Chapter 5 - the breakfast camera)
Monday began quietly.
That should have warned Owen.
Vanessa made pancakes.
Lily laughed once.
Daniel stayed home from work.
For approximately forty minutes, the Mercer family looked almost normal.
Then Daniel left the table to take a call in his office.
Vanessa waited until his footsteps disappeared.
Her smile vanished.
She looked at Owen.
“Give it to me.”
Owen continued eating.
“What?”
“The camera.”
His fork stopped.
Lily looked up.
Vanessa leaned across the table.
“You really believed I wouldn't notice?”
Owen said nothing.
“The crest is crooked.”
His hand moved toward his blazer.
Vanessa smiled.
“Take it off.”
“No.”
“Owen.”
“No.”
Lily whispered, “Dad is home.”
Vanessa turned toward her.
“And?”
Lily looked down.
Vanessa stood.
Owen stood too.
“Don't touch her.”
“I didn't.”
“You do when Dad isn't looking.”
Vanessa's jaw tightened.
“Give me the camera.”
“No.”
She reached for his blazer.
Owen moved backward.
The chair struck the table.
A glass tipped over.
Lily flinched.
Vanessa stopped.
Then she smiled.
“All right.”
She sat.
Owen did not.
“You can keep your little camera.”
He stared suspiciously.
“Why?”
“Because there's nothing for you to record.”
Vanessa picked up her coffee.
“Unless you plan to fabricate something.”
Daniel returned.
“What happened?”
Vanessa laughed.
“Your son and I are debating privacy.”
Owen stared at her.
Daniel looked between them.
“What privacy?”
“Nothing,” Owen said.
Vanessa raised her coffee.
“Exactly.”
That afternoon, she changed tactics.
She became perfect.
She helped Lily with homework.
She asked Owen about school.
She prepared Daniel's favorite dinner.
For two days, nothing happened.
No knocking.
No arguments.
No strange shadows.
Owen began wondering if Vanessa had been right.
Maybe he was searching for something that wasn't there.
Then Wednesday night the camera recorded Vanessa entering Lily's bedroom.
Owen watched the footage the next morning.
The blazer had been hanging from the hallway railing.
The angle was poor.
But the audio was clear.
Vanessa entered Lily's room at 1:12 a.m.
Lily woke.
“What are you doing?”
“Get up.”
“Why?”
“I need you to come downstairs.”
“I don't want to.”
“You don't have a choice.”
“Where?”
“The pantry.”
Owen stopped breathing.
On the recording, Lily began crying.
“No.”
Vanessa's voice hardened.
“You opened it before.”
“I didn't.”
“You touched the latch.”
“I didn't open it.”
“You woke something.”
“Mom said not to.”
Silence.
Then Vanessa whispered.
“Your mother doesn't get to tell you anything anymore.”
The recording ended when Vanessa moved beyond the camera's view.
Owen threw open Lily's bedroom door.
Her bed was empty.
He ran downstairs.
The dining room was dark.
The kitchen lights were on.
Vanessa stood in front of the pantry.
Lily was beside her.
Vanessa held one of the padlocks open.
“Stop!”
Both turned.
Owen ran forward.
Vanessa slammed the lock shut.
“What are you doing awake?”
“What are you doing with her?”
“She was sleepwalking.”
“No, I wasn't,” Lily said.
Vanessa grabbed Lily's shoulder.
“She doesn't know what she's saying.”
Owen lifted his phone.
“I recorded you.”
Vanessa's face changed.
“You what?”
“My camera heard everything.”
Lily pulled away.
Vanessa took one step toward Owen.
“You're going to give me that camera.”
“No.”
“Now.”
“No.”
She lunged.
Owen ran.
Vanessa chased him through the dining room.
He reached the stairs.
“Dad!”
Daniel appeared above them.
“What the hell is happening?”
Vanessa stopped instantly.
Owen held the railing.
“She took Lily to the pantry.”
Daniel looked at Vanessa.
“She was sleepwalking.”
“I wasn't!” Lily shouted.
Daniel came downstairs.
He looked at Lily.
“Sweetheart?”
“She woke me up.”
Vanessa sighed.
“She was having a nightmare. I brought her downstairs for water.”
“That's not true,” Owen said.
Daniel looked exhausted.
“Everybody stop.”
“Dad, I recorded it.”
That caught his attention.
“Recorded what?”
Vanessa stepped forward.
“Owen has been secretly filming people in this house.”
Daniel turned toward his son.
“Is that true?”
“Yes.”
“Owen.”
“Because nobody believes us.”
Daniel rubbed his forehead.
“We are not secretly recording family members.”
“You care more about that than what she did?”
“I didn't say that.”
“You always say that.”
“Say what?”
“That we're wrong in a nicer way.”
Daniel stared at him.
Owen's voice broke.
“Mom would believe us.”
The sentence struck the room like another slap.
Daniel became still.
Vanessa looked away.
Lily began crying.
Owen immediately regretted it.
Daniel's face closed.
“Go upstairs.”
“Dad…”
“Now.”
The children left.
Daniel waited until they were gone.
Then he turned toward Vanessa.
“What happened?”
“I told you.”
“Tell me again.”
Something in his voice made Vanessa pause.
She repeated the story.
Daniel listened.
Then he asked one question.
“Why was the pantry padlock open?”
Vanessa's eyes flickered.
“Because I checked it.”
“At one in the morning?”
“Daniel.”
“Why?”
“The exterminator is coming tomorrow.”
Daniel stared at her.
Vanessa walked closer.
“You're letting the children manipulate you.”
“Maybe.”
She stopped.
May you like
“But tomorrow I'm watching Owen's recording.”
For the first time in their marriage, Vanessa looked genuinely frightened of him.
