Chapter 7 - The Nursery Camera
Mom’s Cadillac was found three hours later at a shopping center.
Empty.
Her phone was inside.
That meant she didn’t want to be tracked.
Detective Ortiz told us to change the locks and call immediately if Teresa appeared.
I changed everything.
Front door.
Back door.
Garage code.
Alarm code.
Office lock.
Then Amy asked me to change the nursery lock too.
That broke something in me.
“You don’t ever have to be afraid in this house again.”
She looked at me for a long time.
“You didn’t know.”
“I should have.”
“Connor…”
“I should have noticed you were afraid of my mother.”
Amy looked down.
“She made it sound like anything I told you would destroy your family.”
“You are my family.”
“I know that.”
She met my eyes.
“But for a while, I wasn’t sure you did.”
I didn’t defend myself.
Because sometimes defending yourself is just another way of refusing to listen.
That night, while replacing the nursery door hardware, I noticed something strange behind the bookshelf.
A tiny black square.
At first, I thought it was part of the baby monitor.
Then I pulled the shelf away.
It was a camera.
Not ours.
I called Amy.
She stared at it.
“Did you install that?”
“No.”
Her face lost color.
We called Ortiz.
Police arrived and removed the device.
It had a memory card.
Two hours later, Ortiz called.
“You need to come to the station.”
We left Frederick with Amy’s sister.
At the station, Ortiz showed us several recovered clips.
Mom entering the nursery alone.
Mom photographing documents on Amy’s desk.
Mom opening drawers.
Mom searching Amy’s purse.
Then came a video that made Amy grip my hand so tightly my fingers hurt.
Mom stood beside Frederick’s crib.
Amy was asleep in the rocking chair.
Teresa held Amy’s phone.
She used Amy’s sleeping face to unlock it.
Then she copied information onto her own phone.
Amy covered her mouth.
Another clip played.
Mom talking quietly on the phone.
“She’s exhausted.”
A pause.
“No, Connor still doesn’t suspect anything.”
Another pause.
“Yes, I can get her signature.”
My skin crawled.
Then Mom laughed.
“You don’t understand my son.”
“He will always choose peace over confrontation.”
I looked away from the screen.
She knew me.
That was the worst part.
She knew exactly what weakness to exploit.
Another video began.
Mom stood near the crib.
This time Elaine Porter, the notary, was with her.
Elaine whispered, “If they challenge this, I’m not going down for you.”
Mom responded calmly.
“Nobody is challenging anything.”
“What about Amy?”
“She does what she’s told.”
“And Connor?”
Teresa smiled.
“My son has spent his entire life confusing obedience with respect.”
I couldn’t breathe.
Then Elaine asked, “What happens after Victor buys the property?”
Mom turned toward the hidden camera without realizing it was recording her.
“We move Connor’s money before he understands what happened.”
Elaine frowned.
“And Amy?”
Mom’s answer chilled the room.
“We make sure she leaves with nothing.”
Ortiz stopped the video.
Marcus leaned forward.
“Where was Teresa planning to move the money?”
Ortiz didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, she opened another file.
A bank transfer authorization.
Prepared.
Unsigned.
Recipient:
BRADLEY FAMILY LEGACY TRUST.
Amount:
$487,000.
Almost every liquid dollar Amy and I had.
Then Ortiz pointed to a handwritten note at the bottom.
One line.
FRIDAY NIGHT - GET AMY’S SIGNATURE AFTER PARTY.
The birthday party hadn’t simply been camouflage.
It had been the deadline.
May you like
And if I had come home three hours later, Amy might have signed everything.
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