Chapter 5 - The Blue Rabbit
The blue rabbit sat on the top shelf above Maya’s bed.
Richard had bought it during a business trip to Boston. It wore a tiny striped bow tie and had one floppy ear.
Maya pointed at it as soon as Richard entered the nursery.
“Bunny watch.”
Richard’s chest tightened.
He took it down and felt along the seam.
Something hard was hidden inside.
Daniel opened the stitching carefully.
A miniature memory card fell into Richard’s palm.
Victoria took one step backward.
Richard noticed.
They went to the study and inserted the card into a secure laptop.
There were eleven audio files.
The first was mostly static.
The second contained Maya crying.
The third made Richard stop breathing.
Victoria’s voice filled the room.
“Stop looking at the door. Your father is downstairs.”
Maya whimpered.
“No Daddy.”
“No. Daddy is busy. And if you keep crying every time I touch you, he’ll get tired of it too.”
Richard’s fingers curled against the desk.
The recording continued.
“You want people to think I’m mean? Then maybe you should learn what mean feels like.”
A chair scraped.
Maya cried harder.
Richard slammed the laptop shut.
Victoria immediately said, “That could be edited.”
He looked at her.
She stepped closer. “Richard, listen to me. Mrs. Gable hated me from the beginning. She worshiped Eleanor. She has been looking for a way to turn you against me.”
“Is that your voice?”
“I don’t know.”
“Is that your voice?”
Victoria’s jaw tightened.
Daniel quietly moved between her and the door.
Richard opened the laptop again.
File four was dated three weeks earlier.
Mrs. Gable’s voice came first.
“Mrs. Sterling, please don’t lock her in there again.”
Then Victoria answered.
“Keep your job, Helen.”
There was a pause.
“And remember what happened to the last person who tried to interfere.”
May you like
Richard slowly turned toward Victoria.
“What last person?”
