Daniel held the envelope above his shoulder while Robert kept the gun trained on him.<\/p>\n
From inside Mercer\u2019s SUV, the distance between them looked small enough to cross in seconds and impossibly wide at the same time. Quarry lights from the deputies\u2019 vehicles cast broken shadows across the limestone walls. Cottonwood leaves stirred above the blue sedan.<\/p>\n
June pressed both palms against the dashboard.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad, don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert could not hear her.<\/p>\n
Mercer spoke into his radio.<\/p>\n
\u201cHold positions. Nobody fires unless the hostage is in immediate danger.\u201d<\/p>\n
June turned sharply.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis name is Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen use it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded once and raised the loudspeaker.<\/p>\n
\u201cRobert Parker, put the weapon down and step away from Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert pulled Daniel closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice echoed from the quarry wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t understand what he has.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel answered him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know what I have.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert jerked the gun toward the envelope.<\/p>\n
\u201cOpen it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOpen it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou dragged me halfway across two states because you thought my mother left me evidence. You threatened me. You lied about who you were. Now you want me to open the only thing Harold Parker ever sent me?\u201d<\/p>\n
June whispered, \u201cHe didn\u2019t know Grandpa?\u201d<\/p>\n
Apparently not.<\/p>\n
Robert shoved Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cOpen it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked toward the police vehicles.<\/p>\n
Then, slowly, he slid one finger beneath the flap.<\/p>\n
June\u2019s breath caught.<\/p>\n
Mercer spoke quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel, keep your hands visible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel removed several folded sheets and a small photograph.<\/p>\n
Robert immediately reached for them.<\/p>\n
Daniel stepped back.<\/p>\n
\u201cRead it,\u201d Robert ordered.<\/p>\n
Daniel unfolded the first page.<\/p>\n
Even across the quarry, June could see his expression change.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d Robert demanded.<\/p>\n
Daniel looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt says he was sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor not finding me sooner.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cKeep reading.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel did.<\/p>\n
Harold\u2019s letter explained that he had learned of Daniel\u2019s existence years after his birth. Rebecca had begged Harold not to contact the boy while Robert remained capable of finding him through family connections.<\/p>\n
Harold had honored that request.<\/p>\n
He regretted it.<\/p>\n
Daniel stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cKnew what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat I existed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew enough to search for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was recent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou introduced yourself as someone who knew my grandmother.\u201d<\/p>\n
June looked at Mercer.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe lied to Daniel about who he was.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer nodded.<\/p>\n
Robert shouted, \u201cThat doesn\u2019t matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked down at the letter again.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt matters to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
He continued reading.<\/p>\n
Harold wrote that Rebecca had eventually told Daniel part of the truth, but she deliberately withheld Robert\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n
June frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel didn\u2019t know Dad was his father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently not,\u201d Mercer said.<\/p>\n
Robert had not merely found a witness.<\/p>\n
He had approached his own son without admitting who he was.<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s voice became quieter as he read.<\/p>\n
Harold said Rebecca had spent years afraid that Robert would discover what Sarah collected before her death.<\/p>\n
That evidence had not disappeared.<\/p>\n
Sarah had created copies.<\/p>\n
One went to Harold.<\/p>\n
One went to Rebecca.<\/p>\n
A third was placed somewhere Robert could not reach.<\/p>\n
Robert stepped toward Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently that\u2019s what you\u2019ve been trying to find.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re lying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t even know your real name yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert lifted the gun.<\/p>\n
June reached for the door again.<\/p>\n
Mercer caught her arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cJune.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he shoots him\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have people in position.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know my father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNeither do you right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words hurt.<\/p>\n
June knew it.<\/p>\n
She stopped fighting the lock.<\/p>\n
Daniel unfolded another page.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis one isn\u2019t from Harold.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert\u2019s posture changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared at the handwriting.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
