\u201cWhy they chose you for Grant in the first place.\u201d
\nFor several seconds, I forgot about the four million dollars.
\nI forgot about the forged signatures.
\nI even forgot about the threatening photograph on my phone.
\nI stared through Evelyn\u2019s curtain at Nathan Cole standing beneath the porch light with the brown envelope in his hand.
\n\u201cWhat do you mean, chose me?\u201d
\nNathan looked over his shoulder.
\n\u201cI\u2019ll explain inside.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nEvelyn was already dialing Daniel.
\nNathan heard me through the phone.
\n\u201cMrs. Mercer, I understand why you don\u2019t trust me.\u201d
\n\u201cYou appeared outside the house where I\u2019m hiding twenty minutes after someone sent me a photograph of my car.\u201d
\n\u201cThat wasn\u2019t me.\u201d
\n\u201cConvenient.\u201d
\n\u201cI can prove it.\u201d
\n\u201cHow?\u201d
\n\u201cLook at the envelope.\u201d
\nI looked.
\n\u201cUpper-right corner.\u201d
\nThere was a handwritten number.
\n4729.
\nIt meant nothing to me.<\/p>\n
Nathan said, \u201cOpen the certified packet you brought from your house. Page eleven. Bottom-left corner.\u201d
\nMy stomach tightened.
\nOnly a handful of people should have known what was inside that packet.
\nI opened it.
\nPage eleven was a loan authorization connected to Cedar Ridge Capital.
\nAt the bottom was a transaction reference.
\n4729.
\n\u201cHow do you know that number?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause I created the original ledger entry.\u201d
\nEvelyn covered the phone and whispered, \u201cDaniel is coming.\u201d
\n\u201cHow long?\u201d
\n\u201cTwenty minutes.\u201d
\nI looked at Caleb sleeping in his carrier.
\nThen at Nathan.
\n\u201cStay where you are.\u201d
\n\u201cFine.\u201d
\n\u201cIf you move toward the door, I call the police.\u201d
\n\u201cYou probably should call them eventually.\u201d
\n\u201cEventually?\u201d
\n\u201cAfter you understand which police report you need to make.\u201d
\nThat answer bothered me more than a threat would have.
\nAt 6:27 A.M., Nathan Cole sat on Evelyn\u2019s front porch while we waited for Daniel.
\nI watched him through the window.
\nHe looked approximately forty-five, with graying hair and the exhausted posture of someone who hadn\u2019t slept.
\nHe never approached the door.
\nNever touched his phone.<\/p>\n
Never looked toward the windows again.
\nAt 6:41, Daniel\u2019s car pulled into the driveway.
\nOnly after Daniel spoke to Nathan outside did we let him enter.
\nDaniel took the brown envelope.
\n\u201cYou understand I\u2019m Claire\u2019s attorney.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd anything you give us may eventually be provided to law enforcement.\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s why I brought it.\u201d
\nDaniel studied him.
\n\u201cWhy now?\u201d
\nNathan looked at me.
\n\u201cBecause Richard Mercer knows I copied the books.\u201d
\nI felt Caleb move against my chest.
\n\u201cStart at the beginning.\u201d
\nNathan sat at Evelyn\u2019s kitchen table.
\nDaniel remained standing.
\nNathan folded his hands.
\n\u201cI worked for Mercer Financial Group for nine years. Officially, I was controller for two subsidiaries. Unofficially, I cleaned up problems.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat kind of problems?\u201d
\n\u201cTransactions Richard didn\u2019t want appearing where auditors could easily find them.\u201d
\nDaniel\u2019s expression hardened.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re admitting participation?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cThen you need your own attorney.\u201d
\n\u201cI have one.\u201d
\nNathan nodded toward the envelope.
\n\u201cAnd everything I\u2019m telling you this morning has already been disclosed to counsel.\u201d
\nDaniel finally sat down.
\nNathan continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout five years ago, Mercer Financial began having liquidity problems.\u201d
\nGrant had told me his family\u2019s business was worth tens of millions.
\n\u201cWhat kind of problems?\u201d
\n\u201cBad development investments. Personal guarantees. Loans against projects that weren\u2019t producing enough cash.\u201d
\n\u201cHow bad?\u201d
\n\u201cBad enough that if two lenders had called their notes simultaneously, the Mercer companies would have collapsed.\u201d
\nI stared at him.
