Chapter 3 - The Missing Six MinutesDetective Harris returned to the Mercer estate the next morning with a crime-scene technician and a warrant authorizing the preservation of the smart-home system.
Daniel returned with him.
He hated the mansion immediately.
Twenty-four hours earlier it had been home.
Now every doorway seemed to hide a question.
Milo slept on a rug inside the kitchen after being examined by a veterinarian. He was exhausted but unharmed.
Daniel knelt and touched the dog's wet-gold fur.
“You stayed with her.”
Milo lifted his head.
Daniel swallowed.
“I didn't.”
Olivia stood nearby.
“You came when you knew.”
“I should've known.”
“That isn't the same thing.”
Daniel did not answer.
Outside, Harris examined the ladder.
It had been recovered behind the pool house exactly where Daniel had found it.
“Any reason someone would put it here?”
“No.”
The technician photographed the metal rails.
Harris pointed to faint marks along one side.
“Fresh scrape.”
Daniel nodded.
“I heard Vanessa move furniture sometimes. She could have carried it.”
“We'll process it.”
They moved to the security cabinet inside Daniel's study.
The main recorder showed continuous footage from every exterior camera except the pool camera.
At 2:14 p.m., the camera had been disabled through the control panel.
At 2:20, it came back online.
Six missing minutes.
Harris looked at Daniel.
“When did Nora go into the water?”
“I don't know.”
The technician checked the patio camera.
At 2:12, Vanessa appeared walking toward the backyard with Nora.
At 2:13, both disappeared beyond its field of view.
At 2:20, Vanessa reappeared alone.
Daniel stopped breathing.
“Play that again.”
The technician did.
Vanessa crossed the patio in a pale linen outfit.
Nora skipped beside her.
They vanished toward the pool.
Six minutes later, Vanessa returned.
Alone.
Daniel gripped the edge of the desk.
Harris spoke quietly.
“Still doesn't show what happened at the pool.”
“She lied.”
“Yes.”
“She told you she hadn't been near the pool.”
“Yes.”
Daniel looked at the screen.
Vanessa's face was too small to read.
But her walk was unhurried.
Calm.
At 2:22, the patio camera showed her entering the mansion.
At 2:25, she poured herself something from the refrigerator.
Harris asked, “Who was responsible for Nora that afternoon?”
“The housekeeper, Elena, until two.”
“Where was Elena after that?”
“She went to pick up groceries.”
“And Vanessa?”
“She told me she'd watch Nora until I got back.”
Harris turned.
“She told you that?”
Daniel froze.
There was a text.
He searched his phone.
At 1:48 p.m., Vanessa had written:
Don't worry. Nora's with me. Finish your meeting.
Daniel read it twice.
Then handed Harris the phone.
The detective's expression changed.
“This is useful.”
Daniel almost laughed.
Useful.
The message had reassured him.
It had kept him at work.
Now it looked like evidence.
Olivia entered the study carrying an envelope.
“Daniel.”
He turned.
“What?”
“I found this in the mail on the front table.”
The envelope was from Hart & Levinson, the firm that handled Rachel's estate.
Rachel.
Nora's mother.
Daniel had avoided saying her name for most of the night.
Rachel had died from pancreatic cancer when Nora was sixteen months old.
Vanessa had entered Daniel's life eight months later.
He opened the letter.
It was addressed to him.
Annual Trust Review — Mercer Family Holdings
His eyes moved down the page.
A meeting had been scheduled for the following Tuesday.
Agenda:
Nora's beneficiary trust.
Mercer Development voting shares.
Recent transfers from the family holding company.
Daniel frowned.
“What recent transfers?”
Olivia read over his shoulder.
“Do you know?”
“No.”
At the bottom was a handwritten note from Julia Hart, Rachel's longtime estate attorney.
Daniel — we found several transactions requiring immediate explanation. Please do not postpone this meeting.
Harris noticed Daniel's face.
“What is it?”
Daniel handed him the letter.
The detective read it.
“When did your wife learn about this meeting?”
Daniel thought.
Vanessa handled the household calendar.
She saw his schedule.
She saw his mail.
She had access to his study.
“Probably weeks ago.”
Harris looked again toward the security footage.
“Then I think we need to understand your family's money.”
Daniel stared at the screen showing Vanessa returning alone from the pool.
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For the first time, he wondered whether what happened to Nora was not only about cruelty.
Maybe his three-year-old daughter had been standing between Vanessa and something much bigger.
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