PART 2 \u2014 THE SECOND DOCUMENT
\nPatricia stopped screaming completely.
\nFor several seconds, the only sound coming through Ethan\u2019s phone was her breathing.
\nThen she whispered, \u201cWhat other document?\u201d
\nEthan didn\u2019t answer immediately.
\nHe was sitting beside me on our couch, one hand holding the phone while the other rested over mine.
\nI could still feel the heat in my cheek where Patricia had struck me.
\nUpstairs, our three-year-old daughter was sleeping.
\nAnd somehow that made Ethan look even calmer.
\nNot less angry.
\nCalmer.
\nThe kind of calm that comes when someone has finally made a decision they should have made years ago.
\n\u201cEthan,\u201d Patricia said again. \u201cWhat document?\u201d
\nRichard spoke quietly in the background.<\/p>\n
‘<\/p>\n
\u201cPatricia, maybe we should talk about this tomorrow.\u201d
\n\u201cNo!\u201d she snapped. \u201cI want to know what my son thinks he\u2019s doing with my house.\u201d
\nEthan finally answered.
\n\u201cIt isn\u2019t your house, Mom.\u201d
\n\u201cYou already said that!\u201d
\n\u201cAnd apparently you still don\u2019t understand.\u201d
\nPatricia\u2019s voice rose.
\n\u201cI have lived here for twenty-seven years!\u201d
\n\u201cThat doesn\u2019t make you the owner.\u201d
\n\u201cI raised you in this house!\u201d
\n\u201cAnd six years ago, the bank was preparing to take it.\u201d
\nSilence.
\nI looked at Ethan.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
He had told me his parents had experienced financial problems.
\nHe hadn\u2019t told me how serious they had been.
\nPatricia finally said, \u201cThat was temporary.\u201d
\n\u201cNo, Mom. You were four months behind on the mortgage. Dad\u2019s business had failed. You had credit-card debt. There was a tax lien. The bank had already started the foreclosure process.\u201d
\nRichard said nothing.
\nPatricia\u2019s breathing became louder.
\nEthan continued.
\n\u201cYou called me crying. You told me this house was the only thing you and Dad had left.\u201d
\n\u201cI remember.\u201d
\n\u201cYou asked me to save it.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd you did.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nPatricia sounded almost relieved.
\n\u201cExactly. So I don\u2019t understand why you\u2019re acting like\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cI bought it.\u201d
\nHer sentence died.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ethan leaned forward.
\n\u201cI paid the mortgage balance. I cleared the lien. I covered the legal costs. The title was transferred to me.\u201d
\n\u201cYou said you were refinancing it for us.\u201d
\n\u201cNo. I said I was arranging financing so you could remain in the house.\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s the same thing!\u201d
\n\u201cNo, it isn\u2019t.\u201d
\nRichard finally interrupted.
\n\u201cPatricia, I told you this at the time.\u201d
\nShe turned on him immediately.
\n\u201cYou told me Ethan was helping us!\u201d
\n\u201cHe was helping us.\u201d
\n\u201cYou knew his name was on the deed?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nAnother silence.
\nThis one felt different.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Because Patricia was beginning to understand that the person she had spent years treating like an endless bank account owned the roof above her head.
\nBut Ethan wasn\u2019t finished.
\n\u201cDo you remember the occupancy agreement?\u201d he asked.
\n\u201cWhat occupancy agreement?\u201d
\nRichard groaned softly.
\n\u201cPatricia\u2026\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cThe papers we signed after Ethan purchased the house.\u201d
\n\u201cI signed dozens of papers!\u201d
\n\u201cAnd you refused to read any of them,\u201d Richard said.
\nPatricia snapped, \u201cBecause you told me everything was handled!\u201d
\nEthan closed his eyes for a moment.
\nThen he said, \u201cThe second document is that agreement.\u201d
\nMy stomach tightened.
\n\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d I whispered.
