{"id":6369,"date":"2026-09-22T18:58:49","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T18:58:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/?p=6369"},"modified":"2026-09-22T18:58:49","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T18:58:49","slug":"part-20-samuels-confession-finally-told-me-what-happened-the-night-thomas-died-but-dereks-case-took-a-turn-that-put-my-grandchildren-at-the-center-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/?p=6369","title":{"rendered":"PART 20 \u2013 Samuel\u2019s Confession Finally Told Me What Happened the Night Thomas Died, but Derek\u2019s Case Took a Turn That Put My Grandchildren at the Center"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Samuel Price confessed at 11:17 the next morning.<\/p>\n<p>I know the time because the investigator told me later.<\/p>\n<p>For eleven years, Thomas\u2019s death had belonged to a simple sentence.<\/p>\n<p>Massive cardiac event.<\/p>\n<p>Then it became suspected homicide.<\/p>\n<p>Now it became a story with actions.<\/p>\n<p>A door.<\/p>\n<p>A code.<\/p>\n<p>A kitchen.<\/p>\n<p>A pill organizer.<\/p>\n<p>A man making choices in the dark.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel said he arrived at our house shortly after two in the morning.<\/p>\n<p>Patricia had given him the alarm code.<\/p>\n<p>He parked several streets away.<\/p>\n<p>His department phone remained with him, which was why archived location data eventually betrayed him.<\/p>\n<p>He entered through the garage.<\/p>\n<p>He knew where Thomas kept medication because Martin had once mentioned our kitchen setup during a conversation.<\/p>\n<p>Martin denied intentionally providing that detail for harm.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel said he found Thomas\u2019s weekly organizer beside the refrigerator.<\/p>\n<p>He carried crushed medication in a folded paper packet.<\/p>\n<p>He divided it across several compartments.<\/p>\n<p>Not one massive dose.<\/p>\n<p>Several increased doses.<\/p>\n<p>He believed Thomas would become ill over days.<\/p>\n<p>Weak.<\/p>\n<p>Confused.<\/p>\n<p>Possibly hospitalized.<\/p>\n<p>He hoped that would buy time to dismantle the fraudulent accounts before Thomas contacted police.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat if Thomas took too much immediately?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>The investigator looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSamuel says he considered the risk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe proceeded.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was the answer.<\/p>\n<p>Intent can be argued in court.<\/p>\n<p>Risk cannot.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel knew.<\/p>\n<p>He chose.<\/p>\n<p>Before leaving, he took Thomas\u2019s spare key.<\/p>\n<p>Why?<\/p>\n<p>He said he was afraid he might need to return.<\/p>\n<p>That explanation made more sense than a trophy.<\/p>\n<p>It was also worse.<\/p>\n<p>He planned continued access.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas took his morning medication around six-thirty.<\/p>\n<p>By seven, he complained of dizziness.<\/p>\n<p>I remembered.<\/p>\n<p>He leaned against the kitchen counter.<\/p>\n<p>I asked whether he wanted breakfast.<\/p>\n<p>He said he needed to sit down.<\/p>\n<p>Then he collapsed.<\/p>\n<p>The timeline fit.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel learned of Thomas\u2019s death later that morning.<\/p>\n<p>He panicked.<\/p>\n<p>Called Martin.<\/p>\n<p>It went wrong.<\/p>\n<p>Martin understood enough to fear what Samuel had done.<\/p>\n<p>But instead of reporting him, he helped close fraudulent accounts.<\/p>\n<p>Patricia did the same.<\/p>\n<p>They did not cause Thomas\u2019s death directly.<\/p>\n<p>Their silence protected the man who did.<\/p>\n<p>That silence became the foundation of Samuel\u2019s power over them.<\/p>\n<p>For years, whenever either threatened to leave the scheme, Samuel reminded them they had concealed a death.<\/p>\n<p>Then Derek joined.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel told him the story partly as warning.<\/p>\n<p>Derek heard it as instruction.<\/p>\n<p>That may have been the difference between them.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel crossed into violence when cornered.<\/p>\n<p>Derek studied violence before he needed it.<\/p>\n<p>I did not know which frightened me more.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel\u2019s confession included another detail.<\/p>\n<p>He returned to our neighborhood the evening after Thomas died.<\/p>\n<p>He considered entering the house to recover the pill organizer.<\/p>\n<p>But there were cars everywhere.<\/p>\n<p>Emily.<\/p>\n<p>Neighbors.<\/p>\n<p>Relatives.<\/p>\n<p>He drove away.<\/p>\n<p>I had unknowingly protected evidence simply by being surrounded by people.