{"id":1995,"date":"2026-09-11T19:41:34","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T19:41:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/?p=1995"},"modified":"2026-09-11T19:41:34","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T19:41:34","slug":"part-15-thomas-admitted-he-met-harold-hours-before-his-death-but-the-brothers-final-conversation-revealed-robert-had-been-given-one-last-chance-to-confess","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/?p=1995","title":{"rendered":"PART 15 \u2013 Thomas Admitted He Met Harold Hours Before His Death, but the Brothers\u2019 Final Conversation Revealed Robert Had Been Given One Last Chance to Confess"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Thomas Parker seemed to age another decade while sitting beneath the fluorescent lights of Albright\u2019s conference room.<\/p>\n<p>June remained standing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou told us you hadn\u2019t seen Grandpa.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI lied.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou told us Robert brought you to Kansas.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe did later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou were already here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThree weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMotel outside Abilene.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>June leaned both hands against the table.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStart talking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas looked toward Mercer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want a lawyer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>June laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course you do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mercer nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is your right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Then opened them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThomas.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m seventy-nine. I have spent enough of my life hiding behind other people\u2019s mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked at June.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll talk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mercer formally advised him of his rights.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas waived counsel for the interview.<\/p>\n<p>Then he began.<\/p>\n<p>Robert had contacted him eight months earlier, just as he previously admitted.<\/p>\n<p>But Thomas had come to Kansas secretly three weeks before Harold died.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRobert wanted me to meet Crane.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>June frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew Crane?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnly through Robert.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did they want?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy signature.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA statement saying the 1984 relinquishment was coerced.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vernon sat forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat would support a challenge to Harold\u2019s mineral title.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you sign?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas stared at his hands.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>June\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou lied in writing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwo hundred thousand if the financing closed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel shook his head.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told myself Harold had taken more than that from me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen did you finally admit that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFriday.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>June went still.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrandpa contacted you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe knew which motel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course he did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A faint smile touched Thomas\u2019s face.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHarold always found things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Grandpa called Friday morning after meeting Crane.<\/p>\n<p>He told Thomas to come to the farm at 6:30.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas expected rage.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, Harold made coffee.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas he sick?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow sick?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPale. Sweating. Said his stomach was bad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you tell him to get medical help?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said he had already been to a lab.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>June nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you discuss?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For the first time in more than forty years, the Parker brothers spoke honestly about 1984.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas admitted the debts were his.<\/p>\n<p>The forged signatures were his.<\/p>\n<p>Harold admitted he had used the settlement to cut Thomas out of the family rather than confronting the damage openly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe apologized?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor making my disappearance easier than forgiveness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>June\u2019s eyes filled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat he had nothing to apologize for.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas looked down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was probably the first honest thing I had told him since we were young.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harold then showed him Robert\u2019s mineral scheme.<\/p>\n<p>The false transfer.<\/p>\n<p>Dale\u2019s company.<\/p>\n<p>Red Mesa.<\/p>\n<p>Crane\u2019s role.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas confessed his own involvement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Grandpa do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe called me an idiot.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel almost laughed.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas smiled faintly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen he asked whether I would testify.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAgainst Robert?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>June studied him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I finally understood I was watching Robert become me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room quieted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExcept Robert was worse,\u201d Thomas continued. \u201cI stole signatures and borrowed money I couldn\u2019t repay. I blamed Harold. But I never followed someone down a highway because she had evidence against me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>June looked toward Sarah\u2019s documents.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Grandpa tell you about Sarah?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverything?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEnough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe knew Dad caused the crash.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe believed it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd still protected him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas did not excuse Harold.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe hated himself for that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>June looked away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone keeps telling me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause it\u2019s true.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt didn\u2019t bring Sarah back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt didn\u2019t give Rebecca her daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt didn\u2019t stop Dad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas waited.