Chapter 7: The Woman Who Had Been Watching
The first thing Detective Price told me the following morning was that I needed to prepare myself for a truth that might not make me feel better.
I was sitting in my truck outside Tasha's house, watching rain slide down the windshield while Nia ate breakfast inside.
“What does that mean?”” I asked.
“It means the evidence may explain what happened without making every person involved innocent or guilty in the way you expect.””
I stared at the wet street.
“Do you have the original recording?””
“We've located a device that may contain relevant footage. The digital review is underway. I can't discuss everything we've found until the review is complete.””
“Is Nia on it?””
“Yes.””
My hand tightened around the steering wheel.
“Is she being hurt?””
“I won't describe the footage before the review is complete. But I want you to understand that we are treating this seriously, and we are not relying solely on Bree's edited clip.””
I swallowed.
“Who recorded it?””
“That's one of the questions we're trying to answer.””
After we ended the call, I sat in silence until Tasha knocked on the truck window.
She pointed toward the front door.
Nia was standing behind her, holding her schoolbag.
I climbed out and walked over.
“Ready, sweetheart?””
She nodded.
Then she looked past me at the house.
“Are we going back to our home today?””
The question caught me off guard.
“Not today.””
“When?””
“I don't know yet. The adults need to make sure things are safe first.””
She considered that.
“Can we go when the kitchen isn't scary anymore?””
I knelt in front of her.
“We'll work on making sure you feel safe. And you won't have to handle that by yourself.””
She slipped her hand into mine.
“Okay, Daddy.””
I took her to school, confirmed the updated pickup arrangements, and watched her walk through the front entrance beside Ms. Harper.
She turned once to wave.
I waved back.
Then I drove to work and tried to concentrate on the ordinary tasks waiting for me.
By noon, I had approved three repair orders and answered six calls about a faulty air-conditioning unit. I couldn't remember a single conversation.
At 12:26 p.m., Detective Price called.
“We've identified the person who accessed the original footage.””
I stood up from my desk.
“Who?””
“Your sister-in-law, Tasha Reed.””
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
Tasha had taken Nia into her home without asking for an explanation. She had cooked breakfast, made up the spare room, and helped my daughter feel like the world hadn't ended.
And apparently, she had accessed the recording before Bree sent me her edited version.
“Why would Tasha have access to the security account?””
“The account records show that her device was authorized several months ago. We haven't established why.””
I remembered a weekend when Tasha had stayed at our house while I traveled for work. She had helped my mother organize some family photographs and used the old tablet to play music.
Perhaps I had given her access then.
Perhaps she had asked for it.
I couldn't remember.
“Has she explained what she did with the footage?”” I asked.
“She has agreed to speak with us. I can't tell you more than that right now.””
I thanked Detective Price and ended the call.
My first instinct was to call Tasha immediately.
Instead, I sat down.
The investigator had not accused my sister-in-law of hurting Nia. Accessing a recording did not prove that Tasha had started the argument, altered the footage, or helped Bree silence my daughter.
But it did mean she knew something she hadn't told me.
And that was enough to frighten me.
At three o'clock, I picked Nia up from school.
She climbed into the passenger seat of my parked car and pulled a folded sheet of paper from her backpack.
“I made something for you.””
It was a drawing of a house.
This time, there were two figures inside. One had a yellow shirt and two puff buns. The other had a navy shirt and a beard.
Above them, Nia had written in uneven letters:
*DADDY LISTENS.*
I looked at the paper until the words blurred.
“Can I put this on my desk?”” I asked.
She nodded proudly.
“Then you'll remember.””
“I don't think I'm going to forget.””
She buckled herself in.
As we drove away, I asked whether she wanted to stop for ice cream.
She considered the offer with the seriousness of a judge.
“Chocolate.””
“Of course.””
“And sprinkles.””
“Now you're negotiating.””
She smiled.
For a little while, I let myself enjoy that smile without searching it for signs of fear.
