{"id":2637,"date":"2026-09-30T16:24:28","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:24:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecolotic.store\/?p=2637"},"modified":"2026-09-30T16:24:28","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:24:28","slug":"part-4-a-break-in-at-dereks-auto-shop-revealed-forged-loans-surveillance-and-a-connection-to-his-fathers-unsettling-past","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecolotic.store\/?p=2637","title":{"rendered":"PART 4 \u2013 A Break-In at Derek\u2019s Auto Shop Revealed Forged Loans, Surveillance, and a Connection to His Father\u2019s Unsettling Past"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
<\/div>\n<\/header>\n
\n

Derek was still reading the property record when Carlos called again.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

\u201cThe police are here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m coming.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

\u201cYou might want to hurry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Carlos lowered his voice. \u201cWhoever entered your office left something on your desk.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Derek looked at the forged signature on the property document.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA folder.\u201d<\/p>\n

He drove to the auto shop through late-afternoon traffic without remembering a single intersection. The facts in his mind refused to arrange themselves into anything sensible.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

His mother had stolen Olivia\u2019s bank card.<\/p>\n

She had repeatedly entered their apartment.<\/p>\n

She had copied financial documents.<\/p>\n

Someone had used Derek\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n

A loan had been attempted against property he did not know he owned.<\/p>\n

And now his workplace had been entered.<\/p>\n

Two police cruisers sat outside when he arrived.<\/p>\n

Carlos waited near the entrance.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou okay?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carlos nodded. \u201cFair answer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid anybody touch the office?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSecurity footage?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you see who went in?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Derek stopped.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did he look like?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHat. Mask. Dark clothes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich entrance?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBack.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid he search anywhere else?\u201d<\/p>\n

Carlos shook his head. \u201cThat\u2019s the strange part. He went straight to your office.\u201d<\/p>\n

Derek\u2019s stomach tightened.<\/p>\n

A uniformed officer met them inside and asked several questions before allowing Derek near the room.<\/p>\n

The office looked normal.<\/p>\n

Computer untouched.<\/p>\n

Tools untouched.<\/p>\n

Cabinets closed.<\/p>\n

Nothing obviously stolen.<\/p>\n

A black folder sat precisely in the center of his desk.<\/p>\n

DEREK HALE was printed across the front.<\/p>\n

The officer photographed it before opening it.<\/p>\n

Inside were copies of Derek\u2019s driver\u2019s license, Social Security information, tax returns, employment records and bank details.<\/p>\n

His signature appeared repeatedly.<\/p>\n

Then came documents Derek had never seen.<\/p>\n

Loan applications.<\/p>\n

Credit forms.<\/p>\n

A refinancing request.<\/p>\n

The officer handed Derek gloves.<\/p>\n

Derek picked up the first application.<\/p>\n

Everything about him was correct.<\/p>\n

Employer.<\/p>\n

Income.<\/p>\n

Address.<\/p>\n

The signature was wrong.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never signed this.\u201d<\/p>\n

The officer looked at him. \u201cDo you know who submitted it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Derek scanned the page.<\/p>\n

An intermediary company appeared near the bottom.<\/p>\n

He did not recognize the name.<\/p>\n

The next application used the same company.<\/p>\n

And the next.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone has been using my identity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s something we\u2019ll need to investigate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother had copies of these records.\u201d<\/p>\n

The officer\u2019s expression sharpened. \u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

Derek told him about the apartment footage.<\/p>\n

The stolen card.<\/p>\n

The hidden documents.<\/p>\n

The officer listened without interrupting.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour wife documented this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere is she?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you contact her?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHer phone goes to voicemail.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you believe she may be in danger?\u201d<\/p>\n

Derek thought about Rebecca\u2019s warning.<\/p>\n

He thought about Olivia leaving quietly instead of announcing where she was going.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The officer\u2019s posture changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Before Derek could answer, the front door opened.<\/p>\n

Rebecca Collins entered.<\/p>\n

Derek recognized her immediately.<\/p>\n

She approached the officers first, showed identification and explained that she represented Olivia.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know where she is?\u201d Derek asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Derek gave a short, humorless laugh. \u201cThat word is becoming meaningless.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rebecca looked at him carefully.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you have believed her yesterday?\u201d<\/p>\n

He said nothing.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast week?\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyes dropped.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast month?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rebecca nodded. \u201cThen you understand why she isn\u2019t ready to give you access to her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Derek looked toward the black folder.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe knew this would happen?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe knew something was escalating.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy didn\u2019t she tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. She told me my mother was taking things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe told you Marjorie had access to financial information.\u201d<\/p>\n

