Chapter 5 - THE KITCHEN CAMERA
Mark did not react.
He simply removed his phone from his pocket and opened an application.
“I installed three cameras after the milk incident.”
He turned the screen toward Detective Hayes.
One camera faced the refrigerator.
Another faced the back door.
The third pointed toward the kitchen island.
The recording from Emma’s party showed Rachel pouring lemonade into the unicorn cup.
She placed it beside the cake.
Then she walked into the dining room.
Forty seconds later, David entered the kitchen.
He moved behind the island, blocking the camera’s view.
His hand reached toward Emma’s cup.
When he stepped away, the cup remained in the same place.
David stared at the screen.
“I was getting ice.”
“There was no ice bucket near the cup,” Mark said.
“I changed my mind.”
Another person entered two minutes later.
My mother.
She picked up the unicorn cup and carried it toward the sink.
For a moment, the cup disappeared outside the camera frame.
Then she returned it to the island.
Mom’s face drained of color.
“I rinsed the straw.”
“You didn’t use the faucet,” Mark said.
“I wiped it.”
“With what?”
She had no answer.
The final person shown touching the cup was my father.
He moved it from one side of the cake to the other.
Then he called Emma into the kitchen.
Four adults had handled the drink.
Rachel had made it.
David had stood beside it.
My mother had carried it out of view.
My father had given it to Emma.
Any one of them could have added the medication.
Detective Hayes requested everyone’s phones.
My father refused immediately.
“You have no right to search private family communications.”
“You may refuse,” she said.
“But we will seek a warrant.”
Dad looked toward Mark.
“This is your fault.”
Mark’s expression sharpened.
“My daughter is unconscious because someone in this family poisoned her.”
“You brought cameras into your own home.”
“Because someone had already drugged her once.”
My father’s mouth tightened.
Detective Hayes noticed.
“So you also knew about the earlier incident?”
He looked away.
I stood slowly.
“Who knew?”
No one answered.
I moved toward my father.
“Who knew someone had put medication in Emma’s milk?”
Mom began sobbing.
My father stared at Mark with open hatred.
May you like
Then he said the sentence that changed the investigation.
“We all knew.”
