Chapter 18 - The Person at Their Table

The name on the payments made Emily sit down.

Sophie Grant.

Their housekeeper.

The woman who had worked in their home for eighteen months.

The woman who brought Emily tea when Lily was sick.

The woman who kept spare keys to every room.

Daniel stared at the transaction list.

"No."

Mark pointed to repeated payments from Vanessa's shell account.

"Two thousand dollars a month. Sometimes more."

Ruiz immediately sent officers to Sophie's apartment.

She was gone.

Her closet was empty.

Her phone had been abandoned.

Emily felt another layer of safety peel away.

"What did she do?"

Mark opened files recovered from Graham's drive.

Sophie had planted at least three of the hidden cameras.

She had copied Emily's keys.

She had photographed financial documents.

And she had given Vanessa the daycare security word.

Emily closed her eyes.

"That's how Monica took Lily."

Daniel looked devastated.

"We trusted her."

Emily almost laughed.

Trust had become a dangerous word.

Two hours later, Sophie called.

Not the police.

Emily.

"Please don't hang up," Sophie said.

Emily's hand tightened around the phone.

"Where are you?"

"I can't tell you yet."

"You helped them watch my baby."

Sophie began to cry.

"Vanessa told me she only wanted proof you were controlling Daniel. She paid me because my mother was sick. I was stupid. I was desperate."

"You gave them Lily's daycare password."

"No. I wrote it in a notebook. Vanessa found it. I swear."

Emily said nothing.

Sophie continued.

"I have something you need."

"What?"

"The original staircase video."

Emily stood so fast her chair fell over.

Daniel stared at her.

"What did she say?"

Emily put the call on speaker.

Sophie whispered, "Vanessa told me to delete the recording, but I copied it first. I thought I might need protection one day."

Ruiz motioned for Emily to keep her talking.

"Where is it?" Emily asked.

"With me."

"Then bring it to the police."

Sophie breathed unevenly.

"I will. But there's something else on the file. Something you didn't see."

Emily's pulse jumped.

"What?"

Sophie whispered, "Before Vanessa kicked Lily, she got a phone call."

"From who?"

A pause.

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Then Sophie said, "Daniel's mother."

And the line went dead.