<\/p>\n<p>Then said quietly, \u201cThat\u2019s why Harold finally decided to stop protecting him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>June turned back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened at 6:30?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harold told Thomas he had arranged a meeting.<\/p>\n<p>Robert would come at seven.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas was to remain hidden in the study.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrandpa set a trap.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he want?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA confession.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mercer leaned forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRecorded?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>June stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou were there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen what happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At 7:04 Friday evening, Robert arrived.<\/p>\n<p>Harold let him in.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas remained in the study with the door cracked.<\/p>\n<p>Harold confronted Robert about the mineral scheme.<\/p>\n<p>Robert denied everything.<\/p>\n<p>Harold showed him Crane\u2019s forged document.<\/p>\n<p>Robert blamed Crane.<\/p>\n<p>Harold showed him Thomas\u2019s false statement.<\/p>\n<p>Robert blamed Thomas.<\/p>\n<p>Then Harold mentioned Sarah.<\/p>\n<p>Robert stopped denying.<\/p>\n<p>June\u2019s hands tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat Sarah\u2019s death was an accident.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The same defense captured on Calvin\u2019s recording.<\/p>\n<p>Harold asked whether poisoning him would also be called an accident.<\/p>\n<p>The room became silent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad knew Grandpa knew?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Robert do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe denied touching the pills.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Grandpa believe him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHarold told him he had until eight the next morning to surrender himself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>June stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy give him another chance?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas looked at her sadly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Robert was still his son.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>June walked away from the table.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrandpa never learned.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe gave Dad chance after chance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd every chance became another person hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas continued.<\/p>\n<p>Harold told Robert that if he confessed, Harold would tell investigators the full truth, including his own decades of silence.<\/p>\n<p>If Robert ran, the evidence would go forward without him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Dad say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat Harold had always chosen everyone else over him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol closed her eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas remembered Robert accusing Harold of loving June more.<\/p>\n<p>June turned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMe?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said Harold trusted you with everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t know there was anything to trust me with.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRobert knew enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The trust had become symbolic.<\/p>\n<p>To Robert, June\u2019s inheritance was not merely money.<\/p>\n<p>It was proof Harold had judged him and chosen someone else.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he threaten June?\u201d Mercer asked.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas nodded.<\/p>\n<p>June went still.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said if Harold handed everything to you, you would regret it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel leaned forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExact words?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSomething close to: \u2018June won\u2019t know what hit her when this comes apart.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>June absorbed that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRobert left.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat time?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout 7:45.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Grandpa?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe looked terrible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you call an ambulance?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI tried.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThreatened to throw me off the porch.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite everything, June laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo you left him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas stayed.<\/p>\n<p>He made Harold drink water.<\/p>\n<p>At 8:20, Grandpa vomited.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas called 911.<\/p>\n<p>Harold took the phone away and canceled the request.<\/p>\n<p>June stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said he had something left to finish.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe wouldn\u2019t tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt what point did you leave?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlmost ten.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas Grandpa alive?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cConscious?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlone?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>June caught it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho else came?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNobody while I was inside.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat isn\u2019t what I asked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas rubbed his forehead.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I drove away, I saw headlights approaching.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat vehicle?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDark SUV.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI couldn\u2019t see.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you turn around?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>June\u2019s voice became sharp.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHarold told me to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you listened to him then?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas accepted the anger.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened afterward?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI went back to the motel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Grandpa call you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201c10:17.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAsked whether I had been at the farm.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you tell him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf Dad?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he say where he was?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe asked whether Harold had given me a journal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The decoy partnership journal.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas told him no.<\/p>\n<p>Robert hung up.<\/p>\n<p>June looked at Mercer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad knew Grandpa had met Thomas.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCrane said Dad was desperate for the journal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Grandpa deliberately let everyone think the decoy was still moving around.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Grandpa had created uncertainty.