\n\u201cGrant told me the company had its best year five years ago.\u201d
\nNathan almost smiled.
\n\u201cGrant told everyone that.\u201d
\nEvelyn asked, \u201cWhere does Claire come into this?\u201d
\nNathan looked at me.
\n\u201cRichard needed new credit.\u201d
\n\u201cThen why not borrow normally?\u201d
\n\u201cThey couldn\u2019t. Their leverage was already too high.\u201d
\n\u201cSo they created shell companies.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cUsing my identity.\u201d
\n\u201cEventually.\u201d
\nThat word caught me.
\n\u201cEventually?\u201d
\nNathan opened the envelope.
\nInside were dozens of printed pages.
\nHe removed one.
\nIt was an email.
\nThe date was five years earlier.
\nEight months before I met Grant.
\nNathan slid it across the table.
\nFROM: RICHARD MERCER
\nTO: GRANT MERCER
\nSUBJECT: CANDIDATES
\nMy skin prickled.
\nI read the first line.<\/p>\n
Three possibilities remain. All have clean credit, appropriate professional histories, and sufficient distance from our existing companies.
\nI stopped.
\n\u201cWhat is this?\u201d
\nNathan said nothing.
\nI kept reading.
\nCandidate A was an attorney.
\nCandidate B owned a consulting business.
\nCandidate C was described as:
\nFormer senior auditor. Unmarried. No children. Excellent credit. Limited immediate family. Strong professional reputation. Potentially useful if independent financial validation becomes necessary.
\nMy hands started shaking.
\nCandidate C was me.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nNathan\u2019s voice was quiet.
\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d
\nI looked at the date again.
\nEight months before Grant and I supposedly met by accident at a charity dinner.
\nI remembered that night perfectly.
\nHe had bumped into me near the silent-auction tables.
\nSpilled sparkling water on my sleeve.
\nApologized.
\nMade me laugh.
\nAsked for my number.
\nFor years, Grant called it fate.
\nIt wasn\u2019t fate.
\nIt was an interview.
\nI looked at Nathan.
\n\u201cHow did they know about me?\u201d
\n\u201cRichard hired a private intelligence firm to identify people matching certain financial criteria.\u201d
\n\u201cPeople?\u201d
\n\u201cWomen.\u201d
\nThe room went silent.
\nDaniel leaned forward.
\n\u201cWhat was the objective?\u201d
\nNathan looked uncomfortable.
\n\u201cOriginally? Access to clean personal credit and credible signatures.\u201d
\nMy stomach turned.
\n\u201cThey wanted Grant to marry someone they could borrow through?\u201d
\n\u201cNot immediately. Richard needed distance. A wife with a legitimate professional background could eventually become connected to transactions without attracting the same scrutiny as another Mercer executive.\u201d
\nI remembered Richard\u2019s toast at our wedding.
\nClaire isn\u2019t just joining our family. She\u2019s making us stronger.
\nEveryone had laughed.
\nNow I understood.
\n\u201cHow many women?\u201d
\n\u201cInitially?\u201d
\nNathan hesitated.
\n\u201cTwelve.\u201d
\nI stared at him.
\n\u201cTwelve women were investigated so Grant could choose a wife?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cDid Grant know?\u201d
\nNathan looked at the table.
\n\u201cClaire\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cDid my husband know?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nSomething inside me broke.
\nNot loudly.
\nThere were no tears.
\nJust a quiet rearranging of every memory I had trusted.
\nOur first date.
\nOur first Christmas.
\nThe night he proposed.
\nGrant crying when I walked down the aisle.
\nHis hand on my stomach when we learned I was pregnant.
\nHad any of it been real?
\nEvelyn touched my arm.
\nI barely felt it.
\nDaniel asked Nathan, \u201cWhy Candidate C?\u201d
\nNathan looked at me.
\n\u201cYour credit history was excellent. Your audit credentials were useful. You had no business connection to the Mercers.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd?\u201d
\n\u201cThere was another reason.\u201d
\nOf course there was.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nNathan removed another page.
\nIt was a background report.
\nMy background report.
\nAddresses.
\nEmployment.
\nSalary history.
\nProperty records.
\nEven the apartment where I had lived after college.
\nI felt violated reading it.
\nThen I saw a highlighted paragraph.
\nSUBJECT HAS NO LIVING PARENTS. ONLY IMMEDIATE RELATIVE: MATERNAL AUNT, RESIDING APPROXIMATELY 1,100 MILES AWAY.