\nEthan looked at me.
\n\u201cIt gave them the right to live there without paying rent.\u201d
\nI blinked.
\n\u201cFor how long?\u201d
\n\u201cAs long as certain conditions were followed.\u201d
\nPatricia heard me.
\n\u201cWhat conditions?\u201d
\nEthan\u2019s jaw tightened.
\n\u201cBasic ones.\u201d
\n\u201cSuch as?\u201d
\n\u201cMaintain the property. Don\u2019t rent it out. Don\u2019t borrow against it. Don\u2019t make structural changes without permission.\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s ridiculous.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd one more.\u201d
\nNobody spoke.
\nEthan continued.
\n\u201cThe owner can terminate the occupancy agreement if the property is being used in a way that creates legal liability or if occupants engage in serious misconduct involving the owner or the owner\u2019s immediate family.\u201d
\nPatricia actually laughed.
\nIt was short and nervous.
\n\u201cYou think an argument at Christmas means you can throw your own mother into the street?\u201d
\n\u201cYou assaulted my wife.\u201d
\n\u201cI slapped her!\u201d
\n\u201cThree times.\u201d
\n\u201cShe provoked me!\u201d
\nMy whole body went rigid.
\nEthan stood.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nHis voice changed for the first time.
\nNot loud.
\nNot explosive.
\nBut so firm that even Patricia went quiet.
\n\u201cClaire did not make you raise your hand.\u201d
\nPatricia tried to interrupt.
\nEthan continued.
\n\u201cShe did not make you hit her once.\u201d
\nHis fingers tightened around the phone.
\n\u201cShe did not make you hit her twice.\u201d
\nAnother pause.
\n\u201cAnd she certainly did not make you hit her a third time while our daughter watched.\u201d
\nPatricia said nothing.
\n\u201cThen you called my wife trash.\u201d
\nStill nothing.
\n\u201cAnd then you pointed at my three-year-old child and called her trash too.\u201d
\n\u201cThat isn\u2019t exactly what I\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cI was standing there.\u201d
\nPatricia stopped.
\n\u201cI heard every word.\u201d
\nRichard spoke quietly.
\n\u201cShe\u2019s right about one thing, Ethan.\u201d
\nI looked toward the phone.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d Ethan asked.
\n\u201cWe shouldn\u2019t make decisions tonight.\u201d
\nEthan\u2019s face softened slightly when he heard his father.
\n\u201cDad, I\u2019m not making this decision tonight.\u201d
\nRichard hesitated.
\n\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d
\n\u201cI made it years ago.\u201d
\nThat confused all of us.
\nEven me.
\nEthan looked down at the phone.
\n\u201cWhen I bought that house, my attorney asked what would happen if our relationship deteriorated.\u201d
\nPatricia scoffed.
\n\u201cYour attorney?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cYou discussed your own parents with an attorney?\u201d
\n\u201cI was spending almost four hundred thousand dollars saving you from foreclosure, Mom. Of course I had an attorney.\u201d
\nMy eyes widened.
\nFour hundred thousand?
\nI had known Ethan did well financially.
\nBut I had never understood how much of his money had gone toward his parents.
\nHe continued.
\n\u201cMy attorney insisted on protections.\u201d
\nPatricia\u2019s voice became bitter.
\n\u201cProtections from your family.\u201d
\n\u201cProtections for my family.\u201d
\nThere was an important difference.
\nAnd for the first time that night, I think Patricia heard it.
\n\u201cYou mean her,\u201d she said.
\nEthan looked at me.
\n\u201cI mean Claire and Lily.\u201d
\nPatricia gave a bitter laugh.
\n\u201cOf course.\u201d
\n\u201cStop.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cStop talking about my wife like she appeared yesterday. Claire has been my wife for seven years.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m your mother.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd she\u2019s my wife.\u201d
\n\u201cI gave birth to you!\u201d
\n\u201cAnd that does not give you permission to abuse the people I love.\u201d
\nPatricia\u2019s voice cracked.
