Chapter 3 - The Dog Returns with the Evidence
I turned my back on the dining table and retreated down the hallway toward the mudroom, my mind racing as I mentally retraced every step. I searched the nursery walls, the kitchen counters, and the dark corners of the back hallway where the camera mount had been installed. Every empty space, every missing screw, and every evasive glance from Eleanor confirmed my darkest fears: this wasn't an accident. It was a calculated act, and she was desperately hiding something.
Just as I stepped back toward the kitchen glass door to search the patio enclosure again, a heavy scratching sound echoed from the side of the house.
The sliding side door creaked open, and our golden retriever, Max, trotted eagerly into the mudroom. But he wasn't empty-handed. Clenched firmly in his jaws was a small, cylindrical white device wrapped in blue silicone housing—our missing nursery security camera.
Max trotted right up to me, dropped the camera gently at my feet, and gave a happy little tail wag, expecting a treat for a job well done.
The entire kitchen went dead silent. The muted murmurs of the dinner guests ceased instantly. I knelt down slowly, my fingers brushing against the cool plastic of the camera. The exterior was caked in fresh mud, but when I picked it up, something caught my eye that made my breath lock in my throat.
The small indicator light on the side of the device was still blinking a steady, rhythmic blue. It was powered on, recording, and holding hours of uninterrupted digital footage.
Before I could even stand up, Eleanor materialized beside me, her designer heels clicking sharply against the tile floor. Her face had gone completely pale, stripped of all color, and her manicured hands reached out with unnatural speed to snatch the device from my grasp.
"Give me that!" Eleanor snapped, her voice pitching up in uncharacteristic panic. "It’s completely useless now. The battery is water-damaged, and the circuits are fried from sitting in the grass. I’ll throw it away for you. Stop being ridiculous!"
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I pulled the camera back out of her reach, stepping away as my eyes locked onto hers. The sheer terror written across Eleanor’s face was all the confirmation I needed. She didn't want me to throw it away. She was terrified of what was stored on its internal memory card.
"If it's broken and useless," I said coldly, my voice ringing clear across the silent, watching dining room, "then you shouldn't have any problem with me turning it on to check."
