{"id":2512,"date":"2026-10-07T09:13:51","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T09:13:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/?p=2512"},"modified":"2026-10-07T09:13:51","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T09:13:51","slug":"part-19-dads-hidden-report-said-someone-used-my-name-at-the-plant-and-thomas-finally-remembered-who-he-had-actually-seen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/?p=2512","title":{"rendered":"PART 19 \u2013 Dad\u2019s Hidden Report Said Someone Used My Name at the Plant, and Thomas Finally Remembered Who He Had Actually Seen"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For several seconds, the old locker room made no sound except the fluorescent lights humming overhead.<\/p>\n<p>Someone else was using his name.<\/p>\n<p>I read the sentence again.<\/p>\n<p>Then a third time.<\/p>\n<p>It did not become more reasonable.<\/p>\n<p>Claire took the incident report from me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou said you\u2019d never been here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hadn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEver?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot that I remember.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Evan leaned against the locker bank.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father said he saw you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe night before the crash.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked toward the doorway.<\/p>\n<p>Carl stood outside far enough away to give us privacy.<\/p>\n<p>I pulled out my phone.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas answered immediately.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you find it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLocker 214.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo the key worked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat was inside?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad\u2019s toolbox. A cassette. A report.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas breathed out.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis incident report?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew about it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why did you call it that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard wrote reports for everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fair.<\/p>\n<p>I pressed ahead.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad wrote that you saw me at the plant the night before my crash.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas said nothing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThomas?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wasn\u2019t here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou just said you\u2019re thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m trying to remember what Richard asked me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My frustration rose.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis matters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, I don\u2019t think you do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire touched my arm.<\/p>\n<p>I lowered my voice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad wrote that someone was using my name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas\u2019s breathing changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That one syllable told me memory had moved.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI remember.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho did you see?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t know it then.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas spoke slowly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was a young man outside Building C.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he look like?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour height, maybe. Dark hair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat describes half the town.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI barely saw him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat was he doing?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWaiting near the employee parking area.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt midnight?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClose to midnight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy were you there?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOvertime.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you talked to him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas took a long breath.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe asked whether Richard Mercer was still working.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My skin prickled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad wasn\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo. He had already left.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you tell him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd then?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe asked whether I knew where Richard lived.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire looked sharply at me.<\/p>\n<p>I stared at the phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou gave a stranger our address?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI asked who he was.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd he said Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My name sounded foreign.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel Mercer?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy would you believe him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas was quiet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I knew Richard had two sons.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew my name?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d heard it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd this person knew enough to use it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened next?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told him if he was Richard\u2019s son, he should already know where Richard lived.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite everything, that was almost funny.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat he\u2019d been staying with friends and didn\u2019t have his phone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat explanation makes no sense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt didn\u2019t then either.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told him to come back during the day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe left.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou didn\u2019t tell Dad?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe next afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The day of my crash.<\/p>\n<p>Everything began connecting.<\/p>\n<p>Dad had called Thomas\u2019s house not because he needed a ride.<\/p>\n<p>Because Thomas said someone calling himself Daniel had been outside the plant.<\/p>\n<p>Dad wanted details.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas wasn\u2019t home.<\/p>\n<p>Evan answered.<\/p>\n<p>During that conversation Dad mentioned me, my location, and eventually the problem of getting me home.<\/p>\n<p>One subject had turned into another.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Dad say when you told him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe laughed at first.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat sounds right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen I described the man.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas went silent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe stopped laughing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou must know something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo. I remember asking if Daniel had been there. Richard said no.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe asked whether the man had a scar.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Evan straightened.<\/p>\n<p>Claire looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA scar?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas said, \u201cOn the left cheek, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Evan instinctively.