Chapter 4 - The Room With No Camera)
Ethan reached home seventeen minutes later.
The front door was unlocked.
He entered shouting Maisie's name.
No answer.
The bicycle remained against the wall.
The stuffed rabbit lay near the sofa exactly where it had appeared in Corinne's photograph.
"Maisie?"
Footsteps came from upstairs.
Corinne descended slowly carrying Maisie.
The child looked unharmed.
Relief nearly collapsed Ethan's knees.
He crossed the room.
"Give her to me."
Corinne stopped on the final stair.
"Where were you?"
"Give me my daughter."
"Your daughter?"
Ethan stared.
Corinne's smile was thin.
"Interesting choice of words."
"Corinne."
Maisie reached toward him.
"Dada."
That ended the argument.
Ethan took her.
Corinne allowed it.
"You disappeared," she said.
"I went out."
"Your tracker showed your office."
"I changed cars."
"Why?"
"Why were you tracking me?"
"You agreed to it."
"For lost keys."
"Same technology."
Ethan held Maisie close.
"Don't send me photographs designed to scare me again."
"Designed to scare you?"
"You knew exactly what that picture looked like."
Corinne stepped closer.
"You are becoming unstable."
The sentence landed differently now.
Ethan thought of Claire's trust.
Of guardianship questions.
Of signatures.
"What did you say?"
Corinne blinked.
"I said you're frightening me."
"No. You said unstable."
"Ethan"
"That's a very specific word."
"You need sleep."
"I need you to stop touching my daughter."
Corinne's expression hardened.
"One angry former employee says something and suddenly I'm dangerous?"
"I saw the bruise."
"Children get bruises."
"Finger-shaped bruises?"
For the first time Corinne lost control.
"I saved her from boiling soup."
Maisie flinched at the raised voice.
Ethan noticed.
Corinne noticed him noticing.
Her tone softened instantly.
"I'm sorry."
Ethan turned toward the front door.
"Where are you going?"
"Rachel's."
"No."
He stopped.
Corinne seemed surprised by her own response.
"No?"
"We agreed Maisie shouldn't be shuffled around when she's upset."
"We agreed nothing."
"You can't take her every time we argue."
"I'm not taking her because we argued."
Corinne's face paled.
"Then why?"
Ethan looked directly at her.
He almost said too much.
Instead he answered, "Because I want my sister to see her."
Corinne studied him.
Then she stepped aside.
"Of course."
The ease of her surrender worried him more than resistance would have.
Ethan packed a small bag.
Corinne watched from the bedroom doorway.
He included pajamas, bottles, medication, diapers, and Maisie's stuffed rabbit.
When he reached for the folder containing Maisie's birth certificate, it was gone.
He searched the drawer.
Nothing.
"What are you looking for?" Corinne asked.
"Her birth certificate."
"I moved it."
"Where?"
"The cabinet downstairs."
"Why?"
"Safer."
Ethan looked at her.
"The cabinet is locked."
"Claire kept important things there."
"No. Claire kept photo albums there."
Corinne shrugged.
"I reorganized."
"Where's the key?"
"I don't know."
Ethan walked downstairs.
Corinne followed.
He examined the cabinet lock.
No sign of damage.
"Call a locksmith," he said.
"Tonight?"
"Yes."
"Why do you need a birth certificate to visit Rachel?"
"I don't."
Corinne smiled.
"Then tomorrow."
Ethan's phone rang.
His attorney, Samuel Price.
Ethan answered.
"Sam."
"Ethan, I need to confirm something strange."
"What?"
"I received an electronic request this afternoon for your corporate medical leave file."
"From whom?"
"It says your personal counsel."
"My personal counsel is you."
"That's why I'm calling."
Ethan looked at Corinne.
She was pretending not to listen.
"What exactly did they request?"
"Records related to psychological treatment following Claire's death."
Ethan's chest tightened.
"Do not send anything."
"I wasn't planning to."
"Can you forward the request?"
"Already did."
The call ended.
Corinne turned toward the kitchen.
Ethan said her name.
She stopped.
"Did you request my medical records?"
Corinne looked back.
"No."
"Did anyone acting for you?"
"No."
"Who is Dr. Julian Voss?"
A pause.
Very small.
But there.
"I don't know."
"He signed the request."
"I've never heard the name."
Ethan's phone buzzed.
Samuel had forwarded the document.
Ethan read the first page.
The request claimed to be part of an emergency family guardianship evaluation.
Applicant relationship to minor:
Stepmother.
Ethan felt his heartbeat in his throat.
Corinne slowly moved toward the staircase.
"Where are you going?"
"Upstairs."
"No."
She turned.
"I need my phone."
"You have it in your pocket."
Corinne's hand instinctively touched her pocket.
Ethan saw the mistake.
She saw him see it.
For several seconds neither moved.
Then Maisie began to cry softly against Ethan's shoulder.
Corinne smiled.
"You're frightening her."
Ethan opened the front door.
"I'm taking her to Rachel's."
Corinne's expression went empty.
"You'll bring her back."
It was not a question.
Ethan looked at his wife.
"I'll decide that later."
He stepped outside.
Behind him, Corinne said something almost too softly to hear.
"You don't know what Claire signed."
Ethan stopped.
He turned.
"What did you say?"
But Corinne had already closed the door.
At Rachel's apartment, Maisie fell asleep within twenty minutes.
Ethan sat beside her travel crib.
Rachel placed a cup of coffee near him.
"You need police."
"I need evidence."
"You have bruises."
"And a powerful woman who can say I caused them."
Rachel stared.
"You think that's what she's doing."
"I think she's collecting something."
"Evidence against you?"
"I don't know."
Rachel sat.
Ethan pulled up the home's security application.
Claire had installed cameras after a burglary in the neighborhood.
Entryway.
Kitchen.
Rear patio.
Nursery.
Hallway.
He selected yesterday afternoon.
The hallway camera showed Lena leaving.
Then Corinne walking toward the living room.
Maisie followed unsteadily.
Corinne disappeared from view.
The living room camera should have captured what happened next.
It did not.
The recording jumped forward six minutes.
Ethan frowned.
He checked another day.
Another gap.
Then another.
Every missing segment occurred when Corinne was alone with Maisie.
Rachel whispered, "She deleted them."
Ethan shook his head.
"No."
"How do you know?"
"Because Claire designed the system so local users can't permanently delete recordings."
He opened the advanced menu.
Archived backups.
One folder existed that Corinne apparently had not found.
Ethan selected the earliest missing clip.
The image loaded.
Corinne stood in the living room holding Maisie's arm.
Her face was furious.
Maisie was crying.
Corinne leaned close to the child.
There was no audio at first.
Then the microphone activated.
One sentence emerged clearly.
"If Daddy asks, you fell."
Rachel covered her mouth.
Ethan did not move.
On screen, Corinne released Maisie.
May you like
Then she walked directly toward the security camera.
The image went black.
