Chapter 12 - Someone Was Still Inside
Police returned to the Mercer house with a warrant. Adrian met them at the gate and handed over the keys.
The study window had been left unlatched. A desk drawer hung open, and the archive computer was running under Daphne's disabled account. No one remained inside.
"This doesn't prove who logged in," Ruiz told Adrian. "But it tells us why the computer mattered."
A forensic specialist preserved its contents. The login had attempted to delete records associated with the sale. Most deletion attempts had failed because Priya had already placed the archive under retention controls.
Adrian sat on the edge of the desk, exhausted.
"I had people in this house," he said. "I thought having expensive security meant we were safe."
"The cameras didn't make a decision for you," Ruiz replied.
He nodded. "I know."
At Beth's house, Olivia finally confessed something to Clara.
"I saw Vanessa take Emma's stroller into the garage last week. She said the wheel was sticking. I thought she was helping."
"You couldn't know what she meant to do," Clara said.
"What if I'd asked?"
"Then she would have lied. Olivia, you do not have to become an adult just because adults failed you."
Olivia's face crumpled. She leaned into Clara and cried until Emma woke and joined in. Clara laughed through tears as she picked the baby up.
A technician later reported marks consistent with recent interference around the stroller's front-wheel assembly. The technician could not establish who had touched it, and investigators kept that distinction clear.
But the recovered study files contained a scanned draft called FAMILY SAFETY PLAN.
It assigned temporary care of Emma to Vanessa and described Clara as a danger to both children.
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At the bottom, an electronic signature was waiting.
ADRIAN MERCER - ACCEPTANCE REQUIRED.
