{"id":32588,"date":"2026-10-07T20:09:59","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T20:09:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=32588"},"modified":"2026-10-07T20:09:59","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T20:09:59","slug":"part-18-vales-instructions-proved-the-threat-was-real-while-richard-lawsons-first-interview-revealed-the-one-part-of-his-revenge-he-claimed-he-never-intended","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=32588","title":{"rendered":"PART 18 \u2013 Vale\u2019s Instructions Proved the Threat Was Real, While Richard Lawson\u2019s First Interview Revealed the One Part of His Revenge He Claimed He Never Intended"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Richard Lawson asked to speak with me.<\/p>\n<p>Mercer said no.<\/p>\n<p>I said yes.<\/p>\n<p>Evelyn said absolutely not.<\/p>\n<p>Then she spent twenty minutes arranging how it would happen.<\/p>\n<p>Richard remained in federal custody in Colorado pending transfer.<\/p>\n<p>The conversation would be recorded.<\/p>\n<p>His attorney would attend.<\/p>\n<p>So would Mercer and Evelyn.<\/p>\n<p>I would ask no questions they had not approved.<\/p>\n<p>I agreed to all of that.<\/p>\n<p>Then ignored the last part almost immediately.<\/p>\n<p>Richard appeared on the screen shortly after noon.<\/p>\n<p>I recognized him from years earlier.<\/p>\n<p>Older now.<\/p>\n<p>Thinner.<\/p>\n<p>Silver hair.<\/p>\n<p>Same controlled expression.<\/p>\n<p>He looked at me for several seconds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMiranda.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His attorney began with conditions.<\/p>\n<p>No admission.<\/p>\n<p>No waiver.<\/p>\n<p>No discussion of certain pending matters.<\/p>\n<p>Evelyn interrupted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf your client wants to deliver a monologue, he can write a memoir.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard almost smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI remember you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI doubt it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou represented Samuel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDifferent Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen I dislike your profession generally.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood. We&#39;re oriented.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I understood why Evelyn enjoyed this work.<\/p>\n<p>Richard looked back at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI heard Vale was found.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you hire him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His attorney objected.<\/p>\n<p>Richard answered anyway.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you know Ward hired him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEventually.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOctober.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy didn&#39;t you stop him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told Ward there would be no violence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou kept paying Vale.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn&#39;t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBlue Heron funded his card.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard looked toward his attorney.<\/p>\n<p>That small movement told me enough.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI knew Ward wanted surveillance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy house.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWard photographed them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn&#39;t authorize that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat&#39;s becoming your favorite sentence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard\u2019s expression tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou think I wanted you dead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you want me frightened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There it was.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause you don&#39;t listen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou never spoke to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI tried.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter Hanover.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA demand letter asking for half my profit isn&#39;t a conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou profited from stolen property.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI bought property legally from your mother.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy mother didn&#39;t understand what Samuel had done.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe had counsel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSamuel controlled her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAn arbitrator rejected that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His face changed.<\/p>\n<p>The old wound.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAn arbitrator read documents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you prefer what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTruth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour truth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard leaned toward the camera.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father built that company from nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe stole from clients.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father made mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFraud isn&#39;t a bookkeeping mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His attorney touched his arm.<\/p>\n<p>Richard ignored him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThomas Hale destroyed him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father reported a crime.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was a clerk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe saw theft.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe wanted to be important.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I thought of Dad at twenty-four.<\/p>\n<p>Probably frightened.<\/p>\n<p>Probably uncertain.<\/p>\n<p>Yet he had handed records to investigators.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou&#39;ve spent almost thirty years blaming the person who told the truth instead of the person who committed the crime.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou sound exactly like your father.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn&#39;t mean it as praise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mercer shifted beside me.<\/p>\n<p>I returned to the approved subject.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy Aaron?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard looked tired suddenly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWard found him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAaron says you recruited him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAaron says whatever improves Aaron\u2019s position.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Ward know him through Vantage?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Aaron had worked on Vantage contracts.<\/p>\n<p>Ward realized he had technical skills and financial ambition.<\/p>\n<p>Then Richard saw another advantage.<\/p>\n<p>Aaron was young.<\/p>\n<p>Presentable.<\/p>\n<p>Patient.<\/p>\n<p>And Brooke was vulnerable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou sent him after my sister.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard did not answer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The word landed harder than expected.<\/p>\n<p>Brooke\u2019s relationship had been manufactured from the first meeting.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Aaron ever care about her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wouldn&#39;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou watched them for years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI watched results.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe&#39;s a person.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo are the people your company displaced.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHanover.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe renovated one duplex.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou changed the block.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith permits.