Chapter 5 - THE FOOTAGE
I raced home, praying the camera’s internal SD card hadn't looped over the footage. I pulled the small black block from the wall, plugged it into my laptop, and held my breath.
The files were time-stamped. I clicked on the file for Sunday at 1:10 PM.
The video opened. The audio was crystal clear.
On the screen, Julian was dragging a screaming, crying Lily by the arm toward the terrace doors.
“Stop crying!” Julian bellowed. “I am trying to pack my tennis bag and you are giving me a migraine!”
“I’m sorry, Papa! I’m sorry!” Lily sobbed, clinging to her crimson bear.
Julian shoved her onto the terrace. “You can stay out here until you learn to shut up. Naughty girls freeze.”
He slammed the heavy glass door. Then, clear as day, he reached up and turned the deadbolt. He locked it.
He didn't stay in the other room. He walked right to the entryway, picked up his heavy tennis bag, checked his hair in the mirror, and walked out the front door. The camera stayed rolling. It captured Lily pressing her tiny hands against the glass, crying for her mother, for four agonizing hours until Mr. Henderson finally broke in.
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I sat at my kitchen table, sobbing uncontrollably. Watching it happen was a thousand times worse than hearing about it. He was a monster.
I wiped my tears, copied the file to three separate hard drives, and sent it directly to Evelyn.
