Chapter 6
Chapter 6: The Unjust Exile
Evelyn had completely lost her patience. The emotional display between the housekeeper and her granddaughter only fueled her irrational anger.
She stepped closer, her posture rigid, pointing a perfectly manicured finger directly toward the massive, arched oak front door.
"Enough of this theatrical nonsense," Evelyn commanded, her voice echoing off the high ceilings. "I want you out of my house. Now."
Grace remained exactly where she was.
It wasn't because she wanted to stay in a house where she was hated. It wasn't because she refused the order.
It was because Lily still wouldn't let go.
The little girl's tiny fingers were gripping the white fabric of Grace’s apron so fiercely that her small knuckles had turned completely white. She was sobbing openly now, begging Grace not to leave.
Arthur, watching from the doorway, felt a rare, deep pang of sorrow in his chest. He quietly shifted his sharp attention away from the sobbing child and toward the antique side cabinet resting against the far wall of the living room.
Resting on top of the cabinet was the parent receiver of the baby monitor.
Its tiny, circular green recording light was blinking steadily in the dim shadows of the room.
Arthur’s mind flashed back to exactly three hours ago. He distinctly remembered switching the master recording system on that afternoon. Lily had been playing upstairs in the nursery, and she had wanted to show her new collection of porcelain dolls to the nursery camera, pretending with all her heart to host a live television show.
But Arthur knew a technical detail that Evelyn had long forgotten.
The high-definition camera installed in the nursery overlooked more than just the immediate entrance to Lily's playroom.
May you like
Because of a recent adjustment to the mounting bracket, its wide-angle lens captured a massive portion of the main upstairs hallway as well.
Including a direct, unobstructed view of the hallway leading straight into Evelyn's master bedroom.
