{"id":9129,"date":"2026-09-10T21:26:45","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T21:26:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=9129"},"modified":"2026-09-10T21:26:45","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T21:26:45","slug":"part-6-richard-finally-admitted-he-had-my-fathers-hidden-evidence-but-his-demand-forced-me-to-choose-between-whitlock-and-damians-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=9129","title":{"rendered":"PART 6 \u2013 Richard Finally Admitted He Had My Father\u2019s Hidden Evidence, but His Demand Forced Me to Choose Between Whitlock and Damian\u2019s Life"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Martin took the phone from my hand.<\/p>\n<p>He read the messages without changing expression.<\/p>\n<p>Then he forwarded everything to himself.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo not answer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wasn\u2019t planning to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Graham Roe had gone very still.<\/p>\n<p>He looked older than he had ten minutes earlier.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father found something that terrified Richard,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p>Graham nodded once.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd put it inside that bracelet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow Richard has it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Martin slipped his phone into his pocket.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe may have the object. He may not know how to access it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe knows enough to send that message.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe knows your father hid evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe has known that for years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExactly. If he knew the bracelet contained it, he would have taken it years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was true.<\/p>\n<p>Unless something had changed.<\/p>\n<p>Something had.<\/p>\n<p>Damian\u2019s theft.<\/p>\n<p>The photograph.<\/p>\n<p>The attention it created.<\/p>\n<p>Blaire wearing the bracelet in public.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps Richard had followed Damian and Blaire. Perhaps he saw it. Perhaps Damian had told him too much during whatever confrontation occurred.<\/p>\n<p>Or perhaps someone else had.<\/p>\n<p>Elliot.<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Martin.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBlaire said Elliot called her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat if Elliot works for Richard?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Martin considered it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe built the shell companies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe knew the transfers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd he knew Damian and Blaire planned to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Blaire told him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe would.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Martin nodded slowly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat would explain how Richard found them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I called Damian again.<\/p>\n<p>He answered immediately.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you find her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard has the bracelet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe sent me a photograph.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDamian?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is Elliot?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStop saying you don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do you want me to do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTell me everything Elliot knew.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Damian cursed softly.<\/p>\n<p>Martin recorded the call.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBlaire trusted her brother,\u201d Damian said. \u201cHe arranged the companies. He arranged accounts. He set up the transfer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Elliot know you were leaving last night?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid anyone else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen how did Richard find you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Damian said nothing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou already know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI suspected.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat Elliot told him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Elliot has always been more afraid of Richard than Blaire understood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I walked toward the window.<\/p>\n<p>Snowmelt slid down the glass.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs Blaire safe?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Richard threaten her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said he would return her when I returned the money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Damian did not answer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDamian.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEight million.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I turned toward Martin.<\/p>\n<p>Eight.<\/p>\n<p>Not two.<\/p>\n<p>Not one.<\/p>\n<p>Eight million dollars.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou stole eight million dollars from Richard.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt wasn\u2019t his.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat distinction is becoming tiresome.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt came through Whitlock.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo it was ours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was trying to create leverage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou were trying to create a retirement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He did not deny it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is the money now?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrozen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The bank restrictions had trapped it.<\/p>\n<p>Damian no longer had the money.<\/p>\n<p>Richard no longer had it.<\/p>\n<p>And investigators now knew the transfer existed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does Richard want?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe transfer released.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat won\u2019t happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe thinks I can make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes he?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That meant the money was not the only reason Richard had taken Blaire.<\/p>\n<p>The bracelet mattered more.<\/p>\n<p>I said, \u201cHe wants something else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Damian was quiet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe wants whatever my father hid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he hide?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why did you tell me something is inside the bracelet?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause there is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Damian exhaled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAudrey, if Richard has it, you need to get away from this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat advice is several months late.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI mean it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo do I.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Martin motioned for me to ask about my father.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Richard say about him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Damian hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYears ago, he told me your father found records connected to Northbridge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat records?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI never saw them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Richard admit what they proved?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat he had beneficial ownership.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Martin nodded.<\/p>\n<p>That was significant.<\/p>\n<p>If the hidden files established Richard\u2019s ownership of Northbridge Meridian, and Northbridge controlled the entities absorbing Whitlock shares, Richard\u2019s carefully hidden structure could become visible.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy didn\u2019t my father expose him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou keep saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I wasn\u2019t involved then.