<\/p>\n<p>The organizer disappeared later because I threw it away when cleaning the kitchen several weeks after the funeral.<\/p>\n<p>For years I had occasionally felt guilty about how quickly I cleared Thomas\u2019s medicines.<\/p>\n<p>Now I understood that even if I had kept them, I would not have known what they meant.<\/p>\n<p>We cannot preserve evidence for crimes we do not know occurred.<\/p>\n<p>Rachel repeated that when she saw my expression.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo not invent duties for your past self.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I wrote the sentence down.<\/p>\n<p>I suspected I would need it again.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel agreed to plead guilty to a homicide charge, conspiracy related to Emily\u2019s planned death, insurance fraud, and other offenses.<\/p>\n<p>The exact sentencing terms would be determined later.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors did not promise him freedom from severe punishment.<\/p>\n<p>His cooperation would be considered.<\/p>\n<p>So would the fact that he concealed Thomas\u2019s death for eleven years.<\/p>\n<p>I expected satisfaction.<\/p>\n<p>Instead I felt tired.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas was named as a victim now.<\/p>\n<p>That mattered.<\/p>\n<p>But justice did not bring his voice back.<\/p>\n<p>It did not return the mornings we lost.<\/p>\n<p>It did not let him meet his grandchildren.<\/p>\n<p>Naming harm is necessary.<\/p>\n<p>It is not the same as repairing it.<\/p>\n<p>That afternoon, Emily and I went to the cemetery.<\/p>\n<p>No investigators.<\/p>\n<p>No reporters.<\/p>\n<p>Rachel arranged security at a distance.<\/p>\n<p>We stood beside Thomas\u2019s stone.<\/p>\n<p>Emily touched his name.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you know Mom would figure it out?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I almost laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe would say I took eleven years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe would say you were thorough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat sounds more like him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We stayed twenty minutes.<\/p>\n<p>I told Thomas nothing aloud.<\/p>\n<p>I did not need to.<\/p>\n<p>On the drive back, Emily said, \u201cI think I want to sell the house.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I knew which house.<\/p>\n<p>The marital home.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause of what happened there?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I don\u2019t want every room to become evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs it running away?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause leaving and fleeing are not the same action.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She looked out the window.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know where the kids and I belong now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou do not have to know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about your house?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I thought of the hidden camera.<\/p>\n<p>The basement device.<\/p>\n<p>Derek entering through my garage.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas dying in my kitchen.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time, I wondered whether I wanted to keep it.<\/p>\n<p>That frightened me.<\/p>\n<p>I loved that house.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas and I had bought it thirty-four years earlier.<\/p>\n<p>Raised Emily there.<\/p>\n<p>Painted walls.<\/p>\n<p>Planted trees.<\/p>\n<p>Measured childhood heights against a pantry door.<\/p>\n<p>But a home can hold memories without requiring lifelong ownership.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p>Emily nodded.<\/p>\n<p>Two women finally allowing uncertainty.<\/p>\n<p>That was progress.<\/p>\n<p>The next morning, prosecutors expected Derek\u2019s case to move toward plea negotiations.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, his attorney withdrew from discussions.<\/p>\n<p>Rachel received the notice at nine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDerek changed his mind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily looked incredulous.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe has videos.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMessages.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe brake line.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe truck.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInsurance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSamuel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd he wants trial?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I understood before Rachel explained.