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProperty taxes rose.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There it was.<\/p>\n<p>Richard had built a moral structure around resentment.<\/p>\n<p>Every consequence became proof.<\/p>\n<p>Every success became theft.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou needed me to be guilty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His face hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou benefited.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom buying property your mother voluntarily sold.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom what my father built.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith stolen money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked away.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time, I saw something beneath the anger.<\/p>\n<p>Not doubt exactly.<\/p>\n<p>Exhaustion from carrying a story too long.<\/p>\n<p>I asked about the mineral rights.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you know the trust transferred them to Holt Ridge?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwo years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd the arbitration confirmed it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo you knew you had no legal claim.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI knew what the arbitrator said.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou forged one anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His attorney interrupted sharply.<\/p>\n<p>Richard did not answer.<\/p>\n<p>I continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou arranged North Vale financing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI introduced it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUsing forged Holt Ridge documents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou intended foreclosure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou intended Parcel Seven to leave Holt Ridge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His attorney said the interview was over.<\/p>\n<p>Richard raised a hand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWait.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The admission was quiet.<\/p>\n<p>Not legally complete.<\/p>\n<p>But emotionally absolute.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause it should never have been yours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt wasn&#39;t yours either.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was my family\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour mother decided otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe was manipulated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone who disagrees with you is manipulated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His expression changed.<\/p>\n<p>I had found something.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSamuel manipulated your mother. Dad manipulated investigators. I manipulated sellers. The arbitrator was fooled. North Vale was misled. Stonebridge didn&#39;t understand. Brooke was weak. Aaron was greedy. Ward was excessive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I leaned closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt what point does Richard Lawson become responsible for Richard Lawson?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His attorney ended the session.<\/p>\n<p>Richard stopped him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne minute.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The attorney protested.<\/p>\n<p>Richard ignored him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWard went beyond the plan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhich part?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe insurance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot until October.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou already said that about Vale.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSame time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd then?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told him no.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut you didn&#39;t fire him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard gave a humorless laugh.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don&#39;t fire David Ward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Ward kept records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Blackmail.<\/p>\n<p>Of course.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe had records on you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPayments. Calls. Documents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo you became trapped too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t expect sympathy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe threatened to expose everything if I dismantled the plan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou could have gone to police.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd admitted six years of fraud?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He almost smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou make righteousness sound inexpensive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father paid for it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That landed.<\/p>\n<p>Richard looked away.<\/p>\n<p>Walter went to prison because Dad spoke.<\/p>\n<p>Dad had spent decades fearing the consequences.<\/p>\n<p>Yet he had spoken.<\/p>\n<p>Richard had chosen the opposite path.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat was Ward planning after foreclosure?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t know all of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVale.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo frighten you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVehicle incident.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNonfatal?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was my condition.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou negotiated the severity of an attack on me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard closed his eyes briefly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Megan, watching from the other side of the room, turned away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy would that make me sell?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou&#39;d think about your family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou mean you&#39;d threaten them too?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou photographed them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWard did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou keep hiding behind him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard leaned forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am telling you the distinction because it matters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At least that was honest.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened after I sold?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWard had buyers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStonebridge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInitially.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHarrow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Parcel Seven?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMerton\u2019s group.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWestern Element?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEventually.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou got what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRoyalty participation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFour percent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There it was.<\/p>\n<p>After decades of claiming this was about justice, Richard had arranged a royalty.<\/p>\n<p>Money.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe revenge began the story.<\/p>\n<p>Money had learned to live comfortably beside it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about Aaron?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEight percent of Blue Heron\u2019s proceeds.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWard?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSuccess fee.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBrooke?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe wasn&#39;t supposed to receive anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>All those years.