Chapter 7 - THE CAMERA IN THE HALL
At six the next morning, I logged into the security system.
Vanessa had told me months ago that the upstairs camera stopped working because of a firmware problem.
It had not stopped working.
It had been placed in privacy mode forty-three times.
Always when I was traveling.
The system kept a log.
Seattle. Denver. Chicago. Dallas.
My business calendar beside it looked like a blueprint for Lily's fear.
Jenna stood behind me.
"Can you recover anything?"
"Maybe."
The camera stored short clips whenever privacy mode switched on or off.
The first recoverable clip showed Vanessa in the hallway carrying a screwdriver.
The second showed Lily outside her bedroom crying.
"Please give it back," Lily said.
Vanessa held a small silver necklace above her head.
It had belonged to Lily's mother, Claire.
"You'll get it when you learn gratitude."
I stopped breathing.
Claire died when Lily was three. The necklace was supposed to stay in Lily's jewelry box until she was older.
The next clip was worse.
Vanessa leaned down until her face was inches from Lily's.
"If you tell your father one more ugly story about me, I will show him what you did to Claire's necklace."
"I didn't do anything."
"He won't know that."
The clip ended.
I opened the jewelry safe in my office.
Claire's necklace was gone.
So was a diamond bracelet Vanessa had once accused Lily of touching.
Then Jenna noticed something else in the system log.
"Daniel, look at the garage camera."
Two nights earlier, Vanessa had carried a banker box from my office to her car at 1:14 a.m.
I zoomed in on the label.
LILY - TRUST / GUARDIANSHIP.
My daughter's late mother had left her a protected trust.
Vanessa should never have had access to that file.
I checked the cabinet in my office.
May you like
The lock had been forced.
And the entire trust folder was gone.