<\/p>\n<p>Trial gave Derek something a plea did not.<\/p>\n<p>A stage.<\/p>\n<p>An opportunity to reshape the story.<\/p>\n<p>To challenge witnesses.<\/p>\n<p>To put Emily\u2019s marriage on display.<\/p>\n<p>To question my memory.<\/p>\n<p>To suggest Linda planned more than she admitted.<\/p>\n<p>To blame Samuel.<\/p>\n<p>To blame Martin.<\/p>\n<p>To turn six guilty people into reasonable doubt about which one committed which act.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe thinks complexity protects him,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p>Rachel nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The financial crimes were easier.<\/p>\n<p>Documents.<\/p>\n<p>Accounts.<\/p>\n<p>Signatures.<\/p>\n<p>Transfers.<\/p>\n<p>The attempted harm against Emily required proof of intent and action.<\/p>\n<p>Strong evidence existed.<\/p>\n<p>But Derek believed he could muddy it.<\/p>\n<p>Then his attorney filed a motion involving the children.<\/p>\n<p>Emily\u2019s face changed when Rachel told us.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat motion?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek wanted access to statements my granddaughter had made.<\/p>\n<p>Not just formal forensic interviews.<\/p>\n<p>School counselor notes.<\/p>\n<p>Therapy records.<\/p>\n<p>Medical records.<\/p>\n<p>He argued that the child\u2019s statements about \u201cAuntie,\u201d the blue folder, and the practice signatures had influenced the investigation and were therefore relevant.<\/p>\n<p>Emily stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rachel remained calm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe will oppose broad disclosure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe does not get her therapy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe will fight that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe is six.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe did this to her and now he wants her private thoughts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily\u2019s hands shook.<\/p>\n<p>I felt my own anger rising.<\/p>\n<p>Derek had spent years using the children as cover.<\/p>\n<p>Now he wanted to use their confusion as defense material.<\/p>\n<p>Rachel continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe court may allow limited review by the judge. That does not mean his attorneys receive everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily sat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat if he calls her as a witness?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe will fight that too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan he?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossibly, but prosecutors have other evidence. They do not need her testimony for most of the case.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen keep her out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is the goal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The distinction mattered.<\/p>\n<p>My granddaughter had started this with a question.<\/p>\n<p>But she did not owe adults a courtroom performance because adults had failed around her.<\/p>\n<p>That evening, I helped her with a puzzle.<\/p>\n<p>She had no idea lawyers were discussing her words.<\/p>\n<p>She complained because one piece looked like sky but belonged to a blue dress.<\/p>\n<p>I watched her concentrate.<\/p>\n<p>Children deserve the freedom to be absorbed by small problems.<\/p>\n<p>We had to protect that.<\/p>\n<p>At six, Rachel called again.<\/p>\n<p>The judge had temporarily sealed the child\u2019s therapy records.<\/p>\n<p>Any request would require specific justification.<\/p>\n<p>Good.<\/p>\n<p>Then another development.<\/p>\n<p>Derek had filed papers seeking to suppress evidence from the storage unit.<\/p>\n<p>He argued the key was discovered through statements elicited from his daughter without proper protections.<\/p>\n<p>Rachel almost smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat argument has problems.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause the child volunteered information during a family confrontation before police were involved.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The blue folder.<\/p>\n<p>The piggy bank.<\/p>\n<p>The key.<\/p>\n<p>Derek\u2019s own decision to hide evidence around his children had created the trail.<\/p>\n<p>He could not easily transform that into government misconduct.<\/p>\n<p>Still, hearings would come.<\/p>\n<p>Motions.<\/p>\n<p>Arguments.<\/p>\n<p>Months, perhaps longer.<\/p>\n<p>Truth had been discovered quickly.<\/p>\n<p>Legal resolution would not be.<\/p>\n<p>I needed to accept that.<\/p>\n<p>Then prosecutors discovered something that changed Derek\u2019s position again.<\/p>\n<p>The prepaid phone from the anniversary box contained a deleted audio memo.