Chapter 11 - The Seven Seconds.
Noah refused to tell them where he was over the phone.
He only gave Serena a time and a place.
Eleven fifteen.
North River Station.
Locker 204.
Then he disconnected.
The detective assigned an officer to accompany Claire and Serena while Evelyn remained at the station with a child advocate.
Claire hated leaving her even for twenty minutes.
Evelyn squeezed her hand.
"Go get the truth, Mommy."
The words nearly broke Claire's composure.
At North River Station, locker 204 opened with a code Noah texted three seconds before they arrived.
Inside sat a black camera bag.
There was no camera.
There were six memory cards taped beneath the lining.
The officer photographed everything before touching it.
Serena found a handwritten note folded beside them.
IF THE VALES SAY I EDITED THIS, CHECK CAMERA B TIMECODE AGAINST THE ORCHESTRA AUDIO.
Claire looked around the crowded station.
"Where is Noah?"
A voice behind her answered.
"Not standing near the locker like an idiot."
Noah emerged from a coffee shop wearing a baseball cap and an oversized jacket.
His green tie was gone.
A bruise darkened his left cheek.
Serena stared at him.
"Who did that?"
"A man from Vale security asked for my footage."
"I said no."
He gave Claire a tired look.
"Your family does not handle rejection well."
Claire did not defend them.
They viewed the footage inside a station security office.
Camera B captured the entire confrontation from the side.
Evelyn walked toward the display.
Julian was clearly visible crouching beside a frame.
He slipped something behind it.
Evelyn spoke to him.
Julian spun around.
His hand closed around her wrist.
She pulled away.
Then he shoved her.
The movement was quick but unmistakable.
Evelyn collided with the display.
Glass and flowers crashed down around her.
Julian looked first at the fallen frame, not the child.
Claire's stomach twisted.
Then came the seven seconds missing from the online clip.
"He pushed me, Mommy!"
"She is lying," Julian said.
Claire moved between them.
"She is seven."
The footage continued through the slap.
But Noah did not stop playback.
Thirty seconds later, the chandeliers went dark.
Camera B automatically switched to low-light mode.
The image became grainy but remained visible.
Julian rushed toward Claire.
Eleanor did not move toward Evelyn.
She turned toward a man standing near the service corridor.
The camera microphone caught her voice.
"Get the key before she leaves."
The man nodded.
He disappeared through the corridor.
Seconds later, the ballroom power died.
Claire looked at Noah.
"Can you identify him?"
Noah zoomed in.
The man was Victor Dane, Eleanor's private security director.
The same man had approached Noah at his hotel after the wedding.
The officer immediately called the detective.
Claire checked the time.
Eleven forty-three.
The emergency board meeting began in seventeen minutes.
Serena looked at her.
"You cannot make it downtown in time."
Claire watched Eleanor on the video giving the order to steal the key.
Then her phone buzzed.
A secure message from Hale contained a live link to the board meeting.
Eleanor was already speaking.
"My daughter has become a danger to this family and to her own child."
Claire's face went still.
May you like
Eleanor continued.
"For Evelyn's protection, I have also asked family counsel to seek emergency guardianship."
