Chapter 2 - Eleven Minutes Missing
Victor watched the security footage anyway.
At 2:03 p.m., Lily entered the sunroom holding her doll.
At 2:04, Claire appeared.
She moved a cushion.
Picked up a book.
Then guided Lily toward the pink sofa.
“Sit here, sweetheart.”
Exactly beneath the pane that later shattered.
Victor stopped the recording.
“You put her there.”
Claire shook her head.
“She always plays there.”
“Not according to the footage.”
He resumed.
2:06.
Anna entered from patio without tea tray.
She looked toward window.
Then toward Lily.
Then directly at camera.
She left.
At 2:11 she returned carrying tea.
At 2:12 the jolt came.
Glass shattered.
Anna saved Lily.
Victor turned toward her.
“You inspected that window six minutes earlier.”
Anna said nothing.
Claire whispered:
“I told you she knew.”
Anna finally spoke.
“I knew something was wrong with it.”
“And left Lily sitting there?”
“I went to find Victor.”
“You came back with tea.”
“Because someone stopped me.”
“Who?”
Anna looked at Claire.
Claire’s jaw tightened.
Then security technician interrupted.
There was a problem.
The footage was incomplete.
Eleven minutes had been deleted earlier that morning.
From 10:17 to 10:28.
Who deleted them?
System required administrator credentials.
Only three people had access:
Victor.
His son Daniel, who was traveling.
And Claire.
Victor looked at her.
Claire whispered:
“I didn’t delete anything.”
Technician found login.
CLAIRE.BENNETT.
Victor’s expression hardened.
Then Lily wandered toward him holding her doll.
“Grandpa?”
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“Miss Claire was crying at the window this morning.”
Claire froze.
Victor crouched.
“What did you see?”
“She had the yellow thing.”
“What yellow thing?”
Lily pointed toward garden.
Anna suddenly looked alarmed.
Claire closed her eyes.
Lily continued:
“The little cutter.”
Victor stood.
“A glass cutter?”
Claire whispered:
“Yes.”
Victor stared at her.
“So you were holding a glass cutter beside the same window that shattered over my granddaughter.”
Claire looked toward broken pane.
“Yes.”
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“Why?”
“Because I was trying to find out who had already used it.”
