{"id":9005,"date":"2026-09-26T20:42:01","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T20:42:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/?p=9005"},"modified":"2026-09-26T20:42:01","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T20:42:01","slug":"part-18-thomas-tried-to-burn-page-seven-before-police-could-reach-him-but-aaron-made-a-choice-michael-had-begged-him-to-make-years-earlier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/?p=9005","title":{"rendered":"PART 18 \u2013 Thomas Tried to Burn Page Seven Before Police Could Reach Him, but Aaron Made a Choice Michael Had Begged Him to Make Years Earlier"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The photograph on my phone became suddenly more important than the original page itself.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSend that to Chen,\u201d Grace said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI already have it,\u201d Chen replied.<\/p>\n<p>Aaron had apparently sent the image to several numbers.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel enlarged it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSignatures visible. Not perfect, but useful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUseful isn\u2019t original.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Detective Chen\u2019s radio crackled.<\/p>\n<p>She moved toward the foyer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFire inside the lodge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThomas?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnknown.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She spoke rapidly into the radio.<\/p>\n<p>I heard fragments.<\/p>\n<p>Smoke.<\/p>\n<p>Rear room.<\/p>\n<p>Negotiator.<\/p>\n<p>Armed subject.<\/p>\n<p>Then another transmission.<\/p>\n<p>Chen turned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAaron moved.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe tried to reach the burning document.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My heart pounded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Thomas shoot him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Julian came closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCall them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re in an active operation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another transmission answered the question.<\/p>\n<p>Chen listened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShots fired.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Beatrice cried out.<\/p>\n<p>I stood completely still.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnknown.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The next minute stretched until it became almost physical.<\/p>\n<p>Then Chen received confirmation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAaron is down.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Elena covered her mouth.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThomas?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStill inside.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs Aaron alive?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOfficers are trying to reach him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at the photograph.<\/p>\n<p>Aaron had lied to Michael.<\/p>\n<p>Manipulated him.<\/p>\n<p>Helped redirect him.<\/p>\n<p>Protected himself for four years.<\/p>\n<p>But when the last piece of Michael\u2019s evidence began burning, he moved toward it.<\/p>\n<p>Too late did not mean meaningless.<\/p>\n<p>It simply meant too late.<\/p>\n<p>Chen\u2019s radio crackled again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOfficers have Aaron.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlive?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I breathed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCondition?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGunshot wound. Conscious.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another transmission.<\/p>\n<p>Then:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThomas surrendered.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room changed.<\/p>\n<p>No celebration.<\/p>\n<p>No relief.<\/p>\n<p>Just the sudden absence of one uncertainty.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas Vale was alive.<\/p>\n<p>In custody.<\/p>\n<p>And for the first time in decades, he would have to speak without controlling the room.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about page seven?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I asked.<\/p>\n<p>Chen waited for information.<\/p>\n<p>Finally she looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPartially burned.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much survived?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEnough that officers can identify it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel exhaled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd signatures?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnknown.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at the photograph again.<\/p>\n<p>Michael had lived for years with an incomplete copy.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas had controlled the original.<\/p>\n<p>Richard had built a company as though the clause did not exist.<\/p>\n<p>Now a photograph taken during a hostage situation might determine ownership of hundreds of millions of dollars.<\/p>\n<p>The absurdity almost made me laugh.<\/p>\n<p>Chen left for Cedar Ridge.<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz remained with us.<\/p>\n<p>Before leaving, she turned to me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo not make any Riverside decisions until Grace has the actual evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd do not answer Thomas if he somehow contacts you through anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She paused.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVivian.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToday produced evidence. It did not produce conclusions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I nodded.<\/p>\n<p>That sentence stayed with me.<\/p>\n<p>By noon, Aaron was in surgery.<\/p>\n<p>The bullet had entered his shoulder and missed major vessels.<\/p>\n<p>His condition was serious but stable.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas was transferred under guard.<\/p>\n<p>Police recovered the burned page, several folders, a handgun, and two phones from the lodge.<\/p>\n<p>Then came the surprise.<\/p>\n<p>The handgun had been fired once.<\/p>\n<p>But the bullet removed from Aaron had not come from Thomas\u2019s gun.<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz told us that much several hours later.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Julian asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPreliminary caliber mismatch.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen who shot Aaron?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStill investigating.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas anyone else there?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz did not answer.<\/p>\n<p>Which meant police did not know.<\/p>\n<p>Or would not tell us.<\/p>\n<p>Security footage from the Cedar Ridge entrance showed no second vehicle.<\/p>\n<p>But Julian had already explained the hidden equipment road.<\/p>\n<p>State police searched it.<\/p>\n<p>Tire tracks.<\/p>\n<p>Recent.<\/p>\n<p>One vehicle had left shortly before officers secured the perimeter.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas denied knowing who it was.<\/p>\n<p>That made me trust nothing he said.<\/p>\n<p>At one in the afternoon, Grace received the first high-resolution photographs of the burned document.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel studied them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe clause is real enough to investigate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan it stop Riverside?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPotentially.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Julian paced.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have less than twenty-four hours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Grace looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStop saying \u2018we.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He stared.<\/p>\n<p>She continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour interests and Vivian\u2019s are now legally adverse.