{"id":5702,"date":"2026-09-21T18:30:15","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T18:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/?p=5702"},"modified":"2026-09-21T18:30:15","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T18:30:15","slug":"part-9-dereks-lawyer-called-my-fear-paranoia-until-one-security-video-showed-who-had-been-watching-whom-for-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/?p=5702","title":{"rendered":"PART 9 \u2013 Derek\u2019s Lawyer Called My Fear Paranoia, Until One Security Video Showed Who Had Been Watching Whom for Years"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Mara called me before eight the next morning.<\/p>\n<p>I had slept badly, but differently than the night before. There had been no jolting awake at every creak. No instinctive reach for the bedside table to check whether Derek had taken my phone. Instead I had spent hours staring at the ceiling, replaying the same question.<\/p>\n<p>How much of my life had he arranged before I knew he existed?<\/p>\n<p>When Mara\u2019s name appeared on the screen, I was already sitting at Dad\u2019s kitchen table with untouched coffee in front of me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMorning,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat sounds optimistic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a professional habit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I almost smiled.<\/p>\n<p>Dad stood at the stove making eggs neither of us wanted.<\/p>\n<p>Mara continued, \u201cWe have a hearing tomorrow morning on the temporary protective order. Derek\u2019s attorney filed their opposition last night.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve read the full filing now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Something in her voice made me sit straighter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat are they saying?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat you are emotionally unstable, prone to memory lapses, suspicious, and influenced by your father.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad turned around.<\/p>\n<p>I put the call on speaker.<\/p>\n<p>Mara did not hesitate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey are also characterizing Derek\u2019s arrest as the result of an isolated marital dispute amplified by outside interference.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOutside interference.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, Mr. Bennett.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInteresting way to describe seeing a bruise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mara said, \u201cIt\u2019s a strategy, not a fact.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I appreciated the distinction.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat else?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey attached two exhibits.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne is a screenshot of text messages between you and Derek from seven months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I searched my memory.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do they say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou wrote, \u2018Maybe I am losing my mind.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Dad looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>I remembered immediately.<\/p>\n<p>Derek had hidden my car keys.<\/p>\n<p>Not misplaced.<\/p>\n<p>Hidden.<\/p>\n<p>I had searched for nearly an hour.<\/p>\n<p>He watched me.<\/p>\n<p>Then, after I started crying, he pulled them from the pocket of a winter coat hanging in the closet.<\/p>\n<p>He laughed.<\/p>\n<p>I laughed too, eventually.<\/p>\n<p>That night I texted him from work.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe I am losing my mind.<\/p>\n<p>His answer had been a heart emoji.<\/p>\n<p>I told Mara.<\/p>\n<p>She was quiet for a second.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you still have the full conversation?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood. Preserve it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s the second exhibit?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA journal page.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I froze.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat journal?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA photograph of what appears to be handwritten notes from you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I knew before she described it.<\/p>\n<p>Two years earlier, after one of our worst arguments, I had started writing in a notebook.<\/p>\n<p>Not every day.<\/p>\n<p>Only when I felt overwhelmed.<\/p>\n<p>Derek once told me journaling might help because I kept \u201crewriting things emotionally.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course he had.<\/p>\n<p>Mara read part of the page.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel like everyone is against me. I can\u2019t tell what\u2019s real anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My throat closed.<\/p>\n<p>Dad switched off the stove.<\/p>\n<p>He sat across from me.<\/p>\n<p>I remembered that page too.<\/p>\n<p>The sentence continued.<\/p>\n<p>Because Derek keeps telling me conversations happened differently than I remember.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid they include the rest?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I laughed softly.<\/p>\n<p>Mara said, \u201cEmily?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey cropped it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I wrote it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stood.<\/p>\n<p>The notebook.<\/p>\n<p>I had packed several things from the bedroom, but not that.<\/p>\n<p>It was in our house.<\/p>\n<p>Probably still in the bottom drawer of my nightstand.<\/p>\n<p>Unless Derek had taken it.<\/p>\n<p>Mara understood immediately.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo not go retrieve it yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can ask police to preserve it if they haven\u2019t already.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad said, \u201cCall Harris.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mara paused.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course there was.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDerek\u2019s lawyer included a declaration from Linda.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad stared at the phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy mother-in-law?