<\/p>\n<p>His scar was near his jaw.<\/p>\n<p>Wrong side.<\/p>\n<p>Wrong person.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid the man?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI couldn\u2019t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Dad do then?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said he would call me later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Because hours later, I was in the hospital.<\/p>\n<p>Claire asked, \u201cWho would Richard think it was?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas answered her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe asked about a scar for a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Richard know someone who looked like Daniel?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI honestly don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I thought of Aaron.<\/p>\n<p>Older by two years.<\/p>\n<p>Similar height.<\/p>\n<p>Dark hair then.<\/p>\n<p>But Thomas knew Aaron existed too.<\/p>\n<p>And Aaron did not have a scar.<\/p>\n<p>Also, Aaron had been living three states away at the time.<\/p>\n<p>I knew because he came home after my accident.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCould it have been my brother?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas sounded certain.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d met Aaron once.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCompany picnic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So not Aaron.<\/p>\n<p>Evan spoke from beside me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAsk about Marcus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarcus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou said you were at his apartment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he know your father?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverybody met Dad eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat isn\u2019t what I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Evan\u2019s face had tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI knew Marcus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The statement hit oddly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe went to the same high school.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus was two years older than Evan.<\/p>\n<p>That fit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWere you friends?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe sold beer to younger kids.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire said, \u201cIncluding you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Evan nodded.<\/p>\n<p>My stomach shifted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Marcus give you alcohol the night of the crash?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou never mentioned that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou didn\u2019t ask.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s becoming an irritating phrase.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas the party at Marcus\u2019s?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo. Someone else\u2019s house.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he sell you the beer?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe brought it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I rubbed my face.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus had been one of my closest friends in college.<\/p>\n<p>Not lifelong.<\/p>\n<p>We met freshman year.<\/p>\n<p>By sophomore year, I spent enough time at his apartment that Dad knew the address.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Marcus ever work at the plant?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas answered through the phone before Evan could.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I went still.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTemporary labor. One summer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat year?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe year before the accident.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My heart began beating harder.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCleaning, moving parts, whatever contractors assigned.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBuilding C?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire watched my face.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I already knew what she was thinking.<\/p>\n<p>I didn\u2019t want to think it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Marcus have a scar?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas was quiet.<\/p>\n<p>Then: \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Every hair on my arms lifted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLeft cheek.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The old building seemed suddenly colder.<\/p>\n<p>I walked toward the doorway because I needed air.<\/p>\n<p>Claire followed.<\/p>\n<p>Evan stayed a few steps behind.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas remained on speaker.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow did he get it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I did.<\/p>\n<p>Bike accident.<\/p>\n<p>That was what Marcus told everyone.<\/p>\n<p>A pale line along his left cheek from the corner of his ear toward his jaw.<\/p>\n<p>I had seen it a thousand times.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy would Marcus come here pretending to be me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nobody answered.<\/p>\n<p>I thought about the night before my accident.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus\u2019s apartment.<\/p>\n<p>Pizza.<\/p>\n<p>Beer.<\/p>\n<p>Friends.<\/p>\n<p>Had I been there that night or only the next?<\/p>\n<p>Memory at twenty years old was not organized by date.<\/p>\n<p>I could picture the apartment.<\/p>\n<p>But perhaps I was remembering dozens of similar evenings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCall Aaron.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She did.<\/p>\n<p>He answered with a groan.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf this is about brunch, I\u2019m dead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy are you calling from Claire\u2019s phone?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m using mine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He was apparently still asleep.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAaron, wake up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI regret answering.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you remember Marcus Hale?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>Then his voice changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour college friend?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Dad like him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Aaron took a moment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I hadn\u2019t expected the answer to be that immediate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad thought he was shady.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s vague.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou asked a hungover man a fourteen-year-old question.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I heard movement.<\/p>\n<p>Aaron probably sat up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad caught him lying once.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMoney.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat money?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarcus borrowed cash from you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t remember that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou wouldn\u2019t. Dad found out from Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou asked Mom for money because you said your account was short.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A memory surfaced.<\/p>\n<p>Barely.<\/p>\n<p>Two hundred dollars.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe three.<\/p>\n<p>I had loaned Marcus something for rent.<\/p>\n<p>He repaid me.<\/p>\n<p>Eventually.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Dad do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing. He just said Marcus always seemed to have a reason other people should pay for his problems.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat sounds like Dad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Dad ever mention seeing Marcus near the plant?