<\/p>\n<p>Not a conversation.<\/p>\n<p>Derek speaking to himself.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps planning.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps rehearsing.<\/p>\n<p>His voice said:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSaturday. Emily salon at three. Kids with Margaret. Line should be low by four-thirty. If she calls, don\u2019t answer first time. Second call, tell her to pull over. That establishes concern.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He paused.<\/p>\n<p>Then:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf she makes it home, Samuel handles next step.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf crash works, arrive after police. Cry. Ask about kids immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily listened once.<\/p>\n<p>Then said, \u201cTurn it off.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The investigator did.<\/p>\n<p>Intent.<\/p>\n<p>Sequence.<\/p>\n<p>Alibi behavior.<\/p>\n<p>The recording weakened the ambiguity Derek hoped to create.<\/p>\n<p>His attorney requested renewed negotiations the following morning.<\/p>\n<p>Rachel warned us not to expect quick resolution.<\/p>\n<p>Derek still wanted concessions.<\/p>\n<p>He offered guilty pleas on financial crimes.<\/p>\n<p>He resisted the attempted-murder conspiracy.<\/p>\n<p>He claimed the audio memo described a fraud scenario, not a real plan.<\/p>\n<p>No one accepted that explanation easily.<\/p>\n<p>Negotiations stalled.<\/p>\n<p>Then came a stranger development.<\/p>\n<p>Derek asked to speak with Emily.<\/p>\n<p>Directly.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors said no.<\/p>\n<p>His attorney asked again.<\/p>\n<p>He claimed Derek had information about the children that only Emily should hear.<\/p>\n<p>Rachel\u2019s immediate answer was no.<\/p>\n<p>Emily agreed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf it matters, he tells investigators.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Exactly.<\/p>\n<p>Hours later, Derek gave them the information.<\/p>\n<p>He claimed another person had copies of the children\u2019s documents.<\/p>\n<p>Birth certificates.<\/p>\n<p>Social Security numbers.<\/p>\n<p>Medical records.<\/p>\n<p>Passport information.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d Emily demanded.<\/p>\n<p>Derek refused to say without a deal.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors refused to bargain blind.<\/p>\n<p>So investigators searched his archive.<\/p>\n<p>One file contained transfer logs.<\/p>\n<p>Children\u2019s records had been copied to an external drive months earlier.<\/p>\n<p>Recipient unknown.<\/p>\n<p>Then Adam remembered something.<\/p>\n<p>Derek once asked him to certify copies of both children\u2019s birth certificates.<\/p>\n<p>Adam did.<\/p>\n<p>He assumed they were for passports.<\/p>\n<p>The passport applications were real.<\/p>\n<p>But no passports had been issued.<\/p>\n<p>Someone had withdrawn them before completion.<\/p>\n<p>Who?<\/p>\n<p>Records showed an authorized pickup.<\/p>\n<p>Signature:<\/p>\n<p>Margaret Wallace.<\/p>\n<p>My forged signature.<\/p>\n<p>Security footage was requested.<\/p>\n<p>When it arrived, the woman collecting the documents was not Patricia.<\/p>\n<p>Not Linda.<\/p>\n<p>Not Julia.<\/p>\n<p>She was older.<\/p>\n<p>Gray-haired.<\/p>\n<p>Glasses.<\/p>\n<p>Investigators ran facial recognition only through lawful databases and manual comparisons.<\/p>\n<p>No immediate match.<\/p>\n<p>Then Emily stared at the image.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked closer.<\/p>\n<p>Something familiar.<\/p>\n<p>The posture.<\/p>\n<p>The narrow mouth.<\/p>\n<p>Then memory returned.<\/p>\n<p>A woman from my retirement party.<\/p>\n<p>Someone I had not seen in years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d Rachel asked.<\/p>\n<p>I answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPatricia\u2019s sister.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her name was Evelyn Nolan.<\/p>\n<p>A retired nurse.<\/p>\n<p>She had once helped care for Patricia\u2019s mother.<\/p>\n<p>I had met her many times.<\/p>\n<p>Investigators contacted Patricia.<\/p>\n<p>Her reaction was immediate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe is not involved.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I never told her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They showed her the footage.<\/p>\n<p>Patricia began crying.<\/p>\n<p>Evelyn had collected the children\u2019s documents.<\/p>\n<p>Why?<\/p>\n<p>Patricia did not know.<\/p>\n<p>Then she remembered.<\/p>\n<p>Derek had visited Evelyn several times.<\/p>\n<p>He told Patricia he was helping with retirement paperwork.<\/p>\n<p>No one questioned it.<\/p>\n<p>Another older woman.<\/p>\n<p>Another relationship hidden beneath helpfulness.<\/p>\n<p>Investigators went to Evelyn\u2019s house.