June leaned forward.<\/p>\n
Rebecca had placed a letter inside Grandpa\u2019s envelope.<\/p>\n
Daniel read silently at first.<\/p>\n
Then he looked at Robert.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knew you\u2019d come.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wrote this six years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGive it to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time, Robert used his name like a father might.<\/p>\n
Daniel noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you do know who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
Daniel returned to the letter.<\/p>\n
Rebecca told her son that if Robert Parker ever appeared in his life, Daniel should not trust any story that began with Harold stealing property or Sarah being unstable.<\/p>\n
June shut her eyes.<\/p>\n
Rebecca had anticipated Robert\u2019s defenses years earlier.<\/p>\n
Daniel continued.<\/p>\n
Sarah had been afraid after recording Robert\u2019s threat.<\/p>\n
She had arranged to meet Harold.<\/p>\n
Before that meeting occurred, Robert contacted her and demanded the evidence.<\/p>\n
Sarah agreed to meet him at the quarry because she believed a public confrontation would finally force him to stop.<\/p>\n
It had not been public.<\/p>\n
Robert looked toward the police.<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca wasn\u2019t there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel lowered the letter.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t say she was.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn\u2019t know what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sound worried.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knew nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why are you holding a gun?\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert\u2019s hand trembled.<\/p>\n
June saw it.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad!\u201d<\/p>\n
This time she screamed through the slightly lowered window.<\/p>\n
Robert turned.<\/p>\n
His face changed when he saw her.<\/p>\n
\u201cJune?\u201d<\/p>\n
She hit the unlock control.<\/p>\n
Mercer had disabled it.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me talk to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe heard me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert called toward the SUV.<\/p>\n
\u201cJune, stay out of this!\u201d<\/p>\n
She shouted back.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou made that impossible twenty-nine years ago!\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert looked stunned.<\/p>\n
Daniel stared between them.<\/p>\n
June pressed closer to the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn\u2019t know, does he?\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert\u2019s face went pale.<\/p>\n
Daniel turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cKnow what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert said, \u201cDon\u2019t listen to her.\u201d<\/p>\n
June shouted louder.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s your father.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stopped moving.<\/p>\n
Even the quarry seemed silent.<\/p>\n
Robert lowered the gun several inches.<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel backed away.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me your name was James.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said you knew my grandmother through business.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI needed to talk to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you invented a person?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI needed to know what Rebecca gave you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s expression twisted.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou spent the entire drive asking about my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert lowered the gun farther.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know how to tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n
June shouted, \u201cHe wasn\u2019t planning to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert looked toward her.<\/p>\n
\u201cShut up!\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer raised the loudspeaker.<\/p>\n
\u201cRobert, drop the weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert lifted it again.<\/p>\n
Daniel flinched.<\/p>\n
Two deputies shifted behind cover.<\/p>\n
Mercer spoke into the radio.<\/p>\n
\u201cHold.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared at Robert.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know about me when I was born?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you find out?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA few weeks ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why did my mother spend my whole life afraid you would?\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert did not answer.<\/p>\n
Daniel unfolded Rebecca\u2019s letter again.<\/p>\n
His hands shook.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe says you took June from her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert shouted, \u201cThat\u2019s not what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe says you threatened her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was unstable.\u201d<\/p>\n
June struck the dashboard.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel heard her.<\/p>\n
Rebecca\u2019s warning had predicted the exact words.<\/p>\n
He looked at Robert with something close to disgust.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were going to say she was unstable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert\u2019s confidence cracked.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe left you both.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe left because of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know what our relationship was.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Because you made sure neither of your children did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert looked from Daniel to June.<\/p>\n
