{"id":15013,"date":"2026-10-06T18:30:38","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T18:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/?p=15013"},"modified":"2026-10-06T18:30:38","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T18:30:38","slug":"part-15-nathans-dead-sister-explained-his-hatred-of-mercer-but-the-old-project-file-revealed-davids-father-had-started-the-damage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/?p=15013","title":{"rendered":"PART 15 \u2013 Nathan\u2019s Dead Sister Explained His Hatred of Mercer, but the Old Project File Revealed David\u2019s Father Had Started the Damage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>David\u2019s father had been dead for nine years.<\/p>\n<p>Until we opened the old project records, I had thought that meant he could no longer complicate our lives.<\/p>\n<p>I was wrong.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas Mercer had founded the company that eventually became Mercer Development.<\/p>\n<p>David inherited control after Thomas suffered a stroke, then rebuilt the business under a new name and expanded it aggressively.<\/p>\n<p>I had met Thomas only a handful of times before his health failed.<\/p>\n<p>He was formal.<\/p>\n<p>Sharp.<\/p>\n<p>The kind of man who answered emotional questions with practical advice.<\/p>\n<p>David spent years trying not to resemble him and somehow learned many of the same habits.<\/p>\n<p>The Laura Bell file began with a project called Canyon Vista.<\/p>\n<p>Twelve years before our divorce.<\/p>\n<p>A mixed-use development outside Phoenix.<\/p>\n<p>Mercer\u2019s predecessor company served as lead developer.<\/p>\n<p>Laura Bell worked as accounting manager for Sierra Framing, one of the project subcontractors.<\/p>\n<p>The dispute concerned change orders.<\/p>\n<p>Sierra claimed Mercer owed $412,000.<\/p>\n<p>Mercer claimed the work had been defective and delayed.<\/p>\n<p>Payments stopped.<\/p>\n<p>Sierra borrowed to make payroll.<\/p>\n<p>Then borrowed again.<\/p>\n<p>Three months later, it collapsed.<\/p>\n<p>Nathan\u2019s sister lost her savings because she had guaranteed part of the company\u2019s credit line for its owner, a man she was engaged to marry.<\/p>\n<p>When Sierra failed, so did her financial life.<\/p>\n<p>The engagement ended.<\/p>\n<p>She filed bankruptcy.<\/p>\n<p>Months later, she died by suicide.<\/p>\n<p>None of that automatically made Mercer legally responsible.<\/p>\n<p>But one document made David sit very still.<\/p>\n<p>An internal memo from Thomas Mercer.<\/p>\n<p>Hold Sierra payment until they break. We can settle for half once bank pressure hits.<\/p>\n<p>I read the line twice.<\/p>\n<p>David stared at it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father wrote that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes,\u201d Jessica said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve never seen it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The memo continued.<\/p>\n<p>Do not approve change orders yet. They need cash more than we need speed.<\/p>\n<p>Predatory.<\/p>\n<p>Deliberate.<\/p>\n<p>Not a dispute.<\/p>\n<p>Pressure.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened afterward?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus had reconstructed it.<\/p>\n<p>Sierra accepted a settlement for less than half the disputed amount.<\/p>\n<p>Too late to survive.<\/p>\n<p>Mercer completed the project using another subcontractor.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas\u2019s company saved money.<\/p>\n<p>Sierra disappeared.<\/p>\n<p>Laura Bell\u2019s life unraveled.<\/p>\n<p>David looked sick.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNathan knew.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cObviously,\u201d Marcus said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy didn\u2019t he sue?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was twenty-four. The statute ran years ago. And proving causation for his sister\u2019s death would have been extraordinarily difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo he waited.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I thought of the note.<\/p>\n<p>I finally got inside the house that destroyed you.<\/p>\n<p>Nathan had spent years turning grief into strategy.<\/p>\n<p>That explained him.<\/p>\n<p>It did not excuse him.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica asked David whether he knew Thomas used those tactics elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father was aggressive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat isn\u2019t an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David rubbed his face.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI knew he squeezed contractors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you do the same after taking over?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNever?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot like this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus opened another file.<\/p>\n<p>Apparently Thomas had used similar tactics repeatedly.<\/p>\n<p>Delay payments.<\/p>\n<p>Challenge invoices.<\/p>\n<p>Exploit lender deadlines.<\/p>\n<p>Force discounts.<\/p>\n<p>Everything Nathan later did to David looked eerily familiar.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe copied your father,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p>David looked at the documents.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you ever tell Nathan stories about Thomas?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhich ones?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David thought.<\/p>\n<p>Years earlier, during one restructuring dinner, he had told Nathan that his father believed every business relationship reduced to leverage.<\/p>\n<p>Who needs whom more?<\/p>\n<p>Who can wait longer?<\/p>\n<p>Who has more to lose?<\/p>\n<p>Nathan had listened.<\/p>\n<p>Then used the philosophy against Thomas Mercer\u2019s son.<\/p>\n<p>The symmetry was almost too neat.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica said, \u201cRevenge explains why he targeted Mercer. It does not explain Sedona.