\n\u201cSo you\u2019re choosing her over me?\u201d
\nEthan shook his head even though she couldn\u2019t see him.
\n\u201cNo, Mom. You keep pretending this is a competition. It isn\u2019t.\u201d
\n\u201cThen what is it?\u201d
\n\u201cA consequence.\u201d
\nNobody spoke.
\nThen Patricia asked the question she had apparently been afraid to ask.
\n\u201cWhen do we have to leave?\u201d
\nRichard immediately said, \u201cPatricia.\u201d
\nBut she repeated it.
\n\u201cWhen?\u201d
\nEthan took a breath.
\n\u201cI\u2019m not putting Dad out tomorrow.\u201d
\n\u201cSo I can stay?\u201d
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t say that.\u201d
\nThe relief disappeared from her voice.
\n\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d
\n\u201cIt means I\u2019m speaking to my attorney after Christmas. Everything will be handled legally and properly.\u201d
\n\u201cYou would evict your own mother?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m going to protect my wife and daughter.\u201d
\n\u201cThis is revenge!\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nEthan looked toward the stairs where Lily was sleeping.
\n\u201cIf this were revenge, I\u2019d be screaming.\u201d
\nHis voice lowered.
\n\u201cI\u2019m not interested in revenge.\u201d
\n\u201cThen what do you want?\u201d
\n\u201cDistance.\u201d
\nThat word seemed to hurt Patricia more than anything else he had said.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t want you near Claire.\u201d
\nShe inhaled sharply.
\n\u201cAnd until I\u2019m convinced you understand what you did, I don\u2019t want you near Lily either.\u201d
\n\u201cYou can\u2019t keep my granddaughter away from me!\u201d
\n\u201cShe\u2019s our daughter.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m her grandmother!\u201d
\n\u201cAnd tonight you called her trash.\u201d
\n\u201cI was angry!\u201d
\n\u201cShe\u2019s three.\u201d
\nPatricia fell silent.
\nThen Richard said something unexpected.
\n\u201cHe\u2019s right.\u201d
\nPatricia turned on him.
\n\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d
\n\u201cYou heard me.\u201d
\n\u201cRichard\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cYou hit Claire.\u201d
\nHis voice trembled, but he kept speaking.
\n\u201cYou hit that girl three times at our Christmas table, and I sat there like a coward.\u201d
\nI felt my throat tighten.
\nRichard continued.
\n\u201cAnd when you insulted Lily, I still said nothing.\u201d
\n\u201cDon\u2019t you dare take their side.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m not taking sides.\u201d
\n\u201cYes, you are!\u201d
\n\u201cNo, Patricia. I\u2019m finally admitting what happened.\u201d
\nSomething crashed in the background.
\nMaybe a glass.
\nMaybe a plate.
\nThen the call ended.
\nEthan stared at his phone.
\nI stared at him.
\nNeither of us spoke for several seconds.
\nFinally, I asked, \u201cWere you really going to tell me about the house someday?\u201d
\nHe looked ashamed.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cWhen?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cThat isn\u2019t an answer.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\nI stood and walked toward the kitchen.
\nEthan followed.
\n\u201cClaire.\u201d
\n\u201cYou sent them thirty thousand dollars a year.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cFor six years.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd before that you spent nearly four hundred thousand dollars buying their house?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nI turned around.
\n\u201cThat is not a small secret, Ethan.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy would you hide something that big from me?\u201d
\nHe looked down.
\n\u201cBecause I was embarrassed.\u201d
\n\u201cAbout helping your parents?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nHe looked at me.
\n\u201cAbout never being able to tell my mother no.\u201d
\nThat answer stopped me.
\nEthan sat at the kitchen table.
