Chapter 2 - THE VIDEO
The manager took us into a small office behind the kitchen.
Noah sat on my lap with a cold towel around his neck.
Vanessa stood by the door with her arms crossed.
My mother, Diane, had followed us in.
“So now we’re turning dinner into a police investigation?” Mom snapped.
I ignored her.
The manager clicked through security files.
“About what time?”
“Seven fifteen,” Vanessa said quickly.
Marco looked at her.
“No. Earlier.”
She turned.
“Excuse me?”
“I saw the boy in the car when I came back from parking a Mercedes.”
“What time was that?” I asked.
Marco looked at the screen.
“Six forty-two.”
I stared at Vanessa.
“That’s thirty-three minutes.”
She swallowed.
“He’s confused.”
Marco pointed at the timestamp.
The footage began.
There we were.
My family arriving.
My mother.
My sister Lauren.
Her husband.
Vanessa.
Noah.
I wasn’t there.
I had been at a pharmacy picking up my father’s medication before joining dinner.
On the screen, Noah was holding Vanessa’s hand.
Then he pulled away.
Even without sound, I could see him crying.
Vanessa bent down.
At first, it looked like she was comforting him.
Then she grabbed his wrist.
Hard.
Noah pulled back.
She jerked him forward.
My hands clenched.
“Keep playing.”
Vanessa laughed nervously.
“You can’t even hear what happened.”
Nobody answered.
On screen, Vanessa opened the rear door.
Noah refused to get in.
She pushed him.
Not guided him.
Pushed him.
He stumbled across the seat.
Then she leaned inside.
Said something.
Closed the door.
Locked the SUV.
And walked away.
Noah immediately started pounding on the glass.
My mother looked down.
Lauren covered her mouth.
I felt Noah stiffen on my lap.
Then something strange happened.
Vanessa stopped halfway to the restaurant.
She turned back.
Walked to the SUV.
For one second, I thought she was going to let him out.
Instead, she stood outside the window.
Noah pressed both hands against the glass.
She said something.
Then smiled.
And walked away.
The room went silent.
I looked at Noah.
“What did she say?”
His lips trembled.
Vanessa stepped forward.
“Do not question him like that.”
I stood so fast the chair scraped backward.
“Do not tell me what I can ask my son.”
Mom jumped in.
“Ethan, stop.”
I pointed at the screen.
“You watched her do this?”
Mom’s face hardened.
“He was having a meltdown.”
“So you knew?”
“He needed to learn.”
I stared at my own mother.
“You knew?”
Noah whispered something.
“What, buddy?”
He looked up at me.
“Grandma said boys who cry need to be taught.”
The room went dead.
I looked at Mom.
She didn’t deny it.
Then Marco leaned toward the screen.
“Wait.”
“What?”
“There.”
He rewound the footage.
A few minutes after Vanessa went inside, another person approached the SUV.
A man.
Tall.
Baseball cap.
Dark jacket.
He stood at the rear passenger window.
Looking at Noah.
Then he tried the door handle.
My blood stopped.
“Who is that?”
Vanessa turned white.
May you like
And this time, I knew for certain.
She recognized him.