Derek remained silent.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe showed you suspicious charges.\u201d<\/p>\n

He remembered.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe asked you to change passwords.\u201d<\/p>\n

He remembered that too.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you told her she was imagining a conspiracy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Derek closed his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was no cruelty in Rebecca\u2019s answer.<\/p>\n

That made it worse.<\/p>\n

She stepped toward the folder.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s something else.\u201d<\/p>\n

She turned several pages.<\/p>\n

Photographs appeared.<\/p>\n

Derek frowned.<\/p>\n

The first showed him leaving the auto shop.<\/p>\n

Another showed him entering a restaurant.<\/p>\n

Another showed his truck outside the apartment.<\/p>\n

Another showed him at a grocery store.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho took these?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

He flipped faster.<\/p>\n

There were dozens.<\/p>\n

Someone had been following him.<\/p>\n

One photograph showed Derek crossing a parking lot while a man stood far behind him.<\/p>\n

Derek leaned closer.<\/p>\n

The man looked familiar.<\/p>\n

Then he realized why.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rebecca nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe man from the apartment video.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2019ve never met him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why was he following me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what Olivia was trying to determine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Derek stared at the photograph.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt least two months.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next image showed Olivia outside a bank arguing with Marjorie.<\/p>\n

Derek recognized the date.<\/p>\n

He had been at work.<\/p>\n

That evening Marjorie had told him Olivia had humiliated her in public.<\/p>\n

Derek had come home angry.<\/p>\n

He had demanded that Olivia apologize.<\/p>\n

Now he looked at the photograph and wondered what the argument had actually been about.<\/p>\n

Rebecca produced a bank document.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour mother attempted to access an account associated with the property your father left.\u201d<\/p>\n

Derek looked at her sharply.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know about the house?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOlivia found the trust.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother told me the house was sold.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy is my name on it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause your father placed an interest in trust for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Derek felt the floor shift beneath him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy didn\u2019t I know?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is one of the questions Olivia has been investigating.\u201d<\/p>\n

The officer beside them took notes.<\/p>\n

Rebecca continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarjorie appears to have been trying to borrow against that property.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith my forged signature.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know the full reason.\u201d<\/p>\n

Derek looked at the documents.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n

Rebecca hesitated.<\/p>\n

Then she removed another form.<\/p>\n

Life Insurance Beneficiary Change Request.<\/p>\n

Derek read it.<\/p>\n

His face went cold.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone attempted to change the beneficiary of your work policy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo whom?\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked down.<\/p>\n

Marjorie Hale.<\/p>\n

His mother.<\/p>\n

For several seconds nobody spoke.<\/p>\n

Derek remembered bringing the insurance paperwork home.<\/p>\n

He had left it on the dining table while Marjorie was visiting.<\/p>\n

He had gone to shower.<\/p>\n

When he returned, the papers had been neatly stacked.<\/p>\n

He had thought nothing of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe knew about the policy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rebecca nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I left the papers in front of her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Derek sat down.<\/p>\n

He rubbed both hands over his face.<\/p>\n

He had not forged anything.<\/p>\n

He had not stolen Olivia\u2019s card.<\/p>\n

He had not submitted false applications.<\/p>\n

But he had repeatedly given Marjorie access and repeatedly dismissed Olivia when she warned him.<\/p>\n

He had opened every door his mother needed.<\/p>\n

Rebecca closed the folder.<\/p>\n

\u201cOlivia wants to meet you tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Derek looked up immediately.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll send the location in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not now?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe wants you alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll come alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd she doesn\u2019t want you bringing any of these documents.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rebecca turned away.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes she still love me?\u201d<\/p>\n

She stopped.<\/p>\n

Derek regretted the question the moment it left his mouth.<\/p>\n

Rebecca looked back.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat isn\u2019t the useful question.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether you can become someone she has a reason to trust.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then she left.<\/p>\n

Derek remained in his office while officers continued examining the folder.<\/p>\n

Carlos stood nearby without speaking.<\/p>\n

Eventually Derek looked at the small model car on his shelf.<\/p>\n

Olivia had given it to him when he became part-owner of the shop.<\/p>\n

He remembered her laughing as she placed it on the desk, telling him every mechanic deserved one vehicle that never needed repairing.<\/p>\n

