Chapter 5 - The Evidence in the Camera Room
Ethan didn't sleep that night.
He stationed trusted security personnel near Lily's nursery, instructed the household staff not to admit anyone without his authorization, and called his attorney, Rebecca Lawson.
By eight the next morning, Rebecca was standing in his study with a tablet and a legal pad.
“First,” she said, “we preserve every existing recording and message. Second, we make sure Lily is safe. Third, we do not confront Vanessa again without understanding what she has been doing.”
Ethan showed her the anonymous message.
Rebecca studied the photograph.
“Do you recognize the angle?”
He stared at the image.
The photograph had been taken from inside Lily's nursery, near the built-in bookshelf.
“That room has a security camera,” he said. “For emergencies. The feed goes to the security office.”
“Who has access?”
“Me, the head of security, and the estate manager.”
Rebecca's expression sharpened.
“Then we need to determine whether this photograph came from your own system.”
They went to the security room, where Marcus Hill, the estate's head of security, met them with a worried expression.
Marcus had worked for Ethan for seven years. He was careful, disciplined, and fiercely protective of the family.
When Ethan explained the message, Marcus immediately checked the access logs.
Someone had entered the security system remotely three times in the past month.
The login credentials belonged to a former estate administrator who had resigned six weeks earlier.
“Can you identify the device?” Rebecca asked.
Marcus nodded.
“Give me a little time.”
They reviewed the footage from the garden party. The recording showed Vanessa taking Lily's ball, throwing it into the pond, and kicking over the chair.
It also captured her striking Maria and raising the flower stand.
There was no ambiguity.
Rebecca saved the files to a secure drive.
“This is important evidence,” she said. “We'll provide it to the authorities.”
Then Marcus opened the archived recordings from February.
Ethan stood behind him, barely breathing.
The footage showed Vanessa entering the nursery shortly before the incident that sent Lily to the hospital. It showed Maria leaving briefly and Vanessa standing beside the bed.
Then Lily fell.
The camera did not capture the precise contact that caused the fall, but it clearly showed Vanessa alone with the child immediately beforehand. Afterward, Vanessa stood over Lily for several seconds without picking her up.
When Maria returned, Vanessa blocked her path.
Ethan turned away from the screen.
He couldn't bear to watch another second.
Rebecca paused the recording.
“We cannot conclude everything from this footage alone. But it contradicts the story you were given and warrants a proper investigation.”
Ethan nodded.
“What about the person who sent the photograph?”
Marcus looked at his computer.
“The access logs show the system was used last night. The signal came through an account associated with Vanessa's cousin, Celeste Sterling.”
Rebecca closed her notebook.
“Then we have a second person to investigate.”
At that moment, Ethan's phone rang.
It was the estate manager.
“Mr. Whitmore, there's a woman at the front gate. She says she's here to collect Lily.”
“Who is she?”
“Celeste Sterling.”
Ethan looked at Rebecca.
Neither of them spoke for a moment.
Then he gave the guard a clear instruction.
“Do not let her inside. Tell her we will contact her through our attorney.”
A few seconds later, the estate manager called again.
“Sir, she says Ms. Vanessa told her that Lily would be coming to live with her today.”
Ethan's blood ran cold.
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Vanessa hadn't merely been planning to remove Maria.
She had been planning Lily's future without her father's knowledge.
