Chapter 2 - The Camera Behind the Books
Detective Marcus Hale arrived seventeen minutes later.
By then, the wedding reception no longer existed.
Guests had been asked to remain available for statements.
Hotel employees blocked access to the third floor.
Police photographed Vanessa’s handbag, the bronze horse charm, Noah’s clothing, and the hallway leading toward Michael Bennett’s private office.
Claire had changed nothing.
She still wore her wedding gown.
There was a faint streak from Noah’s stained shirt across the ivory fabric.
She didn’t care.
Noah sat beside her in a quiet conference room with a blanket around his shoulders.
A female officer had found him socks.
He refused shoes.
Claire understood.
Shoes meant leaving.
Leaving meant someone could take him.
Detective Hale entered without a notebook in his hands.
He was in his late forties, with tired eyes and the patient manner of someone accustomed to frightened children.
He sat across the room rather than beside Noah.
“Hi, Noah.”
No answer.
“My name is Marcus.”
Noah watched him.
“You don’t have to tell me everything tonight.”
Still nothing.
“I just need to know if there’s something upstairs that could help your dad.”
Noah looked at Claire.
She nodded once.
Only if you want to.
“There’s a camera.”
Hale leaned forward slightly.
“Can you show me where?”
Noah shook his head immediately.
“No.”
“That’s okay.”
“I can tell you.”
Hale waited.
“Dad has books behind his desk.”
“Yes?”
“There’s one book that isn’t a book.”
“What does it look like?”
Noah thought carefully.
“Blue.”
“Big or small?”
“Big. It says American Business Law.”
Claire almost smiled despite everything.
Of course Michael Bennett hid a camera inside something no one would willingly read at a wedding.
Hale stood.
“Thank you.”
Noah grabbed Claire’s hand.
“Don’t let Mom know.”
Hale’s expression changed.
“Why?”
“Because Dad told me not to.”
“When?”
“Last week.”
That surprised Claire.
“Your dad told you about the camera?”
Noah nodded.
“He said if something bad happened, I should find Uncle Daniel.”
Claire’s stomach tightened.
Michael had expected something.
Hale asked the question she was thinking.
“Did your dad think something bad was going to happen?”
Noah stared at the carpet.
“He said Mom was angry.”
“About what?”
“Money.”
The door opened.
An officer stepped inside.
“Detective?”
Hale joined him in the hallway.
Claire couldn’t hear everything.
She caught three words.
Camera.
Missing.
Vanessa.
Hale returned.
His face had hardened.
“The book is there.”
Noah looked up.
“But the camera isn’t.”
Silence.
Noah’s eyes widened.
“She found it.”
“Maybe.”
“No.”
He shook his head.
“She found it.”
Claire leaned closer.
“How do you know?”
Noah looked at her.
“Because she asked me where Dad kept his secrets.”
Claire felt cold.
“When?”
“This morning.”
The wedding morning.
Hale crouched again.
“What did you tell her?”
“Nothing.”
“What did she do?”
Noah’s lower lip trembled.
“She smiled.”
Claire had never heard a child make a smile sound terrifying before.
Hale stood.
“I need to speak with Vanessa.”
But Vanessa Bennett was no longer in the ballroom.
She was no longer in the conference room.
She wasn’t in the lobby.
And the officer assigned to watch her was standing beside an open service door.
“Where is she?” Hale demanded.
The officer looked furious with himself.
“She said she needed the restroom. A hotel employee came through the service corridor. She slipped through before we realized.”
Hale grabbed his radio.
“Lock down every exit.”
Claire looked at Noah.
His face had gone pale again.
“She’s going upstairs.”
“How do you know?”
May you like
Noah stared toward the ceiling.
“Because Dad had two cameras.”