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOr your insurance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOr Eric.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pain might begin a story.<\/p>\n<p>It did not justify every chapter that followed.<\/p>\n<p>The federal investigation widened.<\/p>\n<p>Nathan\u2019s cooperation offer became more complicated because his own records implicated him directly.<\/p>\n<p>Financial fraud.<\/p>\n<p>Possible extortion.<\/p>\n<p>Conspiracy involving falsified documents.<\/p>\n<p>Insurance misrepresentations.<\/p>\n<p>Potential crimes related to medication administered to me.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica refused to predict charges.<\/p>\n<p>I stopped asking.<\/p>\n<p>My life had already spent too long organized around what Nathan might do next.<\/p>\n<p>I began looking for a permanent house.<\/p>\n<p>Not a mansion.<\/p>\n<p>Three bedrooms.<\/p>\n<p>A small backyard.<\/p>\n<p>Close enough that Sam could stay in the same school.<\/p>\n<p>He came with me to view one on a quiet street lined with palo verde trees.<\/p>\n<p>The kitchen was outdated.<\/p>\n<p>The carpet upstairs needed replacement.<\/p>\n<p>The backyard had a lemon tree.<\/p>\n<p>Sam walked straight outside.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan I have a batting net here?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan we paint my room?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan Dad know the address?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The question stopped me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sam looked embarrassed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just meant if he visits.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019ll know where you live.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I crouched.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre you worried about him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He picked at a loose thread on his shirt.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know where he lives now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I had not considered that.<\/p>\n<p>David had moved from Scottsdale after the property transfer because carrying costs became too high.<\/p>\n<p>He was staying in a furnished apartment closer to Mercer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWould you like to see it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sam shrugged.<\/p>\n<p>The hereditary Mercer shrug.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI guess.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I sent David a message.<\/p>\n<p>He answered immediately.<\/p>\n<p>Anytime.<\/p>\n<p>Saturday?<\/p>\n<p>Yes.<\/p>\n<p>I told Sam.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time in days, he looked relieved.<\/p>\n<p>The next morning brought worse news for Mercer Development.<\/p>\n<p>Desert Horizon declared the loan documentation materially defective and reserved all rights.<\/p>\n<p>Another lender demanded updated financials.<\/p>\n<p>Two investors requested an emergency meeting.<\/p>\n<p>David called me.<\/p>\n<p>Not for help.<\/p>\n<p>To tell me before Sam heard from someone else.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe company may not survive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I sat on the edge of my bed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does that mean for employees?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m trying to sell two projects.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWill that make payroll?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor a while.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about bankruptcy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His voice cracked slightly on the word.<\/p>\n<p>I remembered the man who once stood in a glass lobby and said, We did it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHave you told staff?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSenior people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou need to tell everyone before rumors do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He sounded tired enough that I believed him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDavid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t lie to them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot to keep them calm. Not to protect investor confidence. Not because you think you can fix it next week.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That afternoon Mercer called an all-hands meeting.<\/p>\n<p>I did not attend.<\/p>\n<p>But three former colleagues texted me afterward.<\/p>\n<p>David had told employees the company faced serious financial trouble.<\/p>\n<p>He admitted management decisions contributed.<\/p>\n<p>He told them payroll was secure for the next two weeks but not guaranteed beyond that.<\/p>\n<p>He encouraged everyone to consider outside opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>Not inspiring.<\/p>\n<p>Not heroic.<\/p>\n<p>Truthful.<\/p>\n<p>That mattered.<\/p>\n<p>The next break came from an unexpected place.<\/p>\n<p>Laura Bell\u2019s old bankruptcy file.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus found a creditor statement identifying one asset she had listed.<\/p>\n<p>A locked storage unit.<\/p>\n<p>Contents described only as Sierra Framing records.<\/p>\n<p>The unit had been abandoned after her death.<\/p>\n<p>Under state procedure, contents were auctioned.<\/p>\n<p>The buyer was listed.<\/p>\n<p>Nathan Bell.<\/p>\n<p>He had preserved his sister\u2019s records too.<\/p>\n<p>Investigators searched Bell Strategic\u2019s storage.<\/p>\n<p>Among the Sierra files was a copy of the original Canyon Vista ledger.<\/p>\n<p>It showed that Sierra had completed approved work worth almost exactly what Mercer withheld.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas Mercer\u2019s internal strategy was no longer just ugly language.<\/p>\n<p>The accounting supported it.