Chapter 3 - THE VIDEO HE WOULD NOT SHOW ME
I grabbed the phone before Caleb could.
He spun around. "Give it back."
"What is this?"
"Emma."
"What is this video?"
Vanessa rushed up the stairs. Caleb reached for the phone, but I stepped away and tapped the screen.
The video played for less than three seconds.
Rain had not started yet. The camera shook. May's frightened cry came through the speaker, thin and sharp.
Then a woman's voice said, "Stop fighting me."
The video ended.
I knew that voice.
Everyone in the house knew it.
I looked at Vanessa.
She went completely still.
My father came up behind her. "What did I just hear?"
Vanessa recovered first. "You heard nothing. Caleb films everything. It could be from weeks ago."
"May's collar is in the frame," I said. "And the shed door has the new paint."
Caleb snatched the phone from my hand.
"Delete it," Vanessa snapped.
The words hit the hallway like a slap.
My father stared at her. "Why would he delete it?"
Vanessa's face changed. "Because Emma is turning an accident into an accusation."
"An accident?" I whispered.
She realized too late what she had said.
I stepped closer. "You said she died naturally. What accident?"
Vanessa folded her arms. "I misspoke."
Caleb looked sick.
I turned to him. "Was May alive in that shed?"
His eyes filled with tears.
"Caleb," my father said quietly. "Tell us the truth."
He opened his mouth.
Vanessa grabbed his shoulder.
"He is a minor. This stops now."
I stared at her hand on him. The grip was too tight.
Caleb flinched.
And suddenly the fear in his face made sense.
He was not scared of me.
He was scared of her.
That afternoon, I took May to the animal hospital for an examination. The veterinarian called me two hours later.
"Emma," she said, voice careful, "I don't believe your cat died from natural causes."
My hand tightened around the phone.
"What do you believe happened?"
May you like
There was a pause.
"Before I answer that, you need to know something was found on her collar."
