Chapter 7 – The Hidden Camera
“Smile for the camera, Sarah,” Jennifer sneered, holding her phone up. “Breaking and entering, grand theft. That unfit mother claim just became a criminal case. The judge is going to love this.”
My heart hammered against my ribs. They had set me up. The hair appointment wasn’t canceled; they had parked around the corner, waiting for me to use my spare key.
“Put it down, Sarah,” Linda said smoothly. “Leave the ledger. Leave the bracelet. Walk out of here, and I might not call the police right now. But you will sign full custody of Tyler over to me tomorrow.”
I looked at the emerald bracelet in my hand. I looked at the ledger that proved Daniel’s gambling addiction. If I left it, I lost my son. If I took it, they had me on camera stealing from a safe.
Then, I remembered the dinner. I remembered the slap. I remembered Tyler putting down his fork and saying, You are never touching my sister again.
I wasn’t the quiet, compliant daughter-in-law anymore.
“You think you’re very smart, Linda,” I said, my voice eerily calm. I reached into my purse and pulled out my own phone. “But you forgot I’m a mother who had to install a nanny cam to watch my new babysitter three months ago.”
Linda’s smug smile faltered. “What are you talking about?”
“The bear,” I said. “The little stuffed bear Chloe left on the console table by your front door on New Year’s Eve. The one you wouldn’t let her bring into the dining room.”
Jennifer lowered her phone slightly.
“It’s been recording motion-activated video and audio to the cloud for four days,” I lied, bluffing with every ounce of acting skill I had. “It recorded Daniel asking for money. It recorded you demanding Tyler. And it recorded you slapping my daughter.”
Linda stepped backward, her composure finally shattering.
I walked straight toward them. Neither woman moved to stop me. I brushed past Jennifer, holding the ledger and the bracelet tightly against my chest.
“Call the police, Linda,” I said over my shoulder as I walked out the front door. “Let’s see whose evidence the judge likes better.”