\nI understood.
\n\u201cYou chose me because I was alone.\u201d
\nNathan\u2019s face tightened.
\n\u201cRichard considered it an advantage.\u201d
\nFor the first time that morning, I nearly cried.
\nNot because Grant wanted a divorce.
\nBecause five years of my life had suddenly become evidence.
\nDaniel pushed the papers aside.
\n\u201cWhy wait years before using her identity?\u201d
\n\u201cThey didn\u2019t.\u201d
\nI looked up.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nNathan removed another document.
\n\u201cThe $850,000 loan was not the first.\u201d
\n\u201cYou said the exposure was four million.\u201d
\n\u201cThe documents you found total approximately four million.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd?\u201d
\n\u201cThe transactions you haven\u2019t found are larger.\u201d
\n\u201cHow much larger?\u201d
\nNathan took a flash drive from his pocket.
\n\u201cOver eleven million dollars passed through entities where Claire\u2019s identity, credentials, assets, or marital status were used in some capacity.\u201d
\nEvelyn whispered, \u201cEleven million?\u201d
\n\u201cApproximately.\u201d
\nMy mouth went dry.
\n\u201cBut I would have seen loans that large on my credit.\u201d
\n\u201cNot if they weren\u2019t personal loans.\u201d
\nI understood immediately.
\n\u201cCorporate guarantees.\u201d
\nNathan nodded.
\n\u201cBoard certifications. Investor representations. Compliance attestations. Internal audit acknowledgments.\u201d
\n\u201cForged?\u201d
\n\u201cSome.\u201d
\n\u201cSome?\u201d
\nHis answer made my stomach drop.
\n\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d
\n\u201cSome documents contain your genuine signature.\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nHe pulled out three pages.
\n\u201cYou signed them.\u201d
\nI looked.
\nThe signature was mine.
\nActually mine.
\nThen I recognized the document.
\nTwo years earlier, Grant had asked me to sign paperwork related to refinancing our house.
\nHe had placed six signature tabs on a thick packet while I was preparing dinner.
\nI trusted him.
\nI signed.
\nNathan pointed to the page.
\n\u201cThe signature page was later attached to a different agreement.\u201d
\nMy blood went cold.
\nAnother memory surfaced.
\nGrant asking me to sign a document before we left for vacation.
\nRichard bringing papers to Thanksgiving dinner because something \u201cneeded a witness.\u201d
\nVanessa asking me to electronically acknowledge a family trust update.
\nTiny moments.
\nForgettable moments.
\nUntil now.
\n\u201cThey collected my signatures.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cFor years.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nI looked down at Caleb.
\n\u201cAnd then I got pregnant.\u201d
\nNathan\u2019s expression changed.
\nThere it was again.
\nFear.
\nThe same flicker I had seen on Grant\u2019s face when he noticed the envelope.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nNathan didn\u2019t answer.
\n\u201cWhat changed when I got pregnant?\u201d
\n\u201cEverything.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\nNathan looked at Daniel.
\nDaniel said, \u201cTell her.\u201d
\nNathan slowly exhaled.
\n\u201cAbout three months before Caleb was conceived, Richard\u2019s companies were approaching another refinancing deadline. They needed a new structure.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat structure?\u201d
\n\u201cOne involving the house.\u201d
\n\u201cThe $850,000?\u201d
\n\u201cThat was part of it.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd when I became pregnant?\u201d
\n\u201cGrant started resisting.\u201d
\nI stared at him.
\n\u201cGrant?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nThat was the first thing Nathan had said that didn\u2019t fit.
\n\u201cResisting what?\u201d
\n\u201cUsing your identity.\u201d
\nI almost laughed.
\n\u201cYou just told me he knew why he married me.\u201d
\n\u201cHe did.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd now you\u2019re telling me he developed a conscience?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m telling you what happened.\u201d
\nNathan leaned forward.
\n\u201cFor years, Grant did what Richard told him. He introduced you to the right people. Put papers in front of you. Made sure your name appeared where Richard needed it.\u201d
\nEvery sentence hurt.
\n\u201cBut when you became pregnant, something changed.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cThen how do you know?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause I was in the meeting.\u201d
\nNathan reached into the envelope again.
\n\u201cThis was seven months ago.\u201d
\nHe handed Daniel a printed email.
