Chapter 2 - Someone Wanted Him to See It
Daniel carried Lily upstairs and changed her out of the ruined dress himself.
Vanessa hovered in the doorway.
"You're making this bigger than it is."
He zipped Lily into pajamas.
"She was crying on the floor."
"She knocked over a cake."
Lily looked up. "I didn't."
Daniel watched Vanessa's face.
No guilt.
Annoyance.
"Go downstairs," he said.
"Daniel—"
"Now."
Vanessa left.
He waited until Lily was with Mrs. Hargrove, the housekeeper who had cared for her since infancy, then went to his office and opened the security app.
The dining room camera had been disabled for eleven minutes.
6:08 p.m. to 6:19 p.m.
Daniel had walked into the room at 6:17.
He checked the administrator log.
His own credentials had been used.
"Impossible," he muttered.
A knock sounded.
Evan Mercer stood outside the office.
"You need to let me explain."
Daniel did not invite him in.
"Start with why you touched my daughter's cake."
Evan's jaw tightened. "Because it had a transmitter inside the base."
Daniel said nothing.
Evan held up a small plastic device sealed in an evidence bag.
"I removed it. Vanessa tried to stop me. The cake tipped."
"And then she made Lily clean it?"
"I told her not to."
"You stood there."
"Because I needed to see what Vanessa did once she knew the device was gone."
Daniel stepped closer.
"You used my three-year-old daughter as part of an investigation?"
"No. Someone else did."
Evan lowered his voice.
"The transmitter was broadcasting from inside your house to a receiver parked two blocks away."
"Who are you really?"
Evan removed another card.
This one carried a federal seal.
"I'm attached to a financial crimes task force."
Daniel almost laughed.
"Get out."
"Your father's company didn't fail the way you were told."
That stopped him.
Evan continued.
"We reopened part of the case six months ago."
Daniel stared at him.
"Why?"
"Because three people connected to the old investigation disappeared from public records."
May you like
He paused.
"And one of them was using your wife's maiden name.