For one strange second, he seemed less like a criminal holding a gun and more like a man realizing the stories he had told separately could no longer survive in the same room.<\/p>\n
Daniel resumed reading.<\/p>\n
Rebecca wrote that Sarah had called her after meeting Robert at the quarry.<\/p>\n
June stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe called after?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer heard it too.<\/p>\n
That changed everything.<\/p>\n
Sarah had survived the quarry meeting.<\/p>\n
Daniel read aloud more carefully.<\/p>\n
Sarah told Rebecca that Robert had tried to take the documents. They argued. He grabbed her bag. Sarah escaped in her car.<\/p>\n
Robert followed.<\/p>\n
The gun in his hand dropped another inch.<\/p>\n
Daniel looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou followed her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother says Sarah called while driving.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said a blue Buick was behind her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert backed away.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat proves nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe gave Rebecca the license plate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert stopped.<\/p>\n
Mercer\u2019s eyes sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel, is the plate written there?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel checked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRead it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert raised the gun.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deputies immediately aimed.<\/p>\n
Mercer shouted, \u201cRobert!\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel froze.<\/p>\n
Robert\u2019s arm shook violently.<\/p>\n
\u201cGive me the letter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am not asking again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked toward the quarry drop behind him.<\/p>\n
There was nowhere safe to go.<\/p>\n
June whispered, \u201cPlease.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer lowered his voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cRobert, your daughter is watching you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert looked toward the SUV.<\/p>\n
June pressed her hand against the glass.<\/p>\n
For the first time that night, Robert looked ashamed.<\/p>\n
Mercer continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever happened twenty-two years ago, you do not change it by creating another victim tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
Daniel took one small step sideways.<\/p>\n
Robert noticed.<\/p>\n
The gun snapped back toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cStop.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stopped.<\/p>\n
Then headlights appeared on the quarry road.<\/p>\n
A vehicle approached too quickly.<\/p>\n
Mercer turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho the hell is that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Deputies swung their attention toward the road.<\/p>\n
A dark pickup broke through the outer perimeter before skidding sideways.<\/p>\n
Someone jumped from the driver\u2019s seat.<\/p>\n
June recognized him.<\/p>\n
\u201cMark?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark ran toward the quarry.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom found something!\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer swore.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet him back!\u201d<\/p>\n
The distraction lasted perhaps three seconds.<\/p>\n
It was enough.<\/p>\n
Daniel swung the envelope into Robert\u2019s gun hand.<\/p>\n
The weapon fired.<\/p>\n
June screamed.<\/p>\n
The shot struck limestone.<\/p>\n
Daniel tackled Robert.<\/p>\n
Deputies rushed forward.<\/p>\n
Robert and Daniel crashed into the gravel.<\/p>\n
The gun slid several feet.<\/p>\n
Robert reached for it.<\/p>\n
Daniel caught his jacket.<\/p>\n
A deputy kicked the weapon away.<\/p>\n
Three officers pinned Robert to the ground.<\/p>\n
\u201cHands! Show your hands!\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert struggled once.<\/p>\n
Then stopped.<\/p>\n
Daniel rolled onto his back.<\/p>\n
June was out of the SUV before Mercer could prevent it.<\/p>\n
She ran.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel!\u201d<\/p>\n
He sat up.<\/p>\n
There was blood on his cheek.<\/p>\n
She dropped beside him.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you shot?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re bleeding.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRock.\u201d<\/p>\n
He touched the cut and looked at her.<\/p>\n
For several seconds neither knew what to say.<\/p>\n
June finally whispered, \u201cI\u2019m June.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel laughed once, dazed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI figured.\u201d<\/p>\n
She started crying.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of this.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked toward Robert being handcuffed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deputies pulled Robert upright.<\/p>\n
His eyes found June.<\/p>\n
\u201cJune, listen to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand more than you wanted me to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSarah\u2019s accident wasn\u2019t what they think.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen tell Mercer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca lied.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel held up the letter.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom predicted you\u2019d say that too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stepped beside June.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew her for twenty-six years.\u201d<\/p>\n
June turned sharply.<\/p>\n
