Chapter 6 - The Hidden Lens
Sarah sat on the cold floor of the emptied nursery, her thumb hovering over the screen of her smartphone. The app icon, a simple blue house, had been pushed into a hidden folder months ago. Her breath hitched in her throat as she entered the passcode.
The interface loaded slowly, showing a timeline of saved clips marked in red for motion triggers.
She scrolled back to the previous night, her fingers trembling so violently she nearly dropped the phone. 11:42 PM.
She pressed play.
The video quality was grainy night-vision, rendering the nursery in eerie shades of pale green and charcoal gray. In the crib, Lily was stirring, letting out small, fretful whimpers.
At 11:44 PM, the nursery door swung open silently.
A figure entered. It wasn't Sarah.
Evelyn walked into the frame, completely dressed in her daytime blouse, looking around with calculated vigilance. She paused at the foot of the crib, staring down at the crying infant with an expression devoid of any human affection.
From her cardigan pocket, Evelyn pulled out a small glass dropper bottle.
Sarah choked back a gasp, pressing her knuckles against her mouth.
Evelyn moved with practiced, terrifying calmness. She dipped the plastic pacifier into the dropper's tip, coating the silicone teat with a clear liquid. Then, she leaned over the crib, forcing the pacifier between Lily’s crying lips. When the infant spat it out and cried louder, Evelyn's hand clamped down over the baby's tiny mouth and nose, holding the pacifier in place with brutal, suffocating pressure.
*“Hush now, you little parasite,”* Evelyn’s audio came through the phone’s speaker, a low, venomous hiss. “Your mother won't be in our way much longer.”
Lily fought, her little legs kicking frantically against the crib slats, until her struggles grew weak and sluggish. Only when the infant stopped moving did Evelyn release her grip, pocketing the dropper and stepping backward toward the door.
Two seconds later, the hall light snapped on, and Sarah herself appeared on screen, screaming in panic as she discovered the scene.
Sarah lowered the phone, her pulse roaring in her ears. The footage was absolute proof. It was the murder weapon, the motive, and the smoking gun all captured in high-definition video.
She leaped to her feet, clutching the phone against her chest. She had to take this straight to Detective Miller.
As she sprinted down the stairs into the living room, the front door clicked open.
Standing in the entryway, holding a set of house keys, was Evelyn's private attorney, Arthur Vance—Ethan’s uncle. Behind him stood two burly men in matching dark suits.
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"Sarah," Arthur said with a chilling smile. "We were hoping you'd still be here. We need to collect your electronic devices for the custody discovery phase."
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