Richard’s thumb froze over the video recorder’s controls as rain struck the tiny screen.
Victoria stood three steps behind him, perfectly still.
Her expensive cream dress clung to her shoulders, but she seemed unaware of the weather.
She was staring at the recorder as if it were a weapon pointed directly at her.
“Richard,” she said softly, “that is a child’s toy.
Whatever is on it could be misunderstood.”
Noah pressed himself against my side.
Ethan and Liam crowded close beside him, their bare feet red from the stone driveway.
Richard pressed play.
The recording began with a crooked view of the library ceiling.
Noah’s voice could be heard whispering instructions for the pirate movie he and his brothers had been making.
The camera shifted, tumbled behind a row of books, and settled into a narrow gap with a clear view of the mahogany desk.
For several seconds, the library remained empty.
Then Victoria entered.
She looked toward the door, opened her handbag, and removed the Rolex from her own wrist.
Richard stopped breathing.
On the screen, Victoria crossed directly to my cleaning bag.
She pulled the zipper open, pushed the watch beneath a folded cloth, and arranged the bag so it appeared carelessly abandoned.
The image was imperfect, but the action was unmistakable.
Victoria reached for the recorder.
“This proves nothing about the children.”
Richard moved it beyond her grasp.
“It proves you framed Emily.”
“She has turned them against me,” Victoria snapped.
“Do you have any idea what she has been saying in this house?”
I kept one hand on Noah’s shoulder.
“Let the recording continue.”
Victoria’s eyes cut toward me.
The polished mask she had worn for months was gone.
There was no sadness in her face now, no wounded innocence.
There was only calculation.
Richard resumed the video.
On the screen, Victoria stood beside my open bag and answered her phone.
Her voice came through the recorder clearly.
“The maid found the tablets,” she said.
“No, she hasn’t told Richard yet.
If she had, I would already know.”
A pause followed while the person on the other end spoke.
Victoria lowered her voice.
“I am getting rid of her today.
Then I’ll remove the rest before anyone tests them.”
Richard looked up from the screen.
“The rest of what?”
Victoria folded her arms.
“You cannot seriously believe a distorted recording made by five-year-olds.”
Ethan began crying again.
“They made us sleepy.”
Victoria turned sharply toward him.
“Those were vitamins.”
“No,” Liam whispered.
“Vitamins don’t make the room move.”
Richard’s face changed.
Until that moment, anger had protected him from understanding what he was hearing.
He had wanted a simple explanation: a dishonest employee, a stolen watch, an unfortunate scene before his wedding.
Now he was looking at his sons as if he had suddenly noticed how pale they were.
He crouched in front of Liam.
