Chapter 9: The Recording From The Past
The screen flickered.
For a moment, there was only static.
Then my own living room appeared.
I stopped breathing.
It was our old house.
The house Daniel and I bought before Lily was born.
The house where we celebrated birthdays.
The house where I believed my happiest memories lived.
But I had never seen this video.
Daniel sat beside me, frozen.
The detective pressed play.
A younger version of Daniel appeared on screen.
He looked exactly like I remembered.
Healthy.
Smiling.
Alive.
My chest tightened.
Then he looked directly into the camera.
“If you’re watching this, something happened.””
My hand covered my mouth.
Daniel on the screen continued.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to explain everything myself, so I’m recording this.””
The room was silent.
Even the detective stopped writing.
Daniel looked nervous.
“I found evidence that Vanessa has been stealing from the company.””
I looked at the real Daniel beside me.
He looked down.
“I also found out she wasn’t working alone.””
The screen changed.
Daniel placed several documents on the table.
“She has someone helping her.””
A shadow moved behind him.
I leaned closer.
The video quality was poor.
But then a person walked into frame.
I froze.
Because I knew that person.
The woman on the screen said:
“Daniel, we need to talk.””
My heart stopped.
It was my mother.
The younger version of my mother sat across from Daniel.
“I know what Vanessa is doing,” she said.
Daniel looked angry.
“Then why are you helping her?””
My mother started crying.
“I’m trying to stop her.””
“By hiding evidence?””
“I was scared.””
The recording shook slightly.
Daniel leaned closer.
“Tell me the truth.””
My mother looked toward the camera.
Then she whispered:
“Vanessa didn’t plan the accident.””
I felt a strange relief.
Then she continued.
“But she knows who did.””
The video paused for a second.
Daniel on screen asked:
“Who?””
My mother looked terrified.
And then she said:
“Your father.””
I stared at the screen.
The room seemed to spin.
My father.
A man who had been dead for years.
Impossible.
Daniel beside me whispered:
“What?””
The video continued.
Daniel looked just as shocked.
“My father has been dead for ten years.””
My mother shook her head.
“I know.””
“Then what are you saying?””
She looked at him.
“I’m saying someone used his name.””
The recording ended.
Nobody spoke.
Finally, the detective broke the silence.
“That changes everything.””
I looked at him.
“What does it mean?””
He didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he rewound the video.
Then he paused on a single frame.
A reflection in the window behind my mother.
A person standing outside.
Watching them.
The detective zoomed in.
The image became clearer.
I stared.
Because the person in the reflection was holding a phone.
And on the phone screen was a message.
Three words.
*She knows everything.*
Daniel stood up.
“That’s Vanessa.””
I looked closer.
He was right.
The person outside was my sister.
But then I noticed something else.
Someone was standing beside her.
Someone taller.
Someone whose face was hidden.
The detective enlarged the image one more time.
The room went silent.
Because the second person was not a stranger.
It was someone from my own family.
And Daniel whispered:
“No…”
I looked at him.
“Who is it?””
His face turned pale.
“Claire…”
May you like
He pointed at the screen.
“That’s your father.””
