Chapter 3 - WHAT THE PHONES RECORDED
Mrs. Hall's number was blocked.
So was Jenna's, my sister's.
So was our former nanny, Camille.
Three people Lily trusted. Three people I had wondered why I stopped hearing from.
Vanessa knocked again.
"Open the door."
I didn't.
Instead, I called my sister.
Jenna answered on the first ring.
"Daniel?"
The shock in her voice told me everything.
"Why haven't you called me?" I asked.
A pause.
"I have. For months."
I closed my eyes.
Behind me, Lily began to cry without making a sound.
"Jenna, I need you to come over. Now."
"Is Lily okay?"
"I don't know yet."
When I opened the door, Vanessa was standing in the hall with her arms folded.
"You are turning one silly party game into a criminal investigation."
"Maybe because six people filmed it."
Her expression changed.
I walked past her and returned to the backyard.
Most of the guests were gone. Two remained near the gate, whispering.
"I need every video taken here today," I said.
Tasha shook her head. "I deleted mine."
"Why?"
"Vanessa asked us to."
Vanessa came outside behind me. "Because I knew you'd twist it."
A man named Peter raised his hand slightly. "Mine uploaded automatically."
Vanessa turned on him.
"Peter."
"What? It's in the cloud."
I held out my hand. "Show me."
The first clip made me sick.
Lily stood beside the pool with ribbon around her wrists while Vanessa laughed and said, "Maybe now you'll learn what happens when little girls tell stories about their mothers."
Someone behind the camera asked, "Does Daniel know?"
Vanessa smiled.
"Daniel knows what I tell him."
The recording ended.
Nobody moved.
Then Peter said, "There's another one. Earlier."
He opened a second video.
This time, Lily was dry.
And Vanessa was holding a piece of paper in front of her face.
"Read it," Vanessa ordered.
Lily shook her head.
May you like
The camera moved closer.
I recognized my own signature at the bottom of the page.
