CHAPTER 2: THE RECORDING BEFORE THE PARTY
Daniel denied the handwriting before I asked him.
“That’s not mine,” he said.
But his voice cracked on the last word.
The gift tag sat between us on the dresser, small and white and suddenly more frightening than the bear. It said, To our precious Lily, love Grandma and Grandpa, in blocky letters that looked almost exactly like Daniel’s when he was rushing. Not identical. Close enough to make my skin go cold.
“I didn’t write that.”
“I know.”
I did know. Or I wanted to. Fear makes every familiar face look possible for one terrible second.
Aaron arrived forty minutes later with a plainclothes technician named Evan, who carried a black case and spoke in a low voice. By then, the party had ended early. I told the other parents Lily had a stomachache. She was in her room, eating cake and watching cartoons, unaware that the toy she had hugged was now on our dining table like evidence.
Evan put on gloves.
Daniel stood behind my chair.
Aaron watched the bear without blinking.
Evan opened the seam with a small blade.
Inside, behind the stuffing, was a compact wireless camera module, a microphone, a battery pack, and a microSD card. The lens had been positioned perfectly behind the left eye.
Daniel stepped back so fast his hip hit the counter.
“My God.”
Evan removed the card and slid it into a reader.
“There are files,” he said.
“How many?” I asked.
“More than one.”
The first clip opened.
It showed a kitchen table I recognized immediately.
Margaret Whitmore’s kitchen.
Her floral curtains. Her blue ceramic fruit bowl. Her thin hands turning the teddy bear toward herself.
Richard’s voice came from off camera.
“Are you sure this is legal?”
Margaret answered, calm and annoyed.
“It’s our granddaughter. We have a right to know what goes on in that house.”
Daniel covered his mouth.
The second clip showed Richard testing the feed.
The third showed Margaret whispering near the bear.
“If Claire screams at Lily, we’ll finally have proof.”
My stomach turned.
Proof.
Not protection.
Proof.
Evan clicked another file.
Margaret again.
“She has poisoned Daniel against us. If we can show instability, the court will listen.”
Daniel whispered, “Court?”
Aaron’s jaw tightened.
Evan opened a folder labeled Setup Test.
The first recording had been created sixteen days before Lily’s birthday. Before the gift arrived. Before we knew the bear existed.
Then a final test clip appeared.
The bear sat on Margaret’s table while Richard adjusted the eye. In the background, half out of frame, was a document.
Aaron leaned closer.
“Pause it.”
Evan froze the image and zoomed in.
The title was blurry but readable.
Concerns About Claire.
Daniel grabbed the back of a chair.
I felt anger rise, but it was strangely quiet. The kind that does not explode because it has already started making lists.
Aaron turned to me.
“Claire, I’m bringing this to Detective Hollis. You and Daniel will need to give statements.”
Daniel stared at the frozen image.
“They were building a case.”
“Yes,” Aaron said.
“Against my wife.”
I looked at him. He looked destroyed.
That should have softened me, but another thought arrived first.
“Evan, can that device connect live?”
“Yes. Remote viewing is possible if configured.”
“Was it configured?”
He worked for a minute.
Then his face changed.
“Yes.”
Aaron leaned in.
“To whose account?”
Evan looked at Daniel.
“An email account under your father’s name.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
I reached for the gift tag again, staring at the almost-Daniel handwriting.
Then Evan said one more thing.
“There’s an active pairing history.”
Aaron looked up.
“What device?”
Evan turned the laptop toward us.
The bear had connected once before.
May you like
Not at Margaret’s house.
At Lily’s school.