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My chest tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was signed yesterday morning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Before Linda found the box.<\/p>\n<p>Before she admitted Derek had asked her to remove evidence.<\/p>\n<p>Mara read carefully.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLinda states she has observed you become increasingly forgetful and suspicious over the last year, and that Derek repeatedly expressed concern for your wellbeing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I leaned back.<\/p>\n<p>For some reason, this hurt more than the legal argument.<\/p>\n<p>Linda had signed it before crying at her dining table.<\/p>\n<p>Before confessing she knew about the bruising.<\/p>\n<p>Before admitting she had warned Derek years ago about following me.<\/p>\n<p>Dad asked, \u201cCan she withdraw it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe can supplement or correct it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWill she?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I did.<\/p>\n<p>Or thought I did.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe will.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>I could not explain why I believed it.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe Linda had finally crossed a line inside herself.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe guilt was not courage, but it could sometimes produce it.<\/p>\n<p>Mara said, \u201cThe hearing matters because Derek is trying to establish a narrative quickly. We need to answer with records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRachel\u2019s emails.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe doctor\u2019s notes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe box Linda found.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe bank.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd the notebook.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf police recover it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I took a breath.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about the old stalking records?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat may become highly relevant, especially if Derek is claiming paranoia.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad gave a grim smile.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe claims she imagined people were watching her while keeping notes about watching her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mara said, \u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At nine thirty, Detective Harris called.<\/p>\n<p>He had already spoken to Linda.<\/p>\n<p>She had withdrawn her declaration.<\/p>\n<p>Not only that.<\/p>\n<p>She had given a new sworn statement.<\/p>\n<p>Mara arrived at Dad\u2019s house an hour later with a printed copy.<\/p>\n<p>Linda had written that Derek asked her to sign the first statement before his arrest became public. He told her Emily had become unstable and was preparing to falsely accuse him. Linda admitted she believed him because he was her son.<\/p>\n<p>Then she documented what changed her mind.<\/p>\n<p>The bruise.<\/p>\n<p>His phone call asking her to remove documents.<\/p>\n<p>The box.<\/p>\n<p>The letters.<\/p>\n<p>The notebook.<\/p>\n<p>The statement ended with one sentence I read three times.<\/p>\n<p>I now believe my son intentionally encouraged me to doubt Emily so that I would support him if she ever accused him of wrongdoing.<\/p>\n<p>Dad sat beside me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think she should have understood sooner.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s true.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI also think this helps.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat can be true too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The ability to hold both facts at once felt new.<\/p>\n<p>Mara reviewed the statement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is significant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEnough?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no single enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>She tapped the table.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCases like this are built from accumulation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Accumulation.<\/p>\n<p>That word described my marriage too.<\/p>\n<p>A hand around my arm.<\/p>\n<p>A blocked doorway.<\/p>\n<p>A broken phone.<\/p>\n<p>A missing ring.<\/p>\n<p>A forged signature.<\/p>\n<p>One thing at a time.<\/p>\n<p>Until the pattern became impossible to mistake.<\/p>\n<p>Harris arrived near noon.<\/p>\n<p>He carried an evidence-property form.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe recovered your journal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My breath caught.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBedroom nightstand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas it intact?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMostly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mostly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSeveral pages had been removed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad swore.<\/p>\n<p>Harris continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe found the torn edges. The photograph Derek\u2019s attorney submitted appears to be one of the missing pages.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mara looked up sharply.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo someone removed material from a potential evidentiary source.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are documenting chain of custody.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you know when the photograph was taken?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMetadata request is in process.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I asked, \u201cCan I see the journal?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Disappointment hit harder than it should have.<\/p>\n<p>Those pages were mine.<\/p>\n<p>Harris seemed to understand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ll preserve everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then he placed a second document on the table.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBank surveillance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My heartbeat changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou got it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He opened his tablet.