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His face hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI understand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen act like it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He walked away.<\/p>\n<p>Beatrice watched him.<\/p>\n<p>I wondered whether she had ever seen anyone speak to her son that way without consequences.<\/p>\n<p>Probably not.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel compared page seven with the pages Michael had preserved.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSame paper stock.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSame typeface.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSequential formatting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd the signatures?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAppear consistent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Grace said, \u201cAppear is not authenticate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at my father\u2019s signature.<\/p>\n<p>Even through scorch marks, I recognized it.<\/p>\n<p>A long E.<\/p>\n<p>The sharp upward stroke in Walsh.<\/p>\n<p>I had seen it on birthday cards.<\/p>\n<p>Checks.<\/p>\n<p>Permission slips.<\/p>\n<p>My first apartment lease.<\/p>\n<p>It hurt that a signature could remain so familiar when the person had been gone eleven years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does the clause actually give me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I asked.<\/p>\n<p>Grace sat beside Daniel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf valid, Edward\u2019s beneficial interest may have remained intact through successor structures unless he separately consented.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel shook his head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe haven\u2019t found consent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCould Richard have forged it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Grace looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t jump.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCould he?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was enough.<\/p>\n<p>We searched.<\/p>\n<p>Not physically.<\/p>\n<p>Digitally.<\/p>\n<p>Every Cedar Ridge archive Daniel possessed.<\/p>\n<p>Every transfer.<\/p>\n<p>Every merger.<\/p>\n<p>Every restructuring.<\/p>\n<p>Then we found a document.<\/p>\n<p>EDWARD WALSH CONSENT TO REORGANIZATION.<\/p>\n<p>My heart stopped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Julian pointed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad had consent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Grace opened it.<\/p>\n<p>My father\u2019s signature appeared at the bottom.<\/p>\n<p>For a moment, forty-two percent disappeared.<\/p>\n<p>Then Daniel frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He pointed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis was signed nine days after Edward died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>Beatrice stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Julian whispered, \u201cJesus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My father\u2019s signature had been placed on a document after his death.<\/p>\n<p>Grace immediately photographed the screen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat changes everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at the signature.<\/p>\n<p>This one looked like my father\u2019s too.<\/p>\n<p>Close enough that for eleven years nobody had questioned it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho witnessed it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel scrolled.<\/p>\n<p>Richard Harrington.<\/p>\n<p>And Aaron Cole.<\/p>\n<p>The room went silent.<\/p>\n<p>Aaron again.<\/p>\n<p>His guilt had not ended with accounting.<\/p>\n<p>He had witnessed a dead man\u2019s signature.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNotarized?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Grace asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel read the name.<\/p>\n<p>Margaret Vale.<\/p>\n<p>Beatrice sat down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThomas\u2019s mother.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe notarized a forged document?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Julian shook his head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe was nearly seventy then.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlive?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCould her seal have been used by someone else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel said, \u201cPossible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another person dead.<\/p>\n<p>Another answer unavailable.<\/p>\n<p>Grace called Detective Chen.<\/p>\n<p>The forgery transformed the legal issue into criminal evidence.<\/p>\n<p>Richard\u2019s interview suddenly mattered even more.<\/p>\n<p>At three fifteen, Chen called back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe confronted Richard with the post-death consent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe invoked his right to remain silent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Not proof.<\/p>\n<p>But no explanation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about Aaron?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStill recovering.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThomas?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTalking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That surprised me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does he say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe says Richard forged Edward\u2019s signature.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Thomas know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe says he discovered it later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you believe him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not answering that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he explain why his mother\u2019s notary seal is on it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe says Richard had access to her office.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey shared administrative services during Cedar Ridge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another convenient possibility.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about Aaron\u2019s signature?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThomas says Aaron witnessed the document because Richard ordered him to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I thought of Aaron\u2019s phone call.<\/p>\n<p>Richard had given him a job.<\/p>\n<p>Money.<\/p>\n<p>Enough.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Thomas admit removing page seven?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe says he feared Richard would destroy it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat sounds almost noble.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chen heard my skepticism.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe also admitted withholding it from Michael.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe wanted leverage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There it was.<\/p>\n<p>No hero.<\/p>\n<p>Not even now.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he admit sending Michael to the lower road?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe admitted coordinating with Aaron.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he intend Michael to be hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe says no.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Pike?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe says Pike acted beyond instructions when he struck Michael\u2019s car.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard says Thomas acted independently. Thomas says Pike acted independently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone has an independent person beneath them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chen was silent.<\/p>\n<p>I continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho shot Aaron?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re working on it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas it Pike?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was incarcerated during today\u2019s incident.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn custody.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJulian?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Julian looked sharply at me.<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz had been with us.