Rebecca came to Columbus the next morning.<\/p>\n
We met at my house because I could not imagine taking her directly into Mom\u2019s dining room and asking her to absorb another forty years of family history there.<\/p>\n
Ethan arrived first.<\/p>\n
He knew only the broad outline.<\/p>\n
Dad had slept with Diane.<\/p>\n
Graham had taken the blame.<\/p>\n
Mom had helped create the cover story.<\/p>\n
When I told him the details, he stood at my kitchen window for several minutes without speaking.<\/p>\n
Finally he said, \u201cI used to think our family was boring.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI miss boring.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMe too.\u201d<\/p>\n
The doorbell rang.<\/p>\n
Rebecca entered carrying Diane\u2019s journal and a paper bakery box.<\/p>\n
\u201cI brought cinnamon rolls.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said your family handles difficult conversations with food.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe it\u2019s genetic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ethan laughed.<\/p>\n
It was the first time he and Rebecca had met.<\/p>\n
He became visibly nervous.<\/p>\n
\u201cHi.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca looked at him.<\/p>\n
Then her expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look exactly like Dad did at thirty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ethan swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently we should stop being surprised by genetics.\u201d<\/p>\n
She hugged him.<\/p>\n
He hugged back.<\/p>\n
I watched my brother meet our sister in my entryway and felt another sharp awareness of what had been stolen from all three of us.<\/p>\n
Not childhood perfection.<\/p>\n
That never existed.<\/p>\n
Possibility.<\/p>\n
That was what secrecy had taken.<\/p>\n
The chance to decide for ourselves.<\/p>\n
We sat around the kitchen table.<\/p>\n
I told them everything Mom had told me.<\/p>\n
Rebecca listened with both hands wrapped around her coffee mug.<\/p>\n
When I reached the affair, she closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
When I explained Graham\u2019s offer to raise Diane\u2019s unborn child, she looked toward the journal.<\/p>\n
When I finished, she said nothing.<\/p>\n
Ethan finally asked, \u201cAre you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her answer was calm.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I will be.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor Dad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was your father too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, Claire.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou keep taking responsibility for information you didn\u2019t create.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sounded uncomfortably close to Dad\u2019s letter.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not apologizing for finding it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m apologizing because I know what he meant to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was flawed before yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut not this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother spent years angry with him. I always assumed it was because he married Margaret and built another family.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow I think there were layers I never understood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ethan opened the bakery box.<\/p>\n
\u201cCinnamon roll?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca laughed unexpectedly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
We ate because sometimes the body refuses to stop needing ordinary things while the mind is rearranging a lifetime.<\/p>\n
Afterward Rebecca opened Diane\u2019s journal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI read more last night.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you find?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGraham\u2019s address.\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cCurrent?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. New Zealand. Twenty years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStill useful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ethan took out his phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was the town?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNelson.\u201d<\/p>\n
We searched.<\/p>\n
Graham Bennett was not difficult to find once we had the right country and profession.<\/p>\n
He had worked as a marine engineer.<\/p>\n
A professional association listed a Graham William Bennett, retired.<\/p>\n
Another article from three years earlier mentioned a volunteer restoration project involving historic boats.<\/p>\n
There was a photograph.<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
He looked like Dad.<\/p>\n
Older.<\/p>\n
Leaner.<\/p>\n
White hair.<\/p>\n
But unmistakably Bennett.<\/p>\n
A contact email appeared beneath the article.<\/p>\n
Ethan looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho writes?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Rebecca.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyebrows rose.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he knew you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cForty years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe still knew you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca considered.<\/p>\n
Then she opened her phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do I say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled faintly.<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently that\u2019s the new family policy.\u201d<\/p>\n
She wrote:<\/p>\n
Graham, this is Rebecca Cole Martin, Diane\u2019s daughter. Claire and Ethan Bennett and I have recently learned more about what happened many years ago. We would like to speak with you if you are willing. No one is asking you for anything except the truth.<\/p>\n
She showed us.<\/p>\n
\u201cSend it,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
She did.<\/p>\n
Then we waited.<\/p>\n
Nothing happened.<\/p>\n
Of course nothing happened.<\/p>\n
New Zealand was many hours ahead, and Graham was presumably not sitting beside his computer waiting for the children of his family\u2019s worst secret to appear.<\/p>\n
Still, I checked Rebecca\u2019s phone every time it moved.<\/p>\n
At noon, Mom called.<\/p>\n
I answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca is here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLinda told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes she know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat she\u2019ll be okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs she angry?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s fair.\u201d<\/p>\n
The old Margaret would have argued.<\/p>\n
This version did not.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re trying to contact Graham.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom went silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he deserves to speak for himself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe may not want to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen he can say no.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if he says things about your father you don\u2019t want to hear?\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, that bridge is gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
She did not argue.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you want to see Rebecca?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen ask her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have her number.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll ask whether I can give it to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Again, permission.<\/p>\n
Again, a small shift.<\/p>\n
That afternoon, Nora called.<\/p>\n
The inspection had uncovered several minor issues.<\/p>\n
A loose exterior handrail.<\/p>\n
An aging water heater.<\/p>\n
A small area of moisture near a basement window.<\/p>\n
Nothing serious.<\/p>\n
The buyers requested a credit.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