<\/p>\n<p>Robert could not know who possessed the original.<\/p>\n<p>Crane.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas.<\/p>\n<p>Albright.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps June.<\/p>\n<p>That explained the frantic searches after Harold\u2019s death.<\/p>\n<p>Mercer asked Thomas what he did Saturday morning.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI heard Harold had died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI ran.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBack to New Mexico.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>June frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut Robert later brought you into Kansas.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy come back?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe called and said Harold had left evidence blaming me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou believed him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI knew I had signed the false statement. I knew I had met Harold secretly. I thought if police found that, I\u2019d look involved in his death.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo Dad used your guilt.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe promised to help?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you came back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>June shook her head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re all so easy for him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe knows what each person is ashamed of.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That sentence settled over the room.<\/p>\n<p>Robert had used Dale\u2019s greed.<\/p>\n<p>Carol\u2019s fear.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas\u2019s guilt.<\/p>\n<p>Crane\u2019s criminal exposure.<\/p>\n<p>He had used Rebecca\u2019s fear of losing June.<\/p>\n<p>He had used Grandpa\u2019s love for his son.<\/p>\n<p>He had even used June\u2019s identity years earlier because he assumed she would never know.<\/p>\n<p>Mercer returned to the timeline.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHarold was alive at ten.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRobert called you at 10:17.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe camera system was operating Friday.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>June frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen if Dad returned, the camera should show him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mercer looked toward her.<\/p>\n<p>They had watched the Friday morning footage.<\/p>\n<p>Not the entire night.<\/p>\n<p>The forensic technician was contacted.<\/p>\n<p>The relevant recording was retrieved.<\/p>\n<p>At 10:26 p.m., headlights appeared.<\/p>\n<p>A vehicle entered the driveway.<\/p>\n<p>June leaned toward the screen.<\/p>\n<p>A dark SUV.<\/p>\n<p>Robert stepped into the kitchen.<\/p>\n<p>Nobody spoke.<\/p>\n<p>Grandpa entered from the hallway.<\/p>\n<p>He looked weak but alert.<\/p>\n<p>Robert said something.<\/p>\n<p>Grandpa pointed toward the door.<\/p>\n<p>Robert did not leave.<\/p>\n<p>Then another person entered.<\/p>\n<p>June\u2019s breath caught.<\/p>\n<p>Michael Crane.<\/p>\n<p>Crane stared at the screen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mercer turned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou said you weren\u2019t there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The man resembled Crane.<\/p>\n<p>Same height.<\/p>\n<p>Similar build.<\/p>\n<p>But as he moved beneath the kitchen light, the face became clearer.<\/p>\n<p>Crane leaned forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, God.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d June asked.<\/p>\n<p>Crane whispered, \u201cMy brother.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>June stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have a brother?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHalf brother.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cName.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSteven Niles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The surname struck everyone.<\/p>\n<p>Calvin Niles\u2019s son.<\/p>\n<p>Michael Crane\u2019s maternal half brother.<\/p>\n<p>The direct son of the notary who forged Rebecca\u2019s adoption consent.<\/p>\n<p>Mercer immediately searched records.<\/p>\n<p>Steven Niles, fifty-four.<\/p>\n<p>Former pharmacy technician.<\/p>\n<p>License revoked twelve years earlier after prescription theft.<\/p>\n<p>June\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPharmacy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mercer nodded.<\/p>\n<p>On the recording, Steven approached Grandpa.<\/p>\n<p>Robert remained near the door.<\/p>\n<p>Grandpa tried to move past them.<\/p>\n<p>Steven caught his arm.<\/p>\n<p>There was no audio.<\/p>\n<p>The struggle lasted seconds.<\/p>\n<p>Grandpa collapsed against the table.<\/p>\n<p>June stood.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel caught her shoulder.<\/p>\n<p>Steven reached into his pocket.<\/p>\n<p>He removed something.<\/p>\n<p>A syringe.<\/p>\n<p>June stopped breathing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Onscreen, Robert backed away.<\/p>\n<p>His hands rose.<\/p>\n<p>He appeared to argue with Steven.<\/p>\n<p>Steven knelt beside Harold.<\/p>\n<p>The view was partially blocked.<\/p>\n<p>Then his arm moved.<\/p>\n<p>June turned away.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel held her.<\/p>\n<p>When she looked again, Grandpa lay motionless.<\/p>\n<p>Robert stood over him.<\/p>\n<p>Steven checked his neck.<\/p>\n<p>Then both men lifted Harold.<\/p>\n<p>They carried him toward the bedroom.<\/p>\n<p>The camera captured Robert returning several minutes later.<\/p>\n<p>He wiped the kitchen table.<\/p>\n<p>Steven removed something from Grandpa\u2019s pocket.<\/p>\n<p>Then they left.<\/p>\n<p>The timestamp read 10:41.<\/p>\n<p>Nobody spoke for a long time.<\/p>\n<p>Finally Mercer turned toward Crane.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is Steven?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Crane\u2019s face had gone gray.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI haven\u2019t seen him in years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Robert know him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThrough Calvin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas Steven involved in the mineral scheme?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he have access to digoxin?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Crane stared at the frozen image of his brother holding the syringe.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe used to steal medications from pharmacies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>June looked at Mercer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad didn\u2019t come back alone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Grandpa\u2019s note had told her that from the beginning.<\/p>\n<p>The camera had now shown why.<\/p>\n<p>Robert may have poisoned Harold\u2019s pills.<\/p>\n<p>But when Harold survived long enough to gather evidence and threaten exposure, Robert returned with Steven Niles.<\/p>\n<p>And Steven had finished what the altered medication had failed to do.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/?p=1996\">Click here to continue reading: PART 16: Police Hunted Steven Niles as Robert\u2019s Defense Collapsed, While Grandpa\u2019s Last Missing Recording Revealed Which Man Ordered the Fatal Injection and Why<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thomas Parker seemed to age another decade while sitting beneath the fluorescent lights of Albright\u2019s conference room. June remained standing. \u201cYou told us you hadn\u2019t seen Grandpa.\u201d \u201cI lied.\u201d \u201cYou &hellip; <\/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-1995","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\/1995","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=1995"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1995\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2015,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1995\/revisions\/2015"}],"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=1995"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1995"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1995"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}