Chapter 7 - What Iris Kept
Iris brought her old tablet wrapped in a dish towel. She'd worked for Diane four Saturdays before quitting. On the screen were messages instructing her to keep Lily away from the family table, skip her afternoon snack if she "acted spoiled," and photograph any mess before cleaning it.
"I gave her food anyway," Iris said, her voice cracking. "Diane found out. She told me I was undermining her grandson's discipline."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I tried. I called Ryan. He said you agreed with the routine. He said you didn't want strangers judging your daughter."
I remembered that missed call. I'd been in an operating room and texted Ryan to ask whether everything was okay. He'd answered, ALL GOOD, I HANDLED IT.
The video Iris saved came from Diane's own indoor camera, displayed on the babysitting tablet. It was only nineteen seconds long. Lily stood in front of her high chair while Diane scraped food from a plate onto the floor. Ryan stood in the doorway holding a phone. Later in the same recording, he placed my spare shoes beside the overturned bowl before taking another picture.
"Let her pick it up," he said. "Then take the picture."
I reached for the table to steady myself.
Iris had stopped recording when she realized what she was watching. She'd made a copy after Diane ordered her to delete the footage. Naomi took down exactly how Iris obtained it and arranged to preserve the original device and messages, not just a forwarded video.
"This doesn't tell us everything," Naomi warned. "But it changes what the court needs to examine."
Iris wiped her eyes. "There was something else. Diane kept saying they only needed six weeks of proof. She called it their window."
"Window for what?"
May you like
Iris opened her final message from Diane: ONCE THE JUDGE SAYS MOM IS UNFIT, WE CAN PUT THE TRUST PLAN IN MOTION.
Beneath it, Ryan had sent a thumbs-up.
