Chapter 4 - THE CAMERA
James took the phone from me and hung up.
"She's baiting us," he said.
"Can she hurt your career?"
"She can make noise. Noise has consequences. But facts matter."
Facts.
I stared at the little red mark on Emma's cheek.
Then a memory snapped into place.
"The camera."
James frowned. "What camera?"
"Dad put a security camera in the dining room after someone broke into their house last year. It's over the china cabinet."
James went still. "Would it have recorded tonight?"
"It records motion."
I called Mom.
She answered on the first ring.
"Sarah, please come home so we can fix this."
"I need the dining room footage."
Nothing.
"Mom?"
"That camera hasn't worked in months."
My chest tightened. "You told me at Thanksgiving that Dad was checking it from his phone."
"I must have been mistaken."
"Mom."
"Please don't do this."
I closed my eyes. "Do what? Tell the truth?"
She started crying.
Then another voice came on the line.
Dad.
"The camera is broken. Stop harassing your mother."
"Send me the footage."
"There is no footage."
He hung up.
James was already pulling out his phone. "Call Uncle Bob."
"Why?"
"He was sitting near the cabinet. He might know if the camera light was on."
Bob answered after four rings.
His voice was low. "Sarah?"
"Uncle Bob, was the dining room camera working tonight?"
A long pause.
"Bob?"
He whispered, "I shouldn't get involved."
"My baby was hit."
Another pause.
Then he said, "The green light was on. I saw it."
My heart kicked.
"Can Dad delete the video?"
"From his phone, maybe. But your mom pays for cloud backup."
I sat up straight.
"How do you know?"
"Because I set it up for them."
For the first time all night, I felt something like hope.
May you like
Then Bob's voice dropped to a whisper.
"Sarah, there's something else you need to know. Your father didn't just lie about the camera. He took the memory card out right after you left. I watched him do it."