\n\u201cWhen Dad\u2019s business collapsed, Mom called me every day. Every problem became an emergency. The mortgage. Her car. Madison\u2019s tuition. Their taxes. Repairs. Medical bills.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd you paid.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cEvery time?\u201d
\n\u201cAlmost.\u201d
\nI sat opposite him.
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\nHe rubbed both hands over his face.
\n\u201cBecause every time I hesitated, she reminded me of everything she had sacrificed raising me.\u201d
\nI knew Patricia could manipulate people.
\nBut I had never understood how deeply she had trained Ethan to feel responsible for her happiness.
\nHe looked toward the hallway.
\n\u201cThen Lily was born.\u201d
\nHis voice softened.
\n\u201cAnd I started realizing something.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cI was spending so much energy trying to be a good son that sometimes I wasn\u2019t protecting the family I chose.\u201d
\nI reached across the table.
\nHe took my hand.
\n\u201cYou protected us tonight,\u201d I said.
\n\u201cToo late.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nI squeezed his fingers.
\n\u201cLate isn\u2019t the same as never.\u201d
\nHis eyes filled slightly.
\nThen his phone buzzed.
\nA message from Madison.
\nEthan looked at it.
\nHis expression immediately hardened.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nHe handed me the phone.
\nMadison had written:
\nYou need to fix this NOW. Mom is hysterical. Dad is blaming everyone. You cannot kick us out over Claire.
\nI reread the final two words.
\n\u201cUs?\u201d
\nEthan noticed it too.
\nHe typed:
\nWhat do you mean \u201cus\u201d?
\nThree dots appeared.
\nThen disappeared.
\nThen appeared again.
\nFinally:
\nMom and Dad and me.
\nEthan frowned.
\n\u201cYou live there?\u201d
\nMadison replied almost immediately.
\nI\u2019ve been staying here.
\n\u201cFor how long?\u201d I asked.
\nEthan typed the question.
\nMadison answered:
\nA while.
\nEthan:
\nHow long is \u201ca while\u201d?
\nNo response.
\nHe called Richard.
\nHis father answered after the fourth ring.
\n\u201cDad.\u201d
\nRichard sounded exhausted.
\n\u201cYes?\u201d
\n\u201cIs Madison living at the house?\u201d
\nA pause.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cHow long?\u201d
\nAnother pause.
\n\u201cAbout eleven months.\u201d
\nEthan stared at the wall.
\n\u201cYou never told me.\u201d
\n\u201cYour mother said it wasn\u2019t important.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy is Madison living there?\u201d
\nRichard hesitated.
\n\u201cShe had some financial trouble.\u201d
\nOf course.
\n\u201cWhat kind?\u201d
\n\u201cEthan, it\u2019s late.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat kind of financial trouble?\u201d
\nRichard sighed.
\n\u201cShe lost her apartment.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd?\u201d
\n\u201cAnd there were some debts.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat debts?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know everything.\u201d
\nEthan stood.
\n\u201cDad.\u201d
\n\u201cI honestly don\u2019t.\u201d
\n\u201cThen put Mom back on.\u201d
\n\u201cShe locked herself in the bedroom.\u201d
\n\u201cAsk her tomorrow.\u201d
\n\u201cAsk her what?\u201d
\nEthan looked at me.
\n\u201cHow much of the $2,500 I send every month has been going to Madison?\u201d
\nRichard didn\u2019t answer.
\nThat was answer enough.
\nEthan closed his eyes.
\n\u201cDad?\u201d
\n\u201cI think you should talk to your mother.\u201d
\n\u201cHow much?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cEstimate.\u201d
\nAnother long pause.
\n\u201cMaybe half.\u201d
\nI nearly dropped the phone.
\nEthan\u2019s face went blank.
\n\u201cHalf?\u201d
\n\u201cSometimes more.\u201d
\nThe money Ethan believed was covering his parents\u2019 expenses had apparently been supporting Madison too.
\nFor almost a year.
