Chương 11
“Is that your wife?”
“Yes.”
“Have you told her I’m here?”
“No.”
“Please don’t yet.”
Julian’s chest tightened.
“Why?”
“I want to speak with her separately before she knows exactly what the children have said.”
The room became very quiet.
Julian looked toward Wren.
She had stopped eating.
Emily noticed.
She closed the tablet.
“Wren, do you want to show me the fish tank outside?”
Wren looked suspicious.
“The orange fish is hiding.”
“I’d like to see if we can find him.”
Wren looked at Julian.
He nodded.
Desmond stood.
“I’ll go.”
Emily smiled.
“That works.”
The three of them left the room.
Julian remained with Dr. Patel.
As soon as the door closed, he covered his face with both hands.
For several seconds, Dr. Patel said nothing.
Then she moved the tissue box closer to him without comment.
Julian lowered his hands.
“I don’t need that.”
“Okay.”
He stared at the box.
Then he took one anyway.
“I keep thinking there has to be a point where I should have known.”
Dr. Patel leaned against the counter.
“There probably were several.”
Julian laughed once, bitterly.
“Thank you.”
“You didn’t come here for reassurance.”
“No.”
He folded the tissue into a smaller square.
Dr. Patel said, “Parents miss things.”
He looked at her.
“Sometimes because children hide them.”
She paused.
“Sometimes because the other parent hides them.”
Another pause.
“And sometimes because seeing them would require changing a life that is comfortable.”
Julian looked down at the tissue.
That one landed.
His work.
His flights.
His faith that Corinne would handle whatever happened after he left each morning.
The division had felt efficient.
Responsible, even.
He had provided.
She had managed.
There were entire months he could describe through airports better than through his own kitchen.
Dr. Patel straightened.
“I’m not telling you that to punish you.”
“I know.”
“Good.”
The door opened again.
Emily returned alone.
Julian stood.
“Where are they?”
“With the nurse by the fish tank.”
His stomach tightened.
“What happened?”
Emily closed the door.
Her expression had changed.
Not dramatically.
Just enough.
“Desmond told me something I need to verify.”
Julian waited.
Emily sat down.
“He says there is a camera in the pantry.”
Julian stared at her.
“What?”
“He says your wife installed it.”
His first thought was that Desmond had misunderstood some household device.
Then he remembered Corinne’s obsession with the home security system.
Doorbell cameras.
Driveway cameras.
Motion alerts.
The app she checked when packages arrived.
Emily continued.
“Desmond says she used it to see when Wren was taking food.”
Julian’s mouth went dry.
“Where?”
“He described a small camera above the pantry shelves.”
Julian pictured the room.
He had never looked up.
“Does it record?”
Emily asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Who controls the account?”
“Corinne.”
“Do you have access?”
“Yes.”
He pulled out his phone.
His thumb shook as he opened the security app.
There were six cameras listed.
Front door.
Driveway.
Back terrace.
Garage.
Playroom.
Pantry.
Julian stared at the final word.
He had never noticed it before.
Or perhaps he had and assumed it meant a door sensor.
Emily leaned forward.
“Don’t open any recordings yet.”
He looked at her.
“Why?”
“Because if there is video relevant to what happened, I want it preserved properly.”
Julian’s thumb hovered above the screen.
The live thumbnail beside PANTRY was black.
Offline.
He felt a slow, sickening certainty.
“She turned it off.”
Emily’s eyes narrowed.
“Maybe.”
Julian looked at the timestamp beneath the device.
Last online: 9:17 a.m.
That was less than twenty minutes after he had left the house.
He looked at Emily.
“She knew.”
Emily did not answer.
Julian’s phone rang in his hand.
Corinne.
For one second, all three of them watched her name flash across the screen.
Emily said quietly, “Answer it.”
Julian touched the green icon.
“Corinne.”
Her voice came quickly.
“Are you still at the doctor?”
“Yes.”
“What did she say?”
Julian looked at Emily.
She gave no signal beyond a small nod to continue naturally.
“Wren is medically okay.”
Corinne exhaled.
“Thank God.”
“She has bruising on her wrist too.”
Silence.
Julian waited.
Corinne said, “I know.”
His stomach tightened.
“You know?”
“I told you I grabbed her before.”
“You said you were keeping her from running.”
“I was.”
Julian looked at Emily again.
Her face remained unreadable.
Corinne added, “Is Dr. Patel reporting me?”
Julian did not answer immediately.
“Julian.”
“Yes.”
Corinne made a sound that was halfway between a laugh and a sob.
“Of course.”
“There’s a social worker here.”
The line went very quiet.
Emily watched him.
Julian could hear a faint ticking sound through the phone.
Their kitchen clock.
Corinne must still be standing near the island.
“What did you tell them?”
“The truth.”
“What did the children tell them?”
Julian leaned back.
“I’m not going to answer that.”
“Why?”
“Because they need to speak for themselves.”
Corinne’s breathing sharpened.
“Have they turned them against me already?”
“No one had to turn them.”
“That is not what I meant.”
Julian closed his eyes.
“I know.”
Corinne was silent again.
Then she said, “I need you to come home.”
He looked at Emily.
“Why?”
“I need to talk to you.”
“We’re talking.”
“Not like this.”
“What happened to the pantry camera?”
The question landed harder than he expected.
Corinne stopped breathing for a moment.
Julian sat very still.
Emily’s eyes narrowed slightly.
When Corinne spoke, her voice was lower.
“What camera?”
He felt something inside him harden.
“Don’t.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“The camera in the pantry.”
Another pause.
Then Corinne said, “It’s part of the security system.”
“I can see that.”
“So why are you asking?”
“Because it went offline at nine seventeen.”
Corinne said nothing.
Julian could hear the clock ticking again.
“Did you unplug it?”
“No.”
The lie came too quickly.
Emily glanced down at her tablet and made a note.
Julian’s chest tightened.
“Corinne.”
“I said no.”
“Then why is it offline?”
May you like
“I don’t know.”
“Did you remove it?”
