By late afternoon, the police had completed their initial walk-through of the home.
They asked Claire to stay at a local hotel while they reviewed evidence.
Richard sat in the dimly lit library holding his quiet baby in his arms.
Elena entered silently carrying a tray with fresh tea and clean bottles.
Elena: You must be exhausted, sir. Let me feed young Leo for you.
Richard: Thank you, Elena. I don't know what I would have done without you.
Elena: I only did what any caring person would do in that situation.
Elena took the baby gently and began nursing him with a soft smile.
Richard watched her, noticing how calm and organized she remained through everything.
She had worked for his family for nearly two whole years without complaint.
Yet Richard felt a strange restlessness settled deep within his chest tonight.
He walked over to his grand oak desk and opened his laptop computer.
The mansion featured a high-tech security network installed throughout every major room.
The system was designed to upload video files directly to an encrypted cloud server.
Richard logged into the administrator portal using his private corporate password credentials.
He opened the camera feeds corresponding to the upper hallway and main staircase.
Elena placed the sleeping baby gently into his portable crib in the corner.
Elena: I will be finishing the laundry downstairs if you need anything else.
Richard: Thank you, Elena. You may take the rest of the night off.
She smiled warmly and walked out of the library, closing the heavy door.
Richard dragged the video timeline marker back to nine o'clock that morning.
The camera angle showed the high-definition view from directly above the grand staircase.
He hit the play button and leaned forward in his leather desk chair.
He watched Claire walk carefully toward the stroller carrying a warm fleece blanket.
Then he noticed something odd happening in the bottom corner of the frame.
Another figure had been standing near the hallway corner just seconds before the fall.
Richard slowed the playback speed down to single-frame increments on the screen.
His breath caught in his throat as the truth began to clearly reveal itself.