She told me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccept it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout negotiating?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI want the sale clean.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI agree.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the call, Ethan looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou really are selling.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently you didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
He glanced around my kitchen.<\/p>\n
\u201cFeels strange.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything feels strange.\u201d<\/p>\n
By evening, Rebecca had not received an answer from Graham.<\/p>\n
She drove home.<\/p>\n
Ethan left shortly afterward.<\/p>\n
Sophie returned from a friend\u2019s house and found me alone at the kitchen table.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy does everybody keep meeting here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood snacks.\u201d<\/p>\n
She opened the bakery box.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne cinnamon roll left.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSee?\u201d<\/p>\n
She sat.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Rebecca my aunt?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandma said she\u2019s your sister.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did Grandma tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cToday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat exactly did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Grandpa had a daughter before you and Uncle Ethan.\u201d<\/p>\n
I waited for the complication.<\/p>\n
None came.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s all?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said the grown-ups should explain the rest when I\u2019m older.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt unexpected relief.<\/p>\n
For once, Mom had resisted controlling the whole story.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you feel about having another aunt?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sophie took a bite.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes she give good birthday presents?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have no idea.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen I need more information.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed.<\/p>\n
That night, at 1:17 a.m., my phone rang.<\/p>\n
Rebecca.<\/p>\n
I answered immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wrote back.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019ll talk.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s in New Zealand. It\u2019s evening there.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned on the lamp.<\/p>\n
\u201cVideo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll call Ethan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ten minutes later, the three of us were connected from separate houses.<\/p>\n
Rebecca sent the link.<\/p>\n
A face appeared.<\/p>\n
For one impossible second, I saw Dad.<\/p>\n
Then the differences resolved.<\/p>\n
Graham\u2019s face was narrower.<\/p>\n
His eyes were sharper.<\/p>\n
A white beard covered his jaw.<\/p>\n
He looked at the screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice shook.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello, Graham.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look like Diane.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca smiled sadly.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I\u2019m told.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then his eyes moved.<\/p>\n
\u201cEthan?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood God.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finally he looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n
I swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHi.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were a baby the last time I saw you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
His expression softened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou wouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody knew how to begin.<\/p>\n
Graham solved it.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Margaret finally told you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
He laughed without humor.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds like Margaret.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did not defend her.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Dad sleep with Diane?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you agree to take the blame?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Mom pay you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Graham looked surprised.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know about that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you know more than William ever did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca leaned toward her camera.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you agree?\u201d<\/p>\n
Graham looked away.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I was stupid enough to believe I could contain the damage.\u201d<\/p>\n
That phrase could have belonged to anyone in our family.<\/p>\n
\u201cI loved your mother,\u201d he told Rebecca. \u201cI thought if William\u2019s marriage survived and Diane let me stay, we could build something afterward.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she love you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a while.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe miscarriage changed her.\u201d<\/p>\n
His face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I had lied for people who didn\u2019t deserve it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDad?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy brother deserved consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words were hard but not hateful.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did something terrible. Then Margaret decided the truth was too dangerous. I helped her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you leave?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the family believed I had betrayed William.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not correct them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter the miscarriage.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse quickened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret told me she was pregnant with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I already knew.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said William was barely functioning from guilt and that exposing everything would destroy your future before you were born.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat children survive scandal better than lies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane\u2019s journal contained almost the same idea.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you stayed quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Graham stared into the camera.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause your father begged me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom said Dad didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn\u2019t know about the money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut he knew you were taking the blame.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat exactly did he ask?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo give him time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo tell Margaret himself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut she already knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot about everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
My skin prickled.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else was there?\u201d<\/p>\n
Graham became still.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Margaret not tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked genuinely troubled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen perhaps I shouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost laughed from frustration.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease do not become another person protecting us from information.\u201d<\/p>\n