<\/p>\n<p>All those risks.<\/p>\n<p>All those lies.<\/p>\n<p>Brooke had not even negotiated a share.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe thought her debts were being cleared.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey were.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith money stolen from us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I felt unexpectedly sad.<\/p>\n<p>Not for what she did.<\/p>\n<p>For how cheaply she had sold herself.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho sent the anonymous envelope to me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat envelope?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The reaction looked genuine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChristmas.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe office note?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSomeone warned me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen it wasn&#39;t anyone I authorized.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWard?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWard wouldn&#39;t warn you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAaron?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBrooke says no.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBrooke lies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo do you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The answer stopped me.<\/p>\n<p>Richard looked tired.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe all did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The interview ended.<\/p>\n<p>Mercer said nothing until the screen went dark.<\/p>\n<p>Then he looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe gave us useful admissions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMore than you had this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Evelyn gathered her notes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe&#39;s repositioning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cParticipant who opposed escalation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs that believable?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cParts may be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I hated that too.<\/p>\n<p>Richard could be a fraudster and still have opposed killing me.<\/p>\n<p>Ward could have exceeded the conspiracy while remaining central to it.<\/p>\n<p>People did not become simple merely because they committed crimes.<\/p>\n<p>At two, Vale regained consciousness.<\/p>\n<p>He was sedated but stable.<\/p>\n<p>His attorney arrived before investigators could conduct a full interview.<\/p>\n<p>Of course.<\/p>\n<p>At three, North Vale agreed to release all claimed liens against Holt Ridge without confidentiality.<\/p>\n<p>That mattered.<\/p>\n<p>Evelyn made me sign the settlement.<\/p>\n<p>The fraudulent loan would no longer threaten Henderson directly.<\/p>\n<p>January second lost one weapon.<\/p>\n<p>Not all of them.<\/p>\n<p>At four-fifteen, Daniel called.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe found the January package.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My pulse quickened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWard\u2019s cloud backup.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The cybersecurity consultant had reconstructed it.<\/p>\n<p>Forged emails showing me authorizing Pike to obtain \u201coff-book bridge capital.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fabricated board minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Fake transfers.<\/p>\n<p>A false side agreement.<\/p>\n<p>And a draft whistleblower complaint supposedly written by an unnamed Holt Ridge employee.<\/p>\n<p>It accused me of concealing debt from lenders.<\/p>\n<p>Had the package gone out, it would have looked devastating.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan we prove it&#39;s fake?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll of it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost isn&#39;t all.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe&#39;ll get there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One forged email caught my attention.<\/p>\n<p>It referenced a meeting at the Grove Park Inn.<\/p>\n<p>Date: May seventh.<\/p>\n<p>I had actually been there.<\/p>\n<p>Lunch with Daniel and a county consultant.<\/p>\n<p>Whoever created the fake knew my schedule.<\/p>\n<p>Another referenced a private conversation with my parents.<\/p>\n<p>That information could only have come through Brooke.<\/p>\n<p>The conspiracy had built lies around real events.<\/p>\n<p>That was why they looked convincing.<\/p>\n<p>At five, Mercer called again.<\/p>\n<p>Vale\u2019s car had been searched more thoroughly.<\/p>\n<p>Investigators found a memory card hidden inside a flashlight.<\/p>\n<p>Video files.<\/p>\n<p>My house.<\/p>\n<p>My office.<\/p>\n<p>Greenville.<\/p>\n<p>September fourteenth.<\/p>\n<p>One clip showed my car leaving the lender meeting.<\/p>\n<p>Another showed Brooke\u2019s vehicle.<\/p>\n<p>Then the camera shifted.<\/p>\n<p>A male voice spoke.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe&#39;s early.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another voice answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe&#39;re only watching.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The first voice was Vale.<\/p>\n<p>The second?<\/p>\n<p>Mercer played it twice.<\/p>\n<p>I knew it.<\/p>\n<p>Aaron.<\/p>\n<p>He had been there.<\/p>\n<p>The man who claimed he refused to help had personally participated in the route test.<\/p>\n<p>Mercer enhanced the next segment.<\/p>\n<p>Aaron appeared briefly in a side mirror.<\/p>\n<p>No ambiguity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe lied.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAgain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The recording continued.<\/p>\n<p>Vale asked:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happens if she changes route?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Aaron replied:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen Ward redesigns it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vale:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd if she doesn&#39;t?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Aaron:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJanuary.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The file ended.<\/p>\n<p>I stared at the frozen image of Aaron.<\/p>\n<p>His encrypted messages had contained truth.<\/p>\n<p>Just enough truth to redirect blame.<\/p>\n<p>Not enough to include himself.<\/p>\n<p>Then my phone buzzed.<\/p>\n<p>Aaron again.<\/p>\n<p>I didn&#39;t need Mercer to tell me not to answer.<\/p>\n<p>The message said:<\/p>\n<p>YOU FOUND THE VIDEO.<\/p>\n<p>A second followed.<\/p>\n<p>I CAN EXPLAIN.<\/p>\n<p>Then:<\/p>\n<p>I WAS THERE TO MAKE SURE VALE DIDN\u2019T TOUCH YOU.<\/p>\n<p>I almost laughed.<\/p>\n<p>A third message arrived.<\/p>\n<p>WARD WAS ALREADY OUT OF CONTROL.<\/p>\n<p>Mercer dictated the response.<\/p>\n<p>Then turn yourself in.<\/p>\n<p>Aaron answered:<\/p>\n<p>NOT YET.<\/p>\n<p>Why?<\/p>\n<p>His reply came after nearly a minute.<\/p>\n<p>BECAUSE WARD ISN\u2019T THE PERSON YOU SHOULD BE MOST AFRAID OF.<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Mercer.<\/p>\n<p>Another message arrived.<\/p>\n<p>MERTON HAS MORE TO LOSE THAN ALL OF US.<\/p>\n<p>Then:<\/p>\n<p>AND YOU JUST TOOK HIS MINE AWAY.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=32589\">Click here to continue reading: PART 19: Aaron\u2019s Warning About Merton Sounded Like Another Diversion Until We Learned the Mineral Investor Had Quietly Purchased Something Far More Dangerous Than Land<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Richard Lawson asked to speak with me. Mercer said no. I said yes. Evelyn said absolutely not. Then she spent twenty minutes arranging how it would happen. Richard remained in &hellip; <\/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-32588","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\/32588","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=32588"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32588\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32630,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32588\/revisions\/32630"}],"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=32588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=32588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=32588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}