<\/p>\n<p>David read the report.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe destroyed them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour father did,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy company.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis company then.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI inherited it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou also changed it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid I?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The question sounded sincere.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou paid people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He almost smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s a low bar.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe I spent years proving I wasn\u2019t him and still ended up making the same choices.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEnough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I thought about Nathan.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou also became easy to manipulate because you were terrified of failure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat sounds right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd shame made you hide things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour father?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe treated failure like weakness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo did you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We had reached a stage where he stopped defending himself.<\/p>\n<p>Strangely, that made conversation harder.<\/p>\n<p>Anger likes resistance.<\/p>\n<p>Without it, grief takes over.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy did you never tell me about him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI knew the version he showed at dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David looked toward the window.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I was sixteen, he lost a project. He didn\u2019t speak to my mother for three weeks because he thought she would ask questions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat sounds familiar.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen Mercer started failing, I heard his voice constantly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did it say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat if people knew I was weak, everything would disappear.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Nathan know that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen he used your father against you too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe used everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I corrected him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe used what everyone gave him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That mattered.<\/p>\n<p>Nathan had leverage because people handed him secrets.<\/p>\n<p>Fear.<\/p>\n<p>Shame.<\/p>\n<p>Complicity.<\/p>\n<p>He did not invent their weaknesses.<\/p>\n<p>He catalogued them.<\/p>\n<p>The following day investigators confronted Nathan with evidence tying his campaign against Mercer to Laura.<\/p>\n<p>His response surprised them.<\/p>\n<p>He admitted it.<\/p>\n<p>Not Sedona.<\/p>\n<p>Not everything.<\/p>\n<p>But the revenge.<\/p>\n<p>He said he joined Mercer Development\u2019s restructuring orbit intentionally.<\/p>\n<p>He wanted David to experience the same helplessness Laura had felt.<\/p>\n<p>He wanted lenders tightening.<\/p>\n<p>Employees scared.<\/p>\n<p>Properties threatened.<\/p>\n<p>A business collapsing because someone else controlled the timing.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica told me this over lunch.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe claims you were never part of the revenge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s convenient.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe says you became collateral damage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The phrase made me put down my fork.<\/p>\n<p>Collateral damage.<\/p>\n<p>Another financial term applied to a person.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe really said that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes he understand how monstrous that sounds?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked out the restaurant window.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow does he explain Sedona?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe blames Eric.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd the forged consent?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe admits printing the copied signature but claims he believed you had verbally authorized the transaction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s a lie.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan they prove it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDavid\u2019s voicemail helps. So does the hotel report.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about the second drug?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe says Eric acted independently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo investigators believe him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then Jessica handed me a new transcript.<\/p>\n<p>Nathan\u2019s interview.<\/p>\n<p>One section had been flagged.<\/p>\n<p>Investigator: Why did you retain the original falsified consent?<\/p>\n<p>Nathan: Insurance.<\/p>\n<p>Investigator: Explain.<\/p>\n<p>Nathan: It proved the policy representations were connected to fraudulent collateral.<\/p>\n<p>Investigator: Which could void coverage.<\/p>\n<p>Nathan: Potentially.<\/p>\n<p>Investigator: Then why keep it?<\/p>\n<p>Nathan: Because if David tried to blame me, I needed to be able to destroy his insurance recovery.<\/p>\n<p>I stared.<\/p>\n<p>Nathan had preserved evidence not because it protected truth.<\/p>\n<p>Because it gave him the power to invalidate the policy.<\/p>\n<p>Another control point.