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut Richard was.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe ten years. Maybe longer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The number hit hard.<\/p>\n<p>My father had been fighting something before I knew there was a fight.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Richard have anything to do with my father\u2019s death?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The question left my mouth before I could reconsider it.<\/p>\n<p>Martin looked sharply at me.<\/p>\n<p>Damian went completely silent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnswer me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This time the phrase sounded different.<\/p>\n<p>Not ignorance.<\/p>\n<p>Evasion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing provable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My skin went cold.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do you know, Damian?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour father died of a heart attack.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know what the certificate said.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen stop.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAudrey.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Damian spoke slowly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA few months after Richard and I started working together, he told me your father had made trouble before his death.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat kind of trouble?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe found transactions. Asked questions. Contacted lawyers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMartin?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Martin shook his head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe never contacted me about Richard.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I repeated that.<\/p>\n<p>Damian continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard said your father backed off.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe never told me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you ask?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I didn\u2019t want to know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At least he was consistent.<\/p>\n<p>Damian\u2019s greatest talent had not been deception.<\/p>\n<p>It had been selective blindness.<\/p>\n<p>As long as the money grew, he preferred unanswered questions.<\/p>\n<p>As long as the company looked healthy, he ignored what supported it.<\/p>\n<p>As long as I trusted him, he ignored what he was doing to me.<\/p>\n<p>The call ended when Damian said he needed to move.<\/p>\n<p>Martin arranged for Graham to close the shop temporarily.<\/p>\n<p>Before we left, Graham showed us the tools required to open the bracelet without damaging the device inside.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt isn\u2019t something a person would figure out casually,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow long would it take you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFive minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSomeone skilled?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe twenty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSomeone forcing it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey could destroy whatever is inside.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That gave us little comfort.<\/p>\n<p>Back at Martin\u2019s office, federal investigators had begun requesting formal interviews.<\/p>\n<p>We provided the messages from Richard.<\/p>\n<p>We provided recordings.<\/p>\n<p>We provided the forged documents.<\/p>\n<p>The investigator assigned to coordinate with us was Special Agent Lena Ortiz.<\/p>\n<p>She arrived just after noon.<\/p>\n<p>She was compact, calm and uninterested in drama.<\/p>\n<p>After hearing the summary, she asked, \u201cWhy would Vale contact you directly?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo frighten me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou think there\u2019s another reason?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe wants something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMoney is one possibility.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe bracelet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s another.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She studied the photograph.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes Vale know we\u2019re involved?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat matters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause intelligent people involved in long-term financial crimes do not usually send threatening messages to witnesses unless they believe they need to accelerate events.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMeaning?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSomething is forcing him to act faster than he planned.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The failed transfer.<\/p>\n<p>Damian\u2019s escape.<\/p>\n<p>The bank restrictions.<\/p>\n<p>The evidence package.<\/p>\n<p>All at once.<\/p>\n<p>Richard\u2019s structure had survived because everyone remained in assigned positions.<\/p>\n<p>My husband at the top of Whitlock.<\/p>\n<p>Richard hidden behind layers.<\/p>\n<p>Elliot processing money.<\/p>\n<p>Me outside finance.<\/p>\n<p>Then Damian tried to run.<\/p>\n<p>I woke up.<\/p>\n<p>Everything shifted.<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz asked for the original message files.<\/p>\n<p>While Martin provided them, my phone rang.<\/p>\n<p>Unknown number.<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz motioned for me to answer.<\/p>\n<p>We recorded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHello?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAudrey.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His tone was almost conversational.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is Blaire?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s safe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProve it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t need to prove anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz wrote on a pad.<\/p>\n<p>Keep him talking.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSomething your father stole.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe didn\u2019t steal anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard laughed softly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou still worship him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI knew him better than you did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My grip tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat is that supposed to mean?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour father was more complicated than the version you remember.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is Blaire?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re surprisingly concerned about the woman who slept with your husband.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m concerned about what you\u2019ll do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is wiser.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz wrote another note.<\/p>\n<p>Ask location.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do you want me to do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want the copy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat copy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhatever your father made.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know what you\u2019re talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, you do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo. I know something is hidden in the bracelet. You have the bracelet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard paused.<\/p>\n<p>That tiny pause confirmed something.<\/p>\n<p>He had not known for certain.<\/p>\n<p>I had just told him.<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz\u2019s expression tightened.<\/p>\n<p>My mistake again.<\/p>\n<p>Richard recovered quickly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen we finally understand each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo. We don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour father copied records that belonged to Northbridge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRecords proving you own it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>Longer this time.<\/p>\n<p>Martin stared at me.<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz leaned closer.<\/p>\n<p>Richard\u2019s voice lost its pleasant tone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBe careful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo that\u2019s true.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou think truth protects you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo. Evidence does.