Chapter 3: The Missing Footage
Chapter 3: The Missing Footage
The Ashford mansion had always been built to impress.
Every hallway was designed to show power.
Every room was designed to show wealth.
Every piece of art, every piece of furniture, every detail carried the message that the Ashford family was untouchable.
But that morning, the mansion felt different.
It no longer looked like a palace.
It looked like a crime scene.
Yellow evidence markers stood near the grand staircase.
Police officers moved quietly through the halls.
And for the first time in decades, the Ashford name was being examined instead of admired.
Ethan stood outside Claire's hospital room, staring through the glass window.
She was sleeping.
The doctors had finally stabilized her condition.
The baby was still at risk, but there was hope.
Hope.
That single word was the only thing keeping him standing.
His phone vibrated.
He looked down.
A message from Detective Hayes.
"We found something at the mansion. You need to come back."
Ethan's heart sank.
He looked at Claire one last time.
Then he whispered:
"I'll find the truth."
When Ethan returned to the Ashford mansion, he immediately noticed something.
Everyone looked afraid.
Not sad.
Not worried.
Afraid.
His father, Richard, was standing in the main hall with a group of lawyers.
His mother, Victoria, sat silently on the sofa.
Eleanor was nowhere to be seen.
Detective Hayes approached.
"Ethan."
"What happened?"
The detective glanced toward the staircase.
"The security system was tampered with."
Ethan frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"It means someone tried to remove evidence."
The words hit him.
"Someone?"
Detective Hayes nodded.
"The camera above the staircase was disabled fifteen minutes before the incident."
Silence.
Ethan stared at the staircase.
The same staircase where his wife had fallen.
The same staircase where his child almost died.
"Who had access?"
Detective Hayes handed him a report.
"That is what we are trying to determine."
Ethan looked at the paper.
The security system required a personal code.
Only a few people had access.
The head of the family.
The security manager.
And...
His eyes stopped.
"Eleanor."
Detective Hayes nodded.
"Her code was used."
The room became silent.
Victoria immediately stood.
"No."
Everyone looked at her.
"My daughter would never do something like this."
Detective Hayes remained calm.
"Mrs. Ashford, we are not making conclusions yet."
"But you are accusing her."
"We are investigating."
Richard stepped forward.
"Detective, perhaps someone stole her code."
Ethan looked at his father.
"You really believe that?"
Richard's expression changed.
"What are you implying?"
"I'm implying that everyone in this house has spent years finding excuses for Eleanor."
The words were painful.
But true.
Victoria looked hurt.
"Ethan."
"No."
He shook his head.
"For years, Claire told me how Eleanor treated her."
Nobody answered.
"She told me she felt unwanted here."
His voice lowered.
"And I told her to ignore it."
A painful silence followed.
"I told her Eleanor would eventually accept her."
Ethan looked toward the staircase.
"I was wrong."
The investigation continued.
Detective Hayes brought everyone into the living room.
"No one leaves until we complete our interviews."
Richard's jaw tightened.
"This is unnecessary."
"No."
The detective looked directly at him.
"What is unnecessary is a pregnant woman nearly losing her child because someone in this house believed they could erase the truth."
Nobody spoke.
One by one, they were questioned.
The first was Victoria.
"Did you know Eleanor had access to the security system?"
"Yes."
"Did you know the camera was turned off?"
"No."
"Did Eleanor ever express anger toward Claire?"
Victoria hesitated.
That hesitation said everything.
"Mrs. Ashford?"
Victoria looked down.
"She was upset."
"How upset?"
Victoria whispered:
"She said Claire had taken everything from her."
Then came Richard.
His answers were shorter.
More controlled.
Too controlled.
Detective Hayes noticed.
"You seem less surprised than the others."
Richard looked at him.
"I have lived with my daughter for thirty years."
"And?"
"I know she is emotional."
"Emotional enough to push someone down the stairs?"
Richard didn't answer.
That was the answer.
Then came Eleanor.
She entered the room wearing a completely different expression.
Not anger.
Not arrogance.
Fear.
She sat down.
Detective Hayes placed a file on the table.
"Your security code was used to disable the staircase camera."
Eleanor looked shocked.
"I didn't do that."
"Someone used your access."
"Then someone stole my code."
"Who could do that?"
"I don't know."
Detective Hayes watched her carefully.
"Did you know the camera existed?"
A pause.
A very small pause.
But enough.
"Everyone knows there are cameras in the mansion."
"Not everyone knows which cameras can be disabled."
Eleanor said nothing.
After the interview, Ethan followed Detective Hayes.
"Do you believe her?"
The detective looked thoughtful.
"I believe she is hiding something."
Ethan looked surprised.
"But?"
"But I don't think she acted alone."
The words stopped him.
"What do you mean?"
Detective Hayes opened the security report.
"The system wasn't simply turned off."
He pointed to the data.
"Someone deleted the recording afterward."
Ethan frowned.
"Meaning?"
"Meaning whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing."
That night, Ethan returned to the hospital.
Claire was awake.
The moment she saw him, she knew something was wrong.
"What happened?"
Ethan sat beside her.
"Someone erased the security footage."
Claire's expression changed.
"Someone?"
He nodded.
"The camera was disabled before I arrived."
She was silent.
Then she whispered:
"Eleanor?"
Ethan didn't answer immediately.
Claire noticed.
"You think it wasn't only her."
"No."
His voice was quiet.
"I think someone in my family helped her."
Claire closed her eyes.
A painful truth.
The problem was never just Eleanor.
The problem was the entire world Eleanor came from.
Later that evening, Detective Hayes reviewed the security records again.
Something bothered him.
The person who deleted the footage was careful.
Almost too careful.
They didn't destroy the entire system.
They removed only one file.
The file showing the staircase.
That meant one thing.
They knew exactly what they needed to hide.
Then, at 2:13 a.m., the detective found something.
A backup file.
Hidden deep inside the system.
Someone had tried to erase it.
But they missed one copy.
Detective Hayes opened it.
The video was damaged.
The image was unclear.
But there was enough.
A shadow.
A figure.
Standing behind Eleanor.
Someone who had been there before Claire fell.
Someone who had never been questioned.
The detective leaned closer.
Then his eyes widened.
Because he recognized the person.
And it wasn't Eleanor.
The next morning, Ethan received a call.
The voice on the other end was Detective Hayes.
"Ethan, I found the missing footage."
Ethan's heart raced.
"Who helped Eleanor?"
A long silence followed.
Then the detective said:
"You need to prepare yourself."
"Why?"
"Because the person standing behind your sister..."
Another pause.
"...was someone you trusted."
Ethan froze.
"Who?"
Detective Hayes lowered his voice.
"Your father."
May you like
End of Chapter 3
Next: Chapter 4 – The Maid's Secret
The truth behind Lily's silence is revealed. Claire discovers Eleanor's cruelty was not a sudden act of anger, but a plan that had been building for years.
