Chapter 4 - The Camera Above the Door
The mystery woman was identified as Sarah Mills.
Thirty-four.
Former Northstar cybersecurity contractor.
She had installed nursery camera at Ethan’s house before Sophie came home.
Ethan had never hired her.
Vanessa had.
Vanessa finally admitted it.
She claimed camera was gift.
“Claire wanted Sophie monitored with medical-grade system.”
“Claire was dead,” Ethan said.
“She told me before she died.”
“Then why not tell me?”
Vanessa had no convincing answer.
Sarah Mills was located in Baltimore.
She agreed to speak.
The nursery camera was not medical-grade.
It was ordinary security device modified to record locally even if mansion network failed.
Vanessa paid Sarah privately.
Why?
Vanessa told Sarah there had been threats against Bennett family.
Sarah believed her.
Then Sarah discovered camera was being accessed remotely by Northstar credentials.
She confronted Vanessa.
Vanessa ordered her remove remote access.
Sarah did.
Or thought she did.
Weeks later Sarah checked test logs and found unknown account still connecting.
Username:
CBENNETT_ARCHIVE.
Claire Bennett.
A dead woman’s account.
Sarah immediately assumed credential had been reused, not Claire alive.
She contacted Northstar.
No response.
Then she created USB.
Rachel leaned forward.
“You made it?”
“The original version.”
“Did you put it in diaper bag?”
“No.”
Sarah had copied camera access logs and Northstar authentication records onto drive eight weeks earlier.
She gave USB to someone she trusted.
Who?
“Daniel Moore.”
Rachel went still.
“My brother?”
Daniel was Rachel’s older brother.
A network technician.
He had recommended Rachel for nanny job.
Rachel had not spoken to him in three weeks because he was traveling for contract work.
She called.
Phone disconnected.
Police located him within hours.
He wasn't missing.
He was working in rural Vermont where reception poor.
When told what happened, Daniel drove back.
He admitted receiving USB.
He had added files.
He also put it in Sophie’s diaper bag.
“Why not give it to Rachel directly?” Ethan demanded.
“Because I didn't trust phones, email, or anyone inside house.”
“You trusted putting encrypted drive next to diapers?”
Daniel looked embarrassed.
“It wasn't my best decision.”
Rachel stared at brother.
“You used me.”
“I was trying to protect you.”
“You put evidence in my workplace without telling me.”
“Yes.”
No noble excuse.
Daniel then revealed password.
Forensics opened USB.
But Detective Grant refused let Ethan view raw contents immediately because they might include illegally obtained personal data.
She reviewed first.
Hours later she returned.
The USB did not contain video of Vanessa hurting Sophie.
That incident had not happened when files were created.
Instead it contained seven months of access logs, financial spreadsheets and twelve short nursery recordings.
One recording showed Vanessa entering room at 2:13 a.m.
Sophie asleep.
Vanessa stood over crib.
She did not touch baby.
She whispered:
“You were never supposed to be part of this.”
May you like
Then she looked directly at camera.
And unplugged it.
