Chapter 3 - The Missing Hour
The cameras went offline.
Karen smiled like she had won something.
“You can stop performing now.”
I stared at her.
“The footage is already in the cloud.”
The smile vanished.
Dad said through the phone, “Karen, sit down.”
She did not.
“Richard, he is twisting this.”
“I watched it.”
“They’re timestamped.”
“He hates me.”
I laughed once.
That landed.
Karen pointed at me.
“You bring that child here every week and expect everyone to change their lives around her.”
“She is five.”
“And spoiled.”
My jaw tightened.
Dad raised his voice.
“Enough.”
Karen looked at the phone.
Dad had never spoken to her like that in front of me.
He said, “What happened last night between seven and eight?”
Karen froze.
I noticed.
“What happened?”
Dad rubbed his forehead.
“The camera stream cuts out at 7:12.”
Karen said, “Internet goes out.”
Dad looked at her.
“Only one camera went out.”
The kitchen.
My stomach dropped.
“Lily was here last night.”
Dad nodded.
“So was I,” Karen said quickly.
“Then why disable the camera?”
“I didn’t.”
Dad looked at me.
I remembered.
Karen moved fast.
She grabbed my arm.
“Leave that alone.”
I turned.
“Let go.”
She did not.
Dad shouted through the speaker.
“Karen!”
She released me.
I took down the camera.
I looked at Karen.
She looked away.
“Where is it?”
“No idea.”
I searched the counter.
The trash.
Nothing.
Then I remembered Lily’s pink backpack.
I ran upstairs.
Megan had already left with Lily.
The backpack was gone.
My phone buzzed.
Megan.
I answered.
“Hey?”
Her voice was tight.
“Lily just pulled something out of the front pocket.”
“What?”
“A tiny black memory card.”
May you like
I sat down on the stairs.
Then Megan whispered, “And she says Grandma Karen told her to hide it.”
