I WAS ABOUT TO PROPOSE TO THE WOMAN I LOVED—UNTIL MY 6-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER POINTED AT THE POOL AND SCREAMED, “DADDY, DON’T! SHE’S HIDING SOMETHING IN THE WATER!”

Daniel went home to find two security technicians removing a camera above the rear doors.

"Who authorized this?" he demanded.

The older technician showed him a work order signed electronically by Vanessa. The date was that morning, forty minutes before the proposal.

"We were told the whole system was being replaced," the man said.

"Stop. Leave everything where it is."

Daniel asked the technicians to photograph the cables before touching anything else. One technician nodded, relieved to be dealing with someone who wanted the work documented rather than arguing about blame. The other pointed out a small storage device attached behind the monitor. It wasn't part of their company's equipment. Daniel took a step closer but didn't touch it. He had watched enough police interviews to understand that good intentions could ruin evidence. His impulse was to tear every suspicious wire out of the wall, march into the kitchen and demand an answer. Instead he phoned Maya. She told him to leave the house and meet her at the gate. That ordinary instruction, delivered in a calm voice, made the place he'd lived for eleven years feel unfamiliar.

Vanessa emerged from the kitchen in jeans and a cream sweater. The red dress was gone.

"They're doing a routine upgrade," she said.

"During our engagement party?"

"It wasn't a party. It was supposed to be private."

"Then why shut off the cameras?"

She folded her arms. "Because you insisted the garden be ready for photos. The system had problems."

"You knew Nora."

Vanessa glanced at the technicians. "We should discuss this inside."

"You told a detective you'd never met her."

For the first time, Vanessa stopped acting hurt. "Nora has spent years trying to destroy my life. She's unstable."

Daniel thought of Lily gripping her chocolate mug.

"You told my daughter I'd send her away."

"She misunderstood me."

"Did you touch Nora at the pool?"

Vanessa held his gaze. "No."

"Then you won't mind speaking to Maya again."

Vanessa's phone rang. She declined the call. Daniel caught the name on the screen: COLIN.

"Who is Colin?"

"My attorney."

A beep came from the wall panel as the technician powered a backup unit. The security monitor lit up. One thumbnail from the morning appeared before the feed froze: a man in a blue work jacket entering the garden at 1:17 p.m.