{"id":1081,"date":"2026-10-04T14:43:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-04T14:43:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/?p=1081"},"modified":"2026-10-04T14:43:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-04T14:43:18","slug":"part-12-the-flash-drive-hidden-beneath-the-mercedes-console-contained-one-recording-thomas-harlow-could-not-explain-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/?p=1081","title":{"rendered":"PART 12 \u2013 The Flash Drive Hidden Beneath the Mercedes Console Contained One Recording Thomas Harlow Could Not Explain Away"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I did not plug the flash drive into anything.<\/p>\n<p>Three weeks earlier I might have.<\/p>\n<p>Curiosity would have won.<\/p>\n<p>I would have walked to my office computer, inserted it, and told myself I was merely identifying forgotten customer property.<\/p>\n<p>Now I knew better.<\/p>\n<p>I set it on the workbench and called Detective Ramirez.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t touch it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere exactly did you find it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I described the center console trim.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas that part photographed before removal?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI took repair pictures. Kyle photographed the car later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood. Step away from it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I did.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus stood ten feet away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe missing drive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He stopped moving.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His eyes went toward the office computer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe could\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wasn\u2019t going to say it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, you were.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ramirez arrived with Agent Park and Kyle.<\/p>\n<p>For once the federal investigator looked less composed than the local detective.<\/p>\n<p>Kyle photographed the console piece, the tape, the bench, and the flash drive before bagging anything.<\/p>\n<p>Agent Park questioned me for nearly an hour.<\/p>\n<p>When did I remove the trim?<\/p>\n<p>Why?<\/p>\n<p>Who had access to the part?<\/p>\n<p>Where had it been stored?<\/p>\n<p>Had Laura, Brent, Derek, or Thomas entered the storage area afterward?<\/p>\n<p>I answered everything I could.<\/p>\n<p>The trim had been placed on a shelf before police involvement.<\/p>\n<p>The storage room remained unlocked during business hours.<\/p>\n<p>After the break-in, it had been searched for missing property but not cleared out.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo whoever broke in missed it,\u201d Park said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ramirez looked toward the shelf.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey knew to steal the computer and release form.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut not where the actual drive was,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p>Park nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat suggests the person who entered the garage didn\u2019t know where Brent hid it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOr didn\u2019t know it existed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlso possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I thought about Derek.<\/p>\n<p>He broke in after Laura called asking about deleting data.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe his mission had never been to recover the second flash drive.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe Laura didn\u2019t know it was in the car either.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBrent hid it,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p>Park looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe had the console open.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen careful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ramirez almost smiled.<\/p>\n<p>Apparently she had recruited the federal government into correcting my speculation.<\/p>\n<p>Still, I continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe drive was taped inside the console. That isn\u2019t accidental.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd the trim cracked in the crash.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo it was probably there before the impact.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLikely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho had access to the car before the crash?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSeveral people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLaura. Brent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMechanics. Valets. Detailers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut realistically?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Park closed her notebook.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRealistically, we investigate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The flash drive left.<\/p>\n<p>The waiting began.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile the custody case moved forward.<\/p>\n<p>The temporary order became a longer interim placement.<\/p>\n<p>Laura\u2019s supervised contact remained restricted after the attempt to influence Rick\u2019s memory.<\/p>\n<p>Her attorney requested reinstatement.<\/p>\n<p>Denise opposed.<\/p>\n<p>At the hearing, Laura cried.<\/p>\n<p>I hated watching it.<\/p>\n<p>Not because I wanted her spared consequences.<\/p>\n<p>Because some part of me still recognized every movement.<\/p>\n<p>The way she pressed her thumb against her index finger when anxious.<\/p>\n<p>The way her voice dropped instead of rose when she was truly scared.<\/p>\n<p>Years disappear legally faster than emotionally.<\/p>\n<p>Her lawyer argued that children should not be separated from their mother because of one poorly worded question.<\/p>\n<p>Denise described the context.<\/p>\n<p>The concealed crash.<\/p>\n<p>The coached lie about Noah\u2019s injury.<\/p>\n<p>The attempted out-of-state departure.<\/p>\n<p>The midnight call to Derek.<\/p>\n<p>The question to Rick during supervised contact.<\/p>\n<p>The judge reinstated one weekly visit with a professional supervisor and prohibited discussion of the accident, investigation, custody case, or any adult\u2019s possible legal consequences.