Chapter 2 - the camera that never existed)
Rebecca did not sleep.
By sunrise, she had convinced herself that fear was making her irrational.
Daniel had never struck her.
He had never shouted at Mia.
He had never behaved like the men Rebecca warned friends about.
But danger did not always announce itself with broken plates and raised fists.
Sometimes it made pancakes.
Sometimes it packed lunches.
Sometimes it knew where you kept your spare key.
At breakfast, Daniel behaved normally.
Mia did not.
She refused to sit in the high chair until Rebecca moved it farther from Daniel.
He laughed.
"Apparently I'm unpopular today."
Rebecca watched him pour orange juice.
"Did you ever take Mia to a hospital without telling me?"
The carton stopped in midair.
Daniel looked up.
"No."
"Anywhere medical?"
"No."
"Urgent care?"
"No."
"Doctor?"
"Rebecca."
"I'm asking."
"I answered."
Mia dropped her spoon.
Daniel bent to pick it up.
Mia screamed.
Rebecca grabbed her.
Daniel straightened slowly.
"What is going on with you?"
Rebecca felt her heart strike against her ribs.
"With me?"
"You've been staring at me all morning."
"I'm tired."
"Because of that stupid wristband?"
"You lied about it."
"I got the date wrong."
"You said the hospital printed the wrong date."
Daniel's expression hardened.
Then softened again.
"I was half asleep."
Rebecca looked at him.
That explanation contradicted the previous explanation.
Daniel realized it too.
He stepped closer.
"Okay. You're right. I lied."
Rebecca went completely still.
Daniel rubbed his face.
"My sister called me last week."
"You don't have a sister."
"My half sister."
Rebecca stared.
Daniel had told her his parents died when he was nineteen.
He had never mentioned siblings.
"Her son got sick. I drove them to the ER."
"Which hospital?"
"Mercy Central."
The hospital wristband from the basement had a green stripe.
Mercy Central used blue.
Rebecca knew because she had taken Mia there for stitches six months earlier.
She said nothing.
Daniel continued.
"My sister doesn't want contact with the family. It's complicated."
"What is her name?"
"Rachel."
"Last name?"
Daniel's eyes narrowed.
"Why are you interrogating me?"
Rebecca smiled.
It surprised both of them.
"I'm not."
Daniel did not smile back.
Later that morning, Rebecca drove to work with Mia in daycare and Daniel supposedly heading to a client meeting.
At noon, Rebecca called Mercy Central.
She asked whether someone named Daniel Carter had been registered as guardian for a pediatric patient the previous week.
The receptionist refused to discuss patient information.
Rebecca expected that.
She hung up.
Then she called Daniel's office.
"Northline Architecture."
"Hi. Daniel Carter, please."
A pause.
"Mr. Carter isn't in today."
Rebecca's fingers tightened around the phone.
"Client meeting?"
Another pause.
"I'm sorry?"
Rebecca hung up.
Daniel had left home wearing a suit.
He had kissed her cheek.
He had told her the Martin project might keep him out until four.
There was no Martin project.
At three, Rebecca left work early.
She did not tell Daniel.
She collected Mia from daycare.
The teacher, Ms. Connie, looked surprised.
"Everything okay?"
"Fine."
Then Connie glanced at Mia.
"She's had a better day."
Rebecca stopped.
"Better than when?"
"Yesterday."
"Daniel said she was home yesterday."
Connie's smile vanished.
"No. He dropped her off around eleven."
Rebecca felt the room tilt.
"Eleven?"
"Yes."
"Did he pick her up?"
"At two thirty."
Rebecca had been at work until six.
Daniel had told her he spent the entire day home with Mia because daycare was closed for staff training.
Rebecca looked toward Mia.
"What happened between eleven and two thirty?"
Connie frowned.
"Nothing unusual. She slept most of the time."
Rebecca felt sick.
"Did she seem drugged?"
Connie stared at her.
"I didn't say that."
"I know."
"Rebecca, is something happening at home?"
Rebecca could not answer.
She took Mia and drove away.
She did not go home.
Instead she drove to an electronics store.
She bought two small indoor cameras.
Daniel had wanted security cameras.
Now Rebecca wanted them too.
But he would never know.
One went inside a bookshelf facing the living room.
The second went high inside the laundry room, hidden behind a basket, angled toward the basement door.
Rebecca installed them while Daniel was at the gym.
At eight forty that night, Daniel returned.
At nine ten, Mia went to bed.
At ten thirty, Rebecca pretended to fall asleep.
At eleven fourteen, Daniel left the bedroom.
Rebecca watched his camera feed from beneath the blanket.
Daniel entered the living room.
He stood perfectly still for almost a minute.
Then he walked to the bookshelf.
Directly toward the hidden camera.
Rebecca stopped breathing.
He reached up.
The screen went black.
Rebecca sat up.
Three seconds later, a text message appeared from Daniel.
COME DOWNSTAIRS.
Her hands shook.
Another message.
NOW.
Rebecca opened the bedroom door.
Daniel stood at the end of the hallway holding the camera.
"Want to tell me why this was watching me?"
Rebecca stared at him.
"Want to tell me how you knew where it was?"
Daniel smiled.
May you like
And in that moment, Rebecca understood something worse than being caught.
Daniel had already been looking for cameras.
