Chapter 4 - THE VIDEO NEXT DOOR
Luis opened his garage before I reached the driveway.
He was older, heavier, and grayer, but his handshake was the same.
Then he hugged me.
"Man, I thought you knew."
My stomach dropped. "Knew what?"
He led me to a workbench where an old laptop sat open.
"Your mother had cameras put up after somebody supposedly tried to break in. Mine cover part of your driveway and side yard. I started saving clips because..." He stopped.
"Because what?"
"Because Gwen asked me to."
He clicked a file.
The date was eight months earlier.
Gwen appeared on screen carrying grocery bags. She was thin, wearing the same beanie. Paige followed her out of the house, yelling.
There was no audio from that angle.
But I didn't need it.
Paige grabbed the bags from Gwen and dumped them across the driveway.
Gwen bent to pick up a prescription bottle.
Paige kicked it into the grass.
My hands curled into fists.
"Keep watching," Luis said.
Another clip.
Margaret stood beside a man in a suit near the mailbox. Gwen was there too, holding papers. She shook her head again and again.
Margaret grabbed Gwen's arm and pulled her toward the porch.
The man looked uncomfortable.
"Who's that?" I asked.
"Notary. Or said he was."
Luis opened a third file.
This one was from three weeks ago.
Paige carried boxes out of my house and loaded them into the luxury truck in the driveway.
Each box had the same bank logo printed on the side.
"You recognize those?" Luis asked.
I did.
Safe-deposit document boxes.
"Where did she take them?"
"Storage place off Mason Avenue. Unit 214. I followed her once."
I stared at him.
"Why didn't you call the police?"
His face fell. "Gwen begged me not to. She said your mom had something that could ruin you if anybody made trouble."
My pulse slowed.
That was worse than panic.
"What could ruin me?"
Luis reached under the workbench and handed me a small envelope.
May you like
On the front, in Gwen's handwriting, were four words.
FOR DAVID IF I DISAPPEAR.
