Chapter 2 - The Missing Seven Minutes
Penelope locked herself and Lily inside upstairs guest bedroom.
Michael did not force door.
That frightened her almost as much as if he had.
He stood outside for several minutes.
“Penelope, what you think you saw isn’t what happened.”
“What did I see?”
Silence.
“Was that you beside the kennel?”
Another silence.
Then:
“Give me the phone.”
Penelope called police instead.
By time officers arrived, Michael had become calm.
Hattie claimed leash had been around Lily’s shoulders, not neck.
Penelope had misunderstood.
Lily had thrown groceries.
Hattie was disciplining her.
Michael insisted he entered room only after hearing shouting.
Then Penelope showed footage.
The first portion supported her.
Hattie dragged Lily toward old kennel.
The second portion showed unidentified wrist unlocking door.
But camera angle never revealed face.
Michael’s watch looked identical.
That was suspicious.
Not proof.
Michael immediately removed it and handed it to officer.
“Take it.”
Penelope stared.
A guilty man might hide it.
Michael volunteered it.
Why?
The watch was an unusual 1998 Sterling-Wade automatic with a scratched rectangular clasp and dark blue dial.
Michael said it belonged to his late father, Henry Carter.
Only one existed in family.
Hattie interrupted.
“That isn’t true.”
Everyone turned.
“Henry bought two.”
Michael stared at mother.
“What?”
“Anniversary pair. One for himself. One for your uncle Thomas.”
Thomas Carter had died twelve years earlier.
According to Hattie, his watch disappeared after death.
So footage might show another identical watch.
Convenient.
Police secured video system.
Then technician discovered something worse.
Recording contained a seven-minute gap.
Not camera failure.
Someone with administrator access deleted it.
Account log showed deletion from:
MICHAEL-CARTER-HOME.
Penelope felt sick.
Michael insisted credentials were shared with household tablet.
Hattie knew password.
So did Penelope.
The device used for deletion could not immediately be identified.
Lily refused answering questions about kennel.
Whenever Michael entered sightline, she squeezed Penelope’s hand.
That night Penelope took Lily to hotel.
Michael was ordered to avoid contact pending investigation.
Before they left, Lily whispered:
“Mommy, Grandma wanted something.”
“What?”
“I don’t know.”
“From the cage?”
Lily nodded.
“She kept asking where I put it.”
“What did you put there?”
“I didn’t put anything.”
Then Lily looked toward Penelope’s suitcase.
“But Daddy said Grandpa hid something before he died.”
Penelope stopped.
Michael’s father Henry had died six years earlier.
Heart attack.
No mystery.
At least none Penelope knew.
“What did Grandpa hide?”
Lily whispered:
“A paper that says who gets the house.”
Penelope stared at her.
The Carter house was worth nearly $4 million.
And according to Michael—
Hattie owned it.
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Before Penelope could ask another question, Lily said:
“Grandma said if they find the blue envelope, you have to leave forever.”
