Chapter 3 - Missing Hours
By seven the next morning, Daniel was inside the lodge security office.
Lily was with Dr. Burke and a child-welfare specialist in Daniel’s suite, accompanied by a temporary caregiver recommended by the pediatrician.
Daniel hated leaving her even two floors away.
But he needed answers.
Evan Price, the lodge’s security systems manager, had worked for Mercer Alpine Holdings for twelve years. He was meticulous, quiet and almost impossible to rattle.
That morning, he looked rattled.
“I checked the dates you gave me,” Evan said.
Daniel stood over his shoulder.
On three monitors were digital logs from cameras covering the dining room, main hallway, nursery corridor and great room.
“What dates?”
“The last six business trips you took.”
Daniel’s stomach tightened.
“How did you know which trips?”
“Your office sends executive travel schedules to security.”
Daniel glanced at him.
“So someone here always knew when I was away.”
“That’s standard.”
“Show me.”
Evan opened the archive.
January 11.
Daniel had been in Chicago.
The hallway camera had recorded continuously until 7:14 p.m.
Then nothing until 8:32.
February 3.
Daniel had been in Salt Lake City.
A ninety-minute gap.
February 17.
Denver.
Forty-six minutes missing.
March 2.
Vail investor dinner.
Two hours.
Daniel leaned closer.
“Equipment failure?”
“No.”
“How do you know?”
“Because other cameras on the same system kept recording.”
“Manual deletion?”
Evan hesitated.
“Archive suppression.”
“What’s the difference?”
“The system doesn’t permanently delete immediately. Authorized users can mark segments private. After thirty days, private segments are purged unless someone reverses the request.”
“Who can authorize that?”
“Me. Lodge management. Corporate legal. Executive administration.”
Daniel looked at him.
“Who did?”
Evan opened another log.
Requests had come through Margaret’s executive office.
Daniel read the name.
Nora Bell — Executive Assistant to Margaret Mercer.
He straightened.
“You approved them?”
“The requests said they involved private family activity. Your mother has always had authority over residential privacy.”
“Did you watch the clips?”
“No. We aren’t supposed to unless there’s a security reason.”
“Can they be recovered?”
“Some.”
Daniel turned quickly.
“Some?”
Evan nodded.
“After a camera upgrade last fall, I created a mirrored diagnostic archive. It records low-resolution copies for system testing. It isn’t part of the normal security library.”
“Does Margaret know?”
“I don’t think anyone knows except my team.”
Daniel exhaled slowly.
“Recover everything.”
Evan did not move.
“Daniel.”
“What?”
“Before I do that, you need counsel involved.”
Daniel stared at him.
“Why?”
“Because if those clips contain what you think they contain, we need chain of custody. If they show nothing, you need protection from accusations that you went digging through private footage for personal reasons.”
Daniel had known Evan was careful.
For the first time, he was grateful.
“Make a forensic copy.”
“I already called our outside cybersecurity firm.”
Daniel almost smiled.
“When?”
“At five this morning.”
“Good.”
Evan looked embarrassed.
“I also told them not to tell corporate yet.”
Daniel studied him.
“That could cost you your job.”
“I know.”
“Why do it?”
Evan looked at the monitor.
“Because I have a daughter.”
Daniel said nothing.
At ten, his attorney arrived from Denver.
Priya Sethi had represented Daniel personally for eight years and the Mercer company only when there was no conflict.
Today, there was conflict.
She listened without interrupting while Daniel explained the dinner, Lily’s statement and the missing footage.
When he finished, she closed her notebook.
“First, you need to separate three issues.”
“I don’t care about issues.”
“You need to. Lily’s safety. Your marriage. The company. If you treat them as one fight, Margaret will use each one to muddy the others.”
Daniel hated that she was right.
“Lily first.”
“Good.”
Priya recommended Daniel remain Lily’s sole caregiver except for vetted help, keep Vanessa away pending assessment, cooperate fully with child welfare and preserve every record.
“No private confrontation with Vanessa.”
“She lives here.”
“Then she moves.”
Daniel’s jaw tightened.
“Today.”
“Good.”
“And Margaret?”
“Same answer unless professionals advise otherwise.”
Daniel looked toward the snowy windows.
“This is her lodge.”
Priya shook her head.
“It’s owned by the holding company.”
“My mother behaves like those are the same thing.”
“Today might be a useful day for her to learn they aren’t.”
At noon, Daniel received a message from Thomas.
Mom wants a family meeting. She says we need to contain this before it becomes damaging.
Daniel showed Priya.
She gave a humorless smile.
“Save that.”
He did.
At two, Dr. Burke called.
Lily showed no physical injury.
But the specialist had noticed something.
Whenever footsteps approached the suite, Lily moved behind furniture.
Whenever a woman’s voice sounded in the corridor, she looked for Daniel.
And when someone dropped a metal tray in the hallway, Lily began crying so hard she could not speak.
Daniel closed his eyes.
“What does that tell you?”
Dr. Burke answered carefully.
“It tells me she’s learned to associate certain sounds and situations with fear.”
Daniel pressed his hand against the desk.
“How long does that take?”
“There isn’t a number.”
“Days?”
“Could be.”
“Weeks?”
“Could be.”
“Months?”
A pause.
“Yes.”
Daniel ended the call and sat alone for several minutes.
At four seventeen, Evan entered.
He carried an encrypted drive.
“We recovered January.”
Daniel stood.
Evan connected the drive.
A grainy image appeared.
The dining room.
January 11.
Daniel recognized Lily in her high chair.
Vanessa stood beside her.
Margaret sat at the table.
Three relatives were present.
Vanessa leaned over Lily and removed something from the child’s hands.
Lily reached for it.
Vanessa moved it farther away.
Again.
And again.
A stuffed rabbit.
Lily began crying.
Margaret said something the diagnostic system could not record clearly.
Vanessa laughed.
Then Thomas entered the frame.
He stopped.
He watched.
Daniel looked at his brother on the screen.
For a moment, Thomas stepped forward.
Then Margaret turned toward him.
Thomas stopped.
And slowly sat down.
Daniel stared at the footage.
Evan said nothing.
Then another figure appeared.
Rosa Alvarez, the lodge housekeeper.
She hurried toward Lily.
Vanessa blocked her.
The two women argued.
Rosa pointed toward the child.
Margaret stood.
The clip ended.
Daniel looked at Evan.
“What happened to Rosa?”
Evan hesitated.
“She was terminated two days later.”
Daniel turned.
“By whom?”
Evan pulled up the personnel record.
May you like
The signature at the bottom belonged to Margaret Mercer.
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