Chapter 8: The Person In The Nursery
I returned home before sunrise.
The Carter estate looked different.
It was the same house.
Same walls.
Same expensive furniture.
Same photographs hanging in the hallway.
But it no longer felt like home.
It felt like a crime scene.
My security team had already searched every room.
No one entered without permission.
No one left without being recorded.
At least, that was what we believed.
Marcus stood near the nursery entrance.
“You need to see this yourself.””
I walked inside.
Noah’s room was untouched.
His toys were lined up.
His blankets were folded.
Everything looked peaceful.
Almost too peaceful.
Marcus opened the footage.
The screen showed the nursery camera.
The timestamp was 1:14 a.m.
Evelyn entered.
She walked toward Noah’s crib.
Then Victor followed.
I watched silently.
Victor handed her something.
A document.
Then Evelyn looked toward the camera.
Not at Noah.
At the camera.
My blood turned cold.
“She knew.””
Marcus nodded.
“She knew exactly where every camera was.””
The footage continued.
Then something happened.
A third person appeared.
A woman.
Not Evelyn.
Not Clara.
Not Marissa.
The woman stood near the door.
I leaned closer.
“Who is that?””
Marcus zoomed in.
The image became clearer.
I recognized her.
My breath stopped.
“No.””
Marcus looked at me.
“You know her?””
I stared at the screen.
It was Lauren.
My father’s former assistant.
She had worked with him for fifteen years.
After my father died, she vanished.
I thought she moved away.
“Why would she be here?””
Marcus didn’t answer.
The footage continued.
Lauren handed Evelyn an envelope.
Then Evelyn smiled.
A real smile.
The kind I hadn’t seen from her in years.
They were working together.
My phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
“Who is this?””
A woman’s voice replied.
“Daniel, you need to stop digging.””
I immediately recognized it.
“Lauren.””
Silence.
Then:
“So you remember me.””
“What did you do in my house?””
“You don’t understand the situation.””
“I understand enough.””
“No, you don’t.””
Her voice became colder.
“Your father trusted the wrong people.””
I looked at the screen.
“You mean you?””
A pause.
Then she said:
“Your father left something behind.””
“What?””
“Something that can destroy everything.””
I stepped closer to the window.
“What are you talking about?””
But she didn’t answer.
Instead, she asked:
“Where is Clara?””
My eyes narrowed.
“Why do you care?””
Another pause.
Then:
“Because if Evelyn knows Clara remembers everything…”
My body went still.
“What does Clara remember?””
The call ended.
I immediately called back.
Disconnected.
Marcus looked at me.
“Sir.””
I looked toward the hospital entrance visible through the security feed.
“Get Clara somewhere safe.””
“Now?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Because for the first time, I understood.
Evelyn wasn’t afraid of evidence.
She wasn’t afraid of losing the company.
She was afraid of one person speaking.
My wife.
May you like
And whatever Clara remembered from those six days…
It was enough to destroy them.
