I saw Brooke two days later.<\/p>\n
Not because I had decided to forgive her.<\/p>\n
Not because Mercer thought it would help the investigation.<\/p>\n
Because she requested the meeting through her attorney, and after twenty-four hours of refusing, I realized I needed to hear certain things from her directly.<\/p>\n
The interview room contained a metal table and four chairs.<\/p>\n
Brooke was already seated when I entered.<\/p>\n
She looked smaller than I remembered.<\/p>\n
Not physically.<\/p>\n
Some people fill rooms through expectation. Brooke had always done that. Everyone watched her mood, anticipated her reactions, adjusted themselves around her.<\/p>\n
Now nobody was adjusting.<\/p>\n
Her wrists weren't cuffed.<\/p>\n
Her attorney sat beside her.<\/p>\n
Mercer remained near the door.<\/p>\n
I took the chair opposite.<\/p>\n
Brooke looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cHi.\u201d<\/p>\n
I didn't answer.<\/p>\n
She swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you for coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me about Aaron.\u201d<\/p>\n
No greeting.<\/p>\n
No family history.<\/p>\n
No apology.<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI met him at a bar.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSix years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore Holt Ridge officially launched?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA few months before.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt my jaw tighten.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas that coincidence?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year.\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cStart at the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooke looked at her hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was gambling.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cToo much.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNumbers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her attorney shifted.<\/p>\n
Brooke answered anyway.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout forty thousand in debt when I met Aaron.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom said twenty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey knew about twenty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had credit cards too. Payday loans. Money I borrowed from friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Aaron knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he tell you he did?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNetwork security.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat part was true.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you trust him?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me with an expression I couldn't immediately read.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he never treated me like I was a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer hurt in a place I didn't want touched.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe listened. He didn't lecture me. When I told him about the debt, he said it was fixable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe paid five thousand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Lawson\u2019s money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you ask?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConvenient.\u201d<\/p>\n
She flinched.<\/p>\n
I didn't apologize.<\/p>\n
Brooke continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cAaron started asking about the family.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of questions?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat Mom and Dad did. Whether they owned their house. What you were doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMe specifically?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did Holt Ridge come up?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEarly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow early?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe the second week.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that didn't seem strange?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou talked about Holt Ridge constantly.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost objected.<\/p>\n
Then remembered Daniel saying the same thing.<\/p>\n
In those days I told everyone.<\/p>\n
I had no investors, no reputation, barely enough money.<\/p>\n
Talking about the company made it feel real.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you tell Aaron?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything I knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot much.\u201d<\/p>\n
She gave a humorless laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou never told me much.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was true.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I listened.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom and Dad. You. People at holidays.\u201d<\/p>\n
My skin crawled.<\/p>\n
Every casual family conversation had become intelligence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Aaron want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first he said he was interested because you were ambitious.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you believed that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did he introduce Lawson?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout eight months later.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was after Holt Ridge purchased Hanover Street.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Lawson say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat he worked in finance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he mention his mother?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHanover Street?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo when did you learn the connection?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMuch later.\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened after dinner?\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooke rubbed her thumb against the table edge.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard offered to help with my debt.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said Aaron told him I was smart.\u201d<\/p>\n
I couldn't hide my reaction.<\/p>\n
Brooke noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice hardened briefly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know how stupid it sounds now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he ask in return?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing at first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat wasn't nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was the first thing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA copy of one of your company brochures.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said he was interested in investing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour business card.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInformation about your first project.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom and Dad\u2019s signatures.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did he ask for those?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn't.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAaron did?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said he was testing identity verification software.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you believed him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you stop believing?\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooke went quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrooke.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably before I admitted it.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was the first answer she gave that sounded completely honest.<\/p>\n
She continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cAaron would ask for things. Tax documents. Old mail. Account numbers. Nothing felt huge by itself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUntil it did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Richard showed me the first loan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDad\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
My hands tightened beneath the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat loan?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA personal credit line. Eight thousand dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad had never mentioned it.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Dad know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to the money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt paid my debt.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou let them steal from Dad to pay your gambling debt.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooke\u2019s eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon't cry.\u201d<\/p>\n
She wiped them immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't care right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
Mercer watched silently.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened next?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told Aaron I wanted out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe showed me the documents with my signature.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat documents?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApplications. Transfers. Fake IDs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThings you actually signed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThings he forged?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo he could make you responsible for everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you stayed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long were you actually dating him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlmost two years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long were you working with him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUntil Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n
The distinction was important.<\/p>\n
Their romantic relationship ended three years ago.<\/p>\n
The criminal relationship continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Lawson want from Holt Ridge?\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooke looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first I thought money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd later?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRevenge.\u201d<\/p>\n
I said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe hated you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn't know me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe thought he did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooke leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard talked about Hanover Street constantly. He said his mother was confused when she sold. He said Samuel manipulated her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSamuel had power of attorney.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said I cheated her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said you took advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was twenty-six years old buying a collapsing duplex.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou keep saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I know now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her attorney touched her arm.<\/p>\n
Brooke shook him off gently.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe watched Holt Ridge grow using money from the back parcel.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did he know where the money went?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe followed everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPublic records?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOther things?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAaron.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt sick.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard believed every project you built after Hanover Street belonged partly to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is insane.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Aaron believe it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't think Aaron cared.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Aaron want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMoney.\u201d<\/p>\n
