Ethan: THIS IS MY SON!
The violent crack of the slap rang across the pool deck, sending Clara crashing hard onto the wet concrete beneath the flag.
Clara: Mr. Sterling, please! Listen to me!
Ethan: You tried to murder my three-month-old child in cold blood!
Victoria: She was jealous, Ethan! I caught her pushing the carriage right over the edge!
Clara: That is a lie! I dove to the bottom of the pool to pull him out!
Ethan: Shut your mouth before I have you locked away forever!
Clara wiped the cold water and blood from her split lip, her chest heaving as she propped herself up on the pavement.
Clara: She tried to kill your son! Check the camera! Check the recording!
Ethan froze, holding the shivering baby tight against his wool coat lapel.
Ethan: What are you pointing at...?
Clara pointed her shaking, bruised finger straight at the dense garden hedge near the stone fountain.
Tucked deep between the trimmed boxwood leaves, a small lens glowed with an active red LED light, blinking steadily under the security lamp.
Victoria: There are no working cameras in the garden! The contractor disconnected them during the patio renovation!
Clara: That is not an estate camera, Victoria.
Ethan: Then whose camera is it?
Clara: It belongs to Detective Miller at the city police precinct.
Victoria's hands dropped from her face, her eyes widening in pure panic as she stepped away from the water's edge.
Victoria: You... you put a surveillance wire on this patio?!
Clara: Detective Miller installed that game camera yesterday afternoon after I reported the threats you made in the nursery.
Ethan: What threats in the nursery? Victoria, what is she talking about?
Victoria: She is fabricating stories, Ethan! She's trying to distract you from what she did!
Clara: Ask her why she bought liquid sleeping sedatives at the downtown pharmacy three days ago, Mr. Sterling.
Victoria took two fast steps backward, her blue diamond-studded gown rustling loudly against the wet stone deck.
Victoria: I bought those sleep drops for my own insomnia! I have a valid prescription!
Clara: Then why did you mix three drops into Toby's formula bottle right before you wheeled him outside?
Ethan's jaw tightened until the muscles in his neck stood out like corded steel.
Ethan: Victoria... did you touch my son's formula tonight?
Victoria: Ethan, look at me! I am your fiancee! We are signing the trust agreement tomorrow morning!
Clara: That is the whole point, Mr. Sterling! She needed Toby dead before tomorrow morning!
The low, steady rumble of a heavy engine echoed down the private estate driveway, headlights sweeping across the dark trees.
Ethan: Who is coming through the front security gate?
Clara: That is Detective Miller. And he watched the entire pool feed live on his squad car computer.
Victoria gasped, her hand flying to her chest as blue and red flashers painted the white mansion walls in sharp light.
Victoria: Ethan, don't let them on the property! Tell them it was a domestic accident!
Ethan: If you lied to me about my child, Victoria, God help you.
The side gate clicked open with a heavy metallic latch, and two officers walked onto the patio, led by a tall detective in a trench coat.
Detective Miller: Step away from the child, ma'am. Keep your hands where we can see them.
Victoria backed against the stone retaining wall, her knuckles white as she realized there was nowhere left to run.