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvidence can disappear.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo can companies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He laughed once.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou are your father\u2019s daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I did not know whether he intended that as admiration or threat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGive me Blaire.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t care about Blaire.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why take her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo encourage Damian.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor the money?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor several things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat things?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAsk your husband.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The call ended.<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz immediately began tracing what could be traced, but Richard had used methods designed to obscure location.<\/p>\n<p>Twenty minutes later, Damian called.<\/p>\n<p>He sounded breathless.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard contacted me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe wants me to meet him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe hasn\u2019t sent the location yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t go.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Damian laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe has Blaire.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou think he\u2019ll release her because you appear?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said he would.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe lies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo do I. That doesn\u2019t mean every sentence is false.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does he want you to bring?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe bank access codes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can\u2019t release the money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDamian.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe wants you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My eyes opened.<\/p>\n<p>Martin and Ortiz both looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said the money is only half the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does he want from me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe thinks your father gave you another copy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t have one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told him that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe doesn\u2019t believe me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Damian swallowed audibly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said if I bring you, he\u2019ll give me Blaire.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The absurdity of it almost stopped me from responding.<\/p>\n<p>After everything he had done, Richard still assumed Damian\u2019s easiest bargaining asset was me.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps because Damian had already proved it.<\/p>\n<p>I said, \u201cAnd what did you tell him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Damian\u2019s silence answered first.<\/p>\n<p>Then he whispered, \u201cI told him I would try.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Martin\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz stopped writing.<\/p>\n<p>I looked out across the city.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course you did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAudrey, listen\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t agree to hand you over.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou agreed to try.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI need time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou always need something purchased with somebody else\u2019s risk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He said my name.<\/p>\n<p>I ended the call.<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz waited.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do you want to do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I turned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard thinks Damian can deliver me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe thinks I may have another copy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd he doesn\u2019t know federal agents have heard any of these conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLikely not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Martin understood before I finished.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz looked between us.<\/p>\n<p>I said, \u201cUse me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Martin stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbsolutely not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard wants control back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe wants you in a room where he controls the exits.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe wants evidence he believes I have.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t have it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat may be useful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz did not agree or disagree.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat are you proposing?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat Damian tells Richard I\u2019ll come.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Martin\u2019s voice became sharp.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAudrey.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I faced him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Richard destroys the bracelet, we lose whatever my father preserved.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have other evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot enough to prove ownership.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe may.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I thought of my father\u2019s handwriting.<\/p>\n<p>Trust Martin Hale.<\/p>\n<p>Do not trust anyone simply because they have been welcomed into our home.<\/p>\n<p>He had prepared for this possibility years before I understood it existed.<\/p>\n<p>I was not prepared to let Richard erase him now.<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz said, \u201cA controlled meeting is possible only if we choose the conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Martin stared at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re encouraging this?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m explaining the option.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Ortiz.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan you protect Damian?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She did not soften the answer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can try.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Blaire?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf she\u2019s where Vale says she is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Martin paced once across the room.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is insanity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo,\u201d I said. \u201cInsanity was thinking I could go home after Damian left and pretend this was merely divorce.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My phone vibrated.<\/p>\n<p>A message from Damian.<\/p>\n<p>A location.<\/p>\n<p>An abandoned distribution warehouse near the harbor.<\/p>\n<p>Below it:<\/p>\n<p>Midnight.<\/p>\n<p>Richard\u2019s final instruction followed.<\/p>\n<p>Bring Audrey, or Blaire leaves in pieces.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=9130\">Click here to continue reading: PART 7: Damian Was Supposed to Deliver Me at Midnight, but Richard Had Already Prepared a Second Betrayal Neither of Us Saw Coming<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Martin took the phone from my hand. He read the messages without changing expression. Then he forwarded everything to himself. \u201cDo not answer.\u201d \u201cI wasn\u2019t planning to.\u201d \u201cGood.\u201d Graham Roe &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9123,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9129","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\/9129","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=9129"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9129\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9151,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9129\/revisions\/9151"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}