<\/p>\n<p>Another blade held in reserve.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he ever intend the policy to pay?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe only if it benefited him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was when I finally understood.<\/p>\n<p>Nathan did not need every plan to succeed.<\/p>\n<p>He needed every outcome to give him leverage.<\/p>\n<p>If Mercer survived, he earned fees.<\/p>\n<p>If Mercer collapsed, he controlled debt.<\/p>\n<p>If David divorced me, Nathan gained structural leverage.<\/p>\n<p>If I died, his loan could be repaid.<\/p>\n<p>If the policy became inconvenient, he could expose fraud and destroy coverage.<\/p>\n<p>If David resisted, Nathan had documents.<\/p>\n<p>If Melissa spoke, he had her falsifications.<\/p>\n<p>If Peter spoke, he had approvals.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone existed inside a system where Nathan held something against them.<\/p>\n<p>Except one person.<\/p>\n<p>Sam.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time, that thought frightened me.<\/p>\n<p>Nathan had already written \u201ccustody volatility\u201d in his notes.<\/p>\n<p>He had studied my protective instinct.<\/p>\n<p>He knew Sam was the one leverage point stronger than money.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is Nathan right now?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn federal custody pending further proceedings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan he contact anyone?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThrough counsel, subject to restrictions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSam?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jessica\u2019s expression changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe has no reason to contact Sam.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe had no reason to involve custody either.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She immediately called investigators.<\/p>\n<p>No known attempt had been made to contact Sam.<\/p>\n<p>Still, we tightened everything.<\/p>\n<p>School authorization list.<\/p>\n<p>Pick-up procedures.<\/p>\n<p>Digital privacy.<\/p>\n<p>No public schedules.<\/p>\n<p>I hated that precautions could feel rational without evidence of an immediate threat.<\/p>\n<p>That evening David arrived to take Sam to his apartment.<\/p>\n<p>I told him about Nathan\u2019s notes.<\/p>\n<p>His face hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe put Sam in the file?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIndirectly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat exactly?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClaire: high protective instinct re child. And later, custody volatility.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David looked sick.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was because of me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I hadn\u2019t filed\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe still wrote it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut I proved him right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I did not soften the answer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David looked toward Sam\u2019s room.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll fix the custody filing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou already withdrew it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI mean legally. Permanently. I\u2019ll sign whatever makes clear I won\u2019t use custody as financial leverage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat isn\u2019t something you sign away casually.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen prove it through behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He nodded.<\/p>\n<p>Sam came out wearing sneakers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou ready?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David forced a smile.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They left.<\/p>\n<p>Two hours later, my phone rang.<\/p>\n<p>David.<\/p>\n<p>I answered immediately.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs Sam okay?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The speed of his answer helped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe asked me something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe asked who Laura is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said a man messaged him in his game account.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My blood went cold.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat man?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe doesn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did the message say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David\u2019s voice turned sharp.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2018Ask your dad what happened to Laura Bell.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Every precaution we had discussed had come too late.<\/p>\n<p>Nathan was in custody.<\/p>\n<p>Which meant either he had arranged the message earlier\u2014<\/p>\n<p>or someone else was still acting for him.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/?p=15014\">Click here to continue reading: PART 16: Someone Reached Sam Through a Game Account, and the Digital Trail Led to a Person We Had All Forgotten<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>David\u2019s father had been dead for nine years. Until we opened the old project records, I had thought that meant he could no longer complicate our lives. I was wrong. &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14998,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feel-one-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15013"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15013\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15053,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15013\/revisions\/15053"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}