\nDaniel read it first.
\nHis expression changed.
\nThen he gave it to me.
\nIt was from Grant to Richard.
\nI read one sentence.
\nI WILL NOT LET YOU USE CLAIRE OR THE BABY FOR THIS. FIND ANOTHER WAY.
\nMy pulse quickened.
\nBelow it was Richard\u2019s response.
\nTHERE IS NO OTHER WAY. YOU KNEW THE ARRANGEMENT BEFORE YOU MARRIED HER.
\nI read it twice.
\nThen a third time.
\nGrant had known.
\nBut Grant had also tried to stop something.
\n\u201cWhat did Richard want to do?\u201d
\nNathan looked toward Caleb.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know all of it.\u201d
\n\u201cYou keep saying that.\u201d
\n\u201cBecause Richard stopped including me in certain meetings.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cHe suspected I was copying records.\u201d
\nDaniel asked, \u201cWhat do you know?\u201d
\nNathan hesitated.
\n\u201cThere was a project internally called Legacy.\u201d
\n\u201cLegacy?\u201d
\n\u201cI never found the full file.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat was it?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cThen why does it matter?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause every time Legacy was discussed, three things appeared afterward.\u201d
\nHe counted them.
\n\u201cClaire\u2019s name. The house. And the baby.\u201d
\nI held Caleb tighter.
\nDaniel\u2019s voice sharpened.
\n\u201cWhat connection could an infant possibly have to a financial transaction?\u201d
\nNathan shook his head.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nMy phone rang.
\nGrant.
\nI rejected it.
\nHe called again.
\nRejected.
\nThen a text appeared.
\nCLAIRE, PLEASE ANSWER.
\nAnother.
\nYOU ARE IN DANGER.
\nI stared at the screen.
\nThen another arrived.
\nNOT FROM ME.
\nMy heart began pounding.
\nGrant called again.
\nDaniel said, \u201cSpeaker.\u201d
\nI answered.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nGrant was breathing hard.
\n\u201cWhere are you?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m not telling you.\u201d
\n\u201cIs Caleb with you?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cListen to me. Whatever you think I did, whatever Nathan told you, we can deal with it later.\u201d
\nI looked at Nathan.
\nHis face changed when he heard his name.
\n\u201cHow do you know I\u2019m with Nathan?\u201d
\nGrant went silent.
\n\u201cGrant?\u201d
\n\u201cGet away from him.\u201d
\nNathan stood.
\n\u201cAsk him about Legacy.\u201d
\nGrant heard him.
\n\u201cClaire, get Caleb and leave that house right now.\u201d
\n\u201cTell me what Legacy is.\u201d
\n\u201cNot over the phone.\u201d
\n\u201cThen you\u2019ll never get another chance.\u201d
\n\u201cClaire\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cWhat is Legacy?\u201d
\nSilence.
\nThen I heard something in Grant\u2019s voice I had never heard before.
\nNot anger.
\nNot arrogance.
\nTerror.
\n\u201cMy father was never supposed to involve Caleb.\u201d
\nMy entire body went cold.
\n\u201cInvolve him in what?\u201d
\nGrant didn\u2019t answer.
\n\u201cGRANT.\u201d
\n\u201cI tried to stop it.\u201d
\n\u201cStop what?\u201d
\n\u201cThe trust.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat trust?\u201d
\n\u201cThe one my father created before Caleb was born.\u201d
\nDaniel was already writing.
\n\u201cWhat does a trust have to do with our son?\u201d
\n\u201cEverything.\u201d
\n\u201cExplain.\u201d
\n\u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d
\n\u201cYou can.\u201d
\n\u201cIf Richard knows I told you\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cYour father forged my identity, stole millions through companies connected to my name, and apparently investigated me before we even met. I am finished protecting your family.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cThen tell me.\u201d
\nGrant whispered something.
\nI almost didn\u2019t hear it.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nHe repeated it.
\n\u201cCaleb isn\u2019t the beneficiary.\u201d
\nI looked at my sleeping son.
\n\u201cThen who is?\u201d
\nGrant\u2019s answer made no sense.
\n\u201cYou are.\u201d
\nI stared at Daniel.
\n\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d
\n\u201cThe trust activates if something happens to you.\u201d
\nMy hand went numb around the phone.
\nEvelyn stopped breathing.
\nDaniel stood.
