Chapter 3 — The Camera No One Remembered
Chapter 3 — The Camera No One Remembered
The ambulance disappeared into the night.
Inside the mansion, nobody moved until Nathaniel finally spoke.
"Lock every gate."
The security chief nodded.
"No one leaves this property."
Vivian laughed softly.
"Surely you don't think I—"
"I didn't say your name."
Nathaniel's voice was calm.
Too calm.
He turned toward the head of security.
"How many cameras cover the main staircase?"
The guard hesitated.
"Six, sir."
Nathaniel nodded once.
"Show me the footage."
Another silence.
The guard swallowed.
"There... isn't any."
Nathaniel frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"The recordings from 6:45 until 7:20 were erased."
No one breathed.
Vivian looked genuinely surprised.
"That's impossible."
The guard continued.
"Not erased by accident."
He glanced down at the tablet in his hands.
"They were manually deleted using an administrator password."
Nathaniel slowly turned.
"Only three people have that password."
"Yes, sir."
"Myself."
The guard nodded.
"You."
Another nod.
"And Vivian."
For the first time since the accident...
Vivian looked nervous.
"Someone must have stolen my password."
Nathaniel didn't respond.
Instead, he noticed something else.
One of the younger security officers was staring at the monitor.
"Sir..."
"What is it?"
"The main staircase footage is gone."
He enlarged another screen.
"But Camera Twelve wasn't."
Nathaniel frowned.
"Camera Twelve?"
"The elevator."
Everyone looked confused.
Camera Twelve didn't face the staircase.
It faced the hallway beside it.
Far away.
Too far to capture the fall.
Or so everyone believed.
The young officer pressed Play.
A grainy recording appeared.
Not of the staircase.
But of Vivian.
Exactly eight minutes before Margaret fell.
She was walking quickly toward the security office.
Looking over her shoulder.
Then entering a room where only administrators were allowed.
She stayed inside...
Forty-three seconds.
Long enough to delete files.
Long enough to prepare a lie.
Nathaniel's jaw tightened.
Vivian suddenly took one slow step backward.
Then another.
May you like
She realized something terrifying.
Someone had forgotten about Camera Twelve.
