Vincent found the first problem with the security footage at 8:43 p.m.<\/p>\n
Eleven minutes were missing.<\/p>\n
Dominic sat behind the desk in his private study while three monitors displayed camera feeds from the rehabilitation wing.<\/p>\n
Clare and Ellie were upstairs in a guest suite with two female staff members Dominic trusted. Clare had protested until Dominic explained that whoever had tampered with his brace might realize Ellie had seen something.<\/p>\n
That ended the argument.<\/p>\n
Vincent stood beside the monitors.<\/p>\n
\u201cCamera twelve runs continuously.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUsually?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlways.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd yesterday?\u201d<\/p>\n
Vincent tapped the screen.<\/p>\n
\u201c4:16 p.m. to 4:27 p.m. Nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSystem failure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOther cameras stayed online.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dominic leaned back.<\/p>\n
His leg felt different.<\/p>\n
Not healed.<\/p>\n
Not painless.<\/p>\n
But different.<\/p>\n
For weeks he had assumed every new ache meant his body was failing him.<\/p>\n
Now he wondered how much of that suffering had been manufactured.<\/p>\n
Dr. Mercer stood near the fireplace.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want imaging done tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dominic looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the brace has repeatedly compressed the nerve, I need to know whether there\u2019s additional damage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRepeatedly?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer hesitated.<\/p>\n
Dominic caught it.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think this happened more than once.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we should consider the possibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vincent turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many people have access to the brace?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDominic. Myself. Two physical therapists. Three rehabilitation technicians.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Arthur Voss?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo medical reason.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat wasn\u2019t my question.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rehabilitation wing isn\u2019t restricted from senior household guests.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dominic\u2019s phone vibrated.<\/p>\n
Arthur.<\/p>\n
He ignored it.<\/p>\n
A second message arrived.<\/p>\n
Then a third.<\/p>\n
Vincent glanced at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s he saying?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dominic read the screen.<\/p>\n
Council members are leaving.<\/p>\n
You are making yourself look unstable.<\/p>\n
Call me before this becomes embarrassing.<\/p>\n
Dominic placed the phone facedown.<\/p>\n
\u201cPull access records.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vincent nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlready doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was a knock.<\/p>\n
One of Vincent\u2019s security officers entered carrying a small plastic evidence bag.<\/p>\n
\u201cFound this behind the rehabilitation cabinet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inside was a tiny screwdriver.<\/p>\n
Mercer frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t ours.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dominic looked at Vincent.<\/p>\n
\u201cPrints?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll handle it properly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another knock.<\/p>\n
This time Clare stood in the doorway.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dominic motioned her inside.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEllie won\u2019t sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s understandable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe says she needs to tell you something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dominic looked at Vincent.<\/p>\n
\u201cBring her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Minutes later Ellie entered wearing borrowed pajamas, clutching her wooden latch board.<\/p>\n
She climbed onto the sofa beside her mother.<\/p>\n
Dominic remained behind the desk to avoid intimidating her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you remember?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ellie stared at her toy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe man wasn\u2019t alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vincent\u2019s attention sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA lady.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat lady?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ellie shrugged.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhite shoes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clare frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhite shoes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe had squeaky ones.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer went still.<\/p>\n
Dominic noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cSamuel?\u201d<\/p>\n
The doctor looked uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
\u201cMedical shoes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho wears them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHalf the rehabilitation staff.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vincent crouched several feet from Ellie.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you remember anything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ellie nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said he shouldn\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dominic\u2019s eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did the man say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ellie squeezed the toy.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
She struggled to remember.<\/p>\n
Clare rubbed her back.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ellie finally whispered, \u201cJust enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody moved.<\/p>\n
Dominic felt cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust enough for what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ellie shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vincent stood.<\/p>\n
Dominic looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cFind the woman.\u201d<\/p>\n
At 9:17, Vincent returned with personnel photographs.<\/p>\n
Ellie examined them one at a time.<\/p>\n
She rejected the first.<\/p>\n
Then the second.<\/p>\n
At the fifth photograph, she stopped.<\/p>\n
Angela Pierce.<\/p>\n
Physical therapist.<\/p>\n
Thirty-four.<\/p>\n
Employed eight months.<\/p>\n
Ellie touched the photograph.<\/p>\n
\u201cSqueaky shoes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer cursed quietly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Vincent found the first problem with the security footage at 8:43 p.m. Eleven minutes were missing. Dominic sat behind the desk in his private study while three monitors displayed camera feeds from the rehabilitation wing. Clare and Ellie were upstairs in a guest suite with two female staff members Dominic trusted. Clare had protested until […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","class_list":["post-408","sr_chapter","type-sr_chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/sr_chapter\/408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/sr_chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/sr_chapter"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=408"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/sr_chapter\/408\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}