His mouth tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cFair.\u201d<\/p>\n
He leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cWilliam and Diane\u2019s night together was not the first time your father had been unfaithful.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt tired rather than shocked.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne that I knew about.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA woman he worked with.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo years earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Mom know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that what Dad hadn\u2019t told her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Graham looked directly at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe woman became pregnant.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n
Another child.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she have the baby?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe terminated the pregnancy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad told you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd he never told Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot then.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does this have to do with Diane?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Diane became pregnant, William thought it was punishment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
Graham continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was unraveling. He wanted to confess everything to Margaret\u2014the first affair, the pregnancy, Diane.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Mom already knew about Diane.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. He didn\u2019t know she knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
I rubbed my forehead.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Dad asked you for time to confess.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Mom separately asked you to keep taking the blame.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNeither knew what the other had asked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCorrect.\u201d<\/p>\n
A family secret constructed by people hiding different versions of the same event.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did Dad never confess?\u201d<\/p>\n
Graham looked sad.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Diane miscarried before he did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat changed his mind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt changed Margaret\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told William she knew about Diane.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said she would forgive him if he never spoke of it again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about the earlier affair?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe confessed that too.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another omission.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe stayed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you leave?\u201d<\/p>\n
Graham looked toward something beyond his screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause William got forgiveness.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice became quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I remained guilty in everyone else\u2019s eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The injustice sat between us.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Dad ever apologize?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the next thirty years.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer surprised me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou stayed in contact?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLetters.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom said you weren\u2019t reconciled.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
Another secret.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you still have them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery one.\u201d<\/p>\n
My throat tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Dad say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat he was ashamed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Graham looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat he wanted to tell you children someday. That Margaret refused.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t he tell us anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause your father was brave about many things and cowardly about the people he loved.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sounded painfully true.<\/p>\n
Rebecca spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he ever mention me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConstantly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe regretted not bringing you into the family.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why didn\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSame answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fear of conflict.<\/p>\n
Fear of consequences.<\/p>\n
Love weakened by avoidance.<\/p>\n
Graham leaned toward the camera.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is something else you should know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost protested.<\/p>\n
There was always something else.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWilliam sent me a package before he died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout a month before hospice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was in it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCopies of his financial records.\u201d<\/p>\n
I straightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cGreg\u2019s investments?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy send them to you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn\u2019t trust anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you still have them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGraham, we\u2019re investigating missing money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas Reed contacted me years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
The accountant.<\/p>\n
Everything connected again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Thomas tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat William suspected Greg had moved money improperly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you investigate?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
Graham\u2019s expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found where part of it went.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMore than you know about.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt my pulse accelerate.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much more?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt least eighty thousand dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDad\u2019s records don\u2019t show another eighty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it didn\u2019t come from the house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did it come from?\u201d<\/p>\n
Graham looked at Rebecca.<\/p>\n
Then at Ethan.<\/p>\n
Finally at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn account William created for his children.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat children?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll three of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca came to Columbus the next morning. We met at my house because I could not imagine taking her directly into Mom\u2019s dining room and asking her to absorb another … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9177,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9191","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\/9191","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=9191"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9191\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9211,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9191\/revisions\/9211"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}