Chapter 5 - The Camera Above the Kitchen
The box was in my house.
That was the first thing I told Teresa.
The second was that she was no longer authorized to enter.
The third was that the three thousand dollars a month had ended.
She screamed.
Not cried.
Not reasoned.
Screamed.
“You think that little woman can manage your life?”
Amy was standing ten feet away.
I put the phone on speaker.
“My wife manages this family every day.”
“She stays home.”
“She raises my son.”
“I raised you without complaining.”
I almost laughed.
“You complain about it every week.”
Teresa went silent.
Then she used the weapon I knew was coming.
“Your father would be ashamed.”
My father had been dead eight years.
She had used his memory whenever she wanted me obedient.
This time it didn’t work.
“Dad would have asked why you forged my name.”
She hung up.
Amy stared at me.
“You’ve never talked to her like that.”
“I should have.”
That afternoon, I remembered the outdoor security system.
I had installed cameras after a break-in two years earlier.
The kitchen camera only activated when it detected motion near the back entrance.
I almost deleted the old recordings every month.
Thankfully, I hadn’t.
Amy and I sat together in my office.
We started with Frederick’s birthday.
The footage showed Teresa arriving at eleven in the morning.
Betsy came twenty minutes later.
They carried grocery bags and several boxes.
At noon, Amy walked into the frame holding Frederick.
The audio was clear.
“I really think we should cancel.”
Amy sounded exhausted.
“Frederick feels warm.”
Teresa barely looked at him.
“Guests are already coming.”
“Connor said he wanted something small.”
“My son doesn’t know how to entertain.”
Betsy laughed.
Then Teresa handed Amy an apron.
“Put this on.”
Amy hesitated.
“I’m taking Frederick upstairs.”
Teresa blocked the doorway.
“You will embarrass me in front of everyone.”
“He’s sick.”
“He’s spoiled.”
My hands curled into fists.
The recording continued.
Later, Teresa stood with Betsy near the back door.
They thought they were alone.
Betsy asked a question.
“When does the loan come through?”
Teresa lowered her voice.
“Next week if Connor doesn’t interfere.”
“And then?”
“Forty thousand pays Raymond.”
“Who is Raymond?” Amy whispered.
I shook my head.
Betsy continued.
“And my catering business?”
“Twenty thousand.”
“What about the rest?”
Teresa smiled.
“I’m putting a deposit on the Bellevue place.”
My stomach dropped.
She had already divided the eighty-five thousand dollars.
Then Betsy asked.
“What happens if Amy finds out?”
Teresa laughed.
“By the time she understands anything, the deed will be done.”
Amy stopped the recording.
Neither of us spoke.
Finally she whispered.
“She planned all of this.”
I nodded.
Then another clip began automatically.
It was three weeks earlier.
Teresa stood alone in the kitchen talking on her phone.
“I need Connor to believe Amy is unstable before we make the change.”
She listened.
Then smiled.
“If he thinks she can’t handle the baby, he’ll let me take over everything.”
Amy’s face lost all color.
Because Teresa’s plan had never been only about money.
May you like
She wanted control of Frederick too.
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