Chapter 14: The Video My Mother Never Wanted Anyone to See
No one moved.
My mother's words echoed through the dining room.
"Because it explains everything."
Officer Brooks looked down at the evidence bag containing the USB drive.
Then he looked back at her.
"Explains what, Mrs. Ashford?"
She didn't answer.
Instead, she wrapped her arms around herself.
For the first time all day, she looked less angry than frightened.
Officer Brooks turned to the second officer.
"Bag the drive."
"It's already sealed."
"Good."
"We'll maintain the chain of custody."
I stared at my mother.
"If it explains everything..."
"Then tell us."
She slowly shook her head.
"You wouldn't understand."
"Try me."
Her eyes filled with tears.
Not the dramatic tears she used whenever she wanted sympathy.
These were different.
They looked almost... defeated.
"I was trying to fix a mistake."
I frowned.
"What mistake?"
She looked at Jamie, sleeping peacefully in Evelyn's arms.
Then she looked away.
"I can't."
Officer Brooks remained calm.
"Mrs. Ashford."
"If the drive contains evidence relevant to this investigation, we'll review it."
She closed her eyes.
"I know."
The second officer spoke quietly.
"We have a department laptop in the cruiser."
Officer Brooks nodded.
"We'll examine it here."
He looked at me.
"Mr. Ashford."
"Would you like to be present?"
"Absolutely."
A few minutes later, the officers returned with a secure police laptop.
They placed it on the dining room table.
The USB drive remained sealed until photographs were taken.
Every step was documented.
Every signature was recorded.
Officer Brooks finally inserted the drive.
A single folder appeared on the screen.
Its name was simple.
PRIVATE
Inside were dozens of files.
Most were scanned documents.
Several were photographs.
One folder caught everyone's attention.
VIDEOS
Officer Brooks clicked it.
There were twelve video files.
Each one had a date.
The earliest was nearly eleven months old.
The newest had been created just three days earlier.
"What are these?"
I asked.
"We're about to find out."
He opened the first video.
The screen flickered.
The image was shaky.
It looked like it had been recorded on a cellphone hidden inside a shirt pocket.
The camera slowly focused.
I recognized the room immediately.
Our kitchen.
The date stamp showed it had been recorded two weeks after Jamie was born.
The video had no sound at first.
Then voices became clear.
My mother's voice.
Sharp.
Demanding.
"You don't need all those groceries."
Evelyn stood at the counter holding a shopping list.
"The pediatrician said I should eat more."
"You eat enough."
"I'm breastfeeding."
"You'll manage."
My fists clenched.
Evelyn's younger voice sounded exhausted.
"Jamie needs formula, too."
"We're almost out."
My mother snatched the shopping list from her hands.
"Formula is expensive."
"We'll stretch what you already have."
The video ended.
No one spoke.
Officer Brooks opened the second file.
This one showed the living room.
Jamie was crying in his playpen.
Evelyn reached down to pick him up.
Before she could, my mother's voice interrupted.
"Leave him."
"He'll stop."
"He's hungry."
"I said leave him."
I felt sick.
The third video began.
It showed my mother sitting at the dining room table with several envelopes spread out before her.
She wasn't alone.
Derek sat across from her.
Neither of them knew they were being recorded.
My mother pointed to a stack of papers.
"Once Colin signs these..."
"The house is practically ours."
Derek looked nervous.
"What if he reads them?"
"He won't."
"He trusts me."
My breathing stopped.
The room fell completely silent.
Officer Brooks paused the video.
He looked at my mother.
"Do you wish to explain that statement?"
She stared at the floor.
Her lips trembled.
No answer came.
Officer Brooks played the recording again.
My mother's voice continued.
"Evelyn won't notice."
"She never sees the paperwork."
Derek asked another question.
"What if she tells Colin something?"
My mother smiled.
"I've already handled that."
"I make sure she never gets enough time alone with him."
The video froze on her smiling face.
No one in the room could look away.
Not even her own relatives.
Aunt Gloria quietly wiped tears from her eyes.
"I had no idea."
Uncle Raymond lowered his head.
"I should've asked more questions."
Derek buried his face in his hands.
"I'm sorry."
"I should've stopped it."
I couldn't hear him.
I couldn't hear anyone.
The only thing I could hear was my mother's voice repeating one sentence.
"He trusts me."
Officer Brooks clicked on the final video.
Unlike the others, it lasted less than one minute.
The recording showed my mother standing alone in the guest room.
She wasn't talking to anyone.
She was talking to the camera.
As if she were recording a personal message.
She smiled.
Then she quietly said the words that made every person in the room go completely still.
May you like
"If you're watching this..."
"...then Colin found everything before I finished."