<\/p>\n<p>No answer.<\/p>\n<p>Her car was gone.<\/p>\n<p>Neighbors had not seen her since the previous morning.<\/p>\n<p>Inside, after obtaining legal authority, investigators found packed boxes.<\/p>\n<p>Cash.<\/p>\n<p>Two child-sized suitcases.<\/p>\n<p>And airline itineraries.<\/p>\n<p>Three tickets.<\/p>\n<p>Evelyn Nolan.<\/p>\n<p>My granddaughter.<\/p>\n<p>My grandson.<\/p>\n<p>Departure scheduled for that night.<\/p>\n<p>Destination: Costa Rica.<\/p>\n<p>Emily stopped breathing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere are my children?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They were with Mrs. Patterson.<\/p>\n<p>Safe.<\/p>\n<p>Officers confirmed immediately.<\/p>\n<p>The tickets had never been used.<\/p>\n<p>But Evelyn was missing.<\/p>\n<p>Then investigators found a handwritten note on her kitchen table.<\/p>\n<p>Patricia,<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m sorry. Derek said the children would be safer away from all of you. He said Emily might lose custody when the arrests started. He asked me to be ready.<\/p>\n<p>I believed him.<\/p>\n<p>I still think someone is coming for them.<\/p>\n<p>Do not trust the police.<\/p>\n<p>Evelyn had not left with the children.<\/p>\n<p>But she had believed she might need to.<\/p>\n<p>The manipulation had spread beyond conspirators.<\/p>\n<p>Into relatives.<\/p>\n<p>Into frightened helpers.<\/p>\n<p>Into people who thought they were rescuing children from danger.<\/p>\n<p>Then my phone rang.<\/p>\n<p>Unknown number.<\/p>\n<p>Rachel and the investigator both looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>I answered on speaker.<\/p>\n<p>Evelyn whispered, \u201cMargaret?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI need you to listen before they find me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI cannot tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe children are safe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDerek said Samuel had people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDerek lied.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>Then Evelyn began crying.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe told me if he was arrested, you would be next.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said the children would disappear into foster care.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey are with family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said Emily would be blamed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe tried to kill Emily.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another silence.<\/p>\n<p>I heard her breathing change.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe sabotaged her car.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe told me Samuel did it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDerek helped plan it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Evelyn made a broken sound.<\/p>\n<p>I continued gently.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou thought you were protecting the children.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen protect them now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTell us where their documents are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDerek gave me another envelope.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat envelope?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said I should open it only if he was arrested.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat was inside?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her voice dropped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA letter about you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Evelyn took a breath.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt says if everything fails, I\u2019m supposed to tell the police you were the one who planned all of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/?p=6370\">Click here to continue reading: PART 21: Evelyn\u2019s Letter Tried to Turn Me Into the Architect of Everything, Until One Tiny Detail Proved Derek Had Prepared the Lie Himself<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Samuel Price confessed at 11:17 the next morning. I know the time because the investigator told me later. For eleven years, Thomas\u2019s death had belonged to a simple sentence. Massive &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6349,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6369","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\/6369","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=6369"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6369\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6399,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6369\/revisions\/6399"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}