Chapter 9 - THE CAMERA
The Fosters had smart-home cameras.
Front door.
Driveway.
Garage exterior.
Living room.
Dining room.
Gerald installed them after neighborhood burglaries.
He told police the interior cameras had stopped working months earlier.
Digital forensics disagreed.
Cloud subscription active.
Files deleted manually after I left.
Recoverable.
The dining-room camera captured the meal.
No audio at first.
Then investigators restored cloud audio from the synced home hub.
I was not allowed to hear everything immediately.
Adrian told me one part.
Before I came downstairs, Patricia said:
“Rachel will scream.”
Gerald:
“Probably.”
“Keep the camera on.”
“What for?”
“So everyone can finally see what she’s like.”
My hands went cold.
“What does that mean?”
Adrian said:
“We’re still reviewing.”
They had wanted my reaction recorded.
May you like
The dinner was not only punishment for Emily.
I was part of the plan.