<\/p>\n<p>Laura agreed.<\/p>\n<p>Afterward she approached while our attorneys were still nearby.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCraig.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Denise stiffened.<\/p>\n<p>Laura stopped several feet away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know you hate me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That seemed to hurt more.<\/p>\n<p>Her eyes filled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t know what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou could\u2019ve called an ambulance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She lowered her head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou could\u2019ve called me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou could\u2019ve told police the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Three versions of the same answer.<\/p>\n<p>None changed what happened.<\/p>\n<p>She looked up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought if everything came out, I\u2019d lose them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I nearly laughed.<\/p>\n<p>Instead I said, \u201cSo you made them carry it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her face crumpled.<\/p>\n<p>That was the only conversation we had.<\/p>\n<p>Two days later Agent Park asked me to come downtown.<\/p>\n<p>Denise came with me.<\/p>\n<p>We sat in a conference room with Ramirez and two federal investigators.<\/p>\n<p>Park placed the flash drive inside a clear evidence bag on the table.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt contained financial records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMore fraud?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow bad?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBad enough that I won\u2019t discuss totals while the investigation is active.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut that isn\u2019t why we asked you here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She opened a laptop.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was also an audio recording.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mouth went dry.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA conversation between Thomas and Brent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cApproximately six weeks before the crash.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnknown.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Park looked at Denise.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can describe relevant portions but not provide a copy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Denise nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGo ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas\u2019s voice had been identified.<\/p>\n<p>So had Brent\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>The conversation concerned Samuel Voss.<\/p>\n<p>The accountant.<\/p>\n<p>Voss had discovered financial irregularities and threatened to report them.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas wanted him controlled.<\/p>\n<p>Brent wanted him paid.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does controlled mean?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Park\u2019s expression did not change.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is one question investigators are asking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid they threaten him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot explicitly in the portion we recovered.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Thomas say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Park consulted notes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said Voss needed to understand that loyalty had consequences in both directions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat sounds like a threat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt may.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Brent say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe proposed paying Voss twenty thousand dollars for documents and silence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The amount from the ditch.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen the envelope was for Voss.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is our current assessment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd the key?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVoss had apparently demanded access to original records stored in the box.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy would Thomas give Brent the key?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo retrieve or exchange records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut Laura threw it away.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Ramirez.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe crash interrupted the payoff.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd that\u2019s why Thomas panicked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause the cash and key linked everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Park tapped the evidence bag.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe second drive was likely copied by Brent before the meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo he hid it in the Mercedes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe believe Brent did not fully trust his father.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That made sense immediately.<\/p>\n<p>Family built on money rarely meant family built on trust.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he plan to do with it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProtection. Leverage. Insurance. We don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I almost smiled at the familiar phrase.<\/p>\n<p>Then Park\u2019s expression changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s another recording.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room became still.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis one is from the night of the crash.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe drive appears configured to synchronize audio files copied from Brent\u2019s phone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo his phone was recording?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossibly intentionally. Possibly through an app.