Chapter 13 - Eleven Dark AfternoonsNathan had imagined the security investigation would be straightforward.
The camera was on.
Then it was off.
Judith had disabled it.
Rosa had reactivated it.
But the report from the security company revealed a pattern far more disturbing than Nathan expected.
Eleven separate shutdowns.
Eleven periods when the living room couldn't be monitored.
Some lasted twenty minutes.
Others lasted more than two hours.
Nearly all occurred when Nathan and Mara were absent.
Nora Bell spread the event logs across her conference table.
"The system records account access and camera status changes," she explained. "It doesn't show what happened during periods when recording was disabled."
Nathan studied the dates.
"Then we don't know what she did."
"Not from those logs alone."
Mara sat beside him.
Her face was drawn.
"Can we match them to Rosa's notebook?"
Nora nodded.
"That's a reasonable comparison."
They worked for nearly an hour.
On three occasions, Rosa had recorded concerns about Eli's distress on the same days cameras were disabled.
Another shutdown occurred when Judith allegedly confiscated his communication device.
A fifth aligned with the day Rosa had found an overnight bag packed for him.
Nathan stared at the timeline.
"She planned this."
Nora answered carefully.
"The pattern supports concern that camera shutdowns were deliberate. But what happened during each shutdown still needs independent evidence."
"I know."
He hated those words.
He wanted certainty.
He wanted to know exactly how many times his son had been frightened.
He wanted to know how much he had missed.
But the truth didn't arrive simply because he demanded it.
Later that afternoon, Nathan met privately with the security company's technical manager, who had preserved the relevant original files and audit records.
The manager explained that Judith had used an authorized household administrator account to disable recording.
Rosa's reactivation was also visible in the logs.
"The reactivation took effect before the live alert reached you," he said.
Nathan nodded.
"And the footage?"
"We've retained the original video and associated system records. Your attorney has the preservation details."
Nathan watched the final seconds again.
Eli holding the closed scissors.
Judith standing over him.
His son's terrified expression.
Nathan couldn't watch more.
He turned away.
"Was there anything before Rosa reactivated the camera?"
"No usable recording from that disabled camera."
Nathan closed his eyes.
That meant he would never see the entire haircut.
Perhaps that was merciful.
Perhaps it wasn't.
He left the office feeling sick.
When he returned home, Mara was waiting.
"How bad?"
"Eleven shutdowns."
She stared at him.
Nathan handed her the report.
Mara read slowly.
Then she looked toward the staircase.
"Eleven afternoons when she made sure nobody could see."
Nathan nodded.
For a moment, Mara appeared overwhelmed by anger.
Then she did something he didn't expect.
She put down the report and walked upstairs.
Nathan followed.
They found Eli sitting on his bedroom carpet.
He was arranging plastic animals beside a wooden barn.
Mara sat beside him.
"Hi, sweetheart."
Eli smiled and handed her a small horse.
She accepted it.
Nathan watched as his wife carefully joined the game.
No questions.
No mention of Judith.
No demands that he explain what had happened.
After several minutes, Eli handed Nathan a cow.
Nathan placed it beside the barn.
Eli giggled.
The sound nearly broke him.
Later, when Eli was asleep, Mara and Nathan returned downstairs.
"I used to think we needed to know every detail," Mara said.
Nathan looked at her.
"Don't we?"
"We need enough to protect him and hold people accountable. But he doesn't owe us a perfect explanation of every frightening day."
Nathan considered that.
Mara continued.
"He deserves to be a child, too."
Nathan nodded.
The investigation would continue.
But Eli's recovery couldn't become another project controlled by adults.
The following morning, Nora called.
"Elise Park agreed to meet."
Nathan's heart accelerated.
"When?"
"Tomorrow."
"Does she have documents?"
"She says she kept copies of records she was legally entitled to retain. Her attorney is reviewing what can be shared."
Nathan exhaled.
Finally.
Someone who had seen the finances before Judith began manufacturing explanations.
"Is she willing to testify?"
"She hasn't committed yet."
Nathan looked at the security report on his desk.
"Why not?"
Nora hesitated.
"Because she says Victor Hale threatened to destroy her career if she spoke."
Nathan leaned back.
"Of course he did."
"There's something else."
"What?"
"Elise says the financial discrepancies began before Eli's trust was used."
Nathan frowned.
"How much earlier?"
"She believes the first unexplained transactions involved Henry Carter's estate."
Nathan stared at the phone.
May you like
His father had left money to protect Eli.
Now Nathan wondered whether Judith had begun dismantling that protection before Henry was even buried.
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