Chapter 4: The Footage Nobody Was Supposed to See
Marcus didn't move.
Vanessa stood in the doorway of Lily's bedroom, her eyes fixed on the little red key in his hand.
“Please don't watch it,” she repeated.
Marcus slowly lowered his phone.
“You knew there was a camera?””
Vanessa wiped her cheeks.
“I knew Eleanor installed something.””
“Something?””
“A security system. She was paranoid near the end.””
Marcus stared at her.
“Stop calling her paranoid.””
“You don't understand what she was involved in.””
“Then explain it.””
Vanessa shook her head.
“Not here.””
Marcus walked toward her.
“You keep saying that. First, it wasn't in front of Lily. Then it wasn't in front of the police.
Now it's not here. When exactly were you planning to tell me that my wife might be alive?””
Vanessa looked down.
“I thought she would eventually disappear.””
The sentence struck him harder than a slap.
“What?””
Vanessa immediately looked up.
“I didn't mean it that way.””
“Then what did you mean?””
She stepped backward.
Marcus held up Eleanor's letter.
“She wrote that someone put her in that chamber. She wrote that the person who helped bury her was standing beside me when I proposed.””
Vanessa's voice broke.
“She shouldn't have written that.””
Marcus froze.
“You know what happened.””
Vanessa covered her mouth.
For the first time, she didn't deny it.
His phone rang again.
Sergeant Collins.
Marcus answered.
“I'm coming downstairs. Don't touch anything.””
“We won't,” Collins replied.
“But there's something else you need to know. The camera footage appears to be transmitting to an external device.””
Marcus frowned.
“Where?””
“We're tracing it. The last connection was made less than twenty minutes ago.””
Marcus glanced at Vanessa.
She was already looking toward the staircase.
“Who has access?””
Collins paused.
“That's what we're trying to establish.””
Marcus ended the call.
“Come with me.””
Vanessa shook her head.
“Marcus, please.””
“Now.””
They walked downstairs in silence.
Outside, the rescue team had placed a temporary enclosure around the deep end of the pool. Two officers stood near the equipment while a technician worked on a laptop.
Lily was sitting with a female officer beneath a garden umbrella.
When she saw her father, she ran toward him.
“Daddy!””
Marcus crouched and hugged her.
“I'm here.””
“Did you find the key?””
He looked at the little red object in his palm.
“Yes.””
“Mommy said it was important.””
“I know, sweetheart.””
Vanessa approached slowly.
Lily immediately moved behind Marcus.
“Don't let her take me,” she whispered.
Marcus felt his entire body stiffen.
He looked over his shoulder.
“Why would you say that?””
Lily pointed toward Vanessa.
“She came to my room last night.””
Vanessa shook her head.
“Lily, honey, I was only checking on you.””
“No!””
The child clutched Marcus's wet shirt.
“You told me Mommy was bad!””
Vanessa's expression collapsed.
“That's not true.””
Lily began crying.
“You said if I told Daddy, Mommy would go away again!””
Marcus stood.
“Collins!””
The sergeant approached immediately.
“What's happened?””
“I want my daughter kept away from Vanessa. And I want to know why this woman has been entering her bedroom at night.””
Vanessa raised both hands.
“I was helping raise her!””
“Not anymore,” Marcus replied.
The technician interrupted them.
“Sergeant, we've recovered the footage.””
Everyone turned.
Collins looked at Marcus.
“Mr. Hale, you should see this.””
The laptop displayed a grainy recording.
A timestamp appeared in the corner.
October 18.
Eleven months earlier.
Marcus recognized the date immediately.
It was the night Eleanor supposedly disappeared.
The video showed the underground chamber beneath the pool.
A narrow concrete room surrounded by reinforced glass. A metal ladder led down from the ceiling.
And sitting on a small bench was Eleanor.
Alive.
Her hair was tied back. She wore a gray sweater and jeans.
Marcus stepped closer to the screen.
“That's her.””
His voice cracked.
“That's my wife.””
Eleanor looked directly into the camera.
“Marcus, if you're watching this, then Lily has finally found the courage to tell you.””
Marcus gripped the edge of the table.
On the recording, Eleanor continued.
“I don't know how much time I have left. The ventilation system is failing, and the emergency supply has been disconnected.””
She looked toward something outside the camera's view.
“Vanessa told me you agreed to the arrangement.””
Marcus turned sharply.
Vanessa was staring at the screen.
Eleanor continued.
“You need to understand that Marcus didn't know what we discovered. He was never supposed to be involved.””
A loud metallic sound came from somewhere in the chamber.
Eleanor looked over her shoulder.
Then she spoke quickly.
“If you find the red key, don't trust the first lock. It opens the outer compartment, not the door itself.””
She moved closer to the camera.
“And Marcus, if Daniel is still alive, don't let him near Lily.””
The footage suddenly distorted.
A shadow appeared behind Eleanor.
Then the screen went black.
Marcus didn't blink.
“Play that again.””
The technician replayed the last thirty seconds.
Daniel.
He knew only one Daniel who had ever been involved in the family business.
Daniel Hale.
His older brother.
The man who had attended Eleanor's funeral, delivered a speech about loyalty, and stood beside Marcus when the coffin was lowered.
Marcus slowly turned toward Vanessa.
“Where is my brother?””
Vanessa's lips trembled.
“I don't know.””
“You're lying.””
“Marcus, I haven't seen Daniel in months.””
Collins stepped forward.
“Who is Daniel Hale?””
“My brother.””
The sergeant exchanged a look with the other officer.
“Mr. Hale, we need you to stay here.””
Marcus stared at the frozen image of Eleanor.
“I'm not leaving.””
Then the technician spoke again.
“Sergeant, the camera has received another command.””
Collins turned.
“From where?””
The technician swallowed.
“Someone just activated the microphone.””
A faint clicking sound came through the laptop speakers.
Then a woman's voice emerged.
Weak.
Distorted.
But unmistakable.
“Marcus?””
He stopped breathing.
“Marcus, can you hear me?””
He moved toward the screen.
“Eleanor?””
The voice returned.
“Don't open the door until you know who's standing beside you.””
Marcus looked over his shoulder.
May you like
Vanessa was gone.
And the garden gate was swinging open.
