Chapter 3 - WHAT THE CAMERA SAW
Detective Mills would not let Daniel watch the footage immediately.
“It’s evidence,” she said.
“I need to know.”
“You will.”
“My daughter was locked in that room.”
“I understand.”
“No, you don’t.”
Sarah’s expression remained steady.
“I have two children, Mr. Carter. I understand more than you think.”
That stopped him.
She lowered her voice.
“Right now, Lily needs you functioning.”
Daniel looked toward the couch.
Lily had finally fallen asleep wrapped in a blanket, her stuffed rabbit tucked beneath her chin.
The rabbit had come from the basement room.
Daniel hated looking at it now.
It represented all the hours he had failed to see.
All the business trips.
Late meetings.
Charity dinners.
Weekends away.
He had believed Vanessa when she texted pictures of Lily sleeping peacefully.
When she wrote, She misses you.
When she said, We had a great day.
How many of those days had ended inside that room?
At 1:13 a.m., Sarah approached him.
“We reviewed enough footage to establish a pattern.”
Daniel stood immediately.
“How bad?”
Sarah hesitated.
That hesitation broke him.
“How bad?”
“Repeated confinement. Verbal intimidation. Food being withheld as punishment.”
Daniel’s eyes filled.
“Did Vanessa hit her?”
“There are incidents we are still reviewing.”
He turned away, pressing both hands against the wall.
“And my mother?”
Sarah’s silence answered.
Daniel looked back.
“She was there?”
“Multiple times.”
His chest tightened.
“Who else?”
“We’re identifying everyone.”
Daniel remembered the dining table.
The lowered eyes.
The silence.
“You mean my family.”
Sarah nodded.
By sunrise, Vanessa and Margaret were taken away for questioning.
Neither looked at Lily.
Vanessa looked at Daniel.
“This is your fault.”
Daniel almost laughed.
“My fault?”
“You spoiled her. You made her impossible.”
“She’s a baby.”
“She manipulates you!”
Daniel stepped forward, but Sarah blocked him.
“Don’t.”
Vanessa shouted while officers led her outside.
“You think you know everything? Ask your brother what he did!”
Daniel froze.
Eric stood near the kitchen doorway.
“What is she talking about?”
Eric shook his head.
“She’s trying to divide us.”
“Eric.”
“Dan, come on.”
“What did you do?”
“Nothing.”
Vanessa laughed from the front hall.
“He paid for the camera!”
Every face turned.
Daniel stared at his brother.
Eric went white.
“That’s not what happened.”
Daniel walked toward him.
“You bought the camera?”
“I installed it.”
“Why?”
“To protect Lily.”
Daniel stopped.
“What?”
Eric ran both hands through his hair.
“I started noticing things.”
“When?”
“About four months ago.”
Daniel’s stomach dropped.
“Four months?”
“I saw bruises. Vanessa said Lily fell. Then one night I came downstairs and heard Lily crying behind that door.”
Daniel’s voice cracked.
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“I needed proof.”
“You needed four months?”
“No! The camera was supposed to stream to my phone, but Vanessa found the Wi-Fi connection and disabled it. I thought it stopped recording.”
“But the memory card kept going,” Sarah said.
Eric nodded.
“I didn’t know.”
Daniel stared at his brother.
“You saw my daughter locked in there and left?”
“I got her out.”
“And then?”
“I confronted Mom.”
Daniel’s eyes narrowed.
“Mom?”
Eric swallowed.
“She told me if I accused Vanessa without proof, Vanessa would take Lily and disappear.”
Daniel felt a chill.
“Why would she be able to take Lily?”
Eric stared at him.
Then looked at Sarah.
“There’s something Daniel doesn’t know.”
Daniel grabbed Eric’s shirt.
“What?”
Eric whispered, “Vanessa has been telling everyone that Lily isn’t legally yours.”
Daniel released him.
The sentence made no sense.
“She’s my daughter.”
May you like
Eric’s voice dropped.
“Then you need to ask why your name isn’t on the original hospital paperwork.”
