Chapter 3 - The Camera That Was Never Dead
The first image on Jordan's tablet showed the backyard at 2:14 p.m.
Emma's stroller stood beside the pool.
The white canopy was raised.
Her yellow blanket, embroidered with a tiny star, hung over the side.
Celeste appeared from the patio doors.
Officer Ellis watched closely.
She approached the stroller, looked toward the house, and rested both hands on its handle.
Then she deliberately released the wheel brakes.
Lena held her breath.
The footage continued.
Celeste glanced behind her.
She pushed.
The stroller rolled across the stone patio.
Its front wheels reached the pool edge.
For a fraction of a second, it balanced there.
Then the entire stroller tipped forward into the water.
Officer Ellis straightened.
He didn't speak.
On the recording, Celeste stepped backward.
She made no attempt to reach for the stroller.
Instead, she turned toward the house.
Moments later, Lena appeared.
She dropped a basket of towels and jumped into the pool.
Jordan pressed pause.
“See?”
The boy's voice broke.
“Miss Lena didn't push Emma.”
Officer Ellis looked toward Officer Porter.
“Remove her handcuffs.”
Porter immediately unlocked them.
Lena brought her hands to her chest.
Her wrists were red where the metal had pressed against her skin.
She barely noticed.
“Is Emma okay?”
“We're making sure she gets proper treatment,” Ellis answered. “The paramedics are taking her to the hospital.”
Lena nodded.
She wanted to collapse.
Instead, she stayed on her feet.
Across the patio, Celeste began speaking rapidly.
“That isn't what it looks like.”
Officer Ellis turned.
“Then explain what it looks like.”
“The stroller moved by accident.”
Lena stared at her.
“You put both hands on it and pushed!”
Celeste looked away.
Adrian stepped forward.
“This is a family matter. My wife wasn't thinking clearly.”
Officer Ellis's expression hardened.
“A three-month-old child was pushed into a swimming pool. That is not something we can dismiss as a family matter.”
Adrian fell silent.
Jordan was still holding the tablet.
“There's more,” he whispered.
Officer Ellis crouched beside him again.
“What do you mean?”
Jordan scrolled backward.
The video jumped to 2:08 p.m.
Six minutes before Emma's stroller went into the pool.
Adrian appeared on the patio.
He was carrying his phone.
Celeste stood beside the stroller while Emma slept.
Their voices came through the tablet speakers.
At first, the audio was difficult to hear.
Then Jordan increased the volume.
Celeste's voice emerged.
“What if Lena doesn't reach her in time?”
Adrian answered.
“She always comes running when Emma cries.”
Officer Ellis's eyes narrowed.
The recording continued.
Celeste crossed her arms.
“I don't like this.”
Adrian looked toward the patio doors.
“She threatened to report us, Celeste. If the police believe she endangered Emma, nobody's going to take anything she says seriously.”
Lena felt the ground shift beneath her.
Celeste's next words were almost inaudible.
“And the baby?”
Adrian replied.
“Lena's in the kitchen. She'll jump.”
Jordan stopped the recording.
His hands were shaking so badly that the tablet nearly slipped.
Lena covered her mouth.
She had known Celeste pushed the stroller.
But she hadn't known Adrian planned to use her love for Emma against her.
They had counted on her running toward the danger.
They had counted on her risking her life.
They had placed a helpless infant in a swimming pool because they believed Lena would rescue her before anything went wrong.
And then they intended to destroy her credibility.
Officer Ellis stood.
“Mr. Whitfield, I need you to stay here.”
Adrian lifted both hands.
“I'm not saying another word until I speak to my attorney.”
“That's your right.”
Officer Porter moved closer to Celeste.
“Ma'am, please stay away from the child and the tablet.”
Celeste's face twisted.
“He's ten years old! He doesn't understand what he's showing you!”
Jordan flinched.
Lena saw it.
She had seen that same reaction whenever Celeste raised her voice.
This time, however, Jordan didn't retreat.
He hugged the tablet to his chest.
“I understand that Emma could have died.”
Silence followed.
Officer Ellis looked toward his partner.
“We need to preserve the original recording and notify investigators.”
He contacted his supervisor and requested additional assistance.
Then he turned to Jordan.
“Thank you for showing us this. You did the right thing.”
Jordan didn't smile.
He stared toward the ambulance.
“Can I go with Emma?”
The question broke Lena's heart.
Officer Ellis explained that the paramedics needed to take Emma immediately and that they would arrange for a safe adult to accompany or meet her.
Jordan's lower lip trembled.
“My parents are the ones who hurt her.”
Nobody contradicted him.
He looked at Lena.
“Miss Lena?”
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“If Mom and Dad go away, who's going to take care of us?”
Lena wanted to promise that everything would be fine.
May you like
But she couldn't.
For the first time, saving Emma's life seemed easier than answering her brother's question.
