Chapter 4 - The Doorbell Camera

I barely slept Saturday night.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Paige's fingers curling against my sweater.

At dawn, Mrs. Alvarez called.

"Honey, a detective asked me about yesterday," she said.

"I know."

"I told him Kate looked nervous."

My pulse jumped.

"Nervous how?"

"She kept checking the parking lot, as if she was waiting for somebody."

Mrs. Alvarez paused.

"And I remembered something about your hallway camera."

The hallway camera wasn't owned by the building.

It belonged to the tenant across from me, a software engineer named Jonah Pierce who had installed a doorbell unit after packages went missing.

I had forgotten about it completely.

Jonah answered when I called.

"I heard about the baby," he said.

"Would you be willing to preserve Friday and Saturday's footage for the police?"

"Absolutely."

He hesitated.

"There's something you should know."

My throat tightened.

"The camera picked up audio when your sister was outside your door."

I gripped the phone.

"What did she say?"

"I don't want to contaminate anything by telling you what I think it means."

Jonah was right.

He sent the file to Detective Brooks and saved the original.

For once, I was grateful someone was being careful instead of dramatic.

I spent the morning speaking with a lawyer named Rebecca Shaw, who specialized in family and criminal investigations.

She listened to the timeline without interrupting.

"Do not try to prove your innocence by confronting Kate," she said.

"Your best protection is accurate information and preserved evidence."

"She told me to take the blame."

Rebecca's pen stopped.

"Write down her exact words, the location, and the time."

I did.

By evening, Detective Brooks called to ask whether I could come in to clarify the sequence of Kate's arrival.

He would not describe the doorbell recording.

But he did ask an unexpected question.

"Did Kate bring Paige inside immediately?"

"No. She stood in the hallway for a moment."

"Was Ryan with her?"

"He stayed in the car."

There was a pause.

"Thank you."

I ended the call and stared at the blank wall.

If Ryan had remained in the car, who had Kate been speaking to outside my apartment?

Ten minutes later, Jonah texted me.

May you like

 “Go back to the nursing home, you useless old woman!”

During Thanksgiving dinner, my own son hurled the turkey platter straight at me and shouted,“Go back to the nursing home, you usel...

HOURS AFTER MY C-SECTION, MY MIL DEMANDED ONE OF MY TWINS—SHE HAD NO IDE...

I never told my mother-in-law I was a judge.As far as she knew, I was nothing more than her son’s unemployed wife—a useless freelo...

My father spotted me struggling down the street, my baby balanced on one...

My father spotted me struggling down the street, my baby balanced on one hip and grocery bags hanging from my other arm.“Where’s y...

The original video is backed up. I didn't realize there was another person in the hallway.