Chapter 7: The Person Behind The Camera
For several minutes after Patricia left, neither Daniel nor I moved.
Her final words stayed between us.
Someone wanted that camera off before I ever touched that mop.
I hated that one sentence because it created a crack of uncertainty.
Not because I believed Patricia.
But because I knew her.
She never said anything without a reason.
Daniel walked slowly toward the kitchen counter.
“She knew about the camera being off.””
I nodded.
“Yes.””
He looked at me.
“But how?””
I crossed my arms.
“That’s what we need to find out.””
For once, Daniel didn’t argue.
He picked up his laptop and opened the security system.
The same system he had disabled.
The same system that had become the center of everything.
“I’m checking the access history,” he said.
I stood beside him.
The screen loaded.
Then a list appeared.
Daniel leaned closer.
“Wait.””
“What?””
He pointed.
“There.””
My eyes followed his finger.
The camera had been disconnected three days before the attack.
The user name was not Daniel.
It was not Patricia.
It was another account.
“Who is that?”” I asked.
Daniel looked confused.
“I don’t know.””
“Someone had access to your security system.””
He nodded slowly.
Then his phone rang.
He looked at the number.
“Mark.””
He answered.
“Tell me you found something.””
I watched his face.
The color disappeared.
“What?””
A pause.
“No, don’t delete anything.””
Daniel put the phone on speaker.
Mark’s voice came through.
“I checked the system logs from your router. Someone connected remotely.””
Daniel looked at me.
“Who?””
Mark hesitated.
“That’s the problem.””
“What problem?””
“The account belongs to someone who shouldn’t exist.””
I frowned.
“What does that mean?””
Mark continued.
“The login was created using your mother’s information.””
Daniel froze.
“My mother?””
“Yes. But the access location wasn’t your house.””
My hands became cold.
“Where was it?””
Mark answered.
“A hotel downtown.””
Daniel looked at me.
“When?””
Mark paused.
“Yesterday afternoon.””
The same afternoon Patricia attacked me.
I stared at Daniel.
“She left the house.””
He nodded.
“She planned this.””
But then Mark added something.
“And Daniel?””
“What?””
“The account didn’t just turn off the camera.””
A silence followed.
“What else did it do?”” Daniel asked.
Mark’s voice became lower.
“It copied your private files.””
Daniel’s expression changed.
“What files?””
“Financial records. Insurance information. House documents.””
My heart sank.
Patricia wasn’t just trying to make Daniel hate me.
She was looking for something.
“Why would she steal our documents?”” I whispered.
Nobody answered.
Then Mark said:
“There’s something else.””
Daniel closed his eyes.
“What?””
“I found the person who helped create the fake document.””
I looked at the screen.
Daniel gripped the phone.
“Who?””
Mark said a name.
And the moment I heard it, my entire body went still.
“Patricia’s lawyer.””
The call ended.
Daniel slowly lowered the phone.
“She created fake paperwork.””
I nodded.
“But why?””
Before we could answer, someone knocked on the door.
Both of us froze.
Daniel walked toward it.
I followed.
When he opened the door, a woman stood outside.
She was holding a folder.
“Daniel?””
He frowned.
“Yes?””
“My name is Rachel Collins.””
She looked at me.
“I think you need to see what your mother has been hiding.””
Daniel stepped back.
“Who are you?””
Rachel took a breath.
“I used to work for your mother’s attorney.””
My heart raced.
“And why are you here?””
She looked at the security camera above us.
May you like
Then whispered:
“Because Patricia doesn’t know I kept a copy of everything.””