<\/p>\n<p>Chen answered anyway.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen who?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After the call, I walked into the backyard.<\/p>\n<p>Ortiz remained where he could see me through the glass.<\/p>\n<p>Grace followed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou all right?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at the garden.<\/p>\n<p>Michael used to complain that I planted everything too close together.<\/p>\n<p>He said I never believed plants would grow as large as the tag promised.<\/p>\n<p>He had been right.<\/p>\n<p>The rosemary had swallowed half the path.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happens if I stop Riverside?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Grace leaned against the railing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLegally?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPractically.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople lose money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEmployees?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInvestors?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJulian?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlmost certainly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at the rosemary.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd if I let it close?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou may lose leverage or complicate recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo Thomas built the choice correctly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe built a choice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot necessarily the only one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Grace nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s the right question.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat other option?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe challenge the title without destroying the transaction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEscrow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I turned.<\/p>\n<p>She continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRequire disputed proceeds to be held until ownership is resolved.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan we?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWould Julian agree?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Behind us, Julian\u2019s voice answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf it saves the closing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We turned.<\/p>\n<p>He stood in the doorway.<\/p>\n<p>Grace frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t eavesdrop.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s my financial future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot your house.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He accepted that without argument.<\/p>\n<p>Progress, perhaps.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Vivian asserts forty-two percent,\u201d Julian said, \u201cthe buyer may walk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Grace replied, \u201cUnless all parties agree to preserve the dispute in escrow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour father may not be controlling the company much longer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Julian\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n<p>He knew she was right.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d he asked me.<\/p>\n<p>For years that question had been easy.<\/p>\n<p>Marriage.<\/p>\n<p>Stability.<\/p>\n<p>A family someday.<\/p>\n<p>A home.<\/p>\n<p>Then yesterday I wanted repayment.<\/p>\n<p>This morning I wanted truth.<\/p>\n<p>Now I was not sure those wants could coexist.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want nobody else harmed because a Harrington man thinks protecting a company matters more than protecting a person.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Julian looked down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat isn\u2019t a legal term.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut it\u2019s the condition.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked at Grace.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat would escrow require?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We spent the next three hours building something Thomas had not planned.<\/p>\n<p>Not destruction.<\/p>\n<p>Containment.<\/p>\n<p>The Riverside closing could proceed only if the buyer accepted revised conditions.<\/p>\n<p>A substantial portion of proceeds would remain untouched.<\/p>\n<p>Ownership disputes preserved.<\/p>\n<p>No distribution to Richard.<\/p>\n<p>No extraordinary payments.<\/p>\n<p>No destruction or transfer of records.<\/p>\n<p>Independent oversight.<\/p>\n<p>And Julian would surrender operational control temporarily.<\/p>\n<p>He hated that part.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m CEO.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou were CEO,\u201d Grace said.<\/p>\n<p>He looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>I said nothing.<\/p>\n<p>Finally he nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTemporary.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUntil the accounting is complete.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd then?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen facts decide.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He almost smiled bitterly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ve started sounding like Chen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s probably healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At six forty, we sent the proposal.<\/p>\n<p>At seven twelve, Riverside\u2019s buyer responded.<\/p>\n<p>They would consider it.<\/p>\n<p>At seven thirty, Aaron woke from surgery.<\/p>\n<p>Detective Chen called.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe asked for Vivian.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan I speak with him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBriefly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The hospital connected us.<\/p>\n<p>Aaron\u2019s voice was weak.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat word is going to need more than one conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho shot you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAaron.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t see.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI moved toward the page.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThomas had the gun.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut his gun didn\u2019t shoot you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI heard another shot.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom where?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe rear doorway.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho was there?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then he whispered, \u201cMaybe I do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My grip tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI saw a coat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s not enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGray.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I waited.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLong gray coat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Something in his voice changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d seen it before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt the Alpine Crest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My skin prickled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho wore it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Aaron coughed.<\/p>\n<p>Then whispered the name.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeatrice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I turned toward the dining room.<\/p>\n<p>Through the glass doors, my mother-in-law sat at the table.<\/p>\n<p>Wearing a long gray coat.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/?p=9007\">Click here to continue reading: PART 19: Aaron Named Beatrice as the Shadow at Cedar Ridge, and Her Missing Hours Exposed a Secret Relationship No One Expected<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The photograph on my phone became suddenly more important than the original page itself. \u201cSend that to Chen,\u201d Grace said. \u201cI already have it,\u201d Chen replied. 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