That made sense.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooke's face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo stop being the failure.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer irritated me because some part of it made sense.<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were always the one who had things figured out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I wasn't.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo me you were.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI worked constantly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could have too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could have asked me for help.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes met mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't want your help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause then you'd know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKnow what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat I wasn't who Mom and Dad thought I was.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrooke, they spent our entire lives rescuing you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot from that.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey thought I was scattered. Emotional. Bad with money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey didn't know I lied to them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey know now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went quiet.<\/p>\n
I asked about the letters.<\/p>\n
That was the question I had been avoiding.<\/p>\n
Brooke closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you start taking them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCollege.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Mom wrote you after graduation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn't answer why.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooke stared at the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe cried while she wrote it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe kept saying how proud she was.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was sitting right there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice became quieter.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had dropped two classes and lied about it. I owed money. My boyfriend had just dumped me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The picture formed.<\/p>\n
Mom writing about me.<\/p>\n
Brooke feeling diminished.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you took the letter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd told her you mailed it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat worked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd after that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt got easier.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach turned.<\/p>\n
She intercepted birthday cards.<\/p>\n
Letters.<\/p>\n
One package.<\/p>\n
Deleted voicemails when she had access to my phone.<\/p>\n
Told Mom I was too busy.<\/p>\n
Told Dad I didn't like sentimental messages.<\/p>\n
Told me they were occupied with her.<\/p>\n
Not constantly.<\/p>\n
That was what made it effective.<\/p>\n
A few missing pieces each year.<\/p>\n
Enough to alter the picture.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you tell them Holt Ridge was failing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo keep Mom and Dad from asking you about money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fake loans.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
If my parents believed I was financially unstable, fraudulent debts became plausible.<\/p>\n
Brooke had taken an old family pattern and turned it into financial camouflage.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Richard tell you to make them miss Christmas?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAaron did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wanted the house empty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the documents?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I was hosting people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told Mom I might be away.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAaron told me to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn't you check?\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooke gave me a miserable look.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause we barely talked.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another consequence of the distance she had created herself.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you drove by and saw everyone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI called Aaron.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe heard the recording.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't go inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou photographed me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI left.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho entered later?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBrooke.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI really don't.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about the greenhouse code?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI gave it to Aaron.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMonths ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did you get it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis old Vantage records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Aaron could have entered.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you took the property folder.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came back Christmas morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou entered my house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe code still worked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou went into my office.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou stole the originals.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I knew Aaron wanted them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you stole them first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd put them in storage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
She laughed once, bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was I supposed to say? Merry Christmas, I've been helping people steal from you for six years, but good news, I stole your documents before they could?\u201d<\/p>\n
I didn't smile.<\/p>\n
Neither did she.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy the anonymous envelope?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat wasn't me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first one?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe note in my office?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCarla\u2019s handwriting?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Mercer.<\/p>\n
He was already taking notes.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Aaron?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLawson?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo somebody else was in my house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you went Christmas morning, was the envelope already there?\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooke frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat envelope?\u201d<\/p>\n
I believed her.<\/p>\n
That was the disturbing part.<\/p>\n
Mercer stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrooke, who else knew the greenhouse code?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAaron.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLawson?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone else?\u201d<\/p>\n
She hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmily.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lawson\u2019s assistant.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would Emily know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe handled contractor invoices sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer wrote the name.<\/p>\n
Then Brooke said, \u201cThere\u2019s someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Every muscle in my body tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAaron called him David.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLast name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never heard one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did David do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you meet him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout four years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard\u2019s office.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he look like?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOlder. Maybe sixty. Gray hair. Expensive clothes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not useful.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did they discuss?\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooke stared at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid asked whether you still signed every acquisition personally.\u201d<\/p>\n
My skin prickled.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing. Aaron answered.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat you did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer asked, \u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooke nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid said they shouldn't move until you had something worth taking.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt cold.<\/p>\n
Henderson.<\/p>\n
They had waited.<\/p>\n
Not because the scheme was unfinished.<\/p>\n
Because Holt Ridge had not yet become valuable enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is David?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Richard seem to work for him?\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooke thought.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAaron?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked frightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey treated him like a partner.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer asked whether she could identify him from photographs.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He left to arrange it.<\/p>\n
I stood.<\/p>\n
Brooke looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cMiranda.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know saying sorry doesn't matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I moved toward the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere's one more thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
She swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard wasn't angry only about Hanover Street.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just said\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told Aaron once that your father knew what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened with what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Dad know Richard?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard said he did.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father had never mentioned that.<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly what did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooke searched her memory.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said, \u2018Thomas Hale remembers more than he admits.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse slowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLast summer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you ask Dad?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Richard told me not to.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at my sister.<\/p>\n
For six years she had followed instructions because every lie made the next one easier.<\/p>\n
Now one of those lies pointed somewhere I hadn't expected.<\/p>\n
My father.<\/p>\n
I left the interview room and called him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Brooke okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know. Your mother told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to ask you something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know Richard Lawson?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Not confusion.<\/p>\n
Recognition.<\/p>\n
My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad.\u201d<\/p>\n
His answer came slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cI worked for his father.\u201d<\/p>\n
I saw Brooke two days later. Not because I had decided to forgive her. Not because Mercer thought it would help the investigation. Because she requested the meeting through her … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14079,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feel-every-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14091","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14091"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14091\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14139,"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14091\/revisions\/14139"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}