Chapter 5 - The Trap Inside My Estate
Within minutes, the estate changed.
Security doubled around the girls.
Every entrance locked.
Daniel personally checked the nursery.
I moved Isabella and Mia to the central safe room.
Grace refused to leave them.
“I’m staying.”
I looked at her.
“You’ve done enough.”
“They’re scared.”
“So are you.”
“I’m used to it.”
That sentence bothered me more than anything else she had said.
I crouched.
“You shouldn’t be.”
Grace looked away.
“People always say that.”
“I’m not people.”
She studied me.
“You really didn’t know?”
“About the girls?”
“About any of it.”
“No.”
She nodded slowly.
“I believe you.”
That meant more than I expected.
Daniel entered.
“Marcus.”
“What?”
“We found Richard.”
“Where?”
“He never left the property.”
My expression hardened.
Daniel continued.
“His vehicle left. He didn’t.”
“Where is he?”
“Service wing.”
Lorraine had spent years controlling the household.
She knew every corridor.
Every employee entrance.
Every blind spot.
And she had shared them with Richard.
Daniel said, “He’s trying to reach the main electrical room.”
“To kill the cameras.”
“Probably.”
I looked at the monitors.
“Let him.”
Daniel frowned.
“What?”
“Let him think he succeeded.”
Understanding crossed Daniel’s face.
“You want him moving.”
“I want him talking.”
We shut down visible surveillance.
The hidden system remained active.
Minutes later, Richard appeared on Camera Nine.
He entered Lorraine’s office.
Lorraine had been returned there under guard.
Daniel activated the microphone.
Richard’s voice came through.
“You idiot.”
Lorraine stood.
“You left me here.”
“You got caught.”
“Because you changed the routine.”
“You were starving children.”
“I was controlling expenses!”
“You were getting careless.”
Lorraine stared at him.
“Did you get Sophia’s drive?”
“No.”
“Marcus has it.”
Richard cursed.
Lorraine lowered her voice.
“Then we’re finished.”
“No.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Make him trade.”
“For what?”
“The girls.”
My hand tightened.
Daniel whispered, “That’s enough.”
“No.”
I wanted everything.
Lorraine stared at her brother.
“You’re insane.”
“Marcus will hand over anything for his daughters.”
“You’re not touching those children.”
For the first time, Lorraine sounded genuinely frightened.
Richard laughed.
“You suddenly developed morals?”
“They weren’t supposed to get hurt.”
“You withheld food from toddlers.”
“I never intended—”
“You intended whatever kept the money flowing.”
Lorraine stepped backward.
Richard moved toward the door.
Daniel looked at me.
“Now?”
I nodded.
Security entered from both sides.
Richard froze.
I walked in last.
His face drained.
“You killed the cameras,” he said.
“No.”
Daniel pointed toward the ceiling.
“You killed the cameras you knew about.”
Richard looked at Lorraine.
She whispered, “Eleven.”
I shook my head.
“Twelve.”
Richard stared at me.
“You’re making a mistake.”
“No. I made the mistake years ago.”
I stepped closer.
“I trusted both of you.”
Police were already waiting outside.
Daniel had contacted them as soon as we recovered Sophia’s files.
Richard and Lorraine were led away separately.
Before Lorraine passed me, she stopped.
“I raised those girls after Sophia died.”
I looked at her.
“No.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“I was there every day.”
“You photographed their food.”
Silence.
“You stole from them.”
She looked away.
“You frightened them.”
Still nothing.
“And an eleven-year-old child had to sneak across my lawn at midnight to do the one thing you were paid to do.”
Lorraine’s face finally broke.
I opened the front door.
“You didn’t raise my daughters.”
Grace was standing upstairs between Isabella and Mia.
I looked at her.
May you like
“She did.”
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