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Marcus have any reason to know Thomas?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Aaron paused.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThomas who?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Right.<\/p>\n<p>He knew nothing about this.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNever mind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel, what happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Claire.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe found something Dad hid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs this another dead-person scavenger hunt?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Aaron groaned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course it is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll explain later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou better.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I ended the call.<\/p>\n<p>Evan leaned against the exterior brick wall.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat exactly did Richard\u2019s report say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I handed it to him.<\/p>\n<p>He read the lines about the person using my name.<\/p>\n<p>Then the entry from four years ago.<\/p>\n<p>His face changed at the last paragraph.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He pointed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard added something in the margin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I took the page back.<\/p>\n<p>The handwriting was smaller.<\/p>\n<p>Almost hidden along the fold.<\/p>\n<p>M.H. came to house after Daniel\u2019s accident. Asked too many questions about truck.<\/p>\n<p>My mouth went dry.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus Hale.<\/p>\n<p>M.H.<\/p>\n<p>I remembered him visiting.<\/p>\n<p>Hospital first.<\/p>\n<p>Then home.<\/p>\n<p>He brought takeout.<\/p>\n<p>Made jokes.<\/p>\n<p>Sat on our couch.<\/p>\n<p>Dad barely spoke to him.<\/p>\n<p>At the time, I assumed Dad was stressed.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe he had been watching.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat questions?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire asked.<\/p>\n<p>I shook my head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas spoke through the phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard called me about Marcus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA few weeks after the accident.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My grip tightened around the phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou are remembering a lot suddenly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause we are finally talking about the things around the thing I spent fourteen years remembering.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That silenced me.<\/p>\n<p>Memory works by pathways.<\/p>\n<p>We had spent a day reopening roads Thomas had not traveled in years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Dad ask?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhether Marcus had access to company vehicles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Evan straightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you tell him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas that true?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCould he have gotten keys?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe spare keys were stored in maintenance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn Building C?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked back toward locker 214.<\/p>\n<p>Dad\u2019s toolbox.<\/p>\n<p>The key.<\/p>\n<p>The report.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Dad think Marcus took your truck?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo,\u201d Thomas said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvan admitted taking it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why ask?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire looked toward Evan.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid anyone else know you were taking the truck that night?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Evan shook his head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot beforehand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Marcus know you were drunk?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he know where Daniel was?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Evan\u2019s face went still.<\/p>\n<p>Claire saw it too.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Evan rubbed his jaw.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt the party, Marcus asked where I was going.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My pulse jumped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you told him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI said I was going to get someone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI might have said Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stepped closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThink.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Evan closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI remember Marcus laughing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A long pause.<\/p>\n<p>Then Evan opened his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said, \u2018Mercer\u2019s kid?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The industrial yard seemed to fall silent around us.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus knew.<\/p>\n<p>Before the crash.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe because I was his friend.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe because Dad\u2019s name was known.<\/p>\n<p>Or maybe because the whole thing had started earlier.<\/p>\n<p>I looked at the microcassette in my hand.<\/p>\n<p>Dad had hidden it beneath the tray with the report.<\/p>\n<p>The paper told us what he knew.<\/p>\n<p>The tape might tell us what he suspected.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need something to play this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Evan nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father has an old recorder.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked toward Claire.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re going back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She held my gaze.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou sure?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The word had become easier.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut we\u2019re going.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On the drive back, I sent Marcus one message.<\/p>\n<p>We had not spoken in nearly three years.<\/p>\n<p>People drift.<\/p>\n<p>Careers.<\/p>\n<p>Moves.<\/p>\n<p>Marriage.<\/p>\n<p>Life.<\/p>\n<p>His number might not even work.<\/p>\n<p>I typed only:<\/p>\n<p>Are you free to talk today?<\/p>\n<p>The message showed delivered.<\/p>\n<p>No answer.<\/p>\n<p>Ten minutes later, my phone buzzed.<\/p>\n<p>I looked down.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus.<\/p>\n<p>One line.<\/p>\n<p>Haven\u2019t heard from you in forever. Everything okay?<\/p>\n<p>I stared at the screen.<\/p>\n<p>Then another message appeared.<\/p>\n<p>Before I could answer, Marcus wrote:<\/p>\n<p>Is this about your dad?<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/?p=2513\">Click here to continue reading: PART 20: Marcus Knew About Dad Before I Mentioned Him, and the Tape From Locker 214 Finally Explained What Richard Had Been Investigating<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For several seconds, the old locker room made no sound except the fluorescent lights humming overhead. Someone else was using his name. I read the sentence again. Then a third &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2493,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2512","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\/2512","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=2512"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2512\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2552,"href":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2512\/revisions\/2552"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastestdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}