His phone buzzed.<\/p>\n

Olivia.<\/p>\n

His heart jumped.<\/p>\n

The message contained one sentence.<\/p>\n

Tomorrow I\u2019ll tell you what your mother did the night your father died.<\/p>\n

Derek read it twice.<\/p>\n

Thomas Hale had died eight years earlier.<\/p>\n

Heart attack.<\/p>\n

That was the story.<\/p>\n

He typed.<\/p>\n

What does Dad have to do with any of this?<\/p>\n

No response.<\/p>\n

Then another message arrived.<\/p>\n

Ask her why the place where he died changed every time she told the story.<\/p>\n

Derek stared at the words.<\/p>\n

Memories surfaced reluctantly.<\/p>\n

Marjorie saying Thomas had collapsed in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

Another time, the garage.<\/p>\n

Years later, during a conversation with relatives, she had said he became ill while driving.<\/p>\n

Derek had noticed the inconsistencies without ever gathering them together.<\/p>\n

His father was dead.<\/p>\n

He had believed details no longer mattered.<\/p>\n

Now they mattered.<\/p>\n

He stood and reached for his jacket.<\/p>\n

Carlos stepped in front of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere are you going?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo my mother\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that smart?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI need answers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour wife spent months collecting evidence instead of confronting her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Derek stopped.<\/p>\n

Carlos rarely interfered in his personal life.<\/p>\n

That made the warning harder to dismiss.<\/p>\n

Before Derek could decide, his phone rang.<\/p>\n

Unknown number.<\/p>\n

He answered.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Hale?\u201d<\/p>\n

A man.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t know me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Derek looked toward the black folder.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why are you calling?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause you need to stop asking questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

His pulse quickened.<\/p>\n

\u201cWere you in my office?\u201d<\/p>\n

The caller ignored him.<\/p>\n

\u201cStop looking into your mother\u2019s finances.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve already seen more than you were supposed to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid my mother send you?\u201d<\/p>\n

A quiet laugh.<\/p>\n

Then the man said something that made Derek\u2019s blood turn cold.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour wife tried to protect you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Derek gripped the phone.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe failed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The call ended.<\/p>\n

A message arrived immediately.<\/p>\n

A photograph loaded on the screen.<\/p>\n

Olivia sat inside a parked car.<\/p>\n

The picture had been taken from across the street.<\/p>\n

Someone was watching her.<\/p>\n

Beneath the image was a warning telling Olivia to stop investigating.<\/p>\n

Derek called Rebecca.<\/p>\n

No answer.<\/p>\n

He called Olivia.<\/p>\n

Voicemail.<\/p>\n

Again.<\/p>\n

Nothing.<\/p>\n

He ran toward his truck.<\/p>\n

The divorce papers no longer mattered.<\/p>\n

The argument about the card no longer mattered.<\/p>\n

Someone had followed Olivia.<\/p>\n

Someone had followed Derek.<\/p>\n

And someone had just demonstrated that they knew exactly where Olivia was.<\/p>\n

His phone buzzed while he was starting the engine.<\/p>\n

Another message.<\/p>\n

This one came from Olivia.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m okay. Do not come looking for me. Go to the police.<\/p>\n

Derek stared at it.<\/p>\n

Then typed.<\/p>\n

Someone sent me a picture of you.<\/p>\n

Three dots appeared.<\/p>\n

Disappeared.<\/p>\n

Returned.<\/p>\n

Olivia finally replied.<\/p>\n

I know.<\/p>\n

Derek\u2019s hands went cold.<\/p>\n

How?<\/p>\n

The answer took almost a minute.<\/p>\n

Because they have been following me since I confronted your mother at the bank.<\/p>\n

Derek called immediately.<\/p>\n

This time Olivia answered.<\/p>\n

Neither spoke at first.<\/p>\n

He could hear her breathing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere are you?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStop saying that. Somebody is watching you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen tell me where you are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOlivia, please.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you come here, you could lead them directly to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

He closed his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you want me to do?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGo back inside.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGive the photograph and the number to the police.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Derek?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo not call your mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

His jaw tightened.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause if she realizes exactly how much we know, she may destroy what\u2019s left.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s left of what?\u201d<\/p>\n

Silence.<\/p>\n

Then Olivia said, \u201cYour father\u2019s records.\u201d<\/p>\n

Derek stopped breathing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat records?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll show you tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t explain this safely over the phone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid my mother do something to Dad?\u201d<\/p>\n