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does it capture?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cApproximately eleven minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Denise leaned forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore or after the crash?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBoth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Every muscle in my body tightened.<\/p>\n<p>Park explained.<\/p>\n<p>The recording began while the Mercedes was stopped at the marina road.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas arrived.<\/p>\n<p>Their voices matched Rick\u2019s memory.<\/p>\n<p>Laura said no.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas raised his voice.<\/p>\n<p>Brent demanded the package.<\/p>\n<p>Then Thomas said the sentence Rick partially remembered.<\/p>\n<p>Not exactly the same words, but close enough.<\/p>\n<p>Craig could never know what had happened.<\/p>\n<p>I stared at the table.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Park played no audio but read from a transcript.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas believed I still had contacts at the dealership from my years as a mechanic.<\/p>\n<p>More importantly, he knew I documented vehicle repairs carefully.<\/p>\n<p>He feared that if Brent crashed the Mercedes carrying dealership evidence and I later serviced it, I might find something.<\/p>\n<p>The irony almost made me dizzy.<\/p>\n<p>They had feared me before I knew there was anything to find.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy bring the car to my shop then?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I asked.<\/p>\n<p>Ramirez answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was Laura\u2019s decision, not Thomas\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThomas wanted the Mercedes destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room went silent around me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDestroyed how?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDisposed of through one of their salvage channels.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut Laura brought it to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ramirez\u2019s eyes stayed on mine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAccording to Laura, she believed you were the only mechanic she could pressure into repairing it without asking enough questions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The truth hurt even after everything.<\/p>\n<p>She had not trusted me.<\/p>\n<p>She had trusted my fear.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut Thomas didn\u2019t know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot initially.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen did he find out?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter you started the repair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom Laura?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I thought about the break-in.<\/p>\n<p>Derek.<\/p>\n<p>The threats.<\/p>\n<p>Corporate attorneys.<\/p>\n<p>The pieces fit tighter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does the recording say after Thomas leaves?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Park continued.<\/p>\n<p>Laura and Brent argued.<\/p>\n<p>She opened the envelope.<\/p>\n<p>She discovered the cash and key.<\/p>\n<p>She accused Brent of involving the children.<\/p>\n<p>Brent told her to mind her own business.<\/p>\n<p>She threatened to throw the package out.<\/p>\n<p>He demanded she hand it over.<\/p>\n<p>Then he took the driver\u2019s seat.<\/p>\n<p>The Mercedes accelerated.<\/p>\n<p>The audio captured Rick crying.<\/p>\n<p>Noah asking them to stop yelling.<\/p>\n<p>I covered my face with one hand.<\/p>\n<p>Denise touched my arm.<\/p>\n<p>Park paused.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t need the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I lowered my hand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She continued quietly.<\/p>\n<p>Thirty seconds before impact, Laura shouted at Brent to slow down.<\/p>\n<p>He told her to give him the envelope.<\/p>\n<p>She refused.<\/p>\n<p>There was movement.<\/p>\n<p>A horn.<\/p>\n<p>Laura shouted his name.<\/p>\n<p>Then impact.<\/p>\n<p>Metal.<\/p>\n<p>Glass.<\/p>\n<p>Noah screaming.<\/p>\n<p>Nothing in my life had prepared me to hear someone describe the sound of my child screaming after a crash.<\/p>\n<p>I stared at the wall until Park finished.<\/p>\n<p>The recording continued.<\/p>\n<p>Brent cursed.<\/p>\n<p>Laura asked the boys if they were alive.<\/p>\n<p>Rick answered.<\/p>\n<p>Noah cried.<\/p>\n<p>Laura said his mouth was bleeding.<\/p>\n<p>Then Brent said they had to leave.<\/p>\n<p>Laura told him they needed an ambulance.<\/p>\n<p>For one brief second, hope twisted through me.<\/p>\n<p>She had said it.<\/p>\n<p>She knew.<\/p>\n<p>Then Thomas\u2019s voice came through Brent\u2019s phone.<\/p>\n<p>He had called.<\/p>\n<p>Brent told him they crashed.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas asked whether police were there.<\/p>\n<p>Brent said no.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas gave the instruction that changed everything.<\/p>\n<p>Leave.<\/p>\n<p>No ambulance.<\/p>\n<p>No report.<\/p>\n<p>Get the car home.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Laura say?\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n<p>Park looked at the transcript.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe said, \u2018Noah is bleeding.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Thomas?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said, \u2018Then stop the bleeding.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room became very quiet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened next?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLaura got out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe threw the envelope.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe returned to the Mercedes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd they left.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Ramirez.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes this mean Thomas told them to abandon the scene?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is strong evidence he instructed them to avoid reporting the collision.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes it mean he knew children were injured?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe heard Laura say Noah was bleeding.