Chapter 2 - The Red Mark
Caleb read the screenshot six times.
Then he checked the file properties.
The image had been saved two days earlier.
Not created that afternoon.
Nora had suspected something before he walked into the nursery.
He opened the next folder.
NURSERY LOGS.
Every page showed two columns.
At 7:00 that morning, Nora's printed instructions said Sophie should wear the white cotton sleeper after her bath.
At 2:54, the household tablet displayed a different instruction.
Put Sophie in the new lavender onesie from the gift drawer.
Caleb turned toward the hamper.
Lavender fabric lay on top.
The inside seam felt rough.
A chemical smell clung to it.
He called Dr. Aaron Levin.
The pediatrician answered on the second ring.
"Caleb?"
"Did Nora call you?"
"Yes. Three times."
Caleb stared at his phone.
"I have no record."
"She said Sophie developed sudden skin irritation. I told her to remove the clothing, rinse the area, and keep Sophie's hands away from the rash."
Caleb looked at the red mark.
Nora had been doing exactly that.
"Did she hurt her?"
"What?"
"I walked in and saw Nora holding Sophie down."
"If the baby was scratching, I told her to gently restrain her arms until the skin was rinsed."
"Why didn't you call me?"
"I did."
"No."
"I left a voicemail at 3:09."
Caleb checked deleted voicemail.
Then Dr. Levin said, "Caleb, your father called me at 3:12."
"What did he say?"
"He asked whether a nanny could cause a rash by using the wrong detergent."
"Did you tell him what happened?"
"I told him I didn't know yet."
Malcolm knew before Caleb reached the nursery.
He looked again at the USB.
HOUSE ADMIN.
Inside were screenshots of schedule changes.
His Atlanta investor meeting had been moved by an executive assistant using a family-office login.
His driver, Carter, had been told to wait at a service station for a "security check."
The fake fever alert had come through an internal account named MWH-FAMILY.
Caleb called the estate security chief.
"Lock the gates."
"Sir?"
"Nobody leaves. Nobody deletes anything."
"Mr. Whitcomb, your father left twenty minutes ago."
"He was here?"
"Yes, sir. He arrived around two."
"Why wasn't I told?"
"He said you knew."
Caleb walked to the nursery window.
Outside, the long driveway was empty.
His father had been inside the estate while the scene was being built.
Then Caleb noticed something in the reflection of the glass.
He opened the security app.
Camera offline from 3:02 to 3:26.
May you like
Exactly twenty-four minutes.
Exactly long enough for Caleb to see only what someone wanted him to see.