\nBut Richard still wasn\u2019t finished.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s something else.\u201d
\nEthan slowly sat down again.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nRichard lowered his voice.
\n\u201cYour mother didn\u2019t want me telling you.\u201d
\n\u201cTell me.\u201d
\n\u201cShe\u2019s been giving Madison money for longer than eleven months.\u201d
\n\u201cHow much longer?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know exactly.\u201d
\n\u201cDad.\u201d
\n\u201cYears.\u201d
\nEthan looked at me.
\n\u201cUsing the money I sent?\u201d
\n\u201cI believe so.\u201d
\nEthan said nothing.
\nThen Richard whispered, \u201cBut that isn\u2019t the biggest problem.\u201d
\nA chill ran through me.
\n\u201cWhat could possibly be bigger?\u201d I asked.
\nRichard hesitated.
\n\u201cLast spring, Patricia asked me to sign some papers.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat papers?\u201d Ethan asked.
\n\u201cShe said Madison needed help getting a loan.\u201d
\nEthan\u2019s face changed instantly.
\n\u201cWhat did you sign?\u201d
\n\u201cI thought it was just verification that Madison lived here.\u201d
\n\u201cDad, what did you sign?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nEthan stood so quickly his chair scraped across the floor.
\n\u201cDid Mom use the house as collateral?\u201d
\n\u201cI told her she couldn\u2019t.\u201d
\n\u201cDid she?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cDad, my name is on the deed. She legally cannot mortgage my property.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\nEthan went completely still.
\nThen Richard said the sentence that changed everything.
\n\u201cShe told Madison there were ways around that.\u201d
\nMy stomach dropped.
\nEthan immediately opened his laptop.
\n\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d I asked.
\n\u201cChecking the property records.\u201d
\nIt took several minutes.
\nThose minutes felt endless.
\nThen Ethan found something.
\nHis face drained of color.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d I whispered.
\nHe didn\u2019t answer.
\n\u201cEthan.\u201d
\nHe turned the laptop toward me.
\nThere was a filing connected to the property.
\nSomething neither of us recognized.
\nSomething recorded eight months earlier.
\nEthan stared at the document number.
\n\u201cI never signed this.\u201d
\nRichard was still on speaker.
\n\u201cWhat did you find?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know yet.\u201d
\nThen Ethan noticed a name.
\nMadison Parker.
\nHis sister.
\nAnd beside her name was another name.
\nPatricia Parker.
\nMy heart started pounding.
\n\u201cWhat does it mean?\u201d
\nEthan zoomed in.
\nThen his expression changed from confusion to disbelief.
\n\u201cThis can\u2019t be real.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nHe pointed at the screen.
\nSomeone had filed paperwork claiming a financial interest in Ethan\u2019s property.
\nBut that wasn\u2019t the part that frightened him.
\nAttached to the filing was a reference to an authorization document supposedly signed by Ethan himself.
\nExcept Ethan had never seen it.
\nNever approved it.
\nAnd definitely never signed it.
\nRichard whispered, \u201cOh God.\u201d
\nEthan looked at the date.
\nEight months earlier.
\nThen he looked at me.
\nAnd suddenly I remembered something.
\nEight months earlier, Patricia had asked Ethan to send her copies of several old financial documents because she claimed her accountant needed them for \u201ctax records.\u201d
\nEthan had sent them.
\nIncluding documents containing his signature.
\n\u201cEthan\u2026\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\nHis phone buzzed again.
\nThis time, it was Patricia.
\nOne message.
\nPlease don\u2019t involve lawyers. We can explain everything.
\nEthan read it twice.
\nThen he slowly placed the phone on the table.
\nBecause innocent people usually ask what you\u2019re talking about.
\nPatricia hadn\u2019t.
\nShe already knew exactly what he had found.
\nEthan typed only five words:
\nDo not destroy any documents.
\nHer response came almost instantly.
