Chapter 3 - The Camera That Should Have Been Dark
By midnight, Gabriel’s estate resembled a fortress.
Security guards covered every entrance.
Marcus stood inside Gabriel’s office examining access logs.
“The breach lasted ninety-four seconds.”
“What did they access?”
“Mostly exterior cameras.”
“Mostly?”
Marcus hesitated.
“Nursery corridor.”
Gabriel’s expression became lethal.
“And?”
“The playroom.”
“Hannah?”
“Yes.”
Gabriel turned toward the window.
“Find whoever did it.”
“We will.”
“No.”
Gabriel faced him.
“You’ll find them tonight.”
A voice came from the doorway.
“Threatening Marcus won’t make computers work faster.”
Gabriel turned.
Hannah stood there.
“You’re supposed to be upstairs.”
“The girls are asleep. Two guards are outside their door.”
“This conversation doesn’t concern you.”
“It concerns Claire.”
Gabriel walked toward her.
“You don’t understand my world.”
“No. But I understand frightened children.”
“They’re asleep.”
“They’re pretending.”
That stopped him.
“Sophie heard the guards talking.”
Gabriel cursed under his breath.
“She asked whether bad men were coming.”
“What did you tell her?”
“That her father would never let anything happen to her.”
Gabriel’s eyes held hers.
“You believe that?”
“I believe you’d die trying.”
Marcus quietly looked away.
Hannah continued.
“But that’s exactly the problem.”
Gabriel’s voice lowered.
“What problem?”
“You think protecting them means putting walls around them.”
“It keeps them alive.”
“Does it?”
Hannah pointed toward the monitors.
“Someone got through your cameras.”
Gabriel said nothing.
“You can’t control everything.”
“I can control enough.”
“And when you can’t?”
Gabriel stepped closer.
“I adapt.”
Hannah nodded.
“Then adapt.”
Marcus interrupted.
“Boss.”
A monitor changed.
A security camera recording appeared.
CAM 15 — SUNROOM.
The footage showed Hannah and Claire practicing.
Then the image zoomed.
Not digitally.
Someone had remotely controlled the camera.
Zooming directly onto Claire.
Gabriel’s face went cold.
Marcus whispered, “That wasn’t us.”
Hannah’s stomach tightened.
Then another camera appeared.
A black sedan parked outside the estate three days earlier.
Gabriel leaned toward the screen.
“Plate.”
“Stolen.”
“Driver?”
“Obscured.”
Gabriel picked up his jacket.
Hannah blocked the doorway.
“Where are you going?”
“Move.”
“No.”
Marcus stared at her like she had just volunteered to jump from the roof.
Gabriel’s voice became quiet.
“Hannah.”
“You have two daughters upstairs.”
“I’m aware.”
“Then stop behaving like you’re the only person who can solve this.”
“You have no idea what I’m capable of.”
“I know exactly what you’re capable of.”
Hannah’s voice softened.
“I’ve watched your daughters wait by the window.”
That landed harder than a threat.
Gabriel stared at her.
“Claire learned to walk because she believed someone would catch her.”
Hannah stepped aside.
“You should learn the same thing.”
Gabriel didn’t leave.
Instead, he turned to Marcus.
“Call everyone.”
Marcus blinked.
“Everyone?”
“Security. Investigators. People we trust.”
Gabriel looked toward the staircase.
“I’m staying here.”
Hannah walked upstairs.
Gabriel watched her go.
Marcus slowly smiled.
Gabriel noticed.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Marcus.”
“I’ve worked for you fourteen years.”
“And?”
“I’ve never seen anyone stop you from walking out that door.”
Gabriel sat.
“She didn’t stop me.”
“Of course not.”
“Marcus.”
“I’m calling everyone.”
The next morning brought an answer.
And it was worse than Gabriel expected.
The surveillance breach hadn’t come from a rival.
The access credentials belonged to someone inside his organization.
Someone Gabriel trusted.
May you like
Someone who knew his daughters’ routines.
And someone who had recently asked an unusual number of questions about Hannah Mercer.
