Chapter 1 - The Hidden Lens
"That this little toy dinosaur records both audio and high-definition video," Detective Harris finished, his voice echoing in the silent hospital room.
He rotated the plastic toy so my mother and sister could see the tiny, glowing camera lens hidden perfectly inside its eye.
Linda took a staggering step backward until her back hit the cold, sterile wall.
Rachel was shaking so violently that the heavy metal bed rail rattled against the linoleum floor.
"You thought you destroyed all the security cameras at the house before you hurt him, didn't you?" Detective Harris asked in a low, dangerous tone.
"But you didn't realize this little boy loved his toy so much that he brought it into the backyard with him."
The detective pressed a small button on the side of the plastic dinosaur's head.
A tiny digital screen illuminated on the back, casting a pale blue glow over my mother’s terrified face.
The audio crackled to life, filling the ICU room with the terrifying sound of my son crying in the dark.
Through the tiny speaker, my mother's voice hissed loudly, demanding Eli give her the heavy steel lockbox.
Rachel's voice followed on the recording, threatening to lock him in the shed forever if he told me what they were burying.
I felt my knees buckle as the reality of their sheer cruelty crashed over me.
My own flesh and blood had tortured my child over a rusted metal box.
Detective Harris paused the horrible video and stepped directly into my mother's personal space.
"You are both under arrest for aggravated child abuse and attempted murder," he stated coldly.
Two uniformed police officers stepped into the room, pulling heavy steel handcuffs from their utility belts.
I rushed to Eli's side, holding his uninjured hand and whispering that the bad people were finally going away.
But as the officers reached for my mother, she suddenly burst into a chilling, hysterical fit of laughter.
May you like
She looked directly at me with eyes completely devoid of any human warmth.
"You think you won, Natalie, but you have no idea who that box actually belongs to," she whispered with a sinister grin.