Olivia was quiet long enough to frighten him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you suspect something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI found evidence that the official story is incomplete.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat evidence?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA recording.\u201d<\/p>\n

Derek leaned back against the seat.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat recording?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOne your father made.\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyes closed.<\/p>\n

His father\u2019s voice had existed only in memory for eight years.<\/p>\n

\u201cOlivia.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWait.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

The call ended.<\/p>\n

Across Phoenix, Olivia sat inside her car with the doors locked.<\/p>\n

A dark SUV remained parked across the lot.<\/p>\n

It had been there long enough that she had stopped pretending its presence might be coincidence.<\/p>\n

Her phone lit again.<\/p>\n

This message came from Marjorie.<\/p>\n

Olivia read it without changing expression.<\/p>\n

A second message followed.<\/p>\n

The threat was clearer this time.<\/p>\n

Olivia looked into the rearview mirror.<\/p>\n

The SUV remained dark.<\/p>\n

She reached beneath the driver\u2019s seat and pulled out a small digital recorder.<\/p>\n

For months she had collected statements, documents, photographs and video because she had learned that accusations disappeared whenever Marjorie could turn them into family drama.<\/p>\n

Evidence did not disappear so easily.<\/p>\n

Olivia pressed RECORD.<\/p>\n

A red light appeared.<\/p>\n

Then she started her engine.<\/p>\n

The SUV\u2019s headlights came on.<\/p>\n

Olivia watched them in the mirror.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n

If they wanted to follow her, she would choose the destination.<\/p>\n

She pulled onto the street.<\/p>\n

The SUV followed.<\/p>\n

Olivia drove past the turn that would have taken her toward the place where she was staying.<\/p>\n

She continued east.<\/p>\n

At the next intersection, the SUV remained behind her.<\/p>\n

At the one after that, it was still there.<\/p>\n

She placed her phone in its cradle and activated hands-free calling.<\/p>\n

\u201cPhoenix Police,\u201d she said when the line connected. \u201cI need to report that I\u2019m being followed, and I believe it\u2019s connected to an active identity-fraud investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The dispatcher asked for her location.<\/p>\n

Olivia gave it.<\/p>\n

Then she added something she had not yet told Derek.<\/p>\n

\u201cI also have evidence connected to a death that occurred eight years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

The dispatcher\u2019s tone changed.<\/p>\n

Olivia glanced at the SUV.<\/p>\n

Her hands remained steady on the wheel.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat kind of evidence?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA recording made by the deceased before he died.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you believe the people following you know you have it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Olivia watched the headlights in her mirror.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow certain are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCertain enough that my mother-in-law has spent months trying to find it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Olivia turned toward the nearest police station.<\/p>\n

The SUV followed.<\/p>\n

She reached into her handbag at the next red light and touched a small flash drive hidden inside an inner pocket.<\/p>\n

Thomas Hale\u2019s voice was stored on it.<\/p>\n

So were photographs of documents Marjorie had tried to destroy.<\/p>\n

Olivia had kept that evidence from Rebecca.<\/p>\n

From the police.<\/p>\n

Even from Derek.<\/p>\n

Not because she wanted leverage.<\/p>\n

Because she had not yet known whom she could trust.<\/p>\n

The light changed.<\/p>\n

Olivia accelerated.<\/p>\n

Behind her, the SUV did the same.<\/p>\n

Ahead, the illuminated sign of the police station came into view.<\/p>\n

Olivia tightened her hands on the steering wheel.<\/p>\n

Tomorrow, Derek expected an explanation about stolen money, forged signatures and a house his father had secretly left him.<\/p>\n

He had no idea that the recording Olivia carried began with Thomas Hale saying his wife\u2019s name.<\/p>\n

And then explaining why, if anything happened to him, Derek should never sign a financial document Marjorie put in front of him.<\/p>\n

Click here to continue reading: PART 5: Olivia Reached the Police Station With Thomas Hale\u2019s Recording, but the Voice on It Changed Derek\u2019s Understanding of His Father<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Derek was still reading the property record when Carlos called again. \u201cThe police are here.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m coming.\u201d \u201cYou might want to hurry.\u201d \u201cWhy?\u201d Carlos lowered his voice. \u201cWhoever entered your … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecolotic.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecolotic.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecolotic.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecolotic.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecolotic.store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2637"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ecolotic.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2637\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2700,"href":"https:\/\/ecolotic.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2637\/revisions\/2700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecolotic.store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecolotic.store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecolotic.store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}