question before he stopped me.<\/p>\n
Why are you telling me this?<\/p>\n
Aaron\u2019s answer came quickly.<\/p>\n
BECAUSE THEY\u2019LL MAKE ME THE ONLY MONSTER.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
I DID ENOUGH.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
BUT NOT THAT.<\/p>\n
The messages stopped.<\/p>\n
Mercer tried to keep the channel alive.<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
No trace yet.<\/p>\n
I sat on the edge of the bed.<\/p>\n
Megan watched me carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you believe him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe he wants something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLeverage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aaron had spent years using information as currency.<\/p>\n
He was not confessing out of conscience.<\/p>\n
He was negotiating before anyone agreed to negotiate.<\/p>\n
Still, he had given us a date.<\/p>\n
September fourteenth.<\/p>\n
Specific facts could be checked.<\/p>\n
At nine-thirty, Mercer called back.<\/p>\n
Brooke\u2019s phone records placed her in Greenville that day.<\/p>\n
My chest tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cNear me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSame general area.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's not enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer car?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cToll records show she traveled there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she tell you why?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe hasn't been asked yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ten minutes later, her attorney called.<\/p>\n
Brooke admitted it.<\/p>\n
She followed me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Her voice shook.<\/p>\n
\u201cWard wanted pictures.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere you parked. Who you met. How long you stayed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said Richard wanted leverage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat answer is getting old.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you sign a fake life-insurance beneficiary form?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Megan closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrooke.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My chest felt hollow.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAaron said it was just paper.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJust paper.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't think\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Finish it.\u201d<\/p>\n
She couldn't.<\/p>\n
I did.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn't think anything would happen to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you say you wanted a share if I died?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAaron says you did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe's lying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would he?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo save himself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you ever discuss my death?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Ward?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot directly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said if something happened, Holt Ridge\u2019s ownership would become complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went cold again.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told him that was sick.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why did you keep helping?\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooke cried.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause by then I thought they could send me to prison whenever they wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're in custody now anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
The brutal circularity of it hurt.<\/p>\n
Everything she did to avoid consequences created worse consequences.<\/p>\n
I asked one last question.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know someone was tracking my route for a possible accident?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her answer came fast.<\/p>\n
Maybe too fast.<\/p>\n
\u201cI swear.\u201d<\/p>\n
I ended the call.<\/p>\n
Mercer called separately.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTraffic camera.\u201d<\/p>\n
September fourteenth.<\/p>\n
Greenville.<\/p>\n
A dark SUV had followed me from the lender\u2019s office toward Interstate 85.<\/p>\n
Registered to a shell company.<\/p>\n
Who owned the shell?<\/p>\n
Crestline Resource Holdings.<\/p>\n
David Ward\u2019s current employer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas Ward driving?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cImage isn't clear.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBrooke?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer car was elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo someone else followed me too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened after that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou drove back to Asheville.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe SUV followed for twenty-eight miles, then exited.\u201d<\/p>\n
My hands turned cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then Mercer said, \u201cThere was an accident ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered.<\/p>\n
A truck had jackknifed miles north.<\/p>\n
Traffic slowed.<\/p>\n
I took an alternate route.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou diverted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe SUV didn't.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at nothing.<\/p>\n
Had traffic changed something?<\/p>\n
Had my route change interrupted a plan?<\/p>\n
No proof.<\/p>\n
Only possibility.<\/p>\n
Mercer refused to speculate.<\/p>\n
I appreciated him for that.<\/p>\n
At ten-fifteen, Daniel called.<\/p>\n
He had finished reconstructing Ward\u2019s encrypted planning directory.<\/p>\n
One file had been deleted.<\/p>\n
Recovered partially.<\/p>\n
Title:<\/p>\n
SEPT14_TEST.<\/p>\n
Inside:<\/p>\n
Target route observation.<\/p>\n
Vehicle timing.<\/p>\n
Alternative access points.<\/p>\n
No explicit violence.<\/p>\n
Then one final line.<\/p>\n
If viable, schedule event after maturity.<\/p>\n
Maturity.<\/p>\n
The North Vale loan.<\/p>\n
January second.<\/p>\n
The fraudulent loan came due in days.<\/p>\n
Someone had been planning an \u201cevent\u201d after it matured.<\/p>\n
Why after?<\/p>\n
Evelyn understood first.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf North Vale foreclosed before anything happened to Miranda, control of Parcel Seven would already be disputed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel finished the thought.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen if Miranda became incapacitated, Holt Ridge\u2019s ability to fight could weaken.\u201d<\/p>\n
Founder-centric.<\/p>\n
No succession depth.<\/p>\n
Ward\u2019s Stonebridge analysis.<\/p>\n
They had mapped corporate weakness and personal vulnerability as parts of the same plan.<\/p>\n
I looked at Mercer.<\/p>\n
\u201cJanuary second isn't only a loan date.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a trigger.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Aaron knows.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLikely.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen he contacted me because he's afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf Ward?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOr of being blamed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maybe both.<\/p>\n
At ten-forty, another encrypted message arrived.<\/p>\n
One line.<\/p>\n
CHECK THE GREENHOUSE CAMERA FROM SEPTEMBER 16.<\/p>\n
Mercer stared at it.<\/p>\n
Two days after Greenville.<\/p>\n
I opened archived home security footage.<\/p>\n
The system retained motion clips.<\/p>\n
September sixteenth.<\/p>\n
2:13 a.m.<\/p>\n
Greenhouse exterior.<\/p>\n
A man stood near the service door.<\/p>\n
Face partially visible.<\/p>\n
Not Aaron.<\/p>\n
Not Richard.<\/p>\n
Not Ward.<\/p>\n
I enlarged the frame.<\/p>\n
Mercer went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He did.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis name is Curtis Vale.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShould that mean something?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means a great deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was a former private security contractor.<\/p>\n
Arrested twice.<\/p>\n
Never convicted.<\/p>\n
Known associate of David Ward.<\/p>\n
And according to Mercer, a man previously investigated in an insurance-fraud case involving a staged vehicle accident.<\/p>\n
The threat was no longer an ugly sentence hidden in Ward\u2019s files.<\/p>\n
Someone with a history of staging accidents had been standing outside my home two days after Brooke followed my route.<\/p>\n
Mercer told the officers at my door not to leave for any reason.<\/p>\n
Then he said the words that finally erased whatever doubt remained.<\/p>\n
\u201cMiranda, until we find Curtis Vale, you should assume this is an active threat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer assigned two officers to me before I finished objecting. One remained near Holt Ridge. The other followed when I moved. I hated it. That was not a reason to … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32559,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32586","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\/32586","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=32586"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32586\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32627,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32586\/revisions\/32627"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/32559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=32586"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=32586"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=32586"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}