The private airfield was twenty-three miles from Westside, but by the time Marcus and I reached it, Michael Bennett was gone.<\/p>\n
His car remained near the eastern hangar.<\/p>\n
The leather document case sat exactly where police had photographed it, untouched until investigators finished processing the vehicle.<\/p>\n
The handwritten note was inside an evidence sleeve.<\/p>\n
BETTY BENNETT.<\/p>\n
MARGARET NEVER TOLD YOU THE LAST PART.<\/p>\n
I read those six words again while freezing wind moved across the runway.<\/p>\n
Eric stood beside me with his coat collar raised.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you recognize the handwriting?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI do.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve seen Michael\u2019s handwriting?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYears ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric studied the note.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt looks like his.\u201d<\/p>\n
That should have made the message simpler.<\/p>\n
It did not.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did he go?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus spoke with the airfield manager while officers checked flight logs.<\/p>\n
Ten minutes later he returned.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo registered departure matches Michael.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo he didn\u2019t fly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why abandon his car at an airport?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo make us think he did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Steven had stayed with Noah.<\/p>\n
Amanda remained with Dana, preparing another statement.<\/p>\n
For once, I was grateful neither of them stood beside me.<\/p>\n
Whatever Michael was about to reveal belonged first to Margaret and me.<\/p>\n
An officer approached carrying an inventory sheet.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe document case is empty.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmpty?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why leave it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo tell us he still has the documents.\u201d<\/p>\n
A performance.<\/p>\n
Michael wanted us to know he could reach us.<\/p>\n
He wanted me thinking about him.<\/p>\n
I refused to give him more power than that.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan we go?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus raised an eyebrow.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t want to wait?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what? A man who arranged an empty briefcase?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward the gray runway.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Michael wants to talk to me, eventually he\u2019ll stop leaving riddles and use a telephone.\u201d<\/p>\n
He called before we reached Westside.<\/p>\n
Unknown number.<\/p>\n
Marcus looked at the screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnswer.\u201d<\/p>\n
I put it on speaker.<\/p>\n
\u201cBetty Bennett.\u201d<\/p>\n
A man laughed softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cStill impatient.\u201d<\/p>\n
The voice meant nothing to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMichael?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Eric finally told you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSafe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat depends which year you\u2019re asking about.\u201d<\/p>\n
I glanced at Eric.<\/p>\n
His jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo meet my brother\u2019s wife.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou had thirty-seven years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret made sure that didn\u2019t happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret is dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m aware.\u201d<\/p>\n
His calmness irritated me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen stop speaking as though he\u2019s preventing you from picking up a telephone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Then Michael laughed again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand why he married you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not interested in your approval.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. You never were, apparently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have never met.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I heard about you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom Margaret?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce.\u201d<\/p>\n
That hurt more than it should have.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat you were the one part of his life he wouldn\u2019t let me touch.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words silenced me.<\/p>\n
Michael continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe meant it as an insult.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t know him when he was young.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you didn\u2019t know him for the last thirty-seven years.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time, his tone sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think marriage erased everything before you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I think loving someone means accepting that parts of them existed before you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVery philosophical.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Very tired.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the oak tree through the windows.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me what you have.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe original corporate book.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat agreement?\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael heard him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello, Eric.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMichael.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve aged.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo have you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStill cleaning up Bennett family mistakes?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric\u2019s expression hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat agreement?\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael ignored him.<\/p>\n
\u201cBetty, Margaret signed something twelve years ago that you need to see.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAn ownership transfer?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMeet me and find out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll send instructions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
That surprised him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve had eleven years to decide whether to behave like an adult. I\u2019m not driving around following clues.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you\u2019ll never see the document.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it affects ownership of Westside, file it in court.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Eric looked at me.<\/p>\n
I continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it\u2019s legitimate, you don\u2019t need secrecy. If it\u2019s fraudulent, I\u2019m not interested.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sound very confident.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m learning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou might want to learn faster.\u201d<\/p>\n
The line disconnected.<\/p>\n
Marcus exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou realize he wanted you frightened.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid it work?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
That surprised him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just don\u2019t intend to obey fear anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric looked toward the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret would have liked that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret could have saved me trouble by telling me he had a brother.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric accepted the rebuke.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Three hours passed before Michael contacted us again.<\/p>\n
This time he sent an email.<\/p>\n
Attached was one photograph.<\/p>\n
A single page lying beside a ruler and that morning\u2019s newspaper.<\/p>\n
Eric enlarged it.<\/p>\n
I recognized Margaret\u2019s signature.<\/p>\n
Michael\u2019s signature appeared below it.<\/p>\n
The heading read:<\/p>\n
MEMBERSHIP INTEREST OPTION AND CONTINGENT ASSIGNMENT.<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric read silently.<\/p>\n
Then again.<\/p>\n
\u201cEric.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not what Victoria claimed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt appears Margaret granted Michael an option to acquire twenty-five percent of Elizabeth Bennett Holdings.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart sank.<\/p>\n
