Chapter 6 - The Missing Three MinutesEvan Mercer denied everything.

Daniel confronted him in the library twenty minutes after Eleanor revealed his name.

The estate manager stood beside the fireplace, his hands folded behind his back.

"I have no idea what Mrs. Whitmore is talking about."

Eleanor stared at the carpet.

Daniel watched them both.

"She says you knew Vanessa intended to provoke me."

"That's a misunderstanding."

"Then explain it."

Evan adjusted his cuffs.

"Miss Bellamy was concerned about your behavior at previous family gatherings."

Daniel almost laughed.

"My behavior?"

"She felt there had been tension."

"My daughter was assaulted."

"Which is unfortunate."

Daniel stepped forward.

"Unfortunate?"

Evan stiffened.

"That's not what I meant."

"Then choose your words carefully."

Eleanor raised one trembling hand.

"Daniel, please."

He turned toward her.

"Did you tell him to keep quiet?"

"No."

"Did Vanessa?"

Evan answered before Eleanor could.

"I haven't been instructed to conceal anything."

Daniel took out his phone.

"Good. Then you won't mind explaining the security cameras."

Evan's expression became unreadable.

"The police are handling that."

"They will. I'm asking whether the terrace cameras were recording during the incident."

"I would need to verify the system logs."

"Let's verify them."

"The control room is restricted."

"To whom?"

"Authorized personnel."

Daniel nodded.

"Then I'll make sure the investigators receive a preservation request before anything disappears."

Evan's jaw tightened.

Eleanor looked toward him.

"Evan, show Daniel what you have."

"Mrs. Whitmore, I don't believe that's advisable."

For the first time, Eleanor's voice became firm.

"I wasn't asking for advice."

Fifteen minutes later, they entered the security office behind the kitchen corridor.

Six monitors displayed the estate grounds.

The front gate.

The driveway.

The rose garden.

The stone terrace.

Daniel recognized the place where Lily had fallen.

Evan sat at the workstation and entered a password.

"Yesterday's recordings were archived automatically."

He opened a timeline.

The garden terrace appeared at 1:58 p.m.

Guests stood talking beneath white umbrellas.

Lily crossed the frame with her white dress moving around her ankles.

At 2:06 p.m., Vanessa appeared near the garden wall.

Then, at 2:07, the image went black.

Daniel leaned toward the screen.

"What happened?"

"Signal interruption."

"How long?"

Evan moved the cursor.

"Three minutes and twelve seconds."

The picture returned at 2:10.

Daniel was kneeling beside Lily.

Vanessa stood several feet away.

The necklace was already on the ground.

Daniel felt his chest tighten.

"The camera went out immediately before the assault?"

"Apparently."

"Only that camera?"

Evan checked another recording.

The driveway footage remained uninterrupted.

So did the front entrance.

Only the terrace camera had stopped.

Daniel looked at Eleanor.

She seemed close to being sick.

"That's quite a coincidence," he said.

Evan cleared his throat.

"Outdoor equipment fails."

"Of course."

Daniel pointed at the screen.

"Show me the system log."

Evan hesitated.

Then he opened a maintenance window.

A line of text appeared.

CAMERA 04 — MANUAL PRIVACY OVERRIDE — 14:07:18.

Daniel read it slowly.

"Manual privacy override."

Evan didn't speak.

"That's not a signal interruption, is it?"

The manager swallowed.

"It may be a default designation."

"Who activated it?"

"I would need to contact the vendor."

Daniel photographed the screen with the date, time, and identifying information visible, but he didn't touch the workstation.

"I'll let the investigators obtain the original logs."

Eleanor reached for the back of a chair.

"Evan..."

He turned toward her.

"Mrs. Whitmore, I can explain."

Daniel looked at him.

"Then explain."

Evan's voice dropped.

"Miss Bellamy requested privacy for a family discussion."

Daniel stared at him.

"You turned off a camera because Vanessa asked?"

"She said it was confidential."

"While my daughter was standing there?"

"I didn't know she intended to hurt anyone."

Daniel studied his face.

"Then why did you lie about the signal failing?"

Evan opened his mouth.

Nothing came out.

For several seconds, the only sound was the hum of the monitors.

Then Eleanor said, "He was instructed to keep the recording private."

Daniel turned.

"By Vanessa?"

Eleanor looked down.

Evan answered quietly.

"By both of them."

Daniel stepped away from the desk.

There it was.

The first deliberate act.

The camera hadn't failed.

Someone had silenced it.

And now two people were admitting that they'd wanted the terrace unwatched.

But Daniel had one more question.

"If the camera was disabled for privacy," he said, "how did Vanessa know exactly when it would stop recording?"

Evan's eyes moved toward his phone.

Daniel followed the glance.

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"Show me the messages."

The manager went pale.