Clara walked down the long driveway with her heart feeling heavy and completely broken inside.
She sat down on the park bench across the street from the high iron gates of the estate.
She remembered the tiny security system David had installed inside the main hallway months ago.
The main camera was hidden inside the smoke detector right above the grand staircase landing.
David often forgot the system was running because it saved footage directly to a cloud server on the TV.
Clara knew she needed to make David check that video footage before he made a terrible mistake.
She pulled out her cell phone and dialed the house landline directly.
The phone rang four long times before David finally picked up the receiver with a cold voice.
David: Stop calling this home Clara.
Clara: Look at the TV monitor David!
David: I do not want your excuses.
Clara: Check the hall security footage right now!
David: The cameras were turned off weeks ago.
Clara: No they run on automatic cloud backup!
David went completely quiet on the line as her desperate words sank into his mind.
He looked across the wide living room toward the huge flat screen TV mounted above the wooden credenza.
Victoria walked into the room carrying a fresh tray of iced tea with a wide fake smile.
Victoria: Who is on the phone honey?
David: It is nothing important Victoria.
David hung up the phone slowly and stared at the dark glass screen of the television.
He remembered setting up the automatic emergency recording feature when Emma was first born.
Victoria set the drink tray down on the coffee table and sat right next to David on the sofa.
Victoria: We should hire a new nanny tomorrow.
David: Yeah maybe we should do that.
David stood up from the soft leather couch and walked slowly toward the entertainment center.
Victoria watched him with sudden nervous curiosity as he picked up the black television remote control.