Chapter 4 - THE DOCTOR’S WARNING
Dr. Mason examined Leo in the nursery while Ethan stood near the window.
Sarah waited beside the dresser.
Victoria sat in a chair pretending to cry.
“He seems okay,” Ethan said.
Dr. Mason didn’t look up.
“I didn’t say that.”
Victoria stopped sniffling.
The doctor listened to Leo’s breathing again.
“There’s irritation.”
Ethan’s face tightened.
“From steam?”
“Possibly. How close was the source?”
Victoria jumped in.
“It wasn’t close.”
Sarah said, “Less than two feet.”
“That’s a lie.”
Dr. Mason raised his hand.
“I’m not here to decide who’s lying.”
He turned to Ethan.
“Hot steam near an infant’s face can cause burns to the airway. Sometimes symptoms don’t fully show immediately.”
Ethan looked sick.
“What should I do?”
“Watch his breathing closely tonight. Any wheezing, persistent coughing, lethargy, or difficulty feeding, take him straight to the ER.”
Victoria stood.
“Well, there. He’s fine.”
Dr. Mason looked at her.
“That is not what I said.”
Sarah almost smiled.
Victoria sat down again.
The doctor packed his bag.
Then he noticed a red patch near Leo’s wrist.
“What’s this?”
Sarah leaned closer.
“I thought that was from his sleeve.”
Dr. Mason touched it gently.
Leo pulled away.
Ethan moved forward.
“What happened?”
“I don’t know,” Sarah said.
Victoria rolled her eyes.
“Babies get marks.”
Dr. Mason frowned.
“This looks like mild contact irritation.”
“From what?”
“Could be many things.”
He looked toward the steam iron downstairs.
Nobody spoke.
After the doctor left, Ethan went to his office and called Daniel.
Sarah remained with Leo.
Twenty minutes later Ethan returned.
“Daniel says the camera does have a memory card.”
Sarah felt relief.
“Good.”
“He says it records locally even if Wi-Fi cuts out.”
Victoria appeared behind him.
“So?”
Ethan looked at her.
“So the missing five minutes may still be on the card.”
For one second, Victoria looked afraid.
Then she shrugged.
“Great. Check it.”
Sarah didn’t trust that confidence.
“Do it now.”
Victoria glared at her.
Ethan ignored them both and walked downstairs.
The camera was mounted high above the fireplace.
He dragged a chair over.
Sarah followed carrying Leo.
Victoria followed Sarah.
Ethan climbed up.
“Careful,” Sarah said.
“I’ve got it.”
He reached behind the camera.
Felt around.
His expression changed.
“What?”
He climbed down.
“The card slot is empty.”
Sarah’s heart dropped.
Victoria crossed her arms.
“Maybe Daniel forgot to install one.”
Ethan immediately called him.
Daniel answered on speaker.
“Mr. Carter?”
“Did you install a memory card in the drawing-room monitor?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You’re sure?”
“One hundred percent. Sixty-four gigabytes. I replaced it about two months ago.”
Ethan looked at Victoria.
“When?”
Daniel thought.
“The week Ms. Victoria asked me to check the camera angle.”
Silence.
Victoria’s face changed.
Ethan spoke slowly.
“Victoria asked you to check it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“What exactly did she ask?”
Daniel hesitated.
“She wanted to know where the camera could and couldn’t see.”
Victoria snapped, “That’s not what I said!”
Daniel went quiet.
Ethan’s eyes hardened.
“What did she say, Daniel?”
“She asked if there were blind spots.”
Sarah felt a chill move through her.
Victoria laughed loudly.
“Oh my God. Because I was decorating the room!”
Ethan ended the call.
Sarah looked at the empty card slot.
Someone had removed the one piece of evidence that could prove what happened.
Then Leo reached toward the fireplace.
His tiny hand pointed behind a decorative vase on the mantel.
Sarah followed his gaze.
Something black was sticking out beneath it.
She stepped closer.
A tiny plastic rectangle.
May you like
A memory card.
Victoria lunged for it.