Steven, who had returned, stood behind us.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes that mean Uncle Michael owns part of Mom\u2019s company?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric pointed to a clause.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe option required payment of one million dollars by a specified date.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he pay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen was the deadline?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwelve years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Michael\u2019s signature.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he paid, what happens?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen Margaret may have been obligated to issue the interest.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich conditions?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe photograph cuts off the second page.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course it did.<\/p>\n
Steven rubbed his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis family really loves incomplete documents.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost told him not to joke.<\/p>\n
Then I realized he was right.<\/p>\n
\u201cCould the seventy-five-thousand-dollar payment matter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot as exercise of a one-million-dollar option.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo why create it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo suggest later recognition of some financial relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus leaned closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cOr to support a settlement narrative.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Michael claims the option was exercised improperly and Betty later paid him, he can argue she was acknowledging an unresolved obligation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
My phone rang again.<\/p>\n
Michael.<\/p>\n
I answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve seen it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne page.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe important page.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. The convenient page.\u201d<\/p>\n
He chuckled.<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret said you were difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou keep telling me things my husband supposedly said when I can no longer ask him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the advantage of surviving.\u201d<\/p>\n
I disliked him more with every sentence.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you pay the million dollars?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cProve it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why didn\u2019t you claim your interest twelve years ago?\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael\u2019s voice changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Margaret gave the money back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe changed his mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not how executed options work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo what happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael was silent.<\/p>\n
Then he said, \u201cVictoria happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went still.<\/p>\n
I gripped the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cExplain.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe learned I was helping Margaret.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Westside?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe offered you more money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe threatened me.\u201d<\/p>\n
That surprised me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy past.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus began taking notes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat past?\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael ignored him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had financial problems. Some legal exposure. Margaret knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you steal from your father?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Eric told you that too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
No excuse.<\/p>\n
The answer reminded me unexpectedly of Steven.<\/p>\n
Michael continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was young. Stupid. Angry. Our father forgave Margaret for things he punished me for.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat things?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing the favorite.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t something Margaret did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sound like him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cVictoria knew about an old transaction that could have put me in prison. She told me to walk away from Westside.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou abandoned your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Again, no excuse.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen eleven years later you helped Victoria.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I needed money.\u201d<\/p>\n
The honesty was almost more offensive than denial.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree hundred thousand over several years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor Margaret\u2019s files?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor information.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou gave her the corporate book?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why do you have it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Margaret gave it to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat makes no sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSecond page,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSend it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we\u2019re finished.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBetty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSend the second page or stop calling.\u201d<\/p>\n
I disconnected.<\/p>\n
Steven stared at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou really do that now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHang up on people who manipulate you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m developing the habit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Twenty minutes later, the second page arrived.<\/p>\n
Eric read it.<\/p>\n
Then sat down.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe option was conditional.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOn what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMichael\u2019s interest could only vest if Margaret completed the Westside purchase.\u201d<\/p>\n
I understood immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Michael never acquired anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCorrect.\u201d<\/p>\n
Steven exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why are we still worried?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric pointed lower.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause there\u2019s a handwritten amendment.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUpon Margaret\u2019s death, if Elizabeth Bennett Holdings later acquires Westside, Michael may renew the option within ninety days after receiving written notice of the acquisition.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid we notify Michael when I bought Westside?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid I know I was supposed to?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow is that possible?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe amendment wasn\u2019t in my copy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael had the original.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it valid?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric examined the photograph.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt looks signed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy Margaret?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Michael?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWitnessed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
He zoomed in.<\/p>\n
Then his face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cRachel Dunn.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe worked for you then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe had just started.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everything circled back to Rachel.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does this mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf valid, Michael could argue the ninety-day exercise period never began because he never received notice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo he could exercise it now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe original one million.\u201d<\/p>\n