\nEthan, please. Call me privately.
\nHe didn\u2019t.
\nInstead, he forwarded the property filing to his attorney.
\nThen another message appeared.
\nNot from Patricia.
\nFrom Madison.
\nYou\u2019re going to ruin this entire family because your wife couldn\u2019t take one slap?
\nI stared at the screen.
\nOne slap.
\nAfter Patricia had struck me three times.
\nAfter she had insulted our daughter.
\nAfter years of taking Ethan\u2019s money.
\nAfter apparently filing something involving property they didn\u2019t own.
\nEthan began typing.
\nThen stopped.
\nDeleted everything.
\nAnd blocked Madison.
\n\u201cWhat happens now?\u201d I asked.
\nHe looked toward the staircase.
\nFor the first time that night, there was no guilt in his face.
\n\u201cNo more secrets.\u201d
\nThen his phone rang again.
\nUnknown number.
\nEthan almost ignored it.
\nBut something made him answer.
\n\u201cHello?\u201d
\nA man\u2019s voice came through.
\n\u201cIs this Ethan Parker?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cMy name is Daniel Mercer. I apologize for calling this late, but Richard Parker gave me your number several months ago and told me I should contact you if there was ever a problem involving the property on Hawthorne Drive.\u201d
\nEthan and I looked at each other.
\n\u201cWhat kind of problem?\u201d
\nThe man paused.
\n\u201cThe kind I believe you discovered tonight.\u201d
\nEthan\u2019s grip tightened around the phone.
\n\u201cWho are you?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m the accountant your mother told you she was working with.\u201d
\nMy blood went cold.
\nEthan said nothing.
\nDaniel continued.
\n\u201cBut there\u2019s something Patricia never told you.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cI stopped working for her seven months ago.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause I found discrepancies.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat discrepancies?\u201d
\nDaniel took a breath.
\n\u201cMoney coming into accounts that did not match the explanations she gave me.\u201d
\nEthan\u2019s face hardened.
\n\u201cHow much money?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know the final amount.\u201d
\n\u201cGive me an estimate.\u201d
\nAnother pause.
\n\u201cMore than two hundred thousand dollars.\u201d
\nI covered my mouth.
\nEthan whispered, \u201cFrom where?\u201d
\n\u201cThat,\u201d Daniel said, \u201cis why I kept copies of everything.\u201d
\nEthan looked at me.
\nDaniel continued.
\n\u201cAnd Mr. Parker?\u201d
\n\u201cYes?\u201d
\n\u201cYour mother wasn\u2019t the only person involved.\u201d
\nEthan slowly closed his eyes.
\n\u201cMadison?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nThat answer stunned us both.
\n\u201cThen who?\u201d
\nDaniel hesitated.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t think I should tell you over the phone.\u201d
\nEthan\u2019s voice dropped.
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause if the records I have are accurate, someone inside your family has been lying to you for nearly six years.\u201d
\nEthan looked toward the phone.
\n\u201cWho?\u201d
\nDaniel was silent for several seconds.
\nThen he finally said:
\n\u201cYour father.\u201d
\nAnd suddenly, the one person we thought had been quietly trapped under Patricia\u2019s control became the person Ethan could no longer trust.
\nBut what Daniel showed us the next morning would reveal that Richard\u2019s secret wasn\u2019t about stealing Ethan\u2019s money.
\nIt was about where that money had really been going.
\nAnd when Ethan saw the first name on Daniel\u2019s records, he whispered only four words:
\n\u201cThat person is dead.\u201d…………………<\/p>\n
PART 2 \u2014 THE SECOND DOCUMENT Patricia stopped screaming completely. For several seconds, the only sound coming through Ethan\u2019s phone was her breathing. Then she whispered, \u201cWhat other document?\u201d Ethan … <\/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-6573","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\/6573","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=6573"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6573\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6580,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6573\/revisions\/6580"}],"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=6573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}