That evening, I waited until Nia was settled with Tasha before asking my sister-in-law to speak with me on the back porch.
She came outside carrying two cups of tea.
“You look like you're about to fire me,” she said.
“I need to ask you something.””
Her smile faded.
“Okay.””
“Did you access the security footage from my house?””
Tasha set the cups on the table.
For several seconds, she didn't answer.
Then she sat down.
“Yes.””
I remained standing.
“Why?””
She looked toward the kitchen window.
“Because I thought Bree was doing something to Nia.””
“How long have you thought that?””
“Since the spring.””
I felt a cold pressure behind my ribs.
“And you didn't tell me?””
“I tried.””
“When?””
“Remember the Sunday dinner when Bree said Nia had been stealing things from her purse?””
I remembered.
Nia had been sitting at the table with her hands folded in her lap while Bree explained that the child had taken a lip balm and denied it.
I had told Nia that lying was serious.
Later, I found the lip balm in the pocket of Bree's handbag.
I had apologized to Nia and assumed it was an ordinary misunderstanding.
Tasha continued.
“I told you that Bree was being too hard on her. You said you would talk to her.””
“I did talk to her.””
“You asked Bree what happened. She told you Nia was becoming difficult, and you accepted her explanation.””
I looked away.
“I didn't know.””
“I know you didn't. That's why I kept trying to find out.””
Tasha rubbed her palms together.
“About three weeks ago, I came over to drop off the girls' jackets. I heard Bree in the kitchen telling Nia that nobody would believe her if she complained about what happened at home.””
My jaw tightened.
“What exactly did you hear?””
“I heard Nia crying. I heard Bree tell her to stop making up stories. Then I heard Nia say she wanted to call you.””
Tasha stopped.
“I should have walked in immediately. I didn't. I froze. I was afraid I'd make things worse if I confronted Bree without understanding what was happening.””
“So you accessed the camera?””
“Yes. I remembered the old security system. I asked whether I could check it after I left, and I used the access you had given me months earlier.””
I stared at her.
“You watched the footage and didn't tell me?””
“I watched part of it.””
“What did you see?””
Tasha's eyes filled.
“I saw enough to know Nia wasn't inventing her fear.””
I sat down opposite her.
“Then why didn't you call me?””
“I was going to. But before I could, Bree called me.””
“What did she say?””
“She said she knew I had been looking at the camera. She told me she had a recording of me standing in the kitchen doorway while Nia cried. She said if I tried to turn you against her, she'd show you that recording and tell you I had been encouraging Nia to make accusations.””
I stared at my sister-in-law.
“So she threatened you.””
“Yes.””
“And you stayed quiet.””
Tasha lowered her head.
“Yes.””
The word sat between us.
I wanted to condemn her.
I wanted to ask how she could watch something that frightened her and then walk away.
But I remembered Denise's trembling hands. My mother's fear of a family scandal. The way Bree had made every person around Nia feel that speaking up would cost them something.
Bree hadn't needed to lock anyone in a room.
She had made each person believe that telling the truth would hurt someone they loved.
Still, Tasha had made a choice.
“You should have told me,” I said.
“I know.””
“You should have told the school.””
“I know.””
“Why didn't you?””
She looked at me through tears.
“Because I was afraid that if I got it wrong, you'd stop believing me. And because Bree told me she could make me look like the person who had put the whole thing into Nia's head.””
I leaned back.
“What happened to the footage you watched?””
“I didn't delete anything. I saved a copy of the relevant clip because I thought the original might disappear.””
“Did you send it to Bree?””
“No.””
“Did you edit it?””
“No.””
“Did you send me the anonymous messages?””
Tasha hesitated.
Then she nodded.
“Yes.””
I stood up so quickly that the chair scraped across the porch.
“You sent them?””
“I did.””
“Why didn't you just call me?””
“Because I didn't know whether you would believe me. You had believed Bree before. I thought if I showed you the documents first, you'd investigate instead of dismissing it as a family argument.””
I looked at her.
“You could have told me your name.””