Steven stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor twenty-five percent of a company that owns a ten-million-dollar estate?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt sick.<\/p>\n
Margaret had created the very vulnerability he later warned me against.<\/p>\n
Perhaps unknowingly.<\/p>\n
Perhaps trusting his brother.<\/p>\n
Perhaps intending to repair something before illness changed everything.<\/p>\n
\u201cWould Michael win?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric answered carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was the worst answer lawyers give.<\/p>\n
The doorbell rang.<\/p>\n
Marcus looked at his phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one was scheduled.\u201d<\/p>\n
Police still maintained periodic presence at Westside, so an officer checked first.<\/p>\n
Minutes later he entered the library.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a man outside asking for Mrs. Bennett.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cName?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMichael Bennett.\u201d<\/p>\n
Every person in the room stood.<\/p>\n
I walked into the foyer.<\/p>\n
Through the glass, I saw him.<\/p>\n
Seventy-eight.<\/p>\n
Tall despite a slight stoop.<\/p>\n
Gray hair.<\/p>\n
Dark coat.<\/p>\n
Leather document case in one hand.<\/p>\n
For one impossible second, I saw Margaret.<\/p>\n
Not his face exactly.<\/p>\n
Something around the eyes.<\/p>\n
A familiar way of standing.<\/p>\n
It hurt.<\/p>\n
Michael saw me through the door.<\/p>\n
Neither of us moved.<\/p>\n
Then I opened it.<\/p>\n
\u201cBetty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMichael.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked past me toward the house.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you bought it after all.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n
He swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret would have liked that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t get to use him to make me trust you.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes returned to mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cFair.\u201d<\/p>\n
He lifted the case.<\/p>\n
\u201cI brought the originals.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Victoria lied to me too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t make you innocent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy come now?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked toward the oak tree.<\/p>\n
Then back at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I\u2019m dying.\u201d<\/p>\n
The anger inside me did not disappear.<\/p>\n
But it changed shape.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMonths.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes Victoria know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause there\u2019s no point winning twenty-five percent of a house I helped poison.\u201d<\/p>\n
He held out the document case.<\/p>\n
I did not take it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo correct one thing before I go.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich thing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe amendment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric stepped into the foyer.<\/p>\n
Michael looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was never meant to survive Margaret.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt says otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRead the third page.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sent two.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
He opened the case.<\/p>\n
There was a third page.<\/p>\n
Eric took it.<\/p>\n
His eyes moved rapidly.<\/p>\n
Then stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at Michael.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou had this the entire time?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d I demanded.<\/p>\n
Eric handed it to me.<\/p>\n
The language was dense.<\/p>\n
He pointed to one paragraph.<\/p>\n
If Margaret Bennett dies before acquisition of Westside, all contingent rights granted herein terminate unless Michael Bennett personally contributes no less than one million dollars toward acquisition by Betty Bennett or Steven Bennett.<\/p>\n
I looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy option died with Margaret.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen Victoria knew this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou gave her the other pages.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCopies of the first two.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou deliberately withheld the third?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first, leverage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd later?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInsurance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAgainst whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVictoria.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at the house.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe thought she owned me because she knew what I\u2019d done.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt no sympathy.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou still helped her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou helped her watch me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou helped her target Steven.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew Amanda was being manipulated.\u201d<\/p>\n
His silence answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wanted to slap him.<\/p>\n
Instead I asked, \u201cWhy should I believe anything you say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
That stopped me.<\/p>\n
Michael put the case on the foyer table.<\/p>\n
\u201cBelieve documents. Believe bank records. Believe whatever investigators verify.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stepped backward.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m done asking anyone in this family to trust me.\u201d<\/p>\n
He turned toward the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cMichael.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is one thing I want from you.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked back.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last part.\u201d<\/p>\n
His face changed.<\/p>\n
The words from his note hung between us.<\/p>\n
Margaret never told you the last part.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael looked suddenly older.<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk Eric about the night Margaret withdrew from Westside.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned toward Eric.<\/p>\n
His face had gone pale again.<\/p>\n
Michael opened the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped after him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou came here to tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI came here to give you the documents.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the last part?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat belongs to Eric.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then he walked away.<\/p>\n
I closed the door slowly.<\/p>\n
When I turned, Eric was still standing beside the staircase.<\/p>\n
Steven looked between us.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened the night Dad withdrew?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric did not answer.<\/p>\n
I walked toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo more secrets.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at Margaret\u2019s old corporate book.<\/p>\n
Then at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour husband didn\u2019t withdraw from Westside because of Victoria\u2019s threat.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe withdrew because of what he did after she threatened Michael.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Margaret do?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric\u2019s voice dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe went to confront her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe came home covered in blood.\u201d<\/p>\n
The private airfield was twenty-three miles from Westside, but by the time Marcus and I reached it, Michael Bennett was gone. His car remained near the eastern hangar. The leather … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9917,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9930","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\/9930","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=9930"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9930\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9950,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9930\/revisions\/9950"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}