Chapter 4 – The First Lie
Chapter 4 – The First Lie
The crash echoed through the mansion with enough force to rattle the crystal glasses still sitting on the ballroom tables.
Jonathan's heart lurched.
"The library," he said.
Without waiting for another word, he sprinted out of the hidden room.
Michael and two security guards followed close behind. Elena instinctively scooped Lucy into her arms, but the little girl twisted to look back at Margaret.
The elderly woman stood frozen in the doorway.
"The clock..." she whispered. "Don't let them reach the clock."
The Broken Window
The Hayes family library occupied the entire west wing of the first floor.
When Jonathan rushed inside, shards of stained glass glittered across the Persian rug beneath the shattered bay window. Cold rain blew into the room, scattering loose papers across the polished oak floor.
One security guard stood near the broken window.
"No one came through here, sir."
Jonathan frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"The glass was broken from the inside."
The room fell silent.
Michael examined the window frame.
The jagged edges pointed outward.
Whoever had smashed the window had wanted everyone to believe an intruder had escaped.
"There was never a break-in," Michael said quietly.
Jonathan slowly turned.
Someone inside the mansion had staged the scene.
The Grandfather Clock
Margaret entered the library, leaning heavily on Elena's arm.
Her eyes immediately found the enormous walnut grandfather clock standing against the far wall.
"It hasn't been moved."
She reached into Jonathan's hand.
"The key."
Jonathan gave it to her.
With trembling fingers, Margaret inserted the tiny brass key into a nearly invisible keyhole beneath the clock's pendulum.
Click.
A hidden compartment slid open.
Inside rested a small velvet box.
Margaret smiled through tears.
"I prayed it was still here."
Jonathan carefully lifted the box onto the reading table.
Inside lay dozens of neatly organized cassette tapes.
Old-fashioned.
Each labeled in Margaret's handwriting.
March
April
May
June
Almost two years' worth.
Jonathan looked at his mother in confusion.
"What are these?"
"I began recording my days."
"Why?"
Margaret's smile disappeared.
"Because someone kept telling me my memory couldn't be trusted."
A Voice from the Past
Michael found an old cassette player in one of the library cabinets.
The tape marked April 18 clicked into place.
Static filled the room.
Then Margaret's recorded voice emerged.
"Today Vivian gave me two white pills instead of one."
A pause.
"She said the doctor changed my medicine."
Another pause.
"I called Dr. Lewis."
Jonathan looked up sharply.
The recording continued.
"He said he never changed anything."
Silence.
Then Margaret whispered into the recorder:
"I think someone is lying to me."
The tape ended.
No one spoke.
Jonathan slowly looked toward Vivian.
She remained perfectly calm.
"Those recordings prove nothing," she said.
"Anyone can become confused."
Margaret answered before Jonathan could.
"I made one every day."
Vivian's smile tightened.
The Doctor Arrives
Just then, Michael received another call.
He looked surprised.
"Sir..."
"What is it?"
"Dr. Lewis is here."
Jonathan frowned.
"I didn't call him."
"You didn't have to."
A moment later, the elderly physician entered the library carrying a leather medical bag.
"I came because your head of security contacted my office."
He nodded respectfully toward Margaret.
"Mrs. Hayes."
Then his expression darkened.
"Jonathan..."
"I've wanted to speak with you for months."
Jonathan stared at him.
"About my mother?"
Dr. Lewis nodded.
"I repeatedly requested family meetings."
Jonathan looked confused.
"I never received any requests."
The doctor slowly removed copies of several letters from his briefcase.
"I mailed them."
Jonathan's stomach tightened.
Every envelope bore his office address.
Every one had been returned unopened.
Across the front of each envelope, someone had stamped the same words.
Recipient already informed.
"I never saw these," Jonathan whispered.
"I know."
Dr. Lewis looked directly at Vivian.
"Because someone intercepted them."
The Prescription
Dr. Lewis asked quietly,
"May I see Margaret's medication?"
Jonathan handed him one of the orange bottles recovered from the bedroom.
The physician examined the label.
His expression changed immediately.
"This..."
He removed several tablets.
"...isn't what I prescribed."
The room became deathly still.
"What do you mean?" Jonathan asked.
"I prescribed a mild memory support medication."
He held up one tablet.
"This is a powerful sedative."
Margaret slowly covered her mouth.
"I knew it."
Dr. Lewis looked at Jonathan.
"If she has been taking these twice a day..."
He paused.
"It would explain the drowsiness... the confusion... the memory lapses."
Jonathan felt as though the floor had disappeared beneath him.
For over a year, he had watched his mother's health decline.
He had believed she was losing her mind.
Instead...
Someone may have been making her appear ill.
Vivian's Explanation
For the first time that evening, all eyes turned to Vivian.
She remained astonishingly composed.
"This is ridiculous."
Jonathan's voice was quiet.
"Explain."
"I simply followed the instructions left by the private nurse."
"What nurse?"
"The one Mother hired."
Margaret stared.
"I never hired a nurse."
Vivian hesitated.
Only for a heartbeat.
But Jonathan saw it.
Michael saw it.
Even Lucy noticed.
"That's your first lie," Lucy whispered.
No one scolded her.
Because everyone had heard it.
Vivian recovered quickly.
"Perhaps I misunderstood."
"No," Dr. Lewis said firmly.
"You didn't."
He pointed to the bottle.
"The pharmacy label was removed."
Jonathan examined it.
Sure enough...
A second label had been carefully placed over the original prescription.
Michael peeled back one corner.
Beneath it appeared another name.
Not Margaret Hayes.
Someone else's.
The medication had never been intended for his mother.
The Hidden Camera
Before anyone could speak, another guard hurried into the library.
"Sir."
"What now?"
"We searched the security room."
"And?"
"Several camera recordings are missing."
Michael frowned.
"Deleted?"
The guard shook his head.
"No."
"They were manually removed."
Jonathan slowly looked around the library.
"If someone destroyed the footage..."
He stopped.
Lucy was staring upward.
"Mr. Hayes..."
She pointed toward the carved wooden owl perched above one bookshelf.
"That owl has a blinking eye."
Michael climbed onto a chair.
Hidden inside the decorative carving...
Was a tiny modern camera.
Unlike the mansion's security system...
It had its own memory card.
Someone had secretly installed it.
Jonathan carefully removed the card and handed it to Michael.
"See what's on it."
Michael inserted it into his tablet.
A progress bar slowly loaded.
The first video appeared.
Date:
Three weeks ago.
The screen showed the library.
Margaret sat quietly reading.
A moment later, Vivian entered carrying a tray with tea.
She smiled warmly.
Waited until Margaret took a sip.
Then, believing she was alone, her smile disappeared.
She opened the medicine bottle...
And switched two pills with different ones from a small silver case hidden in her purse.
The video ended.
No one moved.
No one breathed.
Jonathan stared at the frozen image of his wife.
At last, the perfect mask she had worn for two years had begun to crack.
But as Michael reached to play the next recording, the tablet screen suddenly went black.
Across the display, a single message appeared:
May you like
REMOTE DATA DELETION IN PROGRESS...
Someone else was watching.
