Chapter 4: The Footage Nobody Was Supposed to See
For a moment, I couldn't move.
My phone was still in my hand. The anonymous message glowed against the dark screen.
*Check the security footage from last Tuesday. Your daughter wasn't the only person Denise was keeping out of the dining room.*
I read it again.
Then I looked at Denise.
“Where's Marcus?””
She adjusted the sleeve of her purple blouse.
“I have no idea.””
“Your son just walked out with something that belongs to me.””
“Perhaps he's gone to get some air.””
“Where's my blue folder?””
Denise sighed.
“Anthony, you're becoming paranoid.””
I stepped closer.
“Then you won't mind if I check the cameras.””
Her expression changed.
It was subtle, but I caught it.
“What cameras?””
“The security system. The one I installed after someone broke into the garage.””
She looked toward the staircase.
“Those cameras haven't worked in months.””
I pulled out my phone.
“They worked yesterday.””
I opened the security application.
The front-door camera showed Marcus leaving six minutes earlier. He was carrying a black backpack.
I zoomed in.
The backpack had a blue corner sticking out.
My folder.
“Where is he going?””
Denise shrugged.
“Ask him.””
I looked at her for another second.
Then I walked toward the stairs.
“I'm checking the footage from Tuesday.””
“Anthony, don't.””
I stopped.
“Why?””
She didn't answer.
I went upstairs, leaving her standing in the hallway.
Lily was sitting on my bed with her stuffed rabbit in her lap. She looked up when I entered.
“Daddy?””
“Hey, sweetheart.””
“Are we going somewhere?””
“Not yet.””
I sat beside her.
“Do you remember Tuesday afternoon?””
She nodded.
“Was Grandma Denise here?””
“Yes.””
“Was Marcus here?””
Another nod.
“Did anything happen?””
Lily looked at the bedroom door.
Then she whispered, “Can I tell you something without her hearing?””
I closed the door.
“Of course.””
She climbed down from the bed and came closer.
“On Tuesday, Grandma made me stay in the laundry room.””
I felt my stomach tighten.
“Why?””
“She said company was coming. She didn't want me making noise.””
“What company?””
“I don't know.””
“Was Marcus there?””
“Yes. He brought a man into your office.””
I froze.
“A man?””
“He had a brown bag.””
“What did he do?””
Lily frowned, concentrating.
“He gave Marcus some papers. Then Grandma told me to go upstairs.””
“Did you?””
She nodded.
“But I forgot my coloring book.””
I waited.
“When I came back, they were talking about our house.””
“What did they say?””
Lily looked down at her rabbit.
“Grandma said the house would belong to Marcus soon.””
My heart began beating faster.
“Did she say anything else?””
“She said you would be happy because you wouldn't have to worry about bills anymore.””
I stared at my daughter.
Then she added something that made my blood run cold.
“She said after the papers were signed, I would go live with Aunt Michelle.””
I swallowed.
“Did she tell you that?””
“Yes.””
“What did you say?””
“I asked if you were coming too.””
Lily's eyes filled.
“She said no.””
I pulled her into my arms.
“That's not happening. Do you understand?””
She nodded against my chest.
I kissed the top of her head.
Then I opened the security application on my laptop.
The camera system stored thirty days of recordings.
I selected Tuesday.
The hallway footage appeared first.
At 3:17 p.m., Lily walked into the laundry room carrying her coloring book.
At 3:19 p.m., Denise entered and closed the door.
I watched her point toward the washing machine.
Lily sat on the floor.
Denise walked away.
For nearly forty minutes, nobody opened that door.
Then Marcus appeared.
He carried a black backpack.
He glanced down the hallway before entering my office.
A few minutes later, another man arrived.
He wore a gray suit and carried a leather briefcase.
The two men disappeared into my office.
I switched to the office camera.
The image was clear.
Marcus placed my blue folder on the desk.
The stranger opened it and removed several documents.
Then he handed Marcus a pen.
I leaned closer to the screen.
The stranger pointed to a page.
Marcus signed something.
Then the man shook his hand.
I paused the footage.
Something was wrong.
The signature at the bottom of the document looked familiar.
Too familiar.
It was my name.
Anthony Mitchell.
I replayed the footage.
Marcus leaned over the desk and signed the document again.
Then Denise entered the office.
She placed a small envelope on the desk.
The stranger opened it.
Inside were several photographs.
One showed Lily standing beside the dining table.
Another showed her sitting on the floor near the staircase.
A third showed her crying.
I stopped breathing.
Why were they photographing my daughter?
The footage continued.
The man in the gray suit pointed at one photograph and said something.
The audio was faint, but the microphone picked up his voice.
“She needs to look unstable. Otherwise, this won't hold.””
Marcus laughed.
“She already cries every time Mom talks to her.””
Denise leaned forward.
“Just make sure Anthony doesn't find out before the transfer.””
I stared at the screen.
The man answered.
“If he signs the final paperwork, the property issue is settled. The guardianship petition can proceed separately.””
Guardianship.
I replayed that word.
Then again.
Guardianship.
Denise placed her hand on Marcus's shoulder.
“Once we have control of the house and the child, everything becomes much easier.””
I pushed away from the desk.
My chair rolled backward.
I felt sick.
They weren't simply trying to take my house.
They were trying to take my daughter.
A knock came at the bedroom door.
I quickly closed the laptop.
“Daddy?””
Lily's voice.
I opened the door.
She stood holding her stuffed rabbit.
“Can I sleep with you tonight?””
I knelt.
“Of course.””
She looked at the laptop.
“Did you find something?””
I hesitated.
Then I answered honestly.
“Yes, sweetheart. I found something.””
“Was it bad?””
I held her hand.
“Some people made very bad choices.””
She looked at me.
“Are you going to send me away?””
I felt my eyes burn.
“Never.””
She nodded, but she didn't smile.
I carried her into the bedroom and tucked her beneath the blanket.
Then I called my attorney, Daniel Brooks.
He answered on the fourth ring.
“Anthony? Happy Thanksgiving. Everything okay?””
“No.””
My voice sounded strange even to me.
“I need you to come over.””
“What happened?””
“Someone is trying to transfer my property without my permission. And I just found evidence that they're preparing a guardianship case against me.””
There was a pause.
Then Daniel's voice became serious.
“Don't sign anything. Don't confront anyone alone. Preserve every recording.””
“I have video.””
“Good. Make copies. I'll be there as soon as I can.””
I looked toward Lily.
She was pretending to sleep.
“Daniel?””
“Yes?””
“I think they want to take my daughter.””
His answer came immediately.
“Then we make sure they never get the chance.””
I ended the call.
Downstairs, I heard the front door open.
Then Denise's voice.
“Anthony?””
I walked into the hallway.
She was standing beneath the staircase with a phone in her hand.
“Your lawyer doesn't need to get involved.””
I stared at her.
“How do you know I called him?””
She didn't answer.
Instead, she raised her phone.
On the screen was a photograph of Lily sleeping in my bedroom.
My blood ran cold.
“Where did you get that?””
Denise looked at me.
Then she smiled faintly.
“Perhaps you should ask who else has access to your cameras.””
And at that moment, my phone vibrated again.
This time, the message came with a photograph.
It showed the man in the gray suit standing outside my house.
May you like
Underneath it were six words.
*Anthony, that man is Lily's biological grandfather.*
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