<\/p>\n<p>A paused video filled the screen.<\/p>\n<p>Safe-deposit lobby.<\/p>\n<p>Date stamped seven months earlier.<\/p>\n<p>Derek entered.<\/p>\n<p>Alone.<\/p>\n<p>He approached the desk.<\/p>\n<p>Signed something.<\/p>\n<p>The manager handed him paperwork.<\/p>\n<p>Nothing dramatic.<\/p>\n<p>Then Harris skipped ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Derek left the secured area carrying an envelope.<\/p>\n<p>He stood near the lobby entrance.<\/p>\n<p>Made a call.<\/p>\n<p>A woman approached.<\/p>\n<p>Not Rachel.<\/p>\n<p>Not Linda.<\/p>\n<p>I did not recognize her.<\/p>\n<p>They spoke for two minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Then Derek handed her the envelope.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho is she?\u201d Dad asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re identifying her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mara leaned closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat date is this?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I read it.<\/p>\n<p>My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was the day after my annual medical exam.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Everyone looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI remember because Derek asked a lot of questions afterward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat questions?\u201d Harris asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhether Dr. Lawson had mentioned anxiety. Whether I had trouble remembering things. Whether I\u2019d told him we were arguing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris wrote that down.<\/p>\n<p>Then he moved to a different video.<\/p>\n<p>Another date.<\/p>\n<p>Three months ago.<\/p>\n<p>Derek arrived with a man.<\/p>\n<p>Cap.<\/p>\n<p>Dark jacket.<\/p>\n<p>The man&#39;s face was partly visible.<\/p>\n<p>I stared.<\/p>\n<p>Something familiar tugged at me.<\/p>\n<p>Harris paused.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you recognize him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He enlarged the image.<\/p>\n<p>The man turned toward the camera.<\/p>\n<p>I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n<p>Riverside.<\/p>\n<p>My old apartment.<\/p>\n<p>Coffee shop.<\/p>\n<p>A memory built from fragments.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#39;ve seen him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad leaned closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore Derek and I met.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris&#39;s eyes sharpened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re sure?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think so.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat distinction matters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think so.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He played the footage.<\/p>\n<p>Derek and the man entered the safe-deposit area together.<\/p>\n<p>Only Derek emerged.<\/p>\n<p>The man walked out through a side corridor eight minutes later.<\/p>\n<p>Mara frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy would he be allowed into the secured area?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris said, \u201cThat is one of our questions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do you remember?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Seven or eight years earlier.<\/p>\n<p>A coffee shop near my office.<\/p>\n<p>A man in a cap seated by the window.<\/p>\n<p>The same man outside the yoga studio once.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe twice.<\/p>\n<p>Back then, I had told myself cities were full of familiar faces.<\/p>\n<p>I opened my eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought he was following me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris did not react.<\/p>\n<p>He simply asked, \u201cDid you ever report it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTell anyone?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy roommate, Sara.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLast name?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I gave it.<\/p>\n<p>He wrote it down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan we contact her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My phone rang.<\/p>\n<p>Linda.<\/p>\n<p>I hesitated, then answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEmily.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her voice sounded rough.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHarris told me I needed to correct the statement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI lied.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The bluntness surprised me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou repeated what Derek told you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI signed my name to it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I had no answer.<\/p>\n<p>Linda continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s something else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA security company.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat security company?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYears ago, Derek hired someone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris moved closer to the phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLinda, this is Detective Harris. Can you repeat that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>Then Linda said, \u201cHe told me it was a private investigator.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room went still.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d Harris asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore he started dating Emily.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad stood.<\/p>\n<p>I felt strangely calm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat for?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Linda began crying.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said he wanted to make sure she wasn&#39;t involved with anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Harris&#39;s tablet.<\/p>\n<p>The man beside Derek.<\/p>\n<p>Dark cap.<\/p>\n<p>Familiar face.<\/p>\n<p>Harris asked, \u201cDo you know his name?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCompany?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSomething Ridge. Ridgeway. North Ridge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mara and Harris exchanged a look.<\/p>\n<p>Northgate Consulting.<\/p>\n<p>The shell company Derek used to move money.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe coincidence.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe not.<\/p>\n<p>Harris asked Linda to remain available.<\/p>\n<p>When the call ended, he reopened the surveillance still.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ll run facial identification through lawful channels and compare business records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad stared at the screen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe hired someone to watch her before dating her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris said, \u201cThat is what we need to verify.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I appreciated him again for refusing to move faster than the evidence.<\/p>\n<p>Mara\u2019s phone buzzed.<\/p>\n<p>She read a message.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe hearing has been advanced.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFour this afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My pulse jumped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToday?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDerek\u2019s attorney requested immediate review because they claim your father\u2019s security staff are harassing him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad almost laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey haven\u2019t gone near him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mara stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need to prepare.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The courthouse smelled like old paper and floor polish.<\/p>\n<p>Derek sat at the opposite table.<\/p>\n<p>First time I had seen him since the arrest.<\/p>\n<p>He wore a navy suit.<\/p>\n<p>No tie.<\/p>\n<p>Bruise-free.<\/p>\n<p>Calm.<\/p>\n<p>When I entered, his eyes found mine immediately.<\/p>\n<p>My body reacted before my mind.<\/p>\n<p>Shoulders tight.<\/p>\n<p>Breath shallow.<\/p>\n<p>Mara touched my elbow.<\/p>\n<p>Not steering.<\/p>\n<p>Reminding.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou choose where you sit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I took the seat farthest from Derek.<\/p>\n<p>The judge reviewed the filings.<\/p>\n<p>Derek&#39;s attorney emphasized my messages.<\/p>\n<p>My journal.<\/p>\n<p>My \u201crecent suspiciousness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then Mara stood.<\/p>\n<p>She did not accuse.<\/p>\n<p>She assembled.<\/p>\n<p>Photographs of injuries.<\/p>\n<p>Rachel&#39;s declaration.<\/p>\n<p>The forged loan documents.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Lawson&#39;s amended medical notes.<\/p>\n<p>Linda&#39;s corrected statement.<\/p>\n<p>The evidence log from the safe-deposit box.<\/p>\n<p>And finally, the photographs from the notebook found in Linda\u2019s house.<\/p>\n<p>Dates.<\/p>\n<p>Addresses.<\/p>\n<p>My old apartment.<\/p>\n<p>My workplace.<\/p>\n<p>The judge looked up.<\/p>\n<p>Derek&#39;s attorney objected to relevance.<\/p>\n<p>Mara answered, \u201cThe respondent argues Ms. Carter suffers from unfounded paranoia. These records appear to document that he tracked her movements before their relationship began.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The courtroom went silent.<\/p>\n<p>The judge looked at Derek.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time, his calm slipped.<\/p>\n<p>Only slightly.<\/p>\n<p>But I saw it.<\/p>\n<p>The judge granted the extended temporary order.<\/p>\n<p>No contact.<\/p>\n<p>No third-party communication.<\/p>\n<p>No approaching Dad&#39;s residence.<\/p>\n<p>No accessing disputed joint assets beyond ordinary approved expenses.<\/p>\n<p>Derek&#39;s lawyer requested clarification.<\/p>\n<p>The judge gave it.<\/p>\n<p>Then the hearing ended.<\/p>\n<p>Derek stood.<\/p>\n<p>As deputies prepared to escort us out separately, he looked directly at me.<\/p>\n<p>Not angry.<\/p>\n<p>Not pleading.<\/p>\n<p>Calculating.<\/p>\n<p>His lips moved.<\/p>\n<p>No sound.<\/p>\n<p>I knew the shape of the words anyway.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll regret this.<\/p>\n<p>Mara saw.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he say something?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot out loud.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe document it anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Outside the courtroom, Harris waited.<\/p>\n<p>He had a new file in his hand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe identified the man from the bank footage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My throat tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRaymond Cole. Licensed private investigator at the time Derek first contacted him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad asked, \u201cAt the time?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCole lost his license four years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIllegal surveillance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A chill went through me.<\/p>\n<p>He continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd we found a payment record.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom Derek?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris opened the file.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe first payment was eleven months before you say you met him.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/?p=5703\">Click here to continue reading: PART 10: The Investigator Derek Hired Before We Met Kept a File on Me, and One Photograph Showed He Had Entered My Apartment<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mara called me before eight the next morning. I had slept badly, but differently than the night before. There had been no jolting awake at every creak. No instinctive reach &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5693,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5702","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\/5702","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=5702"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5702\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5730,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5702\/revisions\/5730"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}