\n\u201cWhat kind of trust?\u201d he demanded.
\nGrant heard him.
\n\u201cWho is that?\u201d
\n\u201cMy attorney.\u201d
\n\u201cClaire, you need to leave.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat happens if something happens to me?\u201d
\nGrant didn\u2019t answer.
\n\u201cWhat happens, Grant?\u201d
\nHis voice broke.
\n\u201cMy father gains control.\u201d
\n\u201cOf what?\u201d
\n\u201cEverything connected to your name.\u201d
\nMy stomach twisted.
\n\u201cThe companies?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cThe guarantees?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cThe house?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat else?\u201d
\nGrant began speaking quickly.
\n\u201cClaire, there are things I didn\u2019t know when this started. I swear to you. I knew about the financial arrangement. I knew why Dad wanted me to meet you. I did things I will spend the rest of my life regretting. But I did not know about Legacy until after you became pregnant.\u201d
\n\u201cWHAT IS LEGACY?\u201d
\nA crash sounded through the phone.
\nGrant stopped speaking.
\n\u201cGrant?\u201d
\nNothing.
\nThen I heard Richard Mercer\u2019s voice.
\nCalm.
\nClose to Grant.
\n\u201cYou should have listened to me, son.\u201d
\nThe call ended.
\nI stared at the phone.
\nNathan whispered, \u201cWe need to leave.\u201d
\nDaniel was already dialing 911.
\nThen Evelyn looked through the front window.
\nHer face drained of color.
\n\u201cClaire.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cThe sedan.\u201d
\nI turned.
\nNathan\u2019s black sedan was still outside.
\nBut another vehicle had stopped behind it.
\nA gray SUV.
\nTwo men stepped out.
\nNathan went pale.
\n\u201cBack door. Now.\u201d
\n\u201cWho are they?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know their names.\u201d
\n\u201cHow do you know them?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause they work for Richard.\u201d
\nDaniel grabbed the flash drive and documents.
\nEvelyn lifted Caleb\u2019s diaper bag.
\nWe moved toward the rear of the house.
\nThen someone knocked on the front door.
\nThree slow knocks.
\nNo one moved.
\nAnother knock.
\nA man called through the door.
\n\u201cMrs. Mercer?\u201d
\nMy heart hammered.
\nDaniel whispered, \u201cPolice are coming.\u201d
\nThe man outside continued.
\n\u201cWe only need the documents Mr. Cole gave you.\u201d
\nNathan looked at me.
\nThen at the brown envelope.
\n\u201cYou said you copied the books,\u201d I whispered.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cWhere are the originals?\u201d
\nHis expression changed.
\n\u201cClaire\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cWhere?\u201d
\nHe glanced toward the front door.
\nThen he said, \u201cThat\u2019s the other reason I came.\u201d
\nAnother knock shook the door.
\n\u201cMrs. Mercer, please don\u2019t make this difficult.\u201d
\nNathan reached inside his jacket.
\nFor one terrifying second, I thought he was reaching for a weapon.
\nInstead, he removed a small brass key.
\nHe placed it in my hand.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s a safe-deposit box at Chesapeake Union Bank.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s inside?\u201d
\n\u201cThe original Mercer ledger.\u201d
\nThe pounding at the door became harder.
\n\u201cAnd the Legacy file?\u201d
\nNathan shook his head.
\n\u201cNot the whole thing.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat part?\u201d
\n\u201cOne page.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d
\nHis eyes dropped to Caleb.
\nThen back to me.
\n\u201cIt lists four dates.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat dates?\u201d
\n\u201cThe day Grant first met you.\u201d
\nMy breathing stopped.
\n\u201cYour wedding day.\u201d
\nAnother blow hit the front door.
\n\u201cThe day Caleb was born.\u201d
\nThe lock rattled.
\n\u201cAnd the fourth?\u201d
\nNathan looked directly at me.
\n\u201cThe fourth date hasn\u2019t happened yet.\u201d
\nI tightened my hand around the key.
\n\u201cWhen?\u201d
\nNathan answered.
\n\u201cTomorrow.\u201d……………………………………………………<\/p>\n
PART 3 \u2014 THE WIFE THEY CHOSE \u201cWhy they chose you for Grant in the first place.\u201d For several seconds, I forgot about the four million dollars. I forgot about … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5199,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5604"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5604\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5609,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5604\/revisions\/5609"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}