Chapter 12 - The Night Work
I used to think the house became safe when Gavin finally fell asleep.
Now I knew he had sometimes waited for me to sleep before letting strangers inside.
I sat on Naomi's back steps with the screenshot in my hand, listening to rain tap against the railing.
The photograph was not graphic.
It was worse in a quieter way.
It showed the ordinary confidence with which three people had moved through my home without my permission.
Detective Ruiz received the screenshot and asked Tessa for a formal statement.
Mara prepared additional requests to preserve the business project files.
I was learning that evidence did not become stronger because I repeated how violated I felt.
It became stronger when its origin, time, and meaning could be checked.
A technician examined the access logs for my security account.
He found that the interior camera had been disabled repeatedly from a device associated with Gavin.
The account's administrative history had been altered, but older backups remained.
On one night the hallway recording continued for sixteen seconds after Gavin believed it had stopped.
In the video, Brenda held a measuring tape while Celia marked a section of paneling with chalk.
Gavin asked how much the box was worth.
Celia answered that its contents mattered more than its metal shell.
Brenda told them to stop talking near the camera.
Then the recording ended.
I had expected to feel triumphant when the lies became visible.
Instead I felt tired enough to sleep for a week.
Naomi sat beside me without speaking.
Later Mara called with news about the fraudulent power of attorney.
The notary had kept an identification log.
The person presented as me wore a wig and used a copy of my identification.
The video quality was poor, but the height and posture did not match mine.
The person who supplied the identification had used Gavin's company email.
The investigation was widening.
That night Brenda left me a voicemail.
She did not apologize.
She spoke in the same voice she used to tell me I had overcooked dinner.
“You have no idea what your aunt did to my family.”
Then she said something that made my blood run cold.
May you like
“Ask Gavin why he married you.”
