Chapter 3 — The Camera They Thought Was Gone
Chapter 3 — The Camera They Thought Was Gone
Two patrol cars rolled into the driveway.
Detective Amelia Grant arrived minutes later.
She listened to Sarah's report before approaching the deck.
The broken railing immediately caught her attention.
She crouched beside the splintered wood.
"This didn't simply collapse."
One officer photographed every angle.
Another measured the distance to where I had landed.
Meanwhile...
Marcus quietly slipped back into the backyard.
He avoided everyone's eyes.
Detective Grant noticed.
"You."
Marcus froze.
"You installed the security cameras?"
"...Yes."
"Good."
She smiled politely.
"We'll need the footage."
Marcus swallowed.
"There...there isn't any."
Grant tilted her head.
"Why not?"
"The system..."
"...malfunctioned."
Tyler visibly relaxed.
Detective Grant noticed that too.
She walked toward the security panel herself.
The monitor was dark.
Power disconnected.
"When did it fail?"
Marcus hesitated.
"This afternoon."
Grant opened the panel.
The hard drive was missing.
She slowly closed the cover.
"Interesting."
She turned toward Marcus.
"Most malfunctioning cameras don't remove their own storage drives."
No one spoke.
Grant addressed another officer.
"Collect fingerprints."
Marcus's face drained of color.
Then an unfamiliar voice came from the crowd.
"I have something."
It was Dr. Patricia Winters.
Everyone stared.
She stepped forward, guilt written across her face.
"I didn't stop him."
"I should have."
"But..."
She held up her phone.
"I started recording after they began arguing."
Tyler whispered,
"No..."
Patricia pressed play.
The recording was shaky.
The audio was crystal clear.
Tyler's voice thundered through the backyard.
"Give me the company!"
Then—
A loud shove.
Wood cracking.
My scream.
Lauren covered Mason's ears.
My mother stumbled backward.
My father closed his eyes.
The truth no longer needed witnesses.
It had found its own voice.
Detective Grant looked at Tyler.
"You're under arrest for aggravated assault."
The handcuffs clicked shut.
May you like
This time...
No one came to his defense.