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My hands shook.<\/p>\n<p>I placed them under the table.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs he being arrested?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Park and Ramirez exchanged a glance.<\/p>\n<p>That was enough.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ramirez answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToday.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked toward the window.<\/p>\n<p>Across the street, traffic moved normally.<\/p>\n<p>People carried coffee.<\/p>\n<p>A delivery truck stopped at the curb.<\/p>\n<p>Somewhere Thomas Harlow was probably sitting in an office or house he believed power had protected for decades.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about Brent?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe is already in federal custody on unrelated financial charges.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLaura?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLocal charges are being prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My chest tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat charges?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ramirez listed them carefully.<\/p>\n<p>Child endangerment.<\/p>\n<p>Evidence tampering.<\/p>\n<p>Obstruction.<\/p>\n<p>Potential conspiracy related to the crash concealment.<\/p>\n<p>Others remained under review.<\/p>\n<p>I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n<p>My sons\u2019 mother.<\/p>\n<p>I had known this moment might come.<\/p>\n<p>Knowing did nothing to make it easy.<\/p>\n<p>Denise asked, \u201cAnd the break-in?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDerek is cooperating.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I opened my eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe admitted it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho told him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ramirez looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLaura asked him about deleting the data.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I waited.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut Brent ordered him to enter the garage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That mattered.<\/p>\n<p>Not because it cleared Laura.<\/p>\n<p>It didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>But because truth mattered even when the truth was complicated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Derek think he was retrieving?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe diagnostic computer and any paperwork showing police had received vehicle data.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe release.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he know about the hidden flash drive?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So he had walked within feet of the most dangerous piece of evidence in the entire Harlow operation and never realized it was sitting inside a cracked console part on my shelf.<\/p>\n<p>One careless strip of duct tape had survived where money, lawyers, intimidation, and burglary failed.<\/p>\n<p>We left the federal building after four.<\/p>\n<p>Denise and I walked half a block before either of us spoke.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou okay?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy boys are going to learn their mother may be arrested.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know how to tell them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t tell them everything at once.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at the sidewalk.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do I say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe truth they need, not the entire truth adults are still processing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That sounded simple.<\/p>\n<p>It wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>At the apartment, Noah was drawing at the table with Mrs. Finch.<\/p>\n<p>Rick sat on the couch.<\/p>\n<p>The television was off.<\/p>\n<p>He looked at me immediately.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Something in his voice made me stop.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He held up a phone.<\/p>\n<p>My old spare phone.<\/p>\n<p>The one I let him use for games.<\/p>\n<p>A text message was open.<\/p>\n<p>Unknown number.<\/p>\n<p>Only six words.<\/p>\n<p>TELL YOUR DAD TO STOP NOW.<\/p>\n<p>My skin went cold.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you answer?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rick shook his head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen did this come?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFive minutes ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another message appeared while I watched.<\/p>\n<p>HE FOUND ENOUGH. WALK AWAY.<\/p>\n<p>I took the phone without touching anything else.<\/p>\n<p>Denise read the screen.<\/p>\n<p>Her face changed.<\/p>\n<p>I called Ramirez.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas Harlow was already in custody.<\/p>\n<p>Brent was already in custody.<\/p>\n<p>Derek was cooperating.<\/p>\n<p>Laura\u2019s phone was under monitoring conditions.<\/p>\n<p>Which meant someone else connected to the Harlow operation was still outside.<\/p>\n<p>Someone who knew my son\u2019s number.<\/p>\n<p>Someone who knew I had found the flash drive.<\/p>\n<p>And someone frightened enough to threaten an eight-year-old after the people at the center of the conspiracy had begun falling.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/?p=1082\">Click here to continue reading: PART 13: The Threat Sent to Rick\u2019s Phone Came From Inside the Harlow Network, but the Sender Had More to Lose Than Anyone Expected<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I did not plug the flash drive into anything. Three weeks earlier I might have. Curiosity would have won. I would have walked to my office computer, inserted it, and &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1069,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama-sory"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1081"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1081\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1111,"href":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1081\/revisions\/1111"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1069"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}