\u201cKnew?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou thought she was alive?\u201d<\/p>\n
June\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIsn\u2019t she?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel lowered his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word struck her.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother died eight months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
June stared.<\/p>\n
Vernon had said Rebecca was alive.<\/p>\n
Apparently Grandpa had not updated everyone\u2014or had deliberately kept her death private.<\/p>\n
Daniel continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cCancer.\u201d<\/p>\n
June looked down.<\/p>\n
The mother she had discovered only hours earlier had already been gone for eight months.<\/p>\n
There would be no first telephone call.<\/p>\n
No awkward meeting.<\/p>\n
No chance to ask why she stayed away.<\/p>\n
Robert watched her absorb it.<\/p>\n
\u201cJune\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned on him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
He said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew she was dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI found the obituary.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s how you found Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert looked away.<\/p>\n
June understood.<\/p>\n
Rebecca\u2019s death had removed the person Robert feared most.<\/p>\n
Then he had begun searching her surviving family.<\/p>\n
Mercer approached with the recovered gun.<\/p>\n
\u201cRobert Parker, you are being detained pending investigation of multiple offenses. Do not speak unless you choose to do so after being advised of your rights.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert ignored him.<\/p>\n
\u201cJune, there are things about Harold you don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
She almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure there are.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe paid Rebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe controlled her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen her letters.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe bought everyone\u2019s loyalty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExcept mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert stopped.<\/p>\n
June wiped her face.<\/p>\n
\u201cI loved Grandpa when I thought he was a stubborn old man with a failing heart and a cheap coffee habit. I didn\u2019t know about the trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert looked toward the farmhouse direction as though Harold were still somehow responsible.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe turned you against me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou managed that yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer led Robert away.<\/p>\n
Mark finally reached them under escort.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry. Carol found this in her purse.\u201d<\/p>\n
He held out a small folded sheet.<\/p>\n
Mercer took it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe says Robert gave it to her at the funeral.\u201d<\/p>\n
June stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told her it was an old property document and asked her to keep it until he called.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer unfolded it.<\/p>\n
His expression changed.<\/p>\n
June stepped closer.<\/p>\n
The top edge was ragged.<\/p>\n
It had been torn from a bound book.<\/p>\n
Grandpa\u2019s black ledger.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe missing page,\u201d June whispered.<\/p>\n
Robert had never possessed it tonight.<\/p>\n
Carol had.<\/p>\n
Mercer read the entries.<\/p>\n
The 1999 payment.<\/p>\n
Calvin Niles.<\/p>\n
Rebecca.<\/p>\n
Sarah.<\/p>\n
Then one final notation from 2004.<\/p>\n
June watched Mercer\u2019s face.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
He handed her the page.<\/p>\n
Grandpa had written:<\/p>\n
SARAH CALLED 11:18 P.M. ROBERT FOLLOWING HER. 11:31 CALL ENDED. 11:46 HIGHWAY PATROL NOTIFIED OF CRASH.<\/p>\n
Below it was another note.<\/p>\n
ROBERT CLAIMED HE WAS HOME. BLUE BUICK DAMAGE NEXT MORNING. I DID NOT GO TO POLICE. I HAVE LIVED WITH THAT FAILURE EVERY DAY.<\/p>\n
June stared.<\/p>\n
Grandpa had known enough to suspect Robert.<\/p>\n
And he had stayed silent.<\/p>\n
Her grief changed shape again.<\/p>\n
Daniel looked over her shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s more.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the bottom, written years later:<\/p>\n
SARAH\u2019S ORIGINAL EVIDENCE IS NOT WITH REBECCA.<\/p>\n
June looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen where?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel unfolded Harold\u2019s envelope.<\/p>\n
A final card remained inside.<\/p>\n
Three words and an address.<\/p>\n
ASK ELLEN NILES.<\/p>\n
Mercer read the name.<\/p>\n
\u201cRelated to Calvin?\u201d<\/p>\n
Vernon, who had just arrived with Carol, answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
June stared at the address.<\/p>\n
Salina.<\/p>\n
Robert had spent decades trying to erase what Sarah knew.<\/p>\n
But Grandpa had preserved the trail.<\/p>\n
And the strongest evidence had apparently been entrusted to the daughter of the very man who helped create the forged adoption documents.<\/p>\n
Daniel held the envelope above his shoulder while Robert kept the gun trained on him. From inside Mercer\u2019s SUV, the distance between them looked small enough to cross in seconds … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1980,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1989","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\/1989","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=1989"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1989\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2009,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1989\/revisions\/2009"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}