“I was ashamed.””
“That's not an answer.””
“No,” she whispered.
“It's not.””
I walked to the porch railing and gripped it with both hands.
For weeks, Tasha had possessed information about my daughter's fear. She had tried to protect Nia in the way she understood, but she had also kept me in the dark.
I couldn't pretend that was harmless.
“Did you know about the fake document with Denise's name?””
“No.””
“Did you know my mother had signed the restriction?””
“I knew Bree had asked her to sign something. I didn't know the details.””
“Did you know Bree had edited the recording?””
Tasha shook her head.
“I knew she had a phone recording. I didn't know she'd sent you a different version.””
I turned toward her.
“Why didn't you tell me any of this when Nia arrived?””
“Because I wanted her to have one night where she didn't have to hear adults arguing about what happened to her.””
That stopped me.
Tasha wiped her cheeks.
“I know I failed her before. I didn't want to fail her again.””
For a long moment, neither of us spoke.
Then I sat down.
“Detective Price knows you accessed the footage.””
Tasha nodded.
“She called me today.””
“Are you going to tell her everything?””
“Yes.””
“Even the parts that make you look bad?””
She met my eyes.
“Yes.””
I exhaled slowly.
“Good.””
Tasha pushed one cup of tea toward me.
“I don't expect you to forgive me.””
“I'm not ready to talk about forgiveness.””
“I understand.””
“But I want you to cooperate fully. No more anonymous messages. No more deciding what I can handle. If you have evidence, give it to the investigator.””
“I will.””
I took the tea, though it had gone cold.
Then Tasha said something that made me look up.
“Marcus, there's one thing I haven't told Detective Price yet.””
My stomach tightened.
“What?””
“The camera didn't record the beginning of the argument.””
“Why not?””
“Because someone turned it away from the sink before Bree confronted Nia.””
I stared at her.
“Who?””
“I don't know. When I checked the footage, the camera was pointed toward the back door. Then, later, it turned toward the kitchen again.””
“Can you tell when it moved?””
“About twenty minutes before the clip Bree sent you begins.””
I felt a chill run through me.
“So someone deliberately changed the camera's position?””
“That's what it looked like.””
“Did you tell the investigator?””
“Not yet. I wanted to speak to you first.””
I stood.
“Tell her now.””
Tasha reached for her phone.
As she began typing, my own phone vibrated.
A message from Detective Price appeared.
*We've recovered a longer section of the recording. It changes the timeline. Please call me.*
I looked at Tasha.
She had gone pale.
“Marcus,” she whispered, “I think I know why Bree moved the camera.””
I called Detective Price.
She answered immediately.
“Marcus, we've recovered additional footage from the household archive. Before we discuss the contents, I need to ask you something.””
“What?””
“Was your mother in the house on the afternoon of the kitchen incident?””
I looked through the window at Nia, who was sitting on the living-room rug with Tasha's youngest daughter, arranging colored blocks into a tower.
“No,” I said.
“Not that I know of.””
Detective Price paused.
“The recovered footage suggests someone entered the kitchen before Bree began recording on her phone.””
My mouth went dry.
“Who?””
“We're still verifying the person's identity.””
I looked at Tasha.
She was staring at the floor.
Then she whispered, barely audible, “It wasn't Grandma.””
I turned toward her.
“What?””
Tasha lifted her eyes.
“The person who moved the camera wasn't your mother.””
Before I could ask another question, Detective Price continued.
“The person appears to have been trying to keep something out of the camera's view. But the movement also captured a reflection in the kitchen window.””
“Whose reflection?””
“We believe it may belong to someone who was present during the incident.””
I stared at the darkening glass.
Tasha reached for my arm.
“Marcus, there's something you need to understand about Bree.””
“What?””
Tasha swallowed.
“She didn't start recording because Nia was lying.””
May you like
She looked toward the living room, where my daughter was laughing at a tower of blocks that had just fallen over.
“She started recording because someone else had already begun recording her.””